Velocity Micro's ProMagix HD80 is a powerhouse desktop computer, with a focus on professional users rather than gamers. That distinction is necessary because gamers notoriously require the best graphics available.
Unlike many of the best workstations I've seen, this computer does not boast the newest GPU; however, it does have a top-of-the-line CPU, ample RAM, solid storage, powerful ports, and effective cooling, making it an excellent machine for productivity and business work that may not be as graphics-intensive.
The GPU is no slouch, but it's not an RTX 5090, so don't expect to game at maximum settings. However, this is a work machine, and sometimes that distinction is still necessary, even in 2025, where the lines between work and home are more blurred than ever.
(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )Velocity Micro ProMagix HD80: Pricing and AvailabilityThe Velocity Micro ProMagix HD80 is a pre-built computer from Velocity Micro. They specialize in building computers to the specifications that are best suited for certain groups of people. A middleman that helps connect great computer hardware with consumers.
This model is meant for business productivity and is spec'd out to cost nearly $7,000. If you are interested in something like this, reach out to Velocity Micro or check out their website for their builds.
(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )Velocity Micro ProMagix HD80: Unboxing & first impressionsThe ProMagix HD80 packaging is very well done. It's packed in the box tightly to prevent damage in transit. The box is massive, and since I knew what was inside, I made sure to buddy-lift this box, rather than try to muscle it up myself and risk dropping it. Once I had everything moved to where I needed it, I opened the box and set up the items.
The case build looks fantastic, even on first glance. If you're not familiar with Velocity Micro, the brief answer is that they specialize in building custom PCs for gaming and workstations. They also offer builds like these, where they pre-select a great combination of gear to create a dream setup with a specific outcome in mind. This outcome, of course, is business productivity. One of the things that Velocity Micro is known for is its excellence, and let me tell you, taking a look at the build quality of this PC, I can agree that Velocity Micro has gone above and beyond in assembling this computer with precision, care, and intentionality.
The whole build is simplistic, but not in a cheap way. They intentionally chose to omit the RGB colorways everywhere except for the CPU cooler, as RGB is a pretty clear gaming aesthetic. To further the minimalist branding and loud design, a slight Velocity Micro badge is visible on the glass case, paying homage to the company that built this beast.
Velocity Micro ProMagix HD80: Design & Build Quality(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )SpecsCPU: Intel Core Ultra 9 285K (24-core, up to 5.70GHz Turbo)
GPU: NVIDIA RTX 4500 Ada, 24GB GDDR6
RAM: 64GB DDR5-6000 Kingston Fury RGB
Storage: 4TB Samsung 990 Pro + 2TB Kingston NV3 NVMe SSD
Motherboard: ASUS ProArt Z890-Creator (Thunderbolt 5, Wi-Fi 7, 10Gb Ethernet)
Cooling: Velocity Micro 360mm liquid cooler + ARGB fans
PSU: 1000W 80+ Gold, Zero-RPM fan mode
Chassis: SX3 steel mid-tower (ATX/EATX), tool-less side panels
The ProMagix HD80 features a solid steel construction with mesh front and top panels, creating overall fantastic airflow for this machine. The internals of this PC feature clean routing and sleek, modular components that are easy to access, service, and upgrade in the future when needed.
The materials chosen are solid and intentionally understated. Velocity Micro understands that this is not intended for gamers; it's not designed for that purpose. It's intended for professionals.
(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )Velocity Micro ProMagix HD80: In useThe design for the ProMagix HD80 from Velocity Micro is intended for creative professionals, specifically those who would use software such as Adobe, CAD, Revit, Blender, and similar applications. The Intel Ultra 9 effortlessly handles any workload I throw at it, thanks to its 64GB of RAM. For large files, the 6TB of storage works great, making it easy to store even massive files on this machine.
Another thing that this machine is excellent for is coding. I was able to run large databases, huge Postman files, and large codebases without any issue. The only spot that I began to notice issues was with GPU-heavy tasks or programs. The RTX 4500 is not the most cutting-edge GPU, but considering the focus of this machine, I'm not too upset. Plus, if you wanted one of the brand-new RTX 5090, you could pop one in here without hardly any work.
Attributes
Notes
Rating
Design
Sleek and minimal
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Ease of use
Very easy to use
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Practicality
Practical for some
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Price
Highly priced
⭐⭐⭐⭐
(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )Velocity Micro ProMagix HD80: Final verdictVelocity Micro's ProMagix HD80 is a beautifully crafted custom build that is ideal for professionals who need to have a machine that they know will perform even with intensive apps and programs, but it's also good to keep in mind that just becuase it's a powerful machine.
For more performance-driven machines, we've reviewed the best mobile workstations around.
If patience is a virtue, the reward for digital creatives is the arrival of the first relatively affordable monitors based on OLED technology. Enter the new 32-inch 4K Asus ProArt PA32UCDM.
At $1,899 or £1,599, this is far from a cheap display. But it's still much more affordable than, say, Apple's Pro Display XDR, which starts at $4,999 without a stand and makes do with inferior—by some measures, at least—LCD panel tech.
In some ways, that's not surprising. The Asus ProArt PA32UCDM uses the same 32-inch 4K QD-OLED panel sourced from Samsung that first appeared in gaming monitors over a year ago, including Asus's own Asus ROG Swift OLED PG32UCDM. Those monitors can now be bought for under $800.
What they don't offer, of course, is the full suite of professional-friendly features. And that's exactly what the Asus ProArt PA32UCDM delivers, features like a comprehensive list of colour space presets, Thunderbolt 4 connectivity, hardware calibration, 10-bit colour and more.
Asus ProArt PA32UCDM: Design & featuresImage 1 of 5(Image credit: Asus // Future)Image 2 of 5(Image credit: Asus // Future)Image 3 of 5(Image credit: Asus // Future)Image 4 of 5(Image credit: Asus // Future)Image 5 of 5(Image credit: Asus // Future)Panel size: 32-inch
Panel type: QD-OLED
Resolution: 3,840 by 2,160
Brightness: 250 nits full-screen, 1,000 nits peak HDR
Contrast: 1,200:1
Pixel response: 0.1ms GtG
Refresh rate: 144Hz
Colour coverage: 99% DCI-P3
HDR: VESA DisplayHDR TrueBlack400
Vesa: 100mm x 100mm (bracket included)
Inputs: HDMI 2.1 x1, 1x Thunderbolt 4 with 90W PD, 1x Thunderbolt 4
Other: USB hub with 1x USB-A and 1x USB-C
Such is the capability of the latest QD-OLED gaming monitors, it's tempting to snag one for productivity work. One reason you might not is garish design. Gaming panels tend to have a slightly adolescent whiff. So, the slick, minimalist and professional aesthetic of the Asus ProArt PA32UCDM is an immediate win.
Some aspects of the design are reminiscent of Apple displays, including the hinge on rear, the sliding support and the neutral colour scheme. Speaking of Apple, while build quality is decent by most standards, the mix of metal and plastic definitely isn't as pleasing as the Apple Studio Display, let alone the much more expensive Apple Pro Display XDR.
For the record, this monitor offers height, tilt and rotation into portrait mode in terms of physical adjustment, but lacks swivel, which is a small pity. Elsewhere, the connectivity on offer is a bit of a mixed bag. On the upside, you get dual Thunderbolt 4 ports with support for display daisy chaining and 96W of power delivery, plus an HDMI 2.1 port with the full 48Gbps bandwidth.
However, the USB hub only offers a single USB-A and USB-C port, and Asus has fitted this display with neither a DisplayPort input nor a headphone jack. The former is arguably catered for courtesy of DisplayPort Alt Mode over the Thunderbolt interface. But for some setups, an actual DisplayPort socket would be handy. Likewise the absent headphone output.
Along with the broader display capabilities and specs, you get 10-bit per channel colour, Dolby Vision support, hardware calibration and a full suite of OLED panel protection features including a proximity sensor for automatically dimming the display when not in use. In the comprehensive OSD menu you can choose between four, eight and 12-hour panel refresh cycles.
Asus ProArt PA32UCDM: PerformanceImage 1 of 5(Image credit: Asus // Future)Image 2 of 5(Image credit: Asus // Future)Image 3 of 5(Image credit: Asus // Future)Image 4 of 5(Image credit: Asus // Future)Image 5 of 5(Image credit: Asus // Future)On paper, this display has so much going for it. It starts with the basic proposition of 4K resolution on a 32-inch display, which is obviously ideal for many pro workflows, provides plenty of working space and bodes well for aspects like font rendering.
To that you can add the various upsides of OLED technology, which is only now beginning to enter the pro display market. Notably, that includes perfect per-pixel lighting the likes of which no LCD monitor can replicate, ditto the exceptional pixel speed and near-perfect viewing angles. Oh and outstanding colour extension, particularly from Samsung's OLED tech, which benefits from colour-enhancing quantum dot technology, hence the "QD-OLED" moniker.
Combine that with the aforementioned 4K image detail and precision and, well, what a recipe. For the most part, what an experience, too. At its best, this is an exceptional display. Bright highlights in HDR video content, for instance, absolutely zing. The colour vibrancy is fantastic, too, and a clear step above LG's WOLED panels, which are the main alternative to Samsung QD-OLED. All of this is heightened by the glossy panel coating, which really lets the OLED technology sing.
This is not, however, a perfect display. For starters, It suffers the same limitations as all OLED panels, primarily limited brightness when large sections of the panel are being lit up. Asus provides a uniform brightness mode for SDR content. That allows for a maximum of 250 nits. For many uses and applications, that's enough.
However, it's a little less than you might want in bright ambient conditions. However, where the limited brightness performance is really apparent is with HDR content. The claimed peak 1,000 nit HDR capability is only available across 3% of the panel. Light up 10% of the panel and the brightness dips to 400 nits.
The consequence is that this monitor, like all existing OLEDs, can look utterly stellar when displaying a mostly dark image with small, super-bright highlights. But it can lack a little pop when rendering brighter scenes. Moreover, if you run the screen in HDR mode on the Windows or Mac desktop, there's significant brightness variation, when, for instance, you resize a mainly white application window.
For the record, the image detail and font rendering isn't as good as displays with greater pixel density, such as various 27-inch 5K2K panels and Apple's 6K Pro Display XDR. What's more, Asus's factory calibration does leave a tiny bit to be desired. It's a little over saturated out of the box and also very slightly crushes some shadow details.
Of course, if your workflows require the ultimate in accuracy, you'll be calibrating this monitor in any case and that eventuality is well catered for courtesy of a hardware 3D LUT, Asus's own ProArt calibration and support for third party calibration tools including CalMAN Autocal.
It's also worth noting that this is a very, very fast display. It supports 240 Hz refresh and offers a claimed 0.1ms response. This isn't a monitor aimed at gaming, but it's pretty much as good as gaming-centric monitors based on the same panel.
Finally, the Asus ProArt PA32UCDM does have a cooling fan that runs in max brightness HDR mode. But it's barely audible.
Asus ProArt PA32UCDM: Final verdictImage 1 of 6(Image credit: Asus // Future)Image 2 of 6(Image credit: Asus // Future)Image 3 of 6(Image credit: Asus // Future)Image 4 of 6(Image credit: Asus // Future)Image 5 of 6(Image credit: Asus // Future)Image 6 of 6(Image credit: Asus // Future)The transition of OLED into monitors aimed at digital creatives and other pros has taken a little longer than expected. But it's now happening and this Asus display is an excellent showcase of what the technology brings.
Thanks to the perfect per-pixel lighting, at its best the HDR performance totally blows away any LCD-based monitor, even one with mini-LED full-array dimming. The colours are explosive, in a good way, the viewing angles pretty much perfect. Combine that with the 4K pixel grid and features like Thunderbolt 4 with daisy chaining support you have a very compelling display for creative tasks.
The brightness limitations of current OLED tech, however, mean that this isn't a cheap alternative for authoring pro-grade HDR content. Like all other OLEDs, it simply can't sustain sufficient brightness across enough of the panel. Slightly patchy factory calibration is another weakness, though only slight and mitigated by excellent calibration support.
All told, this is a very welcome addition to the pro monitor market. It's not perfect, but it does bring some genuinely new abilities to the class. Mini-LED monitors still rule for full-screen brightness. And for now, there aren't very many format and resolution options available with OLED panels in the pro market. But this is almost certainly just the beginning for OLED technology aimed at creative pros.
For more displays for creative professionals, we've rounded up the best monitors for photo editing, the best monitors for graphic design, and the best monitors for video editing.
For decades, Condé Nast publications such as Vogue and Vanity Fair were consequential tastemakers. Writer Michael Grynbaum explores the heyday of these magazines and how they lost their footing.
(Image credit: Sean Zanni)
Netflix has greenlit an Assassin's Creed TV adaptation, giving me hope once again after previous attempts to adapt the video game for the screen have flopped.
In 2016, the Michael Fassbender led movie was critically panned and received an 18% Rotten Tomatoes critical score. But news that the story is coming to one of the best streaming services has piqued my interest.
We have seen some huge success with video game adaptations recently, of course, like Prime Video's Fallout or HBO's The Last of Us, so we can only hope that second time's a charm when it comes to Assassin's Creed.
What do we know about Netflix's Assassin's Creed?The Assassin's Creed movie was a critical flop. (Image credit: New Regency Productions)At the time of writing, we don't know much. Netflix hasn't released a trailer or a cast list, but they have confirmed who is leading the project.
Emmy nominees Roberto Patino (Westworld) and David Wiener (Halo) will serve as creators, showrunners, and executive producers on the Assassin's Creed series. Given their work on some big shows, this does fill me with hope.
The Halo video game to screen adaptation scored a healthy 80% on Rotten Tomatoes, making it worthy of a spot on our best Paramount+ shows, so that's a positive start.
In terms of plot, all we have so far is a statement from Tudum which reads: "Assassin’s Creed is a high-octane thriller centered on the secret war between two shadowy factions — one set on determining mankind’s future through control and manipulation, while the other fights to preserve free will."
It adds: “The series follows its characters across pivotal historical events as they battle to shape humanity’s destiny.”
That isn't a lot to go off, and fans of the video games already know the universe well, so it will be interesting to see how far it sticks with or deviates from the source material.
Either way, I'm excited to give this one a go and pray it will one day be added to our best Netflix shows list.
You might also likeThe Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-310 is an expensive and feature-light print-only inkjet with all the emphasis on print quality. It’s large enough to take 13” x 19" A3+ sheet paper, but small enough to share your desk.
There’s no touchscreen, no auto-duplex mode and the print speed is slower than its nearest rival, the Epson SureColor SC-P600. However, with ten cartridges delivering Canon’s industry-leading pigment ink through 7,680 nozzles, this could be one of the best large format printers enthusiast and professional photographers can buy.
Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-310: Design and build(Image credit: Canon // Future)SpecsType: color inkjet photo printer
Functions: Print only
Connectivity: Ethernet, USB, Wi-Fi
Data storage slots: none
Print speed: A3+ in 4min 15sec
Max paper size: A3+, 13” x 19"
Print quality: 4,800 x 2,400 dpi
Memory: 1GB
Apple AirPrint: yes
Consumables included: 10 x 14.4ml cartridges
Dimensions/Weight: 639 x 379 x 200 mm (WxDxH)/31.7lb/14.4kg
The torpedo-shaped Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-310 looks very much like a scaled down version of the rugged and uncompromising Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-1100, which of course it is. While the flagship model takes A2+ sheets, its baby brother takes paper half that size and is cheaper by about a third. The compact design is the same, with two paper inputs and sturdy paper feed trays that fold neatly away to leave a compact unit that’s only 14 inches high and 19 inches deep. But be warned, with the flaps extended those dimensions grow to 16 inches and 33 inches.
The top-loading tray can hold up to 100 sheets of A4, or 50 sheets of A3 plain paper, while the rear-loading manual feed is for single sheets of any size up to A3+. The ten inkjet cartridges are tucked away inside and can be accessed somewhat awkwardly by lifting the printer’s bonnet. By necessity, the cavity and the cartridges are much smaller than those of the Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-1100 I reviewed.
That upward-facing three-inch color display is not a touchscreen, unfortunately, and there are no frontal slots for a USB thumb drive, or the memory card from your Canon camera. At the rear are ports for a USB data cable and Ethernet cable. The whole unit is covered in textured plastic and it feels like it’s built to last.
Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-310: Features & specifications (Image credit: Canon // Future)This is a pure photo printer, so there’s no scanner and few additional features. There’s no touchscreen, USB Host port or Bluetooth connectivity for instance and no auto-duplex mode. It might seem surprising that a printer costing over $700 can’t turn over a sheet of paper, until you understand that the Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-310 is all about image quality.
To achieve a maximum print resolution of 4,800 x 2,400 dpi a total of 7,680 nozzles spray minute droplets from ten individual inkjet cartridges. That’s 768 per color. In addition to the usual four colors, C/M/Y and photo black, you also have PC/PM/GY/R/CO and matt black. This makes for a much wider gamut and more natural and realistic shading.
Printing is rather slow at more than four minutes for one A3+ print, but Canon’s paper compatibility is especially versatile. The main input tray on top can handle any kind of paper from Canon’s 5” square photo paper to borderless A3+ prints of 13”x19”. Canon’s menu of paper presets offers no less than 29 choices, including Photo Paper Plus Glossy II, Premium Fine Art Rough and matt. You can load up to 100 sheets of A4 in this tray, or 50 sheets of A3.
There’s also a manual feed tray, which takes one single sheet at a time and here you can load envelopes or heavy card up to 380 g/m2 or 0.6mm thick. There’s actually a third input tray stored underneath the printer which makes it possible to print on blank CDs, for the few who still do that.
The only media this printer can’t handle is roll paper. Without the roll-adapters you find on some large format printers, you can only load sheets of cut paper. Fortunately, this does include 13-inch-wide banners of paper up to 70 inches long.
Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-310: Setup and operation(Image credit: Canon // Future)The setup procedure is the same as most other inkjet printers, but it takes slightly longer as there are so many cartridges to load. The supplied quick-start manual is very brief and clear, but Canon also has a helpful iOS/Android app to help you get going. This app makes it easy to connect your phone to the printer’s 5GHz Wi-Fi, then the printer to your local Wi-Fi network.
Having loaded the ten supplied cartridges, plus some paper and chosen a language for the on-screen menu, you then have to wait a few minutes while the inks are agitated before you can print your first page. It does this automatically from time to time to ensure the best ink flow.
It’s a pity there’s no touchscreen interface, but the 3-inch color display and familiar navigation wheel buttons are large enough that accessing the onscreen menu to make your paper selection or set security options is quite easy to do at the printer. It’s worth mentioning here that Canon has ditched all internal polystyrene packaging in favor of more sustainable cardboard.
Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-310: Performance(Image credit: Canon // Future)The Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-310 prints slowly, but the results are well worth waiting for. I found that connecting by USB cable (not included) was slightly faster than with Wi-Fi. Canon’s quoted print rate of just over four minutes for an A3+ photo proved accurate enough, and it’s the same speed if you print in black and white or color. While that sounds slow, we should remember that the printer is crunching the data of very large images and Canon’s L-COA PRO processor is actually working hard and more importantly, it’s not making mistakes.
If you were considering using this machine to double as your office printer for running out plain text documents, you might want to think again. Its black and white text output is unremarkable, except for its slowness. And without auto-duplex, you have to turn each sheet yourself. With color photos, on the other hand, the results are excellent across the board.
Black and white photos look especially impressive thanks to the use of matte black and grey inks in addition to photo black to help achieve strong contrast and improved greyscale. Color photos also look remarkably lifelike thanks to the wide color gamut, natural shading and fine detail reproduction. Just like the similar, Epson SureColor SC-P600, Canon is using nine inks to great effect. However, Canon’s additional cartridge containing the chroma optimizer appears to give it an advantage when it comes to the glossy finish. It really is hard to fault the Canon’s output onto coated photo paper and it makes the company’s longevity claim of up to 200 years light resistance believable.
Canon sells a very wide selection of printer paper, all of which is supported by this printer. I tried out Pro Platinum, Pro Luster, Plus Glossy II, Matte and Premium Fine Art. That last paper is quite thick and only works in the multi-purpose tray at the rear which has the flatter paper path. It’s hard to choose a favorite, but the glossier finishes tend to take the fullest advantage of this printer’s capabilities, in my opinion.
Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-310: ConsumablesThe big catch with this superb photo printer, is the cost of its consumables. Canon’s 5100 cartridges are specific to this model and it costs around US$130 (or £150) for a new set and they’re not big cartridges.
The volume is just 14.4ml which is a fraction the capacity of the larger Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-1100 at 80ml per cartridge. Canon’s estimates for the yield of these little cartridges is complicated by the fact that no two colors yield the same figure, but broadly speaking, you can hope to print up to fifty A3+ photos before needing to replace one or more of them.
That’s a higher ongoing cost than the Epson SureColor SC-P600, but Canon’s newly reformulated LUCIA PRO II pigment inks are industry leading in their longevity and the image quality looks superior. If you need to print a higher volume of photos, an ink tank alternative such as the excellent Epson EcoTank ET-8550 would be a better bet.
Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-310: Maintenance (Image credit: Canon // Future)If left standing unused for long periods, the Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-310 is as susceptible to drying out as any other inkjet and it has the usual maintenance programs built into the menu to solve this. These are basically cleaning cycles that flushes ink through the 7,680 nozzles to unblock them and given the cost of the ink, you won’t want to run these cycles too often.
Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-310: Final verdict(Image credit: Canon // Future)Any enthusiast or professional photographer will appreciate the print quality of this premium A3+ photo printer. The nine reformulated LUCIA PRO II pigment inks plus the innovative chroma optimizer combine to give you exceptionally realistic images on coated photo paper. I’ll have to take Canon’s word about the industry leading 200-year longevity of its prints, but they certainly look great.
The printer itself feels robust and well designed with only the essential features such as Wi-Fi with AirPrint compatibility. There’s no touchscreen, no USB Host port and it can’t even auto-duplex, but it does have a very wide media compatibility that takes in everything from blank CDs and 4x6-inch photo paper, to rough A3+ card and 70-inch-long banners. The only thing it can’t print on are paper rolls.
The ink cartridges specific to this model are small and expensive, but if you don’t mind paying for prints that look as good as a professional print shop and last even longer, the Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-310 is worth the investment.
For more print solutions, I've comprehensively tested the best small business printers and best home printers.
A maximum-severity vulnerability was recently discovered, and patched, in Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) and ISE Passive Identity Connector (ISE-PIC). This flaw allowed threat actors to execute arbitrary code, with elevated privileges, on the operating system of the devices running the tools.
ISE is a network security policy management and access control platform, helping organizations centrally manage who and what can connect to their network. The ISE-PIC, on the other hand, is a lightweight service that collects identity information about users and devices without requiring them to authenticate via traditional methods.
Both tools are typically used by enterprise IT and cybersecurity teams that manage large or complex network environments.
The importance of patchingRecently, security researcher Kentaro Kawane, from GMO Cybersecurity, discovered an insufficient validation of user-supplied input vulnerability that could be exploited by submitting a crafted API request. Valid credentials are not required to abuse the flaw.
It is tracked as CVE-2025-20337, and was given a severity score of 10/10 (critical). It affects releases 3.3 and 3.4 of the tools, regardless of device configuration. However, releases 3.2 or older are not affected.
Cisco addressed the flaws in these versions:
- Cisco ISE or ISE-PIC Release 3.3 (Fixed in 3.3 Patch 7)
- Cisco ISE or ISE-PIC Release 3.4 (Fixed in 3.4 Patch 2)
The good news is that there is no evidence the vulnerability has been exploited in the wild by malicious actors. However, cybercriminals are known for targeting organizations only after a bug was made public, since many entities don’t rush to apply the patches. By keeping hardware and software outdated, organizations are keeping their back doors wide open, and criminals are getting an easy way into the premises.
Therefore, it would be good practice to apply the patches as soon as possible and prevent possible attacks.
Via The Hacker News
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(Image credit: Adel Hana)
Nintendo has explained why Donkey Kong wears clothes in the latest Switch 2 exclusive, Donkey Kong Bananza.
For as long as Donkey Kong has been around, he's typically been portrayed completely naked (if a monkey can even be naked), but in the latest installment, the star ape underwent a makeover, in both character design and wardrobe.
According to Nintendo, the team thought to give Donkey Kong some clothes this time around because it was aware of what he would look like from behind to players.
"When controlling a character in a 3D world, the player often sees them from behind, so we were also conscious of how Donkey Kong would look from the back while he's moving," said producer Kenta Motokura in a recent Ask the Developer Q&A.
"The back view of Donkey Kong just looks like a mass of brown fur, which would make for a monotonous visual if we simply rendered him in 3D."
Motokura also said that the development team was inspired to make creative adjustments to Donkey Kong's outfit and decided to give him a snazzy tie, britches, and suspenders.
The character's fur was also improved to "look rich and thick", and his original design, created by Shigeru Miyamoto, has been revamped for the new game and even Mario Kart World.
"That basic Donkey Kong design has been completely revamped. While overhauling the design, we returned to where it had all started. We took Miyamoto-san's original Donkey Kong as the basis, adding design elements from Donkey Kong Bananza here and there," he explained.
In TechRadar Gaming's review, hardware writer Dashiell Wood called Donkey Kong Bananza "the greatest Nintendo Switch 2 title to date, delivering an incredible destruction system that showcases the power of the new system."
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