Engadget

02.04.2025 19:00 Nintendo won't let you escape two of its most critically-acclaimed games ever. It's announced there will be Switch 2 versions of both Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. Both titles will benefit from the next-gen console's increased power, with enhanced framerates and resolution during play, as well as HDR support for deeper colors and contrast. Nintendo wasn't specific on the difference between handheld and TV play just yet, but we know the new console will feature several resolutions for play, from 1080p through to 4K. The Switch 2 is also capable of up to 120 FPS, so you're likely to see a difference. For reference, Tears of the Kingdom on the original Switch was locked at 30 FPS in both the Switch's handheld and TV modes. Also, the new mobile Switch App will have new Zelda-specific features for these new editions. It can turn your smartphone into a Sheikah Slate. It'll guide you around maps with voiced directions, and you'll be able to share your creations with QR codes so that others can create your Mad Max destruction machines in their games. And if you're a Switch Online subscriber with the Expansion pack, you'll get both upgraded iterations for free, provided you own the originals. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-announces-upgraded-switch-2-editions-of-zelda-breath-of-the-wild-and-tears-of-the-kingdom-134039778.html?src=rss

02.04.2025 19:00 Nintendo just dropped a boatload of Switch 2 news. We got the release date, which is June 5, and plenty of details. The company also pulled the lid off a mysterious Joy-Con feature. The rumors were right. They can double as mouse-like controllers. One Joy-Con can be used as a traditional controller, held vertically, while the other slides along the table as a mouse. This could allow for near-perfect ports of Wii and Wii U games that relied on motion control, in addition to ports of PC titles. A Joy-Con will also combine with the gyroscope for unique gameplay experiences. Incidentally, this functionally will even work on pants. Nintendo The good use case here should be first-person shooters. Computer mouse controllers offer a level of precision that consoles have typically struggled to match, but this looks like an attempt to address this particular issue. It could even make the Switch 2 a powerhouse for franchises like Civilization. As a matter of fact, the company announced a port of Civilization VII. The company revealed that a Switch 2 version of Metroid Prime 4 will use this feature. Nintendo might also release games that make special use of this functionality down the line. It also pulled the lid off a game called Drag x Drive that's controlled via mouse Joy-Con. Nintendo The company even showed off nifty-looking demos, but these look mostly like mini-games. I, for one, would very much like a new Mario Paint. Nintendo The company also revealed another tool for the Switch 2. This is the mysterious "C" button. The button calls up voice chat. Finally, a Nintendo console with easy voice chat. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/the-switch-2s-joy-cons-can-double-as-mouse-like-controllers-133355339.html?src=rss

02.04.2025 19:00 Voice chat was never easy on the Nintendo Switch. Thankfully, with the Switch 2, Nintendo is making it an essential part of the new console. By pressing the new "C" button, located on the right Joy-Con, players can jump into a GameChat with their friends and family. Nintendo demoed the feature during its recent Switch 2 Direct, alongside a new Switch 2 Camera that will go on sale on June 5, the same day as the new handheld. If you've ever watched someone stream on Discord, you'll have an idea of what to expect from GameChat. Along the bottom of the interface are windows for every chat participant. At any time, up to four of your friends can start sharing their screen, and join with video chat if they own the Switch 2 Camera. Every Switch 2 unit features a microphone along the top of the device to facilitate voice communication, and GameChat allows up to 12 people to converse over voice. In the demo Nintendo showed off, friend streams appeared to run noticeably worse than the main gameplay. "Safety features are in place to help players have a safe and secure chat experience, such as the ability to report a person while in a chat session," says Nintendo. Additionally, children under the age of 16 will need approval from their parent to use GameChat, which they can obtain through an updated version of the Nintendo Switch Parental Controls App. Nintendo said a Nintendo Switch Online membership will be required to use GameChat. However, the company will offer a free trial through March 31, 2026. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/the-nintendo-switch-2-offers-built-in-voice-chat-and-screensharing-133334225.html?src=rss

02.04.2025 19:00 If there’s one thing Nintendo has always understood, it’s that everyone may want to play together, but might not all own the same game. With the Switch 2, the company is launching GameShare, enabling local multiplayer on multiple consoles with just one copy of a title. Yes friends, this is the wireless multiplayer feature from the Nintendo DS or, depending on your era, the modern day GameBoy Link Cable. With the first Switch, multiplayer was limited to sharing JoyCons on the same console hardware. But for the successor, if two people each have a Switch 2 but one copy of a compatible game, then they’ll be able to play wirelessly on their own hardware. But that’s not all, as you’ll also be able to do this with four consoles at a time, including original Switch and Switch Lite models. Unfortunately for now, the list of games compatible with GameShare is pretty thin, but Nintendo says more will be coming in the future. At launch, it'll work with Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, Super Mario 3D World / Bowser's Fury, ClubHouse Games , Super Mario Odyssey and Big Brain Academy. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-lets-switch-2-players-share-their-games-132431186.html?src=rss

02.04.2025 19:00 The 2025 Audi e-tron GT RS Performance has a special way of welcoming you. As you approach, it does the usual show of blinking headlights and tail lights, plus puddle lamps projecting red RS logos on the ground. That's nothing special these days. But when you get to the door and reach for the handle the car literally rises to meet you, springing up two full inches to ease your entry into this ultra-low, extremely long sport tourer. At least, it will do that if you spend the extra $11,000 for the new active suspension, a very worthy add-on to this $167,000 sports car and just one of the dozens of upgrades Audi made to the big performance machine for 2025. And it's good that those upgrades are so substantial, because from the outside, the car looks barely different than what came before. Audi slightly massaged the front grille, while the diffuser projecting from beneath the rear bumper looks far cleaner than before. Still, you'd be hard-pressed to tell new from old from a distance — or up close, for that matter. The biggest exterior change is probably the roof of the e-tron GT, which is now available in your choice of shiny or matte carbon fiber. Or, if you're more interested in sunshine than weight savings, you can opt for a new glass roof with nine separate integrated liquid crystal panels that turn opaque at the touch of a button. That makes for a fun talking point if you feel the need to impress your friends, but the 912 horsepower on tap will surely take care of that. Fire up launch control, and even the most jaded motorheads will be left utterly breathless. The e-tron GT RS Performance rockets from zero to 60 mph in just 2.4 seconds, which is a world-class figure, but what's more impressive is how it just keeps on going. I had a chance to run the car up past 130 mph and the feeling was right on the border between thrilling and terrifying. The forces squeezing me into the sport seat made my animal brain scream for sweet release. Audi That wasn't the only mindjob happening here, though. That new active suspension can be set to actually make the car lean into corners while also dipping the nose under acceleration and lowering the tail when you hit the brakes. It's all in an effort to create a more stable, predictable platform, enabling you to drive the car hard without your passengers losing their patience — or their lunches. The capabilities of the RS e-tron GT Performance are definitely remarkable in any condition. A quick twitch of your right toe is enough to send it leaping forward, and for those special moments, you can get about an extra 94 horsepower by pressing the big red BOOST button on the steering wheel. Unfortunately, that's about the only thing good about the wheel. For this new e-tron GT, Audi shifted to the type of capacitive touch buttons that everybody hates on the Volkswagen ID.4, which are both challenging to use by touch and yet easy to accidentally trigger. I kept raising the volume on the stereo every time I made a left turn. That's no good. The rest of the interface is much the same as before, with the 10.1-inch touchscreen angled in the middle of the dashboard. It's running Audi's MMI software though, which is a bit sluggish at times. Still, between the touchscreen, the Virtual Cockpit digital gauge cluster behind the wheel and the HUD projected on the windscreen, you have no shortage of displays to admire. The rest of the cabin is largely unchanged as well, which isn't a bad thing. Seats up front are supportive yet comfortable, power-adjustable in all the right ways, heated and ventilated, and sit low enough in the car to offer plenty of headroom. Seating in the back isn't bad either, with a bit of extra legroom provided by a division in the battery pack, creating space for rear passenger feet. That rear-seat layout is the same as before, but while the battery pack shape is the same, crack it open and you'll find all sorts of newness. Audi changed the chemistry of the cells and that, plus some design revisions, has boosted energy density, which means more capacity in the same space. The battery now offers 105 kWh of total capacity , which is up from 93.4 before, while other changes have boosted charging speed. The maximum charging current is up to 320 kW from 270 kW before, and the battery can now maintain that speed at a wider range of temperatures. The result is an 80 percent charge in just 18 minutes. That's about 240 miles worth of range in the time it'll take to make a pit stop yourself. All those battery upgrades provide up to 300 miles of range on the 670 horsepower S e-tron GT or 278 miles of range on the faster RS e-tron GT Performance. Those figures represent a gain of between 29 and 51 miles over the old car, depending on which spec you choose. That's a major boost in longevity, and since that new suspension is equally good at being soft and cosseting as it is sharp and exciting, the GT makes for a remarkably good touring car. I spent most of a day idling my way in and out of Las Vegas in one, and I would’ve gladly done many more miles without complaint. But with all that power and handling, the GT is happiest when it’s pushed to its limits. The only challenge is your budget will be pushed, too. The 2025 S e-tron GT costs $125,500, while the faster RS e-tron GT Performance starts at $167,000. That means all the new battery tech and brain-scrambling power have added about $20,000 to the sticker prices of the previous year's car. And you'll spend even more if you want all the toys. So, the RS e-tron GT Performance is expensive, but impressive too. We're still barely a decade into seeing what high-performance EVs can do, an engineering journey that will surely take us to new heights in the years to come. But what this car can do today is remarkable, with acceleration so strong that it's uncomfortable, suspension so advanced it can dance, and yet all the comfort and poise befitting an Audi.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/audis-refreshed-rs-e-tron-gt-performance-brings-shocking-speed-for-a-premium-price-130154710.html?src=rss

02.04.2025 19:00 The wait is finally over: The appropriately titled "Nintendo Direct: Switch 2" presentation will start today at 9AM ET / 6AM PT, and will stream on Nintendo's YouTube channel. Today's presentation follows a shorter Direct video last week, in which the company teased a Tomodachi Life sequel and the last few Switch 1 games . Because of the short teaser video Nintendo released in January, we already know the basic details of the Switch 2's look and feel — a larger screen, some sort of mouse functionality for the Joy-Con controllers — and we even got a glimpse at what looks like a new Mario Kart game. But the company's April 2 presentation should answer a litany of remaining questions about the Switch successor, including the price and release date. You can read our article collecting Switch 2 rumors and reports for a preview of what Nintendo might cover. Particularly pertinent for anyone thinking about buying the new console, recent leaks indicate that Nintendo could open up pre-orders for the Switch 2 as early as April 9, and ship out the device in June. We'll have to wait for the Nintendo Direct to finalize those details, of course. Nintendo has indicated that the presentation will last about an hour, so that should be enough time to present a longer list of Switch 2 games beyond those initial fleeting seconds of a new Mario Kart. You can watch along on Nintendo's YouTube channel or right in this article once the stream goes live. We've also go a Switch 2 liveblog going for real-time commentary. Stay tuned to Engadget in the hours and days that follow for complete coverage. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/how-to-watch-todays-switch-2-nintendo-direct-210632768.html?src=rss

02.04.2025 19:00 Whether you attach it to a dog's collar, put in on a set of keys or throw it in your purse, there's no denying that AirTags save you a lot of hassle. They get rid of the mental stress that is, "Where on Earth did I put that?" Thankfully, Apple's AirTags are not only convenient, but they're currently on sale. Right now, you can get a four-pack of AirTags for just $68, down from $99. For context, a single AirTag normally retails for $29 , so you're getting four for just over the price of two. This 31 percent discount brings the set to just $3 more than its all-time low. There's not much to say about AirTags that hasn't already been said. They use the Find My network to locate your missing belongings and can do so with incredible accuracy. Their main fault is the lack of a key hole, but we've rounded up the best Apple AirTag accessories for 2025 to fix that problem. Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/a-four-pack-of-apple-airtags-is-back-on-sale-for-68-125334495.html?src=rss

02.04.2025 19:00 Wikimedia has seen a 50 percent increase in bandwidth used for downloading multimedia content since January 2024, the foundation said in an update. But it's not because human readers have suddenly developed a voracious appetite for consuming Wikipedia articles and for watching videos or downloading files from Wikimedia Commons. No, the spike in usage came from AI crawlers, or automated programs scraping Wikimedia's openly licensed images, videos, articles and other files to train generative artificial intelligence models. This sudden increase in traffic from bots could slow down access to Wikimedia's pages and assets, especially during high-interest events. When Jimmy Carter died in December, for instance, people's heightened interest in the video of his presidential debate with Ronald Reagan caused slow page load times for some users. Wikimedia is equipped to sustain traffic spikes from human readers during such events, and users watching Carter's video shouldn't have caused any issues. But "the amount of traffic generated by scraper bots is unprecedented and presents growing risks and costs," Wikimedia said. The foundation explained that human readers tend to look up specific and often similar topics. For instance, a number of people look up the same thing when it's trending. Wikimedia creates a cache of a piece of content requested multiple times in the data center closest to the user, enabling it to serve up content faster. But articles and content that haven't been accessed in a while have to be served from the core data center, which consumes more resources and, hence, costs more money for Wikimedia. Since AI crawlers tend to bulk read pages, they access obscure pages that have to be served from the core data center. Wikimedia said that upon a closer look, 65 percent of the resource-consuming traffic it gets is from bots. It's already causing constant disruption for its Site Reliability team, which has to block the crawlers all the time before they they significantly slow down page access to actual readers. Now, the real problem, as Wikimedia states, is that the "expansion happened largely without sufficient attribution, which is key to drive new users to participate in the movement." A foundation that relies on people's donations to continue running needs to attract new users and get them to care for its cause. "Our content is free, our infrastructure is not," the foundation said. Wikimedia is now looking to establish sustainable ways for developers and reusers to access its content in the upcoming fiscal year. It has to, because it sees no sign of AI-related traffic slowing down anytime soon. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/wikipedia-is-struggling-with-voracious-ai-bot-crawlers-121546854.html?src=rss

02.04.2025 19:00 Samsung is releasing two Fan Edition models of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10, and they're both more affordable than their standard counterparts. The Galaxy Tab S10 FE and the Galaxy Tab S10 FE+ are powered by the Samsung Exynos 1580 chipset instead of MediaTek processors like the standard versions. Samsung's Galaxy Tab S10 FE+ model has a 13.1-inch display, which is bigger than the Tab S10+'s 12.4-inch screen but smaller than the 14.6-inch one on the Tab S10 Ultra. Take note that both models have a refresh rate of up to 90Hz, which is lower than the standard versions' 120 Hz refresh rate. That means the standard Tab S10 models are still the better options if gaming is your primary use for a tablet. But again, the new Fan Editions cost substantially less than they do. The Galaxy Tab S10 FE's prices start at $500, and it comes with 128GB and 256GB storage options. Meanwhile, the Galaxy Tab S10 FE+ will cost you at least $650 and come with the same storage options. The standard Galaxy Tab S10's prices start $999, while the Tab S10 Ultra will cost you at least $1,200. Like the the standard models, the Fan Edition versions come with AI capabilities, including Circle to Search with Google that makes it easy to look for information simply by encircling elements on your device. Their Samsung Note app also features Math Solver, which can do calculations based on handwriting and text, as well as Handwriting Assist, which can help you tidy up handwritten notes. Both Fan Edition devices will be available in the US starting on April 10. You'll get a $50 credit if you reserve a unit now, and you can buy a Book Cover Keyboard Slim for 50 percent off if you purchase one by May 11. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/tablets/samsungs-galaxy-tab-s10-fe-and-galaxy-tab-s10-fe-will-be-available-on-april-10-120019555.html?src=rss

02.04.2025 19:00 Roblox is again updating its parental control features in an effort to give parents more visibility into their children’s activities on the platform. The company is updating its in-app “Safety Center” to counter concerns that Roblox, which unlike social media apps allows children under 13, puts its youngest users at risk. The company added the centralized hub for parental controls last year, in an update that also added new restrictions on younger kids’ ability to exchange private messages with other users. But while that update gave parents the ability to control some of their children’s settings from their own devices, it was missing some key features like blocking. With the latest update, parents can now view their child’s friend list and block users on their behalf. Once another user has been blocked, they’ll no longer be able to exchange direct messages with the child and kids will need to get parental approval to unblock the person. Similarly, parents will now be able to block specific experiences within Roblox. Parents have already had the ability to limit in-app content based on its age rating, but parents have still at times complained about inappropriate content surfacing in certain games. Now, parents can block their young kids from participating in certain experiences. Finally, Roblox is adding more “granular insights” to the in-app screen time metrics that allow parents to see how their kids are spending their time on the platform. The Safety Center will now list “the 20 experiences in which their child has spent the‬ most time over the last week, sorted by total time.” Parents can then opt to block specific games or experiences directly from the screen time menu if something seems off. Roblox’s recent push to beef up safety features for younger users come amid a broader reckoning about the effect that online platforms can have on teens. Platforms have tried to address these concerns by enhancing parental controls and dedicated safety features for teens. But lawmakers are also pushing for change, with multiple states passing measures requiring some form of age verification . There’s also a bipartisan bill in the Senate to ban all preteens from social media entirely.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/roblox-parental-controls-now-include-a-block-button-120005897.html?src=rss

02.04.2025 19:00 Thanks to Nintendo's January 16 teaser trailer, we've long known what the Nintendo Switch 2 will look like, and that it will arrive in 2025 — over eight years after its predecessor. Now it's time for the rubber to meet the road: A special Switch 2-focused Nintendo Direct streaming on YouTube today at 9AM ET is expected to reveal the all the other key details, including the release date, price and pre-order details. And we might see a few new games, too. The January unveiling already told us quite a bit about the new Nintendo console. The Switch 2 looks very similar to the original system, albeit with a larger display, magnetic Joy-Cons and a sleeker design. The company also reaffirmed that the upcoming console will be backwards compatible with Switch games. Looking to catch up on everything we know — or think we know — about the Switch 2? Read on. What are the key last-minute Switch 2 news and rumors? The livestream placeholder for today's Switch 2 Nintendo Direct is live on YouTube, counting down to the 9AM ET start time. Nintendo has also confirmed that the presentation will last "approximately 60 minutes," which is more meaty than many of its recent game-only streams. If that first burst of Switch 2 news isn't enough for you, Nintendo will following up with gameplay video on April 3 and 4 at 10AM ET as well. Meanwhile, the Nintendo Today app in Japan offered up a short teaser on that curious "C" button . We still don't know what it's for, but clearly Nintendo is about to spill more info. The Nintendo Switch 2 was announced on January 16 The rumor mill had heavily suggested that Nintendo would pull back the curtain on the Switch 2 on January 16, and that turned out to be the case. The company hasn't changed the core form factor. It's a portable console with detachable Joy-Cons. The Switch 2 can be placed in a dock for big-screen gaming. There are some significant differences from the original console, however. The most obvious one is that the next-gen Joy-Cons will no longer slide into place mechanically. Instead, they appear to attach to the main unit magnetically. There is a small connector that's likely used to charge the controllers. It's unclear at this point if Joy-Cons from the original system will be compatible with the Switch 2. One other big change is the addition of a second USB-C port on the top of the device. That should make it much easier to plug in accessories while the Switch 2 is docked. FCC filings suggest that you'll be able to charge the console using either USB-C port, which is another nice quality-of-life change. It's great to see that Nintendo has kept the headphone jack as well. Let's just hope that Bluetooth headphone support is live from the jump this time and Nintendo doesn't leave everyone waiting four years for that feature. The kickstand is getting an upgrade. As with the Switch OLED, it spans the length of the console this time around. But, according to the reveal trailer, this one looks fully adjustable, so you can tweak the viewing angle to one that works for you. There are still a great many unknowns regarding the upcoming console. We don't really know the specs yet, or what type of display it uses. We also don't know anything about battery life, the UI or launch games. We assume we'll get full details on all of this at today's Nintendo Direct presenation. When will the Nintendo Switch 2 come out? 2025. That's all we know for sure at this point. Accessory manufacturer Genki, which had been a major source of leaks before Nintendo's January reveal, claimed the console would be released in April. Other reports have pegged June as the release window, as have several analysts. In any case, we should get a concrete answer today. When can I pre-order the Nintendo Switch 2? As with the release date, we expect clarity on this during or after the April 2 presentation. A Best Buy Canada post spotted on Reddit states that pre-orders will open on that day, but that has yet to confirmed. When can I try the Nintendo Switch 2? Nintendo is planning a worldwide roadshow to let gamers go hands-on with the console. These events start in New York and Paris on April 4-6, with others taking place throughout the following two months. That lends credence to some suggestions that Nintendo will release the Switch 2 in June. Ticket registration for many of the Nintendo Switch 2 Experience events has closed, but waitlists are available. However, given that Nintendo is taking a first come, first served approach, your chances of attending the roadshow if you don't already have a ticket seem very small at this point. The full list of Nintendo Switch 2 Experience dates is as follows: North America: New York, April 4-6, 2025 Los Angeles, April 11-13, 2025 Dallas, April 25-27, 2025 Toronto, April 25-27, 2025 Europe: Paris, April 4-6, 2025 London, April 11-13, 2025 Milan, April 25-27, 2025 Berlin, April 25-27, 2025 Madrid, May 9-11, 2025 Amsterdam, May 9-11, 2025 Oceania: Melbourne, May 10-11, 2025 Asia: Tokyo , April 26-27, 2025 Seoul, May 31-June 1, 2025 Hong Kong, To be announced Taipei, To be announced Will the Nintendo Switch 2 have some weirdness? Everything we've seen and so far about this console has been fairly, well, traditional. It looks like the original Switch, but better. That's awesome, but will there be any of that unpredictable Nintendo magic? Maybe! There are two puzzling additions that folks can't make hide nor hair of. Genki, the accessories manufacturer, just published a landing page for their Nintendo Switch 2 accessories. This landing page features a video that includes a very detailed look at a Switch 2 mockup. pic.twitter.com/Db7RSk4YlQ— Bob Wulff January 8, 2025 Keen eyes will have noticed a new button on the bottom of the right Joy-Con. Promotional images for a new app called Nintendo Today!, which the company says will provide users with daily news updates about things like games and the Switch 2, confirmed that it is a C button. However, it is not yet clear what this button does. Could it initiate voice chat during gameplay? Could it calibrate the controllers? Could it create a room-sized hologram of Bowser in your living room? We'll have to wait and see. Now onto the updated Joy-Cons. There appears to be a new sensor on the connecting side of each controller. It looks a whole lot like an optical sensor, which is what a computer mouse uses. This has led to speculation that players will be able to flip the Joy-Con over and use it like a mouse. Of note: the trailer shows the Joy-Cons moving along a flat surface, connector side down and looking suspiciously like a mouse. But why would anyone even want this? We can think of three words. New Mario Paint. Genki reveal isnt a mockup, its straight up just the Switch 2, optical sensor is literally flashing in this shot @Stealth40k #Switch2 pic.twitter.com/COeLsonqMd— Ash  January 8, 2025 Mouse control isn’t the only “too strange for any company but Nintendo” rumor floating around. A patent filed by the company suggests you can swap the Switch 2’s Joy-Cons, snapping them onto either side of the console. That would align with the magnetic Joy-Con attachment scheme. But much like the weird mouse rumors, it doesn’t necessarily align with, well, any logical reason for why you’d want to do that. The patent suggests it could allow for more user choice in where the headphone jack is. But since it’s Nintendo, the company that brought us Labo cardboard peripherals and the Game Boy Advance e-reader attachment, we have to wonder if there are… quirkier designs at hand. Is the Nintendo Switch 2 backwards compatible? The company confirmed in November 2024 that the Nintendo Switch 2 will be backwards compatible. It will also feature access to Nintendo Online, so users will be able to play all of those old retro titles. In the initial Nintendo Switch 2 press release, Nintendo reiterated that physical and digital Switch games will work on the new system. However, it noted that "certain Nintendo Switch games may not be supported on or fully compatible with Nintendo Switch 2." More details about which games those are will be revealed later. During a Nintendo Direct on March 27, the company revealed a new system for loaning digital Switch games out to friends and family members. Virtual Game Cards are designed to make it easier to start a game on one console and continue on another as well. Although Nintendo's approach to this is not as simple as it perhaps should be, Virtual Game Cards will also be available on the Switch 2. Will old games be enhanced in any way? The original Switch has, to put it mildly, struggled to run some of the late-generation software that's come down the pike. Could these games be enhanced to take advantage of the increased horsepower of the Switch 2? We have no idea. We also don't know if any of these releases will receive graphical upgrades, perhaps taking advantage of upscaling tech. What will the cartridges taste like? You may remember that the original Switch cartridges taste absolutely awful. This was on purpose, to discourage folks from putting the games in their mouth. Will the successor follow suit and continue to dip cartridges in a foul-tasting bitter coating? Only time will tell. What about specs? The rumors regarding specs are all over the place, so it’s tough to pin down. We know one thing for sure: It’ll be more powerful than the ancient Switch hardware, which was already antiquated back in 2017. One analyst allegedly got a hold of a spec sheet from the Korean United Daily News that said the Switch 2 would boast an eight-core Cortex-A78AE processor, 8GB of RAM and 64GB of internal eMMC storage. This tracks, as these specs are about as underpowered now as the original Switch was in 2017. However, some reports do indicate that the console will include 12GB of RAM. Another source suggests that the eight-core CPU will be packaged inside an NVIDIA-produced Tegra239 SoC . Given the current Switch runs on an NVIDIA chip, that makes a lot of sense. The CPU will be more powerful, but it's the Switch 2's new GPU that will be a major differentiator. It's all-but-confirmed that the Switch 2 will support DLSS, NVIDIA's "deep learning supersampling" upscaling tech, which would allow the console to render games at a low resolution internally while outputting a high-resolution image. There are still questions about the Switch 2 and DLSS: Will the system support newer DLSS features like frame generation? Will existing games be automatically tidied up by NVIDIA's algorithm? Regardless of the exact implementation, DLSS upscaling will be a huge leap over the rudimentary techniques available to Nintendo Switch developers. As for the display, there are many conflicting rumors. Early reports from solid sources suggested the Switch 2 would have an 8-inch LCD screen. The Switch 2's display certainly looks larger than that of the original Switch in a side-by-side comparison in the reveal trailer. Some folks have worried that the Switch follow-up may actually be too big, especially for kids. Certain analysts have suggested this would be an OLED screen, while others have said it would be a Mini-LED display. A Mini-LED display is basically an LCD display that has a backlight made of mini-LEDs rather than edge lighting. This allows for local dimming, making the blacks more black. We're hedging our bets here. We think it’ll be a standard LCD, to cut costs, with an OLED or Mini-LED model coming later down the line. However, Mini-LED screens are slightly cheaper than OLED displays, so that’s certainly a possibility at launch. As for resolution, recent reporting suggests that the console will output 1080p in handheld and 4K when docked. That's much better than the OG Switch. More tenuous “leaks” have intimated that the Switch 2 could also support a faster microSD card standard known as microSD Express. This allows for significantly faster transfer rates than the common UHS-I cards supported by the Switch today. It’s technically been around for several years, but we’ve only recently started to see microSD cards that take advantage of the spec hit the market. We actually tested one of them from SanDisk for our microSD card buying guide and found it could reach sequential read speeds up to around 900 MB/s. With the current Switch, microSD transfer speeds top out closer to 100 MB/s. So, in theory, all of this could bring a sizable boost in load times and general storage performance for the Switch 2 . But again, these rumors are far from concrete. It’s also worth noting that microSD Express cards cost significantly more than what we usually see today — the SanDisk card we tested, for instance, starts at $45 for just 128GB of storage. Recently-unearthed FCC filings also indicate that the console will support Wi-Fi 6 and NFC. The latter indicates that the Switch 2 will continue Amiibo integration. How much will the Nintendo Switch 2 cost? We don't have too much information regarding price but we do have plenty of history to work with. The original Nintendo Switch launched at $300, which is pretty much the "magic number" when it comes to Nintendo console releases in recent years. The Wii U also came in at $300. However, there are plenty of rumors circulating that Nintendo could be upping the asking price for the Switch 2. Several analysts are expecting Nintendo to hike the price to at least $400 and possibly even as much as $500. Rising costs of components and development, as well as US tariffs, are likely to mean that the Switch 2 is more expensive than its predecessor. Dipping back into history, there is some precedence for a price uptick. The GameCube was $200 and the Wii was $250. The Wii U and Switch increased to $300 and, well, numbers like to go up. A $400 price tag would make the Switch 2 nearly as expensive as a PS5 and Xbox Series X. That would also put it at the same price as the 256GB LCD Steam Deck. Again, we should get confirmation of the price during the April 2 Nintendo Direct. How well will the Nintendo Switch 2 sell? Even with an expected price increase, Nintendo is likely to sell boatloads of Switch 2 consoles. The company seems to be positioning itself to shatter sales records. Reports suggest that Nintendo wants to have as many units ready to sell as possible on release day. One analyst told Bloomberg that they expected Nintendo to have an inventory of between 6 million and 8 million units at the outset. As Bloomberg notes, the company sold 2.7 million Switch units in that console's first month. Sony's PS4 and PS5 each sold 4.5 million units in their first quarter on the market, though it's worth noting the PS5's early momentum was hindered somewhat by shortages. Nintendo has sold more than 150 million Switch units. Given that many fans are more than ready for an upgrade , the Switch 2 is very likely to go gangbusters right out of the gate. Do we know about any launch games? Not so much. The reveal trailer offered a peek at a new Mario Kart game. Nintendo released Mario Kart 8 on the Wii U over a decade ago and it's been milking that cash cow ever since, having sold more than 64 million copies of the game across that console and the Switch. It's definitely time for a new entry! It's certainly been a long time since we’ve gotten a proper 3D Mario adventure as well, so a new one could be a launch title. That would be one heck of a system seller. Other than that, your guess is as good as ours. Past as prologue, we can expect something from Ubisoft and an off-the-wall title like 1-2-Switch. One report suggested that PowerWash Simulator 2 is bound for the Switch 2, so that's something. If there’s a gimmick or hook involved with the console, we’ll also get a game that takes advantage of that. A dual release of Metroid Prime 4, just like Breath of the Wild and Twilight Princess before that, is also a possibility. It's all but nailed on that we'll learn much more about the Switch 2 launch lineup during the April 2 Nintendo Direct, which starts at 9AM ET. You'll definitely want to set your Alarmo for that one. That's everything we know about the Nintendo Switch 2 today. We'll update this article with rumors we trust and with information we gather directly from sources. Any changes made to the article after its initial publishing will be listed below. Update, January 24, 2025, 12:36 PM ET: This story has been updated to include speculation about price, potential game enhancements and the taste of cartridges. Update, February 5, 2025, 9:30AM ET: This story has been updated to note the time when the April 2 Nintendo Direct starts. Update, February 24, 2025, 12:30 PM ET: This story has been updated to include speculation about storage and information about the new microSD Express standard. Update, March 6, 2025, 2:30PM ET: This story has been updated to note recent FCC filings to indicate the presence of Wi-Fi 6 and NFC support. Update, March 14, 2025, 12:15PM ET: This story has been updated to include pricing and sales speculation from analysts. Update, March 20, 2025, 12:45PM ET: Updated to include a note about the Seattle Mariners new jersey patches featuring Nintendo and the Switch 2. Update, March 27, 2025, 3:50PM ET: Updated to add details about the C button, Nintendo Today! and Virtual Game Cards. Update, April 1, 2025, 10:16AM ET: Updated to add link to livestream and details on its length. Update, April 2, 2025, 7:34AM ET: Added final pre-Direct details. Jeff Dunn contributed to this report.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-switch-2-direct-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-new-console-reveal-today-195136387.html?src=rss

02.04.2025 04:30 The Washington Post reports that members of the White House's National Security Council have used personal Gmail accounts to conduct government business. National security advisor Michael Waltz and a senior aide of his both used their own accounts to discuss sensitive information with colleagues, according to the Post's review and interviews with government officials who spoke to the newspaper anonymously. Email is not the best approach for sharing information meant to be kept private. That covers sensitive data for individuals such as social security numbers or passwords, much less confidential or classified government documents. It simply has too many potential paths for a bad actor to access information they shouldn't. Government departments typically use business-grade email services, rather than relying on consumer email services. The federal government also has its own internal communications systems with additional layers of security, making it all the more baffling that current officials are being so cavalier with how they handle important information. “Unless you are using GPG, email is not end-to-end encrypted, and the contents of a message can be intercepted and read at many points, including on Google’s email servers," Eva Galperin, director of cybersecurity at the Electronic Frontier Foundation told the Post. Additionally, there are regulations requiring that certain official government communications be preserved and archived. Using a personal account could allow some messages to slip through the cracks, accidentally or intentionally. This latest instance of dubious software use from the executive branch follows the discovery that several high-ranking national security leaders used Signal to discuss planned military actions in Yemen, then added a journalist from The Atlantic to the group chat. And while Signal is a more secure option than a public email client, even the encrypted messaging platform can be exploited, as the Pentagon warned its own team last week. As with last week's Signal debacle, there have been no repercussions thus far for any federal employees taking risky data privacy actions. NSC spokesman Brian Hughes told the Post he hasn't seen evidence of Waltz using a personal account for government correspondence.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/national-security-council-adds-gmail-to-its-list-of-bad-decisions-222648613.html?src=rss

01.04.2025 23:20 An Arkansas law requiring social media companies to verify the ages of their users has been struck down by a federal judge who ruled that it was unconstitutional. The decision is a significant victory for the social media companies and digital rights groups that have opposed the law and others like it. Arkansas became the second state to pass an age verification law for social media in 2023. The Social Media Safety Act required companies to verify the games of users under 18 and get permission from their parents. The law was challenged by NetChoice, a lobbying group representing the tech industry whose membership includes Meta, Snap, X, Reddit and YouTube. NetChoice has also challenged laws restricting social media access in Utah, Texas and California. In a ruling, Judge Timothy Brooks said that the law, known as Act 689, was overly broad. “Act 689 is a content-based restriction on speech, and it is not targeted to address the harms the State has identified,” Brooks wrote in his decision. “Arkansas takes a hatchet to adults’ and minors’ protected speech alike though the Constitution demands it use a scalpel.” Brooks also highlighted the “unconstitutionally vague” applicability of the law, which seemingly created obligations for some online services, but may have exempted services which had the "predominant or exclusive function ... direct messaging" like Snapchat. “The court confirms what we have been arguing from the start: laws restricting access to protected speech violate the First Amendment,” NetChoice’s Chris Marchese said in a statement. “This ruling protects Americans from having to hand over their IDs or biometric data just to access constitutionally protected speech online.” It’s not clear if state officials in Arkansas will appeal the ruling. “I respect the court’s decision, and we are evaluating our options,” Arkansas Attorney general Tim Griffin said in a statement. Even with NetChoice’s latest victory, it seems that age verification laws are unlikely to go away anytime soon. Utah recently passed an age verification requirement for app stores. And a Texas law requiring porn sites to conduct age verification is currently before the Supreme Court.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/arkansas-social-media-age-verification-law-blocked-by-federal-judge-194614568.html?src=rss

01.04.2025 23:20 You could call Shinichiro Watanabe's Lazarus a retread of his masterpiece, Cowboy Bebop. That’s not to say the show is bad — based on the five episodes I’ve seen so far, Lazarus is still an entertaining and stylish ride. But I’ve just come to expect more from a legendary creator like Watanabe. It’s set in the year 2052, a near-future when a renowned neuroscientist released Hapna, a drug that can erase all pain. If that sounds too good to be true, it is: Hapna’s creator Dr. Skinner reveals to the world that everyone who took the drug will eventually die. And then he disappears. Like an evil Willy Wonka, he announces one hope for survival: Find him in 30 days, or humanity is doomed. To help find Skinner, the government sets up a covert group named Lazarus made up of convicted criminals. And that’s where the similarities come in. There’s the lead, Axel Gilberto, a parkour junkie who resembles Bebop’s reckless and carefree Spike Spiegel. Rounding out the team is Christine, a gorgeous femme fatale; Eleina, a bright young hacker; and Doug, a gruff investigator who has little patience for Axel’s shit. Those are all clear analogs to the Bebop crew of Faye, Ed and Jet. The one new element of the team is Leland, a cute college student who takes on various roles during the show . There’s a bit of Suicide Squad in the idea of using criminals to find humanity’s greatest villain, but Lazarus doesn’t really justify why that’s the case . And you’d think there would be more government efforts beyond a group of misfits to accomplish a humanity-saving mission. The Lazarus crew get a few chances to bond throughout each episode, but their interpersonal dynamics feel less organic than the Bebop characters, whose relationships were enriched by the pressure-cooker environment of an interplanetery spaceship, ever-present economic struggle and compelling backstories. By episode five of Lazarus, I didn't have any real understanding of these characters, whereas Bebop delivered the seminal episode Ballad of the Fallen Angels by then. Like Watanabe's Samurai Champloo, Lazarus is best enjoyed if you don’t look too closely at its plot holes or contrivances . It’s better to sit back and enjoy the incredibly stylish vibes. That includes wonderfully fluid animation by Mappa; a catchy soundtrack by Kamasi Washington, Floating Points and Bonobo ; and bone-crunching action choreography by John Wick director Chad Stahelski. It’s hard not to appreciate all of the talent involved. Adult Swim But again, I just wish the whole project felt more original. Lazarus’s premise isn’t far off from Cowboy Bebop: The Movie, which involved a terrorist plot to deploy nanomachines that would kill everyone on Mars. It’s also funny to see the show arrive alongside a more inventive show like Max’s Common Side Effects, which deals with the real-world consequences of miracle drugs that could heal any illness or injury. That show’s characters are more grounded and relatable, and it explores why pharmaceutical companies would stop at nothing to kill such a miracle drug. “The story began with Dr. Skinner... Is he a saint or a devil?” Watanabe said on the Engadget podcast via a translator . “Exactly what does he want to do? That was a big initial driving part of the story. ... What you initially thought of Skinner at start may change throughout the 13 episodes.” Adult Swim It’s not a huge spoiler to say that Dr. Skinner isn’t always portrayed as a villain in the show. Before the release of Hapna, he was a famous neuroscientist who pushed humanity to respond to the climate crisis. But instead of listening to him, the world’s countries chose to pursue profit over the future of humanity. With that in mind, it's no shock Watanabe says the inspiration for Hapna was, in part, the opioid crisis. Throughout flashbacks and short opening monologues, Lazarus gives us glimpses into Hapna’s effect on our main characters, all of which is more compelling than the actual quest to find Dr. Skinner. Did the pill really heal everyone’s pain, or did it just close off their ability to feel true emotions? I’m sure newcomers to Watanabe’s work won’t have the same reservations with Lazarus as I do, I just wish the show had the same distinctive identity as his other series. Cowboy Bebop is a jazz-soaked noir; Space Dandy is a hilarious riff on the space opera genre; and Carol and Tuesday is a touching story of two young girls pursuing a pop music career. Lazarus is basically another action thriller, but this time it’s scored to modern jazz and electronic music. I’m holding out hope that Lazarus matures into a more thoughtful show in its second half. But even if it doesn’t, it’s still worth celebrating anything new from Shinichiro Watanabe. There aren’t many anime directors and writers with his sense of style and excellent taste in music and action cinema. Even if it’s a lesser Watanabe project, it’s still more entertaining and creative than the vast majority of shows bombarding us in the streaming TV era, anime or otherwise. Lazarus premieres on April 5 on Adult Swim, and it'll be available on Max the day after. Subtitled episodes will be available 30 days after their English dubbed versions.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/lazarus-review-wildly-stylish-but-its-no-cowboy-bebop-170300198.html?src=rss

01.04.2025 18:30 TikTok's deadline to sell off or cede its US operations is once again approaching. The 75-day extension delaying the enforcement of a nationwide TikTok ban is set to run out Saturday, April 5, unless the company finally reaches an agreement to find a new owner. Who might buy it, and what happens if no deal is reached? Here's the shape of things right now: Potential buyers President Donald Trump has suggested that “a deal” is imminent and could be reached before that deadline. What such an agreement will look like is still extremely unclear. A number of interested buyers have come forward, including YouTuber MrBeast, Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian and Perplexity AI. Oracle, which almost bought TikTok in 2020 and was a key part of TikTok’s earlier negotiations to address national security concerns, is also in the running. Depending on which bid wins out, TikTok could end up looking very different. ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese owner, won’t allow another company to take control of the app’s coveted recommendation algorithm. That means a new owner would have to rebuild TikTok’s central feature. Perplexity AI, for example, has said it would take on this task of reverse-engineering the app's “For You” feed, making it open source and implementing some kind of Community Notes-style fact checking feature. Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian, who joined a group of investors known as “Project Liberty,” has hinted at a vision for TikTok that somehow ties in with blockchain technology. Option 2 There’s also another, potentially less disruptive option on the table. The White House is also considering a deal that would allow TikTok’s existing US investors to “roll over their stakes into a new independent global TikTok company,” according to The New York Times. Under this arrangement, Oracle could also end up overseeing TikTok’s US data while ByteDance hangs onto its algorithm, as the Financial Times reported in March. This would likely be a smoother transition than a full-on sale that would require a new owner to rebuild a significant part of the app. Aspects of it are also very similar to terms TikTok already agreed to under a previous agreement with Oracle known as Project Texas. However, this sort of deal may also not be entirely legal, as Politico recently pointed out. The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, the law passed by Congress and signed by former President Joe Biden last year, calls for a divestment of TikTok and its algorithm. It’s also not clear whether Chinese officials would be willing to sign off on such an arrangement, though Trump has suggested he could use the threat of tariffs as negotiating leverage. “We’re dealing with China also on it because they may have something to do with it. And we’ll see how that goes,” Trump told reporters over the weekend. No deal So what happens if Trump’s “deal” isn’t finalized by Saturday? The answer, it seems, is… probably nothing. Trump has said he would likely extend the deadline again if the clock runs out on the current extension. In the meantime, TikTok is unlikely to go dark like it did in January when the ban law first went into effect.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/tiktoks-ban-deadline-is-coming-what-happens-next-162420478.html?src=rss