The milestone represents a new first-month sales record for developer and publisher Capcom.

As TikToks April 5th sell-by date approaches, Americans are back to where they stood before the original January deadline: watching anxiously to see if a major social media app gets banned. But thats far from the only big event well see over the coming month. April is filled with momentous turns in long-running tech policy stories some possibly industry-changing, others at risk of fizzling out.The first two and a half months of President Donald Trumps second term were highly consequential for the tech industry, which faces real challenges despite largely cozying up to Trump. After the chaos of the fired FTC commissioners, DOGEs dismantling of the federal government, and constantly delayed tariffs, the next few weeks could be extraordinarily busy, too. Deadlines that Trump let slip are coming up, as are long-planned ones, such as those covering TikTok, new tariffs, and a pair of juggernaut antitrust cases involving Apple and Meta. Heres everything you need to know to be prepared. April 2nd: tariffsTrump said he intentionally chose April 2nd over April Fools Day because hes a little superstitious, but its still wise to expect the unexpected for taxes on imported goods. The official order he released last week clarifies a 25 percent tariff on automobile imports will take effect at 12:01AM ET on April 3rd. Hes also threatened to implement:A 25 percent tariff on goods from countries that import Venezuelan oilA 200 percent reciprocal tariff on European wine and alcoholA 25 percent tariff on goods imported from Canada or Mexico (following a one-month delay)A not-yet specified tariff on agricultural importsReciprocal tariffs that will be revealed on April 2ndTrumps tariffs have fluctuated and stalled amid blowback and discussions with foreign leaders, but the early April deadline for vehicle imports to the US has held so far. Trump has promised a permanent 25 percent tariff on cars and trucks that are imported into the country, while the reciprocal tariffs are meant to alleviate what his administration views as imbalances with trade partners.The auto tariff is expected to apply to both foreign manufacturers and American car companies that manufacture vehicles abroad and import them to the US. Experts anticipate the cost will ultimately raise prices for US consumers buying new cars.April 5th: TikTok ban or extensionTikTok is still legally required to divest from its parent company ByteDance, and as with its original January deadline, its running out the clock before a ban kicks in.Trump signed an executive order delaying the ban on his first day in office, promising not to enforce the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act against TikTok service providers including companies like Oracle, Akamai, Fastly, Amazon Web Services, Apple, and Google for 75 days. That order was already legally questionable, given that the law requiring TikToks Chinese owner to divest it to operate in the US already took effect and was upheld by the Supreme Court. Apple and Google held off on returning TikTok to their app stores until Attorney General Pam Bondi reportedly sent them a letter assuring theyd be immune from legal consequences under the Trump administration if they did.Trump has promised a TikTok sale agreement before the deadline, but the details remain vague. Its still quite possible that he will simply extend the arbitrary deadline again, attempting to keep the status quo while supposedly hammering out the deal. But as Senate Democrats have warned, repeated legally dodgy extensions leave TikToks service providers increasingly vulnerable the statute of limitations on the law extends past Trumps term, and they risk hundreds of billions of dollars in fines for defying the act. Apple, AWS, Google, Akamai, Fastly, and Oracle did not respond to requests for comment.ByteDance must fully divest its control of TikTok and have no say in its operations; nor can the two share data, content, or algorithmsAlternatively, Trump may present the details of a deal (however vague) by the deadline. Multiple contenders have thrown their hat in the ring to take TikTok off ByteDances hands, including billionaire Frank McCourts Project Liberty and Perplexity.Oracle is reportedly in a leading position for a partnership with TikTok to ensure that US user data cant be accessed by the Chinese government but the reported details sound a whole lot like Project Texas, which US officials previously dismissed as too porous to protect US national security. Its not clear this would meet the legal requirements for divestiture, and even the top Republican on the House Select Committee on China has warned that ByteDance must fully divest its control of TikTok and have no say in its operations; nor can the two share data, content, or algorithms. Theres also the matter of whether the Chinese government will agree to let any version of a sale happen.Essentially, based on the options currently on the table, were probably about to see the start of yet another legal battle around TikTok. The FTC filed its antimonopoly suit against Meta back in late 2020, when it was still known as Facebook, and the two sides will finally meet in court on April 14th to kick off the trial.For several weeks, Judge James Boasberg will hear testimony on whether Meta illegally monopolized the personal social networking market, in part through its acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp, which the FTC alleges could have been formidable competitors. If he agrees with the government that Meta broke the law, both sides will return later to figure out what should be done about it including, potentially, unwinding the acquisitions.Its been a rocky case for the FTC, all the way back to Trumps first term, when the original lawsuit was filed with support from two minority Democratic commissioners and the Republican agency chair. That first complaint alongside a separate lawsuit filed by 48 state and district attorneys general was thrown out by the judge.But Boasberg left the option for the FTC to try again. The agency filed an amended complaint during the Biden administration under Democratic chair Lina Khan, seeking to resolve concerns with the initial complaint. The result was sufficient to move the lawsuit forward; in November 2024, after Boasberg mostly denied Metas motion to dismiss, he resolved that the case would move to trial. Now, that trial will begin with the FTC back under Republican control.April 22nd: Google Search remedies trial beginsAlso in DCs District Court, the second phase of the Google Search monopoly trial begins next month. Judge Amit Mehta ruled last summer that Google has illegally monopolized the online general search market, as well as the market for search text ads. Now, Google and the Justice Department will spend two weeks debating what changes the judge should impose to remedy the harm created by the illegal monopolization (a characterization Google intends to appeal). At the end of the Biden administration, the DOJ said that appropriate remedies would include forcing Google to spin out its Chrome browser a key access point for search engines syndicate the data that makes its search results so powerful, and ban exclusionary deals like its multibillion dollar agreement with Apple. After the Trump administration took over, the DOJ maintained many of the same asks, though it modified a few, including letting Google pay Apple for non-search-related agreements. Mehta has said he aims to issue a decision by this August.Apple is not a party to the case, but it has fought to play a bigger role in the remedies phase because it fears its interests might not be sufficiently represented by Google. But an appeals court agreed with Mehta that Apple will have to settle for filing briefs to explain its point of view, rather than taking a more active role in the trial.See More:

This week, on April 4th, Microsoft turns 50 years old. The company has gone through sweeping changes over that time from two guys in New Mexico to more than a quarter-million employees worldwide, from making text-based operating systems to holographic video games but through the decades, its remained a foundation of the tech world.Microsoft has made a lot of products over its 50 years, ranging from file formats and PC accessories to cloud servers and design languages. A great many were duds its hard to nail everything over five decades but a lot were memorable, fascinating, or simply excellent products that would go on to be used by billions of people or change the industry in their wake.For Microsofts 50th anniversary, The Verge spent time sorting through all of those products to decide on the 50 best the ones we loved, the ones that changed the tech world, or at least the ones we couldnt get out of our heads.Our general rule was this: everything on the list had to be a consumer product or otherwise something consumers engaged with. (Sorry, Azure.) The specific version we mention also has to have been made or published by Microsoft at the time of its release. (Minecraft is great, but it was an acquisition.)We ended with a shortlist of more than 200 products to consider. After whittling it down, arguing over the rules, and re-ranking things more than a few times, heres our take on the best stuff from Microsoft over its first 50 years.50. ClippyI can probably trace my hatred of modern AI writing assistants to this dreaded paperclip. Clippit (as it was known before Microsoft conceded that Clippy was catchier) was the default character option for the Office Assistant feature that was introduced in Office 97. What was supposed to be a cute guide to help new users get to grips with software features was actually so widely criticized for being annoying, unhelpful, and intrusive that Microsoft itself eventually mocked the feature. Ben Waldman, the head of development for Office 97, even embedded the acronym TFC into Clippys source code. The C apparently stood for clown, and well, you can infer the rest.Nearly three decades later, its much easier to look back on Clippy as an icon and a perplexing precursor of what was to come. Jess Weatherbed49. Microsoft BobAs the internet made having a home PC even more appealing, Microsoft introduced Bob in 1995 as a less intimidating front end for Windows 3.1, 95, and NT. Application icons appeared as random objects around a virtual cartoonish home. Clicking a pen and paper on a desk would open a word processor, while a clock accessed the calendar. Bob is considered one of Microsofts more memorable failures (although Rover, an animated dog assistant it introduced, would later be revived as a search companion for Windows XP). Andrew Liszewski48. ContosoIf youve ever completed a Microsoft certification like the Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE), youve probably come across Contoso, Fabrikam, Northwind Traders, or Datum Corporation. These are all fictional Microsoft companies that are used in product demos and training materials. Contoso is probably the most widely used, as Microsoft has invented a Contoso bank, hotel, pharmaceuticals company, consulting firm, and many more made-up Contoso businesses. Tom Warren47. Metro design languageMicrosofts Metro design language put a heavy focus on typography and simplified icons, creating a stylish, distinct look that could make any interface feel fresh. Microsoft leaned into Metro with its Zune interface, and the software maker eventually debuted the full Metro interface with Windows Phone 7. The design heavily influenced iOS and Android, and Microsoft later brought the style to Windows 8, Outlook, and the Xbox One dashboard. Tom Warren46. Internet Explorer for Mac Internet Explorer for Mac landed at just the right time, with Microsoft locking in a deal to make it the default browser on Apples computers a year before the launch of the iMac. The iMac G3 the computer that saved Apple was designed around internet connectivity. And that meant getting online through Internet Explorer. Jacob Kastrenakes45. ZuneMicrosofts brown Zune was one of the coolest-looking gadgets ever released. Yeah, you heard me right. Its edges gave off this greenish glow effect that Ive never seen replicated in other products. And the Zune Pass, which let you permanently keep a few songs each month along with your all-access subscription, was ahead of its time. The Zunes onboard software was impressively sleek especially for Microsoft during that era and similarly, the Zune HD never got enough appreciation for its terrific industrial design and forward-looking OLED display. Chris WelchWhyd Microsoft have to give up on its Surface Headphones after just two tries? Look, I wont tell you they were ever a strong contender in the sound quality department, but everything else about them was genuinely good. First and foremost, the dial controls were ingenious. Youd rotate one ear cup to adjust volume, and the other controlled the level of active noise cancellation. It seems like such an obvious idea, and more headphone makers need to copy it if were never going to get a pair of Surface Headphones 3.Lets not talk about the Surface Earbuds, though. Those were an unmitigated disaster. Chris Welch43. Jon M. Chus Movement commercialThough Microsoft was never known for making super memorable commercials, you could feel the company locking in when it tapped Jon M. Chu to direct its Movement spot for the original Surface. It was easy to knock Movement for focusing on dancers rather than detailing the Surfaces specs and how much it would cost. But watching the ad now, its like looking into another reality where companies want their gadgets to seem fun. Charles Pulliam-Moore42. Comic SansBefore becoming the default font for passionate graphic designers everywhere, Comic Sans aimed to make computers seem less intimidating for younger users. Microsoft designer Vincent Connare created Comic Sans in 1994 to contrast with more formal fonts at the time and was specifically inspired by the lettering styles used in The Dark Knight Returns and Watchmen two notably violent comic books that arent recommended for children. It became recognized as a meme after routinely being used in situations where a more serious typeface would have been more appropriate. Even Google is in on the joke try typing Comic Sans into Search. Jess Weatherbed41. Microsoft BasicMicrosoft found its business model fast: after the success of its first BASIC interpreter in 1975, the company reworked it for PC makers across the industry. The result was an early industrywide reliance on Microsoft to make core PC software a role its gladly served ever since. Jacob Kastrenakes40. Windows HelloWindows Hello lets you sign in to a PC with just your face or fingerprint. Its a great addition to Windows that just works, to the point where I cant even remember the last time I signed in to my laptop with a password. Tom Warren39. Word 5.1A version of Word so good, people refused to leave it behind. Word 5.1 for Mac was a legendary release, with a clean interface, stable performance, and all the features a mid-90s writer could ask for. After the disaster of Word 6, some Mac owners refused to upgrade for over a decade. Jacob Kastrenakes38. PowerToysMicrosofts range of PowerToys have existed since Windows 95, offering up more customization and flexibility for power users. I loved Tweak UI during the XP days for editing Internet Explorer settings, and FancyZones is a great little window manager if you have multiple monitors or a giant ultrawide one. Tom Warren37. Courier conceptMicrosofts Courier was a prototype dual-screen tablet that the company had been working on in secret before a video leaked online. The prototype tablet, developed by Xbox creator J Allard, had two seven-inch displays with a flexible hinge to make it feel like you were opening a book.The leaked concept video had many onlookers pining for a tablet like Courier, but the hardware was powered by a custom version of Windows CE that never saw the light of day. One report suggests that Bill Gates stepped in and killed the Courier project. Microsoft eventually announced a Surface Neo dual-screen tablet years later, but just like Courier, it also never shipped. More than a decade later, foldables have taken up the mantle, but were still left dreaming of what a dedicated notebook-style tablet could offer. Tom Warren36. Windows Movie MakerI wish Windows Movie Maker still existed. As a teenager, I used the app to learn the basics of video editing and to quickly create videos to share with friends and family or publish on Facebook and YouTube. It was never as fully featured as Adobes Premiere Pro, but it was free and easy to use. Microsoft eventually discontinued Windows Movie Maker in 2017, before acquiring Clipchamp to become its default video editing tool in Windows. Tom Warren35. SkiFreeDeveloper Chris Pirih writes on his website for SkiFree that he created the game for his own education and entertainment. But after a program manager for the Microsoft Entertainment Pack saw him messing with the project at work, it ended up being included with Windows 3.0.Id argue SkiFree is less a game than a metaphor for the futility of ambition no matter how good I got at hitting ramps and dodging trees, I was forever destined to be eaten by a yeti in the end. Wes Davis34. Windows 1.0Its easy to forget that Microsoft Windows was originally a failure, that it was one of the very first pieces of vaporware, and that the overlapping windows we all associate with Windows werent actually part of Windows at its November 1985 debut. Instead, it shipped as a tiled operating system, with each of its windows automatically resizing to fill the remaining space on your screen much like the Snap feature that shipped with Windows 8 and beyond to help place apps side-by-side. Overlapping windows arrived with Windows 2.0, and it wasnt until Windows 3.0 that the operating system really took off. But in hindsight, we can already see the underpinnings of what the power user OS would become, both good (multitasking!) and bad (memory woes). Heres how Bill Gates introduced the OS in its original press materials: Windows provides unprecedented power to users today and a foundation for hardware and software advancements of the next few years. It is unique software designed for the serious PC user, who places high value on the productivity that a personal computer can bring. Sean Hollister33. Microsoft GolfWith an interface as bland as a pair of golf pants, Microsoft Golf captured the feeling of hitting the links for an early generation of gamers. Theres still something delightful about its crisp sound effects, crunchy trees, and checkbox-heavy gameplay. Jacob Kastrenakes32. Windows Home ServerI loved Windows Home Server. As a teenage geek, I used to use different versions of Windows Server to enable easy file sharing, printing, and remote access to my home network, but Windows Home Server made this a lot easier. Microsoft put a lot of effort into simplifying PC backup, file sharing, and remote access with this version of Windows, and although it didnt last very long, it was an important addition ahead of Microsofts push into cloud computing. Tom Warren31. Forza Horizon 5Forza Horizon 5 has a soundtrack thats so good I included half of it in my wedding playlist. The driving is pretty decent, too. Joking aside, with the variety of activities and distractions, I spent days playing Forza Horizon 5 without ever seeing a checkered flag. Instead I would just blast tunes cruising around Mexico, drinking in the scenery, and plowing through the odd cactus patch. Alice Jovane, Polygon30. HoloLensThe HoloLens wasnt commercially successful, but Microsofts now-defunct mixed reality goggles (not to be confused with the essentially unrelated Windows Mixed Reality platform) were one of the first consumer-level products to demonstrate the forms promise and grapple with its limitations. Unlike Googles anemic Glass headset, they did genuinely impressive stuff projects like HoloLens Minecraft remain almost untopped for sheer cool factor.Microsoft valiantly tackled problems that high-end AR still hasnt cracked: heavy hardware, clunky controls, a small field of view, and the fact that wearers look ridiculous. But it never solved them, and HoloLens was dealt a major blow when project lead Alex Kipman allegedly harassed employees and then stepped down. If spatial computing goes mainstream, well probably look back on the HoloLens as ahead of its time; if it doesnt, the goggles will be a reminder of what with a few more technological breakthroughs could have been. Adi Robertson29. SideWinder 3D ProImage: Wikimedia CommonsIn the early days of PC gaming, nothing felt quite as powerful as piloting a mech or flying a plane with a SideWinder joystick. Sure, the future turned out much simpler, but using WASD is a whole lot less fun. Jacob Kastrenakes28. PaintAlmost deprecated in 2017 but saved by an outpouring of support and nostalgia, MS Paint is still kicking, since 1985, living long enough to be injected with AI tools that do way more than the once pixel-y canvas ought to be capable of. Though I never modded any Minecraft textures, or created any work-in-progress graphics for my myriad primitive websites, or did anything remotely useful with it at all, I have definitely created some god damn masterpieces (I think). And thats what MS Paint is best for. Catharsis. Intent. Squiggles. Marina Galperina27. Windows XP wallpaperMicrosoft complemented its big and bold Windows XP theme with a default wallpaper named Bliss. The photograph of the rolling hills and blue skies of California was initially a stock photo before Microsoft acquired the rights to it and used it to heavily promote Windows XP. As it was the default photo on millions of Windows XP devices, many have speculated that its the most viewed photograph in the world. Tom Warren26. Bill Gates as Austin PowersDuring the 90s and early 00s, Microsoft used to host a variety of silly videos on its internal winweb corporate intranet. Among them were many videos of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates dressed up as Superman or Austin Powers, alongside former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer playing along, too. This was an era before internet usage was widespread and the ability to send a video to millions of people at the click of a button was possible, so many of them have made their way to YouTube these days. Tom Warren25. Xbox Adaptive ControllerMicrosofts Xbox Adaptive Controller, a controller designed for people with disabilities, came close to never being released. But teams across Xbox and Surface worked together regardless of budget constraints to make the Xbox Adaptive Controller a reality, delivering one of the most capable pieces of accessible hardware in the gaming world. It has encouraged other companies like Logitech to build accessories for the controller, and Microsoft has even gone on to launch an Xbox Adaptive Joystick, too. Tom Warren24. Gears of War 2If Halo put the Xbox on the map, creating the template for console first-person shooters for years to come, Gears of War put the Xbox 360 on the map. A third-person, cover-based system seller that was simultaneously the calling card for Epics Unreal Engine 3, Gears of War was the blueprint for a modern AAA blockbuster. Why Gears of War 2 on this list then? Horde Mode fans know whats up. Chris Grant, Group Publisher, The Verge and Polygon23. $150 million investment in AppleIn this Aug. 6, 1997, file photo, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, background left, stands at a podium as Bill Gates, chief executive of Microsoft Corp., appears on a video screen during Jobs address during the MacWorld convention in Boston. Photo: Julia Malakie/APIn 1997, Steve Jobs returned to Apple and took charge of a company that was months from bankruptcy and in desperate need of help. He found a surprising ally in Microsoft, which agreed to invest $150 million into Apple at a rock-bottom share price. The agreement saved Apple, helped to keep antitrust regulators off Microsofts back, and teed Microsoft up to be a key software maker on the Mac for years to come. Jacob Kastrenakes22. MSN dial-upImage: CD-ROM Preservation Project / Archive.orgIf you had internet access in the late 90s then it was almost certainly via a dial-up service provided by The Microsoft Network (MSN) or America Online (AOL). Either way, the shrill, eye-watering screeching sounds it made are now incredibly nostalgic for a certain generation of individuals. It may surprise you to know that MSN dial-up is actually still available to this day from $21.95 per month, offering rural regions that have yet to adopt broadband connectivity a (somewhat inconvenient) way to get online. Jess Weatherbed21. Surface Book keynote presentationMicrosoft has never had the swagger of Apple, never quite been able to blow away a keynote crowd like its competitor could. But at one very memorable presentation in 2015, Microsofts then-hardware leader Panos Panay and the Surface team managed to do it. Panay ran through a seemingly complete introduction of the new Surface Book laptop, even announcing a price and release date. And then, when he should have wrapped up, he doubled back and reintroduced the product, revealing that it was actually a tablet capable of splitting in two. The product line would only last for three generations, but it was a compelling-enough idea with solid-enough execution that we still wish Microsoft would bring it back. Jacob Kastrenakes20. Altair BasicImage: ChristiesEvery company starts somewhere, and this is the start for Microsoft: a BASIC interpreter for the Altair 8800 that was so good, it led to a whole line of BASIC interpreters and the foundation of one of the biggest names in tech. Jacob Kastrenakes19. Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024Microsoft gained the Flight Simulator license from Sublogic in 1982 and, by now, its clocking in as one of the longest-running game franchises of all time, all for a very specific kind of enthusiast. Its evolved from wireframe graphics to incredibly precise details down to that tree line at some small airport in Nowhere, USA while consistently outpacing other flight sims. The latest 2024 release features changing seasons (and, subsequently, physics), wildfires, and tornadoes to better reflect that real life youre trying to escape while pretending to fly a plane. - Marina Galperina18. Office 2007Microsoft made sweeping interface changes to Office 2007 that have gone on to influence more than a decade of Office and Windows releases. The biggest and most controversial change was the addition of the Ribbon interface, a section of tabs that houses all of Offices features. Paint, File Explorer, and many other parts of Windows still use variants of the Ribbon UI. Office 2007 also introduced the Office Open XML format that is still used by cloud-powered Office apps today. Tom Warren17. KinectLaunched for the Xbox 360 in 2010, the Kinect was like the cool, older sibling to the Nintendo Wii. You didnt need any sort of controller for the device to pick you up you were the controller. It was truly unlike any other gaming accessory at the time, as it used just a camera to capture your full range of motion, spurring delightful games like Child of Eden, Dance Central, and The Gunstringer. Emma Roth16. Steve Ballmers Developers! chantDevelopers developers developers developers developers developers. Developers developers developers developers developers developers developers developers. Yes! Jay Peters15. SlateOne of the all-time great Wait, Microsoft had a hand in thats? Slate was launched by Microsoft to bring thought-provoking, high-caliber journalism to the Internets World Wide Web, the company wrote on its 1996 launch day. By the time Microsoft sold Slate in 2004, the publication had long since established itself and helped to establish the web at large as a space for both entertaining and thought-provoking original writing and as a launching pad for a generation of up-and-coming writers. Jacob Kastrenakes14. Xbox Series X / SMicrosoft certainly made a splash when it announced the Xbox Series X at The Game Awards in 2019, and I still think the Xbox Series S looks awesome. But the consoles havent proven as popular as the PlayStation 5, and Microsoft now seems to be looking beyond just its own hardware to represent what an Xbox can be. Ill always have a soft spot for these boxy Xbox Series boxes, though. Jay Peters13. SolitaireKlondike, who? Windows Solitaire is celebrating its 35th anniversary this May, and its the first video game I ever remember winning. Really. I could watch those cards spread and bounce across the screen for a very long time. Microsoft intern Wes Cherry originally programmed the game I guess the lesson here is never underestimate your interns. Marina Galperina12. Windows 10Microsoft might be ending support for Windows 10 later this year, but a lot of people will still be using the OS for years to come. Windows 10 returned to the traditional desktop interface after Microsofts failed attempts at overhauling the UI in Windows 8. Microsoft focused on Cortana integration, Xbox features, and its Universal Windows Platform to let developers build apps that could span across PCs, phones, and Xbox consoles. While Microsofts universal app plans never really took off, Windows 10 is widely regarded as one of Microsofts best versions of Windows. Tom Warren11. Windows PhoneWindows Phone was a glorious failure. It was a bold reimagining of the Windows Mobile interface and platform, thanks to a Start screen interface full of colorful Live Tiles. Microsoft wanted Windows Phone to feel alive, with tiles for apps animating and updating with live information. If you ever used a Windows Phone, your biggest complaint was probably the lack of apps, which doomed Microsofts efforts to make a dent in Apple and Googles mobile dominance. Tom Warren10. MSN HotmailImage: MicrosoftYears ago, I was consulted by a worried relative who knew I worked for a tech publication. Their pre-teen son had acquired an email account that ended in hotmail.com, and they wanted to know if it was a real email account or some kind of porn service. I assured them that the hot was not meant to be lurid but was apparently a reference to the HTML markup language (HoTMaiL get it?) and that the service was indeed legit.Hotmail, one of the earliest free web-based email services, was developed in 1996 by Sabeer Bhatia and Jack Smith, and it was acquired by Microsoft a year later. It was branded MSN Hotmail, renamed Windows Live Hotmail around 10 years later, became Hotmail again a few years after that, and was finally rolled into Microsofts Outlook suite. You cant get a Hotmail account anymore but if you have one, you can still use it. Most of the people I know who used to have an account have since moved to Gmail, but I still occasionally come across somebody who stubbornly sticks with their favorite Hotmail address. Barbara Krasnoff9. EncartaThere was a time not long ago when you had to go to the library and use an encyclopedia if you wanted to learn something new. This was how many-a 90s kid wrote papers about photosynthesis until Microsoft Encarta came along. It was released in 1993, but I have core memories of the Encarta 95 splash screen that must have come bundled with a family PC. It wasnt long for this world, what with Wikipedia coming on the scene in 2001, but it was a game-changer in more than one way.Im sure I learned plenty of stuff about mitochondria from Encarta that I failed to retain, but I have absolutely not forgotten its included game: MindMaze. In it, you had to answer trivia questions as you clicked through different rooms of a medieval castle for reasons that never quite made sense. There was a court jester? And matches you could use to illuminate the castle map for a few seconds at a time? It was barely a game at all, if Im being honest, and I doubt it helped me learn anything new. But playing a game that came with your CD-ROM encyclopedia was a particular kind of thrill that had plenty of staying power much more than Microsoft Encarta itself.8. Microsoft Ergonomic KeyboardPictured: The Microsoft Natural Keyboard Elite, a later ergonomic model.Im not a keyboard person like many of my colleagues at The Verge. I like to keep it simple and comfortable. Thats why I keep Microsofts ergonomic keyboard on my desk every year. It did the job and was a pleasure to clack on for hours on end. But a couple years ago, Microsoft decided to exit the peripherals market altogether. Incase made a deal with the company to release some of Microsofts last designs. I cant vouch for the quality of those models, but Logitechs Ergo K860 has slotted in nicely as a substitute so far. Still, the Ergonomic Keyboards demise will eventually be what pushes me into a mechanical keyboard habit. Chris Welch7. MS-DOSBefore Windows, there was MS-DOS, the simple, text-based operating system that powered computers from IBM and other manufacturers in the 1980s and continued to underpin the earliest versions of Windows. In 2014, the Computer History Museum dubbed MS-DOS, the bedrock upon which thousands of application programs running on millions of IBM PCs and PC clones depended. Jacob Kastrenakes6. IntelliMouseMicrosoft deserves more credit than it gets for innovations it brought to the humble computer mouse. When the original IntelliMouse debuted in 1996, it was one of the first to have a scroll wheel. Three years later, the IntelliMouse Explorer made mousepads obsolete by trading a rolling ball for an optical sensor offering improved accuracy and reliability, and it introduced additional reprogrammable buttons. It was so popular that Microsoft revived the Explorer version in 2017 with a model that worked on glass surfaces but still retained the USB cable. Andrew Liszewski5. Windows XPWindows XP was so popular that some ATMs are still using it to this very day. Microsoft overhauled the UI of Windows XP with a new green and blue theme named Luna, which many at the time described as Fisher Price-like due to the colorful changes to the start menu and taskbar. There was even a media center edition of Windows XP that was designed for home theater PCs, a special tablet edition for Bill Gates dream of tablet computing, and an x64 edition to usher in the era of 64-bit computing. Tom Warren4. Xbox 360The Xbox 360 was Microsofts most important Xbox console, cementing the company as a serious competitor to Sony and Nintendo. It had faceplates for customization, different hard drive sizes that you could remove, and plenty of models to choose from. Despite the red ring of death problems, the Xbox 360 was a top seller in the US and turned titles like Call of Duty 2, Gears of War, and Halo 3 into hits that sold millions. Tom Warren3. Surface Pro 3The Surface Pro started off as an intriguing combination of laptop and tablet, but it took a few attempts until the Surface Pro 3 nailed the formula. The bigger, thinner, and faster Surface Pro 3 was designed to replace your laptop, and the success of Microsofts unique design has heavily influenced laptops and tablets over the past decade. Tom Warren2. HaloOn November 15th, 2001, Halo: Combat Evolved changed gaming forever. It was the killer app for Microsofts first Xbox game console, putting Microsoft on the game industry map. It launched one of the best-selling video game franchises of all time and arguably rebooted the first-person shooter gaming genre. Before Halo, games like Half-Life gave players a finite amount of health, encouraging them to cautiously poke around corners. Halo broke the mold, giving players a regenerating shield so they could charge into battle like a supersoldier and then retreat before taking permanent harm. And yet, the games AI put up a fight anyhow, with the Covenant Elites among the most intelligent foes that gamers had ever seen: dodging your assaults, taking cover, and retreating, only to charge back in with devastating melee attacks.When Halo 2 arrived three years later, anticipation was so high that many stores held launch parties, almost unheard of at the time, including a notable one in New York Citys Times Square. That game became the killer app for Microsofts Xbox Live multiplayer gaming service, which itself went on to become one of Microsofts biggest competitive advantages for the Xbox 360. Its funny to think Halo came close to becoming a Mac game instead of an Xbox one, though. Steve Jobs personally introduced the game at Macworld 1999. Sean Hollister1. Windows 95Image: Getty Images30 years ago, Microsoft was putting the finishing touches on one of its most important operating systems of all time. Windows 95 introduced the start button, taskbar, and notification area, and it even made the leap to 32-bit computing alongside all of its GUI improvements. Windows 95 set the stage for many parts of Windows that we still use today, including the familiar desktop, File Explorer, My Documents area, and Recycle Bin. Windows 95 also included important changes like the Device Manager and plug and play system to make it easier to install device drivers and connect up peripherals.There were so many changes to Windows 95 that Microsoft held a public preview program to test out the operating system ahead of its release, under its Chicago codename. Testers paid $20 for access to the beta, which was delivered on 3.5-inch floppy disks. Windows 95 was so highly anticipated around the time of its release in 1995 that people were even lining up outside stores to buy a copy of the OS. Microsoft spent $1 billion on the marketing campaign for Windows 95, including a commercial featuring the Rolling Stones song Start Me Up to highlight the new start button in the OS. Microsoft sold a million copies in just four days, setting the stage for three more decades of Windows dominance on the desktop. Tom WarrenSee More:

Blizzard is reportedly receiving a number of pitches for new StarCraft video games from Korean studios.In an article brought to the internets attention by X / Twitter account @KoreaXboxnews, Asia Today listed four Korean companies who are reportedly competing with each other to develop new games based on the StarCraft IP and secure publishing rights: NCSoft, Nexon, Netmarble, and Krafton. Apparently some of these companies have traveled to Blizzards headquarters in Irvine, California, to make their pitches.NCSoft, which is behind the Lineage and Guild Wars MMOs, is said to have pitched a StarCraft RPG of some kind (an MMORPG?). Nexon, maker of The First Descendant, has pitched a unique use of the StarCraft IP. Netmarble (Solo Leveling: Arise, Game of Thrones: Kingsroad) is hoping to make a StarCraft mobile game. And Krafton, the company behind battle royale PUBG and The Sims competitor inZOI, wants to make a StarCraft game based on its own development capabilities.PlayOf course, video game companies pitch other video game companies all the time when it comes to securing publishing rights and development contracts. And it may be the case that nothing mentioned here goes anywhere. But StarCraft fans will certainly take note of Blizzards reported interest in doing something to expand the much-loved sci-fi universe, given how long its been since the last game in the franchise came out. Activision Blizzard declined to comment when contacted by IGN.Its worth remembering that in September, it emerged that Blizzard was making a third attempt at developing a StarCraft shooter, with former Far Cry executive producer Dan Hay, who joined Blizzard in 2022, leading the charge.The news came from Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier while speaking to IGNs Podcast Unlocked, below, about his recent book, Play Nice: The Rise, Fall, and Future of Blizzard Entertainment. Hays StarCraft shooter is mentioned in the book, and IGNs Ryan McCaffrey asked Schreier if its likely to actually come out.PlayIf its not canceled! Schreier replied. This is Blizzard after all. Their history with StarCraft shooters is not good.Yes, that is a project that as far as I know is in development, or at least as of the time that I wrote this book was in development. They are working on a StarCraft shooter, StarCraft is not dead at Blizzard.The goal of the book isnt to get a bunch of scoops about upcoming things. That wasnt the purpose of this book at all, it was very much to tell a story and focus on stuff that had happened. But this felt like such an interesting and useful nugget to include because it really just shows you that Blizzard cannot quit StarCraft shooters.That was a reference to Blizzards infamous attempt to release a StarCraft shooter in the past as part of a bid to expand the StarCraft franchise beyond its real-time strategy origins. StarCraft Ghost, announced in 2002, was going to be a tactical-action console game in which you played as a deadly Ghost operative in the employ of the Dominion, but it was canceled in 2006 after a series of delays.A second attempt to make a StarCraft shooter, codenamed Ares, was canceled in 2019 so Blizzard could focus on Diablo 4 and Overwatch 2. Ares was reportedly like Battlefield in the StarCraft universe, but, like Ghost, fell by the wayside.More recently, in November, Blizzard was spotted hiring for an upcoming open-world shooter game, with all signs pointing to it being a StarCraft FPS.Things are slowly ramping up for StarCraft. Blizzard recently released StarCraft: Remastered and StarCraft 2: Campaign Collection on Game Pass, and announced a StarCraft crossover with Warcraft card game Hearthstone. Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Three months after launching Path of Exile 2 into early access, the development team at Grinding Gear Games is getting ready for its first major expansion, called Dawn of the Hunt, which will add the action-RPG's first new character class, new endgame activities, and more.IGN sat down with game director Jonathan Rogers to see how the team is feeling about the game's reception so far, and to ask all our burning questions about the upcoming update.First, I haven't talked to you since the game came to early access. It's been three months. Has the team been happy with the response?Jonathan Rogers: Yeah, absolutely. I was honestly not expecting that we would beat a PoE 1 launch in terms of concurrency, because obviously this was early access. It was paid instead of being free at this point. So the fact that we exceeded and went even much higher than the largest PoE 1 launch we've ever done was obviously incredible. The scary thing, of course though, isn't you've got that many players. There's lots of considerations you have to make about supporting them and we've obviously done this before, but it's still a lot of work obviously when you've got that many players and having to make sure that you're dealing with all the various problems that they have.PlayAnd after sprinting to the finish line for a number of years to get to the early access state you guys are at, how has the team been holding up as you support what's essentially a live-service game where the sprint is not likely to end anytime soon? Have you guys been able to catch your breath at all?Jonathan Rogers: Yeah, a hundred percent. For a start, we had Christmas break. We gave everyone an extra week for that as well beyond what they would normally have. We made sure that everything was okay there. We also were really trying to make sure that there was no more overtime, making sure that everything goes back to 40 hours a week, that everything's sort of normal again. And so, that's really meant that we're kind of, I think, the studio is sort of back in a sustainable pace again, which is really good. The thing that I would say that our company is good at doing is coming up with new content very efficiently and creating new things very well. So even though it's not the crazy crunch that we were having before, I still think we're able to create content really fast.I mean, PoE 2 has a lot of stuff going on in it and that's even including this [expansion] and it's been three months, and that's even including the fact we had Christmas in the middle. So honestly, the main thing is just getting back on that thing that we actually do well as a company, which is the live-support, like having a game being live. I think that's our specialty.And so it's actually nice to be back in a position where we're doing that again rather than having this kind of endless project that continues on forever, which honestly makes me more uncomfortable, because people can get out of the practice of shipping, which I think sometimes can be a problem.Path of Exile 2: Dawn of the Hunt SlideshowIt seems like Dawn of the Hunt is going to focus a lot on revising the end game experience. Can you share what the top takeaways were that your team received in terms of community feedback based on the initial release and how you guys are addressing them with this update?Jonathan Rogers: Yeah, so I guess the main things that we had were, for a start: you've got content. The content wasn't lasting. It wasn't lasting to the hundreds of hours the players wanted to be able to last. And the reason for that, really, is that we didn't have enough what we would call overlapping axis of randomness." And what I mean by that is that you've got mechanics that need to be able to spawn in regular maps, they need to be able to interact together ideally.So in this expansion we're adding over 40 encounters, if you will, in terms of strong boxes and different types of wisps and bosses running around stuff like that. But the idea is to get more than 40 interesting combat situations out of that by allowing more of that content to be able to be introduced to each other. So you still see situations that are new even as you play hundreds and hundreds of hours.So for example, you'll get a type of wisp, that certain type of boss, and then it's like, 'okay, well now this boss has got some ability.' It changes how the fight plays out. What if you had a corrupted essence at the same time, and what if you had this and what if you had that? All of these things overlap together to produce a combinatorial explosion of possible outcomes that make the game much more interesting. And on PoE 1, we definitely had that in its end game with all the stuff we've added, but PoE 2 didn't quite have enough of that stuff. Everything was somewhat compartmentalized for the most part. So it's like, well, once you've played it all one time, it's like, well, then now you've done that thing and it's not as interesting to play it the second time and over and over again. So basically we just need more of that type of stuff. And so that's where the focus has been.But another thing as well has just been for the existing mechanics, there's been a lot of tweaks. And the thing we have to be careful of when we're doing that stuff is players will say, for example, they'll say, 'oh, you need to drop more maps because I'm not sustaining maps.' And then we're like, 'okay, well I'm not having any trouble sustaining maps. What's going on here?' And then you find out, well, okay, the reason why this is happening is because they're dying too much and much more than we expected. When you actually look at that stuff and then when they die, they obviously don't get the drops for the rest of the map. So we're like, okay, well how can we alleviate that problem? Maybe that's the issue. And then we started thinking about what should the death penalty be. And that's how we get into changing the rez mechanics of maps. And so it's things like that, where you hear one thing, you have to try and come up with a different solution to try and improve things a lot.PlayThe players need to get good, that's what I'm hearing.Jonathan Rogers: Well, no, I mean, we are just making it so that if the players aren't good, they're not nearly as screwed as they were if they were. And this is the thing: it's actually, a lot of the time, it is an exercise in minimizing the differences between the best players and the worst players as far as making sure that they both have good experiences, and it's like you still need to make it so that there are big differences, but you don't want it to be that a player who's not good is just getting completely screwed in their ability to continue to keep playing the end game. And so that's why we have to, we've made special rules, we've changed the drop mechanics for maps very significantly as well. There's just lots of things like that that kind of go on that are not worth mentioning as far as content goes in a livestream, but certainly will matter a lot to the play experience for players who are actually playing.One thing I run into a lot, because my beat at IGN is a lot of online games and live-service games, is not just the division between highly skilled and low skilled players, but players who have a ton of time and want to live in this game and players who are time-taxed. And often there's a FOMO gap of like, 'well, I could make my game have a ton of content, but then this group is going to be feeling like they're just going to miss out and maybe fall off of the game because now there's too much content for them to ever possibly keep up with.' How does the team think about that?Jonathan Rogers: Well, I mean, ultimately, I think that more content is better than less when it comes to this kind of stuff. Even though you may run into that situation, the people who are going to be the people who play the most are also going to be the people who are most on your side and talking about your game and generating the buzz. So I think it is very important to make sure we're appealing to those people and other people who have less time. I mean, they're still going to come along for the ride and they're still going to have a great time, and so long as we're still adding enough content, they're going to enjoy it even if they don't get to experience literally everything. I think that's okay. And there's also this sort of funny thing where on some level you need aspirational content to exist in the game content that is hard for most people to get to in order for there to be something to strive for next time.If you didn't make it to the Pinnacles this time, well, then maybe you'll play next time when we've added more stuff throughout the rest of the game that improves your experience. But then the second time you play, you'll have a better time and Path of Exile is actually a game that kind of almost has a meta experience grind of each time you play the game you get better as a player, which means you get further into it and further towards the goal. So that, I think, is part of the reason why Path of Exile has such appeal. PoE 1 still is growing. I mean, maybe I can't unequivocally say that now, but at least until Path Of Exile 2 came out PoE 1 was still setting concurrency records so many years after it came out. And I think that is really a lot of the reason for that.The Huntress, holding her favored weapon.Speaking of aspirational content, you mentioned during yesterday's briefing that you were disappointed by how easily players were able to knock down the big end game boss at launch. Can you talk about how Dawn of the Hunt plans to scale back the pace at which players can creep up their power, assuming that's something you guys are shooting for?Jonathan Rogers: So I wouldn't say that we are shooting for that in the sense that we want, overall, for that to happen. What I will say is that there were certain combinations of mechanics that we didn't expect to be as crazy as they were and those were found faster than people found the content, if you know what I mean. So it sort of meant that all of that the secrets of build creation had already kind of been unlocked by the time people did that. So yeah, I mean, look, we are doing a huge balance pass. Everything will change. Your expectations of what is good and what is not good will just be readjusted very significantly by this. And the hope is that, as we continue to iterate, that we'll just keep on improving. We will saw off anything that jumps up too far, we'll push up anything that's too far at the bottom, and we'll get to the point of having that be a lot better.And the reason for that, really, is because if something is easy to get to a broken state, which is... what I mean by that is like, 'oh, you just combine these support gems and then suddenly you've got an amazing build and items don't even matter.' If you have a situation like that, then people will all just do that. Whereas if it's like, 'okay, sure you can kill the Pinnacle Boss in 14 seconds, but first of all, you need a unique from this and you need a unique from that.' And it's like a whole thing, right? If it's economically expensive in-game to be able to do something to become really powerful, then that's fine because you want people to get to the point of killing the Pinnacle Boss in 14 seconds. You just don't want that to be the case the first time you fight the Pinnacle Boss. So that's effectively, ideally, what we're doing.And so as I said: I don't look at that as slowing the game down exactly. It's just sawing off the things that are causing players to all flock to one particular broken thing and ultimately making the game not have that feeling of progression of power that you want to have. You want to really have that exponential growth all the way from beginning to end and not have any sort of like, 'oh, suddenly I'm just broken now,' that happens at some point.Ultimately, I think that more content is better than less.Let's talk about the Huntress. What are the main ways that the Huntress differs from the other character classes that are already available in Path of Exile 2, and how does this character justify me going through another play or two of the campaign?Jonathan Rogers: When we are looking at new characters one of the main questions is what weapon type does it use and how is that weapon type going to make the game feel different? So in this case we've got spears. Obviously you don't have to use spears with the Huntress, you can use it on any class, but assuming you're using the stereotype weapon of the Huntress thats spears, and the thing is, 'well, what makes this weapon type different than others?' And the answer to that is spears are the only weapon that you can use both at melee distance and also throw them at ranged distance. So that's kind of the thing that we're thinking, 'okay, what can we do to make the gameplay be constantly that: youre at melee range, you're at projectile range what's the type of gameplay we can do to cause that to happen?' That will be what will make the class feel different.No other weapon does that. So effectively what it meant was we're like, okay, for every melee combo, we want there to be a ranged skill you have to do before that to unlock it. And for every ranged combo, we want there to be a melee thing you have to do before to unlock that combo. And then we also need to add a lot of tools for getting from one state to the other. And then, what that sort of led to was a class that's incredibly agile, which is very good because it is the primary dex melee character, and it just feels like you're moving around the battlefield a ton, you're jumping in and out. It's just a very kinetic feeling that you get moving forwards and backwards like that, which I think feels very different than the other classes. So to me, that's the reason that you would want to try it.The other thing as well that I thought was quite interesting is that we managed to really get the parry of countering gameplay. We finally found a formula for that to work well in PoE, which was incredibly challenging. And honestly, I was very skeptical we would even be able to achieve it just due to the pace of the monsters attacking you. But we have actually got something that does work in our game context really well. And so that's a fun one for me as well.The Witch's latest Ascendancy class: the Lich.Tell me about beast taming. How does that mechanic work? Or is the idea that we're killing them and then summoning them from the afterlife necromancer style, or...Jonathan Rogers: When you get the Tame Beast skill, you effectively use it on a monster and you get some number of seconds, I think it might be five seconds or something like that, to kill the monster while it's got that tame thing on it. And then if you do that, then effectively it gets trapped. Its spirit gets trapped and then sucked into your character, and then you can summon it as a companion. And the big thing with beast taming is that you get all the mods on the rare that you found. And that means it's not necessarily just about finding the best type of beast, it's also finding a beast that has the best mods that you can use with as well, since all of those monster mods can do that. So that should be quite a fun hunt to find the best beast for your build. So I'm hoping players will have fun with that one.That's awesome. How long do they remain by your side?Jonathan Rogers: Once you've got them, it's like a Pok Ball, right? That's your beast now. If it dies, it'll resummon. That's your beast. You can only have one at a time though for companions. So basically, you'll find a better beast and then presumably you'll want to be using that one instead later on. But yeah, that's just your beast forever.That's awesome. And are there limitations on what counts as a beast? I assume it has to be an animal.Jonathan Rogers: Basically yes, someone at some point has decided this is a beast and this is not. I'm sure there'll be some arguments from players about whether something counts as a beast or not, but ultimately it just comes down to that.PlayYou are recommending that players start a new league with this update. Is this something that we can expect from all of the updates where the best experience is starting from scratch?Jonathan Rogers: Absolutely. And, I mean, that's just our formula really, because our way of looking at things is that we're not a game that you just play forever and ever. We are a game where you come for a season, you play the game for a month or maybe two months, and you get through the content, you get to the point where you feel like your character is finished in some sense, and then you stop and you go play something else. But we'll always be back for another season later on. And as I said, it's a big part of why I believe that our game has so much longevity, is the repeated playthroughs and so on. So it's definitely a different model than what a lot of games in the past have had, but also a model that we've seen a lot of other developers realizing that is actually more sustainable for the industry overall. So something that I like to see.And is that something you think players would also be expected to do once the game reaches its 1.0 full release?Jonathan Rogers: Yeah, absolutely. 100%.You mentioned yesterday one of the changes in the end game is the new primary objective in the Atlas end game map of trying to stop corruption, which unlocks the ability to choose between doing corrupted or cleansed versions of maps while exploring the overworld. Can you explain what the pros and cons are of why you might want to do corrupted versus cleansed? Is it flavor or enemies? Are the rewards different?Jonathan Rogers: Effectively the main two things are, the enemies are different: there are different bosses and then those different bosses have different rewards. And there's also things like, so for example, the cleansed maps are the only place that you're going to get the fracturing orbs, which is a new crafting mechanic that we've got. Effectively just making sure that each type of content has different rewards, and then we do like it so that when you have different strategies and what you're doing on your Atlas, depending on what type of content that you need, it's like, if you need this, then you're going to do that. If you need this, you're going to do that. So it's giving the players that sort of idea of them choosing what they're doing, but then ideally also being at a different point in a character's lifetime, they may need to do one versus the other, and so they're going to change their strategy at some point as well. But yeah, it's ultimately like, 'well, what rewards am I getting out of it at the end?' is a different element you have to be worrying about though, whenever we're designing new content.Path of Exile 2's updated roster of playable characters.You're also adding over a hundred unique items. Can you tell me about the one you are most excited about personally, and bonus points if it's something that you fear might need to nerf?Jonathan Rogers: So one of the ones that might be broken is there's a shield that allows you to parry projectiles. We did show it in the video. It effectively means if you've got that unique that you no longer have to be close to monsters anymore. So it kind of deactivates the melee requirement of the Huntress a little bit. You can now parry and do all the combos from range. So we'll see how it goes because the empowered versions of all the spear throws are pretty good. And so we'll see how that goes. And also just in terms of defensiveness, that might be a little bit too off the hook, but we'll see. I'm hoping it'll be okay.I guess it kind of has its own nerf because you have to be able to get the timing right to do the parries.Jonathan Rogers: This is actually not the case, because in most games you do have to get the timing right to do that. But in our game it's actually kind of the opposite of that. While you're holding down the parry button, you're parrying everything and then it's what you do after the parry. Because what it does is when you parry something, it puts a counter on the enemy that you can then take advantage of with another skill. So it's kind of backwards from how most games do it.We've tried parrying mechanics before, actually. It's been one of those things that we struggled to get right. And the reason why it was so hard is because our game moves so quickly and because there's lots of monsters around you all the time, you didn't really have a chance to follow up attacks very easily.But with the way we've done parries here, it means that you can much more easily and reasonably do that. Now, the reason why it still incentivizes good timing is because it does interrupt. Parry will immediately interrupt anything instantly. And anytime you're waiting for a monster to hit you is wasted time you could be DPSing, so theres still incentive to get the timing right. Doing the timing before was just so hard with the combat pace we had that it just wasn't working. So yeah, I'm really proud of how that worked out. But honestly, it wasn't even my idea. I actually was not a believer. I didn't think it could work and Mark [Roberts] was the one who actually managed to solve that problem. So once we did that, it really improved the class. Whenever someone says something like that, it's usually because they're not enjoying going through the campaign, right? Well, okay, let's make you enjoy the campaign more. That should be the solution.During the Q&A yesterday, you pushed back on certain ideas, like the ability to skip replaying the campaign and a new character. How does the team think about that extremely difficult balancing act of responding to what players want while also having your own point of view and your creative team sort of holding their ground on decisions that they really believe in?Jonathan Rogers: It's very hard, but the thing that I always try to do is make sure that whenever I'm hearing community feedback that I'm not just thinking, 'okay, oh they're wrong' or something like that. It's very easy to get into a mindset where you've developed this 'us versus them' mentality like that. And then when that happens, you start to get into this sort of negative cycle of, 'oh, I guess we'll just do it."So the thing that I think is really important is you always have the spirit of discovery about, 'well why are they saying this? I know that they think that it's because of this, but why is it actually?' And if you reinterpret things in that lens, if you, first of all, you believe that if someone's saying they've got a problem, they really do have a problem.But then the second thing being that, 'well, why is that problem actually happening? Can we solve it? What would it look like to solve it?' Then you will eventually find some solution. Now the thing is that sometimes you can't think of one. Sometimes it is really hard. In those cases you just have to say, 'okay, well we are just not going to change this until we can come with something.' I will never make a change I don't believe in because I think that's ultimately going to make the game worse overall. And that's super important that you never do that. But at the same time, sometimes you just won't be able to come up with something. But I am a believer that there always is something, there will be a way to solve the community's problem eventually.And so, for example, with the particular campaign thing there: whenever someone says something like that, it's usually because they're not enjoying going through the campaign, right? Well, okay, let's make you enjoy the campaign more. That should be the solution. If you are not enjoying something, I'll make you enjoy it by adding content to it, by improving it. That's the way I would view that. But when you're in a community, it's very easy to say, 'okay, well X is bothering me, therefore remove thing X.' You know what I mean? It's just very easy to look at it that way, because they don't have to be worried about the downsides. It's not their job to be worried about that. Their job is just to complain about the thing they don't like, and my job is to be the one worrying about the downside.Path of Exile 2 Dawn of the Hunt launches April 4, 2025.Travis Northup is a writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @TieGuyTravis and read his games coverage here.

How will the end of the world come upon us?There are certain names in every industry that generate an extra level of excitement and anticipation for their respective projects. Theyve earned the audiences trust, which if implemented properly, can keep these storytellers relevant for an entire lifetime. Shinichir Watanabe has a remarkable filmography that consists of totemic titles like Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo, Space Dandy, and Carole & Tuesday, any of which on their own would be enough to make him an essential anime auteur. Watanabe brings such meticulous pedigree and passion to all of his series, but its particularly satisfying when he returns to grungy science fiction like he has in Lazarus.Lazarus has been one of the longest-gestating and most highly anticipated programs on Adult Swim, which has a surprisingly spotty reputation when it comes to their original anime co-productions. Fortunately, Lazarus is exactly what it needs to be and a case where this modern anime classic is well worth the wait. Lazarus is one of 2025s best anime and its sure to delight Cowboy Bebop fans, anime aficionados, and complete newcomers who just want to experience a compelling animated sci-fi parable.Lazarus hits the ground running with a fortuitous storyline where a miracle drug, Hapna, reveals fatal side effects three years after its street date. This cheap escape from reality suddenly threatens humanitys preservation. A team of elite individuals is saddled with the impossible task of finding the reclusive scientist who created Hapna, Dr. Skinner, so that he can create an antidote before its too late and huge swathes of the worlds population perish. Its such a captivating hook that kicks Lazarus off with immediate urgency and sets in motion this 30-day ticking doomsday clock deadline. it perpetually feels like every second counts in Lazarus. Theres a powerful anxiety thats reminiscent of Watanabes Terror in Resonance that absolutely works in Lazarus favor and contributes to the unease thats felt by most of its characters.Watanabes Lazarus presents a very real world where people feel hopelessly oppressed and are desperate for any sort of way to slow the bleeding. Corporations hold all the power and innocent people are rendered into footnotes, if that. Theres a grander serialized narrative to find Dr. Skinner and create a Hapna vaccine, but Lazarus fluctuates between episodic stories that indulge in diverse genres that still manage to contribute to the greater whole. Meanwhile, theres a bit of an our princess is another castle syndrome as each attempt to locate Dr. Skinner falls short. Its a solid enough framework for adventures as Lazarus flexes its storytelling and character development muscles throughout this bleak quest to save the world.Lazarus is also a total triumph when it comes to world-building and how it fleshes out this unique universe. Theres such artistry behind the architecture of Lazarus futuristic communities, like Babylonia City, that are all distinct and feel like natural evolutions of modern society. Lazarus begins with dense, economical exposition thats an effective, melancholy tone-setter thats echoed in each episode. This opening narration gradually morphs over the course of Lazarus as it tells other tales of Hapna-based woe. Its a simple, but smart stylistic detail that hits a little harder with each passing episode as the collective weight of these tragedies begins to mount. Lazarus channels this energy and is occasionally a very angry series about rebellion and rage in a world thats increasingly cruel. Lazarus provides an unflinching look at the people who society steps over in order to succeed.Beyond its suspenseful storytelling and rich world-building, Lazarus infinitely oozes charisma and charm. Lazarus is like John Wick meets Suicide Squad, with shades of Supercrooks and The Great Pretender thrown in for good measure, all within an appealing Watanabe sci-fi universe. Lazarus is full of the sort of freaks that you cant wait to spend more time with. Watanabe has created some unforgettable characters between Mugen, Jin, Fuu, Dandy, and the entire Bebop crew, yet Axel Gilberto and the rest of Lazarus cast immediately make strong impressions. Every character shines, undergoes cathartic development, and feels like a wild card in their own way. This is a strong, unforgettable cast who are destined to become evergreen anime icons, even if Lazarus only produces this singular season of 13 episodes.Axel is cocky and operates like hes invincible. There are real Ryo Saeba from City Hunter vibes going on. However, theres also a sweeter side to Axel that views life as something thats incredibly precious. He wants to experience everything that the world has to offer, which leads to a certain impulsivity. Hes a character who does endlessly cool things and it often feels like the universe is bending over backwards to perpetually make him look impressive while hes in the peak of action. Axel is a standout character, but theres also a really strong sense of camaraderie among the whole Lazarus team where everyone gets a chance to shine.One of Lazarus most fascinating elements is how the Lazarus team gets to know Dr. Skinner a little better with each of their failed pursuits. The team begins to question whether Dr. Skinner is even as nefarious as theyve been told that he is. There are rich shades of grey here as the Lazarus team begins to doubt their mission. It becomes a rewarding complication as Lazarus continues. Lazarus also bravely asks heavy questions about the purpose of human life and if society deserves to pay for the pasts sins if humanity continues to repeat the same mistakes. Lazarus features an evolving take on this topic that becomes increasingly clear once more of this finely-tuned sci-fi universe gets explored. Its an anime thats just as interested in understanding humanity as it is in curing and saving it.Lazarus is such a nostalgic blast of bliss for anyone who grew up watching anime on Toonami during the 90s and 2000s. It has the energy of a Sega Saturn video game, which may sound like an insult, but isnt. Theres a soothing retro-but-not aesthetic that MAPPA nails so well. Lazarus is set in 2052, but theres a timeless quality to its characters, storytelling, and settings. That being said, it functions like a lost anime from the 80s or 90s. Lazarus is a versatile series, but it really feels like a title thats made for that crowd and those who are lost in arrested development while they chase that high of those irreplaceable 90s anime classics. Lazarus somehow accomplishes this. Its easily the best of Adult Swims original anime co-productions, but its also some of Watanabes most captivating work in years. Its undeniably on par with Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo which is genuinely the highest of praise.It should come as no surprise that Lazarus excels with its action. Theres such aJoin our mailing listGet the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox!kinetic sense of motion in the chase sequences thats also present in Watanabes previous anime. It feels especially pronounced in Lazarus as hapless heroes sprawl through danger and flail their limbs about. Theres a slight level of exaggeration to the characters movements and the laws of gravity that become the perfect rhythm for Lazarus to lock into. Everything is just a little off-center and cranked up a touch more than it should be, but it works in this universe.Lazarus gleefully indulges in tropes and stock characters, like a tech-savvy hyperbolized hacker, that communicates a certain narrative shorthand in the process. Holy crap, this guy has been watching too many action movies, is yelled at Axel after one of his more heightened stunts and one cant help but imagine this accusation being aimed back at Watanabe when it comes to the many pop culture reference points that helped bring Lazarus to life.Theres an extended jailbreak from the first episode which is basically just one long chase sequence masterpiece thats one of the best action scenes that Watanabe has ever done. Its on par with the theatrics from Cowboy Bebop: Knockin on Heavens Doors bombastic opening scene. Its a dizzying sequence thats a marvel to behold that also sets a high standard for the rest of the series. Lazarus thankfully rises to the occasion on this front and this is far from a situation where all of Lazarus money has gone into the premiere, while the rest suffers. Every Lazarus episode is rich in frenzied action scenes that are meticulously orchestrated and executed. Each installment is as detailed and impassioned as the last. Alternatively, Lazarus also has plenty of episodes that are content to get lost in the nitty gritty nature of heist minutiae and the unglamorous side of grifting. Its not always a gun chase across skyscraper rafters.Theres a real raw, visceral, messy quality to many of Lazarus fight sequences, which likely has something to do with John Wicks Chad Stahelski working as Lazarus action supervisor. These fights are complex and personal, but they also reflect a unique personality thats not just a retread of John Wicks greatest hits. The combat and any incidental gun-fu may occasionally bring John Wick to mind, but Lazarus always does its own thing here.Lazarus action setpieces often feel like theyre designed to push the animes visuals to exciting, new places. Theres a chaotic, parkour-esque chase sequence while a frenetic jazz soundtrack blares over the mayhem. Music is always really particular and important in a Watanabe series, but it cannot be stressed enough how infectious and energetic the score is here. Lazarus music really helps the action sequences fly so that the visuals and sound design can match Axels pressured state of mind. Lazarus music is great and its engaging enough to listen to on its own. However, this music is also just a really smart way to amplify Axels personality. Lazarus uses music as a storytelling tool and an opportunity for insight into its characters and unique themes.Lazarus is exceptional anime escapism thats needed now more than ever. Its subversive science fiction and eccentric action storytelling done right. On top of everything else, Lazarus is just really freaking funny. Theres a strong sense of humor as tongue-in-cheek barbs are traded between characters. It all contributes to the philosophy that theres nothing that Lazarus cant do and that its the real cure-all miracle drug of this story. Lazarus is some of the most fun that youll have with an anime this year. Its pure sci-fi/action catnip thats impossible to resist.Lazarus premieres April 5th at midnight on Adult Swim, with next-day-streaming on Max.

As the third part of what you might call a trilogy, I went into my first hands-on for DOOM: The Dark Ages with some expectations. While they have their differences, DOOM (2016) and DOOM: Eternal had lain the groundwork I felt like I knew what id Software had in store for me, even if this prequel story and its new medieval sci-fi aesthetic might put it in a different context.Three hours later, my expectations had been blasted to pieces like so much Arachnotron meat.DOOM: The Dark Ages retains the core hallmarks of ids recent games pulse-pounding combat, gloriously Grand Guignol aesthetics, and music as ear-rattling as its guns but it pushes the structure of DOOM far beyond what weve known before.I was able to play slices of four distinct sections of The Dark Ages, each designed to show me a different facet of the game, and each revealing quite how wildStory Mission Before he became a hero, he was the super weapon of gods and kings.So reads the text slate that opens DOOM: The Dark Ages. Its an absurdly badass mission statement for the game that follows. But, playing just the opening stretch of the game, it pays off multiple times.This section showed off the most familiar form of DOOM. A cutscene (yes, there are cutscenes for the story now, not just codex entries) introduces the demon-beleaguered planet of Argent DNur, the questionably benevolent god-race known as the Makyrs, and our familiar lead character kept captive to be unleashed on hellish threats. And from there, Im handed a shotgun and a shield, and told to do what a DOOM Slayer does best.Youll feel right at home with this, until you dont. Levels remain tightly knotted, oscillating from cramped corridors to wide-open arenas built for athletic combat. Your guns sre, of course, hideously powerful and theres still a focus on attack being the best form of defence, with specific moves rewarding health and ammo, forcing you to fight to survive. Some fights effectively rely on a rhythm of parries and attacks, turning a fight with a Cyberdemon into a close-range slugfest it feels magnificent.But begin digging deeper, and youll see how things have changed. That shield is the most evident example enemy projectiles are now plentiful, forcing you to block as much as dodge. But dont think this is a more static game as a result blocking also opens up the ability to shield charge enemies, closing gaps and dealing huge area-of-effect damage. Parrying is even better certain enemy attacks are marked with green effects, and blocking within a parry window can stun enemies, shatter their defences, and earn more charges for your devastating melee attacks. Some fights effectively rely on a rhythm of parries and attacks, turning a fight with a Cyberdemon into a close-range slugfest it feels magnificent.Soon, Im given even more utility in the form of the Shield Saw my shield can now be thrown like Im some horrifically violent Captain America, bisecting weak enemies and stunning larger ones. It can also be used to solve puzzles, opening up DOOMs classic secret areas.And if all of this didnt feel fresh enough, Im then introduced to a full upgrade system. This is less about old-school RPG stat-buffing, and more about giving you extra options to take on the forces of hell. For example, I add the ability for my Shredder (a fully automatic gun that fires rail spikes) to embed its ammo in enemies, and then detonate them when I throw my Shield Saw into the target, building new abilities not just into my gun, but across my moveset. Every single weapon, both ranged and melee, has an upgrade tree I want to see how gross these can get.Taken all together, you can see how The Dark Ages lives up to the idea that youre playing as a super weapon. This is pure power fantasy, placing you in the big, green boots of a one-man army whos going to war with everything. And thats before your super weapon gets into, well, an even bigger super weapon.Mech Mission If youve watched the trailers for The Dark Ages, then you know youll be getting a mech along the way. The Atlan, as its known, allows you to take an earthquaking step into the battlefield to take on Hells biggest threats and in practice, its a way of transforming the on-foot experience into something new.As you might expect, this is a slower, but stronger approach to DOOM combat. Your Atlan trades mostly in melee basic attacks involve throwing punches at titanic demons, building up a combo meter that can be traded in for one of two special moves, a stunning stomp, or a knockout blow.Youll need to balance those combos with dodges taking one hit from an enemy sets your combo meter back to zero so, with a rhythm familiar from the parry system, youll need to avoid what you can to keep the punishment coming.And, just as I was getting used to all this, an orbital drop delivered me a set of Empire State Building-sized miniguns, to add some truly berserk flair to the end of the level. Its ludicrous, in the best possible way. Think of the mech as a side dish to The Dark Ages main meal its a complement to the regular on-foot combat, mixing things up while feeling similar enough not to feel out of place.Dragon Mission Heres where things took an even less expected turn. My next mission involved me summoning a cybernetic dragon, hopping into a saddle equipped with heavy ordnance, and taking to the skies. In this section of the game, Im defending a flying city under attack from a demon fleet, with the goal of taking down four separate Hell Carrier ships.Your dragon is a free-flying beast, equipped with dodges and afterburners, able to maneuver through the skies however you see fit. Like, the mech, its strong enough to take on titans but how you do it is quite different. After locking onto an enemy, you can strafe around them. Your basic attacks do a small amount of damage, but each successful dodge supercharges your guns, letting you stun your prey, before sending your dragon to perform a gruesome finisher.Initially, it feels like this is another Atlan-like diversion, a way of providing a different kind of combat but when it comes to the flagships themselves, it goes further.Each ship needs to be taken down in a specific way first you take out its various gun batteries, and subsequently its shield generator with your dragons moveset. This then opens up a landing spot. With a click of the right stick, your dragon lands, the Slayer hops off, and you realize that each ship is a miniature level to progress through on foot. You barrage through the innards of the ship, eliminating the demons inside, before reaching its engine. Shield charging the engine destroys the ship, and sees you skydiving through an explosion and back onto your dragon to repeat the feat.This mix of flying and on-foot gameplay feels incredible and each new ship changes the make-up enough that it doesnt fall into a predictable pattern. Id call this the most revolutionary change to DOOMs make-up, if it wasnt for the next section.Sandbox Mission This is where The Dark Ages truly breaks free from expectation. In my final (and longest) section of the demo, Im placed into ids take on a sandbox open zone and told to approach it however Id like. My solitary goal is to close five demon-spewing portals, but how I do it, and what diversions I take, are entirely up to me. Over the course of an hour, Im repeatedly reminded that Ive never played a DOOM game like this before.As youd hope for, this sandbox sequence is stacked with optional goals heavily protected artillery batteries to take out, caches of gold to spend on upgrades, and more. At one point, Im simply running somewhere, when a cathedral-sized tentacle bursts out of the ground and begins to attack this isnt a scripted moment, or even an objective Im given, its just another surprise hidden along the way.But the core objectives themselves hold surprises, too. In that first story mission, closing portals was simply a case of clearing an arena, but its never quite the same in this case. Some portals transport me to a dungeon, requiring me to solve puzzles in order to find my way to the energy source powering them. Others introduce Leader enemies overpowered beasts who are invulnerable to my attacks until I kill enough of their followers, and come with permanent upgrades after your victory. Along the way, I find new guns, augmenting my armory with new options. Its restlessly, relentlessly inventive, as if id has been waiting for an opportunity to transplant new ideas into the DOOM format.And thats the key takeaway from my full session with DOOM: The Dark Ages this feels like a developer brimming with enthusiasm, not just for DOOM itself, but for what DOOM could be. I was expecting a new story, new guns, and new demons I wasnt expecting new genres. I cannot wait to find out what else this team has in store.DOOM: The Dark Ages launches for Xbox Series X|S, PC (via the Xbox app for Windows PC, Steam, and Battle.net), PlayStation 5, and cloud on May 15, 2025. It will be available day one with Game Pass. DOOM: The Dark Ages Premium EditionBethesda Softworks7$99.99Pre-orderGet a head start on slaying demons with the Premium Edition, including up to 2-Day Early Access* and the campaign DLC**. Youll also receive the Digital Artbook and Soundtrack, and the Divinity Skin Pack, which includes matching skins for the DOOM Slayer, dragon and Atlan. Pre-order now to receive the Void DOOM Slayer Skin at launch.INCLUDES: Base Game (digital code) Up to 2-Day Early Access Campaign DLC Digital Artbook and Soundtrack Divinity Skin Pack*Actual play time depends on purchase date and applicable time zone differences, subject to possible outages. **DLC availability to be provided at a later date.BECOME THE SLAYER IN A MEDIEVAL WAR AGAINST HELLDOOM: The Dark Ages is the prequel to the critically acclaimed DOOM (2016) and DOOM Eternal that tells the epic cinematic origin story of the DOOM Slayers rage. In this third installment of the modern DOOM series, players will step into the blood-stained boots of the DOOM Slayer, in this never-before-seen dark and sinister medieval war against Hell. A DOOM FOR ALL SLAYERS A dark fantasy/sci-fi single-player experience that delivers the searing combat and over-the-top visuals of the incomparable DOOM franchise, powered by the latest idTech engine. With a customizable difficulty system, it's the perfect entry point whether youre new to the franchise or a long-time fan.REIGN IN HELL As the super weapon of gods and kings, shred enemies with devastating favorites like the Super Shotgun while also wielding a variety of new bone-chewing weapons, including the versatile Shield Saw. Players will stand and fight on the demon-infested battlefields in the vicious, grounded combat the original DOOM is famous for. THE ORIGIN OF YOUR RAGE Experience the origin story of the DOOM Slayers rage in this epic, cinematic and action-packed story. Bound to serve as the super weapon of gods and kings, the DOOM Slayer fends off demon hordes as their leader seeks to destroy the Slayer and become the only one that is feared. Witness the creation of a legend as the Slayer takes on all of Hell and turns the tide of the war. DISCOVER UNKNOWN REALMS In his quest to crush the legions of Hell, the Slayer must take the fight to never-before-seen realms. Mystery, challenges, and rewards lurk in every shadow of ruined castles, epic battlefields, dark forests, ancient hellscapes, and worlds beyond. Armed with the viciously powerful Shield Saw, cut through a dark world of menace and secrets in id's largest and most expansive levels to date.DOOM: The Dark Ages Standard EditionBethesda Softworks85$69.99Pre-orderPre-order now to receive the Void DOOM Slayer Skin at launch.BECOME THE SLAYER IN A MEDIEVAL WAR AGAINST HELLDOOM: The Dark Ages is the prequel to the critically acclaimed DOOM (2016) and DOOM Eternal that tells the epic cinematic origin story of the DOOM Slayers rage. In this third installment of the modern DOOM series, players will step into the blood-stained boots of the DOOM Slayer, in this never-before-seen dark and sinister medieval war against Hell. A DOOM FOR ALL SLAYERS A dark fantasy/sci-fi single-player experience that delivers the searing combat and over-the-top visuals of the incomparable DOOM franchise, powered by the latest idTech engine. With a customizable difficulty system, it's the perfect entry point whether youre new to the franchise or a long-time fan.REIGN IN HELL As the super weapon of gods and kings, shred enemies with devastating favorites like the Super Shotgun while also wielding a variety of new bone-chewing weapons, including the versatile Shield Saw. Players will stand and fight on the demon-infested battlefields in the vicious, grounded combat the original DOOM is famous for. THE ORIGIN OF YOUR RAGE Experience the origin story of the DOOM Slayers rage in this epic, cinematic and action-packed story. Bound to serve as the super weapon of gods and kings, the DOOM Slayer fends off demon hordes as their leader seeks to destroy the Slayer and become the only one that is feared. Witness the creation of a legend as the Slayer takes on all of Hell and turns the tide of the war. DISCOVER UNKNOWN REALMS In his quest to crush the legions of Hell, the Slayer must take the fight to never-before-seen realms. Mystery, challenges, and rewards lurk in every shadow of ruined castles, epic battlefields, dark forests, ancient hellscapes, and worlds beyond. Armed with the viciously powerful Shield Saw, cut through a dark world of menace and secrets in id's largest and most expansive levels to date.

The number of Made in India iPhones is expected to more than double this year, as Apple seeks to further reduce its dependence on China, says a local report.Key iPhone assembler Foxconn is said to be conducting trials to ensure that it can ramp up volume while meeting Apples tight quality standards at its latest iPhone plant in the country Made in India iPhonesThe vast bulk of the worlds iPhones are made in China, but Apple has for many years been working on establishing India its second-biggest manufacturing base. Apple graduallyramped up production from just the iPhone SE to nowthe latest flagship phones. Its been previously reported that Apple has set a goal of making 25% of iPhones in India by 2027.The Indian government has been encouraging this ramp-up through a series oftax breaks on imported components known as the Made in India initiative, while the Chinese government is accused of deliberately interfering with these plans.Foxconn doubling iPhone production in IndiaIndias Economic Times reports that Foxconn has responded to a request from Apple to dramatically boost iPhone production in the country, building a new plant in Bengaluru to do so.Foxconn aims to churn out 25-30 million iPhones at its India plants this year, more than double the number it made last year [] said people aware of the development.Last year, the company assembled about 12 million iPhones in India, said one of the persons. But with their Bengaluru facility also coming up quickly, they have set their ambitions a lot higher, in line with Apples push to deepen their presence in India.The assembler reportedly began limited trials three or four months ago, and is now focused on ensuring that quality standards can be maintained when the plant is operating at scale.Analysts say that this number is in line with their own estimates, and sees the Cupertino company on track to hit a target of 25% of iPhone production in India by next year.Highlighted accessoriesPhoto: Purely illustrative stock image of commercial buildin byJonas OffonUnsplashAdd 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Youre reading 9to5Mac experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Dont know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

When Steve Jobs first introduced the iPad, he called it a third category of device. One that would do certain things better than a laptop or smartphone. But what happens when foldable iPhones can operate as both smartphone and iPad equivalents? Does that third device disappear?Apples first foldable iPhone has been on my mind lately.Im especially excited by the idea of the iPhone Fold offering iPad mini-like utility.For years, I owned and loved the iPad mini. But a decade ago when I made the iPad Pro my full-time computer, I wasnt keen on the idea of using two iPads, and the iPad mini fell out of my life.My 13-inch M4 iPad Pro is basically a laptop though, since I keep it in the Magic Keyboard 24/7. So I dont benefit from the tablet part of the iPad very much.As a result, theres something I very much miss about my tiny iPad mini.It kind of gets to Steve Jobs core proposition when he first introduced the iPad.Back in 2010, on the heels of the iPhones early success, Jobs proposed that there was space for a third category of device that fits between the smartphone and laptop.This device was the iPad.Jobs demonstrated on stage how iPad was better than both the iPhone and Mac for certain tasks. For example, light web browsing, watching videos, and checking email.He made a compelling case for the iPads existence, but it hung on this argument.If theres going to be a third category of device, its going to have to be better at these kinds of tasks than a laptop or a smartphone, otherwise it has no reason for being.Over the years, many have questioned the iPads reason for being.Some users, like myself, rely on it as their main computer. For others, its a casual device for entertainment and light tasks.As iPhones have gotten larger, and Macs have gotten sleeker, the iPad has had to fight harder to set itself apart.And soon, with foldable iPhones, that could become a much tougher battle.The iPads not going anywhere any time soon.For starters, the first iPhone Fold will almost certainly be a niche device. Its ultra-premium price tagwhich some expect to hit $2,000will leave plenty of room for the $349 iPad to keep selling well.But what happens five years from now?If foldables prove successful, Apple will likely offer a lot more of them, and at much more appealing price points.Next years iPhone Fold is expected to have a 5.5-inch outer display and 7.8-inch inner one.This will make it moderately small compared to current iPhones when folded, and similar to an iPad mini when unfolded.But history has repeatedly shown that users love big iPhones.It wouldnt surprise me to see several different foldable iPhones in a variety of sizes in the years ahead, replacing more of Apples current iPhone lineup, but also potentially its iPads.Over time, the iPad may continue on as a niche, budget-friendly device. Or get its own ultra-premium, huge foldable version. But for most people? I suspect the need for an iPad will disappear, as the product gets absorbed into foldable iPhones.I am an artist. I paint on my big iPad. It has to have an absolutely flat, solid, smooth surface. Put a hinge in it and it wont. A folding phone will not ever replace an iPad for me. View all commentsWhen Steve Jobs was around, that third category of device truly did have value. But with folding smartphones, the game could change.I love the iPad, but we may soon enter the early stages of its logical end.Do you think foldable iPhones will eventually cause the iPad to fade away? Let us know in the comments.Add 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Youre reading 9to5Mac experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Dont know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Mar 31, 2025Ravie LakshmananData Theft / Website SecurityThreat actors are using the "mu-plugins" directory in WordPress sites to conceal malicious code with the goal of maintaining persistent remote access and redirecting site visitors to bogus sites.mu-plugins, short for must-use plugins, refers to plugins in a special directory ("wp-content/mu-plugins") that are automatically executed by WordPress without the need to enable them explicitly via the admin dashboard. This also makes the directory an ideal location for staging malware."This approach represents a concerning trend, as the mu-plugins (Must-Use plugins) are not listed in the standard WordPress plugin interface, making them less noticeable and easier for users to ignore during routine security checks," Sucuri researcher Puja Srivastava said in an analysis.In the incidents analyzed by the website security company, three different kinds of rogue PHP code have been discovered in the directory -"wp-content/mu-plugins/redirect.php," which redirects site visitors to an external malicious website"wp-content/mu-plugins/index.php," which offers web shell-like functionality, letting attackers execute arbitrary code by downloading a remote PHP script hosted on GitHub"wp-content/mu-plugins/custom-js-loader.php," which injects unwanted spam onto the infected website, likely with an intent to promote scams or manipulate SEO rankings, by replacing all images on the site with explicit content and hijacking outbound links to malicious sitesThe "redirect.php," Sucuri said, masquerades as a web browser update to deceive victims into installing malware that can steal data or drop additional payloads."The script includes a function that identifies whether the current visitor is a bot," Srivastava explained. "This allows the script to exclude search engine crawlers and prevent them from detecting the redirection behavior."The development comes as threat actors are continuing to use infected WordPress sites as staging grounds to trick website visitors into running malicious PowerShell commands on their Windows computers under the guise of a Google reCAPTCHA or Cloudflare CAPTCHA verification a prevalent tactic called ClickFix and deliver the Lumma Stealer malware.Hacked WordPress sites are also being used to deploy malicious JavaScript that can redirect visitors to unwanted third-party domains or act as a skimmer to siphon financial information entered on checkout pages.It's currently not known how the sites may have been breached, but the usual suspects are vulnerable plugins or themes, compromised admin credentials, and server misconfigurations.According to a new report from Patchstack, threat actors have routinely exploited four different security vulnerabilities since the start of the year -CVE-2024-27956 (CVSS score: 9.9) - An unauthenticated arbitrary SQL execution vulnerability in WordPress Automatic Plugin - AI content generator and auto poster pluginCVE- 2024-25600 (CVSS score: 10.0) - An unauthenticated remote code execution vulnerability in Bricks themeCVE-2024-8353 (CVSS score: 10.0) - An unauthenticated PHP object injection to remote code execution vulnerability in GiveWP pluginCVE-2024-4345 (CVSS score: 10.0) - An unauthenticated arbitrary file upload vulnerability in Startklar Elementor Addons for WordPressTo mitigate the risks posed by these threats, it's essential that WordPress site owners keep plugins and themes up to date, routinely audit code for the presence of malware, enforce strong passwords, and deploy a web application firewall to malicious requests and prevent code injections.Found this article interesting? Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.SHARE