During an hourlong presentation on Wednesday, Nintendo bombarded prospective Switch 2 buyerswith information about the new console and its games, including a torrent of ports from third-party publishers. But, once the dust had settled, it was easy to succumb to a creeping anxiety. Where were all the first-party launch titles from Nintendo itself? Mario Kart World looks great, but is it $79.99 great?Yes and no. Depending on how you define a launch game and how you define a Switch 2 game the Switch 2 will launch with anywhere between one and nine Nintendo games. You dont have to expand these definitions to the absolute limit to realize that the Switch 2 is launching with relatively strong first-party support compared to Nintendos past systems. But it is true that Nintendo is approaching this launch a little differently.First, a little historical perspective: In the last 20 years or so, new Nintendo consoles have launched with only two or three first-party games. For example, the Switch had The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, 1-2-Switch, and Snipperclips, a small eShop game. Further back, the Wii had the admittedly killer Zelda: Twilight Princess and Wii Sports double-header; the DS the more dubious pairing of Super Mario 64 DS and Metroid Prime Hunters: First Hunt.In terms of Nintendo-made exclusive games, the Switch 2 has two titles on day one: Mario Kart World and Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour. But the latter is a download-only virtual guide to the hardware that most people wouldnt consider a full launch title. So yes, compared to previous systems, it looks a little light.But consider Donkey Kong Bananza, which is set for release on July 17 just six weeks after the launch of the console. This is clearly a major new Nintendo platformer, and given what we know about Nintendos conservative approach to finishing games and setting launch dates, it seems likely the game would be ready to hit the June 5 launch day if Nintendo wanted it to. (It could well be finished already.)Its probable that Nintendo shifted Bananzas launch date back as a deliberate marketing strategy, perhaps to extend the hype window beyond launch, perhaps to cover a second wave of stock. Or perhaps out of concern that Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza might cannibalize each other if launched together, because theyre both major titles. This is a key point. If we consider Bananza a launch title, and I think its only right to, then the Switch 2 is launching with two brand-new, exclusive Nintendo games of the highest order which is arguably a first.First-party support for Switch 2 goes even further when you consider Switch 2 Editions of existing Switch games. The system launches with enhanced versions of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, followed quickly in July by Super Mario Party Jamboree, which has received a pretty extensive update tailored to the consoles GameChat features and camera. In August, Nintendo will release an expanded version of Kirby and the Forgotten Land with a whole new storyline. Some of these upgrades, especially the Mario Party and Kirby releases, seem substantial enough to be compared to the Deluxe Switch versions of Wii U games like Mario Kart 8 and New Super Mario Bros. U.(You can only get to nine first-party launch games by including the three GameCube reissues, exclusive to Switch 2, on Nintendo Switch Online: The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, Soulcalibur 2, and F-Zero GX. This is pushing it, I admit, although I would bet these will be some of my most-played games in my first weeks with the new console.)Through the rest of 2025, well get Drag x Drive, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, Kirby Air Riders, and Switch 2 Editions of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond and Pokmon Legends: Z-A. All in all, across Switch 2 exclusives and Switch 2 Editions, Nintendo announced 12 titles coming in 2025 during Wednesdays Direct.Thats a lot of games by any measure. (Certainly compared to the first-party support given to Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 in their first nine months on the market.) It just looks different, partly because Nintendo is choosing to spread out its release dates, and partly because Switch 2 Editions are a more diffuse concept than the ports and remasters that have been Nintendos stock-in-trade on previous consoles. Nintendo is certainly hedging its bets a little with two of its biggest 2025 games, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond and Pokmon Legends: Z-A, also coming to the Switch. But however you cut it, Switch 2 first-party support is a lot stronger than it might have seemed at first.

After watching A Minecraft Movie in the theater, I decided to stick around and see whether a post-credits scene would show up. Perhaps after Napoleon Dynamite director Jared Hess and his writing team told the story of Steve (Jack Black), his new friends from Chuglas, Idaho, and their adventures running around the Overworld and The Nether, we would see a glimpse of The End or another part of the Minecraft world. Maybe Hess would take the opportunity to mimic Marvel Studios (and Paramount!) and tease the creation of a MCCU (A Minecraft Cinematic Universe, of course).While most people filed out of the movie theater as soon as the story ended, Im glad I stayed behind, because there was a twist that was worth the wait.Does A Minecraft Movie have a mid-credits scene?It does, and it features a cameo youll miss if you head out the second the credits start. Chuglas school vice principal, Marlene (Jennifer Coolidge), has just cooked breakfast for her new villager beau. Her ex-husband, the school art teacher Mr. Gunchie (Hiram Garcia), arrives to beg her for a second chance. But the villager who has previously only spoken in gurgles and warbles says he and Marlene are deeply in love. He delivers a monologue with the sonorous voice of Matt Berry (of What We Do in the Shadows fame), talking about how her love has enabled him to speak. She, meanwhile, now speaks in villager. If that wasnt enough of a treat, theres another scene that plays after the credits conclude.Does A Minecraft Movie have a post-credits scene?Sure enough, its all the way at the end of the credits when the theater lights turn on. Steve (Jack Black) has returned from Minecrafts Overworld, and gone back to the house he abandoned, which has apparently been sold in the meantime. He knocks on the door. The new homeowner, a woman with red hair and a green shirt, greets him kindly, though she keeps her back to the camera her face is never seen. Steve introduces himself, and she asks whether hes coming back because of the old chest he left in the attic. She welcomes him in, and introduces herself as Alex.Alex was the second default Minecraft player skin to be introduced, after Steve. She appears in Minecraft promotional material and splash art, serving as a blank avatar that players can project themselves on. While A Minecraft Movie establishes that Steve was in the Overworld long enough to create tons of stuff, including a theme park, Alex has been in the real world all this time. The teaser suggests she may show up if theres a sequel.While A Minecraft Movie tells a complete story, this post-credits scene does set up a potential hook for a new adventure. We dont know whether thatll involve a return to the Nether or the introduction of The End, but it seems like a safe bet that Alex and the mysterious chest left in her attic will figure in somehow.

Around November of last year, when readers were certainly not paying attention to anything else, Nintendo briefly shared that the Nintendo Switch 2 would be backwards compatible with games for the original Nintendo Switch. Fast forward to this year, and it turns out thats not so clear cut. According to Nintendo, the Switch 2 can play the vast majority of Nintendo Switch 1 games, but there are some caveats to keep in mind.The Switch 2 uses emulation to play Switch 1 gamesAs Nintendo posted to its site yesterday and confirmed in a developer roundtable I attended, the Switch 2 does not have any Switch 1 hardware inside. This means that, unlike the Nintendo DS did with the Game Boy Advance, it cant play Switch games natively, meaning its not able to run them exactly as they might work on original hardware. Instead, it uses what Nintendo said is a mix of hardware compatibility and software emulation to essentially trick these games into thinking theyre running on the original Switch.This comes with both downsides and upsides. The good is that, because the Switch 2 has more powerful architecture than the original Switch, you might see some slight benefits from simply running your game on the new console, like faster loading times. The issues start to pop up when looking at game compatibility. Credit: Nintendo Not every game, it turns out, plays nice with this translation to the new device. According to Nintendo, the vast majority of Switch 1 games should work without issue, with some select games getting free patches to help bring them up to snuff, but the company has encountered problems with over 120 titles, some of which wont even start up. These include popular games like Doom: Eternal and Rocket League, so if you depend on your Switch to play these, dont expect the new console to be able to replace your old one right away. Itll likely take some time for Nintendo to work out all the kinks here.Nintendo Switch 2 Edition gamesSo how is Nintendo getting around these problems? Well, aside from painstakingly checking each Nintendo Switch game (more than 10,000) one-by-one, its also releasing new versions of certain Switch 1 games that are built to run on the Nintendo Switch 2 from the ground up.These Nintendo Switch 2 Edition games will essentially be enhanced ports of certain Switch 1 titles, including The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild; The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom; Kirby and the Forgotten Land; Super Mario Party Jamboree; and even as-yet-unreleased games like Pokmon Legenda: Z-A and Metroid Prime 4: Beyond.Switch 2 Edition games will come with improved graphics, higher resolutions, and much smoother framerates, as well as new content in the case of Kirby and Mario Party. Youll also get new control modes when applicable, as Metroid Prime 4 will be able to use the Switch 2s mouse controls.The catch: you have to pay for these upgrades. While your Switch 2 should be able to play the above games just fine if you pop your Switch 1 cartridge into it, you wont get any of the enhancements that let you use its extra power unless you pony up, and will instead be playing via the same emulation as every other Switch 1 game.Luckily, if you already own the Switch 1 version of a game, you can get an upgrade pack (sold either at select retailers or via the Nintendo eShop) to get the Switch 2 Edition at a discount, as opposed to buying the Switch 2 Edition for full price (which, of course, is also an option). Even betterNintendo has confirmed that your upgraded game will still be playable on Switch 1, just without the enhancements that come with the Switch 2 Edition. Plus, subscribers to the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack will at least get both Zelda upgrades included with their plan.Official pricing for these Switch 2 Editions or their upgrade packs has yet to be revealed, but keep in mind that when youre shopping for a Switch 2, you shouldnt necessarily bank on the system being able to play your Switch 1 games, but better.How to play a Switch 1 game on Switch 2Now that Ive broken down the ins-and-outs of backwards compatibility on the Switch, lets talk about how to actually play your Switch 1 games on the Switch 2.The first method is pretty simple. If you own a compatible physical Switch 1 game cartridge, you can just put it into your Switch 2 to start playing it just like on the original console.Alternatively, if you want to move all of your game saves, wifi details, parental control settings, and digital games over to the Switch 2, you can use a System Transfer to do just that. Specific steps for the transfer system havent been published yet, but youll be able to use it to conveniently move pretty much everything from your Switch 1 to your Switch 2 all in one fell swoop. Credit: Nintendo Finally, for a more piecemeal approach, theres Virtual Game Cards. This is a new way of categorizing digital games thats set for release in April. Essentially, itll add a new icon to the Switchs home screen, where youll be able to see your digital games as a series of virtual game cards. Youll then be able to load these cards then and there to play them on the system youre currently using, or click Load on Another System to move them over to another console linked to your Nintendo Account. With that, you can move your Switch 1 games over to Switch 2 on a more case-by-case basis.

It's not difficult to delete an app off your iPhone. In fact, it only takes a few taps at most. If you're so inclined, you can even remove purchases from your Apple Account entirely. So it might come as a bit of a surprise if you see that app randomly reappear. As it happens, some users are seeing just that.MacRumors spotted multiple threads across both Reddit and Apple's Community Support site, all featuring the same complaint: users noticing apps they did not choose to download appearing on their iPhones. Some of these affected users had previously deleted these apps months or years ago, and didn't understand why they were back. Others, however, had no memory of ever downloading the app in question in the first place. The account Someandroiduser started a Community Support thread, claiming a previously deleted app "Last War Survival" ended up on their iPhone again. Redditor dURDENN7 posted the same, without naming the app in question. It's worth noting some of the commenters on that thread said their iPhones had downloaded "Last War Survival" as well, including one who said they had never downloaded the app before. Reddit user illyyas posted that they had discovered the game "Ingress" installed on their iPhone, despite the fact they don't play games at all on their phone. Another commenter said their iPhone downloaded "Cooking Mama" to their Home screen, even though the App Store still showed the option to "Get" the appimplying the user had never actually installed the app before. Another user shared a similar story with the game "Bit City."Is iOS 18.4 responsible?While it isn't totally clear what is behind these app downloads, one through line does appear to be iOS 18.4. The update officially dropped on Monday, adding new features and security patches for compatible iPhones. Unfortunately, Apple might've missed a bug in beta testing, since many of these user complaints note these apps mysteriously appeared after installing the latest iOS update. MacRumors notes that Automatic Downloadsthe feature that installs previously downloaded apps on other connected Apple devicesdoesn't seem to be at fault here, since many of the affected users only have iPhones. In addition, the outlet identified that these devices were not jailbroken and were not using a third-party app marketplace. To Apple's credit, this hasn't been my experience with the newest update. I installed iOS 18.4 on my iPhone, and, as far as I can tell, no new or previously downloaded apps found their way into my App Library. However, it is a problem: You shouldn't expect to see apps you previously deleted reappear on your device, and you definitely shouldn't see apps you never downloaded to begin with.Apple has not made a public statement about this issue, nor is there really much you can do to prevent it. If you happen to notice an app you previously deletedor never actually downloaded in the first placeyour best bet is to simple delete it, and hope it doesn't show up again.

After a January announcement that it would spend $80 billion on data center construction, Microsoft may already be adjusting its future plans. Sources told Bloomberg that Microsoft has delayed or slowed data center efforts in Indonesia, the UK, Australia, Illinois, North Dakota and Wisconsin. Some of the cases meant withdrawing from negotiations, while others have involved delays on planned construction projects, according to these insiders. These data centers would be central to Microsoft's efforts to develop more capabilities around artificial intelligence.Despite the apparent shift in its approach, a Microsoft rep told Bloomberg that the company still plans to hold to its $80 billion spending budget on data centers during its 2025 fiscal year. Engadget has reached out for confirmation and will update if we receive comment from Microsoft. That was the figure laid out in a blog post attributed to Vice-Chair and President Brad Smith. The post, published days before President Trump's inauguration, included some ingratiating language for the new administration. "The country has a unique opportunity to pursue this vision and build on the foundational ideas set for AI policy during President Trumps first term," it reads. "At Microsoft, we are excited to take part in this journey."Microsoft's plans could have been influenced by looming tariffs, which had been threatened and were finally introduced this week by President Trump. The trade policy is likely to make large infrastructure plans more expensive and has already caused uncertainties on Wall Street. It could be that the company will still spend in the ballpark of $80 billion but will not be able to complete as many locations as it had previously calculated. Or it could be that in the months since presenting its forecast, Microsoft has already seen a reduction in expected demand.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/microsoft-is-reportedly-walking-back-some-data-center-plans-210406748.html?src=rss

Traeger's only gas-powered grill is its Flatrock flat-top griddle. Besides this one model, everything else in the company's lineup runs on wood pellets. Since griddles continue to be insanely popular backyard cooking tools, Traeger is expanding its Flatrock line with a smaller, two-burner option. The Flatrock 2 Zone has all of the features from the larger version, which is now called the Flatrock 3 Zone, in a griddle that takes up less space on your deck, patio or porch.As the name suggests, the Flatrock 2 Zone has two separate cooking areas with precise heat control for each one. U-shaped burners consistently heat the entire cooking surface and an edge-to-edge, wind-blocking design helps keep the flame running smoothly without burnouts or flare-ups. Like the Flatrock 3 Zone, there are folding side shelves for resting tools and trays, plus the Pop-And-Lock (PAL) rail system allows you to add the snap-on accessories you need to complete your griddle setup. The EZ-Clean grease keg from other recent Traeger grills is here as well, making it easy to get rid of liquids and debris after cooking.TraegerThe main appeal of the Flatrock 2 Zone is that it's smaller than the original model. You'll still have the ability to make breakfasts, smash burgers, fajitas and more with the griddle's 468 square inches of cooking surface, but this new version will fit better in smaller outdoor spaces. It's also $200 cheaper at $700. Unfortunately, there's no word on availability just yet: Traeger says the Flatrock 2 Zone is coming "soon" to its website and retailers in the US and Canada.If you're looking for an alternative, Weber's Slate griddles are well-built and offer various options depending on the size and features you're after. Starting at $549, you can get the three-burner, 28-inch base model that comes on a basic cart similar to the company's gas grills. Even this smallest Weber option offers more cooking area than the Flatrock 2 Zone at 504 square inches. At the top end, there's a four-burner, 36-inch version that comes with an easy-to-read digital temperature gauge and enclosed storage for $999. What's more, Weber offers a 30-inch size in between those two, with various storage configurations and an the option to include that battery-powered temperature gauge. This one isThis article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/kitchen-tech/traeger-built-a-smaller-flatrock-griddle-for-smaller-outdoor-spaces-210057199.html?src=rss

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Go behind the scenes.(L-R) Stephen Lang and Director James Cameron on the set of 20th Century Studios AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH. Photo by Mark Fellman. 2024 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.The post On The Set Pic: Avatar: Fire and Ash appeared first on befores & afters.