Nintendo formally unveiled Mario Kart WorldMario Kart 8successor has been a long one, its not going to drag on much longer.Mario Kart Worldwill release in June as a Switch 2 launch title, and ahead of its release, Nintendo isnt being stingy with the amount of gameplay footage it is showcasing.Hot on the heels of extensive gameplay showcased during Thursdays Treehouse livestream, Nintendo followed up today with more of the same. Close to 40 minutes of new gameplay footage have been revealed forMario Kart Worldin total, showing off more of its Grand Prix mode, some of the many tracks and characters that will be featured in the game, how it will incorporate GameChat features, and more. You can check out the gameplay below.Mario Kart Worldwill launch exclusively for the Nintendo Switch 2 on June 5. The game will be sold at a price of $79.99.

LAAOne Winged SlayerMemberOct 28, 20173,033"Now there's a lot of advancements that have been made in LCD technology during development," Sasaki explained."We took a look at the technology that was available to us now and after a lot of consideration we decided to stick to LCD."Click to expand...Click to shrink...Still disappointed they didn't go with OLED, I just see it as they're compromised the handheld experience at worst in an age where OLED is increasingly more common and HDR could have really shined with it, but I am eager to see it in person, hopefully it's still an impressive screen.https://www.ign.com/articles/ninten...een-for-switch-2-after-a-lot-of-consideration cartoon_soldierMemberOct 27, 20179,154The WorldThe consideration was to sell Switch 2 OLED in 4 years to Switch 2 owners.PankratousMemberOct 26, 201710,479cartoon_soldier said:The consideration was to sell Switch 2 OLED in 4 years to Switch 2 owners.Click to expand...Click to shrink...Exactly.Red Kong XIXMemberOct 11, 202012,741cartoon_soldier said:The consideration was to sell Switch 2 OLED in 4 years to Switch 2 owners.Click to expand...Click to shrink...Yup lolGruntyMemberOct 28, 20179,712Gruntildas Lair$450 isn't expensive enough? It would have been a lot more if it was OLED.VexiiBannedOct 31, 20172,954UKcartoon_soldier said:The consideration was to sell Switch 2 OLED in 4 years to Switch 2 owners.Click to expand...Click to shrink...There are genuine factors, such as the cost and general lack of availability at scale of high-refresh rate VRR OLED screens compared to the much more mature LCD tech out there.That isn't to say the cynicism is misplaced though. An easy upsell path in the future is absolutely also a factor too.vantyMemberOct 26, 2017130I read that no OLEDs with the specs/features of the Switch 2 screen really exist yet. They do for phones, but not in the 1080p ~8 inch market of modern handheld systems.Fat4allWoke up, got a money tag, swears a lotBannedOct 25, 2017107,228herecartoon_soldier said:The consideration was to sell Switch 2 OLED in 4 years to Switch 2 owners.Click to expand...Click to shrink...cash cashmoney moneySaint of KillersMemberOct 27, 20172,657cartoon_soldier said:The consideration was to sell Switch 2 OLED in 4 years to Switch 2 owners.Click to expand...Click to shrink...Trying to explain it away any other way is insult atop injury.DunfishMemberOct 29, 20171,454I would have been far happier at $499 OLED, $399 LCD. RPGsandFGCsMemberJun 30, 2024616CaliforniaYa'll think the console is expensive now, imagine it with a 8" 1080p 120Hz HDR VRR OLED screen. If Nintendo could even source one with those specs.SkotMemberOct 30, 2017597vanty said:I read that no OLEDs with the specs/features of the Switch 2 screen really exist yet. They do for phones, but not in the 1080p ~8 inch market of modern handheld systems.Click to expand...Click to shrink...This imo. And those niche manufactured ones would have pushed the price up even higher. I'm happy with LCD as long as it's good quality.cw_sasukeMemberOct 27, 201729,483cartoon_soldier said:The consideration was to sell Switch 2 OLED in 4 years to Switch 2 owners.Click to expand...Click to shrink...It probably was about the price of the screen if they still needed to hit the other boxes in terms of size/resolution/120hz/VRR.MeelowUncle Works at NintendoMemberOct 31, 20179,811Nintendo could have done OLED and had this be a $550 price, I'm fine with LCD.And plus, from what I read, doesn't HDR have issues with OLED screens?DECKARDCreator of WormsVerifiedNov 26, 20176,927UKScreen looks great anyway, they didn't cheap out so I'm not bothered.I'll take OLED in a few years along with shrinking the chip for better battery life.SanTheSlyThe San Symphony ProjectMemberSep 2, 20197,960United Kingdomafter after.But yeah, whilst there will eventually be an OLED model, LCD keeps the launch price down - and people seem to really like the PS Portal's LCD panel. What are press impressions saying about the screen quality?Personally not bothered about OLED because of the price difference, burn in potential and the fact I mostly play docked anyway.People that are THIS upset by LCD panels should just vote with their wallet.LewiePMemberOct 26, 201719,530Probably more logical to do a 120hz VRR LCD, and later a OLED variant, rather than a 60hz OLED and later a 120hz VRR OLED.AnanasasMemberJul 11, 20182,932Meelow said:Nintendo could have done OLED and had this be a $550 price, I'm fine with LCD.And plus, from what I read, doesn't HDR have issues with OLED screens?Click to expand...Click to shrink...it doesn't, it's just hard to hit 1000nits full screen, but even LCD won't do it I am 100%ApolloCorrupted by VengeanceAvengerOct 25, 20179,745cartoon_soldier said:The consideration was to sell Switch 2 OLED in 4 years to Switch 2 owners.Click to expand...Click to shrink...All there is to it lolRPGsandFGCsMemberJun 30, 2024616CaliforniaSanTheSly said:after after.But yeah, whilst there will eventually be an OLED model, LCD keeps the launch price down - and people seem to really like the PS Portal's LCD panel. What are press impressions saying about the screen quality?Click to expand...Click to shrink...All the impressions from the hands-on videos I've seen have been very positive, even from self-described OLED lovers. Mr.DeadshotMemberOct 27, 201722,688cartoon_soldier said:The consideration was to sell Switch 2 OLED in 4 years to Switch 2 owners.Click to expand...Click to shrink...I am sure that meeting was over in 5 minutes. Nintendo knows their user base.DevilMemberOct 25, 20173,151Meelow said:And plus, from what I read, doesn't HDR have issues with OLED screens?Click to expand...Click to shrink...No, why would it? The majority of the highend TV segment are OLED models, this wouldn't be the case if HDR was a problem with that technology.GHOSTDEATHMemberOct 27, 2017145People crying about the prices but at the same time wants OLED instead of LCD LMAOThe quality of the LCD will be enough for at least 80% of the players, good choice for me, the priority was the power and the priceThe console price is fine for a lot of players, the only thing lacking is a Vouchers programs or Gold Points but they said to be patient maybe things will be announced.Mario Kart price for me is not a problem because pack and because i suspect the game have A LOT of circuits and will be updated during the next years.MeelowUncle Works at NintendoMemberOct 31, 20179,811Devil said:No, why would it? The majority of the highend TV segment are OLED models, this wouldn't be the case if HDR was a problem with that technology.Click to expand...Click to shrink...I could be wrong on that, it might have been something else that might be an issue with OLED.artsiMemberOct 26, 20173,332FinlandI'm fine with LCD to have 120hz and keep costs lower, my iPad Pro has a great screen to consume media.RicelordAvengerOct 25, 20176,814cartoon_soldier said:The consideration was to sell Switch 2 OLED in 4 years to Switch 2 owners.Click to expand...Click to shrink...Pretty much.GHOSTDEATHMemberOct 27, 2017145DECK'ARD said:Screen looks great anyway, they didn't cheap out so I'm not bothered.I'll take OLED in a few years along with shrinking the chip for better battery life.Click to expand...Click to shrink...It's a very good LCD no doubt about that, better that my hopes!RPGsandFGCsMemberJun 30, 2024616CaliforniaMeelow said:I could be wrong on that, it might have been something else that might be an issue with OLED.Click to expand...Click to shrink...What you're likely thinking of, at least if it's HDR, is that they don't sustain their peak brightness as well as LCD. Which is true, but not much of a concern for a handheld like this.Either that or your thinking of the burn-in risk.NecromantiMemberOct 25, 201712,656Devil said:No, why would it? The majority of the highend TV segment are OLED models, this wouldn't be the case if HDR was a problem with that technology.Click to expand...Click to shrink...Yeah, it's the other way around, IMO.Flame LordMemberOct 26, 20173,501I'm surprised they didn't just... Have a second SKU for $50 extra, the first one proved people would go for it. GruntyMemberOct 28, 20179,712Gruntildas LairGHOSTDEATH said:People crying about the prices but at the same time wants OLED instead of LCD LMAOThe quality of the LCD will be enough for at least 80% of the players, good choice for me, the priority was the power and the priceThe console price is fine for a lot of players, the only thing lacking is a Vouchers programs or Gold Points but they said to be patient maybe things will be announced.Mario Kart price for me is not a problem because pack and because i suspect the game have A LOT of circuits and will be updated during the next years.Click to expand...Click to shrink...Yeah I'm sure Mario Kart will receive a lot of circuits in the future for a price.XaterMemberOct 26, 20179,649Germanycartoon_soldier said:The consideration was to sell Switch 2 OLED in 4 years to Switch 2 owners.Click to expand...Click to shrink...And probs my because it would have made th console even more expensive.cowbananaMemberFeb 2, 201816,086a Socialist UtopiaMeelow said:And plus, from what I read, doesn't HDR have issues with OLED screens?Click to expand...Click to shrink...Deep issues, like being vastly superior :)MeelowUncle Works at NintendoMemberOct 31, 20179,811RPGsandFGCs said:What you're likely thinking of, at least if it's HDR, is that they don't sustain their peak brightness as well as LCD. Which is true, but not much of a concern for a handheld like this.Either that or your thinking of the burn-in risk.Click to expand...Click to shrink...I'm honestly not the best spec guy, so I could have been wrong. I just remember seeing people mention, "X has an issue with OLED".LotusOne Winged SlayerMemberOct 25, 2017121,996Ultimately fine by me, they nailed literally everything else, and the impressions show the screen it does have ain't no slouchMaybe I won't even bother with upgrading later on, only reason it happened the first time was due to a very good trade in deal. We'll seeNecron Legend MemberOct 25, 20179,621Switzerlandcartoon_soldier said:The consideration was to sell Switch 2 OLED in 4 years to Switch 2 owners.Click to expand...Click to shrink...BingoZeoVGMMemberOct 25, 201783,734Providence, RIFlame Lord said:I'm surprised they didn't just... Have a second SKU for $50 extra, the first one proved people would go for it.Click to expand...Click to shrink...It would not have been a $50 difference.SuperStudied the Buster SwordMemberJan 29, 202213,356cartoon_soldier said:The consideration was to sell Switch 2 OLED in 4 years to Switch 2 owners.Click to expand...Click to shrink....CivilstrifeMemberOct 27, 20172,363I hate to say it, but it was probably the right choice. An OLED can be dropped in fairly easily into a midgen refresh.But dropping in 120hz and VRR at that point would create a lot of work for developers to patch their games to support it.If they had to choose between these features and OLED, then locking in 120hz and VRR as part of the base spec from launch was the way to go.ConflictResolverMemberJan 1, 20243,896MidgarI wonder what type of LCD screen it is. Is the HDR more for the TV output than the handheld screen? kakteenMemberApr 9, 2024802I got a bravia 9, so as long it is vibrant I will not mind lolJarmelThe Jackrabbit Always WinsMemberOct 25, 201722,262New YorkIf the screen is mini-led then fine, that's an acceptable alternative to OLED. Edge lit LCD though? hahaha noI'll wait and see for some detailed screen analysis eventually.EmergencyPastaMemberAug 17, 20222,353Apollo said:All there is to it lolClick to expand...Click to shrink...yep youve solved it, they had a bunch of 120hz 1080p HDR OLED screens cheap and ready to roll and said nahamaraMemberNov 23, 20215,372If the decision was between a 120hz LCD and 60hz OLED, I'd take the 120hz display as well.HarmenMemberAug 30, 20231,252Does anyone know how the HDR here works? Is it actual HDR or just how cheap gaming monitors handle it aka not really HDR. I assume it has no local dimming or anything? Or even old school edge lit or something?darkwingCorrupted by VengeanceMemberOct 25, 201717,497cartoon_soldier said:The consideration was to sell Switch 2 OLED in 4 years to Switch 2 owners.Click to expand...Click to shrink...yeah, I'll waitDynoAVALANCHEThe FallenOct 25, 201716,440Works for me. I don't really fancy paying extra for an Oled I'll likely never look atnsilviasMemberOct 25, 201729,331really good lcds are dirt cheap now so i get it.ClefargleOne Winged SlayerMemberOct 25, 201714,992LimburgGHOSTDEATH said:People crying about the prices but at the same time wants OLED instead of LCD LMAOClick to expand...Click to shrink...lmao yuuupwonzoMemberOct 25, 20171,769the hdr means its probably miniled

Far Cry 4 players on Steam were surprised to find a prominent nude scene in the game censored on April 3, but Ubisoft has already rolled back what one spokesperson is calling unintended changes.The issue was first brought to light on Reddit, where a user of the official Far Cry subreddit shared a screenshot of a normally bare-chested, female NPC in Far Cry 4 wearing significantly more clothing. The posts confusion as to why Ubisoft would decide to censor the game more than 10 years post-release was followed by a separate comment, further noting the inclusion of a loincloth placed over protagonist Ajays crotch in a brief scene where he previously hung dong.While folks were quick to blame Ubisofts recent $1.3 billion investment from Chinese conglomerate Tencent for the change due to the countrys heavy-handed censorship policies, it turns out the whole thing was one big mistake. Ubisoft community developer Patricia Brochu-Gagn braved the increasingly hostile Reddit thread to explain as much on April 4, saying that a recent update accidentally added existing content from the nudity-free Japanese version of the game to the worldwide version.The team has already resolved the issue by re-uploading the correct data to the [worldwide] depot on Steam, Brochu-Gagn said, adding that Ubisoft has no plans to censor Far Cry. This was simply an error tied to a specific regional build, and its now been corrected.Ubisoft has lately become something of a punching bag among too-online gamers due to, in part, including a Black man as one of the playable characters in Assassins Creed Shadows. Some still believe this short-lived moment of censorship was intentional and was only walked back after the backlash. In any case, we can all breathe a sigh of relief knowing Far Cry 4s nudity has been restored and is just as gratuitous as it always was.

With President Trump's China tariffs and China's retaliatory actions gutting Apple stock today, a report from the Brazilian publication Exame claims that Apple is considering producing its iPhone smartphone in Brazil. Trump's tariffs are designed to entice companies to produce their products in the US by raising their import costs and to nudge countries to reduce the barriers that they have erected against US exports. Apple already manufactures the base iPhone 16 in Brazil, and Exame's report is brief as it simply quotes anonymous sources to point out that Apple might utilize lower tariffs against Brazil to expand its production in the country.Apple Stock Gutted By Tariff Announcement & Sheds 13% In Just Five DaysApple's status as the world's most valuable company is driven by the strong demand for its products,which it ships to millions of users worldwide courtesy of its robust supply chain based in China. As a result, the stock shed more than $250 billion in market value yesterday and today after the US and China announced tariffs on each other. Investors dumped Apple stock as they re-calibrated their expectations about the firm's revenue in the wake of higher costs for its US iPhone sales.As of Apple's first fiscal quarter, North America accounted for 42% of the firm's sales to make it the single biggest percentage contributor with the iPhone accounting for 56% of the total sales. Apple's latest smartphones are manufactured in China primarily by its main contract manufacturing partner, Taiwan's Hon Hai Industrial, or Foxconn.Tariffs on China threaten Apple's iPhone imports in the US as they complicate the firm's global supply chain model.Amidst this turmoil, a report from the Brazilian publication Exame claims that Apple is considering expanding its production in Brazil. It provides little additional context and quotes anonymous sources for its claims. Apple already manufactures the base version of the iPhone 16 in Brazil, and the move is purportedly motivated by lower tariffs on Brazilian exports to the US.US tariffs on China have generated considerable turmoil among analysts when it comes to Apple's shares. Not only has Apple's manufacturing base of China, which has been targeted by 54% tariffs, but another key base, India, has been hit with 28% tariffs. Analysts at Raymond estimate that up to 28% of Apple's total sales can come from the US, making the multi-billion dollar market cap rout unsurprising.The same analysts also believe that Apple might have to raise its US hardware prices by 30% to fully absorb the impact of US tariffs against China. The firm's shares closed 7.3% lower today as they 15.9% in cumulative value since President Trump announced his tariffs on Wednesday. Analysts have also speculated that Apple might secure a reprieve from the Trump administration, given the firm's extensive investments to support job growth and creation in America.Deal of the Day

InZoi has finally arrived in Early Access on Steam, and after much anticipation that Krafton's life sim could be the first real competition for The Sims in decades, we are of course very eager to compare the two.The reality, of course, is that any brand-new life sim is going to have a hard time going up against a title like The Sims 4, which has been out for a decade and has received dozens of DLCs over that span. It's just not an even fight. With that being the case, a standard apples-to-apple comparison isn't the best way to look at this competition between an old hat and an ambitious newcomer--that wouldn't be fair. Instead, let's drill down into what each game does best. While InZoi does still feel like a bit of an empty shell compared to The Sims 4, Krafton's game already has certain features that EA probably cannot hope to match any time soon.This is particularly true when it comes to customization. But at the same time, InZoi is still very far behind The Sims on the simulation side. Let's drill down into these differences so we can better understand whether InZoi really can be an effective competitor to The Sims going forward. InZoi is better: deep customizationAt first, character creation in InZoi seemed more or less to be the same as it is in The Sims 4--then I discovered the real customization options, like the ability to design your own clothing items and upload images that you can use as textures for them. Turns out, you can also do the same stuff with any furniture you place in your house. InZoi essentially has built-in tools for creating custom content, whereas making this sort of stuff in The Sims 4 requires third-party mod tools. It's a great inclusion and makes InZoi stand out in at least this one major way. The Sims is better: It has much more "stuff"While you can't customize your clothes and furniture in The Sims 4 to the same degree that you can in InZoi, there isn't the same need for it because there's just so much stuff in The Sims 4. Every new expansion has added plenty of clothing and build mode items to the base game, so even people who have never spent a dime on The Sims 4 have regularly received new usable items for years. There's so much stuff that the lack of deep, built-in customization doesn't really hurt much. InZoi is better: Everything is more granular It's not just the customization--everything in InZoi is at least a little bit more in-depth than their equivalent features in The Sims 4, from tiny features like the way your Zoi will use the dresser to change into pajamas before bed, to more impactful things like the way your home accumulates dust that has to be cleaned regularly. InZoi gets deep into the details in a surprisingly appealing way. The Sims is better: a more intuitive build mode InZoi's granularity extends to its build mode tools, which is both a blessing and a curse. Sure, there are some things you can do with InZoi's building tools that you can't do in The Sims 4, but I'm not convinced it's for the better for most folks, because even though you gain a little bit of granular usability, you lose some ease of use in the process. InZoi's UI is fairly messy and has a steeper learning curve. Contrast that with build mode in The Sims 4, where you can manipulate any object by clicking it, and it's clear that even though InZoi's build mode is deeper, it's harder to learn and to use. InZoi is better: customizing your townIn The Sims, you have basically unlimited freedom to mess with any property lot in the game, but you can't touch anything else--outside of lots, the many worlds of The Sims 4 are set in stone. InZoi goes the other direction, allowing players to mess with their cities as much as they want. You can use build mode anywhere you want, placing food trucks all over town so you're never far from an emergency meal, for example. And in the Edit City menu you can make global changes, like filling your town with (peaceful) crocodiles or making it very dirty--or you could make your neighbors super mean or super nice. In The Sims 4, a lot of this stuff would be impossible even with mods. The Sims is better: PetsWhile InZoi will let you add stray dogs and cats to your city, you can't interact with them much, and you can't take any of them home with you because InZoi doesn't support pets yet. The Sims 4 does, though they're locked behind paid expansions (Cats & Dogs and Horse Ranch). InZoi is better: the schedulerUsing InZoi's scheduler, you can set up all your appointments each week, picking where you'll go and at what time, and your Zoi will eagerly do all of it. The scheduler is only for out-of-home stuff, so you can't use it to automate your Zoi's entire life, but it definitely makes it easier to deal with large households, since this allows you to manually automate most of their activities ahead of time if you want to. The Sims is better: A much more coherent simulationThe Sims 4 is a video game version of real life and has more or less the same sort of social dynamics we have to deal with in society. For example, if you cheat on your spouse, they'll probably, at the very least, get really mad and say mean things about you to their friends, hurting your reputation and making other people like you less. It's a funhouse mirror for reality.This is something InZoi is missing in a big way--any meaningful sense of cause and effect. There are plenty of things to do, but little point in doing them. You can get a job, but it won't require any skills, and you won't make useful amounts of money from it. You can have relationships, but jealousy barely exists as a concept in this universe, which makes that aspect kinda boring. Learning to play one musical instrument automatically makes you know how to play all other musical instruments, too. The simulation side of InZoi is like this through and through. InZoi is better: More immersionOne quirk of InZoi's control scheme is how it makes use of the WASD keys to walk your character around, a feature that drove me crazy during my first few hours playing because in The Sims 4, WASD moves the camera. But when you combine that control quirk with an over-the-shoulder view, which you bring up by pressing Tab, you suddenly have the ability to walk around town like you're playing some kind of third-person walking simulator. The Sims 4 has no comparable feature, which makes it an exceptionally interesting thing for InZoi to include. The Sims is better: It's a completed gameWe can compare and contrast The Sims 4 and InZoi all week, but while InZoi definitely has some innovative new features that could make it an essential entry in the life sim genre, it's not going to dethrone EA's long-running franchise right now. The Sims 4 will win every current, overall comparison between the two games simply because InZoi is an Early Access release and really feels like one--it's more like the framework of a game at this point. That framework is extremely promising in some key respects, but it needs a lot more work before it feels all that fun to live in.

Open-world games are simply fantastic due to all the wonderful options they offer players. Since they're typically so vast, developers have to pack into them as much as possible, including side missions, companions, and even large dialog trees. While many AAA titles have multi-million-dollar budgets, there are also some immersive indie open-world games that are great fun.

A few minutes into my first look at The Midnight Walk, I thought to myself, Wait, is this actually the game? Not a cutscene? What I was watching looked like a gorgeous stop-motion animated short film, but I soon realized the developers from MoonHood Studios were showing me real-time game footage.The Midnight Walk looks so much like a stop-motion film, a la Phil Tippetts Mad God or old Tool videos, in part because the games characters, monsters, and environments are composed of actual physical materials. Klaus Lyngeled of MoonHood says the studio sculpted some 700 objects, 3D-scanned them in, and turned them into polygonal models. Characters are animated with a stop-motion stutter and the camera has a shallow depth of field to complete the look.Lyngeled and writer Olov Redmalm describe their first-person, narrative-driven puzzle game as a cozy horror adventure full of eccentric weirdos and friendly monsters. The story spans multiple chapters of fairy tales, but theres a consistent theme among them: warmth, contrast, and bringing light back into a dark world.The Midnight Walk starts with the games main character, the Burnt One, digging themselves out of a grave and repairing their body. As they take their journey through the titular highway the Midnight Walk, theyre joined by a charming and goofy little creature known as Potboy. This guide and companion has a little brazier on its head; using Potboys flame and a series of matches, players light torches to bring light to the Midnight Walk and battle enemies.Theres some puzzle-solving and stealth throughout the game, and even a button dedicated to closing your eyes to just listening. (MoonHood promises binaural audio and suggests that players experience The Midnight Walk while wearing headphones.) Theres even some gunplay the developers showed the Burnt One acquiring a weapon that shoots lit matches, giving the player extended range to battle monsters and solve puzzles.While much of The Midnight Walk lives up to its cozy descriptor, largely thanks to Potboy, theres some real horrific-looking stuff in here too. Every monster and boss is some variation on a twisted freak: There are scurrying cyclopean mutants, giant spider-like terrors, leathery weirdos with their eyes sewn shut, and angry-looking slug creatures with rage issues.The developers listed inspirations (Over the Garden Wall, The Nightmare Before Christmas, David Lynch, Half-Life 2) were apparent throughout my eyes-on preview, but the combination of influences and craft on display makes The Midnight Walk feel distinct from the projects that came before it. Suffice it to say, Im looking forward to MoonHoods new game, something that wasnt really on my radar until last week.Fortunately, the wait to play will be short. The Midnight Walk is coming to PlayStation 5 (with PlayStation VR2 support) and Windows PC via Steam on May 8.

We may earn a commission from links on this page.This post is part of Find Your Fit Tech, Lifehacker's fitness wearables buying guide. I'm asking the tough questions about whether wearables can really improve your health, how to find the right one for you, and how to make the most of the data wearables can offer.A fitness trackers job isnt done when you finish your workout, or even when you take your last steps of the day. There are devices that excel at tracking how long and how well you slept, and devices that attempt to tell you when youre well-recovered and ready for your next challenge. Here are my picks for the best of this category.What to look for in a sleep/recovery trackerWhere our other buyers guides are almost entirely about which smartwatch to pick, the recovery-oriented devices are different. Some come in the form of a watch, but the two standouts in this categorythe Oura ring and the Whoop bandarent watches at all. Neither has a screen for you to look at. They merely gather data and present their conclusions in a smartphone app. They also arent (necessarily) worn on the wrist. Thats great news for people who want something minimalist and distraction-free. But thats not everyone. Here are the questions to ask yourself when youre shopping around.Do you want a sleep tracker, or a smartwatch that can track sleep?Before you start looking at sleep-specific devices, its important to ask yourself whether you want sleep tracking as a feature of a device that does other stuff, or if you truly want a device thats dedicated to sleep and recovery tracking.Most general-purpose smartwatches can do adequate sleep tracking. Theyll give you a decent idea of how late you went to bed, how many hours of sleep you tend to get, and theyll often report some recovery metrics as well, like your resting heart rate. Here are a few smartwatches and fitness watches that can track your sleep well: Apple Watch Series 10 (with Apple Health and the new Vitals appor install a recovery tracking app of your choice for advanced metrics, like Bevel or Athlytic)Garmin Forerunner 265/265S, which will even roll sleep data into your training readiness score for the day Pixel Watch 3, an Android-friendly smartwatch that uses the Fitbit app for sleep trackingIf you want sleep tracking in addition to other features, check out our other guides for health tracking and for running. You may find the watch you really want in one of those categories.Are you OK with paying for a subscription?My two top picks both require a subscription to make the most of your data. Whoop sells the subscription as its primary product, with the band as a thing thrown in to go with it. Oura, meanwhile, will sell you a ring and give you sleep and recovery scores for free; but to get the detailed information you probably came for, youll need to pay up.Do you need accurate activity tracking?All of these wearables say they can track your heart rate during exercise, but that doesnt mean they do it well.Ouras niche use as a sleep tracker evolved from the fact that its really hard to get accurate heart rate data from a ring while youre moving. (Longtime readers will recall that I reviewed the Motiv ring in 2018, and found that it was useless for exercise, but great as a sleep tracker.) Oura turned its rings weakness into a strength: Since it needs you to be very still and quiet to take readings, it's now positioned as a sleep tracker, which needs to do that exact thing really well.But that means that when it added activity tracking later onwell, its not great. Its better than I would have expected, to be sure. But it would definitely not be my choice for tracking exercise. I wear an Oura ring every day, but Ill actually strap on a watch when its time to go for a run.Whoop does a better job than Oura, but it still has its issues. Ive found it can easily get confused about my actual heart rate; the numbers will seem low, and then Ill wiggle the band, and suddenly Im seeing a 160 heart rate instead of 140. Thats a pretty big margin of error. Many people find that the Whoop is good enough, most of the time, but if you need really accurate exercise metrics youll probably be happier with a more traditional fitness tracker instead.Best for minimalists: the Oura ring This one is my personal favorite; I fell in love with the Oura ring when I reviewed it years ago. If you hate wearing wristwatches and dont really care about activity tracking, this is the device for you.(You can also read my four-year retrospective on what I've learned using it daily over the years.)The Oura gives accurate resting heart rate (RHR) and heart rate variability (HRV), two metrics that come more or less directly from its sensors, with minimal layers of interpretation. Both can tell you something about your stress and fatigue levels. Generally, if youre well-rested and not under too much stress, your RHR will be low and your HRV will be high. I routinely see an elevated RHR if Im sick, if Ive been drinking or staying up late, or if my weightlifting training has been putting a lot of stress on me. On the flip side, RHR can lower over time as you improve your cardio fitness.Ouras app then uses those metrics, and other data its collected about you, to give you sleep scores, readiness scores, and gentle recommendations for supporting your health. The sleep score gives you an idea of how long and how well you slept. The readiness score is highest when youre under the least stress (low RHR, high HRV). But I find these scores less useful than the raw data theyre built on. An Oura ring without a subscription only provides these scores in the app, without the raw data. The hardware alone is not worth it.Oura is supposed to be the best wearable for tracking sleep stages, and that may be true, but no wearable is actually tracking your sleep stages accurately. Pay more attention to your total sleep time, which its relatively good at detecting, not the time in each stage or the overall sleep quality.One more, important note about activity tracking: you will not want to wear this during workouts where youre lifting weights or hanging from a pull-up bar. The ring is chunky enough to interfere with your grip and dig into your skin. You wont be able to do your best lifts while youre wearing it. And if you care about the rings appearance, lifting weights will definitely scratch it up. I lift a lot, so I leave my ring on the charger when I head to the gym.So if you cant lift in it, and its not great at activity tracking or sleep staging, why wear one? Honestly, because I can forget that it exists and still get all the benefits of knowing what my RHR and HRV have been, pretty much every night, for the last three and a half years. (I never stick with a wearable that long.) The metrics help me to understand whether Im recovering well enough from my daily training, and remind me to pay a little extra attention to my sleep and stress when training gets tough.Two generations of the Oura ring are currently being sold. The newer gen 4 ring has a wider range of sizes, a more comfortable fit, and a more accurate sensor setup. The older gen 3 has all the same core features, but is available at a significant discount. I have a comparison of the gen 3 and gen 4 rings here, if you'd like to consider your options. Oura rings start at $199 (gen 3) or $349 (gen 4), plus a $5.99/month subscription. Oura Ring 4 $349.00 at Amazon Shop Now Shop Now $349.00 at Amazon Best for athletes: Whoop band If you want something that can track activities, but works with an app that is recovery-focused rather than exercise-focused, you probably want a Whoop band.If youre happy to strap a gadget to your wrist, greatthats the easiest way to wear a Whoop. It will look like a watch, except with no screen (the fabric band covers the spot where the screen would be). If you dont want a wristband, the Whoop device can also be strapped to your arm, between your deltoid and bicep (they call it a bicep band). This was my favorite way to wear it, since it doesn't interfere with wrist wraps while I'm lifting. You can also buy clothing, including sports bras and branded boxer shorts, that have a little pocket to hold the device against your skin without a strap.One of Whoops characteristic features is that you can wear it 24/7. Instead of plugging it in to charge, there is a little detachable battery that you plug in. Then, for an hour or so every couple of days, you slide this battery onto your Whoop band like a tiny backpack. When its fully charged, the indicator light will change colors and you can slide it off.Besides tracking your sleep, the Whoop can also track activityalthough, as I noted above, its not as accurate as some of the more traditional gadgets. (If you really want the most accurate heart rate, youll want to get a chest strap anyway.)The app models sleep and activitywhich it calls Strainas two sides of the same coin. If you did a long or hard workout, your Strain will be high, and the app will recommend an amount of sleep that will help you to recover. In the morning, it will tell you where your Recovery stands and recommend an appropriate amount of Strain for the days workouts. As Ive written before, I dont think its very smart to adjust your long-term training plan based on short-term fluctuations in recovery, but how you use the data is up to you.The Whoop app also has some really excellent features for tracking your "sleep debt" and planning when to go to bed and wake up for various levels of restedness. Whoop doesn't sell the band as a product, exactly; it sells a subscription that runs $30/month or $239/year, and you get the device with a plain black wristband for free. Other colors and styles cost extra, and you get free hardware upgrades when a new model comes out. Whoop 4.0 With a 12-Month Subscription $239.00 at Amazon Shop Now Shop Now $239.00 at Amazon Best smartwatch option: Garmin Venu 3 All of Garmins running watches include recovery metrics, including my fave, the Forerunner 265. These include resting heart rate, HRV, training readiness, "body battery," and calculated recovery times for each workout. The non-athletes I know tend to love the Body Battery. Like Whoops approach, this sees exercise and sleep as sort of opposite forces. Your Body Battery will be closer to 100% if youve been sleeping well and havent done much strenuous exercise lately. It will drain as you exercise, or if youre under a lot of stress. Sleeping fills it back up again.You can get some or all of these features on almost any Garmin watch. But if youd like to buy a new smartwatch just for sleep tracking, Id suggest the Garmin Venu 3.The Venu 3 has the Body Battery feature, as well as a Sleep Coach that will tell you how long you slept compared to how much you needed, and it will recommend how much you should try to sleep tonight. The recommendations are based mainly on your HRV (one of those recovery metrics it can read from its sensors) and your recent sleep and activity history. The Venu 3 also has nap detection, by the way, so youll still get credit for falling asleep watching a moviebut it also wont confuse that with your regular nights sleep. I'm choosing the Venu 3 (or the 3S, which is the same thing in the smaller size) for a few reasons. It has the newest generation of Garmin's Elevate heart rate sensor, making it potentially a smidge more accurate than other great watches like the Forerunner or Vivoactive lines. It also has skin temperature sensing, which not all Garmins do. But if you'd like a more budget-friendly watch that's still great for tracking sleep, the new Vivoactive 6 ($299) has most of the same sleep-tracking features, and also has a smart wake alarm that aims to buzz you awake during a lighter stage of sleep. Garmin Venu 3 $439.83 at Amazon Get Deal Get Deal $439.83 at Amazon

It was Tuesday June 25, 2019. San Francisco became the first US city to (temporarily) ban the sale of vapes, SpaceX successfully launched and deployed 24 satellites and I sat in Nintendos UK office on the outskirts of London, playing a demo of a game that still isnt out.However, according to yesterday's Switch 2 presentation, Hollow Knight: Silksong will arrive at some point this year. Nintendo even showed off a couple of seconds of new footage. There are slopes!Oh Silksong, oh Hollow Knight: Silksong, oh Hollow Knights repurposed DLC. The second Hollow Knight game from Team Cherry was initially meant to be a DLC addition to the original, but plans changed, with the developers saying that it had become too large and too unique." (This many years later, exactly how large and unique will Silksong be?)Later, as part of the 2022 Xbox and Bethesda Games showcase, a Silksong trailer teased a release date in the next 12 months as part of Xboxs attempt to deliver a wave of exciting games after a lackluster start to the Series X/S launch.When the early 2023 release date passed us by, Team Cherry delayed the game into 2024 and now, well, its 2025. I played that demo so long ago that it might have just been a dream.Without rewriting my six-year-old hands-on impressions entirely, the new game features a new playable character named Hornet, who featured as a repeatable boss fight in the original Hollow Knight, with silk-based attacks and faster, more agile gameplay. It also offers a more aggressive play style, with Hornet able to heal herself using silk charges and even repair damage with silk bundles left behind from prior unsuccessful attempts. It's a different gameplay twist from having to beat the Hollow Knight shadow in the original.I subtitled my hands-on impressions, saying it would be worth the wait. Back then, I'd recently finished Hollow Knight on the Switch, putting in a few too many hours and was hungry for more bug-shaped Metroidvania adventures. Silksong felt fresh, more responsive, faster and flashier and I just wanted to play more Hollow Knight.Barely six seconds of footage during Nintendo's Switch 2 presentation was enough to re-ignite the Silksong fandom, when it revealed nothing new more than some downhill traversal. It's proof that a lot of people are still excited and still waiting.I'm excited, and six years on, it feels like it must be pretty close.Right?This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/that-one-time-i-played-hollow-knight-silksong-160022483.html?src=rss

Anthropics new Claude for education offers an AI tool for students to support learning over replacing homework.