Nintendo finally revealed when gamers in the US and Canada will be able to place their orders for Switch 2 consoles. Nintendo announced that Switch 2 pre-orders will open on April 24 in both regions. Price has remained the same, even in the face of tariffs: the Switch 2 console alone will cost $450, while the Nintendo Switch 2 + Mario Kart World bundle will cost $500. However, Nintendo also stated it will adjust prices of Switch 2 accessories due to "market conditions." "Other adjustments to the price of any Nintendo product are also possible in the future depending on market conditions," the company said in the press release. Also in its statement, the company apologized for the pre-order delay and reiterated that the Nintendo Switch 2 will be widely available starting June 5. How to pre-order the Switch 2 In addition to direct from Nintendo, you'll be able to snag a Switch 2 from participating retailers when the console becomes available. Best Buy, GameStop, Walmart and Target have confirmed they'll be opening pre-orders on April 24. GameStop said it will be accepting pre-orders both in stores and online, the latter starting at 11AM ET that day. Target's pre-orders will open at midnight. We also expect it to be available from Amazon. There's some fine-print attached to pre-ordering directly from Nintendo. According to the pre-order page on Nintendo's site, you must be 18 years or older, sign in with your Nintendo account and register your interest in pre-ordering. Then, you'll be sent an invitation email when it's time to play your pre-order, and the invitation will be valid for 72 hours. And then there's this bit of info: "Invitation emails will be prioritized on a first-come, first-served basis to registrants who have purchased a Nintendo Switch Online membership with a minimum of 12 months of paid membership and a minimum of 50 total gameplay hours, as of April 2, 2025." That seems to mean those who have paid for Switch Online in the recent past and those who have spent a good amount of time playing Switch games as of late will get first pick at buying a Switch 2. There's no telling if these same restrictions will apply if you want to pre-order from third-party retailers. Pre-order the Nintendo Switch 2 from: Nintendo Walmart GameStop Best Buy Target Amazon Tariffs and the Nintendo Switch 2 During its most recent Direct presentation at the start of April, Nintendo showed off more of the Switch 2 than it ever had before. That included the reveal of the April 9 pre-order opening date, in addition to the original $450 starting price. Shortly after, President Trump announced sweeping tariffs on China and other countries, prompting Nintendo to delay pre-orders in the US and Canada. In a reversal, President Trump then announced a 90-day pause on steep “reciprocal” tariffs affecting 75 countries, but also announced that the tariff imposed on China will go up even further (currently, it's up to 245 percent for that country). We now know that the original $450 price for the Switch 2 will remain the same in the US and Canada, but based on its official statement, it appears Nintendo is leaving the door open for potential future price increases. We also know that Nintendo started moving some of its Switch console manufacturing to Vietnam in 2019. The reciprocal tariff for Vietnam was set to be 46 percent, but that appears to be on hold for now in favor of a 10 percent reciprocal tariff that’s now in effect for the 90-day pause period. It has been speculated that Nintendo will ramp up production of Switch 2 consoles in Vietnam so it can stay on schedule, even if it sells the console at a loss in the short term. More Switch 2 details We knew from the teaser trailer for the Switch 2 that Nintendo's new hardware would be bigger and would have a new approach to the detachable Joy-Cons. The new Joy-Con 2 have a new C button, mouse controls and a built in gyroscope for tilt control. The console has a built-in mic to support a new feature called Game Chat that will let you communicate with friends in-game. The device is indeed a bit larger, with a 7.9-inch LCD screen that supports a 120Hz refresh rate, HDR and a 1080p resolution. When docked, you'll be able to play at up to 4K on your TV, and Nintendo says it improved the consoles internal speakers as well. The new dock also has a built-in fan to keep the console cool and help maintain performance during long play sessions. The Switch 2 has dual USB-C ports for charging, and the base storage amount has increased to 256GB. The Switch 2's storage can be expanded like the previous model, but it will only work with newer microSD Express cards. The Switch 2 has a number of accessories that you'll be able to purchase separately as well. Those are the accessories that Nintendo stated will receive price adjustments — otherwise known as price increases. The new Switch 2 camera will now cost $55, instead of the original $50 price tag; the new Switch 2 Pro controller will be $85 instead of $80; an extra pair of Joy-Con 2 controllers will set you back $95 instead of $90 and a Joy-Con charging grip will go for $40 instead of $35. Check out Nintendo's official statement for all of the accessory price adjustments.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-switch-2-pre-orders-open-thursday-in-the-us-starting-at-450-plus-everything-else-you-need-to-know-140931297.html?src=rss

Looking for NYT Connections answers and hints? Here's all you need to know to solve today's game, plus my commentary on the puzzles.

Exhaustion. Mental fatigue. Difficulty concentrating. Irritability. Dreading your next calendar appointment. Nobody likes showing up to work with a hangover. But these days, you don’t need a long night of drinking to feel the effects. Instead, you might be suffering from a meeting hangover—the lingering exhaustion, disengagement, and productivity drain that follow an unproductive meeting. Studies show that 28% of workplace meetings leave employees feeling drained, with more than 90% of workers experiencing meeting hangovers at least occasionally. Nearly half (47%) report feeling less engaged with their work afterward, while more than half say these hangovers disrupt their workflow and productivity.  Meetings are a double-edged sword. Despite their pitfalls, they remain the most common form of workplace communication. In fact, research suggests face-to-face meetings are more effective for idea generation and task absorption than video calls. In other words, meetings aren’t going anywhere. But leaders can take charge—ensuring meetings are productive, efficient, and, most importantly, not hangover-inducing. Here are the strategies I use as CEO of Jotform. Set a concise agenda If you’ve ever walked into a grocery store for a few essentials and walked out with a cart full of snacks, you understand the power of having a clear list. The same principle applies to meetings. At Jotform, meeting agendas are indispensable. We also believe in minimizing meetings. By preparing an agenda, you can determine if a meeting is really necessary. If an asynchronous method—like an email, Slack message, or shared document—can achieve the same outcome faster, we opt for that instead. But when a real-time discussion is necessary, such as brainstorming solutions to an ongoing issue, a meeting is the right call. An agenda also ensures that only the necessary people are in the room. If someone isn’t essential to the conversation, they can contribute asynchronously—perhaps by answering follow-up questions afterward. As a result, we have fewer, more efficient meetings and fewer meeting hangovers. Keep the conversation on track “The Big Apple Circus in New York once featured a team of Chinese jugglers who could each spin eight plates at a time on the ends of long, slender sticks. Interviewing is a similar balancing act,” writes professor and journalist Helen Benedict. The same is true for leading a meeting. You’re listening, observing, processing, and asking questions—all while ensuring the discussion stays focused.  Benedict’s strategy for interviews is to arrive with a list of questions and stick to them religiously—even if it means cutting off tangents and redirecting the conversation. “It may not be smooth conversational technique,” she writes, “but it can save me hours of listening to off-the-track waffling.” Running a meeting requires the same discipline. If a discussion starts veering off course, our meeting leaders are tasked with gently steering it back. If we’re stuck on a point with no resolution, we note it and ask participants to revisit it later rather than letting it derail the agenda. This helps us conclude meetings on time—and sometimes early. If an hour-long meeting ends up taking 45 minutes, there’s no need to fill the space with white noise.  Recap with clear deliverables  Finally, we never leave a meeting without a clear recap of who’s responsible for what. Outlining deliverables ensures that nothing falls through the cracks—tasks don’t get lost, and responsibilities don’t blur or overlap. This is where I’ve found AI agents make a huge difference.  Combined with AI-powered note-taking apps, agents can generate concise summaries, highlight key takeaways tailored to each participant’s role, and compile a clear action-item list. This accountability creates a sense of shared leadership and boosts team effectiveness. An AI agent can also streamline follow-ups by creating a separate document with action items and deadlines, time-stamping key moments so participants can revisit discussions without replaying the entire meeting, and even drafting follow-up emails—leaving nothing more to do than review and hit send. With these tasks automated, meeting participants can stay focused on the actual substance of the meeting rather than getting bogged down in administrative details. This also cuts down the total time spent on meetings. Despite technological advancements, the time that workers spend in unproductive meetings has doubled since 2019—to five hours per week. With automation and the above strategies, employees can spend less time on meetings, experience fewer “hangovers,” and feel energized to take on more meaningful work.

Brighten your space—and your mood—with these feel-good finds. We’ve officially entered our maximalist era, and dopamine decor is leading the charge. Think saturated colors and nostalgic charm that sparks joy in an instant. These pieces don’t just decorate; they uplift. Below, find our favourite budget-friendly dopamine boosts to sprinkle around your home and instantly make it a happy place. For the Bold Optimist… “What’s the Best That Could Happen?” Print $11.75 on Etsy This retro-inspired wall art is a daily reminder to romanticise your life. Bright pink type on a turquoise backdrop gives major 70s energy while delivering a powerful mindset shift. For the Playful Flower Lover… Triple Dice Vase $32.95 on Amazon This ceramic showstopper brings a little Vegas to your vanity or tablescape. Reviewers rave it’s both quirky and chic—a vase that rolls double sixes every time. For the Color Enthusiast… Colored Lines Flower Vase $23.99 on Amazon Soft curves and candy-colored squiggles make this vase a certified serotonin booster. It’s compact, cute, and ready to brighten up any surface you place it on. For the Cozy Minimalist… Smiley Toast Night Light $15.99 on Amazon This rechargeable little lamp gives warm toast vibes—literally. A top-rated pick for bedrooms and desks, it’s as practical as it is heart-melting. For the Plush Obsessed… Plush Flower Floor Pillow $14.99 on Amazon It’s giving fairycore meets nap corner. This super-soft bloom doubles as floor seating or a whimsical accent on your bed. Customers call it “super cute and soft”.

Inside the artist's colourful illustrations inspired by the vibrant visual environment and people of India

Framework’s bet on a repairable and upgradeable laptop is finally paying off.

When Henk Rogers first read the script for the Tetris movie, he was shocked. “There was so much Hollywood in the movie,” he tells The Verge. “It just drove me nuts.” The film largely follows a pivotal period in Rogers’ life, when he traveled to the Soviet Union to navigate the complex rights issues for Tetris to bring it to platforms like the Game Boy. There, he connected with game’s creator Alexey Pajitnov, with whom he eventually formed a lifelong friendship, and turned Tetris into a global phenomenon.The movie turned this experience into something resembling a high-stakes spy thriller — and while Rogers ended up loving the final product, that initial experience inspired him to tell the story of what really happened. “While reading the script I said, ‘I have to set the record straight,’” he says.That story now exists in the form of the book The Perfect Game. While Rogers originally sat down to write about the events that transpired in the movie, he soon realized the story was much bigger than that. “I started writing it, and somebody looked at it and said, ‘That could be a book, it’s just not big enough,’” he explains. “I didn’t want to rewrite that part and add water, so to speak, so I added the before and after. So it ended up being about my game career.”The Perfect Game starts out by exploring Rogers’ early life, bouncing around from the Netherlands to New York City to Hawaii, before eventually landing in Japan, where he founded Bullet-Proof Software and went on to release the influential RPG The Black Onyx. Even before the book gets to the Tetris part of the tale, it’s filled with fascinating insight into the early days of game development. Rogers talks through the many complications and nuances of dealing with publishers and funding, as well as releasing and marketing a game in Japan despite not speaking Japanese.But things really kicked into gear at CES in 1988, when he flew to Las Vegas in search of a new game to publish and stumbled on a puzzle game about falling blocks. As he tells it, he knew immediately that he found something special. “I left the Consumer Electronics Show with a sense of purpose,” Rogers writes in his book. “I was determined to publish Tetris in Japan.” That proved tricky, of course, due in large part to the web of copyright laws in the Soviet Union at the time. Rogers found himself traveling back and forth between the Soviet Union and Japan, dealing with everyone from the higher-ups at Nintendo — including legendary designer Shigeru Miyamoto — to the intimidating employees at Soviet trade organizations.“There’s times when my memory is a little shady, but it was such an exciting time that I pretty much remember.”Rogers’ account is a detailed one, and he says that he wrote the book entirely from memory. That said, he did check with his friend Pajitnov on a few details, which resulted in one of the book’s more charming features. At various points, Pajitnov’s thoughts are inserted into the book, where he often disagrees with Rogers on small details, like how impressed he was by the Famicom version of Tetris or the quality of the elevator in his apartment building.“Alexei read my manuscript and was writing in the margins where his memory is different, so I decided to keep those and put them in the book,” Rogers explains. “There’s times when my memory is a little shady, but it was such an exciting time that I pretty much remember.”Even if it’s missing the Hollywood thrills of the script that inspired Rogers to write in the first place, The Perfect Game is a fascinating read, particularly if you’re interested in game development anecdotes. And because the story covers the entirety of Rogers’ career to date, which includes setting up The Tetris Company and bringing the game to just about every platform imaginable, there are a lot of stories about pivotal points in the medium, from the launch of the Game Boy to the burgeoning days of mobile gaming.The story is especially notable as Tetris continues to thrive. In addition to the movie and book, Rogers was also featured prominently in Digital Eclipse’s playable documentary Tetris Forever, and the game still pops up frequently in places like Nintendo’s new music app. Rogers has largely stepped away from the business, which is now run by his daughter Maya. So now when he sees the game appear somewhere surprising, it elicits a different kind of feeling. “It feels like success,” he says. “Every time Tetris pops up somewhere, or a new deal comes down the pike, it’s like, ‘Wow, she’s killing it.‘”As for that movie, Rogers changed his mind when he actually saw it, describing the film as “emotionally correct,” even if it didn’t get all of the facts right. “The first time I saw it I cried about things that never actually happened,” he says.See More:

Image by H. Armstrong / Debrocke / ClassicStock via Getty / FuturismDevelopmentsWe could be nearing a cure for those nasty spring allergies — and even allergic reactions altogether.A decades-old asthma medication called omalizumab, which is sold as Xolair, has shown that it can successfully treat seasonal allergies in preliminary clinical trials. Administered as a single injection, it represents a type of treatment using lab-made proteins known as monoclonal antibodies, which can cut off your body's allergic response at its source. So whether it's pollen or peanuts bothering you, it's got you covered."The biggest advantage of antibody-based therapeutics is that they offer the potential to target the underlying pathways driving allergic reactions in general," Sayantani Sindher, a clinical associate professor at Stanford University's Sean N. Parker Center for Allergy and Asthma Research, told Vox. "This means antibody-based therapies will simultaneously impact all of the patient's allergens."The type of allergy medications you're probably familiar with, like Claritin or Zyrtec, are antihistamines. These target the chemical histamines that your immune system releases when it detects an allergen — correctly or otherwise — triggering those dreaded inflammation symptoms ranging from hopelessly runny noses to persistent rashes. But antihistamines don't work for everyone, and target the symptoms, not the cause. They also require that you stay on top of regularly taking them, something that most people aren't good at.Monoclonal antibodies, on the other hand, stop those histamines from ever hitting the bloodstream by primarily targeting an antibody known as immunoglobulin E. Typically, when immunoglobulin E detects an allergen, it binds to your body's immune cells to instruct them to enter attack mode. Cleverly, monoclonal antibodies bind to the immune cells' receptors to stop those instructions from ever reaching them in the first place.The result is a treatment that is both more effective and longer-lasting. Omalizumab only requires a single shot taken two weeks before the start of the spring. In one randomized trial, published in the journal Clinical and Translational Allergy and cited by Vox, patients who were given a 300 mg injection experienced both fewer symptoms and fewer days that required them to take a daily antihistamine medication. It controlled nasal symptoms just as effectively as medication, and was even better at relieving eye symptoms. In all, participants' quality of life significantly improved.What's really groundbreaking, though, is omalizumab's ability to treat food allergies, too — a use that the Food and Drug Administration approved in early 2024. It may not allow you to go ham and eat anything you want, but it'll stop your day from being ruined if you accidentally eat something you're not supposed to."Pollen allergy and food allergy are frequently found together," Sindher told Vox. "Omalizumab has the potential to treat both."While conventional allergy vaccines can help build up long-term tolerance to allergens, such treatments take years and only work with one allergen at a time, notes Vox. Omalizumab's benefits are instant, though periodic shots will be required.Still, at an annual cost as high as $60,000, Xolair remains prohibitively expensive, and most insurers won't offer coverage for using it as an all-around allergen treatment. But there's a glimmer of hope: the FDA approved a generic version of omalizumab in March, notes Vox, which could drive down costs in the future.Share This Article