Microsoft just increased all Xbox prices: Grab one before the hikes go into effect Microsoft Gaming is about to get a lot more expensive — at least for Xbox fans. Effective today, May 1, Microsoft is increasing the price of Xbox consoles and controllers, and not by an insignificant amount:  The Xbox Series S 512GB, is now $380, more than a 25 percent increase from $300.  The Xbox Series X 1TB Digital is now $550, a 22 percent increase from $450.  The Xbox Series S 1TB is now $430, a 22 percent increase from $350). The Xbox Series X 1TB with Blu-ray is now $600, a 20 percent increase from $500. The Xbox Series X 2TB Galaxy Black Special Edition is now $730, a 22 percent increase from $600. The news doesn't end there. Controllers and headsets now start at $65 and top out at $200 for the "Full" Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2. Games will also increase in price, though not right away: "Some of our new, first-party games will launch at $79.99 beginning this holiday season," Microsoft explains. That last one seems more about leaning in to Nintendo's ambitious Switch 2 game pricing, and less about any possible tariff impact (though it's worth noting Xbox prices are going up worldwide, not just in the US.) But not all is negative, as if you're in the market for a new console, prices at online retailers have yet to catch up. Before you whip out your credit card, remember some key caveats here. The current Xbox platform is effectively five years old, with the leaked mid-gen "Brooklin" refresh seemingly canceled. An all-new Xbox generation is also expected to arrive in the next few years, perhaps 2028, with leaks suggesting it may be a "cloud hybrid" machine. And more and more previous Xbox exclusives are beginning to pop up on the PS5, too. That said, if you've been waiting to buy an Xbox, now is the time, as these legacy prices could disappear any minute.  Best Xbox deals This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/microsoft-just-increased-all-xbox-prices-grab-one-before-the-hikes-go-into-effect-192628921.html?src=rss

Agatha Christie’s new BBC Maestro course resurrects the Queen of Crime through careful AI craftsmanship.

Shares of Reddit rose as high as 19% in after-hours trading after the social media company reported strong revenue and guidance on Thursday.

“If this is your first time being poor, I’m Kiki, and I’m trying to make it affordable to eat by using depression, recession and wartime recipes,” says TikTok creator Kiki Rough in a video posted last month. @kikirough Trying to crank out as MUCH affordable cooking content as possible! I’m going to pin this video as a reference. Please remember to eat and also I love you! ❤️ #cooking #series #recession #money #save #saving #savemoney #cash #cheap #affordable #affordablecooking #cooking #bake #baking #cookbook #recipe #recipes #learn #learning #howto #history #antique #flour #sugar #egg #eggs #tips #tricks #learntocook #familyrecipes #family #apron #red #hair #heart #glasses #fy #fyp #foryou #❤️ #❤️❤️❤️ #groceries #grocery ♬ Tea for Two (piano)(1131389) – Miwako Izumikawa While most people wouldn’t turn to the 1940s for dinner inspiration, Rough’s video has since racked up over four million views. “‘We are so back’ as says my 104-year-old grandparents,” one comment reads. “The economy must be cooked if this is trending,” added another. Rough’s video dropped just days after President Trump’s global tariff announcements in April, which sent the stock market tumbling and triggered headlines warning of a looming recession. While the ripple effects are expected to hit many industries, prices for grocery staples like seafood, coffee, wine, nuts, and cheese are all projected to rise due to the tariffs. Though not a professional chef, Rough says she’s armed with hard-earned life experience, having learned to cook on food stamps. Her recipes often omit eggs—which have hit record-high prices due to avian flu—and draw inspiration from vintage 1950s cookbooks known for their budget-friendly ideas. Rough isn’t the only one sharing recession-era cooking tips. “Eating like a medieval peasant until all my credit cards are paid off,” another TikToker posted last month. Others are documenting grocery hauls from Dollar Tree or offering guidance on being “old poor.” Between March 23 and April 22, TikTok reported a 20% surge in posts using the hashtag #budgetmeals—many of which have garnered millions of views. @dollartreedinners $20 Budget Easter Dinner Shopping List for 2025 I gave myself a $20 budget to make an Easter dinner for 4 using only ingredients from Dollar Tree.  Here’s what I picked up, why I chose it, and how I made it work.  Full dinner, dessert included — for under $20! Shopping List: 🧄 Garlic Herb Biscuit Mix (Red Lobster biscuit dupe) 🧀 Cheddar cheese 🧈 Margarine or butter 🥔 Idahoan Foods scalloped potatoes 🫛 2 cans of green beans 🍄 1 can of cream of mushroom soup 🍞 Panko bread crumbs or French fried onions 🍝 Deluxe macaroni and cheese 🍖 2 packs of deli ham 🥛 1 carton of milk 🥠 2 bags of sugar cookie mix 🍒 1 can of cherry pie filling 🍍 1 can of pineapple slices Total cost: $19.25! Check back tomorrow to see how it all came together! #dollartree #dollartreeeaster #budgetmeals #budgetfriendly #easterdinner #easteronabudget #cheapmeals #dollartreefinds #dollartreecooking #groceryhaul #easydinners #frugalmeals ♬ original sound – Dollar Tree Dinners Although a recession hasn’t officially been declared in the U.S., economic uncertainty has many people looking for signs. Hairdressers report clients are abandoning bleach in favor of darker, natural shades—a trend dubbed “recession brunette.” Frozen pizza sales are also climbing, another classic indicator that wallets are tightening. An April survey from the University of Michigan found consumer confidence even lower than it was during the Great Recession (2007–2009). It might be time to shelve your Ottolenghi and dust off The Canned Foods Cookbook from WWII.

The staggering size of the Salone del Mobile requires a targeted approach, and the first tightening of scope necessary is determining how many days you wish to explore it in. If with time constraints you are limited to one, as we were, it is going to be, A. a very long day, and B. a compromise from your first step. Core77 has always favored the youngster's endeavors on display at the Salone's Satellite area, and time spent there means even less to make one's way through the labyrinthine halls to see what the titans of the field have on show. Here are three exhibits we enjoyed:MagisFun, eclectic, Twain chair, Konstantin Grcic, 2024 Tacito storage cabinets - years of prototyping shows in the way the doors open and shut on these. Alessandro Stabile, 2024The IN-SIDE collection (2024) designed by Thomas Heatherwick ...Paul Cocksedge, Squash mirrorsAn oldie but goodie, the Steelwood shelving:Ronan Bouroullec, Ancora collection of concrete tables and chairsSouth, outdoor chair, Konstantin Grcic, 2023, with fabric coverKartellPiero Lissoni's TRAYs in a new palette, tone-on-tone shades replace chrome metal frame, for the better in our opinion...Forever impressed with the single-mold UNCLE JACK couch 190 cm long (Philippe Starck)The Sound-Rack polycarbonate modular shelving units, set up 3x3... so $8000 +/-, some good margins!Lillybet by Ludovica Serafini + Roberto Palomba - Very crisp upholstered form ...The ADAM WOOD (Starck 2021) , $7000 ish ... Flos (at Euroluce)The products were excellent as was the exhibition thanks to Formafantasma's accompanying videos... Luce Sferica and Luce Cilindricaby Ronan BouroullecThe Glowing Track by Flos Architectural ...Nocturneby Konstantin GrcicLinked, by Michael Anastassiades - Modular sections of glass tubing with metal contacts at their hooked ends, passing electricity down a chain of them.See more of our 2025 Milan Design Week coverage here:/// - - - - M-I-L-A-N-O - 2-0-2-5 - - - - ///

A lot of fashion brands, particularly streetwear brands, have several partnerships and cross-promotion with other brands from other industries. It’s always exciting to see which tie-ups we’ll see even though sometimes they seem random and weird. In a surprising but exciting crossover, McDonald’s China has joined forces with renowned streetwear label CLOT to launch a limited-edition fashion collection blending fast food culture with cutting-edge design. The collaboration, called the McSpicy Alienegra series, celebrates McDonald’s longstanding cultural influence while tapping into China’s dynamic streetwear scene. McDonald’s normally represents not just fast food for a lot of people. For Chinese youth in particular, it’s also tied to childhood memories, urban culture, and global connection. CLOT is a fashion brand known for bridging Eastern and Western influences. So it’s not really far out that these two are collaborating and they’re bringing a playful homage to the signature aesthetics of the fast food chain with a collection that features bold red and yellow colorways, which is McDonald’s iconic brand palette. Designer: CLOT The first in their lineup is the CLOT McSpicy Parabola sneaker. The signature Alienegra pattern associated with CLOT is enhanced with the McDonalds colors and inspired by the McSpicy batter. If you’re a fan of this colorway, you’ll definitely want to wear these interesting-looking sneakers. There is also a McSpicy CLOT tote bag which looks just like the sneakers but in bag form. There’s also a pin badge set featuring burgers that have been CLOT-isized (and forming the letters CLOT) and a bucket of McSpicy chicken. There might be other things added to the collection like a varsity jacket and t-shirts so we’ll have to wait for the official launch on May 3 to find out. Of course, all of this will be available exclusively in China, so if you’re not there, you’ll have to figure out a way to get your hands on this limited collection. While McDonald’s has explored merchandise collaborations before, notably the highly successful Travis Scott and J Balvin meals in the US that came with exclusive merch drops, this CLOT partnership feels uniquely tailored to the Chinese market, blending local streetwear flair with a globally beloved brand. CLOT’s deep roots in Asian youth culture, combined with McDonald’s iconic imagery, create a collection that speaks directly to Chinese consumers’ tastes and cultural references. It’s not just about slapping logos on apparel but also about reinterpreting a Western pop culture giant through an Eastern creative lens, making it both fresh and locally meaningful. This collaboration is a reminder that fast food and fashion, once seen as worlds apart, can come together in creative, unexpected ways that resonate with today’s culture, particularly among younger audiences who crave novelty, irony, and cultural mashups. The post McDonald’s China teams up with CLOT for a bold streetwear collection first appeared on Yanko Design.

(And they make up for the boring logo design).

There’s still no official explanation for the blackout in Spain, Portugal, and parts of southern France—but experts point to the makeup of the Iberian peninsula’s power grid.

The iPhone maker’s sales rose 5 percent to $95.36 billion, also beating expectations for its most recent quarter.

Macworld Following news that Apple will be forced to allow external purchase links inside apps and could face criminal charges over its battle with Epic Games, the company announced some good news on Thursday. In the second quarter 2025, Apple posted revenue of $95.4 billion, a 5 percent increase year over year and a second-quarter all-time high. Quarterly earnings per diluted share are $1.65, up 8 percent year over year. The company reported $24.8 billion in profit. Apple beat the analysts’ predicted revenue of $94.68 billion expected, and $1.63 diluted earnings per share. However, the stock took a tumble in after-hours trading as investors weighed the current sales figures against the tariff turmoil. CEO Tim Cook made a statement during the Apple earnings call that the company expects an estimated charge of $900 million due to the tariffs next quarter, assuming that the tariffs do not change. The iPad led the charge this quarter with a 16 percent increase year-over-year. Apple released the M3 iPad Air and the 11th-generation iPad in March, giving its sales numbers a boost. Services also had a double-digit quarter, posting an 11 percent increase over the same quarter a year ago for a record high. This quarter saw the release of the much-anticipated second season of Severance on Apple TV+, which may have positively affected Apple’s Services division. The Mac saw a 6 percent increase, thanks to the release of the M4 MacBook Air. iPhone sales were up just 2 percent in a quarter that saw the release of the iPhone 16e. Wearables sales saw a small dip. Cook stated that Apple doesn’t believe that the threat of tariffs influenced buyer behavior for this past quarter. How the quarter ended year-over-year for Apple: iPhone: $47 billion (up from $46 billion) iPad: $6.4 billion (up from $5.6 billion) Mac: $8 billion (up from $7.5 billion) Wearables: $7.5 billion (down from $7.9 billion) Services: $27 billion (up from $24 billion) “Our March quarter business performance drove EPS growth of 8 percent and $24 billion in operating cash flow, allowing us to return $29 billion to shareholders,” said Kevan Parekh, Apple’s CFO. “And thanks to our high levels of customer loyalty and satisfaction, our installed base of active devices once again reached a new all-time high across all product categories and geographic segments.” Apple declared a cash dividend of $0.26 per share of common stock payable on May 16 to shareholders of record at the close of business on May 12, 2025. The earnings call comes hours after a U.S. court orders Apple to allow external purchase links in apps and a U.K. court ruled against Apple in a patent lawsuit. Earlier this week, the European Union fined Apple €500M ($570M) for violations of the Digital Markets Act.