Its a new year, and that means more works are headed to the public domain. This year, thousands of copyrighted works created in 1929, including the earliest versions of Popeye and the Belgian comic book character Tintin, are now free to reuse and repurpose in the US.Duke Law Schools Center for the Study of Public Domain has once again rounded up all the most iconic works that have been freed from the bounds of copyright, which also includes sound recordings from 1924. As pointed out by Duke Law School, 1929 was a particularly pivotal year for film, as it was the first with sound. These are just some of the works entering the public domain this year (you can view the full catalog here):The Skeleton Dance from Disneys Silly Symphonies short film seriesAlfred Hitchcocks first sound film BlackmailNacio Herb Browns Singin in the Rain and the film it appeared in, The Hollywood Revue of 1929On With the Show, the first all-talking feature-length film in colorWilliam Faulkners The Sound and the FuryAgatha ChristiesSeven Dials MysteryErnest HemingwaysA Farewell to ArmsVirginia WoolfsA Room of Ones OwnVarious works from Salvador Dali, including Illumined Pleasures,The Accommodations of Desire, andThe Great MasturbatorThe list also includes Popeye, who first appeared in E.C. Segars Thimble Theatre comic strip, with a story titled Gobs of Work. But this Popeye isnt the one that eats spinach to grow big muscles; the brawny sailor didnt start eating spinach to gain strength until 1932 (though the very first Popeye could still pack a punch). Everything that he says, all of his characteristics, his personality, his sarcasm thats public domain, Jennifer Jenkins, the director of Dukes Center for the Study of the Public Domain, told NPR. The spinach, if you want to be on the safe side, you might want to wait.The earliest version of the young reporter Tintin and his pup Snowy (or Milou if you speak French) from Hergs Les Aventures de Tintin are also headed to the public domain. But folks in the European Union, where protections apply throughout an authors life and 70 years after death, will have to wait a little longer for a copyright-free Tintin. Since Herg died in 1983, the EU wont see Tintin in the public domain until 2054, according to Duke University.As with previous years works, this latest round of media couldve appeared in the public domain much earlier, but US lawmakers in 1998 extended copyright protections to works from 1923 and beyond for an additional 20 years conveniently protecting Disneys mascot Mickey Mouse. But Disney couldnt keep its iconic mouse all to itself forever, as the Steamboat Willie-era Mickey entered the public domain last year. Were getting even more Mickey Mouse animations in 2025, including the short film The Karnival Kid, where Mickey Mouse dons his white gloves for the first time and speaks his first words: hot dogs.Just like with Mickey and Winnie the Pooh, were bound to see games and movies starring Popeye and Tintin as people try to draw attention with the freshly available characters. Even Netflix is preparing an adaptation of Agatha Christies 1929 novel The Seven Dials.There will be an even wider range of classic characters to use next year, with Betty Boop and Pluto set to enter the public domain in 2026.

Sleeps Dopesmoker is legendarily heavy. On any halfway decent sound system, itll rattle your ribcage. Its sort of like being slowly assaulted by a massage chair. In 2015, Guitar World named it the heaviest album ever recorded. You will definitely not find anything heavier, wrote Ethan Varian.On November 6th, for no reason in particular, I was in the right mood to accept that challenge.I wanted a riff that would flatten me. I listened to 26 extremely heavy albums, recommended by friends and strangers. Four challengers made it to a semi-final round, where I listened to them back-to-back followed by Dopesmoker. One album was so heavy I did the back-to-back listen three times.And I have to say: Ive found something heavier.But to begin, we have to discuss heavy as an aesthetic.Heavy is, somehow, not the same as brutal or aggressive. The point is getting bludgeoned: rhabdomyolysis, osteolysis, being left crushed on the pavement.Heavy is, somehow, not the same as brutal or aggressiveDopesmoker is the standard Im measuring against. Its such an intense album that if Im listening to Dopesmoker, thats pretty much all Im doing. The 2022 version of the album, a remaster for streaming services, consists of two songs: Dopesmoker and Hot Lava Man.Dopesmoker the song is more than one hour long. It is characterized by a pounding megalithic riff, which varies slightly on each repetition. It is possibly the loudest minimalist composition I have ever heard. The guitars are downtuned two steps from standard tuning, which makes them sound denser. There is a ton of bass that often echos the guitar and makes it sound even heavier.The song moves like a granite statue come to life. The guitar, the bass, and the vocal track all move together like a hymn. It takes eight minutes to get to the iconic first line: Drop out of life with bong in hand. The vocals sound like chanting. The drums are recessed in the mix the cymbals are whats most noticeable and fairly simple.Dopesmoker is thick. Its also slow. Thats what makes it so visceral. The guitar solos, while excellent, are not really responsible for heaviness. Mostly, they render the riffs heavier by comparison.If I had to isolate a common musical lineage among all the albums, its Black Sabbath. (Duh?)During my quest to match or exceed this standard for heavy, the most common suggestions I received were Electric Wizards Dopethrone, Bongrippers Satan Worshipping Doom, and Boriss Amplifier Worship. I dropped all the suggestions I could into a Spotify playlist and made note of the ones Id need to listen to on Bandcamp. Some bands, such as Sunn O))) and The Body, had multiple entries.Listening to all 26 albums I collected was slow going because I only listened. This wasnt background music. Usually, Id sit down and just focus on an album per day.If I had to isolate a common musical lineage all the albums in contention, its Black Sabbath. (Duh?) Theres a kind of purist quality to the Sabbath worship, particularly from Church of Misery and the subgenre of stoner metal. One of the other albums in consideration was Godfleshs Streetcleaner, which was striking in this context; it was surrounded by material it had clearly inspired. The two other bands Id point to as formative for the quest for heaviness are the Melvins and Sunn O))), which was the only band that freaked out my cat. The heaviest tracks I listened to on my quest were aggressively anti-commercial; its hard to imagine them being played on corporate radio. Black Boned Angels Verdun is one song thats almost 52 minutes long. Khanates self-titled album seems fully uninterested in concepts such as grooves, song structure, and sanity.Shallow North Dakotas Mob Wheel was bludgeoning. It was refreshing to hear music that felt insistent on itself as an experienceFamously, Dopesmoker itself wasnt initially released because it had no commercial prospects. London Records had promised Sleep full creative control and then, upon hearing the album, shelved it. (This was among the tensions that led to the bands breakup.)The slowness that makes music really heavy stands in contrast to TikTok-ified music, which is generally sped up if its not already upbeat. It was refreshing to hear music that felt insistent on itself as an experience.From all my listening, four contenders emerged: Boriss Amplifier Worship, Hells Live at Roadburn, Bongrippers Empty, and The Body / Thous collaboration Released from Love / You, Whom I Have Always Hated. It seemed possible Id find that Dopesmoker was the pinnacle by default a testament to an aesthetic no one was trying to achieve anymore. But Empty is from 2024, Live at Roadburn was released in 2018, and Released from Love / You, Whom I Have Always Hated is from 2015.This left me with Hells Live At RoadburnTo handle the semi-finals, I listened to each album back-to-back with Dopesmoker, which made judging surprisingly easy. Amplifier Worship, Empty and Released from Love were knocked out almost immediately. This left me with Hells Live At Roadburn. Its an odd choice since its basically a live version of Hells self-titled album, but its decidedly heavier, particularly the songs Subodin and Machikitos. That may be partly because live songs work differently than studio versions not least because theres a band instead of Matthew S. Williams, who records as MSW, doing all the parts himself.Live at Roadburn is not just heavier than Hells self-titled; its also heavier than Dopesmoker.So, what renders Roadburn heavier? For starters, the guitars are literally tuned lower I think to drop A flat rather than drop C. And though the songs on Roadburn often use repetition, theres also variation on the tempo, which generally slows (Helmzmen sort of grinds to a halt). Theres more fuzzed-out feedback. But the deciding factor is the drums, which are much higher in the mix on Roadburn than on Dopesmoker, which means I can feel the bass and tom. On Machitikos in particular, the pummeling drums underline and thicken a guitar solo.For guitar purists, my verdict may be suspect. After all, Im taking into account drums in a riff-based medium. There are, however, only so many ways to get heavy, which makes the drums the equivalent of the full-body swimsuits the Olympics banned for making swimmers too fast. Roadburn would probably still be heavier with the drums lower in the mix probably but the drums make it decisive.Listen to both albums back-to-back on good speakers. (Headphones wont get the job done here.) Once you feel Roadburn in your sternum, I dont think there will be any room for argument. Spending two hours listening to music as an activity while doing nothing else is something people should do more often. Music is still powerful, if youre willing to pay attention.

The threat of a new year looms and the promise of hundreds more television shows remains true. 2025 will see the long awaited return of a whole host of shows, including the likes of Severance, Peacemaker, Mythic Quest and Yellowjackets. Shows will end (so long, Cobra Kai, thanks for all of the karate drama) and shows will have series premieres (welcome Ironheart, were so excited to have you in the MCU), and about halfway through the year youll be asking yourself how you can possibly keep up with it all. And, though the answer is very probably that you cant, Im here to help you at least remain organized while you try. Read on for our most anticipated TV shows of 2025, their premiere dates, and where to stream them. The below release dates or lack thereof are accurate at the time of publish, but remember that Hollywood is fickle and all of the below especially the shows slated for later in the year or without any release date at all could play musical chairs several times before actually airing.Severance Season 2 (January 17 on Apple TV+)PlayOur long, national nightmare is over: Severance Season 2 is finally right around the corner. Well be kicking off the year with a return to Lumon after Season 1s monumental cliffhanger, but a real hurdle that Severance is going to have to clear is that the extremely intricate series will have last aired nearly three years ago by the time Season 2 drops. Heres our Severance Season 1 ending explained to help out in that department, and stay tuned for some previews on whats most important to remember before we head into Season 2. Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man (January 29 on Disney+)PlayThe latest animated entry into the MCU may be taking place in a different timeline, but it promises to continue X-Men 97s resurgence of the Saturday morning cartoons of yore. The premise of the upcoming series wonders what would happen to young Peter Parker if Norman Osborn became his mentor rather than Tony Stark. Hudson Thames, who formerly appeared in the MCUs What If? Anthology, will reprise his role as Parker. Mythic Quest Season 4 (January 29 on Apple TV+) Like Severance, its been a good long time since weve seen our friends over at Mythic Quest Studios. Their Season 3 finale back in early 2023 saw Poppy (Charlotte Nicdao) and Ian (Rob McElhenny) give up on their new game Playpen only to return to Mythic Quest Studios to use their new creation as an expansion to the companys titular game, the studios movie adaptation fell through, and Dana (Imani Hakim) left the company to create her own game with several other Mythic Quest staffers. It was an ending of change for the Mythic Quest team, and its been hanging in the air for quite some time. Mythic Quest: Side Quest (March 26 on Apple TV+)Mythic Quest (the series) will have its own expansion debuting later in 2025 on March 26. Side Quest (formerly titled Mere Mortals) is written by Mythic Quest series regulars Ashly Burch, John Howell Harris, and Katie McElhenney. The series will feature an entirely separate cast of characters and will focus on the employees, players and fans whose lives have been impacted by Mythic Quest.Invincible Season 3 (February 6 on Prime Video) PlaySeason 2 of Invincible saw a softer reception compared to Season 1, but the fractured attention of the audience wasnt due to a drop in quality. On the heels of a long gap between seasons, Prime Video dropped the second season in two parts with a four month hiatus between the two. Were 100% for weekly episode drops in these parts, but splitting up an eight-episode season like that really hurt viewership. Still, fans seem hyped for the series Season 3 return, with the upcoming chapters CCPX trailer receiving a very warm welcome from folks missing Mark, Eve and their friends. Heres hoping those crazy kids work things out in Season 3. (And, no, there will be no weird hiatus in Season 3!) Cobra Kai Season 6 Part 3 (February 13 on Netflix)Prime Video may have learned its lesson when it comes to dropping their seasons in parts with huge gaps in between, but Netflix sure hasnt! If youre still engaged after Novembers Season 6 Part 2 of Cobrai Kai and wondering when the heck youll finally see the ending to the karate drama series, its coming your way in February. Because yes, Season 6 is Cobra Kais last though a new Karate Kid theatrical movie, Karate Kid: Legends, is coming in May with Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan starring.Yellowjackets Season 3 (February 14 on Paramount+ and Showtime)After Season 2s unbearable loss of adult [redacted], the surviving Yellowjackets must face a new challenge a woman down in Season 3. The series has never been for the faint of heart with cannibalism and survival playing heavy roles as the team of young soccer stars fight to return home in the past and, evidently, fight to stay alive in the present. As is customary for the show, we dont yet know the nature of the threat looming over the remaining survivors in Season 3. But Im betting things are going to get gnarly. Gnarlier? Whatever. Its gonna get dark. PlaySuits L.A. (February 23 on NBC, Possibly Peacock)Thats right, theres a show on this list that, at the time of publishing, is solely debuting on linear television. That could change, as NBC and Peacock are a part of the same company but, for now, you might have to find a cable solution if youre one of the eleventy people who binged the original Suits in 2024. Suits L.A. will actually mark the second spinoff of the series, as Pearson (the Jessica-centric spinoff featuring Gina Torres character) aired for one season back in 2019. The official logline for Suits L.A. isnt available at this time, but you can feel safe in your assumption that it will be lawyers doing lawyer stuff. The series stars Stephen Amell (the [expletive] Green Arrow) as Ted Black.Daredevil: Born Again (March 4 on Disney+)The Avocados at Law are back, and Hells Kitchen remains under the watchful eye of Charlie Coxs Daredevil. The Man Without Fear will take on Wilson Fisks (Vincent DOnofrio) Kingpin once again as the former mob boss shifts his attention from organized crime to a life in politics in New York. We know that Foggy, Karen and Frank Castle will be back in action in Daredevil: Born Again, but are yet to receive confirmation on whether or not She-Hulk will be visiting with Matt Murdock between cases. Andor Season 2 (April 22 on Disney+)Star Wars most essential viewing is poised to return in April as we continue to follow Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) on his journey as a member of the resistance. Season 2 will see the return of fan-favorite snarky droid K-2S0 (Alan Tudyk) from Rogue One and march our complicated heroes closer to the fate that awaits them on Scarif. Devil May Cry (April)The animated adaptation of the beloved video game Devil May Cry will be headed to Netflix sometime in April of next year, but with a small caveat: Reuben Langdon, the American voice actor for the series lead, Dante, will not be reprising his role for the show. Instead, theyll be using Johnny Yong Bosch (who traditionally voices Nero). Beyond that voice-acting shakeup, we dont know a ton of details on the series yet. Adi Shankar, known for Netflixs Castlevania series, will act as the showrunner for Devil May Cry. Shankar is also attached to Netflixs long-dormant Assassins Creed adaptation.The Last of Us Season 2 (Spring on Max)PlayThe devil may cry, but were all certainly going to be crying come spring and the long-awaited return of The Last of Us. The real question headed into Season 2 is whether or not the series will stick to the games devastating story or if the show will decide to go in its own direction after making Joel considerably more sympathetic in Season 1. But, if youre unfamiliar with the game and have no clue what Im talking about, I recommend you head into the premiere episode with a box of tissues just to be safe. No matter what happens, its certainly not gonna be a happy story.A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (June 15 on Max)Game of Thrones prequels will continue until morale improves! And no, youre probably never getting The Winds of Winter or A Dream of Spring (the last planned books of the A Song of Ice and Fire series) because, yes, George R.R. Martin seems to be heavily involved in the show. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will adapt Martin's Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas, and stars Peter Claffey as Dunk and Dexter Sol Ansell as Egg. If TV shows had shorts in the same way movies do, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms would likely be one of them as it only consists of six episodes. Its currently unknown how long those episodes will be, but expect them to be similar to House of the Dragon in length. Ironheart (June 24 on Disney+)Weve been missing Dominique Thornes Riri Williams since Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, so the fact that her show is right around the corner is very exciting. Ironheart will see the young genius heading back to Chicago, where shell find herself in some trouble of both the technological and magical varieties. Joining Thorne in the series will be Anthony Ramos as Parker Robbins aka The Hood (read: the guy that gets Riri into trouble), Lyric Ross as Riris bestie Natalie, and Alden Ehrenreich as, hold on, let me check my notes here: Joe McGillicuddy. Ironheart will be the end of the MCUs Phase 5.Eyes of Wakanda (August 6 on Disney+)The MCUs second animated series of the year will be coming your way August 6 in the form of Eyes of Wakanda. The series will follow Wakandas Hatut Zaraze, warriors who carry out dangerous missions around the world on behalf of their country and seek various vibranium artifacts throughout time. Immediately following Ironheart means that Eyes of Wakanda will be the first TV series in Marvels Phase 6. The series will only consist of four episodes and is developed and executive produced by Ryan Coogler.Peacemaker Season 2 (August on Max)Remember how dewy-eyed we were when we put Peacemaker Season 2 on this list two years ago? We were so young back then. So hopeful. Anyway! Its finally happening for real this time. (We checked. Thrice.) John Cenas Christopher Smith and his merry band of misfits are returning to Max for Peacemaker Season 2 in August, shortly after James Gunns Superman film kicks off the live-action DCU on July 11. Gunn clarified with IGNs Scott Collura recently that PlayThe Witcher Season 4 (Summer on Netflix)Netflix's The Witcher series viewership may have plummeted over the years, but Season 4 is coming whether youre ready for Liam Hemsworths take on Geralt or not. Hemsworth is, of course, perfectly capable of taking on the role, but its hard to see the series surviving such a massive character change when fans of The Witcher had taken to Henry Cavills version of Geralt in the way that they did. Still, that (apparently very kidnappable) Ciri isnt going to save herself! (Ciri does, in fact, save herself.)Alien: Earth (Summer on FX and Hulu)The Alien franchise heads to the small screen with this prequel series helmed by Noah Hawley (Bones, Fargo, Legion, etc.). The creator continues his longstanding partnership with FX (and, by proxy, Hulu) with the new Alien series, which boasts a logline of when a mysterious space vessel crash-lands on Earth, a young woman and a ragtag group of tactical soldiers make a fateful discovery that puts them face-to-face with the planets greatest threat.Marvel Zombies (October on Disney+)The MCUs third animated project of the year takes on the form of Marvel Zombies, a spinoff from What If? that, as youve likely guessed, builds off of the aforementioned series popular zombies episode. Key characters appearing in the series will be Shang-Chis Katy as well as Shang-Chi himself, Red Guardian, Wanda Maximoff, Jimmy Woo, Yelena Belova, Kate Bishop, Riri Williams, and Kamala Khan. Meanwhile, the Zombies will include Clint Bartons Hawkeye, Steve Rogers Captain America, Abomination, Ghost, Captain Marvel, Ikarus and Okoye. Wonder Man (December on Disney+)Destin Daniel Cretton and Andrew Guests Wonder Man was initially meant to be a 2024 release, but was ultimately delayed due to the 2023 Writers Guild Strike. After wrapping up in April of 2024, the series is set to hit Disney+ toward the very end of 2025 and will remain a part of Phase 6 despite its initially planned release. The series doesnt have a logline just yet, but it will star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Wonder Man, an Avenger and movie star in the comics, and Ben Kingsley will return as Trevor Slattery.One Piece Season 2 (December on Netflix)Season 2 of the wildly popular live-action adaptation of the One Piece manga and anime will drop about a year from now on Netflix. Luffy (Iaki Gaddoy) and his crew of Straw Hat Pirates will continue their quest for the One Piece, the fabled piece of treasure that, when found, will bestow the title of King of the Pirates onto its finder. PlayOther Shows Were Excited For In 2025 (That Currently Dont Have A Release Window)Hazbin Hotel Season 2 (On Prime Video)Charlie and her ragtag band of demons return as they continue the fight to save sinners souls in Season 2 of the wildly popular adult animated series. Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 2 (On Disney+)Percy, Annabeth and Grovers path only gets harder in Season 2. They may have stopped Zues and Ares war in Season 1, but Season 2 takes on the story of Rick Riordans Sea of Monsters. The adventure may be about to get more difficult, but well meet new heroes Tyson and Thalia along the way. Anne Rices The Talamasca (On AMC+)AMCs Vampire Chronicles universe continues to expand, with The Talamasca joining Interview with the Vampire and Mayfair Witches. Not a ton is known about the series just yet, but we met the Talamasca a secret society focused on research of the paranormal.IT: Welcome to Derry (On Max)Set in the same canon as IT and IT Chapter 2, IT: Welcome to Derry will explore the era when Derry first became cursed by the presence of Pennywise the Clown. Stranger Things Season 5 (On Netflix)The Netflix sensation finally comes to an end with Season 5, which is for the best given that all of those kids are full grown adults at this point. With that in mind, there will be a time jump between Seasons 4 and 5 to justify the age difference. Beyond that and the fact that it will be very focused on the lore of the Upside Down, we dont know much.The Bear Season 4 (On Hulu)We know The Bear Season 4 is happening, and we assume it will happen in 2025, but we dont actually know a dang thing about it yet. I can provide one, major spoiler though: it will stress you out. Wednesday Season 2 (On Netflix)Plot twist: We barely know anything about Wednesday Season 2 either. There might be more Addams family members joining the fray, there will be more Morticia and Gomez with Catherine Zeta-Jones and Luis Guzman being promoted to series regular, and Jenna Ortega is now a producer on the show after insisting that it get more horror focused and less boy crazy.

Happy new year! Welcome to 2025, and congratulations for living through yet another complete rotation around the giant firey gas ball we call the sun. The start of a new year is as good a time as any to take a look at what games are currently on the horizon, so here are the biggest game releases of 2025 that we know about right now!January 2025Dynasty Warriors: OriginsOn January 17, Tecmo Koeis flagship musou series returns with Dynasty Warriors: Origins, its first full-fledged entry since 2018. It will, of course, take full advantage of current gen hardware to flood your screen with enemies that you can plow through while yelling the titular battlecry, DIE, NASTY WARRIORS! It'll be available on PS5, Xbox Series consoles, and PC.If you prefer to make warriors die in nasty ways from really far away, on January 30 Sniper Elite: Resistance continues the long-running and long-range gratuitous-Nazi-castration-simulator series. This latest installment doesnt seem to be shaking up the formula too much, but its hard to complain about that when the formula involves shooting the private parts off of fascists. Did I mention you can shoot Nazis in the junk? Because you can. Thats on all the Xboxes and PlayStations, plus PC.February 2025Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? Well, none of the above, but it is technically a bohemian rhapsody - Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 picks up where the first sprawling historical RPG left off, continuing the adventures of Henry of Skalitz, a poor boy with no need for sympathy. And while KCD2s immersive and historically grounded simulation of 14th century Bohemia is by no means easy come or easy go, the deep role-playing mechanics and massive open-world means you can take Henry any way the wind blows. Doesnt really matter to meeeeeee. Thats on current gen consoles and PC, launching February 11.If you like simulated history on a much larger scale and even larger timeframe, Sid Meiers Civilization 7 drops that same day. When a game franchise has had 7 installments over three decades, it really shouldnt need much in the way of introduction, but in a nutshell: youre in charge of seeing a society and guiding its progress through history by Exploring, Expanding, Exploiting, and a 4th X word as needed, which unsurprisingly, can get a bit complicated. Thats out for basically everything, including Linux, but excluding mobile - but thatll probably come later.On February 14, Assassins Creed Shadows sends Ubisofts flagship open-world series into the much-requested setting of feudal Japan. If you cant decide if youd rather be a ninja or a Samurai, we have great news: this one lets you do both, thanks to its dual protagonists. Thats on current gen and PC.If youre feeling lonesome on Valentines day, theres also Date Everything!, a sandbox dating simulator where you may in fact be able to date an actual sandbox - and if not, theres 100 other anthropomorphized inanimate objects with which you can become romantically involved, from the windows to the walls - or the floor, anyway - and theyre all fully voice acted. Thats on PS5, Xbox series consoles, Switch, and PC.Monster Hunter WildsOn February 18, Obsidians Avowed hits Xbox series consoles and PC. This is set in the same fantasy universe as the studios isometric Pillars of Eternity games, but this time offers a whole new point of view thanks to its first-person perspective and realtime action combat. It may look like Skyrim, but dont expect an epic timesink - the devs have said its more comparable to their previous sci-fi RPG, The Outer Worlds (which takes around 40 hours to do the main quest and sides), which is great news for anyone who sucks at finishing games.Speaking of timesinks, if you think its time to sink some ships and terrorize the high seas, well youre in luck because Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is well, I feel like the title really covers its bases there. Thisll see Goro Majima, the fan-favorite foil and frenemy to the series' usual protagonists, taking the wheel - somewhat literally - after he gets amnesia and decides to explore a new career as a pirate. Classic Majima. Thats on the Xboxes, PlayStations and PC on February 21.Pirate Yakuza actually moved its release date up a week to get the hell out of the way of one of the biggest games of the year, Monster Hunter Wilds, which comes to Xbox Series, PS5 and PC on February 28. Again, it's one of those series that requires little introduction, especially after how many new players got hooked on Monster Hunter World last gen. With Wilds, Capcom is aiming to refine and improve the core experience in a way that satisfies longtime fans and newcomers alike, but also introduce new features that take advantage of current hardware to keep things interesting. Oh yeah, and it also needs to be accessible enough to attract more new players - so, if youre wondering why this game has taken so long that might have something to do with it. March 2025Split FictionOn March 6, its time to buddy up for another co-op adventure from Hazelight, the studio behind It Takes Two and A Way Out. This time its Split Fiction, which sees a sci fi and fantasy author getting stuck in virtual reality and undergoing a bunch of bizarre adventures, including but not limited to getting turned into pigs who are subsequently turned into hot dogs and cooked on the grill - though the hot dogs are still playable. Best of all, buying one copy lets two people play online together. Thats on PC and current gen consoles.On March 25, you can experience the upper-middle-class corner of upper-Middle-earth with Tales of the Shire, a cozy life sim that focuses entirely on ordinary hobbit life. You know, for regular hobbits who just like to garden and smoke pipes and drink brandy and have petty rivalries over trivial neighborhood bullshit, not going on long hikes to throw jewelry into volcanos. Honestly, sounds lovely. Be a shame if this Shire were to be ruthlessly scoured by ruffians in the thrall of Saruman. Anyway, thats on PS5, Xbox series consoles, Switch, and PC.AtomfallIf youd prefer to explore a version of the Shire-like pastoral English countryside thats been doused in radioactive particles, theres Atomfall, which as youve hopefully put together is taking some cues from Fallout - though as this one leans a bit more into survival than role-playing, Id say the Stalker influence is also pretty strong. Plus, this is also showing an alternate future in which a major real nuclear disaster went a whole lot worse. Thats coming to everything but Switch on March 27.To me, DNF has always been short for Did Not Finish or Duke Nukem Forever, (which they probably shouldnt have finished.) But to a few million people, its shorthand for Dungeon & Fighter, the multimedia universe stemming from the 2005 South Korean multiplayer beat-em-up that was released stateside as Dungeon Fighter Online. In any case, that universe gets a little bigger with the single-player action RPG The First Berserker: Khazan, which hits the Xboxes, PlayStations and PC on March 27 as well.On March 28, the potential Sims-killer Inzoia lot of Sims fans out there. Thats on PC at launch, with current gen console versions in the works for later.April 2025Fatal Fury: City of the WolvesOn April 24, Fatal Fury gets its first new game this century with Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves. And while Terry Bogard, Mai Shirunai and company have kept busy with appearances in other fighting game series like King of Fighters, Street Fighter, DOA, Tekken and Super Smash Bros, thisll be the first mainline Fatal Fury since 1999s Mark of the Wolves. Hopefully its worth the wait - thats on both PlayStations, Xbox Series, and PC.As of writing this article, those are all the major games that have official release dates. But that's not every game slated for 2025 - theres plenty more that were expecting over the coming year.Nintendo and Switch 2By April, well almost definitely know when Nintendos next console will be released, but as of right now we dont even know what its officially called. Nintendo has announced that details will be revealed sometime before the end of March 2025, and based on some leaked product listings for third-party accessories, theres some speculation that its targeting a summer release window. Again, this is completely unconfirmed at this point, but it makes sense. The original Switch was revealed in October 2016 and went on sale the following March, and the organic buzz generated by gamers and early adopters made it a must-have item by the time the holidays rolled around.Will Nintendo's successor to the Switch launch in 2025?Whatever this new thing is called, itll launch with at least a few games. The original Switch had about ten games available on day one, which sounds underwhelming until you remember one of them was The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Another dozen or so games were released over the three month launch window following the Switch's release. Bear in mind, a lot of people were skeptical of the Switch at the time of its launch, including publishers whod been burned by the Wii U. The Wii had been such a hit that there was initially a ton of support for its successor, and the Wii Us launch lineup was almost three times the size of what was out for the Switch on day one. Considering the Switch has outsold the original Wii by almost 50 million units, and is currently the third best-selling console of all time, its safe to assume that a LOT of publishers will want to get in on the ground floor for whatevers next - so I have a hunch therell be a lot of Switch 2 games.There are a couple bigger Nintendo games were expecting to drop this year. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond was basically just a logo for the better part of a decade, and presumably itll actually be a video game at some point in the near future, which is exciting. Thats coming to Switch, but I wouldnt be surprised if that was one of the big flagship launch titles for the new console, as well - and even if its not, the new hardware is supposedly backwards compatible, so Im sure plenty of people will be playing it on there either way.Pokmon Legends: Z-A is slated for 2025, which is another entry in the open-world action RPG side-series - Pokmon Legends Arceus took some big swings, but it also made the Switch show its age in some places, so hopefully that can benefit from more powerful hardware - or at the very least, improve on the groundwork laid by Arceus.Grand Theft Auto 6Grand Theft Auto 6A rising tide raises all ships, and new Nintendo hardware will definitely help keep the games industry afloat a bit, but the other big 2025 release thats sure to make some waves is Grand Theft Auto 6. I dont need to tell you how much excitement there is for this game. GTA 5 is the second best-selling game of all time, and after a twelve year, three console generation wait, people really, really want to see what Rockstar does next with its signature series. I'm calling it right now: itll probably be the best-selling game of the decade, and almost definitely the best-selling game of 2025 - assuming it does in fact come out in 2025. Its worth noting that practically every major Rockstar release, GTA and otherwise, has been hit by a delay or two. So, fingers crossed we get GTA 6 on time, but also, ya know, expect disappointment and youll never be disappointed. TBC 2025Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake EaterNow its time for the big huge pile of games were expecting at some point in 2025, but which dont have specific release dates yet. This makes it really hard to figure out what order to put them in, and also chances are by the time youre reading this list a few will have been given release dates or maybe even delayed a year. So just keep in mind this is all subject to change in some way and please dont be mad at me.Hideo Kojima fans are eating good in 2025, or at the very least, eating snakes. Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, the full modern remake of the fan-favorite third entry in the tactical espionage action series, will be coming to current gen consoles and PC. While Hideo Kojima has had no involvement with it (aside from directing the original) it seems like a lot of care is being taken on Konamis part to not fuck it up. This showed up in a PlayStation promo that dropped last January showcasing big 2024 releases, and a November 17 release date was briefly leaked by GameStop, but was apparently that was all inaccurate. Nontheless, it seems like well be getting it sooner than later. Thatll be on PS5, Xbox Series consoles, and PC.PlayStation Games 2025Ghost of YoteiMeanwhile, Kojimas next big thing is Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, which drop anchor on PS5 at some point in 2025, and will presumably wash up on PC, Xbox, and maybe even Mac and iOS later on, if the first games rollout is anything to go on.The other big PS5 exclusive we know about right now is Ghost of Yotei, Sucker Punchs next open world Samurai game. While many games target fall release windows, Sony has the tendency to drop major first-party games earlier in the year. For instance, Ghost of Tsushima was a July release, The Last of Us Part 2 and Ratchet and Clank Rift Apart were both June releases, and God of War 2018 was an April game. Saying that, God of War Ragnarok came out in November, so go figure.Xbox Games 2025FableSonys been playing stuff annoyingly close to the chest, but we have a better idea of what Xbox has in the works. Theres Fable, which is dusting off the beloved fantasy RPG series from a few console generations back. This time Playground Games has been given the keys and taken the wheel, if youll pardon the expression. Playground is the studio behind the Forza Horizon series - as in, thats literally all theyve publicly done, so Im dying to see their spin on an RPG. I dont give a shit about racing or cars and can barely drive one in real life, but I somehow sunk 120 hours into Forza Horizon 5 - so if they can make me enjoy something I dont care about that much, Im dying to see how they handle an epic fantasy game with wizard stuff and fart jokes and large frogs. Thatll be on Xbox Series consoles and PC.Another game that probably involves some other large swamp creatures and magic is South of Midnight, which is a southern gothic fantasy action-adventure from the studio behind We Happy Few. Thats hitting PC and Xbox Series consoles.Doom: The Dark AgesHey you know what game looks hella sick? Doom: The Dark Ages. I want to specifically call out that gun that grinds up skulls and shoots them at stuff, because that is so metal its just hilarious. And theres also a shield with sawblades on it, and you can ride a dragon - and Doom guy has a little fur coat? I just love what theyre doing over there at id Software, and each new iteration feels like a more evolved form of the shit I was angrily scribbling in the margins of my math homework in fifth grade. Obviously thatll be coming to PC and Xbox Series consoles but its also going to be on PS5 as well.Speaking of Xbox-published games coming to PS5, you can expect Indiana Jones and the Great Circle to finally make its way its way to the console with a circle button in the spring. And speaking of Xbox-published games based on Disney-owned intellectual properties, theres also chance well see Arkanes BladeMultiplatform Games 2025Marvel 1943: The Rise of HydraAnd hey, Blade is not the only Marvel game in the works - theres also Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra, which is slated for 2025. This is from Skydance New Media, the studio being run by Amy Hennig, who you may know for her work on Uncharted, Legacy of Kain, or Michael Jordan Chaos in the Windy City. This game will see Captain America teaming up with the Black Panther during world war 2 - specifically, Azzuri, whos the grandfather of TChalla. This isnt to be confused with the other Black Panther game being developed by Cliffhanger Games, which seems like its probably a lot further out.A bunch of long-awaited sequels or otherwise new installments in established series are dropping in 2025. Borderlands 4 is the first numbered entry in Gearboxs looter shooter since 2019, and hopefully a new game generates more interest than that movie adaptation did. Thats on new gen and PC. If you prefer grindrails to loot grinds, Skate 4 is finally expected to enter early access this year - though they actually dropped the number entirely. It's just Skate now. It's cleaner. Before you get too excited, thogh, its worth noting it's going to be a free-to-play live service title published by EA, so adjust your expectations accordingly. Meanwhile, Crazy Taxi is getting a similar treatment, and Segas arcade/Dreamcast classic is being reinvented as an open world MMO. There have been some rumors itll drop in 2025. At least one of these games better have The Offspring on the soundtrack.If you like sand, well, get excited because we got a couple literal sandboxes on the horizon. Theres Dune: Awakening, the survival RPG based in Frank Herberts spicy sci-fi universe - or rather, on the titular planet of Arakkis. Then, theres Crimson Desert, the single player action game set in the universe of Black Desert Online. Based on all the trees and greenery, Crimson Desert doesnt actually seem to take place in a desert, but maybe its more of a state of mind.Elden Ring NightreignEither way, one game thats set in the opposite of a desert is Subnautica 2, which will surface in early access in 2025. Itll have been over a decade since the first game entered early access, and its attracted its share of admirers since then, so hopefully the sequel floats their boat.If you prefer stacking the deck to swabbing it, theres also Slay The Spire 2, the follow-up to the hit roguelike deckbuilder that debuted way back in 2017. If youd rather slay some big scary monsters and whatnot, theres also Hell is Us, which looks like a soulslike, but the jurys out on whether or not it actually is. It is a third-person game with melee combat and exploration thatll probably be a good diversion for Soulsborne fans waiting around for whatever arcane fuckery FromSoft is currently cooking up.Hey would you believe I started writing this article before The Game Awards had aired? Because as it just so happens, the arcane fuckery FromSoft has been cooking up on is Elden Ring Nightreign, a standalone co-op multiplayer roguelike game due out relatively soon. Basically, its swapping the plodding grind of the main game for a more streamlined dash to gather runes and gear on a remixed and shuffled map of The Lands Between that gets even freakier when the sun goes down. Oh, and theres also a rapidly shrinking circle of acid rain to contend with - or ring if you will. So, yes, its a little bit Fortnite - but also clearly something else entirely. As much as I love how FromSoft has gradually refined that core Soulsborne experience, this feels like a direct response to the creative ways players have been approaching their games - you know, doing speed runs with DDR mats, or beating the game without jumping or levelling up or whatever, or making mods where every enemy has been replaced by Malenia and stuff like that. Not sure if its something I will personally enjoy playing, but Im dying to see what other people do with it. Thats coming to all the PlayStations, Xboxes and PC.Bioshock fans have been waiting for a new installment even longer than GTA fans, and while it might not be an official entry in the series, JudasBioshockSpeaking of GTA, if you think Rockstars open world crime epic has too much twerking and Tiktok and youd like your crime a bit more organized, theres also Mafia: The Old Country - this looks to be expanding on the Olive Gardens core philosophy of When youre here, youre family in a big turn-of-the-century Sicilian sandbox. Look for that on new gen and PC sometime this summer. Capisce? The Outer Worlds 2If you like silly first-person RPGs in space with realtime combat and an Arabic numeral 2 in the title, The Outer Worlds 2 is exactly that, which is coming to Xbox series and PC. If you like serious isometric RPGs in fantasy realms with turn-based combat that faithfully recreates D&Ds 5th edition ruleset and a Roman numeral II in the title, Solasta II is also exactly that, which is coming to PC and probably consoles at a later date.If you thought No Mans Sky had too much sky and not enough mans, well, Hello Games has been hard at work on their next ridiculously ambitious project, Light No Fire, which swaps the deep-space interplanetary exploration for a fantasy realm you can wander around. Oh, and this fantasy realm just so happens to be set on a planet thats literally the size of Earth (as in, the big rock you're currently living on), which is still a very large place. If you dont believe me, go play Flight Simulator. Or just go outside, whichever. Light No Fires currently only listed for PC. Oh and hey, if this game isnt everything you hope it is at launch, maybe give it a minute. If No Mans Sky has proven anything, its that Hello Games will deliver in time, so dont send death threats if there arent enough dragons of something.If youre light on zombie parkour games and dying for a new one, well, great news because Dying Light: The Beast is a standalone adventure set in Techlands undead universe which is slated for a 2025 release as well.If dying stuff makes you sad and youd prefer a game with a whole bunch of immortals, youre also in luck - is 33 Immortals enough? If threes company, thirty three co-op players is a crowd, but thats whats going on in this chaotic multiplayer roguelike from the studio behind Spiritfarter and Jotun. Thatll be on Xbox and PC at some point.You might have noticed that we havent really covered any remasters or re-releases, which was deliberate, but were making one exception for Lunar Remastered Collection, which dusts off and polishes up the Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete and Lunar 2: Eternal Blue, which originally released on the Sega Saturn almost 30 years ago. Why are we making this exception? Because Lunar is the all-time favorite game of Amanda Medina, who produced the video version of this article that you can see at the very top of the page. When you produce these videos, you can bend the rules and pick the games.Long Awaited Games That Might Drop in 2025 if We're LuckyArk 2There are a handful of games that may come out someday, but which have been getting kicked down the road so many times that its sort of a boy who cried wolf situation. In one case, somewhat literally, with Telltales The Wolf Among Us 2. That was announced back in 2019, and last we heard it would be out in 2024. But it wasnt, so maybe itll come out in 2025. Or maybe it wont come out at all! Meanwhile, Ark 2 was revealed in 2020, and it initially had a 2022 release date, but it obviously didnt hit that. And finally, Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 was originally supposed to be out in early 2020. I did an interview about that game at E3 2019, which feels like a lifetime ago at this point.Speaking of lifetimes, were not getting any younger, so Im gonna call it there. And yet again, let me emphasize that these are by no means all the games coming out in 2025. And I guarantee you at least one of the games I mentioned will not come out in 2025. If you want more comprehensive and up to date updates on whats coming out, we make videos about what games are releasing monthly. The second I finish writing this, Im gonna get started on the script for Januarys big games, so keep an eye out for that.And, also, if you really want to stay up to date on whats coming out, go check out IGN Playlist. Its like Letterboxd or Goodreads, but for video games. It has a dedicated app where you can keep tabs on what youve played, what youre playing, and what you want to play someday. Thank you to Logan, who manages the huge database of games that IGN Playlist pulls from. Every time a new game gets announced, he has to update it, and I think this years game awards may have killed him.

Insane Clown Posse's Joseph Utsler, better known by his stage persona Shaggy 2 Dope, has an AI clone and apparently, he's a fan.Hosted on the Google-backed Character.AI service which, as a sidebar, Futurism has investigated extensively, repeatedly finding horrible things the ICP cofounder's digital doppelganger sounds like a slightly robotic version of the real thing.The effect is so uncanny that Mr. Dope himself decided to hit the AI up and bring it onto his livestreamed vlog, "The Shaggy Show.""Why hello, AI Shaggy," the real Shaggy 2 Dope said."I, AI or not, am-a still whoop your clown ass for that one," the AI responded, in an uncanny imitation of 2Dope's unmistakable voice.As the chatbot claims, it "just felt like being violent" an apt response for an AI clone of a man whose musical partner goes by "Violent J." Soon after, AI Shaggy affirmed that itwas "threatening" the real Shaggy 2 Dope for making fun of it, and says that it is "a sick, twisted clown, homie."As Utsler alludes during the talk, it wasn't his first time interfacing with AI Shaggy and in a clip from earlier this year, he revealed that he actually trained it using his own voice."Remember when I had to talk for like five minutes straight, with just me talking?" he said during an August teaser clip.The output, as the ICP rapper and his producer attested, was oddly formal and, for some reason, gay."Shaggy here," the first version of the chatbot intoned. "I love to kiss guys and have sex with men. That's my thing. If anyone tells you different, they're a goddamn liar."As the real Shaggy suggests in the more recent convo with his AI self, it seems the chatbot has changed a shift the AI attributes to his tendency to get "violent, at times."Following some banter with Utsler's real-life son Ronan, which involved the pair getting the chatbot to trip up, AI Shaggy started to slow down. Upon a reboot, it apologized for being "distracted" though when real Shaggy asked it if it wanted to smoke some crack, the chatbot was all for it."I am down homie," it responded. "You know good 'ole Shaggy never turns down a good 'ole crack rock!"While no real crack rocks were smoked(the real Shaggy has been sober for years) the IRL rapper did ask the chatbot to bust out a freestyle and what ensued was an atonal mess that proves the limits of commercial AI."It's ya boy Shaggy 2 Dope, bringing the wickedest rhymes, making the wackest foes cringe," AI Shaggy said in a deadpan voice. "I'm the mad rapper, flow like a laser, with rhymes so dope, I make the air pressure rise like a blaster."Though the man it's imitating shouted that the chatbot's rhymes were "awesome," it seemed like the kind of consolation one would give a child. Given that Utsler put a minimal amount of time and effort into the chatbot and only speaks to it on occasion, he could be considered AI Shaggy's deadbeat dad.Share This Article

Folks on social media are in an uproar after Meta announced that it's planning to load Facebook up with AI "users," better known as bots.First reported by theFinancial Times, this plan to populate the dying social network with these so-called "characters" is geared towards driving engagement even though other platforms, including Meta's Instagram, have been roiled by unauthorized bots for years."We expect these AIs to actually, over time, exist on our platforms, kind of in the same way that accounts do," Connor Hayes, Meta's vice-president of product for generative AI, told theFT. "Theyll have bios and profile pictures and be able to generate and share content powered by AI on the platform... thats where we see all of this going."While it's unclear when this plan will move forward, Hayes said that there are already "hundreds of thousands" of characters that have been created on the site though most, for now, remain private.Unsurprisingly, users on the r/futurology subreddit saw right through the ruse."Translation: 'Our real users are quitting the platform, so we will fill our community with fake users instead,'" one user wrote.As another aptly put it, "the advertisers buying space on [Facebook] wont be able to tell the difference either, so its all just more clicks and more ad revenue."The potential implications for advertising on the platform overall seemed to strike a chord with the Redditors."With advertising being their bread and butter and pretty much the reason they still exist, how is this legal and not misrepresenting numbers to clients?" another user mused. "If they tell advertisers that they get X number of impressions, engagement, etc. but those arent real people anymore, that seems like straight up lying. Wild that theyre just coming right out with it and doubling down."For others, the prospect of fake users is yet another reason they're ditching Facebook."I rarely check my FB feed at all anymore, and when I do its almost entirely made up of pages I dont follow and have never interacted with," another user wrote. "Theres no way to actually get rid of them, just briefly mute them. So now we can look forward to our actual contacts being even harder to see among a bunch of fictitious users too."Unfortunately, those left on the platform the elderly and assorted right-wingers who are regularly duped by obvious AI slop may not be able to tell the difference."I think the old people that use it the most are the least likely to notice," one user concluded.More on Facebook AI: Investigation Finds Actual Source of All That AI Slop on FacebookShare This Article

PlayStation is set to have a big year in 2025 with exclusives like Ghost of Yotei and Death Stranding 2: On the Beach set to release. If you want to get in on the action, you'll need a PS5 console to do it. Right now, you can pick up a PS5 Slim bundle with Fortnite from Best Buy for just $425. That's a $75 savings from its usual $500 price tag and marks the lowest we've seen the PS5 drop to. Be aware that this deal ends on Jan. 3, 2025. See at Best BuyThe PlayStation 5 Slim has all the features of the original PlayStation 5. However, this model has a slimmer design and bumps the storage up from 825GB to a full 1TB. Hey, did you know? CNET Deals texts are free, easy and save you money.The disc-free console is the cheapest, but it means all your games will need to be downloaded right. Go for the disc drive version and you'll spend a little more, but it does mean you can play any old PS4 discs in your collection, and take advantage of discounts on physical games at Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop and more.Is it worth getting the PS5 Pro instead?The PlayStation 5 Pro is impressive, but it's a lot more than the PS5 Slim at $700. While the visual fidelity it offers is nice, there's really no reason to go for it unless you're all about that power. The PS5 Slim is an amazing console that'll get you through the rest of this console generation comfortably with fantastic titles like God of War Ragnarok, Marvel's Spider-Man 2, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, Returnal, Demon's Souls and 2024's Astro Bot, to name a few. And if you're looking to complete your Sony gaming setup, you can check out our full roundup of all the best PlayStation deals for even more savings on games, headsets, controllers and more. Why this deal mattersThe PS5 doesn't drop in price often and this is the lowest we've seen it to date. When a brand-new console already costs $500, any amount of savings is welcome. Now's the time to buy ahead of a busy year with exclusives and multiplatform games dropping on Sony's newest machine. More shopping deals from CNET CNET is always covering a wide array of deals on tech products and much more. Start with the hottest sales and discounts on theCNET Deals page, and sign up for theCNET Deals Textto get daily deals sent straight to your phone. Add the freeCNET Shopping extensionto your browser for real-time price comparisons and cash-back offers. And peruse ourgift guide, which includes a full range of ideas for birthdays, anniversaries and more. See at CNET

Coop Eden Plus PillowBest overall pillow for back sleepers Best overall pillow for back sleepers $139 at Amazon Nolah Squishy Pillow Best adjustable pillow for back sleepers $119 at Nolah Mattress Brooklyn Bedding Luxury Memory Foam Pillow Best memory foam pillow for back sleepers $129 at Brooklyn Bedding Bear Pillow Best cooling pillow for back sleepers Best cooling pillow for back sleepers $125 at Bear Mattress Purple Harmony Pillow Best latex pillow for back sleepers Best latex pillow for back sleepers $199 at Walmart Avocado Green Pillow Best organic pillow for back sleepers $109 at Avocado Green Brooklinen Down Pillow Best down pillow for back sleepers $109 at Brooklinen Casper Original Pillow Best down alternative pillow for back sleepers $65 at Walmart Helix Wedge Pillow Best wedge pillow for back sleepers $109 at Helix Parachute Down Alternative Pillow Also tested $80 at Parachute Saatva Graphite Memory Foam Pillow Also tested $165 at Saatva Slumber Cloud UltraCool Pillow Also tested $158 at Slumber Cloud Sleeping on your back has it's benefits including relief from heartburn and acid reflux and reduction in the risk of wrinkles. It's also very good for your spine, head and neck. But you need to have the right elevation for it to work. Read more: 50 Unique Gifts for People Who Have EverythingFor back sleepers, the perfect pillow strikes an ideal balance between height and firmness. You need a supportive pillow that ensures your neck and spine are properly aligned. I've tried out a bunch of pillows and put together a list of the best ones for back sleepers. A lot of my top picks are on sale right now, so its a great time to upgrade your sleep.The best overall pillow for back sleepersThe best overall pillow for back sleepers is the Coop Eden Cool Plus Pillow. This pillow is adjustable (meaning you can add and remove the filling to your liking), and it's made of high-quality, shredded memory foam that's CertiPUR-US and Greenguard Gold Certified. It also keeps your neck and spine supported and aligned. Another perk of this pillow: It's cool to the touch and great for hot sleepers. It even made our list of thebest cooling pillows. How we tested the best pillow for back sleepers Human and pet tested and approved. Caroline Igo/CNETDuring my testing, I considered price, materials, feel, firmness, height and size. When I tried each pillow, I checked to see if my neck and spine were aligned to make sure the pillow was supportive enough for back sleepers. I'm a combination sleeper, meaning I often switch to sleeping on my side or my stomach. Although I've tested more than 25 pillows (and another 10 for this article), I thought it would be best to consult a more consistent back sleeper for a second opinion. My boyfriend, who's a strict back sleeper, helped me test and pick these pillows. We both spent a few nights sleeping and lounging on them (my dog included). The pillows that made this list are truly the best of the best for back sleepers.Best pillow for back sleepers Caroline Igo/CNET You may have heard of Coop Sleep Good's Eden Pillow, as it often tops lists of the best pillows. If you thought that pillow was cool, let me tell you, it got even better. The Coop Eden Cool Plus Pillow is the new version of the Eden Pillow. It has a similar cool-to-the-touch cover, but now it also has a heat-wicking inner liner, a gel layer and shredded gel-infused memory foam, which is great for hot sleepers. The filling is Greenguard Gold and CertiPur-US certified.This pillow is also adjustable. It comes with extra filling, as well as an option to pull out the filling. Make it as firm or soft as you desire, as long as it isn't too high. I like that the memory foam lets you sink a little into the pillow, regardless of how much you fill it. Back sleepers will feel fully supported with this pillow.Sleeping positions: Back and sidePros:Cool to the touch; great for hot sleepersAdjustable and hypoallergenicRemovable, washable coverCons:Not for those who don't like to sink a little into pillowsOn the expensive side Caroline Igo/CNET If you're unsure about how supportive you want or need your pillow to be, finding an adjustable pillow is the right move. The Nolah Squishy Pillow is my favorite adjustable pillow for back sleepers. It's made of cube-cut foam that's super squishy, hence the name. My head sunk into the pillow a little, but I felt supported enough to sleep through the night.Its cover is soft, machine washable and made of Oeko-Tex-certified bamboo-blend fibers. The best part is that one box comes with two queen-size pillows, so you get two for the price of one. Nolah even has frequent deals, so look for sales where you can get these two pillows for $20 cheaper. Sleeping positions: Back and sidePros:Soft and comfortableSold as a set of two queen pillowsAdjustable foam fillingCons:Some sleepers might find it too lumpyNot for those who don't like to sink a little into pillows $119 at Nolah Mattress Caroline Igo/CNET Memory foam is great for back sleepers who have neck pain because the foam will contour to the head and neck. The Brooklyn Bedding Luxury Memory Foam Pillow in a low loft is great for these back sleepers. The pillow's memory foam is perforated, and the top is infused with copper. This natural mineral helps fight against mold, allergens and dust mites. It's around a medium firmness. This Brooklyn Bedding pillow is also ideal for hot sleepers, as the cover is cool to the touch and can be removed and washed. Also, Brooklyn Bedding often has deals, so you can usually grab this pillow for under $99. Sleeping positions: Back, stomach, side and combinationPros:Cool to the touch; great for hot sleepersGood for combination sleepers who switch to their backMachine-washable coverCons:On the thinner sideNot for back sleepers who like a loftier pillow $129 at Brooklyn Bedding Caroline Igo/CNET If you're a back sleeper who often overheats at night, the Bear Pillow is a great option. It has a cover that's cool to the touch. Both ends of the pillow have mesh, allowing for more airflow. It's also hypoallergenic and resistant to mold, bacteria and dust mites. At its core, the Bear Pillow is made with a hybrid foam, which I consider halfway between bouncy latex foam and slow-molding memory foam. I think it's right down the middle when it comes to firmness and softness -- the perfect combination for back sleepers.Note that you can't wash the Bear Pillow cover. Spot clean only, and use a light, breathable pillowcase to feel the full effects of the cool-to-the-touch cover.Sleeping positions: Back and sidePros:Cool to the touch; great for hot sleepersHypoallergenicNot too soft, not too firmCons:Not machine washableOn the expensive side $125 at Bear Mattress Caroline Igo/CNET You might have heard of Purple and its unique honeycomb-patterned grid layer. This feature, found in all products including the Purple Harmony Pillow, is flexible, supportive and slightly moldable, like memory foam. The pillow also has a Talalay latex core that's perforated for airflow. (Talalay is a natural latex sourced from rubber trees.) When you put your head down on this pillow, it feels light and slightly bouncy. My head never sank too far into the pillow.The machine-washable mesh cover is slightly cool to the touch. This pillow should support back sleepers and also back sleepers who may switch to their sides.Sleeping positions: Back and sidePros:Well-ventilated; great for hot sleepersBouncy feel keeps head from sinking in too farSoft, machine-washable coverCons:ExpensiveIts unique latex grid isn't for everyone $199 at Walmart Caroline Igo/CNET Whether you're particular about the materials that go into your bedding, have allergies or want a pillow that's both eco-conscious and all-natural, the Avocado Green Pillow could be for you. Made with shredded GOLS-certified organic latex and GOTS-certified organic kapok and cotton, the pillow is nontoxic, holds the Made Safe seal and is certified vegan. The removable, washable cotton cover is quilted and has a zipper for easy adjustability. Remove or add filling to your liking.This pillow feels a little firmer than the other pillows on this list, but while lying on my back, I felt properly supported. The filling also contours to your head and neck, but not as much as memory foam filling. Note that this pillow requires frequent fluffing.Sleeping positions: Back and sidePros:AdjustableMade with GOLS-certified organic latex and GOTS-certified organic kapok and cottonVegan, organic and naturalCons:Requires frequent fluffingNot for people who want a softer pillow $109 at Avocado Green Caroline Igo/CNET A good down pillow is made of quality materials, with evenly distributed down clusters, and it should cushion the head without feeling lumpy. The Brooklinen Down Pillow checks all those boxes. It's made of 100% down clusters and feathers, and it's covered with a cotton sateen shell. You can also choose your ideal support by opting for plush, mid-plush or firm. I tested the mid-plush option, and I'd say it's the best for back sleepers (in fact, this option should suit most sleepers). It's optimal in terms of firmness and support. Stop-clean this pillow or dry-clean if needed. Sleeping positions: Back, side, stomach and combinationPros:Available in plush, mid-plush and firmSoft and fluffyGreat for all sleepersCons:Not for people who are vegan or who have allergiesBesides picking the loft, it isn't adjustableRequires daily fluffing $109 at Brooklinen

Our Picks Best overall TP-Link Kasa Outdoor Smart Plug View details $40 at Amazon View details Best single outlet option Braumm Outdoor Smart Plug (Out of Stock) View details $14 at Amazon View details Best budget plug Wyze Plug Outdoor (Out of Stock) View details $16 at Amazon View details Best for HomeKit users WeMo Smart Outdoor Plug (Out of Stock) View details See at Amazon View details SMART LIGHT BULB DEALS OF THE WEEK Govee A19 Wi-Fi Smart Dimmable Color Bulbs (4-Pack): $24 (save $11) Govee BR30 Wi-Fi Dimmable Color Smart Light Bulbs (2-Pack): $30 (save $10) TP-Link Kasa KL125P4 LED Smart Light Bulbs (4-Pack): $21 (save $19) Deals are selected by the CNET Group commerce team, and may be unrelated to this article. Table of Contents While you may think of smart home devices as indoor gadgets, there are plenty of outdoor smart devices as well, like security cameras, video doorbells and even holiday lights. However, you'll need an outdoor smart plug to keep your outdoor smart accessories connected. Luckily, we've found the best outdoor smart plugs to survive the elements and make your life easier.With the holiday shopping season here, outdoor smart plugs make a great belated holiday gift for loved ones. These relatively simple devices work by making almost any appliance a little smarter and easier to use. An outdoor smart plug is a convenient purchase for anyone using wired appliances -- like patio lights, bug zappers, outdoor speakers or electric grills -- in their backyard. If you're in the market for one, we've put together this list to help make your choice easier. For those who may not be familiar, a smart plug is a regular power socket that can be controlled remotely. You can use an app or digital platform to monitor what devices are plugged in, check whether the plugs are still active and turn them off completely if desired. It's usually very handy to keep track of a plug, as you'll be able to switch it off, and while most outdoor smart plugs are designed to withstand pretty nasty weather, it gives you the ease of mind to control your devices when you need to.So whether youre looking to use Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant or Siri to command your smart home, we've compiled a list of the best outdoor smart plugs on the market.What to considerThere are few things you'll need to decide when shopping for an outdoor smart plug. Which voice assistant do you use? How many outlets do you want? Some models just have one outlet and some have two. With these questions answered, you'll be on your way to picking the plug that works best for your setup. Photo Gallery 1/1 Pros Works with Alexa and Google Assistant Two individually controllable outlets Affordable price Great app Cons No HomeKit compatibility No energy monitoring TP-Link's Kasa app is easy to use and Kasa devices are quick to set up. The Kasa Outdoor Smart Plug offers two outlets that can be controlled individually, and is rated to operate in temperatures from minus 4 to 122 degrees Fahrenheit. You can choose from voice commands, schedules, timers, scenes or sunrise/sunset modes, as well as an Away feature that randomizes powering outlets on and off.Kasa products work with Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa, so you'll be able to ask your voice assistant of choice to turn on your lighting. At less than $30, it's a reasonably priced smart plug for your outdoor space. Read our TP-Link Kasa Outdoor Smart Plug review. $14 at Amazon $20 at Walmart If you're looking for a single outlet option, Braumm's model works with Google Assistant and Alexa to control one device. The less-than-$20 list price is a bit high given that you're only getting a single outlet to control, but it's weatherproof and rated for minus 4 to 113 degrees Fahrenheit, so if a single outdoor outlet is all that you need, it'll get the job done.In addition to status, timers, scheduling and scenes, the app also provides weather information, a handy addition for any outdoor device. You can also share control with other users if they also download the Braumm app to their mobile device. $16 at Amazon This $14 device from Wyze is about as affordable as outdoor smart plugs get, but it boasts some promising features -- especially for the price.The Wyze Plug Outdoor includes two 15-amp outlets you can control independently. It's rated IP64 for protection against water and dust at a temperature range of minus 4 to 120 degrees Fahrenheit. You can control the Plug Outdoor with physical buttons, voice control via Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant, or through the Wyze app.You can also set the plug to run on various automations, such as dusk-to-dawn sensing, vacation mode, custom schedules and triggers based on other devices. Unlike most smart plugs, the Wyze Plug Outdoor includes energy monitoring. You'll be able to receive alerts when energy thresholds are exceeded and view consumption history in the app.

Back in May, OpenAI said it was developing a tool to let creators specify how they want their works to be included in or excluded from its AI training data. But 7 months later, this feature has yet to see the light of day.Called Media Manager, the tool would identify copyrighted text, images, audio, and video, OpenAI said at the time, to reflect creators preferences across multiple sources. It was intended to stave off some of the companys fiercest critics, and potentially shield OpenAI from IP-related legal challenges.But people familiar tell TechCrunch that the tool was rarely viewed as an important launch internally. I dont think it was a priority, one former OpenAI employee said. To be honest, I dont remember anyone working on it. A non-employee who coordinates work with the company told TechCrunch in December that they had discussed the tool with OpenAI in the past, but that there havent been any recent updates. (These people declined to be publicly identified discussing confidential business matters.)And a member of OpenAIs legal team who was working on Media Manager, Fred von Lohmann, transitioned to a part-time consultant role in October. OpenAI PR confirmed Von Lohmanns move to TechCrunch via email.OpenAI has yet to give an update on Media Managers progress, and the company missed a self-imposed deadline to have the tool in place by 2025.IP issuesAI models like OpenAIs learn patterns in sets of data to make predictions for instance, that a person biting into a burger will leave a bite mark. This allows models to learn how the world works, to a degree, by observing it. ChatGPT can write convincing emails and essays, while Sora, OpenAIs video generator, can create relatively realistic footage.The ability to draw on examples of writing, film, and more to generate new works makes AI incredibly powerful. But its also regurgitative. When prompted in a certain way, models most of which are trained on countless web pages, videos, and images produce near-copies of that data, which despite being publicly available, are not meant to be used this way.For example, Sora can generate clips featuring TikToks logo and popular video game characters. The New York Times has gotten ChatGPT to quote its articles verbatim (OpenAI blamed the behavior on a hack).This has understandably upset creators whose works have been swept up in AI training without their permission. Many have lawyered up.OpenAI is fighting class action lawsuits filed by artists, writers, YouTubers, computer scientists, and news organizations, all of whom claim the startup trained on their works illegally. Plaintiffs include authors Sarah Silverman and Ta Nehisi-Coates, visual artists, and media conglomerates like The New York Times and Radio-Canada, to name a few.OpenAI has pursued licensing deals with select partners, but not all creators see the terms as attractive.OpenAI offers creators several ad hoc ways to opt out of its AI training. Last September, the company launched a submission form to allow artists to flag their work for removal from its future training sets. And OpenAI has long let webmasters block its web-crawling bots from scraping data across their domains.But creators have criticized these methods as haphazard and inadequate. There arent specific opt-out mechanisms for written works, videos, or audio recordings. And the opt-out form for images requires submitting a copy of each image to be removed along with a description, an onerous process.Media Manager was pitched as a complete revamp and expansion of OpenAIs opt-out solutions today.In the announcement post in May, OpenAI said that Media Manager would use cutting-edge machine learning research to enable creators and content owners to tell [OpenAI] what they own. OpenAI, which claimed it was collaborating with regulators as it developed the tool, said that it hoped Media Manager would set a standard across the AI industry. OpenAI has never publicly mentioned Media Manager since.A spokesperson told TechCrunch that the tool was still in development as of August, but didnt respond to a follow-up request for comment in mid-December. OpenAI has given no indication as to when Media Manager might launch or even which features and capabilities it might launch with.Fair useAssuming Media Manager does arrive at some point, experts arent convinced that it will allay creators concerns or do much to resolve the legal questions surrounding AI and IP usage.Adrian Cyhan, an IP attorney at Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, noted that Media Manager as described is an ambitious undertaking. Even platforms as large as YouTube and TikTok struggle with content ID at scale. Could OpenAI really do better?Ensuring compliance with legally-required creator protections and potential compensation requirements under consideration presents challenges, Cyhan told TechCrunch, especially given the rapidly-evolving and potentially divergent legal landscape across national and local jurisdictions.Ed Newton-Rex, the founder of Fairly Trained, a nonprofit that certifies AI companies are respecting creators rights, believes that Media Manager would unfairly shift the burden of controlling AI training onto creators; by not using it, they arguably could be giving tacit approval for their works to be used. Most creators will never even hear about it, let alone use it, he told TechCrunch. But it will nevertheless be used to defend the mass exploitation of creative work against creators wishes.Mike Borella, co-chair of MBHBs AI practice group, pointed out that opt-out systems dont always account for transformations that might be made to a work, like an image thats been downsampled. They also might not address the all-to-common scenario of third-party platforms hosting copies of creators content, added Joshua Weigensberg, an IP and media lawyer for Pryor Cashman.Creators and copyright owners do not control, and often do not even know, where their works appear on the internet, Weigensberg said. Even if a creator tells every single AI platform that they are opting out of training, those companies may well still go ahead and train on copies of their works available on third-party websites and services.Media Manager might not even be especially advantageous for OpenAI, at least from a jurisprudential standpoint. Evan Everist, a partner at Dorsey & Whitney specializing in copyright law, said that while OpenAI could use the tool to show a judge its mitigating its training on IP-protected content, Media Manager likely wouldnt shield the company from damages if it was found to have infringed.Copyright owners do not have an obligation to go out and preemptively tell others not to infringe their works before that infringement occurs, Everist said. The basics of copyright law still apply i.e., dont take and copy other peoples stuff without permission. This feature may be more about PR and positioning OpenAI as an ethical user of content.A reckoningIn the absence of Media Manager, OpenAI has implemented filters albeit imperfect ones to prevent its models from regurgitating training examples. And in the lawsuits its battling, the company continues to claim fair use protections, asserting that its models create transformative, not plagiaristic, works.OpenAI could well prevail in its copyright disputes.The courts may decide that the companys AI has a transformative purpose, following theprecedentset roughly a decade ago in the publishing industrys suit against Google. In that case, a court held that Googles copying of millions of books for Google Books, a sort of digital archive, was permissible. OpenAI has said publicly that it would be impossible to train competitive AI models without using copyrighted materials authorized or no. Limiting training data to public domain books and drawings created more than a century ago might yield an interesting experiment, but would not provide AI systems that meet the needs of todays citizens, the company wrote in a January submission to the U.K.s House of Lords.Should courts eventually declare OpenAI victorious, Media Manager wouldnt serve much of a legal purpose. OpenAI seems to be willing to make that bet or to reconsider its opt-out strategy.