The megapixel race isnt over if you ask Canon. Today, the company announced a new 35mm full-frame CMOS sensor with a resolution of 410 megapixels. Thats 24,592 x 16,704 pixels and a resolution thats equivalent to 24K or 12 times the resolution of 8K and 198 times the resolution of HD.Its the largest numberof pixels ever achieved in a 35mm full-frame sensor, according to Canon, but dont expect the company to introduce it on its consumer-ready digital cameras. Its designed for surveillance, medicine, and other industrial applications that demand extreme resolution, and dont mind paying a small fortune for it.Thanks to a redesigned circuitry pattern and a newly developed back-illuminated stacked formation in which the pixel segment and signal processing segment are interlayered, Canon says the sensor has a readout speed of 3,280 megapixels per second, allowing full-resolution images to be captured at eight frames per second.Canon will also offer a monochrome version of the sensor with a four-pixel binning function that improves low-light sensitivity by treating four nearby pixels as one. Although that reduces its overall resolution, it allows the monochromatic version of the sensor to capture 100-megapixel videos at 24 frames per second.If you want to maximize your megapixels, you typically need to turn to medium-format or larger sensors and bigger cameras. The Phase One XF IQ4 150MP, for example, can capture images at 150-megapixels. But by putting this much resolution into a 35mm sensor that will be compatible with a wide range of lenses already available for full-frame cameras, Canon says it will help contribute to the miniaturization of shooting equipment.

There were a lot of great books that came out last year, but perhaps the biggest standout on the Amazon best sellers list for 2024 was one that didn't even release until this week. I'm talking of course, about the latest title in the Empyrean series: Onyx Storm.If you aren't familiar with those names, you may have still heard of the first book in the series called Fourth Wing. The popularity of these novels by Rebecca Yarros is largely thanks to them going viral on BookTok, which is where other romance books have gone viral in the past. Perhaps the most famous book to get picked up on that corner of TikTok was It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover, which skyrocketed the series to the top of the best selling list in 2022 and eventually got turned into a movie.Why Is The Empyrean Series So Popular?Now AvailableOnyx Storm (Standard Edition)Hardcover and Kindle versions available at a discount.It's easy to point toward TikTok as the main driver of the virality of this series, but the plot and genre of the books were set up for success from the very beginning. I have read both Fourth Wing and Iron Flame and can honestly say they are hard to put down. There are elements familiar to the Harry Potter books, romance similar to the Twilight series, and dragons similar to the Inheritance Cycle. Reading these books feels familiar, and yet somehow very new.The other, perhaps more obvious reason for the popularity of this series is the very graphic descriptions of the main character's sexual encounters. What initially feels like your standard young adult novel suddenly gets really steamy really fast and never really slows down after that. It's an epic fantasy romance with dragons and sex, what more could anyone really want from a book?What Were the Other Amazon Best-Selling Books of 2024?Onyx Storm was only the second best-selling book on the 2024 list. The overall top novel on the list was The Women by Kristin Hannah which came out in February 2024 and topped The New York Time's best seller list at time as well. Here is a quick look at the top ten books that made Amazon's list in 2024.The Women - Kristin HannahOnyx Storm - Rebecca YarrosAtomic Habits - James ClearHillbilly Elegy - J.D. VanceThe Housemaid - Freida McFaddenMom, I want to Hear Your Story - Jeffrey MasonDad, I want to Hear Your Story - Jeffrey MasonThe Anxious Generation - Jonathan HaidtIt Ends With Us - Colleen HooverGood Energy - Casey Means M.DLooking for more top books? Check out our guide to the best-selling books of all time for popular picks over a longer period of time. If you're looking for more fantasy, we recommend our guide to the Lord of the Rings books and Game of Thrones books as a starting point.

Today, I've got an eclectic gaggle of deals for you to play through over the weekend. There's a VR-y decent BYO Bundle for the headset-inclined, an Erdtree Edition for the masochists among you, and a bunch of CoDs (old and new) worth catching. Failing that, score some cut-price LEGO, because I'm obsessed with that also.In retro news, I'm celebrating the 28th birthday of Kirby Super Star, a SNES...er, super...star that we called Kirby's Fun Pak down under. The inclusion of two-player co-op was an uncommon feature in platformers of this age, so a neighbourhood pal and I were all about slowly unlocking and smashing through this eight-game omnibus at launch. In particular, we had a blast in Spring Breeze (Kirby's Dream Land abridged) and The Great Cave Offensive (a Metroidvania filled with Nintendo stablemate references). That mechanic of P1 swallowing an enemy and then vomiting out a helper minion controlled by P2? Timelessly cool.Happy Bday Kirby's Fun Pak This Day in Gaming Aussie birthdays for notable games.- Kirby Super Star (SNES) 1997. eBay- The Cave (PS3,WiiU) 2013. Get- Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 FCP (PS4) 2017. eBayTable of ContentsNice Savings for Nintendo SwitchSifuSifu demands a lot from you, and thats a sword that cuts both ways. Its combat is impeccable, with incredibly smooth and impactful animation, deep fighting mechanics, and challenging enemies that really make you fight tooth and nail. 9/10.Mortal Kombat 1 (-28%) - A$41.65The Survivalists Del. (-90%) - A$3.90Dead Cells (-50%) - A$18.75LEGO Skywalker Saga (-34%) - A$59Rune Factory 5 (-23%) - A$53.55Pac-Man Champ Ed. 2 Plus (-75%) - A$7.73Expiring Recent DealsYooka-Laylee (-80%) - A$6.50Hot Wheels Unleashed (-85%) - A$8.24Sonic X Shadow Generations (-14%) - A$69Namco Museum (-80%) - A$7.80Or gift a Nintendo eShop Card.Switch Console PricesHow much to Switch it up?Switch OLED + Mario Wonder: $539 $499 | Switch Original: $499 $448 | Switch OLED Black: $539 $479 | Switch OLED White: $539 $479 | Switch Lite: $329 $299 | Switch Lite Hyrule: $339 $299See itBack to topPurchase Cheap for PCBYO Elite VR BndlPersonally, Id score Doom VFR, Wolfenstein Cyberpilot, and Fruit Ninja for $2.96 apiece instead of $69.40 total. But, hey, if you can find 7 games worth grabbing in here, you can bring that down to $2.54 per game.Ori and the Blind Forest: DE (-75%) - A$7.48Ori: The Collection (-78%) - A$15.71Doom Franchise Sale (80%)Rainbow Six Siege (-65%) - A$10.54Stellaris (-75%) - A$14.23Expiring Recent DealsHalo MC Collection (-75%) - A$14.98Total War: Three Kingdoms (-70%) - A$27.44FC 25 (-60%) - A$43.98Forza Horizon 5 (-50%) - A$44.97Halo Wars: DE (-75%) - A$7.48Manor Lords (-30%) - A$41.99Or just get a Steam Wallet CardPC Hardware PricesSlay your pile of shame.Official launch in NovSteam Deck 256GB LCD: $649 | Steam Deck 512GB OLED: $899 | Steam Deck 1TB OLED: $1,049See it at SteamBack to topExciting Bargains for XboxElden Ring Erdtree Ed.FromSoftware says Shadow of the Erdtree is the only expansion Elden Ring will get, so its fortunate that its hard to imagine a better DLC than this. 10/10, masterpiece.CoD: BLOPS 6 (-20%) - A$89Monster Hunter Wilds (-17%) - A$99Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 (-19%) - A$89Avatar: FoP Del. (-60%) - A$51.98Prince of Persia TLC (-50%) - A$29.97Expiring Recent DealsSniper Elite 5 (-57%) - A$38.72Tekken 8 (-33%) - A$79.95The Crew Motorfest CG (-70%) - A$32.98Watch Dogs 2 Gold (-85%) - A$16.49The Surge (-85%) - A$3.36Or just invest in an Xbox Card.Xbox Console PricesHow many bucks for a 'Box? Series X: $799 $729 | Series S Black: $549 $545 | Series S White:$499 $471 | Series S Starter: N/ASee itBack to topPure Scores for PlayStationGran Turismo 7Mixing the original GTs trendsetting format with GT Sports stern but very successful focus on competitive online racing, Gran Turismo 7 makes a few errors but is a potent podium performance from developer Polyphony Digital.CoD: WWII (-30%) - A$35.42CoD: BLOPS 6 (-20%) - A$89Monster Hunter Wilds (-17%) - A$99Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 (-19%) - A$89Space Marine 2 (-19%) - A$89Expiring Recent DealsAstro Bot (-19%) - A$89Spidey Miles Morales Ult. (-45%) - A$69The First Berserker: Khazan (-11%) - A$89Cocoon (-58%) - A$25Star Wars Outlaws (-36%) - A$69LEGO DC Super-Villains Del. (-92%) - A$8.79Persona 5 (-85%) - A$12.74Mortal Kombat XL (-88%) - A$8.39PS+ Monthly FreebiesYours to keep from Jan 7 with this subscriptionSuicide Squad: KTJL [PS5]NFS Hot Pursuit Remastered [PS4]The Stanley Parable: Ultra [PS4/5]Or purchase a PS Store Card.What you'll pay to 'Station.PS5 Slim Disc:$799 $759 | PS5 Slim Digital:679 $678 | PS VR2: $899 | PS VR2 + Horizon: $899 | PS5 Pro $1,199 | PS Portal: $329See itBack to topLegit LEGO DealsBotanicals DaffodilsDaffodils represent Spring like no other bulb. I say get some that will be plastic, fantastic, and evergreen.Expiring Recent DealsBack to top Adam Mathew is our Aussie deals wrangler. He plays practically everything, often on YouTube.

New year, new you. New you, new games to play. In November, we announced that we will celebrate the one-year anniversary of this program with a 2024 Anniversary Collection. Each year, well add 6 indie titles, not available on Xbox Game Pass, that we believe are absolute must-haves to this collection. Every year well add 6 more, never removing the titles from previous years, slowly growing our shrine to indie greatness. Think of it as our yearly Indie Hall of Fame in the Xbox Store. We have another big surprise next week, so stay tuned. But before all that, we have a new list of titles to kick off your 2025, just before the party begins next week.Sometimes, amazing indie titles that launch in December dont get the visibility they deserve. This month, we rectify that with a crazy good list of long-awaited remasters, strange puzzles, stranger puppets, and watery adventures, both chaotic and relaxing. Heres what weve got for you this month (in no particular order):RaftCraft a floating base out of trash to survive, they said. Who needs friends? Go it alone, they said.Whats the worst that can happen? they said. Turns out, sharks can happen.Next time, Im definitely gathering some people up for aquatic survival game, Raft. The first hours of this game were stressful for me. My tools broke several times, I was always dehydrated, and I didnt seem to grasp steering. The game gave me direction, but I felt like it was always leading to my death. In some ways, I felt like maybe this game wasnt for me.And then, I started to unlock blueprints. Then I started to improve my tools, the water became drinkable, my raft got bigger. I can do this, Im going to live! Hours passed. I suddenly was able to steer and stop my now-giant raft. I was getting way more confident exploring reefs and following the debris. Suddenly, Im seeing a humongous outpost and Im finding puzzles to solve, and now Im going on quests. Oh, and I fought a bear! I didnt win, but I fought it. It became extremely satisfying to progress even empowering. I havent tried this with other people yet, but I am very excited to share this game with my friends. Im still working on my raft and making it more functional, but I no longer feel like Tom Hanks waiting in the middle of the ocean for someone to save me, which is a good start.RaftAxolot Games202$24.99Get it nowRaft throws you and your friends into an epic oceanic adventure! Alone or together, players battle to survive a perilous voyage across a vast sea! Gather debris, scavenge reefs and build your own floating home, but be wary of the man-eating sharks!Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver 1&2 RemasteredThere are countless tales online about the development of this series and how it was left unfinished, but today fans can rejoice in this remastered compilation of Soul Reaver 1 & 2, the crown jewels of the epic series. The Legacy of Kain is infamous for its unyielding twists and turns, shaping the lore of Nosgoth and its tale of Humans, vampires, corruption, and prophecy. In the real world, these games had a dramatic impact in the early 2000s game industry in a couple of ways. Besides the incredibly deep lore and delightful puzzle solving, the environment-shifting gameplay mechanic they introduced was entirely new ground at this point. Though its not so unusual to find these days, the idea of going back and forth between two versions of an environment to proceed forward had just started to be explored in adventure games.Remastering older video games has now become its own discipline, or even genre. The limitations, the legalities, the lost knowledge, can present a myriad of unsolvable problems to both developer and publisher. However, the past 5-10 years have seen some truly inspired work to preserve, reimagine, and sometimes rebuild from scratch the work of previous decades. This is one of those remasters. The models and environments are meticulously updated to bring this title up-to-date by several generations. That includes a modern version of the in-game controls, updated camera controls, and even a map (which would have been nice 20 years ago). Theres also behind-the-scenes footage, never-before-seen cutscenes, a lore map, and even cut levels that were removed from the games, which is an impressive inclusion.Some of the best and most famous art pieces, literature, and music in human history are unfinished. Sometimes the negative space or the dead air feels purposeful, haunting, as if it were calling out to you asking what you would put here. Maybe its for someone else to finish, or maybe it was never meant to be finished at all. Whatever the case maybe, Soul Reaver was a masterpiece of its time and deserved the careful restoration it received. As someone whos beaten these games multiple times, I cant wait to have more conversations with even more people experiencing it for the very first time.Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver 1&2 RemasteredAspyr205$29.99Get it nowCelebrate Soul Reavers 25th AnniversaryExperience the epic conflict of Kain and Raziel in original form or with remastered graphics.Included Game TitlesLegacy of Kain: Soul ReaverLegacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2Experience the Legendary NarrativeCenturies after your former master, Kain, betrays and executes you, you rise again and embark on a relentless quest for revenge. Wield the Powers of a WraithSlay your former vampire brethren with your claws, bolts of telekinetic energy, and the elemental Wraith Blade. Grow stronger by devouring the souls of your enemies.Shift Between RealmsThe Elder God has granted you the ability to shift between the Spectral and Material Realms. Traverse the realms to solve puzzles, reveal new paths, and defeat your foes.NaiadLets be real: who doesnt want to gently reunite little lost ducklings with their mothers? Or help passing fishies swim into new waters? If thats on your wavelength (its definitely on mine), then Naiadis here to deliver whats basically a haven for very chill, sometimes incredibly mysterious, puzzling thatll have you drifting along streams, creeks, and rivers. In this minimalist, colorful exploration adventure, you play as a lovely little mermaid-like creature who nudges around the waters, helping, nurturing, and stumbling into new scenarios.Each new body of water includes whats pretty much a dialogue-free toybox in which you can complete a bunch of very opaque objectives that give little instruction or simply complete a main task to slip into the next chapter. Its a mostly serene, subdued journey that lets you choose how deep you want to dive into the mysteries of each of these water-laden toyboxes. Created by a solo dev, Naiad scoots along like a quiet daydream but harbors just enough complexity to satisfy the more curious.NAIADHiWarp2$19.99Get it nowFlow with Naiad across a mysterious river and interact with its fauna and flora to discover little secrets. Enjoy a wholesome experience with a dreamy and original visual style.Learn to swim like a duck, dive like a fish, dash like a frog and meet other adorable friends like butterflies, rabbits, turtles, snakes and crocodiles. Help them find their way and avoid obstacles. Navigate your way through 16 episodes that will take you through beautiful and strange places like a deep forest, a dark cave, a joyful creek, a calm lake and more until you reach the sea. Naiad is truly a personal and unique game created with love by a solo dev.Great God GroveEverything about this unique puzzle game is so charming to me. The character designs, their personalities, the world building, and the hilarious dialogue kept me entertained as I played through this tale of a mail-carrier for the gods in a world on the brink. Great God Groves core mechanics revolve around players leveraging pieces of dialogue to interact with other characters and solve puzzles, but in a way Ive never seen before you literally just suck the words straight from dialog boxes with your Megapon vacuum tool and release them in places that make sense.I also cannot stress how silly this game is! Right off the bat, you meet a captain who seems to know much about the Grove, while simultaneously losing his mind every second. So far, each character Ive interacted with has done or said something that felt reminiscent of a cartoon Id watch whether it was a character eating a missing beach ball or a muscular woman threatening a man whos too scared to profess his love for her. Its fun, its weird and its awesome!Great God GroveFellow Traveller9$19.99Get it nowTHE WORLD IS ENDING AND THE GODS ARE SQUABBLING! Suck up and launch speech bubbles in a wacky world of puzzles, puppets, and weird gods or THE RIFT WILL CONSUME US ALL!!Once in a generation, the gods come together to postpone the apocalypse. But this time, the god of communication started a bunch of heavenly fights and then went awol.With the sky splitting and the gods in disarray, whos gonna join the Bizzyboys to help SAVE DA WORLD FROM A-POCKY-LIPS??? SUCK UP AND LAUNCH DIALOGUE! As the gods new mail-carrier, you can suck up speech bubbles and fire them at anyone to communicate! Solve puzzles! Flirt! HURT GODS FEELINGS! Aww DISCOVER BIZARRE GODS: The god of teamwork? The god of LOVE SONGS? Drain it, whos in charge around here? Experience talking scarecrows! Cooking puppets!! THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT!!!Fly CorpFor as relaxing and cozy as this games aesthetic is, I didnt realize how difficult, challenging, and chaotic running my own airport network would be. This complex management sims true challenge wasnt opening airports, adding new routes, or upgrading planes. It was managing the money to complete objectives and dealing with random events that truly tested my strategic skills. Fans of management simulation games will feel right at home with the challenging but rewarding nature of this unexpected gem.Out of the multiple modes, I found the most fun in Discover The World, where youre tasked with unlocking a new territory every 6 minutes, or your run is ended. This forced me to quickly understand the games flow which routes are most cost-effective, when to upgrade and add planes and airports, and whether to accept high-risk, high-reward events. Honestly, this was a nice break from my usual action-oriented titles and has made me curious about what else this genre offers. Whether youre a casual gamer or a fan of strategy games, Fly Corp is an engaging experience worth exploring!Fly CorpKlabater6$14.99Get it nowDevelop your transport network!Open new routes across regions and cities, buy and upgrade planes, and expand airport capacities as your network grows.Manage passenger flow with precision!With an advanced passenger system, each city has a realistic population, and the larger the city, the greater the demand for flights to various destinations. You cant afford to connect every city directly, so you'll need to strategize, create efficient hubs, and prevent airport overloads. If one airport reaches capacity, its game over.The world is your playground!Explore nearly 180 territories and tens of thousands of cities. Build airports anywhere and start transporting passengers globally. Adapt your strategy to different regions: shorter routes are easier to manage in places like Europe, while long-distance connections in vast areas will require careful planning due to higher costs.Choose from multiple game modes: Discover the World, Free Play, and Challenges.In Discover the World mode, unlock and connect territories as you expand across the globe but act fast, as you must unlock a new region every 6 minutes or you lose! In Challenges, take on unique scenarios with specific goals, such as surviving for a set period or earning a target amount of money. Each challenge offers something different: some require connecting constantly unlocking airports, while others might involve rebuilding your network after a coronavirus outbreak.Stay engaged with random events!Unexpected events, from investments to disasters that disrupt flights, or even humorous situations like a lawsuit over spilled coffee, keep the gameplay dynamic and unpredictable.Compete with other players!Face daily scenarios and climb the leaderboard in every challenge. Earn points for transporting passengers, generating revenue, and building infrastructure. Can you make it to the top?Create your own scenarios! Use the feature-rich Scenario Editor to create, share, and play user-generated scenarios for endless new content.The Thing: RemasteredFear and trust. Thats what The Thing is all about, and I love it! If you havent come across this game before, its a third-person survival horror set as a sequel to the classic 1982 movie of the same name which was pretty innovative in itself at release, given that most movie tie-in games were more like adaptations than story continuations.I thoroughly enjoyed taking a step back through time for a moment while playing. Nightdive Studios did an excellent job remastering the title the camera orientation, the voice acting, and most, if not all, of the mechanics feel exactly how games felt 24 years ago but with a modern sheen.I couldnt help but notice how much this reminded me of Gears of War as I was playing it. The grotesque creatures, the character relationship building, the tone, and atmosphere are all very similar in a way. Maybe thats why I appreciated playing it so much, but I wont let that take away from how good this game is on its own.The Thing: RemasteredNightdive Studios180$29.99Get it nowNo One Survives Alone.The 2002 third-person survival horror shooter that serves as a sequel to the genre-defining 1982 film is back, remastered by Nightdive Studios to bring this innovative blend of fast paced squad action meets survival horror to the modern era. Including Antialiasing, Per Pixel Lighting, 4K Resolution and up to 120 FPS.Where the movie ended, the true terror begins. You are Cpt J.F. Blake, leader of a U.S. Special Forces rescue team sent to investigate the blood-curdling events and enigmatic deaths of the American scientific team that transpired at the Outpost 31 research facility located in the frozen wastelands of Antarctica. Within these inhospitable surroundings your team encounters a strange shape-shifting alien life-form that assumes the appearance of people that it kills. Trapped by the elements and infected by this horrific entity, using all your team members is critical if you hope to accomplish your objectives, let alone survive. If you only knew which ones were still human Those are our picks for January, but were far from done. Stay tuned next week for our big Indie Selects Anniversary Celebration!

Ive played guitar as a hobby since I was in junior high. While the instrument hasnt changed, the tools I use to make it possible have sort of. In addition to the built-in GarageBand app, these are the two must-have iPhone, iPad, and Mac apps I use for playing guitar for fun.Back in 2005, I used a Korg guitar tuner that looked a lot like this and tab printouts on paper from the school library to find my way around my instrument. Two decades later, I can visualize guitar tablature in mixed reality with Apple Vision Pro while figuring out a tune. But you dont need AVP to have the best experience when fiddling around on guitar for fun. Two apps have long been in my iPhone and iPad tool bag when it comes to playing guitar.Tune your guitarFirst, GuitarTuna sticks in my head as the go-to way to keep my guitar in tune. Something about the clever name just makes it a core memory, and typing in tuna to find it with Spotlight is part of my guitar ritual. If its not already part of yours, it should be. The app is free for iPhone and iPad and super intuitive. It will try to sell you a subscription and teach you how to play songs, but I swipe and dismiss those things. Im just there to tune my guitar and leave the app.GuitarTuna if the app came to lifeLook up how to play somethingNext is Ultimate Guitar Tabs & Chords, which is the app version of the website I was browsing in school twenty years ago. (It has a built-in tuner function, but its less straight-to-the-point than GuitarTuna.) The fun of Ultimate Guitar, whether its the website or the mobile app, is that you can probably find your favorite tune that you want to learn in tablature or chord form. In the 2000s, it was finding the highest ranked version of a Green Day or blink-182 song that just played on MTV to print out and memorize when I was 15. These days, Im usually using my iPhone and Apple Music.Actual picture of me circa 2005 doing guitar stuffThere are plenty more music-related apps that make learning and playing guitar and other instruments much more accessible than 20 years ago, but these two are the essential must-have apps on my iPhone, iPad, and Mac.Have your own top picks? Share with us in the comments! Add 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Youre reading 9to5Mac experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Dont know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

A few years ago, I thought I was about to die. And while (spoiler alert) I didn't, my severe health anxiety and ability to always assume the worst has persisted. But the increasing proliferation of health tracking smart devices and new ways that AI tries to make sense of our body's data has led me to make a decision. For my own peace of mind, AI needs to stay far away from my personal health. And having just watched Samsung's Unpacked event, I'm more convinced of this than ever. I'll explain.Sometime around 2016, I had severe migraines that persisted for a couple of weeks. My anxiety steeply increased during this period due to the attendant worry, and when I eventually called the UK's NHS helpline and explained my various symptoms, they told me I needed to go to the nearest hospital and be seen within 2 hours. "Walk there with someone," I distinctly remember them telling me, "It'll be quicker than getting an ambulance to you." This story is part of Samsung Event, CNET's collection of news, tips and advice around Samsung's most popular products. This call confirmed my worst fears -- that death was imminent.As it turned out, my fears of an early demise were unfounded. The cause was actually severe muscle strain from having hung multiple heavy cameras around my neck for an entire day while photographing a wedding. But the helpline agent was simply working on the limited data I'd provided, and as a result, they'd -- probably quite rightly -- taken a "better safe than sorry" approach and urged me to seek immediate medical attention. Samsung's health tracking provides a lot of data, which may or may not be helpful for you. John Kim/CNETI've spent most of my adult life struggling with health anxiety, and episodes such as this have taught me a lot about my ability to jump to the absolute worst conclusions despite there being no real evidence to support them. A ringing in my ears? Must be a brain tumor. A twinge in my stomach? Well, better get my affairs in order.I've learned to live with this over the years, and while I still have my ups and downs, I know better about what triggers things. For one, I learned never to Google my symptoms. Because no matter what my symptom was, cancer was always one of the possibilities a search would throw up. Medical sites -- including the NHS's own website -- provided no comfort and usually only resulted in brain-shattering panic attacks.Sadly, I've found I have a similar response with many health-tracking tools. I liked my Apple Watch at first, and its ability to read my heart rate during workouts was helpful. Then I found I was checking it increasingly more often throughout the day. Then the doubt crept in: "Why is my heart rate high when I'm just sitting down? Is that normal? I'll try again in 5 minutes." When, inevitably, it wasn't different (or it was worse), panic would naturally ensue. I've used Apple Watches multiple times, but I find the heart rate tracking more stressful than helpful. Vanessa Hand Orellana/CNETWhether tracking heart rate, blood oxygen levels or even sleep scores, I'd obsess over what a "normal" range should be and any time my data fell outside of that range, I'd immediately assume it meant I was about to keel over right there and then. The more data these devices provided, the more things I felt I had to worry about. I've learned to keep my worries at bay and have continued to use smartwatches, without them being much of a problem for my mental health (I have to actively not use any heart-related functions like ECGs), but AI-based health tools scare me.During its Unpacked keynote, Samsung talked about how its new Galaxy AI tools -- and Google's Gemini AI -- will supposedly help us in our daily lives. Samsung Health's algorithms will track your heart rate as it fluctuates throughout the day, notifying you of changes. It will offer personalized insights from your diet and exercise to help with cardiovascular health and you can even ask the AI agent questions related to your health.To many it may sound like a great holistic view of your health, but not to me. To me it sounds like more data being collected and waved in front of me, forcing me to acknowledge it and creating an endless feedback loop of obsession, worry and, inevitably, panic. But it's the AI questions that are the biggest red flag for me. AI tools by their nature have to make "best guess" answers based usually on information publicly available online. Asking AI a question is really just a quick way of running a Google search, and as I've found, Googling health queries does not end well for me. Samsung showed off various ways AI will be used within its health app during the Unpacked keynote. SamsungMuch like the NHS phone operator who inadvertently caused me to panic about dying, an AI-based health assistant will be able to provide answers based only on the limited information it has about me. Asking a question about my heart health could bring up a variety of information, just as looking on a health website would about why I have a headache. But much like how a headache can technically be a symptom of cancer, it's also much more likely to be a muscular twinge. Or I haven't drank enough water. Or I need to look away from my screen for a bit. Or I shouldn't have stayed up until 2 a.m. playing Yakuza: Infinite Wealth. Or a hundred other reasons, all of which are far more likely than the one I've already decided is definitely the culprit.But will an AI give me the context I need to not worry and obsess? Or will it just provide me with all the potentials as a way of trying to give a full understanding but instead feeding that "what if" worry? And, like how Google's AI Overviews told people to eat glue on pizza, will an AI health tool simply scour the internet and provide me with a hash of an answer, with inaccurate inferences that could tip my anxiety into full panic attack territory?Or perhaps, much like the kind doctor at the hospital that day who smiled gently at the sobbing man sitting opposite who'd already drafted a goodbye note to his family on his phone in the waiting room, an AI tool might be able to see that data and simply say, "You're fine, Andy, stop worrying and go to sleep."Maybe one day that'll be the case. Maybe health tracking tools and AI insights will be able to offer me a much-needed dose of logic and reassurance to counter my anxiety, rather than being the cause of it. But until then, it's not a risk I'm willing to take.

Our Picks Farm-fresh and ready-to-serve Spot and Tango View details 50% off your first box with code: CNET50 See at Spot and Tango View details Human-grade food The Farmer's Dog View details See at The Farmer's Dog View details Fresh preportioned meals Nom Nom View details See at Nom Nom View details Raw meat and vegetable mix Maev View details See at Maev View details Balanced recipes Pet Plate View details See at Pet Plate View details Great customer service and massive selection Chewy View details See at Chewy View details Autoshipping your pet's favorite foods Pet Flow View details See at PetFlow View details Meal plans tailored to individual dogs Ollie View details See at Ollie View details Air-dried and human-grade food for dogs Sundays for Dogs View details See at Sundays For Dog View details Monthly themed collections of toys and treats for your dog Bark Box View details See at BarkBox View details Quarterly custom boxes of handmade dog treats, gear and toys Box Dog View details See at BoxDog View details Table of Contents Your dog deserves the best, which means your pet's diet should consist of balanced and nutritious meals. Whether your dog is a picky eater or has food sensitivities, we found the best dog food delivery services for optimal nutrition and high-quality ingredients.Read more: The Best Gifts and Ideas for Every Price RangeThere are many types of dog food to choose from, including human-grade food, high-quality kibble, raw dog food and even plant-based (as an FYI, dogs do need protein in their diet and cannot adapt to a vegan lifestyle).Note: Before purchasing a meal service, consider your dog's nutritional needs. Are they a young pup or a senior dog? Do they have any allergies or health concerns? Knowing the answers will help you decide questions like, Are dog food subscriptions worth it? And if you're unsure, talk to your vet about what could be best for your pup.Once you've settled on the perfect meal plan for your puppy and their unique needs, you can move on to pick the best dog food delivery service for your needs. These services deliver monthly bags of the best pet food for your best friend, and the dog food delivery costs are either bundled into the price or a reasonable additional amount. Some of these subscriptions, like BarkBox and BoxDog, can also deliver special seasonal boxes with festive toys and treats, so you can include your furry friend in your holiday gifting.Read more:Best Dog Toys, According to the Experts: Our DogsTo help you sort through all the dog food delivery services varying in product, price and quality, we've put together this guide to the very best dog food delivery service for 2024. Read on below to find an outline of the burgeoning category, along with some of the highest-rated dog food delivery options to try. Most dog chow subscription services let you try it risk-free at a significant discount for a short stint and cancel if it's not a good fit.Best dog food delivery services for 2025 CNET50 See at Spot and Tango This dog food delivery service is for the discerning dog owner who's all about those farm-to-table meals and the health and well-being of their doggo. Spot and Tango's human-grade fresh dog food is made from locally farmed ingredients in New York, in small batches with no artificial additives, preservatives or fillers in the chow. With those standards, it's no wonder it landed on our list of best dog food deliveries for 2024.Veterinary nutritionists formulate the fresh dog food recipes and come in pre-portioned packages (determined by your pup's weight, age and lifestyle) that are vacuum-sealed for freshness. The dog food arrives frozen and just needs to be defrosted before serving. Every pet parent gets 50% off their first order of dog food and has a two-week trial period to test whether this meal delivery service works. If you decide to cancel at that time, you'll get your money back.Frequency and pricing: Weekly delivery with free shipping. $1 per day and up, depending on your dog's weight, age and breed. You can snag 50% off your first box of fresh dog food with promo codeCNET50. See at The Farmer's Dog Another fresh dog food delivery service, this popular startup was an easy pick for our list of best pet food to order online.Dogs have unique dietary needs and The Farmer's Dog gets that: You wouldn't feed a Chihuahua the same amount of dog food as you would a Newfoundland, for instance, which is why The Farmer's Dog creates a personalized profile and diet for your dog based on breed, age, activity level, ideal weight and sensitivities. The service also makes adjustments to your dog food plan as needed. The Farmer's Dog uses human-grade fresh ingredients to create easy, ready-to-serve meals for your dog all you have to do for a fresh meal is open the package and let your pooch dig in.Frequency and pricing:Choose your ideal frequency of food delivery anywhere between every two and 12 weeks. $2 to $12 per day based on dog size. Farmer's Dog is also offering 60% off your first purchase. See at Nom Nom It's pretty universally accepted that fresh food is better for you than processed food and many pet owners believe the same holds true for pet food. If you prefer to feed your furry friends fresh meals, Nom Nom is the closest you can get to homemade dog food delivered to your door. The company sends you perfectly portioned, fresh pet food made from restaurant-quality ingredients and tailored to your dog's size, age and weight, making it a solid pick as one of the best dog food delivery services for 2024.Nom Nom currently offers four fresh pet food recipes for dogs and two cat food options, as well as supplements and treats. Other fresh dog food companies send meals in bulk containers, which can be messy, but Nom Nom packs them individually for less fuss at mealtime.Frequency and pricing:Weekly, biweekly or monthly deliveries. $49 to $328 per month for dogs, depending on dog size. For cats, food plans range between $245 to $256. Sign up now and you'll save 50% on your first order.

Celeste studio cancels "2D explor-action game" Earthblade nearly four years after its announcement"It has been a struggle for a long time."Image credit: Extremely OK Games News by Matt Wales News Reporter Published on Jan. 23, 2025 Extremely OK Games - the studio behind beloved 2018 platformer Celeste - has announced the cancellation of its "2D explor-action" project Earthblade, calling the news a "huge, heartbreaking, and yet relieving failure".Extremely OK unveiled Earthblade back in 2021, sharing some mood-setting teaser art and a musical snippet. A full reveal arrived a year and a half later, offering an early glimpse of a side-scrolling platformer - blending elements of combat and exploration - that would see an "enigmatic child of Fate returning at long last to Earth".At the time, the project was expected to arrive in 2024, but Extremely OK confirmed a delay last March. And while it didn't commit to a new release window, it moved to assure fans progress was not "stagnant" and that the team was "still excited to work on it".Earthblade reveal trailer.Watch on YouTubeToday, however, the studio has announced Earthblade is no more. In a lengthy post shared on the Extremely OK website, studio director Maddy Thorson went into some of the factors leading to the project's cancellation. These include a "disagreement about the IP rights of Celeste" which, as painted in today's announcement, saw Thorson and Noel Berry on one side and studio "founding member" Pedro Medeiros on the other.Thorson says the issue was eventually resolved following a "very difficult and heartbreaking process", but noted the outcome resulted in Medeiros' departure from the Earthblade project after "both parties... agreed in the end that we should go our separate way".This, in turn, prompted the remaining members of Extremely OK to "take a serious look at whether fighting through to finish Earthblade was the right path forward". And while the project "had a lot going for it", according to Thorson, "it was also not as far along as one would expect after such a protracted development process.""Noel and I also began to reflect on how the game has felt for us to work on day-to-day," Thorson continued, "and realised that it has been a struggle for a long time. Sure, working on one project for so long is bound to become a slog, but this feels like a deeper problem. Celeste's success applied pressure on us to deliver something bigger and better with Earthblade, and that pressure is a large part of why working on it has become so exhausting.""Pedro isn't to blame for this," Thorson stressed. "In fact the split with him has given us the clarity to see that we have lost our way, and the opportunity to admit defeat. I feel many ways about it, but one big feeling is undoubtedly relief."With Earthblade officially no more, other members of the team have also "moved on". However, Thorson and Berry now plan to "take all of the (many!) lessons we've learned... wipe the slate clean, and refocus ourselves back to smaller-scale projects." As a result, the duo are "prototyping again and exploring at our own pace, and trying to rediscover game development in a manner closer to how we approached it at Celeste's or TowerFall's inception.""We are happy to return to our roots," Thorson concluded, "and reclaim some joy in our creative process, and see where that takes us."

Subscribe to Nintendo Life on YouTube794kAspyr is apparently launching a new Star Wars bundle alongside the release of Jedi Power Battles this week.The "Prequel Pack" includes Aspyr's latest release bundled with the existing releases Star Wars: Bounty Hunter, Star Wars: Republic Commando, and Star Wars Episode I: Racer. No pricing details have been revealed just yet.Aspyr: "The battle begins with the launch of the STAR WARS: Prequel Pack tomorrow on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and Steam!"You can still purchase these games individually, and some of them are also available in other bundles like the Heritage Pack.Subscribe to Nintendo Life on YouTube794kWatch on YouTube STAR WARS: Episode I: Jedi Power BattlesTake back the Theed Palace in this fast-and-furious lightsaber action game. You will have the power of the Force and your trusty lightsaber to help you ward off legions of battle droids, destroyer droids, assassins, and other creatures from STAR WARS: Episode I - The Phantom Menace.STAR WARS: Bounty HunterBring in your bounty, dead or alive. In this classic third-person action-adventure, you'll become Jango Fett, Prime Clone of the Grand Army of the Republic, hired to capture a deranged Dark Jedi.STAR WARS Republic CommandoThe squad is your weapon. Welcome to the Clone Wars: Chaos has erupted throughout the galaxy. As leader of an elite squad of Republic Commandos, your mission is to infiltrate, dominate, and ultimately annihilate the enemy.STAR WARS Episode I RacerTake control of a podracer speeding through flaming methane lakes, Tusken Raider assaults, anti-gravity tunnels, and much more in a pulse-pounding, do-or-die fight to the finish line.Be on the lookout for our Nintendo Life review of Star Wars Episode I: Jedi Power Battles later today. Here's the launch trailer:Subscribe to Nintendo Life on YouTube794k MandaboreThe Race of SkywalkerSuper TroopersWould you be interested in a bundle like this? Let us know in the comments.[source gamespot.com]Related GamesSee AlsoShare:00 Liam is a news writer and reviewer for Nintendo Life and Pure Xbox. He's been writing about games for more than 15 years and is a lifelong fan of Mario and Master Chief. Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...Related ArticlesThe Switch eShop Is A Nightmare, So We've Made Our Own "Better eShop"Fixing what Nintendon'tSilksong Fans Think They've Narrowed Down The Big AnnouncementIs the cake a lie?Nintendo Believes In "Giving Proper Credit" After Backlash Over Donkey Kong Country Returns HDSo why the omission?

The $1 billion acquisition of rent-to-own startup Divvy Homes, which was announced Wednesday, is expected to leave some shareholders without a payout, according to sources familiar with the deal.The terms and Divvys journey from buzzy startup to acquisition target reflects the rollercoaster ride the proptech industry has endured over the past decade.The San Francisco-based startup, founded in 2016, had raised more than $700 million in debt and equity from well-known investors such as Tiger Global Management, GGV Capital, and Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), among others. By 2021, the company was valued at $2.3 billion.And while the Brookfield Properties purchase of Divvy for $1 billion was at half of its peak valuation, the acquisition could still be considered a win in an industry that has had a string of shutdowns and bankruptcies.However, its a loss for some shareholders, according to a letter from Divvy CEO and co-founder Adena Hefets, which was viewed by TechCrunch.If the transaction closes, Divvy will sell substantially all of its assets, namely its home portfolio and brand, to Brookfield for approximately $1 billion. However, after repaying its outstanding indebtedness, transaction costs, and liquidation preference to preferred shareholders, we unfortunately estimate that neither common shareholders nor holders of the Series FF preferred stock will receive any consideration, according to the letter, which was sent to shareholders, former employees, and Divvy supporters.FF preferred stock, also known as Founders Preferred Stock, is a type of stock that is issued to founders of a company. The law firm Cooley defines the shares as being issued to founders at the time of incorporation in order to facilitate sales of stock by founders in connection with future equity financings. TechCrunch has reached out to Hefets and Divvy Homes for comment and will update the article with any response.Another source told TechCrunch that equity holders got zerod so founders, employees and VCs will get nothing from the sale. The identity of the source, who asked to remain anonymous, has been verified by TechCrunch.Divvy operated a rent-to-own model in which it worked with renters who wanted to become homeowners by buying the home they wanted and renting it back to them for three years while they built the savings needed to own it themselves, it said.The company ran into some hiccups when mortgage interest rates began to surge in 2022, leading it to conduct three known rounds of layoffs in a years time. Divvys last known funding occurred in August 2021 a $200 million Series D funding led by Tiger Global Management and Caffeinated Capital. The Series D round was announced just six months after a $110 million Series C.Hefets also shared in the letter the decision to sell wasnt easy and came after a thorough review of Divvys strategic alternatives and with significant deliberation around our options.She said the move followed years of fighting difficult market conditions, including rising interest rates, and making as many cost cuts as possible.As the company looked into what lay ahead in 2025, it decided the best way forward was to sell its portfolio of homes now and return as much capital as possible to shareholders.With almost a decade of pouring myself into this company, and believing in this mission, this was not the ending I had hoped forWhile I am not proud of the financial outcome, I am proud of the impact we had on our customers lives, Hefets added.Want more fintech news in your inbox? Sign up for TechCrunch Fintechhere.Want to reach out with a tip? Email me atmaryann@techcrunch.comor send me a message on Signal at 408.204.3036. You can also send a note to the whole TechCrunch crew attips@techcrunch.com. For more secure communications,click here to contact us, which includes SecureDrop and links to encrypted messaging apps.