For the first time ever, Unreal Engine is being directly deployed into Qualcomms Snapdragon automotive platforms, enabling automakers to deliver immersive HMI user experiences that are customizable and scalable. Find out more.

Apple has stopped offering its end-to-end encrypted iCloud storage, Advanced Data Protection (ADP), to new users in the UK, and will require existing users to disable the feature at some point in the future. The move comes following reports earlier this month that UK security services requested Apple grant them backdoor access to worldwide users encrypted backups.Apple can no longer offer Advanced Data Protection (ADP) in the United Kingdom to new users and current UK users will eventually need to disable this security feature, says Apple spokesperson Julien Trosdorf in a statement to The Verge. We are gravely disappointed that the protections provided by ADP will not be available to our customers in the UK given the continuing rise of data breaches and other threats to customer privacy.ADP works by protecting iCloud data with end-to-end encryption, meaning it can only be decrypted by the person who owns the iCloud account on their own devices. Apple originally launched ADP in late 2022, allowing iCloud data like backups, messages, and photos to be protected by the feature. Removing ADP means that British users files will be accessible to Apple, and shareable with law enforcement, though that would still require a warrant.Apple has already stopped offering Advanced Data Protection to new users in the UK, advising them that it can no longer offer the service. Apple wont be able to disable ADP automatically on existing iCloud accounts, because of the way the end-to-end encryption feature works. Trosdorf tells The Verge that UK users will be given an amount of time to disable ADP to keep using their iCloud account, though the company has not said when the deadline will be.Apple remains committed to offering our users the highest level of security for their personal data and are hopeful that we will be able to do so in the future in the United Kingdom, says Trosdorf. As we have said many times before, we have never built a backdoor or master key to any of our products or services and we never will.Apple says it can no longer offer encryption to new users in the UK. Screenshot: AppleEarlier this month The Washington Post reported that the UK Home Office, led by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, had demanded backdoor access to encrypted files uploaded not only by Brits, but by users worldwide. The company was reportedly served a document called a technical capability notice under the UKs Investigatory Powers Act of 2016, also known as the Snoopers Charter. Apple has the right to appeal any demand made under the act, but not to delay implementation of the order.It was reported then that Apple was likely to disable its UK encryption instead of granting security services a backdoor, but that this might not placate the Labour government, which would still not be able to access encrypted files uploaded elsewhere in the world. Apple did not issue any statement at the time, and even now has not explained why ADP is being disabled, but even revealing that the government had made a demand under the Investigatory Powers Act would reportedly be a criminal offense.UK security services have repeatedly pushed back against end-to-end encrypted services in the past, making the argument that encryption is used by terrorists and child abusers to hide from law enforcement. End-to-end encryption cannot be allowed to hamper efforts to catch perpetrators of the most serious crimes, a government spokesperson told The Guardian in 2022 when Apple first introduced end-to-end encryption.Apple has made its own arguments against the UKs position in the past. There is no reason why the UK [government] should have the authority to decide for citizens of the world whether they can avail themselves of the proven security benefits that flow from end-to-end encryption, Apple told the British parliament in March 2024 during a debate on an amendment to the Investigatory Powers Act.Apple is not the only tech company to offer end-to-end encrypted backups. Google has offered encrypted backups to Android users since 2018, and Meta also offers the option to encrypt WhatsApp backups. Both are currently still available in the UK.ADP remains available outside of the UK, and can be enabled from iClouds settings options. To activate it, any devices tied to your Apple ID will have to be up-to-date, and you must turn on Apples Account Recovery features as well. ADP is free to use, and if youre outside the UK we recommend enabling it.See More:

When I received my OnePlus Watch 3 review unit, part of me wondered, Whats gonna be wrong with this one? Now, I know. On the backplate, permanently engraved in stainless steel, is a typo. Instead of reading Made in China, it reads Meda in China.To be fair, this is a minuscule error. I didnt even notice it on my review unit until I spied an Android Police article in my feed pointing it out. But, in the history of OnePlus many smartwatch sins, this unfixable typo both makes complete sense and is a major relief.To understand why, you have to remember that the original OnePlus Watch was an unmitigated disaster. An abomination of a smartwatch, riddled with software errors and personally, the worst product I have ever tested in my career. In my review, I wrote that its health and fitness tracking was so inaccurate, it deserved the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. The only smartwatch that could be conceivably worse is will.i.ams Puls smartwatch, but I was fortunate enough to dodge that bullet. So traumatized was I by the OnePlus Watch, I was wary of the OnePlus Watch 2 when it launched last year.That fear was compounded when OnePlus mistakenly sent me eleven review units of the OnePlus Watch 2 a watch that also broke the sacred, nerdy covenant that a rotating crown on a smartwatch must scroll.But aside from that one cardinal sin and a sike of a delivery snafu, the OnePlus Watch 2 ended up being a redemption story. Not only was it a smartwatch that worked, it ended up becoming an excellent alternative to Google and Samsung smartwatches for Android users. Im still testing the OnePlus Watch 3, but so far I have little to complain about, especially since the company finally introduced a proper rotating crown. And, if anything, Im heartened to see that OnePlus signature oops this time around is a minor typo that most users will never really see. One could also argue that the misprint makes this first edition batch a collectors item. Thats progress.Besides, as far as typos go, it couldve been far worse. At least OnePlus didnt do a Mattel and accidentally misprint a link to a porn site on the product packaging. Compared to that, a Meda in China typo is actually kind of adorable.See More:

This week Microsoft (technically Microsoft Research Game Intelligence and Teachable AI Experiences teams) announced Microsoft Muse, a generative AI model designed for AI ideation. What the heck does that mean? Well, its very similar to Googles GameNGen which created a somewhat recreated version of Doom by having an AI play the game over and over again, then rendering a dynamic result based on the users input. With Microsoft MUSE they worked with Ninja Theory using their 2020 XBox game Bleeding Edge, both using gameplay footage and controller input data.As part of this process they created WHAM, the World Human Action Model as well as the WHAM Demonstrator which allows users to interface with the data model. At this point you may be asking yourself a very important question why?Today, our team is excited to be publishing our work in Nature and simultaneously releasing Muse open weights, the WHAM Demonstrator, and sample data to the community.I look forward to seeing the many ways in which the community will explore these models and build on our research. I cannot wait to see all the ways that these models and subsequent research will help shape and increase our understanding of how generative AI models of human gameplay may support gameplay ideation and pave the way for future, novel, AI-based game experiences, including the use cases that ourcolleagues at Xbox(opens in new tab)have already started to explore.One use case that Xbox head Phil Spencer (in this reveal video) suggested was gameplay preservation:You could imagine a world where, from gameplay data and video, a model could learn old games and really make them portable to any platform where these models could run, I feel thats really exciting.In a Eurogamer article, AI expert Dr Michael Cook responded accordingly:Bluntly, Cook calls Spencers comments idiotic.I mean, in a sense anything is a preservation tool, Cook writes. I could ask my friends five-year-old son to draw a crayon picture of what he thinks the ending cutscene ofFinal Fantasy 8looks like and that would still count as game preservation of a certain sort.Despite a decade of AI growth, Cook says, theres no method yet to measure what exactly an AI model has captured and what it has not. Muse is able to provide grainy gifs of one fairly simple video game based on seven years of footage, but it is not a solution for holding everything about a game or every possible outcome of what players could do.This is absolutely not a solution for game preservation, Cook concludes, citing areport by gaming archeologist Florence Smith Nicholls about the archiving of digital games. What does it mean to preserve a gameplay experience? Even if this model was a perfect replication of the original executable software, this is not the be-all and end-all of game preservation. A generative model of what game footage maybe looked like once might be a nice curio on the side of a real preservation process, but it is always going to be inferior to other ways we approach the problem.Last month,Take-Two InteractivebossStrauss Zelnick weighed in with his opinion of AI, saying that artificial intelligence is an oxymoron, theres no such thing.Key LinksMicrosoft Research Introducing MuseGoogles Similar GameNGen ProjectThe Eurogamer ArticleMore On Muse by Dr. Michael CookYou can learn more about Microsofts gameplay Ideation AI model in the video below.

I think the first time I really understood what Moroi was, I mean the down-in-your-bones feeling you get when youre playing something and the lighting bolt of understanding strikes you right on the noggin, was when my character fed himself to a talking meat-grinder because something inside [him] screams let's do it! Admittedly, it would have probably been funnier if Moroi had flashed a game over screen, and most games mightve as a gag, but Moroi plays it straight. Into the meat-grinder you go, head-first. It chews for a bit and spits you out. You taste terrible, you see, and the grinders palate for manflesh is, for whatever reason, a bit more refined. Later on, you can offer it a severed hand (dont ask) and its happy about that, and to grind up the bones and turn the leftover dust over to you so you can use it to help an old woman make soup (again, dont ask), but eating the hand causes it to explode. You are on fire, your character remarks glibly as the machine spits binary. But you have your bone dust and its not your job to save sentient meat grinders who have developed a taste for longpig, so off you go to break some more stuff. And I said, out loud, Ah, its a game like that. And I was intrigued.The word moroi comes from Romanian folklore; its used to describe a vampire or ghost, or in some cases, a phantom that rises from the grave to draw energy from the living. I dont know which part of the definition Moroi the game draws from. What I do know is this: your character, a bearded bear of a man, wakes up in a strange prison, in pain, with no memory of how he got there. Everyone else seems to know him, but he doesnt recognize any of them. But maybe, as a very tall man in a very strange hat tells him, thats for the best.Screens - MoroiYour first order of business is to get out, and that means solving simple puzzles, many of which boil down to acquire item, take it somewhere. Go talk to the cannibal eating himself as performance art who asks that, if eating himself isnt his magnum opus, lightning strikes him dead. When lightning strikes him dead, take his severed hand and bring it to the sentient meat grinder, who gives you bone dust before catching fire. Then you take that to the tall man in the funny hat, who tells you to take it to the old lady making soup (she needs some salt; you have bone dust. Same thing, right?) before reminding you that Death will meet you soon enough and weirdly offering up that his name is Edgar. So its off to the old woman, who gratefully accepts your salt and is pulled headfirst into the cauldron by the soup to see whats on the other side. I'm starting to think that wasn't soup, your character says. Noticing a pattern here?Its got Dooms Glory Kills, which quite literally teleport you across the screen for very satisfying slow-motion execution that drops health.On and on it goes, whether its a toenail from an overfed corpse still being pumped full of something, or taking the old womans spoon and using it to wake up the rat with the important job of running in his wheel and powering The Horrors (and the doors). But then something strange happens. Moroi gives you a sword, and throws a bunch of enemies at you, and thats where the magic happens. Combat is simple the top-down, twin-stick perspective seems a little weird when youre solving puzzles, but then you get to a combat section and its like Oh but its fast and hits feel weighty and satisfying and its got Dooms Glory Kills, which quite literally teleport you across the screen for very satisfying slow-motion executions that drops health. And then you get a minigun that shoots harpoons. And thats rad.PlayWhen Moroi is flipping between the two quick, simple puzzles like using the number of corpses in a freezer to work out a door code, and combat sections against multiple enemies howling for blood like its Black Friday and youve just snatched the last George Foreman grill its pretty grand. But theres also plenty of weird stuff beyond that, too. At one point, you save a duck with human teeth from being turned into a wide variety of duck-based cuisine and he rewards you with his teeth so you can reinforce your weapon, and then explains the way out through bloody gums. Sometimes messages pop up on-screen offering cryptic hints at something more. Other times, story details are left to collectibles scattered around the environment. I particularly liked the one that listed Duck of Eternal Torment as a type of potential meal prepared from our toothy friend, and the one where the cleaning lady resigns because the furniture is upside down every day and shes convinced the place is cursed and/or haunted.PlayAnd its never afraid to be weird. One of my Moroi demos last segments thrust me into the role of a strange, winged doll tasked by his mother (another doll) with helping his brothers an increasingly rude group of trees survive some incoming horror thats killing all of them by literally giving away pieces of himself to do it. Its an odd segment, but a compelling one, and when the credits rolled shortly thereafter, I wasnt quite sure what to make of it, but I am interested in seeing where it goes from here. There are some things about Moroi that concern me: my demo was buggy (It crashed once;I got stuck between a door and a bookcase a couple times; once I fell through the floor) and some of the writing is uneven. But those are things that can be ironed out. Moroi marries the macabre and the mysterious, and it often went to places I didnt see coming in my half-hour demo. Im still not sure what a moroi is in this context, but I would like to find out. After all, who can resist a game with a meat grinder that lusts for the flesh of men and a duck with human teeth?

Genshin Impact is getting an official cookbook later in 2025, and IGN has an exclusive first look.Genshin Impact Official Cookbook: Culinary Journeys Across Teyvat, by Thibaud Villanova, comes out September 2, 2025 and invites readers to explore, taste, and experience the fantasy world of Teyvat in an entirely new way. There are even prefaces from Michelin star chefs Paul Pairet and Mory Sacko.As youd expect, the cookbook lets Genshin Impact recreate dishes from the game, accompanied by cooking quest givers the Gourmet Supremos. There are 60 recipes designed to take budding chefs on a culinary journey through the first four major regions of Teyvat: Mondstadt, Liyue, Inazuma, and Sumeru.The images, below, show recipes for Dinner of Judgment, a speciality of Rosaria, the Lighter-Than-Air Pancake, and the tantalisingly named Nutritious Meal (V.593). If youre curious, Nutritious Meal (V.593) revives a character and restores 20% of Max HP, then restores an additional 1,500 HP to the target fallen character with a 120-second cooldown in Genshin Impact itself.Genshin Impact Official Cookbook: Culinary Journeys Across Teyvat ImagesChef Villanova, who goes by @gastronogeek on Instagram, is no stranger to creating recipes based on video games, and has published more than 16 cookbooks that have sold over 500,000 copies.As for Genshin Impact, if youre low on ingredients, take a look at our Genshin Impact codes for some freebies (in-game only, though, not actually edible). For your next trip to Teyvat, here are the current Genshin Impact banners for Version 5.4, and our guide to the best Sigewinne build if you get lucky on her banner.Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Stephen Kings 1980 short story The Monkey (which can be found these days in his outstanding 1985 collection, Skeleton Crew) tells the story of Hal Shelburn, a man who is obsessed with an old toy from his childhood, a wind-up monkey that seems to cause death whenever it claps its cymbals. The tale is in many ways vintage King, with incidents and/or cursed objects from someones past re-emerging into the present to haunt that person once again.The Monkey, writer-director Osgood Perkins adaptation of Kings story, makes a number of structural, character, and narrative changes to the tale while keeping the basic premise intact. For one, the monkey beats on a drum instead of knocking two cymbals together. But more importantly, Perkins (who terrified us less than a year ago with Longlegs) develops a huge shift in tone for his film: while Kings story is relatively somber and suffused with dread from its opening lines, Perkinsperhaps sensing that a killer toy monkey might not work as well on the screenjumps headfirst into sheer absurdism, turning The Monkey into a full-blown horror comedy.The deaths in the story are all tragic but plausible: they seem as if they could really happen, adding a layer of psychological doubt to Hals memories. On the other hand, Perkins makes every kill in his movie more outlandish than the last, filling the screen with exploding, burning, and disintegrating human bodies in set pieces that take the accidents in movies like Final Destination and play them strictly for howls of grossed-out laughter.But Perkins also connects Hal and his brother Bill more directly to the monkey and its hideous power, expanding a bit more on their characters than King does in his narrative, although in the end, the monkey symbolizes the same thing in both versions: the random, sudden, inescapable nature of death, and the way it follows all of us around whether we realize its constantly there or not.How Stephen King Tells His StoryIn Kings story, Hal Shelburn is a family man: hes got a wife named Terry and two sons named Dennis and Petey. Theyve had a rough couple of years: Hal got laid off from his job as a computer software designer and, while he found another one, hes making less money and the family was forced to relocate from California to Texas. Its implied that this has put some pressure on the family, with Terry popping Valium and Hals relationship to both her and his sons somewhat strained.Hal and Bills merchant marine father vanishes from their lives when the boys are young (like Kings own dad) and is not present in the story; in the movie, we briefly meet their father, a pilot (played by Adam Scott), in a prologue where we learn that hes the one who obtained the monkey originallyprobably on his travelsand is desperate to get rid of it, which does not go well for the proprietor of the pawn shop to which he brings the toy. As in the story, Pete Shelburn disappears after that.King opens his story in the present, with Hal and his family going through the belongings of Bills Aunt Ida, who has passed away from a stroke. As in the movie, Aunt Ida and Uncle Will (also deceased) raised Hal and Bill after their parents died. Dennis finds the monkey in a box in Aunt Idas atticthe same box that Hal and Bill found the monkey in as children. Except that Hal, as we find out via flashbacks, threw the monkey down a well on the property decades earlier.Even after Hal and Bill discover the monkey hidden in a closet of their fathers things and shove it back in there, it manages to find its way onto one of the boys shelves. It also manages to kill Hals friend (broken neck from a fall), Bills pal (hit by a car), and the boys mother (an aneurysm), along with Uncle Wills dog, Aunt Idas cat, and eventually, its implied, Aunt Ida herself. When it comes back years later, Hal and Petey drive out to a lake, where Hal shoves it in a bag weighed down with rocks and drops it into the deepest part of a lake. Although he almost doesnt make it back to shore as his boat comes apart and the water begins to literally seethe around him, he does surviveand the monkey is possibly vanquished.The movie makes one important changeOsgood Perkins takes a number of liberties with Kings story as he expands it for the screen, and as we mentioned, he plays The Monkey as much more of a black comedy than a straight horror tale. But he does make one crucial change: in Kings story, the monkey often activates itselfit doesnt need anyone to wind it up and set it in motion. In the movie, someone has to turn the key in the monkeys back, as Hal and Bill (who are twins in the film, played by Christian Convery as kids and Theo James as adults) find out to their horror. There are two more wrinkles: even if you wish for someone specific to die, the monkey picks its victim(s) of its own volition, while the person who winds it up is spared.In a key scene, the socially awkward Halfed up with the cooler, brasher Bills constant teasing and tormentturns the monkeys key and wishes for Bill to die. Their mother (Tatiana Maslany) dies instead, filling Hal with unbearable guilt and Bill with pathological rage when he finds out what his brother did. This drives a wedge between the two, who are estranged as adults after being raised by Uncle Chip (Perkins himself) and Aunt Ida (Sarah Levy), portrayed here as dissolute louts and not the kindly people in the story.Bill remains behind and becomes a recluse, while Hal marries and has a sonalthough he eventually leaves his family in order to keep them as distant from him as possible, alienating his son in the process, for fear that the monkeys curse still follows him even though he tossed the toy down the well. When Aunt Ida dies, the monkey is found in her house and included in an estate salewhere a local wastrel named Ricky (Rohan Campbell) buys it (in a new subplot that is one of Perkins less effective additions).Join our mailing listGet the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox!Bill calls Hal, telling him that the monkey has reappeared and they must find it and get rid of it again. Hal returns to their hometown with his son Petey (Colin OBrien) in tow, the two having been on a rare vacation together. But its Bill himself who hired Ricky to purchase the monkey for him, part of a plan all along to lure Hal back to town, where he wants to use the monkey to murder his brother as revenge for their mothers death. At the end of the film, Hal and Petey finally confront Bill and the monkeybut its Bill who ends up dead. Hal and Petey leave town, taking the monkey with them as a precaution, even while it leaves a trail of destruction in the town behind them.The monkey takes on new meaningKings original story makes the monkey almost a force unto itselfas we said, it doesnt really seem to need winding in order to work its malevolent magic. The monkey in the story represents not just death, but Hals past, his guilt, and possibly his own destructive impulseswhen the monkey is around, he becomes increasingly agitated and even violent toward his family. In the movie, however, one has to consciously wind the monkey to set it in motion, making its symbolism as a vehicle for ones own vengeance more direct, even if that vengeance has unforeseen consequences when the monkey kills of its own accord and not according to the users wishes.Hal wishes his brother dead and ends up killing their mom instead; Bill, unable to forgive Hal and driven insane by it, wishes Hal dead even though he knows it wont work and that the monkey will act on its ownas it does when it kills many of the people in the town around him. The consequences of ones own actions, and whether one accepts or denies responsibility for them, becomes just as much a theme of Perkins film as the unavoidable nature of death itself and generational trauma (the brothers father bringing the monkey home and then leaving his family behind creates all these repercussions).By the end of the film, as he and Petey drive away, Hal has learned to accept both his own responsibility and the fact that the reaper eventually comes for everyonesomething Bill was unable to do. He and Petey are back on good terms, and he realizes that the monkey will never leave their lives entirely, so he decides to keep it with them, where at least no one (hopefully) will get their hands on it. In the story, Hal is still uneasy after throwing the monkey in the lake, imagining that someone might fish it out one day, even as he and his family get back to normality. In the movie, Hal accedes to a new normal, one in which hes no longer weighed down by fear, even if that damn monkey is still with him.The Monkey is in theaters now.

The post Grab a Club: PGA Tour 2K25 Legend & Deluxe Editions Now Available for Xbox Series X|S appeared first on Xbox Wire.

Welcome to Next Week on Xbox! In this weekly feature we cover all the games coming soon to Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, the Xbox App on Windows PC, and Game Pass! Get more details on these upcoming games below and click their profiles for further info (release dates subject to change). Lets jump in!Spectre DivideMountaintop StudiosGet it nowSpectre Divide February 25Optimized for Xbox Series X|SA genre-evolving 3v3 tactical shooter driven by Duality. Use Duality to control two bodies in real-time, letting you defend two sites at once, cover your own cross, or even trade yourself. Master tactical gunplay and an arsenal of future tech to achieve infamy.ConquistadorioUpscale StudioGet it nowConquistadorio- February 26Optimized for Xbox Series X|SThe conqueror, who has gone through many trials in his life, decided to retire and become a hermit, to simply lie in his solitary cave away from people. But fate throws new challenges even in such a simple endeavor. The tomb where he loves to sleep has disappeared. Now he must embark on a quest to find it and solve many mysteries along the way.Crime Opera Fandisk: The Caterpillar Candids Eastasiasoft LimitedGet it nowCrime Opera Fandisk: The Caterpillar Candids February 26Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart DeliveryIn this new anthology release of Crime Opera, explore a variety of short stories that take place before, during and after the events of the original visual novel, all presented in beautifully crafted hand-drawn style to convey the drama, emotion and gritty truth surrounding characters lives in the criminal underworld.Crime Opera II: The Floodgate Effect Eastasiasoft LimitedGet it nowCrime Opera II: The Floodgate Effect February 26Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart DeliveryExperience a new chapter in the mafia tale surrounding the Gallos family! This story begins 9 years after the original. Xander Gallo is now bitter, alone and out of control. Hes causing problems for not only other families within the syndicate but also for younger Gallo members as well.Hidden PawsSilesia Games Sp. z o.o.Get it nowHidden Paws February 26Xbox Play AnywhereOpen cars and boxes, rummage through piles of wood, search the forests. Cats are well hidden, but they meow when you get near so listen closely and you might just be able to find them all. Features more than twelve charming winter landscapes with over 120 little cats to find.Rabbit Raid (Xbox Series X|S)Sometimes You$9.99$7.99Pre-orderFree TrialRabbit Raid February 26Optimized for Xbox Series X|SSave your family by going on an adventure as a cute bunny. Collect berries, find secrets with bonuses, throw objects at enemies or jump on them to win. Find secret stars and change costumes. Defeat the bosses and get to the last one to save the little rabbits from captivity. Explore green fields, caves, rivers, snowy mountains, icy lakes, deserts and ruins.Crowns and Pawns: Kingdom of DeceitHeadupGet it nowCrowns and Pawns: Kingdom of Deceit February 27Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart DeliveryCrowns and Pawns is a modern-day point and click adventure. The game highlights the less-explored history of Europe. Experience the legendary stories of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, bring to light the villainous branch of the KGB, solve puzzles and follow hints to reveal the secrets of the King who was never crowned.Glover (QUByte Classics)QUByte Interactive & Bleem!Get it nowGlover (QUByte Classics) February 27Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart DeliveryThe cult classic from the 90s returns! Glover is a charming 3D platformer where you control a magical glove on a quest to restore balance to the kingdom. Roll, jump, and manipulate your magic ball to solve puzzles, overcome challenges, and defeat the evil glove threatening the world!Pirate TrailsAfil GamesGet it nowPirate Trails February 27Optimized for Xbox Series X|SReady to set sail on an adventure full of challenges and treasures? In Pirate Trails, you are the master cartographer of the seven seas. But instead of sailing, your mission is to chart the best course for pirate ships to collect treasures and safely anchor at the final port. Rotate and swap hexagonal tiles to create the perfect route but beware, a wrong path might lead your ship straight to the Kraken!Prison Loop (Xbox Series X|S)Sometimes You$4.99$3.99Pre-orderPrison Loop February 27Optimized for Xbox Series X|SEmbark on a journey of anomalies and repetition in Prison Loop, a captivating puzzle game. Test your observation skills, critical thinking, and ability to manipulate time to your advantage. Explore a meticulously designed prison filled with hidden secrets, atmospheric details, and haunting visuals.Two Point Museum: Explorer EditionSEGA$39.99Pre-orderTwo Point Museum: Explorer Edition February 27Optimized for Xbox Series X|STwo Point Countys most daring adventurers have travelled to the far reaches of the known map and returned with unique artefacts to host in your museum, along with the coordinates of a new expedition location, home to an exclusive special exhibit and events! The Explorer Edition brings a selection of decorative items to embellish your halls, walls and floors with bespoke designs and well-travelled statues. As well as exclusive items to help your experts replenish faster to send out on more expeditionsHanoi Puzzles: Solid MatchHanoi StudiosGet it nowHanoi Puzzles: Solid Match February 28Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery / Xbox Play AnywhereA new game concept inspired by the classic Tower of Hanoi. Assemble towers stacking pieces of the same color on a hexagonal board with a mysterious and relaxing atmosphere. Unlock blocked hexagonal cells by building a tower of the same color to open new paths and advance in the resolution of the level.Justice Ninja CaseyRatalaika Games S.L.Get it nowJustice Ninja Casey February 28Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart DeliveryAn unremarkable princess in an unremarkable castle has been kidnapped by a group of mysterious ninjas. Luckily for her, a young ninja named Casey is aware of the situation and embarks on a mission to save her because he is the Ninja of Justice! Join Casey and learn the art of ninjutsu as he explores a land full of secrets and dangerous enemies!Monster Hunter WildsCAPCOM CO., LTD.$69.99Pre-orderMonster Hunter Wilds February 28Optimized for Xbox Series X|SThe ultimate hunting experience awaits you in Monster Hunter Wilds. Fulfill your duty as a Hunter, tracking down and defeating powerful monsters while forging strong new weapons and armor from the materials you harvest, as you work to uncover the connection between the people of the Forbidden Lands and the locales they inhabit.Paper Plane Arena ShamansEpiXR Games$9.99Pre-orderPaper Plane Arena Shamans February 28An interactive game experience that is designed to ease your mind and have fun popping innocent balloons. Jump into the role of a little paper plane that is supposed to rescue the world from evil balloon demons by dashing through them. An excellent game for relaxing and blowing off some steam after an exhausting day of hassle.PGA TOUR 2K252K26$69.99Pre-orderPGA Tour 2K25 February 28Optimized for Xbox Series X|SThe master of golf sims is back! Tee off with the worlds top golfers on the most storied courses on golfs biggest stages. Pre-order PGA Tour 2K25 Standard Edition and receive the Extra Butter x adidas Pack, which includes actor, pretty great golfer, and now playable character Chris McDonald. Included are three stylish cosmetics hat, jacket and shoes. Plus, with your pre-order (by February 27, 2025), youll also get PGA Tour 2K23 Standard Edition (digital) to play while you wait!

The design industry is filled with controversial topics, such as the debate between open-concept and closed floor plans or choosing between open shelving and kitchen cabinets. However, the biggest pet peeve among interior designers might be seeing a television on full display in a beautifully curated house. Unfortunately, a big, black rectangle just doesn't coordinate beautifully into a midcentury modern living room or any particularly trendy space. Plus, if your off-hours don't often revolve around watching the new season of The White Lotus, it can end up being an obtrusive eyesore. So, if you lean toward Team Hidden TV, we're here to help.There are plenty of creative ways to hide your TV from camouflaging your television with the wall behind it to physically shutting it away when it's not in use. You don't even need to set aside a huge budget to complete this home projectthere are more options than you might've first thought. This means there are a few solutions for each side of the spectrum when it comes to cost. Keep reading for 25 clever ways to hide your TV from designers so you can have the best of all worlds: a serene, screen-free space and all your household's favorite streaming services, right at your fingertips.Additional copy by Hadley Mendelsohn.For more sleek home inspiration:1Match the Frame to Other AccentsRead McKendreeIts no secret that many designers find the Samsung Frame TV to be beautiful, but designer Ariel Okin takes it a step further by adding a literal frame to the Frame. This hidden-TV tactic ensures that it matches other elements in the space, such as the fireplace screen, thus hiding it in plain sight. Tour the Entire Home2Camouflage ItGieves AndersonIf you dont want to think about your TV when its off, you can cleverly camouflage it. In this living room, designer Emily Del Bello painted a shadowy accent wall black and mounted the TV thereyou wouldn't even notice it at first glance when it's off.Tour the Entire HomeAdvertisement - Continue Reading Below3Put It in a ClosetKerri McCaffetyIn a room as traditional and cohesive as this, you probably don't want a big black rectangle interrupting your aesthetic, so do what designer Lynne Uhalt did and hide your TV in a closet. This guest room is heavily inspired by European interiors and architecture, but Uhalt still wanted the guests to be able to watch TV and relax in bed. As a design-friendly solution, she put the TV in one of the closets that are still large enough to hold clothes. TOUR THE ENTIRE HOME4Store It in a CredenzaKaryn R. MilletDesigner John Wooden maximized limited square footage in his clients' cottage by cleverly hiding items, such as placing their TV in a beautiful credenza. One of the simplest methods to hide your TV is by incorporating it into furniture that already complements the space. This wooden credenza fits perfectly in the room, making it an ideal spot for a hidden TV.TOUR THE ENTIRE HOMEAdvertisement - Continue Reading Below5Get Clever With FabricPaul RaesideIn a maximalist, highly colorful space like this, Shazalynn Cavin-Winfrey couldn't see how a TV could work in the room, so she decided to hide it in the green cabinet in the back. However, the designer took it a step further and covered the glass with fabric that pulls hues from the rest of the room. TOUR THE ENTIRE HOME6Create a Floating Credenza Jonathan BishopEverick Brown designed a statement wall encased in custom steel with walnut insets to create a floating credenza for a hidden TV. A console table behind the sofa helps separate the two living room zones.TOUR THE ENTIRE HOMEAdvertisement - Continue Reading Below7Disguise It as Abstract Art Nicole FranzenDesigned to look like abstract artwork, Kristin Fine hid the TV behind modern paneling above the fireplace. It suits the neutral tones nicely and maintains the refined and grown-up atmosphere while also ensuring that it's family-friendly. TOUR THE ENTIRE HOME8Match Your TV to the DecorNathan SchroderThis living room sitting area revolves around the corner fireplace. To ensure that the TV didn't take up too much valuable visual space, designer Denise McGaha invested in a Samsung Frame disguised it as a photograph that complements the blue and grey color scheme. TOUR THE ENTIRE HOMEAdvertisement - Continue Reading Below9Hide It Behind Cabinet DoorsTRIA GIOVANThis outdoor living room designed by Amanda Lindroth is the perfect place to entertain and unwind. Look closely at the pagoda-shaped cabinet above the fireplace and you'll notice that it opens to reveal a hidden TV. It was based on a design from St. Michael's Mount castle in England. TOUR THE ENTIRE HOME10Hang It in the KitchenPaige RumoreWhat do you do in a busy kitchen where the children love TV and the mom doesn'tbut she does want to keep an eye on said kids? Enter the Samsung Frame, once again making it all work in family homes with competing interests and preferences, like in April Tomlin Interiors designer Sarah Rogers's kitchen here. TOUR THE ENTIRE SPACEAdvertisement - Continue Reading Below11Put It in a PaintingANNIE SCHLECHTERA bi-fold panel painting by Stuart Coleman Budd hides a TV, but the goal was to be transparent. Bronze hinges honestly express that its a movable screenthat this is true kinetic art, says architect Ken Pursley of Pursley Dixon Architecture.TOUR THE ENTIRE HOME12Install a Hidden Pop-Up FunctionDana MeilijsonThis formal living room designed by Mark Cunningham doubles as a more relaxed and casual hangout room. To ensure that it could do both well, Cunningham built a hidden TV into the back wall shelf that pops up when the occupants want to unwind with a good movie. TOUR THE ENTIRE SPACEAdvertisement - Continue Reading Below13Surround It With a Gallery WallCourtesy of Veneer DesignsDont hide it, just make it one with your wall. This gallery wall of various-sized framed prints blends in with the Samsung Frame TV, which has a wood frame and a rotating display of art images. None of my clients' guests realize its a TV when they first walk into the room, says Natalie Myer of Veneer Designs.14Customize Paneled Cabinets Nicole FranzenCustom paneling over a fireplace elevates the television area in this bedroom lounge zone by Studio McGee. Flush with the fireplace facade and further disguised by a custom mirror, the hidden TV definitely will not be ruining the chic decor scheme here. Related Story: Shea McGee Just Dropped a Cottagecore Home Collab With a Major Fashion BrandAdvertisement - Continue Reading Below15Go for an Antique LookCourtesy of CeCe Barfield ThompsonDesigner CeCe Barfield Thompson hid a TV behind a retractable antique mirror for max glam. In an oak-paneled Manhattan library, I designed an antique mirror to hide the wall-mounted television, Thompson says. The mirror's lower panels retract like a garage door to reveal an entertainment system behind. This mechanism allowed us to create a room that was incredibly functional, without sacrificing an ounce of beauty!Related Story: This Manhattan Apartment Showcases an Abundance of Antiques and Contemporary Art16Rethink Cabinet DoorsHeidi CaillierHere's another example of custom cabinetry with a hidden TV. A sliding door flush with the wood accent wall makes this media room designed by Heidi Caillier extra discrete and prettythat custom upholstery, drapery, and grasscloth are too good not to get lost in the entertainment system shuffle. Advertisement - Continue Reading Below17Go GlamCourtesy of Nina FarmerDesigner Nina Farmer took the most elegant approach possiblehiding her TV in a custom mirrored cabinet atop the mantel. The living room needed a concealed TV due to the formality of the architecture, she says. Hand-blown mirror was used on the doors so that the enclosure fit with the original 1850s marble mantel. It has concealed hinges and no pull, so when its closed, you would never know whats behind it.18Distract Your EyeCourtesy of Eche MartinezIf you cant outright conceal your screen, the key is to avoid the black hole effect when its off. I always try to blend them into the architecture of the house, says designer, Eche Martinez. We recently completed a project in Belvedere, CA where the homeowners were hesitant about installing a TV in their living room. To solve this, we decided that the best way to divert attention from the TV when it was not in use was to have an oversized, freestanding piece of art right next to it. Clients loved it, and above all, the piece looks great in the room."Advertisement - Continue Reading Below19Get a Picture TVVictoria PearsonThis LG OLED TV is a game-changer. When youre done watching, switch it to Gallery Mode for gorgeous photos accompanied by mood-enhancing music. The LG OLED TV is as advanced as they come. Its extremely thin, and has the ability to look like a piece of art instead of a black hole, says designer Sherry Hart.TOUR THE ENTIRE SPACE20Use a Texture-Rich PanelCourtesy of Pappas MironA sliding panel is a sleek, clean-lined way to keep your TV out of eyesight. We opted for a more mobile approach and arrived at the idea for a sliding panel, says New York design firm Pappas Miron. During daily life as the family is together, the Venetian plastered and steel trimmed panel can rest in front of the adjacent bookshelf. As the hour strikes to host a cocktail party, the clients can easily slide the panel to cover the TV and reveal the bookcase and bar area.