I missed out on the original Yes, Your Grace when it launched in 2020, but I devoured it on my phone in a single evening. My only issue with the kingdom management title? There wasnt enough of it. Thankfully, the launch of its sequel, Yes, Your Grace: Snowfall is right around the corner, and a free Steam Next Fest demo is now available, full of morally ambiguous decisions to weigh heavily on your soul.Snowfall picks up shortly following the events of Yes, Your Grace, with a short animatic to fill you in, if you didnt get around to playing the original. Yes, Your Grace focused on the trials of the established patriarch of a royal household attempting to secure his legacy and keep his subjects satisfied. The major narrative threads in the original carry over to the sequel, and while youre presented with the option to have a default storyline chosen for you, you can also fill in your choices from the original title.The gameplay loop of Snowfall is similar to the original. Each week, citizens from your lands, foreign diplomats, and even your family members will line up to present you with their problems. Solving these issues without incident will typically require you to exert some type of resource, whether thats money, effort, influence, or something else entirely. Snowfall expands on the decision-making beyond a simple dialogue choice. Where many of the resources you had at your disposal in the original were more abstract, you now have the option to mix and match items or agents with specific qualities to handle the task at hand. This gives you more flexibility in how you tackle certain problems, but forces you to put more thought into how your resources are distributed.Not every decision is life or death, but youll rarely have enough of anything to satisfy everyone, and Yes, Your Grace is quick to teach you that virtually every decision you make, no matter how small, will have repercussions at some point throughout the story.In addition to the story that continues the narrative established in the original, Snowfall will have a survival mode. This feature isnt currently planned to make it in time for launch, but is available to try in the demo. The survival mode forgoes the sweeping narrative threads and forces you to maintain the balance of your kingdom for as long as possible.Yes, Your Grace: Snowfall doesnt have a firm launch date but is currently slated to arrive sometime in Q1 2025 on Windows PC, macOS, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox. Until then, Id highly recommend checking out the demo and playing the original if you havent already.

More than two years ago, barely a month after Marvel Snap officially launched, data miners discovered something hidden in the competitive card games files. In addition to Marvel superheroes like Spider-Man, Iron Man, and Wolverine, the decidedly not-superpowered Uncle Ben was in Marvel Snap. Uncle Bens in-game function was to Marvel Snap players, anyway hilarious: When this card is destroyed, add Spider-Man to your hand.That card description is both amusingly grim and accurate to Uncle Bens role in Marvel Comics history. Bens death at the hands of a petty criminal is the catalyst for Peter Parker assuming his crime-fighting role as the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.As Marvel Snap cards go, the ability to usher in Spider-Man to ones game is a near-perfect implementation of a Marvel characters defining identity matching their in-game ability on par with, say, the Rogue card stealing an opponent cards ability or Arnim Zola destroying a friendly card and duplicating it twice. But despite how well designed the Uncle Ben card was, its been sitting in Marvel Snap, unreleased, for more than two years.The wait has finally come to an end with the launch of Marvel Snaps new limited-time game mode Sanctum Showdown. In that mode, players can earn a new currency through Sanctum Showdown matches and spend it on new cards, including Uncle Ben, Gorgon, and Laufey.So why now, and why Uncle Ben? Glenn Jones, principal game designer on Marvel Snap at studio Second Dinner, tells Polygon that Ben Parkers path to the Sanctum Sanctorum all started with a cute pitch.Early on in Marvel Snap, [the team] really expected to restrict card development to superheroes or supervillains, or at least people who could compete with them on the same level, like SHIELD agents, Jones says. But someone on the team had suggested the design for Uncle Ben, which is very similar to what we have now. The initial design was found so charming by the team at the time that they got some art, put the card into the files, got everything kind of squared away for it and then just decided theyd wait to figure out how to release it.Uncle Bens card has changed slightly in the years since it was first discovered by players its function is now When this card is destroyed, replace it with Spider-Man and its been sitting in the games back end for years. Second Dinner hopes to take advantage of the notoriety.Were looking for ways that we can kind of add some panache, a little bit of excitement to a new game mode, Jones says. We wanted to release multiple cards [with Sanctum Showdown], to kind of show a range of cards from different stories, and Uncle Ben was something we had available. Everyones familiar with the tale, and it just felt like it might be the right time to feature him.While Uncle Ben doesnt necessarily line up with the theme of Sanctum Showdown, which is Doctor Strange-themed, Jones says that Second Dinner didnt want to release him as a one-off extra card in some Spider-Man-themed season. It was more about wanting to find the right time and the right opportunity.We didnt have another moment on the horizon [where] we were like, Thats going to be the best moment for Uncle Ben. I also come from certainly a philosophy of, if you have a good idea today, dont wait for a better one tomorrow. Lets go ahead and give people the thing that we think will make them happy.In the intervening years between Bens discovery and his release, Jones says the Second Dinner team has also changed a bit of [their] own understanding about the kinds of people [they] might even want to make in cards, adding, Whos to say we wont perhaps see an Aunt May [card] one day?Sanctum Showdown, which runs from Feb. 25 to March 11, mixes up Marvel Snaps game rules. Rather than fighting to win two locations (out of three) in a match that lasts six rounds, players will instead see themselves contesting a specific location round by round, trying to amass 16 points to be the winner.Sanctum Showdown bends and breaks the rules of Marvel Snap, Jones says, by making each round a winning or losing round. In the core mode of Marvel Snap, players are often trying to build toward a big win on turn six, while sometimes fighting for control of certain contested locations, like Asgard or Eternity Range. Like other limited-time game modes in Snap (e.g., High Voltage, Deadpools Diner), Sanctum Showdown has its share of banned cards, like Galactus, Storm, and Magik, that run counter to the modes design.The new limited-time mode requires an entry fee in the form of Scrolls. If players win a game of Sanctum Showdown, theyll get their entry Scroll refunded. If they lose a game, they lose a Scroll, and will need to wait for a cooldown period to earn a new one. Players will get some Scrolls for free, and Jones says that there will be other ways to earn Scrolls, including Twitch Drops.Addressing concerns that players will be forced to pay to earn enough Scrolls to be competitive, Jones says, I think that players will be surprised by how much they get to play, relative to some of the concerns they may have had about it mirroring some issues with Deadpools Diner, where you could play two games and just be done. Thats certainly not going to be true on day one of Sanctum Showdown.As players progress through Sanctum Showdown, theyll earn Charms, which can be spent in a mode-specific shop on cosmetics and new cards. The latter includes Uncle Ben, of course, and two other new additions to Snap: the Frost Giant Laufey and the Inhuman Gorgon.Those three new cards are a very eclectic mix [] of mechanics and effects, Jones says. Uncle Ben will give players of destroy and move decks some potential new tech, while Gorgon will address some frustrations players have had with Arishem decks, Jones says, and Laufey will steal other cards power, similar to the way the location Jotunheim (Laufeys home) affects cards.And what of that Aunt May card that Jones hinted at earlier? How would she work, you know, hypothetically? I ask.Jones says that a potential Aunt May card could adapt her location ability to power up and move cards, but that wilder potential ideas are also on the table.There are also some lesser-known tales of Aunt May, Jones said. Of course, she married Dr. Octopus [in the comics]*, so maybe some reference to his effect in the game. She also was Herald of Galactus at one point**, so the Golden Oldie is not off the table. That variant seems pretty exciting to me. So yeah, I can see a lot of different potential Aunt Mays, to be honest. * See Amazing Spider-Man #131** See Marvel Team-Up #137

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.As tech reviewers get their hands on the latest TVs and write their reviews, a picture starts to take shape on which are the best TVs for every category. For those looking for the best bang-for-your-buck a tier above "budget TVs," the jury is still out between TCL's QM7 and Hisense's U7N. Really, it comes down to preference or a good dealand right now, Hisense's U7N lineup is seeing great discounts. The best one is the 75-inch U7N currently going for $859.99 (originally $1,499.98) after a 43% discount, its lowest price ever, according to price-tracking tools. Panel Type: QLED, Screen Size: 55 inches, Resolution: 3,840 by 2,160, Refresh Rate: 144Hz. 55-inch Hisense U7N $498.00 at Amazon $798.00 Save $300.00 Get Deal Get Deal $498.00 at Amazon $798.00 Save $300.00 Panel Type: QLED, Screen Size: 65 inches, Resolution: 3,840 by 2,160, Refresh Rate: 144Hz. 65-inch Hisense U7N $698.00 at Amazon Get Deal Get Deal $698.00 at Amazon Panel Type: QLED, Screen Size:75 inches, Resolution: 3,840 by 2,160, Refresh Rate: 144Hz. 75-inch Hisense U7N $859.99 at Amazon $1,499.98 Save $639.99 Get Deal Get Deal $859.99 at Amazon $1,499.98 Save $639.99 Panel Type: QLED, Screen Size: 85 inches, Resolution: 3,840 by 2,160, Refresh Rate: 144Hz. 85-inch Hisense U7N $1,297.96 at Amazon $2,199.99 Save $902.03 Get Deal Get Deal $1,297.96 at Amazon $2,199.99 Save $902.03 SEE 1 MORE The U7N came out last summer and has been head-to-head with the QM7. The U7N is a QLED TV, which is the best technology for a TV before crossing over to OLED. The U7N is bright for a midrange QLED, reaching levels of over 1,500 nits, and the colors are accurate, according to PCMag's "excellent" review. I like Google TV's interface, since I get to cast my phone directly onto the screen, and all the free channels never hurt. Of course that also means you can use Google Assistant and Apple AirPlay to control your TV.If you're a gamer, you'll enjoy the U7N's 6.2 millisecond input lag when you switch to Game mode. The 144Hz variable refresh rate (VRR) with AMD FreeSync Premium Pro will make games look smooth (as well as sports). For those who like to know if you're getting what you're paying for in specs, the Google TV has a Game Bar feature that shows you specs like frame rate and resolution, as well as quick access to other settings gamers use.The main complaint on the U7N is that details on shadows can look a bit washed out, but this isn't something most people will notice. At the current price, this U7N is a better deal than the QM7 and the value QLED TV you can buy right now.

More social platforms are increasingly axing third-party fact checking as a control against misinformation in favor of user-generated notes on existing content. Last month, Mark Zuckerberg announced plans to cut fact-checking programs on Meta platformsFacebook, Instagram, and Threadsand replace them with Community Notes, which add corrections and context to posts that are "confusing or potentially misleading." A similar feature launched on Twitter in January 2021 as the Birdwatch program, which was rebranded as Community Notes and expanded after Elon Musk acquired the platform in 2022. Community Notes exist in lieu of the ability to report misleading content on X. Musk has both praised the feature as "awesome" and said he is "working to fix" it. X users can still apply to contribute their own notes. YouTube has also tested a community notes feature that allows users to add context to videos on the platform. Those who meet eligibility criteria can sign up for the program's waitlist in the YouTube mobile app (under Profile > Settings > General > Help inform viewers). When Community Notes are submitted on Meta's platforms by approved contributors, other approved contributors have to agree that the context is helpful before the note is actually published on a post (though the threshold for what constitutes a "helpful" note isn't clear). According to Meta's FAQ, Community Notes will be phased in and visible to users across its apps "over the next few months." How to sign up to write Meta Community NotesAs of this writing, Meta has a waitlist for users to be notified once the Community Notes beta launches. You can join the waitlist via Facebook, Instagram, or Threads. Only U.S.-based users are eligible, and you must be over 18, have an account that is older than 6 months and in good standing, and have either a verified phone number or two-factor authentication set up on your account.

Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector is one of my favorite games of the year, so you'll forgive me if I spend the next 300 words or so writing about a limited-edition plush the game's creator, Gareth Damian Martin, is producing with the help of crowdfunding platform Makeship. Starting today, you can pledge $30 to support Martin's campaign, and if enough other people do as well, everyone will get a cute cat plush sometime later this year. The toy was designed by French illustrator Guillaume Singelin, who also did the character designs for the game. Right now, the campaign is sitting at 45 percent funded with 90 toys sold, and the better part of 22 days to go. And I mean look at the plush, isn't it one of the cutest things you've seen? For the uninitiated, the Stray, not to be confused with another cyberpunk cat, is one of the characters Citizen Sleeper 2's protagonist can encounter during their journey. As far as I'm aware, they only appear in one scene throughout the entire runtime of the game (how very cat-like of them, I know), but it's a moment that's emblematic of so many of Citizen Sleeper 2's strengths. "This cat, the one on your ship, was born here. That much is obvious," writes Martin in the scene. "It is a creature of zero-gravity, a being that orbits and glides, not one that leaps and stalks." Without spoiling anything, what follows is a touching and thoughtful meditation on memory, and how we can choose whether our memories define us. If you haven't played Citizen Sleeper 2 yet, consider this a recommendation. It is easily worth your time and more. You can play the game on Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. As for the Stray, they're expected to start shipping on June 12, 2025.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/im-writing-about-this-cute-cat-plush-so-you-play-one-of-2025s-best-games-223325680.html?src=rss

The Federal Aviation Agency has started testing Starlink terminals for upgrades to the networks that manage airspace, creating the latest conflict of interest between the US government and Elon Musk. The FAA posted (fittingly on the social network Musk also owns) that it is testing a Starlink terminal in Atlantic City, NJ, and two terminals in Alaska. The post claims that the department had been considering using the SpaceX tech since the prior presidential administration.The agency, which oversees all areas of civil aviation, has levied fines and required reviews over the years related to various SpaceX operations. Most recently, the agency ordered SpaceX to investigate what caused a mid-flight explosion with its Starship rocket last month.A source told Bloomberg that Musk had approved a shipment of 4,000 Starlink terminals to the FAA last week. The agency has an existing contract with Verizon Communications, worth $2 billion, for supporting and maintaining its infrastructure. Bloomberg's sources were unsure how the Starlink tests would impact the Verizon deal.This isn't the first time a Musk-owned business has benefited since the South African billionaire inserted himself into the US political landscape. He and his so-called DOGE group has been leading cuts within the federal ranks, including at the FAA and at other departments that oversee his companies. For instance, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration saw about a 10 percent reduction to its staff this month, including cuts to the small division overseeing autonomous vehicles such as those from Tesla.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/amid-a-musk-led-overhaul-the-faa-starts-doing-business-with-spacex-221900620.html?src=rss

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The challenges businesses face today are increasingly unpredictable and interdependent. Traditional business structures were built for different times and different challenges. These models helped companies to scale and thrive in a more predictable world, where efficiency, clear hierarchies, and specialization were the keys to success. But as the world has evolved, so too have the conditions for innovation.In todays fast-paced, globalized, and complex world, these outdated models actively hold teams back. Silos trap expertisepreventing the flow of fresh ideasrigid hierarchies create bottlenecks that slow down decision making when speed is essential, and a lack of clear vision can drain energy and resources, leaving critical problems unsolved. These traditional models arent just inefficientthey actively stifle innovation, making it harder to succeed in this new, rapidly evolving environment. This stagnation is evident in the U.S. economy, where labor productivity growth has significantly slowed since 2005. To break out of this productivity slump, companies need to adopt new models and modes of working that cultivate innovation and can keep pace with the modern rate of change.Build a foundation for innovationAt Whipsaw, collaboration is at the core of our ethos and process. Its built into our very namea whipsaw requires back-and-forth coordination between two operators to succeed. We know the best results come from continuous collaboration between our team and our clientsas well as the dynamic back-and-forth between design and engineering. For over two decades, weve crafted an environment where teams from all disciplines collaborate seamlessly to design beautiful, functional solutions to pressing problems.While speed is often critical, true innovation isnt always a linear or efficient process. It thrives in the space between exploration and executionwhere deep thinking, expansive exploration, and iteration are essential. Weve learned that to achieve great results, teams need the time and space to experiment, make mistakes, and refine their ideas. Weve been able to tackle complex challenges for our clients by designing a process that provides the time and creative space necessary for innovation while maintaining the momentum required to stay aligned with client deadlines. This approach ensures both exploration and execution happen at the right pace. Weve developed a frameworkclarity, collaboration, and confidenceto help businesses innovate while navigating todays world. Here are three practical steps that can elevate your innovation process:1. Start with clarity: Define the whyClarity is the foundation of any successful innovation effort. It ensures that everyoneinternally and externallyunderstands the problem being solved and why it matters. But often, the only thing clear at the start of a project is the process itself. Navigating ambiguity is a natural part of the innovation journey. We guide our clients through that uncertainty by spending time during our discovery phase to clarify business, customer, market, and technological needs, helping internal and client teams align and move forward with a shared vision.2. Nurture collaboration: Tap into collective expertiseCollaboration is the engine of innovation. But its not just about bringing people togetherits about creating an environment where diverse perspectives can thrive. Weve learned from our work with clients that the best ideas emerge when cross-functional teams, clients, and end users are involved. Weve built collaborative practices like co-creation workshops, stakeholder interviews, and design hootenanniesbringing fresh eyes from outside the project team to challenge assumptions and offer new perspectivesinto our process to ensure our innovations are relevant and well-informed. Its about avoiding silos, leveraging collective wisdom, and ensuring that all contributors are aligned toward a common goal.3. Empower confidence: Give teams autonomy to actInnovation requires confidenceconfidence in your teams expertise, vision, and process. Weve learned that autonomy is key to maintaining momentum. Teams need the freedom to make decisions and experiment without navigating endless approvals or rigid structures. But empowerment isnt just about giving the team space to act; its about creating an environment where they feel safe to test ideas, fail fast, and adapt quickly. Weve found success in cultivating a culture of empowerment and growth. While our teams have the autonomy to innovate, they are supported by leaders who know when to encourage exploration and when to provide key insights to drive the next stage of innovationthey guide teams past obstacles and help drive innovation forward, even amidst uncertainty. Weve seen that this blend of autonomy and strategic guidance fuels creativity and accelerates decision making.Dont be forced to follow innovation; lead itThe businesses that win today arent just reacting to changetheyre driving it. Traditional models may have worked in the past, but those old systems will hold you back in todays fast-moving, tech-driven, complex world. The path forward? Embrace clarity, collaboration, and confidencethree simple principles that have helped Whipsaw define new markets and create products with impact. So, if youre looking to stay competitive in todays evolving landscape, its time to foster the right culture, trust your teams, and create innovation built to last.Dan Harden is CEO and principal designer at Whipsaw.