WTF?! Brother, once praised as a consumer-friendly printer manufacturer, is now facing criticism for adopting anti-consumer practices similar to those of its competitors. Louis Rossmann, RepairTuber and right-to-repair advocate, recently voiced his disappointment over Brother's shift toward restrictive policies, particularly regarding third-party toner use. Brother printers had been lauded before for their compatibility with non-OEM toner cartridges, setting them apart from brands like HP. However, recent firmware updates have deliberately degraded print quality when non-Brother toner is used. This shift has left many consumers feeling betrayed and forced into purchasing more expensive OEM toner.The updates go beyond compatibility restrictions. Brother has removed previously available features, such as automatic color registration, for users who opt for third-party toner. While printers still function with non-OEM cartridges, print quality is significantly compromised unless genuine Brother toner is installed.These changes effectively create vendor lock-in through digital rights management, restricting consumer choice and increasing costs.Perhaps most concerning to Rossmann is the deceptive nature of these changes. Rather than outright rejecting third-party toner, Brother printers now engineer a failure that misleads users into believing their non-OEM toner is defective. This subtle manipulation makes it difficult for consumers to pinpoint the root cause of their printing issues.The firmware update process itself has also drawn scrutiny. Updates like version W1.56 are pushed to printers without notifying users of significant functional changes. Once installed, users discover that color registration fails automatically, resulting in misaligned prints. According to Rossmann, Brother support representatives have acknowledged that installing OEM toner immediately resolves these issues, reinforcing suspicions of deliberate functionality restrictions. // Related StoriesAdding to consumer frustration, Brother has removed older firmware versions from its servers, making it nearly impossible to revert to previous, more permissive versions.The real-world impact of these changes is significant. Customers who previously saved money by purchasing third-party toner are now forced to buy expensive OEM cartridges. Consumers were given no prior warning before these updates were installed.A GitHub investigation has shed light on the extent of Brother's actions. Developers found that older firmware versions were systematically removed from Brother's servers, eliminating rollback options. Additionally, discussions on GitHub suggest that each new firmware update further restricts the use of non-Brother toner cartridges.These practices may have legal implications, Rossmann speculates, as deliberate function removal after purchase could potentially qualify as deceptive trade practices in various jurisdictions.Consumers are left with limited options to mitigate these issues. Some have resorted to disabling auto-updates to prevent forced function removal, though this approach may expose them to security risks. Others have attempted to downgrade their firmware, a process that has become increasingly difficult and risky.Masthead credit: NYTimes

Table of ContentsTable of ContentsThe intimidating cost of entryEnjoy the music, its why were hereI dont think its any secret that audiophiles are a prickly, perhaps pretentious, bunch. To an extent, its understandable. When you find something youre passionate about, you have a lot to say about it, and you have some strong feelings and opinions related to it. Add to that, many of us are audiophiles because of an experience a deep memory with a family member or friend, maybe that adds a whole extra level of personal connection. And sometimes those decades old, deeply seeded memories and connections can cause someone to be very protective of the audiophile hobby.But it also has the ability to turn people off from the hobby we love. When an energetic and unassuming new enthusiast brings a question that might be obvious to a more seasoned audiophile, or shows off their first setup that might not have proper speaker placement, there are some that would either forcefully lay into the unsuspecting music lover or sarcastically ridicule them. Sometimes it can stem from the way many of us interact with each other the sarcastic witticisms can often be meant as a good-natured ribbing. Or sometimes it can be someone that needs to feel important and intelligent. If it is well intentioned, though, that doesnt translate across the internet. Then there are the people that are just mean. It sullies the audiophile forums.Recommended VideosNow, before members of that crotchety bunch Not All Audiophiles! me, of course it isnt everyone or everyplace. There are forums on the internet where commenters wont immediately eviscerate someone for asking what they deem to be wrong, or idiotic, or what have you. I generally find the r/audiophile subreddit is full of enthusiastic, smart, and helpful people that also dont always take themselves seriously. And their are obviously good souls that are even part of the more toxic message boards.RelatedThe Sonus faber Suprema speakers. Derek Malcolm / Digital TrendsIn addition to the vitriol we all encounter, just getting in to the audiophile hobby can be intimidating, especially from the cost perspective. These $1,500 speaker cables will capture the delicate, acrobatic character of the music (they wont), or this $30,000 amp is necessary for bring the sound to life (it isnt), or this $50,000 turntable opened up the detail of a recording to unimaginable heights (doubtful). Are there differences between expensive equipment and budget equipment? Sometimes. Is your enjoyment of music dependent on the amount youve spent on your equipment? Theres no need for it to be.We all start somewhere, and for many of us, thats in bargain territory. So what can you focus on to get into the hobby without breaking the bank?While audiophile is in no way synonymous with vinyl nerd, theres a lot of overlap. Is a $1,000 turntable better than a $100 one? Absolutely, but it doesnt mean there arent great turntable options in between. At the lower prices, its important to look for a turntable that has the ability to change out the cartridge. Its not something you need to do right away, but down the road can be a marked improvement. Going from the $50 cartridge a turntable came with to a $200 one can be a drastic change. I recently put a $200 Ortofon 2M Blue cartridge on the Audio-technica LP120 Ive had for years and the clarity and bass response improvements were immediate.Derek Malcolm / Digital TrendsAdd to the turntable a pair of powered speakers that have a phono in the $279 Audioengine A2+ are a tried-and-true example, or the upcoming $299 Onkyo GX-30ARC fit the bill and thats in. Youre good to go. No need to mess with phono pre-amps, or worry about the best stereo receiver or integrated amp, or a hip tube amp.Thats not to say you cant grow into that (and I recommend that you absolutely do). Add in more sources like network music streamer like the Wiim Ultra get an excellent phono preamp like the Rega MM Mk5 to add into your audio chain, upgrade those speakers to a pair of SVS Ultra Evolution Pinnacle, or expand into a full Dolby Atmos system to enjoy spatial audio music.Zeke Jones / Digital TrendsOnce you get started, the world opens up. It just takes that push to get going and not be paralyzed by sticker shock on the aspirational.When it comes down to it, the reason any of us (well, most of us) got into hi-fi gear is because we love listening to music. Those early, pivotal memories of playing records on the family turntable, or hearing Stings bass track from Walking on the Moon come through the walls from an older siblings room, thats the reason we love the speakers, the turntables, the headphones, the CD players, the receivers with VU meters.As a burgeoning audiophile, I impress upon you to try and ignore the blowhards. Theres too much gatekeeping, and its becoming detrimental to the hobby. Focus on the generous, the kind, the scholarly. Let them share their knowledge. Better yet, find the knowledge yourself. Read Dr. Floyd ToolesSound Reproduction book, The Loudspeaker Design Cookbook by Vance Dickason, and AES white papers (the free ones, at least) by Dr. Sean Olive and the Harman team.And enjoy the music. If its on your phone playing from a streaming service, or youre spinning a record, its all about the music. Loving music and wanting it to sound its best is what makes you an audiophile, regardless of opinions spewed or money spent.Editors Recommendations

Table of ContentsTable of ContentsIts one of the most stunning movies ever madeIts story beats are refreshingly broad and basicIt features some remarkable performancesOf all the streaming services out there, Disney+ is the one with the most unified catalog. For the most part, the stuff on there falls into a few big buckets. If you dont like animation, Star Wars, or Marvel, it can be easy to feel like nothing on Disney+ is for you.If youre looking for a major blockbuster thats well worth your time, Avatar: The Way of WaterAvatar, but its not the kind of franchise where every entry is required viewing. Here are three reasons you should check it out:Recommended VideosHave you ever looked at the CGI in a movie and wondered why corporations spend millions of dollars to make their projects look terrible? If so, Avatar: The Way of Watermight be for you. The movie was undoubtedly expensive, but every one of those dollars is on the screen.RelatedDirector James Cameron seems to be the only person alive who actually understands how to make CGI look good, and he uses it to create an entire underwater world in The Way of Water, further expanding on the wonders of Pandora that viewers were treated to in the first movie. There are many CG elements in The Way of Water, but it feels like a real, wondrous, lived-in world.20th Century StudiosCamerons directing instincts favor big and broad emotions, which makes his movies sometimes feel a little bit basic or cheesy. Whats also true, though, is that The Way of WaterIts a thoroughly earnest movie about a family trying to protect one another as they discover a new part of their world. The movie feels like a bit of a throwback, but its hugely refreshing in an era when every major franchise feels the need to tell the audience that theyre in on the joke.20th Century StudiosAlmost every principal character in The Way of Wateris a Navi, meaning all of the performances were done through motion capture. Once again, Cameron proves he understands this technology better than anyone else alive.Zoe Saldana and Kate Winslet are particular standouts, two actresses who seem to understand how to emote inside of technology that fundamentally transforms their performances. Every actor is good, though, including Sam Worthington, who was pilloried for his lack of success following the release of the first film.Stream Avatar: The Way of Water on Disney+.Editors Recommendations

No ice NASA just lost yet another one of its low-cost planetary missions It's increasingly unlikely that Lunar Trailblazer will deliver quality science. Eric Berger Mar 5, 2025 9:57 am | 22 An artist's illustration of the Lunar Trailblazer mission. Credit: Lockheed Martin An artist's illustration of the Lunar Trailblazer mission. Credit: Lockheed Martin Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreSince the Lunar Trailblazer spacecraft launched in late February as a rideshare spacecraft along with a Falcon 9 launch, NASA has been providing a series of increasingly worrisome updates about the health of the small orbiter. Trailblazer appears to be spinning and out of contact with engineers back on Earth.In an update published on Tuesday evening, the space agency acknowledged that a mission operations team at the California Institute of Technology is continuing its efforts to reestablish contact with the 200-kg spacecraft intended to orbit the Moon."Based on telemetry before the loss of signal last week and ground-based radar data collected March 2, the team believes the spacecraft is spinning slowly in a low-power state," the space agency said. "They will continue to monitor for signals should the spacecraft orientation change to where the solar panels receive more sunlight, increasing their output to support higher-power operations and communication."Will not reach science orbitAs a result of these challenges, Lunar Trailblazer has not been able to complete a series of small thruster firings over the last week that would put it on course to enter its planned orbit around the Moon, a polar orbit 100 km above the surface. Upon reaching the Moon about six months from now, the intent of Trailblazer was to study the form, amount, and location of lunar ice in permanently shadowed craters.If communication can be reestablished, the space agency said, it is still possible that Trailblazer could be put into some kind of orbit around the Moon and complete some of its objectives. However, the outlook appears to be fairly grim.The declining fortunes of the Lunar Trailblazer spacecraft raise additional questions about a NASA program to develop these kinds of low-cost missions. Known as the Small Innovative Missions for Planetary Exploration (or SIMPLEx in the tortured acronyms that NASA uses for some of its programs), the program was created to fund lower-cost planetary exploration missions. So far, it has yet to record any successes.A series of failuresAmid the rising cost of its Discovery and New Frontiers-class missions, NASA sought to open a new category of missions that would trade lower cost for higher risk. Unfortunately, the record to date is poor:Q-PACE: A CubeSat mission to study protoplanetary disks launched in 2021 on Virgin Orbit's LauncherOne, but contact was never established with the spacecraft.LunaH-Map: A CubeSat mission to study lunar ice was part of NASA's Artemis I mission in 2022, but likely due to extended launch delays, the spacecraft's propulsion system failed.Janus: A dual-spacecraft mission intended to fly with the Psyche spacecraft in 2022, but due to delays with Psyche altered its trajectory, and the Janus mission's asteroid targets were lost. The two spacecraft are in long-term storage.Lunar Trailblazer: The largest and most ambitious SIMPLEx mission to date, Trailblazer launched on February 28. It is currently in limbo.EscaPADE: A pair of 90-kg spacecraft, these two Mars orbiters were ready to fly on the debut of the New Glenn rocket last fall. After that launch vehicle's delays, they are awaiting a new launch date.Trailblazer was somewhat of an outlier among the other missions in this class. It was significantly larger than most of the other SIMPLEx spacecraft, and its cost exceeded the $55 million cap for such missions. Its cost as of late 2022 was $72 million. Due to this higher value, NASA allocated additional resources to ensure its success. Trailblazer's primary contractor was also swapped from Ball Aerospace to Lockheed Martin.A decadal survey of planetary science priorities that was published in April 2022 found that NASA should increase the cost cap of these missions to $80 million to give them a greater chance of success.Eric BergerSenior Space EditorEric BergerSenior Space Editor Eric Berger is the senior space editor at Ars Technica, covering everything from astronomy to private space to NASA policy, and author of two books: Liftoff, about the rise of SpaceX; and Reentry, on the development of the Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon. A certified meteorologist, Eric lives in Houston. 22 Comments

no it's not a typo Apple intros new Mac Studio models with M4 Max and M3 Ultra? Apple's high-end desktops get a strange (but overdue) mix-and-match refresh. Andrew Cunningham Mar 5, 2025 9:00 am | 23 Apple's new Mac Studio is aimed at people who need something beefier than the Mac mini. Credit: Apple Apple's new Mac Studio is aimed at people who need something beefier than the Mac mini. Credit: Apple Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreApple announced its first Mac Studio updates in nearly two years today, a few months after bringing the M4 and M4 Pro chips to the Mac mini.As before, Apple offers a lower-end and a higher-end configuration of the Mac Studio. The lower-end model is pretty much what you expect: It gives you the same M4 Max processor Apple introduced in the high-end MacBook Pro last year. It has up to 16 CPU cores (10 P-cores, 4 E-cores), up to 40 GPU cores, and a 16-core Neural Engine.The $1,999 base model comes with 14 CPU cores (10 P-cores, 4 E-cores), 32 GPU cores, 36GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage. That model's RAM can't be upgraded until you step up to the fully-enabled M4 Max, which also gets you 48GB of RAM for $300. From there, the desktop can be upgraded with either 64GB or 128GB of RAM, same as the MacBook Pro. Apple's new Mac Studio desktops come with the M4 Max or the M3 Ultra. Credit: Apple The high-end Mac Studio is a bit of a curveball. It comes with an M3 Ultra rather than an M4 Ultra; as with past Ultra chips, this is still essentially two M3 Max processors joined together with a silicon interposer to facilitate high-bandwidth communication. But it puts the high-end Studio in an odd position: It comes with more execution resources than the M4 Max does but is based on an older architecture.The M3 Ultra has up to 32 CPU cores (24 P-cores, 8 E-cores), up to 80 GPU cores, and a 32-core Neural Engine, which is still a big bump over the M4 Max despite the slightly older chip design.The $3,999 base model starts with 28 CPU cores (20 P-cores, 8 E-cores) and 60 GPU cores, 96GB of RAM, and 1TB of storage. This model can be upgraded to 256GB of RAM for $1,600 (!). You could also upgrade to the fully-enabled M3 Max for $1,500, which unlocks the 512GB RAM upgrade for $4,000 (!!). Any of these models can be configured with up to 16TB of storage. A fully-loaded M3 Max Studio will run you over $14,000. The front of the Mac Studio. The M4 Max version has two 10Gbps USB-C on the front, while the M3 Ultra version has Thunderbolt 5 ports. Apple The front of the Mac Studio. The M4 Max version has two 10Gbps USB-C on the front, while the M3 Ultra version has Thunderbolt 5 ports. Apple You get the same ports on both the M4 Max and M3 Ultra Studios, including four Thunderbolt 5 ports. Apple You get the same ports on both the M4 Max and M3 Ultra Studios, including four Thunderbolt 5 ports. Apple The front of the Mac Studio. The M4 Max version has two 10Gbps USB-C on the front, while the M3 Ultra version has Thunderbolt 5 ports. Apple You get the same ports on both the M4 Max and M3 Ultra Studios, including four Thunderbolt 5 ports. Apple Both Mac Studio models have four 120 Gbps Thunderbolt 5 ports, a 10 Gbps Ethernet port, two 5 Gbps USB-A ports, an HDMI port, and an audio jack on the back. Both also include two ports and an SD card reader on the front. On the M4 Max version of the Studio, these are 10 Gbps USB-C ports. On the M3 Ultra version, they're also 120 Gbps Thunderbolt 5 ports. Externally, they're identical to Apple's previous Mac Studios. The Ultra version also remains two pounds heavier than the Max version, thanks to a more robust heatsink inside.The new Mac Studios go up for preorder today and will be available starting March 12, the same date as Apple's new M4 MacBook Airs. Apple didn't update or mention the Mac Pro desktop, which still uses the M2 Ultra chip and still starts at $6,999. But "questioning Apple's continued commitment to the Mac Pro" is status quo for Mac desktop buyers at this point.Andrew CunninghamSenior Technology ReporterAndrew CunninghamSenior Technology Reporter Andrew is a Senior Technology Reporter at Ars Technica, with a focus on consumer tech including computer hardware and in-depth reviews of operating systems like Windows and macOS. Andrew lives in Philadelphia and co-hosts a weekly book podcast called Overdue. 23 Comments

On Wednesday morning, the Supreme Court handed down a very brief order that effectively requires the government to pay foreign aid contractors as much as $2 billion for work theyve already completed. The Courts order is quite narrow and is unlikely to have many implications for future cases.Shortly after President Donald Trump took office for a second time, his administration attempted to halt funding for the US Agency for International Development (USAID). Wednesdays Supreme Court order is the latest chapter in ongoing litigation over whether cutting off this funding is legal. In that order, the Supreme Court leaves in place a lower court decision which forbade the administration from suspending, pausing, or otherwise preventing the obligation or disbursement of appropriated foreign-assistance funds that had been authorized as of January 19.So this is a defeat for Trump, but it is an extremely small one. The Supreme Courts order is only one paragraph long, and it mostly says that the Court will not second-guess the lower court because of an amateurish mistake by acting solicitor general Sarah Harris and the other Justice Department lawyers working on this case. The Supreme Court also decided this case, known as Department of State v. AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition, in a 5-4 vote with Justices Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, and Brett Kavanaugh joining a dissenting opinion by Justice Samuel Alito. That means that, despite Harriss error, four justices nonetheless sided with Trump.Trumps legal team flubbed this case by appealing the wrong lower court orderOn February 13, federal District Judge Amir Ali issued a temporary order suggesting that the Trump administrations suspension of USAID funding was illegally arbitrary because the administration has not offered any explanation for why a blanket suspension of all congressionally appropriated foreign aidwas a rational precursor to reviewing programs for inefficiency or noncompliance with Trumps policy goals. Twelve days later, after the plaintiffs in this case complained that they still had not received payments they are owed by the government, Ali issued a second order seeking to enforce his first. That February 25 order required the State Department and USAID to pay all invoices and letter of credit drawdown requests on all contracts for work completed prior to the entry of the Courts [first order] on February 13.As Alito argues in dissent, there are plausible arguments that Judge Ali erred when he issued the February 13 order. Its possible, for example, that the plaintiffs filed their case in the wrong court Alito suggests this case should have been filed in the Court of Federal Claims, and not in Alis US District Court for the District of Columbia. But the Trump administration inexplicably did not appeal Alis February 13 order. Instead, they only challenged the February 25 order seeking to enforce that first order. That means Alitos concern that some other lower court should have heard this case was not properly raised by the Trump administration.As a majority of the justices explain in their Wednesday order, on February 13, the United States District Court for the District of Columbia entered a temporary restraining order enjoining the Government from enforcing directives pausing disbursements of foreign development assistance funds. The present application does not challenge the Governments obligation to follow that order.That said, the majoritys order does call upon Ali to clarify what obligations the Government must fulfill to ensure compliance with the temporary restraining order, with due regard for the feasibility of any compliance timelines, so there appears to be some concern among the justices in the majority that Ali is requiring the government to fix too much, too quickly.Wednesdays order dodges the biggest issues presented by this caseIn any event, all of the issues raised by both the majority and the dissent in the AIDS Vaccine order whether the government appealed the correct order, whether the plaintiffs sued in the right court, and whether Ali should have proceeded more cautiously are pretty far afield from the big constitutional questions presented by this case.The Trump administration claims to have the power to impound federal funding, meaning that the president can cancel spending appropriated by an act of Congress. But the president does not have this authority under the Constitution. As future Chief Justice William Rehnquist wrote in a 1969 Justice Department memo, it is in our view extremely difficult to formulate a constitutional theory to justify a refusal by the President to comply with a congressional directive to spend.Rehnquists view was echoed by Kavanuagh in a 2013 opinion he wrote as a lower court judge, which said that even the President does not have unilateral authority to refuse to spend funds appropriated by Congress.So, if the Supreme Court ultimately rules that the Constitution still applies to Donald Trump an uncertain prospect after the Courts decision last July holding that he is allowed to use the powers of the presidency to commit crimes it will someday need to rule that Trump cannot impound federal spending.For now, however, the Court appears content to leave that showdown for another day. The Supreme Courts order in the AIDS Vaccine case touches on none of these big issues, and largely turns on a mistake by Justice Department lawyers that they can correct in future cases.See More:

Happy Monster Hunter Wilds week to all who celebrate: Capcoms thrilling action game has sold 8m units in three days, which means that quite a lot of you are likely to be playing it. Im a huge fan of this series and am delighted by the latest entry, but after filing the review last week, Ive barely had a minute to play it since it came out. Regular readers will know that this is a familiar problem for me: I have two kids, so my gaming time is tight, and the living room TV is very often in use.I anticipated this, so in the run-up to Monster Hunter Wilds release, I spent 200 on a PlayStation Portal essentially a screen sandwiched between two halves of a PlayStation 5 controller. I cant decide whether its one of the most unwieldy things that Sony has ever come out with, or one of the most elegant. It lets me stream games from my PS5, so the console can be whirring away under the TV and I can be on the sofa with my little screen, swinging a transforming axe at a dreadful octopus.Heres how the Portal works: you turn it on, and it makes pleasing futuristic noises. A circular portal appears, pulsing soothingly, as it tries to connect to your home console. Then, if it works (sometimes it took a few attempts for me), your PlayStation 5 homepage appears through that portal, and expands to fill the whole of the screen in your hands. Then you can play everything just as you would on your TV, with controller rumble and haptic feedback and everything. When the internet connection falters, the device downgrades the games appearance rather than booting you out; itll let the game become a soup of pixels and weird messy visual artefacts rather than forcing you to reconnect.Monster Hunter Wilds looks perfect on the PS Portal when the device works. Photograph: CapcomI have played with a whole bunch of game-streaming solutions over the years (the first was Gaikai, way back in 2009, which offered games like World of Warcraft streamed from the cloud, still very novel at the time), and they have always been, well, suboptimal. No matter how good your internet connection was, there was always just that bit too much lag. Streamed games always looked noticeably worse. Wifi was never quite reliable enough. But the Portal works stunningly well on my home wifi. Monster Hunter looks perfect. Its a demanding action game, so any lag quickly makes it feel unplayable, yet I have been able to play it on the Portal for many hours without feeling too frustrated.You can also use the Portal to play PS5 games away from home, using the device to turn your console on remotely in your empty house (tip: yank the HDMI cable out the back before you leave so it wont turn your TV on). I took the Portal on a wee half-term holiday with my family certainly more convenient than packing up an entire console and all its gubbins and had a go at connecting to my home PlayStation 5 from my hotel room. It took a few tries, but it did work even on hotel wifi, which I found near-miraculous. Unfortunately, under these circumstances, the streaming quality was sometimes so bad that the game looked worse than it did 15 years ago on the PSP, and the lag was unbearable. It was not the on-the-go PlayStation gaming experience I was hoping for.The Portal is a useful little gadget at home, when it works. And that is the case with any kind of internet-reliant game streaming: its good when it works. One day I would love to be able to play my games wherever I am, without sacrificing the quality of the experience, but streaming technology hasnt gotten there yet and Im starting to wonder if it ever will. Its certainly gotten better: Ive streamed games from the Xboxs Game Pass library on my home console with only the occasional problem. But what I really want is to be able to stream games to a handheld when Im in my office or travelling.The Nintendo Switch was released eight years ago, and it remains the gold standard of at home/on-the-go hybrid gaming because it doesnt rely on an internet connection. It just works, seamlessly: you pick it up and take it with you, put it in the dock and it instantly appears on the TV. The Switch changed my life, by letting me fit my game time around my job, friends, travel and family. The Steam Deck has also been transformative, letting me take a game Im reviewing (or enjoying) from my office to my house, or play it on a long-haul flight. Were used to this now, after almost a decade, but it was truly one of the most revolutionary technical things any console has achieved.Its only a few weeks until the big Nintendo Switch 2 event on 2 April, when well learn more about what this next console can actually do. Given that this is Nintendo, Id be surprised if internet-based game streaming was a part of the new consoles offering; Nintendo tends to favour older, proven technology over risky bets. Eight years is a long time for Nintendos competitors to have perfected an alternative untethered gaming solution, and nobody has yet done it. Perhaps its just not possible; no wonder the Switch 2 is sticking to what works.What to playAmbitious and gently silly Split Fiction Photograph: Electronic ArtsFrom the makers of co-op divorce platformer It Takes Two which unexpectedly, sold 23m copies, a figure that publishers would do well to remember in this age of safe bets Split Fiction is an ambitious and gently silly game about two authors who are forced to inhabit each others stories. Sci-fi writer Mio and fantasy writer Zoe turn up at a meeting at a big publishing house, only for its sinister CEO to imprison them in a futuristic idea-stealing machine.You need two players for this game, as its entirely dependent on working together for both the puzzley and actiony bits. (Dont worry if theres a skill differential between you and your prospective co-op partner one player can do most of the heavy lifting if required.) Its full of ideas, this, and wonderfully designed around co-operative play, whether youre playing with a friend, a partner or an older child.Available on: PC, Xbox, PlayStation 5 Estimated playtime: What to readBetter skate than never Tony Hawks Pro Skater 3 + 4. Photograph: SteamTony Hawks Pro Skater is back, again. The third and fourth entries in the series are being remastered by Activision, and will be out in the summer.Activision ran a bunch of horrible AI-art ads on Instagram last weekend for games that dont actually exist. The ads link to surveys presumably intended to gauge interest in the fake games, but instead all everyones talking about is why the band in Guitar Hero Mobile has four guitarists, no singer and a phantom drummer.Rockstar has bought an Australian studio run by Brendan McNamara, the director of the 2011 detective drama game LA Noire, which was also published by Rockstar. His previous studio, Team Bondi, closed down shortly after LA Noire ended its protracted development, after former employees called out an allegedly toxic, oppressive, crunch-heavy work culture led by McNamara.Games industry analyst Mat Piscatella ran the numbers and found that 40% of all the time spent gaming in the US in January was spent playing the same 10 live service games, most of which are years old. It paints a bleak picture for any developer trying to break into this space.skip past newsletter promotionSign up to Pushing ButtonsFree weekly newsletterKeza MacDonald's weekly look at the world of gamingPrivacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.after newsletter promotionWhat to clickQuestion BlockPast favourite Skies of Arcadia. Photograph: Dean Mortlock/Super8 MediaI got something wrong in last weeks Question Block answer: Doug wrote in to say that the Nintendo Switch does now have a YouTube app, though happily he says the parental controls are good enough to stop his 11- and 8-year-old kids from constantly redownloading it.As for this weeks question, it comes courtesy of reader Emily:What games did you previously love that you wouldnt enjoy playing today?I really had to think about this one. Im sure we can all immediately think of a TV show we enjoyed as teenagers that we find deeply embarrassing now (*cough* Family Guy *cough*) but we tend to make excuses for the games we adored when we were young, even if our tastes have changed massively since then. I would have talked your ear off about how great Shenmue was as a teenager, because everything it did was new at the time. Now, even if you ignore the technological advances that have made realistic-looking game worlds standards, the sheer cringeworthy thinness of the plot and characters make it harder to love. I adored a lot of JRPGs, from Skies of Arcadia to Dragon Quest, that I simply wouldnt be able to enjoy now due to their slow pace (and the interminable repetitive random battles).Also, in the 00s we all gave a lot of games a pass for being technically interesting or ambitious, when they were also juvenile and/or sexist. Im thinking especially of 2005s Indigo Prophecy here (Fahrenheit in the US), a game that was certainly interesting but also rife with racial and gender stereotyping that made me want to cringe myself inside out when I replayed it a few years later. I remember defending an obscure Japanese horror-ish game that put all the female characters into a strip-club room as a reward for finishing the game, because it was otherwise novel. These days, with the benefit of age and experience, my tolerance for casual sexism is basically zero and quite a few games in my PS2-era collection would now be more difficult to enjoy.If youve got a question for Question Block email us on pushingbuttons@theguardian.com

WWE 2K25 launches this week in early access, and the latest brawler is getting a whole host of stars added via DLC here's everyone included in the add-on roster, including some surprisesTech15:00, 05 Mar 2025Updated 15:38, 05 Mar 2025Character models are staggeringly detailed(Image: 2K)WWE 2K25 launches into early access this week, and while we're on the road to WrestleMania, grapple fans will no doubt be buzzing for this weekend.We've got an extensive hands-on preview from earlier this week, as well as a separate look at the Underground match type, butWith over 300 wrestlers included in the base roster, you may be wondering if there's any more room for additional stars. As with any WWE 2K title, there's the option to add a whole host of DLC characters with a variety of packs, and we've got all the information.From NBA stars to WWE legends, here's everyone coming to the game after launch.The Season Pass is packed this time around(Image: WWE/2K)As is usually the case, there's a nice mix of classic stars and newcomers involved, as well as the surprising inclusion of NBA stars although those are yet to be announced.The post-launch roadmap kicks off with the New Wave pack in May, which includes Giulia, Stephanie Vaquer, and the Motor City Machine Guns Alex Shelly and Chris Sabin. There's also a "celebrity guest" to be announced.The next month, we get the bizarre Dunk & Destruction Pack which includes big brutes Abyss and The Great Khali, as well as the aforementioned trio of NBA stars.July brings the Fearless Pack, which includes Jorgynne Grace, New Jack, and Bull Nakano. While there's another celebrity guest to be revealed, Penta is likely to be the headliner here with the madcap luchadore getting a big push in WWE programming.Wouldn't like to tackle this lot in an Underground match(Image: 2K)The next two packs are focused on classic stars, starting with the Attitude Era Superstars Pack in September which includes Victoria, Mark Henry, D'Lo Brown, and the New Age Outlaws Billy Gunn and Road Dogg.Finally, the DLC season pass concludes in November with Saturday Night's Main Event Pack which includes Jesse Ventura, Mr Wonderful, Tito Santana, Junk Yard Dog, and Sid Justice.The DLC packs will be available to purchase standalone, and the Season Pass that includes all of them is included in both The Deadman Edition and The Bloodline Edition.This is in addition to a pre-order pack called the Wyatt Sicks Pack, which includes Uncle Howdy, Nikki Cross, Dexter Lumis, Joe Gacy and Erick Rowan.Article continues belowFor more on WWE 2K25, check out WWE Superstar Natalya's complaint about her character model, and the full list of grapplers on the roster so far.For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.

The Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 and 4 Remaster is not only real, but it includes additional content that could make it one of the year's most enjoyable sports titlesTech12:16, 05 Mar 2025Updated 14:43, 05 Mar 2025The remaster also includes new content(Image: Activision)Call of Duty fans spotted a Tony Hawk hint in the Season 2 Reloaded update, and it got fans kickflipping with excitement with Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 considered one of the best games in the series history.That led to a countdown which has now concluded with confirmation that the Birdman himself is back, with Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 and 4 confirmed for launch this year.Gamers of a certain vintage will want to put on their Airwalk trainers and cargo pants again, as not only are both games being remastered, but there's new content coming, too.The double-header remaster includes both games, along with cross-platform multiplayer for up to 8 skaters, with the game launching on PS5, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC. It'll also debut on day one on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.Perhaps most excitingly, the game will feature new parks for the first time in a decade, as well as new skaters."Choose from a legendary pro skater roster that includes Tony Hawk, Bucky Lasek, Steve Caballero, Kareem Campbell, Geoff Rowley, Andrew Reynolds, Elissa Steamer, Chad Muska, Eric Koston, Rodney Mullen, Jamie Thomas, Rune Glifberg, and Bob Burnquist, or opt for the new skaters, including Rayssa Leal, Chloe Covell, Jamie Foy, Zion Wright, and Yuto Horigome," a press release explains.Ready to grab some big air?(Image: Activision)"And, in true Tony Hawks Pro Skater fashion, there will be secrets to unlock," it adds it's unlikely to be Jango Fett from the original THPS 4, but hey, never say never.One leak before the announcement suggested that the DOOM Slayer from ID Software's legendary shooter series will be included as a pre-order bonus, and that's been confirmed for the Digital Deluxe and Collector's Editions. Those versions come with early access for three days, too."Ace of Spades" by Motorhead is on the soundtrack, but I'm particularly excited by the return of "96 Quite Bitter Beings" from CKY. New tracks are coming, too. A demo is slated for June, with preorders gaining access to it.Article continues belowThe last we saw of the Tony Hawk series was a pairing of the first two games remade for PS4, Xbox One and PC in 2020 before coming to PS5, Xbox Series X/S and Switch in 2021.For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.

Looking for reliable portable power that wont break the bank? The Jackery Explorer 300 is a compact yet mighty power station thats perfect for everything from camping trips to emergency backup power. With its pure sine wave output and versatile charging options, this 293Wh powerhouse keeps your essential devices running when youre off the grid or during power outages. Whether youre an outdoor enthusiast, remote worker, or simply preparing for emergencies, this portable power station offers impressive capabilities in a travel-friendly package.Amazon has dropped the price to just $169, down from its regular $259 price tag. This 35% discount ($90 off) represents one of the best values weve seen for a portable power station of this capacity. For perspective, this brings the cost per watt-hour down to less than 60 cents, making it one of the most affordable options in its class.See at AmazonStay charged up and ready to goQuick charging is a standout feature here the Explorer 300 can reach 80% battery capacity in just 2 hours when using both the wall outlet and 60W USB-C port. This rapid recharge capability means less downtime and more reliability when you need power most. Compare this to other portable power stations that often take 4-6 hours to reach the same charge level.The dual pure sine wave AC outlets deliver clean, stable 300W power thats safe for sensitive electronics. At just 7.1 pounds, its light enough to carry anywhere, yet powerful enough to run laptops, drones, cameras, and other essential gear. The pure sine wave output means your devices run as safely as they would on home power, without the risk of damage from power fluctuations.Connectivity is comprehensive with six charging ports: two AC outlets, a 60W USB-C PD port, a Quick Charge 3.0 port, a standard USB-A port, and a DC car port. This variety means you can power or charge multiple devices simultaneously, from smartphones to small appliances. The ability to charge up to six devices at once makes this an excellent power hub for group camping trips or family emergencies.Whether youre planning weekend camping trips, need backup power for emergencies, or want a reliable power source for outdoor activities, the Explorer 300 hits the sweet spot between portability and power. At $169, its an excellent value for anyone looking to invest in portable power without spending a fortune. The build quality and reliability of the Jackery brand make this an investment that will serve you well for years to come.See at Amazon