Amazon has started testing another AI-powered feature called "Buy for Me," which allows the e-commerce company to make purchases for you from other websites. Specifically, from the actual website of a brand you're looking looking up. The experience is built into the Amazon app. When you search for an item from a particular brand, you may see a section of results labeled "Shop brand sites directly" separate from the results you'll get from Amazon and its third-party sellers.If you click on the "Buy for Me" button underneath an item in the separate results section, you'll be taken to a product detail page right inside the Amazon app. The company says the page will provide relevant product information similar to the product details in Amazon's own listings. Amazon will purchase the item for you from the brand's website if you decide to go through with the transaction. It uses agentic AI, a type of AI that doesn't need human intervention, to provide your name, address and payment details for the checkout process. Your details are encrypted, Amazon says, and it will not be able to see your previous and future orders from brands' websites. You'll receive a confirmation email from the brand store itself for your purchase, but you can track your order within the Amazon app through the new Buy for Me Orders tab in the Your Orders page.The company told us that it's not getting a commission from your purchases made through the experimental feature, but it didn't say if it was going to get a cut from sales in the future. For now, the feature is still in beta and will only be available to a subset of customers on the US on its iOS and Amazon apps. The test will also only feature a limited number of brand stores and products for now. Just a few days ago, Amazon also released an AI-powered feature called "Interests," which can process prompts in every day language related to your, well, interests. You can, for instance, type in "Brewing tools and gadgets for coffee lovers" to get relevant notifications for Amazon's deals and offerings.AmazonUpdate, April 05, 2025, 09:25 AM ET: Amazon told us it's not getting a commission from this experimental feature. This story has been updated to reflect that.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/amazons-buy-for-me-ai-will-purchase-stuff-from-third-party-websites-123036361.html?src=rss

The official launch of Apples iOS 18 brought with it some fresh ways to customize your iPhones home screen. Rather than leaving unwanted apps hanging around like a bad smell in places you dont want them, users can now take full control of app placement and make their home screen their own. Whether you're looking to add useful widgets, reorganize your apps or get rid of the ones you never use, customizing your iPhone home screen can help your device feel a little more unique. Heres a simple step-by-step guide to everything you can do to make your iOS 18 home screen look better and work the way you want.How to add, edit and remove widgetsWidgets provide a convenient at-a-glance view of an apps data or functionality, giving you quick access to information and reducing the need to open the app itself. A well-placed widget allows you to check the weather, view your calendar or access music controls, all without opening an app, giving your thumb a well-earned rest. Everybody loves a good shortcut, and with iOS 18, you can add, edit, or remove widgets easily, letting you jump straight to the information that matters.To add a widget:Touch and hold an empty area on your home screen until the app icons start to jiggle.Tap the Edit button in the top-left corner and select Add Widget.Scroll or search for the widget you want, then tap it.Swipe left or right to choose a size (some offer different layouts).Tap Add Widget to place it on your screen.Drag it to your preferred spot, then tap Done (top right).To edit a widget:Press and hold the widget you want to change.Tap Edit Widget (if available). If Edit Widget isnt available, you can cycle through the icons for different placement and layout options.Adjust settings like what calendar it shows, which location for the weather, etc. These options will be unique to each apps widget.To remove a widget:Press and hold the widget.Tap Remove Widget, then confirm.Rob Webb for EngadgetHow to move apps and widgets on the home screenShuffling your home screen apps and widgets is also a cinch thanks to iOS 18s customization overhaul. Its a simple but useful way to personalize your iPhones home screen and declutter your wallpaper, so your loved ones' faces dont become buried underneath a wall of app icons.Tap and hold on any app to reveal a menu.Select Edit Home Screen, where you can move the apps across pages by dragging them to the edge of the screen.Tap Done when you're finished.You can also stack one app on top of another to automatically create a folder (more on that below).How to customize apps and widgets on the home screenMoving your most-used apps into prime position is all well and good, but if youre going for a particular aesthetic with your home screen, the default appearance of an app icon can sometimes spoil the overall look. Luckily, in iOS 18, you can exert more control over how your apps look, including the option to change app icon colors and how widgets are displayed.To customize your app icon colors:Press and hold on the home screen and tap Edit at the top.Choose Customize to change background colors (like dark, light or a custom color) or apply a different layout.However, bear in mind that not all app icons can change color. If these steps dont work for you, you may be left with the odd rogue app icon, sticking out like a sore thumb. In which case, you can hide the app icon from view, while still being able to access it easily from the app library.How to lock or hide an appSecurity is a top priority, particularly when it comes to your smartphone. You might have certain apps you want to keep private and for your eyes only. If so, youll be happy to know that there are two ways in which you can prevent unwanted eyes on your apps. You can hide or lock an app behind a passcode or Face ID; this prevents unauthorized access and keeps your apps in a Hidden folder. Similarly, you can remove apps entirely from the home screen, still allowing you (and others if they have access) to view them in your App Library.To lock an app:Long-press the icon of the app you want to lock on the home screen.Select Require Face ID (or Touch ID or Passcode).Confirm your selection by pressing Require Face ID (or Touch ID or Passcode).To hide an app:Long-press the icon of the app you want to lock on the home screen.Select Require Face ID (or Touch ID or Passcode).Confirm your selection by pressing Require Face ID (or Touch ID or Passcode)Tap Hide and Require Face ID (or Touch ID or Passcode), then tap Hide App.How to organize your apps in foldersFolders are a great way to declutter your home screen and keep similar apps grouped together. If youre the type of person who likes to keep things tidy and organized, storing your apps in folders is a good way to do it.To create a folder:Drag one app icon over another, and iOS 18 will automatically create a folder with both.Tap the name to rename the folder (e.g., Social or Work).Drag in additional apps if you want.To remove a folder:Move all the apps out of the folder, and it will disappear once its empty.How to remove or delete appsThe struggle is real when it comes to app bloat, and sometimes a bit of a spring clean is needed. If your home screen needs a bit of freshening up, you can kick a seldom-used app to the curb, or at least kick it off your home screen.To remove an app from the home screen (without deleting it):Tap and hold the app icon.Tap Remove App.Select Remove from Home Screen.When you want to use that app, navigate to the App Library (swipe left past your last home page) or swipe down from the top of your home screen to search for it.To delete an app completely:Tap and hold the app icon.Tap Remove App.Select Delete App, then confirm.To re-download a deleted app:Open the App Store, search for the app and tap the download icon.Rob Webb for EngadgetA few more tips to personalize your home screen spaceWidgets Smart Stacks: Using this feature, you can combine multiple widgets into a stack you can swipe through. To do this, just drag one widget on top of another of the same size.App Library shortcuts: If you want a cleaner home screen, you can remove most apps and rely on the App Library (swipe all the way left) or the search tool to launch what you need.Focus mode customization: Each Focus mode can have its own custom home screen. This is a useful tool for separating your work life from your personal life.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/how-to-customize-your-iphones-home-screen-in-ios-18-120100872.html?src=rss

You have to go all the way back to the Nintendo 64 to play the most recent 3D Donkey Kong game. But without a new mainline Zelda or Mario title (Mario Kart Worlddoesn't quite count) queued up for the Switch 2's launch in June, Nintendo's favorite ape is getting some time to shine in Donkey Kong Bananza. And after getting a chance to play a demo of the game prior to its release on July 17, I have to say I'm loving this glowed-up gorilla.Now, I'm not entirely sure how DK went from the jungle to being stuck in the banana mines because the demo just kind of dropped me in without a ton of context. Regardless, there's no doubt that this is the best the gorilla has ever looked. He's got a fresh, almost cell-shaded look not entirely dissimilar to the art style seen in recent Zelda games, along with a more youthful and expressive appearance. And it seems his time spent digging has garnered him some new skills as well, which include the ability to punch, dig and butt stomp his way below, into and through all sorts of terrain, with dirt flying everywhere as you do it.Sam Rutherford for EngadgetThis opens up a world (cave?) of exploration because now DK can tunnel through to new locations or shape his surroundings with a ground pound, though there's also the usual assortment of actions like running and jumping. This type of freedom immediately changes the way you tackle obstacles compared to a standard platformer. Nearly everything is destructible in some way, and between digging, rolling or simply chucking giant rocks at foes, it feels like there are multiple ways to get where you need to go.Granted, you still have familiar tropes like collecting jeweled bananas and of course, a companion in the form of a friendly purple rock monster that rides on DK's shoulder. But make no mistake, this ain't the same country DK has swung through before. Thanks to all of its new traversal mechanics, in a lot of ways, Bananza reminds me more of Mario Galaxy than Odyssey. It's just swapped out the gravity-bending physics for bombastic spelunking.Sam Rutherford for EngadgetThat said, while the game looks great and handles well, I do have some initial concerns. After a while, the constant digging and rock smashing felt a bit button-mashy. Plus, all the ricks and detritus that gets kicked up becomes a distraction, as I would kind of like to actually see where I'm going. There really is a ton of earth that needs moving. This makes me wonder if the game is aimed at a slightly younger audience similar to a lot of Kirby games rather than something meant to appeal to older players.But even though I only had a brief time with the game, I saw more than enough to make me want to come back. And alongside Mario Kart World, it's exceedingly clear that Donkey Kong Bananza is part of Nintendo's giant punch that will carry the Switch 2 through its launch window.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/donkey-kong-bananza-hands-on-a-funky-fresh-take-on-nintendos-favorite-ape-130057272.html?src=rss

Nintendo has delayed US Switch 2 pre-orders in response to the new set of tariffs announced by President Donald Trump earlier this week, as first reported by Polygon. Following Nintendo's announcement of the console on Wednesday, pre-orders in the United States were slated to open on April 9. They're now delayed indefinitely."Pre-orders for Nintendo Switch 2 in the US will not start April 9, 2025 in order to assess the potential impact of tariffs and evolving market conditions," the company told Engadget. "Nintendo will update timing at a later date. The launch date of June 5, 2025 is unchanged."As mentioned earlier, Nintendo officially announced the Switch 2 on April 2. Hours later, the Trump administration said it would impose a sweeping set of new tariffs targeted against a broad swath of countries, including Japan, China and Vietnam. Products from the latter two countries, where Nintendo manufactures much of its hardware, will be subject to import duties of 54 percent and 46 percent, respectively.In the US, Nintendo said the Switch 2 would cost $450. As Polygon notes, sticker shock was already dominating the conversation around Nintendo's new handheld, with many fans begging the company to "drop the price!" of console during its recent livestreams. It's unclear what could happen following Nintendo's assessment of the situation, but one possibility is that the company could allocate less stock for the US market.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-delays-switch-2-us-pre-orders-following-trump-tariffs-150747208.html?src=rss

A four-pack of Samsungs SmartTag 2 trackers is on sale for $58 via Woot. Thats a massive discount of 42 percent, as the regular price is $100. This combo pack ships with two black trackers and two white trackers. They easily made our list of the best Bluetooth trackers. We appreciated the vast finding network, as there are a lot of Samsung phones out there contributing to it. We said the network is larger than anything out there for Android. The trackers offer a decent battery life of 16 months, and the batteries are replaceable. Theres also a large hole for keychains, which is something Apple AirTags lack. The ring volume is also louder than both AirTags and Tile Pro trackers. These trackers are fairly hearty, with IP67 water and dust-resistance. Setup is simple, as the companion app walks users through just about everything. Theres only one downside, but its a doozy. SmartTag trackers only work with Samsung tablets and phones. This doesnt really impact the finding network, as there are millions of Samsung devices out there, but does limit who should make this purchase. Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/a-four-pack-of-samsung-smarttag-2-trackers-is-on-sale-for-58-right-now-152356230.html?src=rss

It was Tuesday June 25, 2019. San Francisco became the first US city to (temporarily) ban the sale of vapes, SpaceX successfully launched and deployed 24 satellites and I sat in Nintendos UK office on the outskirts of London, playing a demo of a game that still isnt out.However, according to yesterday's Switch 2 presentation, Hollow Knight: Silksong will arrive at some point this year. Nintendo even showed off a couple of seconds of new footage. There are slopes!Oh Silksong, oh Hollow Knight: Silksong, oh Hollow Knights repurposed DLC. The second Hollow Knight game from Team Cherry was initially meant to be a DLC addition to the original, but plans changed, with the developers saying that it had become too large and too unique." (This many years later, exactly how large and unique will Silksong be?)Later, as part of the 2022 Xbox and Bethesda Games showcase, a Silksong trailer teased a release date in the next 12 months as part of Xboxs attempt to deliver a wave of exciting games after a lackluster start to the Series X/S launch.When the early 2023 release date passed us by, Team Cherry delayed the game into 2024 and now, well, its 2025. I played that demo so long ago that it might have just been a dream.Without rewriting my six-year-old hands-on impressions entirely, the new game features a new playable character named Hornet, who featured as a repeatable boss fight in the original Hollow Knight, with silk-based attacks and faster, more agile gameplay. It also offers a more aggressive play style, with Hornet able to heal herself using silk charges and even repair damage with silk bundles left behind from prior unsuccessful attempts. It's a different gameplay twist from having to beat the Hollow Knight shadow in the original.I subtitled my hands-on impressions, saying it would be worth the wait. Back then, I'd recently finished Hollow Knight on the Switch, putting in a few too many hours and was hungry for more bug-shaped Metroidvania adventures. Silksong felt fresh, more responsive, faster and flashier and I just wanted to play more Hollow Knight.Barely six seconds of footage during Nintendo's Switch 2 presentation was enough to re-ignite the Silksong fandom, when it revealed nothing new more than some downhill traversal. It's proof that a lot of people are still excited and still waiting.I'm excited, and six years on, it feels like it must be pretty close.Right?This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/that-one-time-i-played-hollow-knight-silksong-160022483.html?src=rss

TikTok is going to get more time to figure out a plan to stay in the US. President Donald Trump is signing another executive order effectively extending the deadline for the company to find US buyers by another 75 days. The president signaled he intended to give the deal more time via a Truth Social post."My Administration has been working very hard on a Deal to SAVE TIKTOK, and we have made tremendous progress," Trump wrote. "The Deal requires more work to ensure all necessary approvals are signed, which is why I am signing an Executive Order to keep TikTok up and running for an additional 75 days."Trump's post suggests that the recently introduced suite of tariffs against US trade partners like China will somehow help close the deal. As part of the TikTok ban signed in to law by former President Biden in April 2024, TikTok's parent company ByteDance is forced to sell TikTok to a US buyer or get kicked out of US app stores and web hosting platforms.After a good bit of back and forth over the legality of the ban, the Supreme Court ultimately upheld it, and left the enforcement of the law to the incoming Trump administration. TikTok was briefly unavailable, but Trump ultimately signed an executive order that delayed the enforcement of the ban by 75 days to give TikTok more time to find a buyer and get the app back up and running.Multiple companies and groups have expressed interest in outright buying or investing in TikTok reportedly, even Amazon but no one has come to a deal that satisfies ByteDance or the Chinese government. It's not clear tariffs will change anyone's motivations, but if everyone continues to accept Trump's Justice Department just not enforcing the ban, than the whole ordeal seems like it could last as long as necessary.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/trump-is-extending-the-deadline-for-a-tiktok-deal-by-another-75-days-180526714.html?src=rss

Early this year, Mark Zuckerberg announced that Meta would be ditching its long-running fact checking program, claiming that it has enabled too much censorship on the companys apps. Now, Meta has set an end date for fact-checking on Facebook, Instagram and Threads (at least for its US users).By Monday afternoon, our fact-checking program in the US will be officially over, Metas recently elevated policy chief Joel Kaplan announced in a post on X. That means no new fact checks and no fact checkers.Instead, Meta has been slowly ramping up Community Notes. Meta began allowing potential contributors to sign up in February. It began testing the system, which will initially be powered by the same algorithm as Community Notes on X, earlier this month. But the crowdsourced fact checks have yet to appear publicly on posts. It sounds like thats also about to change with the official end of Metas existing fact checking partners. The first Community Notes will start appearing gradually across Facebook, Threads & Instagram, with no penalties attached, Kaplan said.Though Meta has said it wants to eventually end fact checking entirely, the company has said relatively little about its plans for Community Notes outside of the US. That may be because officials in other countries, like Brazil and the European Union, have already expressed concern about how the change could affect the flow of disinformation around the world.Metas push to end fact checking in the US came early this year alongside several other policy changes that marked a notable rightward shift for the social network just as President Donals Trump took office. The company also ended corporate DEI programs, rolled back hate speech protections on its services and added a close Trump ally to its board.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/meta-is-entering-its-post-truth-era-on-monday-202858791.html?src=rss

Mewgenics, the cat-breeding RPG that was originally announced as a follow-up to Super Meat Boy, is coming out in 2025, based on a new trailer shared by IGN and the game's updated Steam page.A blend of a turned-based RPG and twisted cat simulator, Mewgenics started as the next project from Team Meat, the development duo made up of Edmund McMillen and Tommy Refenes. Team Meat teased Mewgenics throughout 2013, but ultimately put the game on hold in 2014 to focus on finishing Super Meat Boy Forever, a mobile sequel to Super Meat Boy.When McMillen ultimately left Team Meat in 2018 to focus on supporting The Binding of Isaac, Mewgenics came with him,and the game has been slowly making its way to release since then. If the trailer is any indication, repeatable, turn-based battles have become a big part of Mewgenics, but McMillen's trademark gross-out animation style remains intact (as does all of the cat furniture).If you're looking for more information about how the game has changed since it was announced over a decade ago, McMillen and co-developer Tyler Glaiel have kept up a relatively regular cadence of blog posts on Steam covering different aspects of the development process. We should also see a lot more of the game soon: In their latest update, Mewgenics' developers shared that IGN is publishing hands-on coverage of the game in May.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/the-creator-of-binding-of-isaac-will-release-a-new-game-mewgenics-this-year-211049653.html?src=rss

Microsoft just announced several updates to its Copilot AI assistant, and some sound downright useful. Its bringing Copilot Vision to mobile, but with some new features. For the uninitiated, this software originally launched for the Edge web browser and gave Copilot the ability to see and comment on the contents of websites.The company is upping its game for the mobile version, adding some multimodal functionality. Itll be able to integrate with your phones camera to enable an interactive experience with the real world. Microsoft says it can analyze both real-time video from the camera and photos stored on the deviceMicrosoft gives an example of Copilot Vision analyzing a video of plants to determine if they are healthy or not and suggesting actions to take. Well see if it can actually perform that kind of nuanced reasoning. Modern AI companies love to promise the world and then, well, you know the rest. In any event, the mobile version of Vision is available today in the Copilot app for iOS and Android. The web version is also coming to Windows.Microsoft is bringing Copilot Search to Bing to seamlessly blend the best of traditional and generative search together to help you find what you need. The company is now calling Bing your AI-powered search and answer engine. Like most AI web search tools, this provides summaries to answer queries.Microsoft says this can take the form of a simple paragraph, like Gemini AI for Google searches, but that it also can provide images and data from your favorite publishers and content owners. Copilot Search is rolling out today.The company also introduced something called Copilot Memory. This is Microsofts attempt to bring more personalization to Copilot. After all, its tough to have a true AI companion when it doesnt remember anything about you. With this addition, Copilot will be able to remember specific details about your life, like your favorite food, the types of films you enjoy and your nephews birthday and his interests.The company touts that the software will recommend actions based on what it remembers. To that end, Microsoft says Copilot will be able to do stuff like buy tickets to events, order flowers and make dinner reservations. It says the service will work with most websites across the web. Well see how that works out.The update brings some other tools to the table, like the ability to auto-generate podcasts based on specific topics and offer shopping advice based on sales history across the web. These updates begin rolling out today, but it may not hit every user for a bit. Microsoft says availability will expand in the coming weeks and months.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/microsofts-latest-copilot-updates-include-a-mobile-version-of-the-multimodal-vision-tool-182752162.html?src=rss

Vimeo is launching a new service that lets content creators run their own subscription service without needing coding experience. Vimeo Streaming removes the technical hurdles of building a monetized video service while avoiding the whack-a-mole game of chasing YouTube's algorithms or the often-meager payouts on TikTok and Instagram.The company says the product is ideal for media and entertainment creators, performing arts organizations, educators and e-learning companies, sports and event broadcasters and fitness studios. And since Vimeo is pitching less to individuals trying to build an audience from scratch, you'll need to contact the company's sales team for pricing details.The service provides tools and templates for "a professional 'Netflix-style' streaming experience without any coding needed." Creators can tailor Vimeo Streaming's look and feel with custom branding, colors and logos. The service offers white-label web, mobile and TV apps for all major platforms, so you don't have to convince your audience to download the Vimeo app. Creators can organize and categorize videos, create playlists, include artwork and use custom layouts.VimeoMonetization options include subscriptions (with free trials and payment processing), selling or renting videos on-demand, optional sponsorship ads and video bumpers and audience loyalty perks. It also supports live-streaming (including concurrent, backup and 24/7 streams), piracy protections and AI-powered subtitle translations in 36 languages."Vimeo is proud to serve the professional creator," CEO Philip Moyer told The Hollywood Reporter. "We believe creators should be in control of their work and how they are paid, so we're taking the technologies that are usually only afforded by the biggest platforms and putting it in the hands of our customers at a fraction of the cost."You can learn more on Vimeo's product page.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/vimeo-streaming-lets-creators-roll-their-own-netflix-171220483.html?src=rss

Americans who were ready and willing to pay up for a Switch 2 on April 9 will now have to wait even longer (and possibly pay more) for that new console. Switch 2 pre-orders will not begin on April 9 in the U.S. any longer. In response to new tariffs announced by President Donald Trump, Nintendo has delayed Switch 2 pre-orders in the U.S. indefinitely. According a statement Nintendo provided to Engadget: "Pre-orders for Nintendo Switch 2 in the U.S. will not start April 9, 2025 in order to assess the potential impact of tariffs and evolving market conditions. Nintendo will update timing at a later date. The launch date of June 5, 2025 is unchanged." Previously, as part of its most recent Nintendo Direct presentation, Nintendo announced the April 9 pre-order date for North America, along with the June 5 date for wider availability. The starting price was to be $450, but it's unclear if that will change now in response to these proposed tariffs. Participating retailers will also be selling the Switch 2 when it eventually makes its way to the U.S. We expect those to include Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop, Walmart and others. There's some fine-print attached to pre-ordering directly from Nintendo. According to the pre-order page on Nintendo's site, you must be 18 years or older, sign in with your Nintendo account and register your interest in pre-ordering. Then, you'll be sent an invitation email when it's time to play your pre-order, and the invitation will be valid for 72 hours. And then there's this bit of info: "Invitation emails will be prioritized on a first-come, first-served basis to registrants who have purchased a Nintendo Switch Online membership with a minimum of 12 months of paid membership and a minimum of 50 total gameplay hours, as of April 2, 2025." That seems to mean those who have paid for Switch Online in the recent past and those who have spent a good amount of time playing Switch games as of late will get first pick at buying a Switch 2. There's no telling if these same restrictions will apply if you want to pre-order from third-party retailers. We knew from the teaser trailer for the Switch 2 that Nintendo's new hardware would be bigger and would have a new approach to the detachable Joy-Cons. The new Joy-Con 2 have a new C button, mouse controls and a built in gyroscope for tilt control. The console has a built-in mic to support a new feature called Game Chat that will let you communicate with friends in-game. The device is indeed a bit larger, with a 7.9-inch LCD screen that supports a 120Hz refresh rate, HDR and a 1080p resolution. When docked, you'll be able to play at up to 4K on your TV, and Nintendo says it improved the consoles internal speakers as well. The new dock also has a built-in fan to keep the console cool and help maintain performance during long play sessions. The Switch 2 has dual USB-C ports for charging, and the base storage amount has increased to 256GB. The Switch 2's storage can be expanded like the previous model, but it will only work with newer microSD Express cards. The Switch 2 has a number of accessories that you'll be able to purchase separately as well, including the new Switch 2 camera for $50, a new Switch 2 Pro controller for $80, an extra pair of Joy-Con 2 controllers for $90, a Joy-Con 2 charging grip for $35 and more. Pre-order the Nintendo Switch 2 from: Nintendo Amazon Walmart GameStop Best Buy Target This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/how-to-pre-order-the-nintendo-switch-2-140931639.html?src=rss

By now, your brackets were likely busted a long time ago. The 2025 NCAA Tournaments, affectionately known to many as March Madness, are coming to a close. Both the men's and women's Final Four the semifinal games are happening this weekend, with the championship to follow in subsequent days. Different broadcasters own the rights to each tournament, so streaming both installments of the Final Four can be confusing. Ive broken down the best, most affordable way to access each one so that you'll be ready when the games begin on Friday. When is the Final Four? The women's NCAA basketball Final Four is Friday, April 4. 1-seed Texas takes on fellow 1-seed South Carolina at 7:00PM ET, then 2-seed UConn will battle 1-seed UCLA in the other semifinal match up at 9:30PM ET. The winners to play for the national championship on Sunday, April 6 at 3:00PM ET. All three of these games will be on ESPN and ESPN+. The men's NCAA basketball Final Four is Saturday, April 5. The 1-seed Auburn takes on familiar SEC foe and fellow 1-seed Florida at 6:09PM ET. Following that game at 8:49PM ET, 1-seed Houston will face 1-seed Duke. The winners will play for the national championship on Monday, April 7 at 8:50PM ET. All three of these games will be on CBS. How to watch the Final Four and championship games All of the women's games will be available on ESPN and ESPN+, which means you can watch via a live TV streaming service or in the ESPN app (with a TV log-in or ESPN+ subscription). The most affordable way to watch these games is with a $12/month ESPN+ plan. All men's games will air on CBS, where you have the option of streaming on a live TV service or via Paramount+. The most affordable way to watch these games is with a $13/month Paramount+ with Showtime plan. You could also try a streaming trial this weekend if one is available. Hulu + Live TV, for example, gives you three days to test its service, while DirecTV Stream gives five both of them have both CBS and ESPN. The Hulu plan is available to both new and returning customers, so it might be an option to watch most of the action from both tournaments. Since all of the games are spread over four days, you won't get everything, but if you're only watching one or the other, this is a viable way to save some money. The rest of this story includes a more complete March Madness overview, including content that was originally published prior to the start of the tournaments. When does March Madness start? The mens NCAA Basketball Tournament begins on Tuesday, March 18 with two of the so-called First Four matchups. These are the four games that are used to determine the final four teams in the main 64-team bracket. To some, theyre known as the play-in games although theyve officially been part of the men's tournament since 2011. The first game on March 18 begins at 6:40PM ET with another to follow at 9:10PM ET. The same schedule is expected for the second slate of games on Wednesday, March 19. On the womens side, March Madness is offset from the mens tournament by a day. The first two of the First Four games are Wednesday, March 19 at 7PM ET and 9PM ET. The second pair of matchups follows on Thursday, March 20 in the same two time slots. The 64-team bracket kicks off in earnest for the men at 12:15PM ET on Thursday, March 20. For the women, the main action begins at 11:30AM ET on Friday, March 21st. Heres the full schedule for each tournament: 2025 Mens NCAA Basketball Tournament First Four: March 18-19 First round: March 20-21 Second round: March 22-23 Sweet 16: March 27-28 Elite Eight: March 29-30 Final Four: April 5 Championship game: April 7 2025 Womens NCAA Basketball Tournament First Four: March 19-20 First round: March 21-22 Second round: March 23-24 Sweet 16: March 28-29 Elite Eight: March 30-31 Final Four: April 4 Championship game: April 6 How to stream the 2025 Mens NCAA Tournament ASSOCIATED PRESS CBS and Warner Bros. Discovery share the broadcast rights to the mens tournament, and as they have in years past, TV coverage will be spread across four networks. During the course of March Madness, games will air on CBS, TNT, TBS and truTV, with the final rounds and championship game landing on CBS. If you already have a paid TV plan (such as traditional cable), a good way to watch the mens tournament is with the March Madness Live app or website. There's a big catch though: CBS games aren't available in the app. That means this is really only a good option through the Elite Eight. Once you log in with your TV provider credentials, you can watch games on the other networks in one spot with features like multiview (up to four games at once), excitement alerts that let you know when theres a close game and a Fast Break stream that covers of all the in-progress games in one spot. The app also offers ways to follow your bracket, if you filled it out on MarchMadness.com. And when youre watching on desktop, the crucial Boss Button will throw up a fake work screen when you need it. March Madness Live is also available on Amazon, Fire TV, Apple TV, iOS, macOS, Google Play, LG smart TVs, Roku and Xbox devices. Your most affordable option to watch every game is to actually use two services. Its not ideal, I know, but it will save you a lot of money. Maxs Basic plan is $10/month and gives you access to live games from TNT, TBS and truTV with three-game multiview. B/R Sports, which powers all of the live coverage on Max, will only be available on the pricier Standard and Premium levels starting March 30. That's not a problem since games after that date will only air on CBS. For the CBS games, youll need a Paramount+ with Showtime subscription that costs $13/month. So, in total, your best option to stream all of the mens tournament is $23 spread across two apps. A live TV service like YouTube TV or Hulu plus Live TV is over $50 more per month at full price, but they would offer you one-stop shopping for all the games in the mens tournament. YouTube TV is currently on sale for $70/month for the first six months you use it. How to stream the 2025 Womens NCAA Tournament ASSOCIATED PRESS While Warner Brothers Discovery owns the rights to the mens NCAA Tournament, ESPN has the womens bracket locked down. Every game of the womens tournament will be spread across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPNEWS, including the First Four matchups. The Final Four will be on ESPN, but the championship game will air on ABC. All three of those culminating games will stream on ESPN+. Since ESPN+ wont get every game, its not an option if you want to watch the entire tournament. You will be able to watch select matchups on both ESPN+ and Disney+, but ESPN hasnt announced what those will be. So, unfortunately, your best bet is a live-TV streaming service like Sling, YouTube TV or Hulu + Live TV for a comprehensive experience. Sling is the cheapest avenue here, with the requisite Orange and Sports Extra plans costing $34 (Sling is currently offering a discount on the first month of Orange). YouTube and Hulu live TV options are both the same price at $83/month (YouTube TV currently discounted to $70 for the first six months), so its a matter of which set of content and features you like best. YouTube TV offers a handy multiview tool so you can watch up to four games at once, but Hulu + Live TV comes with Disney+ and ESPN+ (both with ads) for that cost. (Opting for Hulu + Live TV only saves you one whole dollar per month if you dont include the Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu bundling.) If youre a more casual fan who can afford to roll the dice on the select options on ESPN+, you can save some money. That service only costs $12/month. And if you already have a TV plan that includes the ESPN family of networks, the ESPN app is the best place to watch the tournament. The mix of scores and info, along with multiview streaming for up to four games at a time on Apple TV and Xbox, make the app a well-equipped conduit for the womens tournament. The March Madness website only shows scores and news for the womens tournament. There are no live games available on the website. What if I want to stream both the mens and womens tournaments? ASSOCIATED PRESS If youre hoping to stream all of both the mens and womens NCAA tournaments, I hope you ordered Samsungs eight-TV bundle. In terms of streaming services, just jump straight to a live-TV option like YouTube TV or Hulu + Live TV. I prefer the former because of its multiview feature a tool that Hulu doesnt offer. At times when there are multiple games that you want to watch, especially during the first two rounds, youll want multiview in order to keep tabs on all of the action. Are any of the March Madness games available to stream for free? You can watch all of the games broadcast on CBS on the March Madness website and mobile apps without a TV provider. Sure, its a small sample of the tournament, but its completely free and a good option for casual fans who dont have a paid TV plan they can exploit for more of the action. Its also a good option for watching the first round at work, if your company hasnt blocked streaming sites, or if you can discreetly watch on your phone. For the womens tournament, there arent any games available for free. Unless you have an old-school OTA antenna, in which case you can watch mens games on CBS and womens games on ABC without any kind of streaming plan. Of course, this is a streaming guide so Id consider an antenna an extraordinary move in 2025. If you were hoping to use a free trial period to watch March Madness, Ive got bad news. None of them will be long enough to watch an entire tournament. Some of them dont offer them at all, but the longest is YouTube TV at 10 days which wouldnt get you through the second weekend. Update, March 20, 2025 12:19PM ET: This guide has been updated to clarify the games available on March Madness Live and to update game availability and pricing for Max.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/how-to-stream-march-madness-2025-watch-the-final-four-games-on-april-4-and-5-181552477.html?src=rss

Midjourney has released the alpha version of V7, which it says is an "entirely new" AI image generation model and is much smarter at processing your text prompts. The image quality of its output is noticeably higher, the Midjourney team says, and can create better textures, bodies and hands. AI image generators typically struggle with creating accurate depictions of hands, but based on photos posted by some users on their socials, V7 is capable of spitting out some photorealistic images of human hands.The new model comes with a feature called "Draft Mode," which can render images at half the speed the program usually takes. Its results are rougher and less detailed, but it will cost half of what a standard generation costs. Midjourney says Draft Mode is the best way to iterate on ideas. You can use it, say, if you're collaborating with someone and just spitballing ideas with them it works with voice, so you don't even have to type out each other's suggestions or if you're unsure what kind of vibe you're going for. If you like an image Midjourney creates in Draft Mode, you can click "enhance" or "vary" on it to re-render it at full quality.At launch, V7 will have Turbo and Relax modes for standard rendering, with the former costing twice as much as a normal speed job on the V6 model. Midjourney needs more time to optimize its standard speed mode for V7, but it will make the option available in the future. The new mode is missing more capabilities, as well, including upscaling, editing and retexturing, which will fall back to the program's V6 model for now. Midjourney promises to roll out new updates for the model every week or two over the next two months.To be able to test the alpha version of V7, you'll have to unlock your personalization profile first. Midjourney describes personalization as "a style assistant for your image creations," since it teaches the AI your visual preferences. You'll have to rank at least 200 pairs of images to create a V7 Global Personalization Profile and test the model. Personalization is switched on by default for the V7, but you'll be able to switch it off if you want.One of the most exciting new features for our new V7 model is something we call "Draft Mode". Draft mode is half the cost and 10 times the speed and it might be the best way to iterate on ideas ever. Try it with voice, think out loud and let our ideas flow like liquid dreams. pic.twitter.com/ANfTMC6Ej1 Midjourney (@midjourney) April 4, 2025 This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/midjourney-launches-its-new-v7-ai-image-model-that-can-process-text-prompts-better-134546883.html?src=rss

After Nintendo revealed the full details around the Switch 2 this week, Engadget's Sam Rutherford got some hands-on time with the new console. In this episode, he talks about the major improvements in the new hardware (especially that 1080p, 120 fps screen) and why he doesn't really miss the older Switch OLED. Also, Sam discusses his time with Mario Kart World, the new semi-open world version of Nintendo's classic racer.In other news, we dive into the latest updates around the TIkTok ban, and we discuss how the Trump administration's tariff push will affect everything in the technology world and beyond. Stay tuned to the end of the show for our chat with Shinichiro Watanabe, the creator of Cowboy Bebop, about his new anime series Lazarus.Subscribe!iTunesSpotifyPocket CastsStitcherGoogle PodcastsTopicsSwitch 2 details are finally here, Sam Rutherford got hands-on time with it 1:47U.S.s broad new tariffs on China and beyond could make everything from keyboards to cars more expensive 49:32TikToks divest-or-ban deadline is April 5, here are the possible buyers 54:57xAI buys X, but how much does that matter? 58:24Working on 1:00:59Pop culture picks 1:02:31CreditsHosts: Devindra Hardawar and Sam RutherfordProducer: Ben EllmanMusic: Dale North and Terrence O'BrienThis article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/engadget-podcast-nintendo-switch-2-hands-on-and-the-cowboy-bebop-creator-chats-about-lazarus-113005280.html?src=rss

Following the release of rival Anthropic's Claude for Education, OpenAI has announced that its $20 ChatGPT Plus tier will be free for college students until the end of May. The offer comes just in time for final exams and will provide features like OpenAI's most advanced LLM, GPT-4o and an all-new image generation tool."We are offering a Plus discount for students on a limited-time basis in the US and Canada," the company wrote in a FAQ. "This is an experimental consumer program and we may or may not expand this to more schools and countries over time."On top of the aforementioned features, ChatGPT Plus will offer students benefits like priority access during peak usage times and higher message limits. It'll also grant them access to OpenAI's Deep Research, a tool that can create reports from hundreds of online sources.AI tools have been widely adopted by students for research and other uses, with open AI recently saying that a third of young adults aged 18-24 already use ChatGPT, with much of that directed toward studies. Anthropic is going even farther than OpenAI to tap into that market with Claude for Education, by introducing a Learning mode specifically designed to guide students to a solution, rather than providing answers outright.Where Anthropic is positioning itself more as a tutor to students, OpenAI is simply giving them access to its most powerful research tools. That brings up the subject of academic integrity and whether AI tools are doing work that students should be doing themselves. Anthropic's approach may be more palatable to institutions along with its Claude for Education launch, the company announced that it partnered with several universities and colleges to make the new product free for students.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/openais-20-chatgpt-plus-is-now-free-for-college-students-until-the-end-of-may-120037778.html?src=rss

If you were hoping for Bloodborne 2, I have good and bad news. This isn't that, because that' Sony thing. However, FromSoftware's new game, coming to the Switch 2, looks to borrow a lot of the gothic cues and style of Bloodborne.The Duskbloods leans into a slightly more Steampunk style too, with what appears to be steam-powered automatons. There are also vampire shenanigans, a man with an axe in a pyjama onesie, a dinosaur and a rune-covered rodent. In short, there's lots of mystery, lots of violence and some magic, too.In today's brief trailer, we saw one of the characters leap into a busy Victorian cityscape, toured some shady churches and got a glimpse of a huge beast that we'll probably need to slay. We also got teases of several characters wielding different weapons and attack patterns.For now, The Duskbloods doesn't have a specific release date; it will land on Nintendo's new console sometime in 2026.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/fromsoftware-the-duskbloods-switch-2-2026-release-142025792.html?src=rss

Managing your finances doesnt have to be a headache especially with the right budgeting app at your fingertips. Whether youre trying to track everyday spending, save for a big purchase or just keep a closer eye on your subscriptions, theres an app that can help. With Mint shutting down, plenty of users have been looking for the best budget apps to replace it, and luckily there are plenty of solid alternatives.From AI-powered spending trackers to apps that break down your expenses into easy-to-follow categories, the best budgeting tools help you take control of your money without the hassle of spreadsheets. Some focus on automating savings, while others give you a deep dive into your finances with powerful analytics and custom reporting. If youre still searching for the right Mint alternative, check out our guide to the best budgeting apps to replace Mint to find the best fit for your needs.If youre not sure where to start, weve rounded up the top budgeting apps to help you track spending, save smarter, and stick to your financial goals. Best budget apps of 2025 How we test budgeting apps Before I dove in and started testing out budgeting apps, I had to do some research. To find a list of apps to try out, I consulted trusty ol Google (and even trustier Reddit); read reviews of popular apps on the App Store; and also asked friends and colleagues what budget tracking apps (or other budgeting methods) they might be using for money management. Some of the apps I found were free and these, of course, show loads of ads (excuse me, offers) to stay in business. But most of the available apps require paid subscriptions, with prices typically topping out around $100 a year, or $15 a month. (Spoiler: My top pick is cheaper than that.) All of the services I chose to test needed to do several things: import all of your account data into one place; offer budgeting tools; and track your spending, net worth and credit score. Except where noted, all of these apps are available for iOS, Android and on the web. Once I had my shortlist of six apps, I got to work setting them up. For the sake of thoroughly testing these apps, I made a point of adding every account to every budgeting app, no matter how small or immaterial the balance. What ensued was a veritable Groundhog Day of two-factor authentication. Just hours of entering passwords and one-time passcodes, for the same banks half a dozen times over. Hopefully, you only have to do this once. Budgeting app FAQs What is Plaid and how does it work? Each of the apps I tested uses the same underlying network, called Plaid, to pull in financial data, so its worth explaining what it is and how it works. Plaid was founded as a fintech startup in 2013 and is today the industry standard in connecting banks with third-party apps. Plaid works with over 12,000 financial institutions across the US, Canada and Europe. Additionally, more than 8,000 third-party apps and services rely on Plaid, the company claims. To be clear, you dont need a dedicated Plaid app to use it; the technology is baked into a wide array of apps, including all of the budgeting apps listed in this guide. Once you find the add an account option in whichever one youre using, youll see a menu of commonly used banks. Theres also a search field you can use to look yours up directly. Once you find yours, youll be prompted to enter your login credentials. If you have two-factor authentication set up, youll need to enter a one-time passcode as well. As the middleman, Plaid is a passthrough for information that may include your account balances, transaction history, account type and routing or account number. Plaid uses encryption, and says it has a policy of not selling or renting customer data to other companies. However, I would not be doing my job if I didnt note that in 2022 Plaid was forced to pay $58 million to consumers in a class action suit for collecting more financial data than was needed. As part of the settlement, Plaid was compelled to change some of its business practices. In a statement provided to Engadget, a Plaid spokesperson said the company continues to deny the allegations underpinning the lawsuit and that the crux of the non-financial terms in the settlement are focused on us accelerating workstreams already underway related to giving people more transparency into Plaids role in connecting their accounts, and ensuring that our workstreams around data minimization remain on track. Why did Mint shut down? When parent company Intuit announced in December 2023 that it would shut down Mint, it did not provide a reason why it made the decision to do so. It did say that Mint's millions of users would be funneled over to its other finance app, Credit Karma. "Credit Karma is thrilled to invite all Minters to continue their financial journey on Credit Karma, where they will have access to Credit Karmas suite of features, products, tools and services, including some of Mints most popular features," Mint wrote on its product blog. In our testing, we found that Credit Karma isn't an exact replacement for Mint so if you're still looking for a Mint alternative, you have some decent options. What about Rocket Money? Rocket Money is another free financial app that tracks spending and supports things like balance alerts and account linking. If you pay for the premium tier, the service can also help you cancel unwanted subscriptions. We did not test it for this guide, but we'll consider it in future updates.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/best-budgeting-apps-120036303.html?src=rss

Silksong, the long-awaited to sequel to 2017's Hollow Knight, will arrive later this year, according to a brief sizzle reel Nintendo shared during today's Switch 2 Direct. In fact, the snippet was so short you might have missed it if you blinked, and featured the same section of gameplay we first saw during the game's announcement trailer back in 2019.Of course this being Silksong we're talking about, I wouldn't count on the game's developer, Team Cherry, sticking to that date until we have the game in our hands. If you recall, back in 2022 there was speculation the game would arrive by June 12, 2023 after Microsoft included it in a Xbox Game Pass trailer and said all the titles featured in said clip would be available within 12 months. Well, June 12, 2023 came and went with no release of Silksong.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/hollow-knight-silksong-purportedly-arrives-this-year-144515332.html?src=rss

The Switch 2 Nintendo Direct has officially come and gone, leaving in its wake some big news about the system and its upcoming games. One of arguably the cutest announcements came courtesy of Kirby Air Riders, a new game from Super Smash Bros. director Masahiro Sakurai. So, while there's sadly no new Smash game on the horizon, you can glide around with Kirby and friends. Kirby Air Riders comes over two decades after Sakurai designed Kirby Air Ride for the GameCube. Yes, you can now take a moment if reading this has made you feel old. After nearly a minute of build-up, the trailer shows Kirby riding along on the Warp Star machine, through a pleasant looking valley. It ends with the "rs" being dramatically attached to the original Kirby Air Ride title. We don't have an exact release date for Kirby Air Riders yet, but Nintendo says it will be sometime this year. As for the Switch 2, you can pick one up for $450 on June 5, along with new games like Mario Kart World. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/super-smash-bros-directors-kirby-air-riders-will-come-to-the-switch-2-150234970.html?src=rss

Following recent tests, Amazon is finally ready to launch its Project Kuiper space internet project in a bid to rival Elon Musk's Starlink, the company announced. The first batch of 27 satellites on the KA-01 (Kuiper Atlas 1) mission are set to launch into low earth orbit (LEO) aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket on April 9th next week from Cape Canaveral if conditions allow. Amazon hopes to start offering the high-speed internet service "later this year," it said.Amazon's network will eventually comprise 3,200 satellites launched from partners including ULA, Arianespace, Blue Origin and even SpaceX. Much like that company's Starlink, Project Kuiper's service will cover the entire planet when completed. It will work with a dish as small as seven inches that will deliver speeds up to 100Mbps, smaller than Starlink's Mini, or up to 1Gbps with larger dishes. The company said the cost of terminals will be under $400.The satellites will cruise at 17,000 mph at 392 miles above earth, circling the planet in about 90 minutes. They'll use a dialectic mirror film coating that's supposed to scatter light and make them less visible to ground-based astronomers, Amazon said. SpaceX's constellation currently uses over 7,000 satellites, so the Project Kuiper and Starlink fleet will use over 10,000 LEO satellites once Amazon's network is complete.AmazonAmazon launched two test satellites in October 2023 and proclaimed its early tests a success, with the pair sending and retrieving data at speeds of up to 100 gigabits per second. Later in December, it bolstered the network with a network of high-speed laser cross-links that promise further speed boosts. The company claims its mesh network can move data about 30 percent faster than terrestrial fiber optic cables.Project Kuipers first launch will be the heaviest payload yet for the Atlas V, which will fly in its most powerful configuration. The rocket will include five solid rocket boosters in addition to the main booster, and a payload fairing 77 feet high and 16.4 feet wide.Despite past successful tests, the mission isn't without risk. "Weve done extensive testing on the ground to prepare for this first mission, but there are some things you can only learn in flight, and this will be the first time weve flown our final satellite design and the first time weve deployed so many satellites at once," Project Kuiper vice president Rajeev Badyal wrote. "No matter how the mission unfolds, this is just the start of our journey, and we have all the pieces in place to learn and adapt as we prepare to launch again and again over the coming years."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/amazon-will-start-launching-its-project-kuiper-starlink-rival-next-week-123011012.html?src=rss

Mario Kart 8and its Deluxe update have been around so long it's easy to forget that the game actually predates the Switch and can trace its origins way back to the Wii U. But every good run must come to an end, and with the forthcoming arrival of the Switch 2 on June 5, Mario Kart World is looking like the ideal launch partner.Now there hasn't really ever been a bad Mario Kart game, but World feels like Nintendo has jammed nitrous into every corner and crevice. Even during my demo session where not all the characters were unlocked, I got the sense that its roster is massive. All the big names are there like Peach and Yoshi, but you also have baby versions of many of them alongside Toadette, Pauline, Nabbit and so much more. This feeling extends to a range of vehicles too, which includes standard karts in addition to stuff like jet skis and scooters.Sam Rutherford for EngadgetBut more importantly, the world feels huge. Not only can you freely roam around tracks as they seamlessly connect from one to another, there are also little details like weather effects and day/night shifts that make things feel more alive. And there's also a seemingly huge range of tracks to choose from, organized into several Grand Prix circuits.The most fun I had, though, was when I got a chance to play the Knockout Tour mode, which is like Mario Kart meets F-Zero 99. In this setting, you have 24 people in a single race that progresses across multiple tracks. Every few laps, the last four places get eliminated, so it's your job to dodge shells and use every last mushroom boost, shortcut and power slide to stay at the front of the pack. It's a non-stop frenzy that just keeps going and, though I don't have the same reaction speed I did when I was younger, this old-head still got first place. And even after a win, I just wanted more. (For the record, Nintendo's photography policy required me to have a person in the frame, so a friendly staff member stood in my place, but here's my receipt.)Sam Rutherford for EngadgetI also need to call out that Mario Kart World has a 120 fps mode and it's damn good. Racing has never looked this smooth on any Nintendo console and this game might be the best first-party showcase of the Switch 2's upgraded display and performance.That said, the best part is that I'm sure I missed some features because I didn't even have a chance to try out the outfit customization Nintendo teased in World's trailer. And I was so focused on winning that I didn't fully explore the expanded list of tricks like grinding on rails and hopping off vertical walls.Granted, it's a bummer that Nintendo has raised the price of many Switch 2 games, particularly with Mario Kart World coming in at $80 for a digital copy or $90 for a physical cart. But that can be largely avoided by purchasing the Switch 2 bundle that comes with the game, which effectively brings its price back down to $50. So if you are planning on getting a Switch 2 at launch, opting for this combo feels like a no-brainer.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/mario-kart-world-hands-on-the-perfect-launch-game-for-the-switch-2-130003924.html?src=rss

The most recent Nintendo Direct went into great detail on the new Switch 2, including when fans will be able to get their hands on the console. According to Nintendo's press release, pre-orders for the Switch 2 open up on April 9 in North America, and the console will be widely available on June 5. The starting price is a whopping $450, and in addition to Nintendos online store, youll be able to get the Switch 2 at participating retailers. We expect those to include Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop, Walmart and others. The $450 price tag is for the Switch 2 console alone, but Nintendo said it will also offer a bundle with the Switch 2 and a copy of the new Mario Kart Worldgame, a Switch 2 exclusive, for $500. There's some fine-print attached to pre-ordering directly from Nintendo. According to the pre-order page on Nintendo's site, you must be 18 years or older, sign in with your Nintendo account and register your interest in pre-ordering. Then, you'll be sent an invitation email when it's time to play your pre-order, and the invitation will be valid for 72 hours. And then there's this bit of info: "Invitation emails will be prioritized on a first-come, first-served basis to registrants who have purchased a Nintendo Switch Online membership with a minimum of 12 months of paid membership and a minimum of 50 total gameplay hours, as of April 2, 2025." That seems to mean those who have paid for Switch Online in the recent past and those who have spent a good amount of time playing Switch games as of late will get first pick at buying a Switch 2. There's no telling if these same restrictions will apply if you want to pre-order from third-party retailers. We knew from the teaser trailer for the Switch 2 that Nintendo's new hardware would be bigger and would have a new approach to the detachable Joy-Cons. The new Joy-Con 2 have a new C button, mouse controls and a built in gyroscope for tilt control. The console has a built-in mic to support a new feature called Game Chat that will let you communicate with friends in-game. The device is indeed a bit larger, with a 7.9-inch LCD screen that supports a 120Hz refresh rate, HDR and a 1080p resolution. When docked, you'll be able to play at up to 4K on your TV, and Nintendo says it improved the consoles internal speakers as well. The new dock also has a built-in fan to keep the console cool and help maintain performance during long play sessions. The Switch 2 has dual USB-C ports for charging, and the base storage amount has increased to 256GB. The Switch 2's storage can be expanded like the previous model, but it will only work with newer microSD Express cards. The Switch 2 has a number of accessories that you'll be able to purchase separately as well, including the new Switch 2 camera for $50, a new Switch 2 Pro controller for $80, an extra pair of Joy-Con 2 controllers for $90, a Joy-Con 2 charging grip for $35 and more. Pre-order the Nintendo Switch 2 starting April 9 from: Nintendo Amazon Walmart GameStop Best Buy Target This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/pre-order-the-nintendo-switch-2-for-450-starting-april-9-140931997.html?src=rss

Nintendo just held a livestream to drop more details on the forthcoming Switch 2 console. At the very end, it revealed a brand-new 3D platformer starring Donkey Kong. This is the first game of its type since Donkey Kong 64 hit the Nintendo 64 all the way back in 1999. Its called Donkey Kong Bananza and launches exclusively for the Switch 2 on July 17, which is just over a month after the console hits store shelves.It looks cool! Much of the environment is destructible, so DK can get in there and break stuff. It also features sidescrolling segments, sort of like how modern Mario 3D platformers dip into their 2D roots every once in a while. We got to try it out in our hands-on with the Switch 2, and while it looks fabulous, it also feels like the kind of game that would have looked great on the original Switch. With Nintendo's stylized graphics for titles like this, the impact of the Switch 2's upgrades doesn't quite hit the same way it might in other games. That's not a big knock, but just something to be aware of.The whole thing has a funky and cartoonish vibe one would expect from our favorite gorilla. However, I didnt hear one lick of the famous Donkey Kong rap during the trailer but the equally iconic "ooh banana" sound effect from DK64 does make a brief cameo.The trailer does show DK climbing up the sides of mountains (getting his BOTW-era Link on) and rollicking through several locations. These include a forest and an ice region, among others. The footage also shows the meanest looking Kong Ive ever seen.NintendoWe dont know too much about this game beyond what the trailer shows, but we dont have that long to wait. Once again, Donkey Kong Bananza comes out on July 17.Update: April 3 2025, 10:10AM ET: Updated with a few impressions from our Switch 2 hands-on demo.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/donkey-kong-bananza-is-a-brand-new-3d-platformer-for-switch-2-143108835.html?src=rss

TikTok will reportedly face a fine of over 500 million ($553 million) for transferring Europeans' private data to China. Bloomberg said on Thursday that Ireland's data protection commission, which regulates TikTok owner ByteDance's EU operations, could dish out the penalty before the end of April.The fine results from a four-year investigation of TikTok's data handling practices. The probe reportedly concluded that ByteDance broke Europe's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) laws by transferring private user data to China to be accessed by engineers. The country is known for its widespread, high-tech surveillance."TikTok tells us that EU data is transferred to the U.S. and not to China, however we have understood that there is possibility that maintenance and AI engineers in China may be accessing data," former Irish Data Protection Commissioner Helen Dixon said in March 2021 when the probe began.Ireland is taking the lead because, under the GDPR, the country where a company's European operations are located oversees compliance and enforcement. ByteDance's European headquarters are in Dublin. Bloomberg says the decision date and amount of the fine aren't yet finalized and could still change.Of course, this isn't even ByteDance's biggest drama unfolding this week. The fate of TikTok's US operations hangs in the balance as it approaches an April 5 deadline to find a buyer or face a ban in America. The list of likely outcomes ranges from finding a buyer (Amazon has even thrown its hat in the ring) to its US investors rolling over their stakes into a new independent global company or the deadline passing with another deadline extension.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/tiktok-reportedly-faces-a-%E2%82%AC500-million-fine-for-sending-private-user-data-to-china-162214079.html?src=rss

The original Switch started a revolution when it combined the portability of handhelds with the ability to play games on your TV at home like a traditional console. But with the Nintendo Switch 2, even though it's physically bigger, it feels like a sleeker, faster and more refined take on its predecessor to the point that Nintendo should have called it the Super Switch (which apparently almost happened). And after getting a chance to try it out, I'm sold on its abilities, even with its significantly higher starting price of $450. Editor's note: This hands-on focuses on our writer's experience with the new Nintendo Switch 2, covering the hardware, playing experience and changes from the original model. If you're looking for more info on Sam's impressions of individual games, start with his hands-on with Mario Kart World, which he calls a "perfect launch game for the Switch 2." Design and display: No OLED, no problem The Switch 2 has the same basic shape and layout as the original, including its signature detachable Joy-Con. But it looks more polished all around, thanks to tapered edges and slimmer bezels. Nintendo also increased the size of its joystick caps and the face buttons on the left controller, though the latter still doesn't feel quite like a traditional D-pad. Sam Rutherford for Engadget That said, the biggest upgrade is its larger 7.9-inch 1080p LCD display, which now supports a 120Hz refresh rate with VRR and high dynamic range. Frankly, it's super bright and very colorful to the point where I don't really miss having an OLED screen. Now there's a fair bit of grumbling that Nintendo, despite the existence of the OLED Switch, didn't opt for a similar panel type on the Switch 2. But if you remember, that model didn't support HDR, so it's not like we're looking at a downgrade in display quality, though the super deep blacks you get from OLED screens would have been nice. Also, the Switch 2 feels like it defies its dimensions because even though its display is larger than the 6.2-inch version on the base Switch, it doesn't feel that much bigger. It's only half an inch taller (4.5 inches) and a little over an inch wider (9.4 vs 10.7 inches). And while its weight has also increased to 1.18 pounds with its Joy-Con attached (up from 0.88 pounds), it never felt too heavy. Sam Rutherford for Engadget Elsewhere, there are a ton of quality-of-life upgrades, including a second USB-C port (though the one on the bottom is the only one that can do video out), a built-in mic and support for microSD Express cards. That last one is a big deal, because even though the cards are more expensive, they're also significantly faster than your standard fare and they should be a major boon to download speeds and load times. I admit the lack of analog shoulder buttons is a small downer, though Nintendo says it made that choice because analog buttons would introduce a tiny bit of input lag and it wanted to go with the more responsive solution. Joy-Con features: Expanded detachables During its livestream, Nintendo spent a lot of time talking about the C button on the right Joy-Con, which feels like a first-party solution that looks to recreate everything people like about Discord. But at Nintendo's hands-on experience, there weren't any chances to test out the console's new social features, so I wasn't able to dive deeper into that. Sam Rutherford for Engadget That's ok, though, because I think the Joy-Con's new magnetic mounting system is the hidden star. Not only is there a larger button around back for popping them off, they now detach simply when you pull them left or right. There's no need to slide anything up or down first. Granted, this sounds like a small change, but it makes the whole process so much simpler and the Joy-con seem to be more securely attached as well. Then there's the Joy-Con's ability to function as a mouse (for both the left and right controllers). I thought it was pretty gimmicky, until I played Metroid Prime 4: Beyondwhere I suddenly found myself favoring the mouse mode over standard gamepad controls. Everything feels a bit more precise and if you're a fan of shooters on PC, it's definitely worth trying out. The obvious limitation is that while you can use the Joy-Con on your leg, you really ought to have some sort of flat surface like a table, which may not be an option if your favorite place to game is on the couch. Performance: Nintendo's move to next-gen tech Sam Rutherford for Engadget Nintendo has kept relatively quiet regarding the Switch 2's processor and memory. But the company has said the system does support DLSS and hardware-based ray tracing. Now those features might not get used in every game, but it does seem to make it way easier for third-party developers to port their titles over to the company's upcoming console. When I played the new Switch 2 versions of Street Fighter 6, Cyberpunk 2077 and Civilization 7, they all ran really smooth. And without doing a straight-up side-by-side comparison next to a proper gaming PC, it was really hard to tell if the Switch 2 was cutting corners graphically, if it was even doing it at all. The only hiccup I noticed was rather long loading times in Civ, which isn't exactly uncommon for a Sid Meier game. The flipside to this is if you told me that some of Nintendo's new first-party games like Donkey Kong Bananza and Mario Kart World were actually being run on an original Switch, I wouldn't have blinked. In some ways, Nintendo's ability to wring every last bit of performance out of its hardware and its habit of eschewing hyperrealism in favor of more stylized graphics has almost put a ceiling on the company's ability to really show off its chops. But when you pay attention, you'll really appreciate how delightfully satiny Mario Kart looks when it's running at 120 fps. I still have questions about what's going on inside the Switch 2's new dock and how it's leveraging its increased performance to deliver 4K resolutions when connected to a TV. I also think it's a travesty that Nintendo is charging money for the Switch 2 Welcome Tour. It's barely a game, but it is a genuinely useful way to introduce the console's features to new owners and it really should be pre-installed on every system for free. It also remains to be seen how the Switch 2's battery life holds up. Nintendo says it has a larger power pack than the original Switch, but it also has increased performance and a larger screen, while the company claims runtimes may vary between two and six and half hours depending on the title. But all told, the Switch 2 is exactly what you want from a successor to Nintendo's legendary hybrid console. Aside from the price, that is, because in addition to the console starting at $450, almost all of its standard accessories cost more than before, too. From the Pro Controller, which now goes for $80 ($10 more than for the original Switch) or additional pairs of Joy-Con that cost $90 (another $10 hike). And that's before you factor in the cost of games like Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza that start at $80 and $70 as digital downloads (or $90 and $80 if you want physical carts). Update, April 3 2025, 12:35PM ET: This story has been updated to include an Editor's Note pointing out where readers can find our hands-on impressions of Mario Kart World. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/switch-2-hands-on-i-think-nintendos-new-console-is-worth-the-450-130819785.html?src=rss

Googles Pixel Buds Pro 2 earbuds are on sale via Amazon for just $179. This is a record-low price, as they normally cost $229. This deal is available for multiple colorways, including black, pink, beige and green. These little cuties easily made our list of the best wireless earbuds. We admired the comfortable and secure fit and the addition of the Tensor chip to handle audio and ANC processing. They also offer a hands-free way to initiate Gemini AI. However, the main reason we recommend these earbuds is that they sound great. They provide a good low-end, which is tough to do with earbuds, and crunchy highs. Google says it redesigned the entire audio system and it shows. We called out the noticeable improvement over the original Pixel Buds Pro earbuds in our official review. There are plenty of nifty features to set these earbuds apart from the competition. They can detect conversations and automatically adjust audio accordingly. Find My Device support is also included. They offer spatial audio with certain apps. The buds get around eight hours of use per charge, but 30 hours when considering the included charging case. There are only two downsides here. The Pixel Buds Pro 2 earbuds are incredibly small, which is cool, that means making adjustments on their equally tiny touch panels can be difficult. Also, the original asking price of $229 is certainly high. This sale alleviates that particular issue. Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/googles-pixel-buds-pro-2-are-back-on-sale-for-an-all-time-low-price-164743950.html?src=rss

Verizon just revealed a new price lock policy that guarantees certain plans wont go up in cost for three years. This is for both new and existing customers. It was announced the day after President Trump decided to tariff the entire world, which put markets into a tailspin. Verizon didnt specifically mention this policy, but did say that the move was intended to give predictability to its customer base.However, there are some caveats. Customers have to be enrolled in one of the companys newer myPlan subscriptions to be eligible. Also, the guarantee only covers the base charge for the rate plan. It doesnt do anything regarding those mysterious little fees that carriers use to raise prices on the down low. BIG NEWS! Verizon is introducing a 3-Year Price Guarantee for ALL new and existing customers on myPlan & myHome, PLUS a FREE phone with trade-in and free satellite messaging! Learn how to save big:https://t.co/tabDgx5jgZ Verizon News (@VerizonNews) April 3, 2025 Theres also nothing in the fine print regarding autopay discounts, so those arent locked in. This could force a rate hike if Verizon decides alter the discount. Of course, the company will likely try to persuade consumers to increase the monthly bill of their own accord. This carrot usually takes the shape of a free phone.To that end, Verizon announced it will be giving free phones to new and existing customers. This requires a suitable trade-in device and enrollment in a myPlan subscription. The three-year price lock also covers the companys myHome 5G internet plans. Current myPlan members dont have to do anything to start this price lock process. The enrollment is automatic.This is just the latest promotion to lure customers to its myPlan subscriptions. The company recently started offering cheaper subscriptions for Netflix and Max to members. It did something similar for Google One AI Premium subscriptions. Verizon owns a minority stake in Engadget's parent company, but this didn't impact our coverage.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/verizon-just-announced-a-three-year-price-lock-plan-but-there-are-caveats-182320983.html?src=rss

Traeger's only gas-powered grill is its Flatrock flat-top griddle. Besides this one model, everything else in the company's lineup runs on wood pellets. Since griddles continue to be insanely popular backyard cooking tools, Traeger is expanding its Flatrock line with a smaller, two-burner option. The Flatrock 2 Zone has all of the features from the larger version, which is now called the Flatrock 3 Zone, in a griddle that takes up less space on your deck, patio or porch.As the name suggests, the Flatrock 2 Zone has two separate cooking areas with precise heat control for each one. U-shaped burners consistently heat the entire cooking surface and an edge-to-edge, wind-blocking design helps keep the flame running smoothly without burnouts or flare-ups. Like the Flatrock 3 Zone, there are folding side shelves for resting tools and trays, plus the Pop-And-Lock (PAL) rail system allows you to add the snap-on accessories you need to complete your griddle setup. The EZ-Clean grease keg from other recent Traeger grills is here as well, making it easy to get rid of liquids and debris after cooking.TraegerThe main appeal of the Flatrock 2 Zone is that it's smaller than the original model. You'll still have the ability to make breakfasts, smash burgers, fajitas and more with the griddle's 468 square inches of cooking surface, but this new version will fit better in smaller outdoor spaces. It's also $200 cheaper at $700. Unfortunately, there's no word on availability just yet: Traeger says the Flatrock 2 Zone is coming "soon" to its website and retailers in the US and Canada.If you're looking for an alternative, Weber's Slate griddles are well-built and offer various options depending on the size and features you're after. Starting at $549, you can get the three-burner, 28-inch base model that comes on a basic cart similar to the company's gas grills. Even this smallest Weber option offers more cooking area than the Flatrock 2 Zone at 504 square inches. At the top end, there's a four-burner, 36-inch version that comes with an easy-to-read digital temperature gauge and enclosed storage for $999. What's more, Weber offers a 30-inch size in between those two, with various storage configurations and an the option to include that battery-powered temperature gauge. This one isThis article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/kitchen-tech/traeger-built-a-smaller-flatrock-griddle-for-smaller-outdoor-spaces-210057199.html?src=rss

After a January announcement that it would spend $80 billion on data center construction, Microsoft may already be adjusting its future plans. Sources told Bloomberg that Microsoft has delayed or slowed data center efforts in Indonesia, the UK, Australia, Illinois, North Dakota and Wisconsin. Some of the cases meant withdrawing from negotiations, while others have involved delays on planned construction projects, according to these insiders. These data centers would be central to Microsoft's efforts to develop more capabilities around artificial intelligence.Despite the apparent shift in its approach, a Microsoft rep told Bloomberg that the company still plans to hold to its $80 billion spending budget on data centers during its 2025 fiscal year. Engadget has reached out for confirmation and will update if we receive comment from Microsoft. That was the figure laid out in a blog post attributed to Vice-Chair and President Brad Smith. The post, published days before President Trump's inauguration, included some ingratiating language for the new administration. "The country has a unique opportunity to pursue this vision and build on the foundational ideas set for AI policy during President Trumps first term," it reads. "At Microsoft, we are excited to take part in this journey."Microsoft's plans could have been influenced by looming tariffs, which had been threatened and were finally introduced this week by President Trump. The trade policy is likely to make large infrastructure plans more expensive and has already caused uncertainties on Wall Street. It could be that the company will still spend in the ballpark of $80 billion but will not be able to complete as many locations as it had previously calculated. Or it could be that in the months since presenting its forecast, Microsoft has already seen a reduction in expected demand.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/microsoft-is-reportedly-walking-back-some-data-center-plans-210406748.html?src=rss