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Courtesy of IKEAFurnishing the first place you call your own is a big deal. It needs to be more elevated than your dorm room, but the pieces also need to be affordable. You want quality furniture that will last well beyond your first lease, but it also needs to be adaptable to suit your ever-evolving style. The foolproof solution to all of these needs? IKEA. The retailer has long mastered Scandinavian simplicity, with functional, budget-friendly furniture that works with a range of styles. Here are seven selects to make your first apartment feel like home. The best part? These are proven favorites, with ratings of 4+ stars out of 5 from hundreds, if not thousands of reviews—so you can trust that each and every one will deliver both quality and style.1KALLAX Shelf Unit$80 at IKEAYour dream of built-in bookshelves may be a few years (or decades) away, but that doesn’t mean you can’t fake it. Use the adaptable KALLAX series to build a shelving display that suits your space by combining different-size units.2MALM Bed Frame$219 at IKEAFeaturing clean lines and an unfussy design, the MALM is an IKEA classic, available in three sizes (full, queen, and king) and four finishes (white, blue, and dark brown or oak veneer). The high headboard offers ample back support for those work-from-bed days, and the sides can be adjusted to fit varying mattress heights. If you need extra storage, just add the rolling MALM underbed storage boxes.Advertisement - Continue Reading Below3ÄLVDALEN Sleeper Sofa$449 at IKEAIt’s guaranteed that your friends will want to come for an overnight visit in your first apartment, and you’ll want to do them one better than a blow-up air mattress to sleep on. Enter the attractive and comfortable ÄLVDALEN sleeper sofa. It easily folds out to a full-size bed, and even features storage under the seat to hold the bedding. Plus, it comes with a 10-year limited warranty, so you can trust its durability for years to come.4MICKE Desk$90 at IKEAA full-blown home office may not be in the cards for a first pad, but a sleek workspace that won’t detract from the vibe of your living room certainly is. The streamlined MICKE desk features a long tabletop (at nearly 56 inches, it can fit two chairs) and a cable compartment to keep cords hidden away.Advertisement - Continue Reading Below5LACK Wall Shelf Unit$100 at IKEA“Highly aesthetic,” “modern and so practical,” “sturdy and well-designed”—these are just a few of the comments from 1,300+ reviewers about why they love this shelf unit so much. Use it to turn unused vertical wall space into an artful display of ceramics, photos, and books. Hung vertically, each shelf can hold up to six pounds.6STORKLINTA 3-Drawer Chest$120 at IKEASimple, modern, and highly functional, the STORKLINTA dresser features integrated handles on the upper edge of the drawers for a hardware-free design. The anchor-and-unlock feature reduces tip-over risk by requiring the chest be anchored to the wall for more than one drawer to be opened at once.Advertisement - Continue Reading Below7NISSAFORS Utility Cart$30 at IKEAWhether you need more storage in your tiny kitchen or you’re simply looking for a minimalist bar cart, the NISSAFORS is the answer. It’s made of powder-coated steel, it’s available in four finishes—sophisticated black is our favorite—and it’s been tested to IKEA’s strictest standards for stability and durability, so you know it’s built to last.

As a Canadian who has spent the last two and a half years working as an intern architect in Helsinki, these questions have been on my mind. In my current role, I have had the opportunity to participate in numerous architectural competitions arranged by Finnish municipalities and public institutions. It has been my observation that the Finnish system of open, anonymous architectural competitions consistently produces elegant and highly functional public buildings at reasonable cost and at great benefit to the lives of the everyday people for whom the projects are intended to serve. Could Canada benefit from the adoption of a similar model? ‘Public project’ has never been a clearly defined term and may bring to mind the image of a bustling library for some while conjuring the image of a municipal power substation for others. In the context of this discussion, I will use the term to refer to projects that are explicitly in-service of the broader public such as community centres, museums, and other cultural venues. Finland’s architectural competition system Frequented by nearly 2 million visitors per year, the Oodi Central Library in Helsinki, Finland, has become a thriving cultural hub and an internationally recognized symbol of Finnish design innovation. Designed by ALA Architects, the project was procured through a 2-stage, open, international architectural competition. Photo by Ninara (flickr, CC BY 2.0) In Finland, most notable public projects begin with an architectural competition. Some are limited to invited participants only, but the majority of these competitions are open to international submissions. Importantly, the authors of any given proposal remain anonymous with regards to the jury. This ensures that all proposals are evaluated purely on quality without bias towards established firms over lesser known competitors. The project budget is known in advance to the competition entrants and cost feasibility is an important factor weighed by the jury. However, the cost for the design services to be procured from the winning entry is fixed ahead of time, preventing companies from lowballing offers in the hopes of securing an interesting commission despite the inevitable compromises in quality that come with under-resourced design work. The result: inspired, functional public spaces are the norm, not the exception. Contrasted against the sea of forgettable public architecture to be found in cities large and small across Canada, the Finnish model paints a utopic picture. Several award-winning projects in my current place of employment in Helsinki have been the result of successes in open architectural competitions. The origin of the firm itself stemmed from a winning competition entry for a church in a small village submitted by the firm’s founder while he was still completing his architectural studies.  At that time, many architecture firms in Finland were founded in this manner with the publicity of a competition win serving as a career launching off point for young architects. While less common today, many students and recent graduates still participate in these design competitions. On the occasion that a young practitioner wins a competition, they are required to assemble a team with the necessary expertise and qualifications to satisfy the requirements of the jury. I believe there is a direct link between the high architectural quality outcomes of these competitions and the fact that they are conducted anonymously. The opening of these competitions to submissions from companies outside of Finland further enhances the diversity of entries and fosters international interest in the goings-on of Finland’s architectural scene. Nonetheless, it is worth acknowledging that exemplary projects have also resulted from invited and privately organized competitions. Ultimately, the mindset of the client, the selection of an appropriate jury, and the existence of sufficient incentives for architects to invest significant time in their proposals play a more critical role in shaping the quality of the final outcome. Tikkurila Church and Housing in Vantaa, Finland, hosts a diverse range of functions including a café, community event spaces and student housing. Designed by OOPEAA in collaboration with a local builder, the project was realized as the result of a competition organized by local Finnish and Swedish parishes. Photo by Marc Goodwin Finland’s competition system, administered by the Finnish Association of Architects (SAFA), is not limited to major public projects such as museums, libraries and city halls. A significant number of idea competitions are organized seeking compelling visions for urban masterplans. The quality of this system has received international recognition. To quote a research paper from a Swedish university on the structure, criteria and judgement process of Finnish architectural competitions, “The Finnish (competition) experience can provide a rich information source for scholars and students studying the structure and process of competition system and architectural judgement, as well as those concerned with commissioning and financing of competitions due to innovative solutions found in the realms of urban revitalization, poverty elimination, environmental pollution, cultural and socio-spatial renewals, and democratization of design and planning process.” This has not gone entirely under the radar in Canada. According to the website of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC), “Competitions are common in countries such as Finland, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. These competitions have resulted in a high quality of design as well as creating public interest in the role of architecture in national and community life.” Canada’s architectural competition system In Canada, the RAIC sets general competition guidelines while provincial and territorial architect associations are typically responsible for the oversight of any endorsed architectural competition. Although the idea of implementing European architectural competition models has been gaining traction in recent years, competitions remain relatively rare even for significant public projects. While Canada is yet to fully embrace competition systems as a powerful tool for ensuring higher quality public spaces, success stories from various corners of the country have opened up constructive conversations. In Edmonton, unconventional, competitive procurement efforts spearheaded by city architect Carol Belanger have produced some remarkable public buildings. This has not gone unnoticed in other parts of the country where consistent banality is the norm for public projects. Jasper Place Branch Library designed by HCMA and Dub Architects is one of several striking projects in Edmonton built under reimagined commissioning processes which broaden the pool of design practices eligible to participate and give greater weight to design quality as an evaluation criterion. Photo by Hubert Kang The wider applicability of competition systems as a positive mechanism for securing better public architecture has also started to receive broader discussion. In my hometown of Ottawa, this system has been used to procure several powerful monuments and, more recently, to select a design for the redevelopment of a key city block across from Parliament Hill. The volume and quality of entries, including from internationally renowned architectural practices, attests to the strengths of the open competition format. Render of the winning entry for the Block 2 Redevelopment in Ottawa. This 2-stage competition was overseen directly by the RAIC. Design and render by Zeidler Architecture Inc. in cooperation with David Chipperfield Architects. Despite these successes, there is significant room for improvement. A key barrier to wider adoption of competition practices according to the RAIC is “…that potential sponsors are not familiar with competitions or may consider the competition process to be complicated, expensive, and time consuming.” This is understandable for private actors, but an unsatisfactory answer in the case of public, tax-payer funded projects. Finland’s success has come through the normalization of competitions for public project procurement. We should endeavour to do the same. Maintaining design contribution anonymity prior to jury decision has thus far been the exception, not the norm in Canada. This reduces the credibility of the jury without improving the result. Additionally, the financing of such competitions has been piece-meal and inconsistent. For example, several world-class schools have been realized in Quebec as the result of competitions funded by a provincial investment.  With the depletion of that fund, it is no longer clear if any further schools will be commissioned in Quebec under a similar model. While high quality documentation has been produced, there is a risk that developed expertise will be lost if the team of professionals responsible for overseeing the process is not retained. École du Zénith in Shefford, Quebec, designed by Pelletier de Fontenay + Leclerc Architectes is one of six elegant and functional schools commission by the province through an anonymous competition process. Photo by James Brittain A path forward Now more than ever, it is essential that our public projects instill in us a sense of pride and reflect our uniquely Canadian values. This will continue to be a rare occurrence until more ambitious measures are taken to ensure the consistent realization of beautiful, innovative and functional public spaces that connect us with one another. In service of this objective, Canada should incentivize architectural competitions by normalizing their use for major public projects such as national museums, libraries and cultural centres. A dedicated Competitions Fund could be established to support provinces, territories and cities who demonstrate initiative in the pursuit of more ambitious, inspiring and equitable public projects. A National Competitions Expert could be appointed to ensure retention and dissemination of expertise. Maintaining the anonymity of competition entrants should be established as the norm. At a moment when talk of removing inter-provincial trade barriers has re-entered public discourse, why not consider striking down red tape that prevents out-of-province firms from participating in architectural competitions? Alas, one can dream. Competitions are no silver bullet. However, recent trials within our borders should give us confidence that architectural competitions are a relatively low-risk, high-reward proposition. To this end, Finland’s open, anonymous competition system offers a compelling case study from which we would be well served to take inspiration. Isaac Edmonds is a Canadian working for OOPEAA – Office for Peripheral Architecture in Helsinki, Finland. My observations of the Finnish competition system’s ability to consistently produce functional, beautiful buildings inform my interest in procurement methods that elevate the quality of our shared public realm. The post Op-Ed: Could Canada benefit from adopting Finland’s architectural competition system? appeared first on Canadian Architect.

Sangral Powered by Friendship™ Member Feb 17, 2022 8,649 From one of the biggest and most dedicated HDR analysis channels out there. Thought that's a big enough topic on its own, because of the analysis, for a separate thread. View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N637VB4FYxg 450 nits maximum peak brightness (personal comparison, Switch OLED without any HDR has 340 nits, an LG C2 TV in HDR has 800 nits, Steam Deck OLED screen has 1000 nits, Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra 2600 nits.) Games like Zelda Breath of the Wild have raised blacks even in Docked HDR gameplay with a raised black level floor and the game looking washed out HDR docked can be good if games are optimized for it like Cyberpunk, which he refers to being exactly like on PS5 and PC, HDR wise or Fast Fusion as one of the rare games that actually have a good black level floor in HDR   Last edited: 39 minutes ago blueredandgold Member Oct 25, 2017 8,739 Could you please translate for those of us who haven't been able to watch or digest after we saw this posted in the other thread please?   gabdeg Member Oct 26, 2017 7,420 🐝 Sadly what I expected since the moment we learned it was edge-lit LCD. Would've at least expected nigher peak nits though.   Kouriozan Member Oct 25, 2017 25,072 A shame, because Switch 2 is like the first time I'll see HDR, as my old TV isn't compatible :/   Paper Cheese Member Oct 9, 2019 558 I've got to assume this is the sort of thing that most of us hi-fi tech illiterate lot won't notice until they bring out a better screen model in a few years.   Fortinbras Member Oct 27, 2017 2,073 Well that sucks but it's Nintendo...did anyone expect anything different? I'm only going to use it docked so hopefully they can fix the HDR via update.  Universal Acclaim Member Oct 5, 2024 2,482 Not surprised, but not a big issue for me personally.   Antony Member Oct 25, 2017 4,054 Ahhh the obligatory Nintendo Crap Display (Before You Buy a Whole New Model to Get a Decent One) it's positively tradition at this point   Friendly Bear Member Jan 11, 2019 4,162 I Don’t Care Where (Just Far) Even with an edge lit LCD, I was expecting brighter highlights. A lot of the preview event coverage made it sound like the screen was insanely bright, and that's clearly not the case.   NoSpin Member Nov 1, 2017 83 As so often with gaming, I am relieved to have this person to tell me the thing I am enjoying looking at is bad actually. :)   Mivey Member Oct 25, 2017 20,753 Paper Cheese said: I've got to assume this is the sort of thing that most of us hi-fi tech illiterate lot won't notice until they bring out a better screen model in a few years. Click to expand... Click to shrink... the raised blacks on dark content is pretty clear if you play in any kind of darker environment, if you have any kind of OLED screen to compare. Case in point, if you own a Switch 1 OLED, you'll notice the stark differences for certain kinds of content right away. OTOH, if you have been using a launch Switch 1 and never had any issues with how it looks, you'll be fine. Just make sure to stay away from OLED screen, lest you gain the ability to see the differences.   Decarb Member Oct 27, 2017 9,280 HDR on edge-lit LCD is kind of a scam anyway. Kouriozan said: A shame, because Switch 2 is like the first time I'll see HDR, as my old TV isn't compatible :/ Click to expand... Click to shrink... If you have a phone made in last couple of years you've probably seen HDR.   horkrux Member Oct 27, 2017 6,531 Well, kinda expected, so I'm not too bothered by it. Not like you can change it.   Maximo Member Oct 25, 2017 11,041 Nintendo saving that sweet sweet OLED for a refresh.   Buddy Member Oct 25, 2017 1,773 Germany I have mine in my hands right now.... don't know about HDR stuff too much but Mario Kart looks gorgeous on it.   DieH@rd Member Oct 26, 2017 12,083 Decarb said: HDR on edge-lit LCD is kind of a scam anyway. Click to expand... Click to shrink... ^ this.   cw_sasuke Member Oct 27, 2017 30,321 Most of this stuff was clear from the Preview Events, at least DF talked about it. Didn't seem to bother a majority of people playing though. Was pretty much set when it wasn't going to be OLED.  John Frost Member Oct 27, 2017 9,658 Canada Well, that's disappointing..   Milk Prophet of Truth Avenger Oct 25, 2017 4,301 NoSpin said: As so often with gaming, I am relieved to have this person to tell me the thing I am enjoying looking at is bad actually. :) Click to expand... Click to shrink... It's not a personal attack on you. Pointing out objective shortcomings about the technology is a good thing for consumers.   345 Member Oct 30, 2017 10,410 it's about as good as i was expecting. HDR on an LCD basically means "we're actually going to tune content for the screen's color gamut", and it does the job on that level. mario kart does look punchier and more vibrant than it would in SDR while obviously not offering the same contrast as an OLED. dunno who this guy is but if he's really "very disappointed" i'm not sure he knows very much about screens. i'm sure it's just ragebait  JimNastics Member Jan 11, 2018 1,607 345 said: 'm sure it's just ragebait Click to expand... Click to shrink... No way!! :D You could tell just from the thumbnail.  Aleh Member Oct 27, 2017 20,238 "crap display" is a huge exaggeration. Everyone who has actually seen it in person says it looks really good, HDR isn't everything, however disappointing that is.   cw_sasuke Member Oct 27, 2017 30,321 Milk said: It's not a personal attack on you. Pointing out objective shortcomings about the technology is a good thing for consumers. Click to expand... Click to shrink... Seems to be on par what you would get with an LCD. The OG Switch 1 has a bad LCD Screen, the OG Steam Deck has an even worse.....this video is making it seem like Switch 2 Screen is as bad as these screens or even worse. When it seems to be quite solid for an LCD, but in certain areas it can compete with an OLED.  Alex840 Member Oct 31, 2017 5,373 And yet most of the games media doing previews have been like "oh I can barely tell the difference compared to the OLED". Am really sad they took a step back with this, how much more could an OLED screen have cost them?  Universal Acclaim Member Oct 5, 2024 2,482 SDR low brightness in a dark room then   Dranakin Member Oct 27, 2017 2,999 Ooof. Although, I will admit, I probably can't tell between good and bad sceens. I mean, I have the Ayaneo Pocket DMG and everyone says it's an amazing screen. It looks normal to me? Alex840 said: Am really sad they took a step back with this, how much more could an OLED screen have cost them? Click to expand... Click to shrink... An OLED 120hz? The Odin 2 Portal has one (smaller size and without VRR), but I don't have a sense of the component cost.  Kabuki Waq Member Oct 26, 2017 6,034 The screen is a pretty big downgrade from oled but a huge upgrade from the OG. I really miss the perfect blacks. MKW is gorgeous but would have looked so much better on an oled screen  Harmen Member Aug 30, 2023 1,462 The HDR and lifted black should not come as a surprise. But the video doesn't really analyze why it would be below average for an LCD screen? Colours? Pixel response time? For example the original Switch 1 LCD look reaaally bad to me these days, but my Steam Deck LCD screen (similar resolution) looks good to me outside of raised blacks in dark scenes (which I do get used to).   nogoodnamesleft Member Oct 25, 2017 8,605 Yep. I fucking knew it. Knew it was going to be trash. LCD is trash as a standard (yes miniled included with its trash ass pixel response time) Will wait for oled version.  cw_sasuke Member Oct 27, 2017 30,321 Aleh said: "crap display" is a huge exaggeration. Everyone who has actually seen it in person says it looks really good, HDR isn't everything, however disappointing that is. Click to expand... Click to shrink... Focus of the whole channel is HDR. Dude is likely just used to comparing HDR content on very expensive OLED Screens. So HDR bad = everything trash for him. Something that won't be the case for 99% of users out there. Its the single voter issue again, disregarding everything else because of one focus point and expecting every one to feel the same way about it.  Serif Member Oct 31, 2024 410 Alex840 said: Am really sad they took a step back with this, how much more could an OLED screen have cost them? Click to expand... Click to shrink... An OLED 1080p HDR VRR 120 Hz screen does not sound like it would be cost-effective. It makes sense to establish baseline specs like 120 Hz support for developers to target and upgrade to OLED in the future instead of trying to add 120 Hz support later on.  fourfourfun Member Oct 27, 2017 9,149 England Aleh said: "crap display" is a huge exaggeration. Everyone who has actually seen it in person says it looks really good, HDR isn't everything, however disappointing that is. Click to expand... Click to shrink... If you're an enthusiast display platform, you're going to be benchmarking against the absolute best. So comparatively it could not be as good. Obviously it doesn't take into account what the entire platform delivers as a whole and the price it was trying to hit. It's a rather zoomed in look at just one thing.  RailWays One Winged Slayer Avenger Oct 25, 2017 18,449 Still sounds like an upgrade from the launch Switch LCD, though those nits are pretty low   Koklusz Member Oct 27, 2017 3,971 blueredandgold said: Could you please translate for those of us who haven't been able to watch or digest after we saw this posted in the other thread please? Click to expand... Click to shrink... The screen is bad, and the native HDR implementation in the games he tested is shoddy.   NoSpin Member Nov 1, 2017 83 Milk said: It's not a personal attack on you. Pointing out objective shortcomings about the technology is a good thing for consumers. Click to expand... Click to shrink... I didn't see it as a personal attack, I just imagined him reviewing the Game Boy Pocket or the OG DS screes and how disappointed he would have been, whilst we were all busy enjoying video games.  Wasp Member Oct 29, 2017 351 It's a shame they couldn't release an OLED SKU at launch. I would have happily paid an extra $100 for an OLED model and I'm sure many are the same. I know I'll be keeping my box in pristine condition to get maximum value when I trade the console in for a Switch 2 OLED in hopefully a few years.  Last edited: 51 minutes ago pswii60 Member Oct 27, 2017 28,932 The Milky Way This means that for handheld purposes, Switch 2 is actually a downgrade on Switch 1 OLED, for any games that aren't taking advantage of the additional power/resolution. So basically, you might want to hold on to your Switch 1 OLED for all your pixel art indies, and any games not getting a patch/upgrade.  Shadow One Winged Slayer Member Oct 28, 2017 4,837 Kinda what I expected. Being LCD with HDR especially on portable device at that is never a good combo. I'll just play on my OLED TV when I want to get the full experience, which again, is what I expected. I hope it's a bit usable outside at least. I was hoping closer to 600 nits for that alone, as the Deck OLED is JUST usable on a sunny day. But you can't have everything I guess.  UnderJollyRoger Member Jun 16, 2023 648 Germany The screen is also my biggest concern of the unit. The og switch has an absolutely atrocious screen and LCDs just dont cut it anymore for me. The low nits will make it again pretty difficult to properly play outside. I am commuting a lot and sitting on a train with a bit of sun outside was already too much for the og switch. Here is hoping that an OLED variant will come earlier this time.  Milk Prophet of Truth Avenger Oct 25, 2017 4,301 NoSpin said: I didn't see it as a personal attack, I just imagined him reviewing the Game Boy Pocket or the OG DS screes and how disappointed he would have been, whilst we were all busy enjoying video games. Click to expand... Click to shrink... You're implying being critical means you're not also enjoying the video games. I'm critical of tons of my favorite games. I'm still having a fun time with the games 🤷  HandsomeCharles Member Oct 26, 2017 4,717 Disappointing to hear, but as someone who thinks his OG switch's screen is fine, I'm sure it won't really bother me.   OP OP Sangral Powered by Friendship™ Member Feb 17, 2022 8,649 blueredandgold said: Could you please translate for those of us who haven't been able to watch or digest after we saw this posted in the other thread please? Click to expand... Click to shrink... I'm trying to add some bullet points to the OT.  Ghost Slayer Member Oct 30, 2017 1,433 is it like PS Portal LCD screen? Because I think the Portal LCD screen is really good   Decarb Member Oct 27, 2017 9,280 pswii60 said: This means that for handheld purposes, Switch 2 is actually a downgrade on Switch 1 OLED, for any games that aren't taking advantage of the additional power/resolution. So basically, you might want to hold on to your Switch 1 OLED for all your pixel art indies, and any games not getting a patch/upgrade. Click to expand... Click to shrink... Oh I don't think there's any doubt from pure IQ perspective its a downgrade from Switch 1 OLED. Even without HDR support at max brightness that screen pops like nothing else.   Maximo Member Oct 25, 2017 11,041 NoSpin said: I didn't see it as a personal attack, I just imagined him reviewing the Game Boy Pocket or the OG DS screes and how disappointed he would have been, whilst we were all busy enjoying video games. Click to expand... Click to shrink... This is a silly comparison since he's not reviewing a screen from 1996 when it first came out, screen technology has exploded since the first iPhone, seems like a needless jab.  Melhadf Member Dec 25, 2017 2,528 My understanding is that 400nits is the minimum for HDR. So it's technically HDR, but usually dismissed by purists as not "real HDR" such as this vid with his HDR10 testing (1000nits standard). So it's a definite improvement over SDR content, but Nintendo then used an LCD instead of OLED so it most likely looks worse than the OLED switch. Feels like Nintendo is using minimum HDR as a crutch to cheap out on the screen and people are saying it's not "TRUE HDR" even though it's completely within spec.  vegtro Member Oct 25, 2017 808 Aleh said: "crap display" is a huge exaggeration. Everyone who has actually seen it in person says it looks really good, HDR isn't everything, however disappointing that is. Click to expand... Click to shrink... When I first booted the Switch 2, I wanted to believe the screen will be ok from the news. Nope, the screen pretty much is pretty bad compared to OLED.   Alvis Saw the truth behind the copied door Member Oct 25, 2017 12,148 EU A bit of a shame, meh NoSpin said: As so often with gaming, I am relieved to have this person to tell me the thing I am enjoying looking at is bad actually. :) Click to expand... Click to shrink... Yes indeed, this dude is set on a mission to personally ruin your experience, and he's now crying in a corner knowing that he failed.   fourfourfun Member Oct 27, 2017 9,149 England Shadow said: But you can't have everything I guess. Click to expand... Click to shrink... I think that's the thing, they went for resolution and VRR as a priority. I'm sure I also read on here a while ago that it also centres around the availability of appropriate screens. OLED only became viable after a certain point.  Pargon Member Oct 27, 2017 14,110 I thought I had appropriately-low expectations, but I was thinking it would be a 600 nit 1800:1 panel. Not 450 nits and 900:1. The only thing "HDR" about it is probably that content will be authored to make use of a wider color gamut. 

Asus' routers and popular and well-reviewed. As such, there's a good chance you have one of its devices powering your home wifi. If you do, you should probably check on it, since thousands of Asus' routers are now compromised. What happened?Cybersecurity company GreyNoise published a blog post about this router attack on Wednesday. GreyNoise says attackers used brute-force login attempts (running millions of login attempts until the right match is found) and authentication bypasses (forcing your way in around traditional authentication protocols) to break into these routers. Notably, hackers used authentication bypass techniques that aren't assigned CVEs (common vulnerabilities and exposures). CVEs are labels used to track publicly disclosed security vulnerabilities, which means the security vulnerabilities were either unknown or known only to a limited circle.Once in, hackers exploited the Asus router's CVE-2023-39780 vulnerability to run whatever commands they wanted. Hackers enabled SSH (secure shell) access through Asus' settings, which let them connect to and control the devices. They then stored the configuration—or backdoor—in NVRAM, rather than the disk of the router. The hackers did not leave malware behind, and even disabled logging, which makes their attacks difficult to detect. It's not clear who is behind these attacks, but GreyNoise did say the following: "The tactics used in this campaign—stealthy initial access, use of built-in system features for persistence, and careful avoidance of detection—are consistent with those seen in advanced, long-term operations, including activity associated with advanced persistent threat (APT) actors and operational relay box (ORB) networks. While GreyNoise has made no attribution, the level of tradecraft suggests a well-resourced and highly capable adversary."How did GreyNoise find out?Sift, GreyNoise’s AI technology, first detected an issue on March 17, noticing unusual traffic. GreyNoise uses fully emulated Asus profiles running factory firmware to test for issues like these, which let researchers observe the attackers' full behavior, reproduce the attack, and discover how the backdoor was installed. Researchers at the company received Sift’s report the following day, and began researching, coordinating with “government and industry partners.” GreyNoise reported that, as of May 27, nearly 9,000 routers were confirmed compromised. The company is pulling that data from Censys, which keeps tabs on internet-facing devices throughout the world. To make matters worse, the affected devices only continue to increase: As of this piece, there were 9,022 impacted routers listed on Censys' site. Luckily, GreyNoise reports that Asus patched the security vulnerability in a recent firmware update. However, if the router was compromised before the patch was installed, the backdoor hackers put into the router will not be removed. Even if this is the case, you can take action to protect your router.If you have an Asus router, do thisFirst, confirm your router is actually made by Asus. If it is, log in to your router via your internet browser. Logging into your router varies by device, but according to Asus, you can head to www.asusrouter.com, or enter your router's IP address into your address bar, then log in with your Asus router username and password. Asus says if this is the first time you've logged into the router, you'll need to set up your account.From here, identify the "Enable SSD" settings option. (You may find this under "Service" or "Administration," according to PCMag.) You'll know the router is compromised if you see that someone can log in via SSH over port 53828 with the following key: ssh-rsa AAAAB3NzaC1yc2EAAAABIwAAAQEAo41nBoVFfj4HlVMGV+YPsxMDrMlbdDZ (the rest of the key has been cut for length).Now, disable the SSH entry and block these IP addresses: 101.99.91.151101.99.94.17379.141.163.179111.90.146.237From here, factory reset your router. Unfortunately, the patch alone won't be enough, since the attack survives any update. A total reset is the only way to be sure your router is protected. However, if you see your router was not affected here, install the latest firmware update ASAP. Unaffected routers that install the latest patch will be protected from this type of attack going forward.

Strategies to future-proof UX that meets EU legal standardsThe EAA requires digital accessibility to accommodate all users with different needsAccessibility for digital products is no longer optional — it’s a necessity with the upcoming enforcement of the European Accessibility Act (EAA).Until now, European standards such as EN 301 549 have required only the public sector to comply with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). So only government agencies or businesses that sell information and communication technology (ICT) to government agencies have needed to meet accessibility specifications.As of June 2025, this will be expanded into the private sector in the European Union (EU) — including e-commerce, restaurants, and banking services.Are you thinking any of the following?Does the EAA apply to me or the business I work for?What is the WCAG and what does it require?How much work is needed make my UX designs compliant?I get it — it’s time-consuming to understand the grueling details of a legislative act, but it’s vital to realize how it directly impacts you and your business (whether you’re an employee or employer).What is the European Accessibility Act (EAA)?The EAA is a “directive” that aims to improve accessibility in products and services in EU member states. This ensures people with disabilities can successfully access any digital product — ranging from writing an email on a laptop to checking-in at the doctor’s office with an iPad.The directive was enacted in 2019, but will become enforced on June 28, 2025 for any new products.The EAA is a EU directive that follows EN 301 549 and WCAG 2.1 requirementsEAA requirementsTo comply with the EAA, you need to follow the European “standard,” EN 301 549. EN 301 549 includes many clauses covering accessibility for a broad range of ICT — from native mobile applications to electronic hardware.The clauses circling the web and software incorporate the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, Level AA.Who does the EAA apply to?The EAA impacts all 27 member states of the EU. This includes countries such as France, Spain, and Sweden.Not only do EU member states need to comply, but any company that does business with the member states — even if the company isn’t based in the EU. For example, if a person in Italy accesses an e-commerce website based in the United States, the website must comply with the EAA.What does WCAG require?WCAG offers internationally recognized standards for digital accessibility. These standards are developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and are constantly evolving to account for changes in HTML and assistive technologies.The EAA and EN 301 549 require conformance to WCAG 2.1, Level AA standards. But what does that mean exactly?WCAG versionsNew versions of WCAG are periodically released to accommodate to the internet’s evolution. As methods and technologies are deprecated and replaced, it’s important to update standards to ensure accessibility is met.The most current version of WCAG is 2.2, which was released in October 2023. Though the EAA and EN 301 549 currently require WCAG 2.1, it’s expected they will be updated to include the WCAG 2.2 version.WCAG has released 3 versions between 2008 and 2023WCAG conformance “levels”WCAG includes 3 levels of conformance: Level A, Level AA, and Level AAA. Level A offers guidelines for the most basic accessibility considerations, while Level AAA reaches the widest degree of accessibility.Each success criteria (SC) in WCAG has a conformance level. For instance, SC 1.1.1 (Non-text content) is Level A, while SC 2.4.12 (Focus not obscured–Enhanced) is Level AAA.To conform to a certain WCAG level, the digital product must also conform to the level below it. So if your website is Level AA, it passes both Level A and AA success criteria (which is what’s required to comply with the EAA).WCAG’s “levels” refer to the degree of accessibility your digital product complies withDesign strategies for EAA complianceWCAG standards are dense, and it takes time to incorporate them into your UX design process. But there are strategies you can start using now to meet most of the requirements to comply with the EAA.1. Color contrast ratioDesigners must create color palettes that support a high color contrast ratio for content like text or UI components. You can check color contrast ratios with tools such as WebAIM’s Contrast Checker.Small text (less than 18px) must have a color contrast ratio of 4.5:1 with its backgroundLarge text (larger than 18px) must have a contrast ratio of 3:1 with its backgroundUI components, like buttons, should have a color contrast ratio of 3:1 with its backgroundColor should not be used alone to convey meaning; semantic color also needs a text label or appropriate iconFor more details, visit WCAG 1.4-Distinguishable.Don’t use color alone to convey meaning, such as errors or warnings on text fields2. Keyboard functionalitySome users can’t use a mouse or their laptop’s trackpad. Users who are blind or have limited hand mobility use their keyboard or other assistive technologies, and must be able to operate the product with their preferred input method.All user actions are doable from a keyboard, except for freehand movements (I.E., digital painting)Keyboard users must not encounter a keyboard trap (I.E., the user can’t navigate away from elements like a modal)Keyboard users have a way to turn off or remap keyboard shortcuts made up of single-character keys (I.E., use “D” to delete an item)For more details, visit WCAG 2.1-Keyboard accessible.Example of keyboard tab/ focus order for a restaurant’s website3. Multimedia featuresAll users, whether they are blind, hard-of-hearing, or have a learning disability, must be able to access the information any multimedia provides (I.E., videos or audio).Provide captions for any pre-recorded audio that is time-based (I.E., syncing audio with text-based captions)Provide an audio description for pre-recorded videos (I.E., an animation without audio showing how to tie your shoes)Provide captions for all live video content (I.E., a news organization’s live broadcast)For more details, visit WCAG 1.2-Time based media.Example of a live news broadcast with closed captioning4. Headings and labelsWhen headings and labels aren’t used properly or aren’t used at all, users have a hard time processing content and completing tasks — from reading an article to filling out a form.Provide clear headings and labels that describe the page content or input fieldEnsure labels and headings that visually convey structure and relationships are programmatically associated to their content (I.E., the page heading includes a <h1> tag)Ensure individual cells in a data tables are programmatically associated to their parent column or row header (I.E., the cell named “Blue” is associated to its parent column named “Colors”)For more details, visit WCAG 1.3-Adaptable.Ensure the heading tags properly convey the web-page’s content structure5. Support screen readersMany people use screen readers, such as NVDA or JAWS, so they can use any website or software. Ensuring digital products are compatible with screen readers seem challenging, but there are ways to proactively support screen readers.Use semantic HTML elements, like <button>, and avoid non-semantic elements, like <div> and <span>, that don’t contain built-in meaningProvide a text alternative for meaningful images using the alt attributeEnsure all interactive elements have a corresponding name, role, and valueEnsure the focus indicator is always visible so the user knows where they are in the interfaceFor more details, visit WCAG 4.1-Compatible.Tools to use for an accessible design processTo help meet WCAG 2.1, Level AA standards, there are tools you can incorporate in your UX process to create accessible designs and hand them over to your development team.1. WAVEWAVE is a free accessibility evaluation tool developed by WebAIM. WAVE offers multiple browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge. After adding the extension to your preferred browser, all you have to do is visit your website and activate WAVE to get an automated evaluation.Note: Automated tools only find about a third of accessibility issues, so a manual evaluation is still needed after using WAVE.WAVE is a free accessibility evaluation tool that works on any live websitePros of WAVE:Offers multiple extensions for your preferred browserAllows you to easily see the tab order and structure of a web-pageProvides recommendations on how to correct accessibility issuesCons of WAVE:The icons representing potential accessibility issues are overwhelming and difficult to understand which icon goes to which element2. StarkStark offers a plug-in for both Figma and Sketch that designers can use to thoroughly check and annotate UX designs for developer hand-off. This ensures that developers know the specifics for alt text, tab order, and heading levels.Stark’s plug-in for Figma allows you to annotate designs and check color contrast ratiosPros of Stark:Offers a range of features to check designs for contrast and typography issues, as well as annotate for developer hand-offProvides color suggestions when the color contrast ratio doesn’t meet WCAG, Level AA requirementsProvides a vision simulator to test designs against different types of color blindness (I.E., protanopia)Cons of Stark:It can be difficult to select the correct layer when annotating designsSome advanced features in the plug-in are paid to use3. JAWSJAWS (Job Access with Speech) is one of the most commonly used screen readers. JAWS allows users with limited vision to access and use digital products, and is beneficial to test your digital product with to ensure it’s compatible with screen readers.Note: JAWS’ free version only allows you to use it for 45 minutes before restarting, and is best used on Chrome or Firefox browsers.JAWS screen reader running on a Mac through the Parallels virtual machinePros of JAWS:Ability to highly customize the JAWS settings, such as the voice synthesizerProvides output both through audio and braille devicesFreedom Scientific offers trainings to learn how to use JAWSCons of JAWS:Includes a steep learning curve compared to other screen readersOnly accessible through a Windows operating systemHas a limited free version–must pay to access the full versionConclusionReady or note, the European Accessibility Act (EAA) will be enforced on June 28, 2025. So any company (public or private) that provides ICT or operates digital products that an EU citizen can use is subject to the EAA.Any new product introduced to the market must comply with WCAG 2.1, Level AA to meet the requirements of the EAA and EN 301 549.Web accessibility is no longer optional — it’s essential. Though building inclusive products is the right thing to do, you may be subject to legal action if you avoid it. Is your digital product ready?SourcesWCAG by Level Access, “EN 301 549 Conformance: An Overview”Accessibility Works, “European Accessibility Act Compliance Requirements: The Next GDPR”WCAG by Level Access, “The European Accessibility Act: Technical Aspects of Compliance”European Union, “Types of legislation”W3C Web Accessibility Initiative, “WCAG 2 Overview”W3C, “WCAG 2.1 Guidelines”Ready or not, the EAA is here was originally published in UX Collective on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Large projectile point made of Gray Whale bone from the Duruthy rockshelter, Landes, France, dated between 18,000 and 17,500 years ago.   CREDIT: Alexandre Lefebvre. Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. Prehistoric stone tools are among some of the oldest and important pieces of evidence we have of a time when our species began to evolve a higher level of intelligence. Many of these tools were also made from animal bones–including the bones of some of the biggest animals on the planet. New research finds that humans living up to 20,000 years ago may have been making tools out of whale bones. The discovery not only adds more to the story of early human tool use, but gives a glimpse into ancient whale ecology. The findings are detailed in a study published May 27 in the journal Nature Communications. “That humans frequented the seashore, and took advantage of its resources, is probably as old as humankind,” Jean-Marc Pétillon, an archaeologist at the Université Toulouse Jean Jaurès in France and study co-author, tells Popular Science. “There is evidence of whale scavenging at the site of Dungo 5 in Angola dating to 1 million years.” Fragment of projectile point from the cave site of Isturitz (Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France), made of bone from right whale or bowhead whale, dated to 17,300-16,700 years before present, curated at the Musée d’Archéologie Nationale (Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France). CREDIT:  Jean-Marc Pétillon. By land and sea For our Paleolithic ancestors living in coastal areas, the sturdy bones of large whales were potentially an excellent resource for various tools. However, many prehistoric coastal archaeological sites are fragile and are at risk of rising sea levels, making reconstructing the past interactions between marine mammals and humans a challenge for scientists..   “The tools were dated between 20,000 and 16,000 years before [the] present, a period way before the invention of agriculture, and during which all human groups in the world lived a life of nomadic hunter-gatherers,” says Pétillon. “Climatically, this is the last part of the last glaciation, with a climate much colder than today.” That colder climate brought a sea level that was roughly almost 400 feet lower than it is today. With this change in sea level, we have no direct evidence of the human occupations on the shore, since the rise in sea level either wiped them out or the settlements lay buried under 300 or so feet of water.  Excavations in 2022 in the Basque cave of Isturitz, France, where several dozen whale bone objects were discovered. CREDIT: Jean-Marc Pétillon, Christian Normand. With this lack of evidence Paleolithic people have historically been viewed as inland hunters. Those living in present day western Europe would have hunted red deer, reindeer, bison, horse, and ibex. While they did hunt inland, there is a growing body of evidence from the last 20 years showing that they also took advantage of the Paleolithic seashore. “There are studies showing that people also gathered seashells, hunted seabirds, fished marine fish, etc., as a complement to terrestrial diet, and these studies were made possible because Paleolithic people carried remains of marine origin away from the seashore, into inland sites,” explains Pétillon. “Our study adds whales to the lot. It is one more contribution showing that Late Paleolithic humans also regularly frequented the seashore and used its resources.” Ancient giants In the new study, the team analyzed 83 bone tools that were excavated from sites around Spain’s Bay of Biscay and 90 additional bones uncovered from Santa Catalina Cave in Spain. They used mass spectrometry and radiocarbon dating to identify which species the bones belonged to and estimate the age of  the samples.  The bones come from at least five species of large whales–sperm, fin, blue, gray, and either right whales or bowheads. The latter two species are indistinguishable using this technique. The oldest whale specimens are dated to roughly 19,000 to 20,000 years ago, representing some of the earliest known evidence of humans using the remains of whales to make tools. Some of the whale bone points themselves were over 15 inches long.  Fragment of projectile point from the rockshelter site of Duruthy (Landes, France), made of gray whale bone, dated to 17,300-16,800 years before present, curated at the Arthous Abbey Museum (Landes, France). CREDIT: A. Lefebvre. “Most of the objects made of whale bone are projectile points, part of the hunting equipment. They can be very long and thick, and were probably hafted on spear-style projectiles rather than arrows (and the use of the spearthrower is documented in this period),” says Pétillon. “The main raw material used to manufacture projectile points at that period is antler, because it is less brittle and more pliable than bone, but whale bone was preferred in certain cases probably because of its large dimensions.” The ocean’s bounty Most of these whale species identified in this study are still found in the Bay of Biscay and northeastern North Atlantic to this day. However, gray whales are now primarily limited to the North Pacific Ocean and Arctic. Additional chemical data from the tools also suggests that the feeding habits of the ancient whales were slightly different than those living today. According to the authors, this is likely due to behavioral or environmental changes. That the whales in the area have stayed relatively the same was particularly intriguing for Pétillon. “What was more surprising to me—as an archeologist more accustomed to terrestrial faunas—was that these whale species remained the same despite the great environmental difference between the Late Pleistocene and today,” he says. “In the same period, continental faunas are very different: the ungulates hunted include reindeer, saiga antelopes, bison, etc., all disappeared from Western Europe today.” Importantly, the findings here do not imply that active whaling was occurring. The techniques at the time would not allow humans to hunt sperm, blue, or fin whales and the team believes that these populations took advantage of whale strandings to harvest the bones for tools.  “The earliest evidence of active whaling is much younger, around 6,000 [years] before present in Korea (site of Bangudae) and maybe around 5,000 before present in Europe (Neolithic sites in the Netherlands),” says Pétillon. Future studies could look at the systematic way that these ancient Atlantic Europeans systematically used the seashore and how they developed their ocean hunting techniques. 

Published May 25, 2025 10:00am EDT close A skydiver lost his iPhone during a 14,000-foot fall, but, miraculously, it survived without a scratch A skydiver lost his iPhone during a 14,000-foot fall, but the phone miraculously survived without a scratch. Fingerprint sensors have been around for quite some time, and they’ve become a standard feature in most smartphones. Apple introduced Touch ID on the iPhone 5s in 2013. Since then, it has appeared on 12 major iPhone models (and some iPads as well). Though Apple removed it from most phones after the iPhone 8, it’s still found in the iPhone SE series. On the flip side, almost every Android phone on the market has a fingerprint scanner. But are fingerprint scanners impossible to bypass? Frank from Deerton, Michigan, asked a similar question that I want to highlight and address because it helps all of us:"Can a website be hacked/compromised with password and fingerprint protection (multiple verification)?"I get what you’re saying, Frank. You’d think that since a fingerprint scanner literally requires your fingerprint, it couldn’t be bypassed. But you’d be wrong. While fingerprint scanners are generally more secure than facial recognition and passwords, they’re not foolproof. In fact, there are several ways bad actors can bypass them to steal your identity. A smartphone on a table   (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)5 ways bad actors can bypass fingerprint scannersThere are multiple ways hackers use to bypass fingerprint scanners. Below, I will discuss five of the more prominent methods. 1. Masterprints and DeepMasterPrintsHackers exploit the concept of "masterprints," which are fingerprints engineered to match multiple individuals' prints. Researchers at NYU Tandon developed "DeepMasterPrints" using machine learning to generate synthetic fingerprints that can deceive sensors by mimicking common fingerprint features. These artificial prints can match with a significant percentage of stored fingerprints, especially on devices with less stringent security settings. 2. Forged fingerprints using 3D printingAnother trick hackers use is making fake fingerprints. They can lift prints off things you’ve touched and then use stuff like fabric glue or even 3D printers to make molds. For example, researchers at Cisco Talos tried out a bunch of different ways to do this using 3D printing and tested them on phones like the iPhone 8 and Samsung S10; laptops like the Samsung Note 9, Lenovo Yoga and HP Pavilion X360; and even smart gadgets like padlocks.On average, the fake fingerprints worked about 80% of the time. They were able to fool the sensors at least once. Interestingly, they couldn’t crack the biometric systems on Windows 10 devices, but they pointed out that doesn’t necessarily mean those are more secure. It just means this particular method didn’t work on them.19 BILLION PASSWORDS HAVE LEAKED ONLINE: HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF3. Brute force attacks via BrutePrintAttackers have found a cheap way to break into smartphones by brute force fingerprint authentication. The method, called BrutePrint, lets attackers get around the usual limits that stop too many failed fingerprint attempts. It works by taking advantage of two previously unknown flaws in the fingerprint system. These flaws, named Cancel-After-Match-Fail (CAMF) and Match-After-Lock (MAL), exist because of weak protection for fingerprint data on a part of the hardware called the Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI).Basically, BrutePrint uses a hardware-based man-in-the-middle attack to hijack fingerprint data. It sits between the fingerprint sensor and the phone’s secure area (called the Trusted Execution Environment) and tries as many fingerprint images as needed until it finds a match. The relieving part is that the attacker needs to have physical access to the phone for this method to work.4. Side-channel attacks with PrintListenerPrintListener is a side-channel attack that captures the sound of a finger swiping on a screen to extract fingerprint features. It might sound like something out of a sci-fi movie, but researchers have already built a proof of concept. By analyzing the friction sounds, attackers can reconstruct fingerprint patterns, potentially enhancing the effectiveness of masterprint attacks.5. Exploiting unsecured fingerprint data storageSome devices store fingerprint data without adequate encryption. If attackers gain access to this unprotected data, they can replicate fingerprints to bypass authentication. For example, in 2024, a misconfigured server exposed nearly 500 GB of sensitive biometric data, including fingerprints, facial scans and personal details of law enforcement applicants. Image of a smartphone   (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)So, can you trust fingerprint scanners?Fingerprint scanners make it easy and fairly secure to unlock your devices. Since everyone has unique fingerprints, you don’t need to remember complicated passwords. Just a quick touch and you are in. Most modern devices store your fingerprint data in secure parts of the system, and they use things like liveness detection to make sure someone is not trying to trick the scanner with a fake finger.Still, no security method is perfect. Skilled attackers have found ways to get past fingerprint scanners using high-resolution photos or 3D-printed fingers or by taking advantage of flaws in how the scanner communicates with the rest of the device. The risk really depends on how well the scanner is designed and how much effort someone puts into breaking it. For most people, fingerprint authentication is quick, easy and secure enough. However, if you are dealing with very sensitive information, relying only on biometrics might not be the best idea. A person using a fingerprint for security verification purposes    (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)6 ways to protect your fingerprint dataSafeguard your biometric identity with these essential security measures.1. Choose trusted phone brands: If you're buying a phone, stick with well-known brands like Apple, Samsung or Google. These companies take extra steps to protect your fingerprint data by storing it in secure areas of the phone that are harder to access. Cheaper or lesser-known brands may not have these protections, which makes it easier for attackers to steal your data.2. Keep your phone updated: Phone updates are not just about new features. They fix security problems that hackers might use to break into your device. If your phone asks you to install an update, do it. Most phones also let you turn on automatic updates, so you don’t have to worry about remembering. Keeping your software updated is one of the easiest and most important ways to stay protected.3. Use strong antivirus software: Install strong antivirus software to detect malware that could compromise biometric data storage. Strong antivirus software offers real-time threat detection, anti-phishing and privacy features to block unauthorized access to fingerprint data. The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links that install malware, potentially accessing your private information, is to have strong antivirus software installed on all your devices. This protection can also alert you to phishing emails and ransomware scams, keeping your personal information and digital assets safe. Get my picks for the best 2025 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices.WHAT IS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)?4. Don’t rely only on your fingerprint: Using a fingerprint to unlock your phone is convenient, but it shouldn’t be your only line of defense, especially for sensitive apps like banking or email. Always set up a PIN, password or pattern as a backup on your iPhone and Android. This way, even if someone manages to copy your fingerprint, they still need another piece of information to get in.5. Be careful about who handles your phone: If someone else uses your phone, especially a stranger or someone you don’t know well, they might be able to copy your fingerprint from the screen. It’s rare, but it happens. To reduce this risk, avoid handing your phone to people unnecessarily and wipe your screen occasionally to remove any clear fingerprints.6. Only use fingerprint login with trusted apps: Not every app that asks for your fingerprint is trustworthy. It’s safest to use fingerprint login only with apps from known and reliable companies, like your bank, phone manufacturer or email provider. If an unfamiliar app asks for fingerprint access, it’s better to skip it and use your password instead.7. Consider using a personal data removal service: Even fingerprint scanners can be bypassed, and large amounts of personal and biometric data have been exposed in breaches. Using a personal data removal service helps reduce your risk by removing your sensitive information from public databases and data broker sites, making it harder for hackers to piece together details that could be used to steal your identity. Check out my top picks for data removal services here. Get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web.Kurt’s key takeawayPasswords are generally easier to hack than biometric data like fingerprints or facial recognition. However, the key difference is that passwords can be changed if they’re compromised. Your biometrics cannot. Most modern devices allow both options, and biometrics can offer an extra layer of security by making it harder for someone else to access your phone or apps. They're also fast and convenient, since you don’t need to remember or type anything. That said, in most cases, your device still falls back on a password or PIN when biometric identification doesn’t work, so both systems often go hand in hand.CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPWith the increasing sophistication of methods to bypass fingerprint security, what should companies be doing to stay ahead of these threats and better protect user data? Let us know by writing us atCyberguy.com/ContactFor more of my tech tips and security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading to Cyberguy.com/NewsletterAsk Kurt a question or let us know what stories you'd like us to coverFollow Kurt on his social channelsAnswers to the most asked CyberGuy questions:New from Kurt:Copyright 2025 CyberGuy.com.  All rights reserved.   Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on "FOX & Friends." Got a tech question? Get Kurt’s free CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.

Angie Best Avatar Thread Ever! Member Nov 20, 2017 49,860 Kingdom of Corona Elden Ring's player engagement is through the roof: Over 45% of its Steam players have played for 100+ hours Click to expand... Click to shrink... Steam accounts for 15.7 million players – 43% of the game's audience – meaning Steam is Elden Ring's biggest platform. PlayStation comes in second with 13.2 million, while Xbox accounts for the remaining 7.4 million: Click to expand... Click to shrink... Elden Ring – and especially its DLC – is hard. While it abandons the linear structure of FromSoftware's previous games, giving players more choice when they're stuck, Elden Ring's bosses are some of the most challenging out there. I'm looking at you, Malenia and Promised Consort Radahn. Click to expand... Click to shrink... Despite the game's mercilessness, 10.9% of Elden Ring players on PlayStation and 10.2% on Steam have unlocked every trophy/achievement in the game. However, just 3.7% of Xbox players managed this feat. Click to expand... Click to shrink... The trophy/achievement data clearly shows that Elden Ring players are dedicated – especially on Steam and Xbox. But looking deeper at Alinea's playtime distribution data reveals just how dedicated they really are: Click to expand... Click to shrink... The results are striking: 64% of Elden Ring players on Steam have played for over 50 hours (versus 49% for PlayStation players) PlayStation players have triple the share of under-5-hours players, signalling that Elden Ring didn't click for everyone on the platform – perhaps due to the difficulty Seven million Steam players – 44.7% of Elden Ring's Steam audience – have played for over 100 hours. That share is 36.7% (almost 5 million players for PlayStation) But perhaps most remarkably of all, almost 700K players across PlayStation (2.7%) and Steam (2.1%) have played Elden Ring for over 500 hours. Talk about dedication! Elden Ring’s player engagement is through the roof: 45% of its Steam players have played for 100+ hours Elden Ring’s player engagement is through the roof: Over 45% of its Steam players have played for 100+ hours Elden Ring is one of the most successful premium games of all time. alineaanalytics.com   OP OP Angie Best Avatar Thread Ever! Member Nov 20, 2017 49,860 Kingdom of Corona Despite the game's mercilessness, 10.9% of Elden Ring players on PlayStation and 10.2% on Steam have unlocked every trophy/achievement in the game. However, just 3.7% of Xbox players managed this feat. Click to expand... Click to shrink... I think this is the craziest stat for me. A game so hard having 10% of the players to unlock all trophies.  Last edited: Today at 5:32 AM Kalentan Member Oct 25, 2017 50,699 2.5 million is still a big gap, but for some reason I thought the gap between PC and PS4/5 sales of the game was like... monstrously bigger, like 6 - 8 million range.   ResetGreyWolf Member Oct 27, 2017 6,768 That's impressive, but also, is this company genuinely calling Silksong a soulslike or am I reading that wrong? What, just because you have to reclaim your money if you die?   dusan Member Aug 2, 2020 6,763 Nightreign trainings begins.   Jolkien Member Oct 25, 2017 4,310 Anchorage/Alaska Angie said: I think this is the craziest stat for me. A game so hard having 10% of the players to unlock all trophies. And that includes the DLC Click to expand... Click to shrink... I mean most game is way under that percentage, that it's close to 10% makes it fairly common. My rarest trophy is the Diablo 2 Platinum at 1.27% rarity. Both Divinity Original Sin 1 and 2 are under 2.50% as well (on PlayStation)  OP OP Angie Best Avatar Thread Ever! Member Nov 20, 2017 49,860 Kingdom of Corona Jolkien said: I mean most game is way under that percentage, that it's close to 10% makes it fairly common. My rarest trophy is the Diablo 2 Platinum at 1.27% rarity. Both Divinity Original Sin 1 and 2 are under 2.50% as well (on PlayStation) Click to expand... Click to shrink... That is why is crazy to me Minecraft Platinum The game not even hard  PlayBee One Winged Slayer Member Nov 8, 2017 6,738 Angie said: I think this is the craziest stat for me. A game so hard having 10% of the players to unlock all trophies. And that includes the DLC Click to expand... Click to shrink... There are no DLC trophies   EvilBoris Prophet of Truth - HDTVtest Verified Oct 29, 2017 18,087 Does steam make this available or is this estimations from sites that look at user activity?   OP OP Angie Best Avatar Thread Ever! Member Nov 20, 2017 49,860 Kingdom of Corona PlayBee said: There are no DLC trophies Click to expand... Click to shrink... The expansion didn't had any Trophy?   PlayBee One Winged Slayer Member Nov 8, 2017 6,738 Angie said: The expansion didn't had any Trophy? Click to expand... Click to shrink... Nope, same with Dark Souls. Bloodborne is the only one that added trophies with DLC   OP OP Angie Best Avatar Thread Ever! Member Nov 20, 2017 49,860 Kingdom of Corona PlayBee said: Nope, same with Dark Souls. Bloodborne is the only one that added trophies with DLC Click to expand... Click to shrink... I was not aware of that. I will edit it out. Always assumed that expansions had Trophies. But I never played them.  southwest Member Sep 15, 2022 2,759 Heh I have it on both Steam and PlayStation. About 95 hours on Steam and 4 on PlayStation.   antitrop Member Oct 25, 2017 14,949 There are only three games I've topped 100 hours on a single playthrough: Elden Ring (110), Baldur's Gate 3 (130), and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (120).   Necron ▲ Legend ▲ Member Oct 25, 2017 9,850 Switzerland 10% got all the trophies/achievements?! [Insanity] I did it for both PC and PS5. 👁️   Mung Member Nov 2, 2017 4,454 PS sales much closer to PC than I expected.   Last edited: Today at 6:00 AM Dyno AVALANCHE The Fallen Oct 25, 2017 16,830 Angie said: I think this is the craziest stat for me. A game so hard having 10% of the players to unlock all trophies. Click to expand... Click to shrink... If anything it says a lot more about how overstated the difficulty is to me. People do it for the bragging rights because it's perceived as hard, but DMC DMD mode etc are far far harder, just they dont have the same hype cycle and rep so people don't try for it as much I guess.   ArjanN Member Oct 25, 2017 11,493 Dyno said: If anything it says a lot more about how overstated the difficulty is to me. People do it for the bragging rights because it's perceived as hard, but DMC DMD mode etc are far far harder, just they dont have the same hype cycle and rep so people don't try for it as much I guess. Click to expand... Click to shrink... Angie said: That is why is crazy to me Minecraft Platinum The game not even hard Click to expand... Click to shrink... Minecraft has the GTA/Skyrim thing, where most of the audience is playing it as a sandbox. I've noticed harder games tend to have a decent amount of self-selection, where a really challenging roguelike or bullethell shmup has higher completion percentages on the harder achievements than a more mainstream game with much lower difficulty.  Last edited: Today at 5:59 AM Menome "This guy are sick" Member Oct 25, 2017 7,133 I've got 280 hours on Steam, about 200 hours on PS5 and I'm likely to start a new full playthrough once the Tarnished Edition contents are available on Steam. Yeah, I kinda like this game.  Creamium Member Oct 25, 2017 10,466 Belgium The high 100% achievement stat is crazy. People really went in on ER. I have 100+ hours on PS5 and once I get a new pc it's pretty likely that I replay this at some point.  Shahadan Member Oct 27, 2017 5,591 I should have been an analyst   Nateo Member Oct 27, 2017 8,987 Because hard games don't just instantly hand you solutions. Games with friction and the need to actually put time in a learn for a majority of people will have high engagement especially if its a good game.   Mr.Deadshot Member Oct 27, 2017 23,203 I put 110h into it and it would have been a lot better if it was half that time. Too much bloat and repetition.   FF Seraphim Member Oct 26, 2017 16,615 Tokyo Holy fuck over 10% of players on both PC and PS5 got 100%? That is a fucking high percentage. God damn. Let me check my stats: Yep 100%, 215 hours as well. Love the game but I didn't expect it to resonate with so many people that that many would get the 100% achievement.  Dyno AVALANCHE The Fallen Oct 25, 2017 16,830 ArjanN said: Minecraft has the GTA/Skyrim thing, where most of the audience is playing it as a sandbox. I've noticed harder games tend to have a decent amount of self-selection, where a really challenging roguelike or bullethell shmup has higher completion percentages on the harder achievements than a more mainstream game with much lower difficulty. Click to expand... Click to shrink... Makes sense tbh. I suppose to a degree that's the pull for some. For example I bought Furi for that OST and what looked like fun combat. By the end I was playing on the hardest difficulty for the thrill of pulling it off to that OST despite no plans to push that deep into the game. I do think the souls series has a certain pull with that kind of audience though, and I suspect half the reason it takes so well is because all the fights are, well in all honesty far from the worst out there. They're mostly fair with the occasional 'cheap' move and beyond learning to work around the few attacks a boss will throw your way that you don't instantly gel with, they're pretty chill. I'd happily argue in favor of something like NG2 being multiple times harder etc. And I think that's why souls games work. They feel hard, but they're pretty lax to overcome too  Redis Member Mar 1, 2025 222 I have 520h+ on PS4/5 (two Platinum trophies, around 8 full playthroughs and two SotE playthroughs+ one rune level 1 run). Also played around 25h on my brother 's Series X. Will definitely replay it on Switch 2 this year. Game is generational.  Last edited: Today at 6:34 AM Z'ard "This guy are sick" Member Mar 5, 2019 1,550 Ukraine Yeah i have over 500 hours as well and i'll definitely play it again at one point.   thezboson Member Oct 27, 2017 1,380 I have over 1000 hours in ER. I tried runs where I played "traditionally" by not using summons and AoW etc and played it like a Dark Souls game basically. And have to say, for those of us that like to play Fromsoft games that way, ER is by far the hardest game I have ever played. Much harder than Sekiro. Yet, the game is easy enough that 10% can grab the Platinum. A real triumph in game design and my favorite game of all time. I still think of the lore from time to time.  Bede-x Member Oct 25, 2017 12,058 To think there was a time where Steam wasn't included at launch for Souls games and now it's outperforming not just PS5, but two generations of Playstations. So much have changed in the last decade or so and Steam is such a juggernaut now. Seems to have done well everywhere though.  jaymzi Member Jul 22, 2019 7,202 First I thought how is this possible as 45% is more than the amount of people that finished the game. Then I realised Elden Ring can easily take over 100 hours to finish.  onibirdo Member Dec 9, 2020 3,590 GOAT   raketenrolf Member Oct 28, 2017 5,919 Germany Yeah, it's already one of the best games of all time, easily. I need to start Shadow of the Erdtree. But holding off because the Switch 2 is launching soon.  Mephissto Member Mar 8, 2024 1,231 Pretty insane. Considering how much it sold especially.   Rud Member Mar 3, 2025 140 United States Dyno said: If anything it says a lot more about how overstated the difficulty is to me. People do it for the bragging rights because it's perceived as hard, but DMC DMD mode etc are far far harder, just they dont have the same hype cycle and rep so people don't try for it as much I guess. Click to expand... Click to shrink... You don't have to play in that mode though so it doesn't matter how hard it is. With Elden Ring everyone has to play under the same conditions so when you brag to someone else they know what it is that you are talking about.   Gelf Member Oct 27, 2017 6,156 I remember when I finally beat the game for the first time after about a month of solid playing since launch I was impressed by the overall percentage stats of people who had already got the late game achievements. It was higher than many games I've seen that are vastly easier and are over in less than 20 hours. I'm nowhere close to getting 100% though.  Oliver James Avenger Oct 25, 2017 9,838 Is it really that good? I finished De - Da123 Bb, should I play it as a lapsed Souls player?   Dyno AVALANCHE The Fallen Oct 25, 2017 16,830 Rud said: You don't have to play in that mode though so it doesn't matter how hard it is. With Elden Ring everyone has to play under the same conditions so when you brag to someone else they know what it is that you are talking about. Click to expand... Click to shrink... Oh for sure, I just think that as harder games go ER and the souls games are pretty chill. There's a fair push and pull to them and in most cases, reasonable room to recover. It may just be a personal thing but I find in the harder hack n slash game modes losing your rhythm is a death sentence, but the souls games have that bit more time to recover and rethink I suppose and just feel fairly mellow despite the challenge. You're right that the challenge is universal but tbh even that can kinda be defined by the build. My first run of demons was tragic to say the least, then I tried magic on run 2 and had a very different experience  hydrophilic attack went to hypogean jail Member Oct 25, 2017 23,622 Sweden wow that's a big difference in completion percentage between platforms   Western Yokai Member Feb 14, 2025 175 The game is harder than average, the game is better than average, the game let's you play how you find it's better, while puts everyone in the same level of accomplisment in regards of difficulty. Of course people will be engaged to do 100% when they feel they're progressing, and not just beating everything first time, watching a cutscene, hence and repeat.  Rud Member Mar 3, 2025 140 United States Dyno said: Oh for sure, I just think that as harder games go ER and the souls games are pretty chill. There's a fair push and pull to them and in most cases, reasonable room to recover. It may just be a personal thing but I find in the harder hack n slash game modes losing your rhythm is a death sentence, but the souls games have that bit more time to recover and rethink I suppose and just feel fairly mellow despite the challenge. You're right that the challenge is universal but tbh even that can kinda be defined by the build. My first run of demons was tragic to say the least, then I tried magic on run 2 and had a very different experience Click to expand... Click to shrink... Shared experiences are a big difference makers with these games i think. In Elden Ring i never beat that Scarlet Rot Breath Dragon in Caelid despite trying many many times with different strategies and even with the help of online guides, could never beat that thing. If one of my friend told me they beat that guy that would be impressive to me simply because I could not do it but my friend could. Conversely if Elden Ring had diffulty settings and my friend told me he beat that Scarlet Rot Breath Dragon in easy mode than that would mean absolutely nothing to me.... because we're not even playing the same game. Hell if my friend beat that thing in Ultra Hard mode while I could not even beat it in Normal mode I like would have no context of that even means, the difference is unimaginable at that point.... I might be tempted to accuse my friend of trying to flex on me or something ("nobody told you to play on Ultra hard don't try to flex on my like that makes you better" or something like that)  Last edited: Today at 7:17 AM Flying Caterpillar Member Aug 14, 2024 202 I just checked my play time and I was surprised to see it past 500 hours. I still want to do another playthrough of the DLC.  mrmickfran The Fallen Oct 27, 2017 33,239 Gongaga I keep meaning to go for my last trophies too, I just got to do the other ending trophies.   Last edited: Today at 7:19 AM Menchin Member Apr 1, 2019 6,012 Oliver James said: Is it really that good? I finished De - Da123 Bb, should I play it as a lapsed Souls player? Click to expand... Click to shrink... If you liked those games then you'll probably like this too so go for it  Rainer516 Member Oct 29, 2017 1,491 I have it on both Steam and PlayStation. Around 400 hours on playstation and 150ish on Steam. It is my "comfort food" game. I bought it 9n Steam so I could play it on my steamdeck when I travel for work and need to unwind.   RPGam3r Member Oct 27, 2017 16,450 ArjanN said: Minecraft has the GTA/Skyrim thing, where most of the audience is playing it as a sandbox. I've noticed harder games tend to have a decent amount of self-selection, where a really challenging roguelike or bullethell shmup has higher completion percentages on the harder achievements than a more mainstream game with much lower difficulty. Click to expand... Click to shrink... Yeah in games like Skyrim I don't even try for completion on trophies whatsoever. I have 1000s hours in Skyrim and do not have 100% in achievements/platinum trophy. Same for Minecraft.  jotun? Member Oct 28, 2017 5,167 I have 1041h on PS, but I certainly haven't actually played for that much. I have a habit of leaving it on while doing chores and stuff. Also lots of time just waiting for summons/invasions while doing other things. I actually have it up on my second monitor on my desk right now   Altima VII Member Mar 2, 2025 177 To be honest my biggest takeaway from these stats is wondering what ludicrous business decisions are keeping Sony from releasing Demons Souls on Steam.   Kill3r7 Member Oct 25, 2017 29,077 202 hours on Xbox but that includes the DLC.   CladInShadows Member May 2, 2024 292 The overall completion statistics make a level of sense - it's a game where the main appeal is the gameplay, overcoming challenges, etc. If you are enjoying that, why wouldn't you want to experience every challenge the game has for you? The achievement list essentially just becomes a checklist for everything there is to get out of the game. It's a contrast to most modern games where such a big part of the audience is just there for a story, with no intention to fully engage with any mechanics and who'd get upset and give up upon encountering anything they weren't able to beat first try. They're not going to hang around after beating the main story to do any optional side content or challenges that are often tied to achievements. These people probably didn't pick up Elden Ring in the first place.  Sumio Mondo Member Oct 25, 2017 10,753 United Kingdom I don't think it's really sunk in how much of an event this game actually was in the mainstream. So much bigger than their other games.  

IDontBeatGames ThreadMarksman - Saved Transistor's sanity twice Member Oct 29, 2017 21,074 New York Welcome to the brand new Nintendo Switch 2 Community |OT|! Nintendo Entertainment Planning & Development Division, commonly abbreviated as Nintendo EPD, is the largest division within the Japanese video game company Nintendo. The division focuses on developing and producing video games, mobile apps, and other related entertainment software for the company. EPD was created after merging their Entertainment Analysis & Development (EAD) and Software Planning & Development (SPD) divisions in September 2015. Click to expand... Click to shrink... Current Projects:​ Game Title​Metacritic Score​The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom​96​Everybody 1-2-Switch!​56​Pikmin 4​87​Super Mario Bros. Wonder​93​Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition​73​Emio - The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club​74​The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom​85​ The Pokémon Company (株式会社ポケモン, Kabushiki Gaisha Pokemon) (TPC) is a Japanese company responsible for brand management, production, publishing, marketing, and licensing of the Pokémon franchise, which consists of video game software, a trading card game, anime television series, films, manga, home entertainment products, merchandise, and other ventures. Click to expand... Click to shrink... Current Projects:​ Game Title​Metacritic Score​Pokemon Scarlet/Violet​72​Pokemon Scarlet/Violet: The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero: Part I​66​Detective Pikachu Returns​66​Pokemon Scarlet/Violet: The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero: Part II​70​ Upcoming Projects:​ Game Title​Source​Pokemon Legends: Z-A​ Monolith Software Inc., trading as Monolith Soft, is a Japanese video game development studio originally owned by Namco (later Bandai Namco) until being bought out by Nintendo in 2007, best known for the Xenoblade Chronicles series of games. Click to expand... Click to shrink... Current Projects:​ Game Title​Metacritic Score​Xenoblade Chronicles 2​83​Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition​89​Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna ~ The Golden County​80​Xenoblade Chronicles 3​89​Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Expansion Pass Wave 4 - Future Redeemed​92​ Upcoming Projects:​ Game Title​Source​Xenoblade Chronicles X Definitive Edition​ HAL Laboratory, Inc., formerly shortened as HALKEN (derived from its native name), is a Japanese video game developer founded on 21 February 1980. While independent, it has been closely tied with Nintendo throughout its history, and is often referred to as a second-party developer for the company. The company is most famous for their work on the Kirby and Mother series, as well as the first two Super Smash Bros. games. Click to expand... Click to shrink... Current Projects:​ Game Title​Metacritic Score​Kirby Star Allies​73​Kirby and the Forgotten Land​85​Kirby's Return to Dreamland Deluxe​79​ Upcoming Projects:​ Game Title​Source​Kirby: Planet Robobot​ Retro Studios, Inc. is an American video game developer and subsidiary of Nintendo based in Austin, Texas. The studio is best known for its work on the Metroid Prime and Donkey Kong Country series, and has contributed to several other Nintendo-developed projects, such as Mario Kart 7. Click to expand... Click to shrink... Current Projects:​ Game Title​Metacritic Score​Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze​83​Metroid Prime Remastered​94​ Upcoming Projects:​ Game Title​Source​Metroid Prime 4​Official Youtube Video​Rumors: Metroid Prime 2 & 3 Ports​Jeff Grubb​ NDcube Co., Ltd. is a Japanese video game developer and a subsidiary of Nintendo based in Japan with offices in Tokyo and Sapporo. The majority of the company is made up of former employees of Hudson Soft. They have also been the developers of the Mario Party series since Mario Party 9 onwards. Click to expand... Click to shrink... Current Projects:​ Game Title​Metacritic Score​Super Mario Party​76​Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics​82​Mario Party Superstars​80​Everybody 1,2 Switch​56​Super Mario Party Jamboree​82​ Intelligent Systems Co., Ltd. is a Japanese video game developer best known for developing games published by Nintendo with the Fire Emblem, Paper Mario, WarioWare, and Wars video game series. Click to expand... Click to shrink... Current Project:​ Game Title​Metacritic Score​Fire Emblem: Three Houses​89​Paper Mario: The Origami King​80​WarioWare: Get It Together!​76​Fire Emblem: Engage​80​WarioWare: Movie It!​73​Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door Remake​88​ 1-Up Studio Inc. (stylized as "1-UP Studio Inc."), formerly Brownie Brown Inc., is a Japanese video game developer founded on June 30, 2000, in Tokyo, Japan by Shinichi Kameoka and Kouji Tsuda who worked on the Mana series. The studio developed games for both Nintendo and Square Enix, including Magical Vacation and Sword of Mana. Click to expand... Click to shrink... Current Projects:​ Game Title​Metacritic Score​Ring Fit Adventure​83​Animal Crossing: New Horizons​90​Super Mario 3D All Stars​82​Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury​89​ Next Level Games, Inc. is a Canadian video game developer owned by Nintendo based in Vancouver. The company is best known for its work with Nintendo, the Mario Strikers games and Punch-Out!! for the Wii, Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon and Metroid Prime: Federation Force for the Nintendo 3DS, and Luigi's Mansion 3 for the Nintendo Switch. Click to expand... Click to shrink... Current Projects:​ Game Title​Metacritic Score​Luigi's Mansion 3​86​Mario Strikers: Battle League​73​ About the Nintendo Switch Online and the Expansion Pack: Play online with friends, family, and other players around the world. Click to expand... Click to shrink... Play old-school favorites like the Super Mario Bros.™ 3, Donkey Kong Country™, and The Legend of Zelda™: Link's Awakening games. These games include added online functionality so you can compete (or cooperate) online with friends depending on the game. Nintendo Switch Online members can buy a pair of Nintendo Switch Game Vouchers* and redeem each one for a digital game in the voucher catalog to score savings. For example, get The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and one other game for up to $30 in savings with Game Vouchers! Click to expand... Click to shrink... Get all the benefits of Nintendo Switch Online, plus access to classic Nintendo 64, Game Boy Advance, and Sega Genesis games, along with select DLC. Click to expand... Click to shrink... Party like it's 1996 with classic Nintendo 64™ games like Mario Kart™ 64, GoldenEye 007, The Legend of Zelda™: Ocarina of Time™, and more! Click to expand... Click to shrink... Includes classics like The Legend of Zelda™: The Minish Cap and Super Mario™ Advance 4: Super Mario Bros.™ 3. Click to expand... Click to shrink... Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack members also get access a collection of SEGA Genesis™ games—like Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Golden Axe—that are great to play anytime, anywhere! Click to expand... Click to shrink... Uncover top-quality experiences from independent developers with Indie World! Covering a wide range of genres, Indie World represent some of the best titles available for the Nintendo Switch from independent developers. Click to expand... Click to shrink... The Nintendo Switch 2 has officially been announced!​ Per Bloomberg: Robin Zhu, an analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein, said ahead of the announcement that Nintendo has prepared a supply chain network that will allow the company to sell more than 20 million units in its first year. That compares with the current Switch's sale of around 15 million units in its first four quarters. Click to expand... Click to shrink... Go hands-on with Nintendo Switch 2 at Nintendo Switch 2 Experience events in New York, Los Angeles, and Dallas! A free Nintendo Account is required to register. You can sign up here starting January 17. A free Nintendo account is required for signups. Dates and Locations: New York, April 4-6, 2025 Los Angeles, April 11-13, 2025 Dallas, April 25-27, 2025 Toronto, April 25-27, 2025 Europe: Paris, April 4-6, 2025 London, April 11-13, 2025 Milan, April 25-27, 2025 Berlin, April 25-27, 2025 Madrid, May 9-11, 2025 Amsterdam, May 9-11, 2025 Oceania: Melbourne, May 10-11, 2025 Asia: Tokyo (Makuhari), April 26-27, 2025 Seoul, May 31-June 1, 2025 Hong Kong, To be announced Taipei, To be announced Click to expand... Click to shrink... A Nintendo Direct focusing on the Nintendo Switch 2 has been confirmed! It will release in... Apr 2, 2025 at 10:00 AM ​   Last edited: Jan 16, 2025 Shaman Member Jan 18, 2024 3,556 Oh baby here we go. Exciting times ahead!   OP OP IDontBeatGames ThreadMarksman - Saved Transistor's sanity twice Member Oct 29, 2017 21,074 New York Shaman said: Oh baby here we go. Exciting times ahead! Click to expand... Click to shrink... Let the good times finally begin!   PAFenix Unshakable Resolve Member Nov 21, 2019 20,123 A disappointing lack of Donkey Kong in the OT.   Bishop89 What Are Ya' Selling? Member Oct 25, 2017 42,767 Melbourne, Australia All aboard!   lednerg Member Dec 18, 2017 248 We've made it! Does anybody have access to a press kit with higher quality images/video?   Geg Member Oct 25, 2017 6,606 What the hell is a Switch   Neoxon Spotlighting Black Excellence - Diversity Analyst Member Oct 25, 2017 93,516 Houston, TX Joining in on a new era of Nintendo.   OP OP IDontBeatGames ThreadMarksman - Saved Transistor's sanity twice Member Oct 29, 2017 21,074 New York PAFenix said: A disappointing lack of Donkey Kong in the OT. Click to expand... Click to shrink... We will make it up for it by posting about Donkey Kong its ok we're about to get bananas   ClickyCal' Member Oct 25, 2017 65,518 The year of Metroid Prime 4.   Lukar Unshakable Resolve - Prophet of Truth Member Oct 27, 2017 28,250 Slick OT! ClickyCal' said: The year of Metroid Prime 4. Click to expand... Click to shrink... I reeeaaally hope it has Mouse-Con support on Switch 2. Playing the previous Prime games via PrimeHack feels so good.   jman0625 One Winged Uncle Works at Nintendo Member Dec 18, 2017 845 The year of a New Mario Kart after 11 years   Zekes Member Oct 25, 2017 7,955 Can't wait for the western release of Mother 3 on the Switch 2 baby   PAFenix Unshakable Resolve Member Nov 21, 2019 20,123 IDontBeatGames said: We will make it up for it by posting about Donkey Kong its ok we're about to get bananas Hell yeah, welcome to the super Mario Party! Click to expand... Click to shrink... Feel like we're going to have one hell of a Jamboree  OP OP IDontBeatGames ThreadMarksman - Saved Transistor's sanity twice Member Oct 29, 2017 21,074 New York lednerg said: We've made it! Does anybody have access to a press kit with higher quality images/video? Click to expand... Click to shrink... This is what I'm waiting on! I want to add more Nintendo Switch 2 related content into the OP, I had to make due with various news outlets websites lol Geg said: What the hell is a Switch Click to expand... Click to shrink... That's a good question right there Neoxon said: Joining in on a new era of Nintendo. Click to expand... Click to shrink... ClickyCal' said: The year of Metroid Prime 4. Click to expand... Click to shrink... You've waited so long, your time is almost here, how does it feel?! Lukar said: Slick OT! Click to expand... Click to shrink... Thank you!   jort Member Sep 18, 2024 305 In on first page   Amnixia ▲ Legend ▲ The Fallen Jan 25, 2018 11,942 Can't wait for the direct in April   BannerThief Member Apr 10, 2019 279 Seattle Gonna be my first Nintendo console since the GameCube, lfg.   fox Member Oct 25, 2017 197 Should be fun!   SofNascimento cursed Member Oct 28, 2017 24,911 São Paulo - Brazil I don't own a Switch but I must confess the Switch 2 is an alluring prospect. Waiting for more info.   Spooky_Lantern Member Nov 21, 2017 2,156 So is it confirmed the joycon can be used as a mouse?   MrSaturn99 One Winged Slayer Member Oct 25, 2017 13,066 I live in a giant bucket. We're sorry we doubted ya, Nate! Fantastic work. Here's to a new era of Nintendo.  Aniki "This guy are sick" Member Oct 25, 2017 7,253 I hope I can get one day one. Looking forward to Monolith's new game.   Televoid Uncle Works at Nintendo Member Nov 28, 2024 1,458 Alright so now that Mous-con is real, over/under on if we're finally getting DS NSO on the new system.   Rndom Grenadez Prophet of Truth Member Dec 7, 2017 6,095 We in here!   OP OP IDontBeatGames ThreadMarksman - Saved Transistor's sanity twice Member Oct 29, 2017 21,074 New York BannerThief said: Gonna be my first Nintendo console since the GameCube, lfg. Click to expand... Click to shrink... Hell yeah!! We're happy you're here!   Shaman Member Jan 18, 2024 3,556 IDontBeatGames said: Let the good times finally begin! Click to expand... Click to shrink... Hell yeah! The gif is mental and I LOVE IT! Also the Direct will be on my birthday  Undeniablybiased Member Oct 25, 2017 4,163 Can't wait for everybody 1 Switch 2 Genuinely though, very excited to see a new Mario kart and whatever weird games the mouse-con bring us. Full version of that caveman online playtest maybe??  mavericktopgun Member Oct 27, 2017 5,447 Will the Switch 2 be bigger or as big as the ROG Ally? It's almost too big tbh.   EPaul Member Oct 30, 2017 650 Let's Goooo!   RebelStrike Member Apr 28, 2020 925 Hell yes and wow, very elaborate OT! Can't wait for the April Direct and more than ready to pick this up day one lol.   Xwing This guy are sick of the unshakeable slayer Member Nov 11, 2017 11,611 This is an excellent OT; awesome work! Looking forward to the Halo MCC announcement.  Jakenbakin "This guy are sick" and Corrupted by Vengeance Member Jun 17, 2018 14,385 Please god give me a new Monolith trailer in April   Lutv Member Nov 17, 2017 178 Jakarta Can't wait!   Vex Member Oct 25, 2017 25,625 GODDAMN NEW THREAD SMELL?   Punished Dan Member Oct 27, 2017 4,534 We will be there.   KanjoBazooie ▲ Legend ▲ Avenger Oct 26, 2017 32,726 Chicago BannerThief said: Gonna be my first Nintendo console since the GameCube, lfg. Click to expand... Click to shrink... welcome back to having a Nintendo console, this one should be dope   Maxime Member Oct 27, 2017 3,590 Highly doubt I'll be there day one, not even a big Nintendo client. But ngl, a new Nintendo console is always something special.   Ramsiege Avenger Oct 27, 2017 1,599 Excited for this one! Can't wait!   PaultheNerd Member Dec 25, 2018 978 Exciting times, looking forward to more news in April! Until then, Switch 1 direct and Pokemon Legends ZA trailer in February should hold me over.   poptire Avatar Wrecking Crew The Fallen Oct 25, 2017 15,517 Hello Switch 2 family   Punch_Rockgroin Member Feb 7, 2022 849 My poor wife has committed to getting this for me as a Father's Day gift. I wish her luck. 🫡 Are we actually getting joycon mice?!  Lukar Unshakable Resolve - Prophet of Truth Member Oct 27, 2017 28,250 lednerg said: We've made it! Does anybody have access to a press kit with higher quality images/video? Click to expand... Click to shrink... IDontBeatGames said: This is what I'm waiting on! I want to add more Nintendo Switch 2 related content into the OP, I had to make due with various news outlets websites lol Click to expand... Click to shrink... There are a couple of pics on their press site, one sec EDIT: Here you go  Televoid Uncle Works at Nintendo Member Nov 28, 2024 1,458 BannerThief said: Gonna be my first Nintendo console since the GameCube, lfg. Click to expand... Click to shrink... Honestly a good choice with the BC of the new system. You'll have two generations of games to easily play on.   Kouriozan Member Oct 25, 2017 24,836 Posting in a new legendary thread. Switch 2 took it sweatass time but is finally showing itself !  Mattmo831 Featuring Mattmo831 from the Apple v Epic case Member Oct 26, 2020 6,541 Hello my family. cant wait for a new 3d mario (plz)   Bizarre Member Dec 7, 2024 970 Here goes The season of F Zero must be coming this time around  rewkol One Winged Slayer Member Oct 27, 2017 420 BannerThief said: Gonna be my first Nintendo console since the GameCube, lfg. Click to expand... Click to shrink... Don't know if I envy you for having so many great games to go back to, or if I feel sorry for you because there are so many games to go back to and (hopefully) so many more great games to come!  Genesius Member Nov 2, 2018 20,586 Gonna wait for Animal Crossing before I pick up a Switch 2 Mario Kart is evergreen  thecowboypoet Avenger Oct 25, 2017 2,533 Bishop89 said: Ultimate tier gif.