Ah, sleep. Everybody needs it and nobody gets enough of it. Doing so is great for all aspects of our wellbeing -- from heart health and focus to diet and mood. Experts recommend that adults get at least seven hours of sleep each night, but everyone is different. Even with seven hours of sleep, waking up well-rested is not guaranteed. Sleep trackers and wearables can help determine how you've actually slept throughout the night. Also: I test sleep trackers for a living: 5 tips I've learned about getting better sleep While not perfect, sleep trackers can measure heart rate, skin temperature, and time spent in each sleep phase. ZDNET has thoroughly tested sleep trackers to find the best options based on features, affordability, and availability. Whether you're in the market for a sleep tracker that's a smart ring or a smartwatch, we've gone hands-on with them all. What's the best sleep tracker right now?We found that the Oura Ring 4 is the best sleep tracker on the market for its comfortable, lightweight fit, impressive battery life, and discreet build, which makes it ideal for sleeping. Plus, it provides a wealth of sleep data through the app. The only downside is it comes with a $70 annual subscription if you want to access the full breadth and depth of your data. If you'd like to avoid that, go for the Galaxy Ring instead, which costs around the same without a subscription. I also recommend the Whoop 5.0, as well as the Apple Watch Series 10, if you'd rather wear a fitness band or watch to bed. Read on to explore the most popular options, as well as some lesser-known choices, to help you find the best sleep tracker for a better night's sleep. Sort by All The best sleep trackers of 2025 Show less View now at Best Buy Why we like it: The Oura Ring is the best sleep tracker for a few reasons. It's discreet and far more comfortable to wear to bed compared to a health band or smartwatch. Oura's data capture is accurate, with its sleep staging algorithm matching the performance of a polysomnography sleep lab test. The objective sleep and readiness scores it provides after I wake up often are in line with how I'm feeling on a day-to-day basis. It also isn't hardcore about getting perfect sleep, which allows for normal people who may be working later, raising kids, or experiencing health conditions to use the smart ring and not feel disheartened. One night, I received a sleep score of 68. The ring notified me that this was below my typical range but told me that it's normal to have nights like these, "so be gentle with yourself." Then it prompted me to reflect on the influencing factors of my poor and reminded me "it's about progress, not perfection." Another reason the smart ring is my favorite sleep and health tracker is because it takes your daily biometrics to paint a fuller, long-term picture of your health through features like Resilience and Cardiovascular Age. If I am consistent with my sleep, I see how it translates into "Solid" or "Exceptional" resilience, which further encourages me to keep up the trend. A week of poor sleep takes a year off my Cardiovascular Age of below seven years. This data is great for already active and health-conscious individuals, but it may overwhelm someone who's just getting into health and sleep tracking. Still, if you're ready to learn more about your health in the context of sleep, activity, and stress, the Oura Ring is health-tracking's top dog. Plus, the smart ring can track your meals and pair that data with glucose insights with a Dexcom Stelo CGM. This can tell you right as you're getting sick, as it did for me during one nasty week of spring allergies, through its Symptom Radar feature. Who's it for: This is a sleep tracker for people who want to improve their sleep quality and their overall health. The ring offers both short-term sleep tracking that examines your rest, as well as long-term sleep and health-tracking that paints a holistic picture of wellbeing.Also: The best smart ringsThe ring starts at $350 and comes with a $70 annual subscription. The smart ring is best for people who are willing to pay this high price and who will regularly check and find use in their biometric data. If you get easily overwhelmed looking at your biometric data, the Oura Ring may offer too much information. Who should look elsewhere: If you don't want to be graded on your sleep, readiness, or activity levels every morning, I'd recommend the Apple Watch. The smartwatch doesn't use sleep or readiness scoring mechanisms. Instead, you can check if your wrist temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate, and sleep duration are within a typical range through the Apple Watch's Vitals app. Android users could look for the Galaxy Ring instead if they want a similar smart ring sleep tracker but don't want to pay the monthly subscription fee. Oura Ring Gen 4 specs: Up to eight days battery life | Sleep cycles | Bluetooth | Up to 100m water resistant | Blood oxygen, skin temperature sensor, heart rate monitoring | iOS and Android compatible Battery life 8 Additional features 10 Health tracking 10 Comfort and wear 9 App functionality 10 Pros Accurate sleep tracking Data illustration that informs your sleep and activity routines Comfortable build for all-day wear Cons Paid membership required to unlock all data the ring collects Battery life isn't as long as advertised Oura Ring Gen 4 Best sleep tracker overall 4.7 / 5 Score Why we like it: The Oura Ring is the best sleep tracker for a few reasons. It's discreet and far more comfortable to wear to bed compared to a health band or smartwatch. Oura's data capture is accurate, with its sleep staging algorithm matching the performance of a polysomnography sleep lab test. The objective sleep and readiness scores it provides after I wake up often are in line with how I'm feeling on a day-to-day basis. It also isn't hardcore about getting perfect sleep, which allows for normal people who may be working later, raising kids, or experiencing health conditions to use the smart ring and not feel disheartened. One night, I received a sleep score of 68. The ring notified me that this was below my typical range but told me that it's normal to have nights like these, "so be gentle with yourself." Then it prompted me to reflect on the influencing factors of my poor and reminded me "it's about progress, not perfection." Another reason the smart ring is my favorite sleep and health tracker is because it takes your daily biometrics to paint a fuller, long-term picture of your health through features like Resilience and Cardiovascular Age. If I am consistent with my sleep, I see how it translates into "Solid" or "Exceptional" resilience, which further encourages me to keep up the trend. A week of poor sleep takes a year off my Cardiovascular Age of below seven years. This data is great for already active and health-conscious individuals, but it may overwhelm someone who's just getting into health and sleep tracking. Still, if you're ready to learn more about your health in the context of sleep, activity, and stress, the Oura Ring is health-tracking's top dog. Plus, the smart ring can track your meals and pair that data with glucose insights with a Dexcom Stelo CGM. This can tell you right as you're getting sick, as it did for me during one nasty week of spring allergies, through its Symptom Radar feature. Who's it for: This is a sleep tracker for people who want to improve their sleep quality and their overall health. The ring offers both short-term sleep tracking that examines your rest, as well as long-term sleep and health-tracking that paints a holistic picture of wellbeing.Also: The best smart ringsThe ring starts at $350 and comes with a $70 annual subscription. The smart ring is best for people who are willing to pay this high price and who will regularly check and find use in their biometric data. If you get easily overwhelmed looking at your biometric data, the Oura Ring may offer too much information. Who should look elsewhere: If you don't want to be graded on your sleep, readiness, or activity levels every morning, I'd recommend the Apple Watch. The smartwatch doesn't use sleep or readiness scoring mechanisms. Instead, you can check if your wrist temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate, and sleep duration are within a typical range through the Apple Watch's Vitals app. Android users could look for the Galaxy Ring instead if they want a similar smart ring sleep tracker but don't want to pay the monthly subscription fee. Oura Ring Gen 4 specs: Up to eight days battery life | Sleep cycles | Bluetooth | Up to 100m water resistant | Blood oxygen, skin temperature sensor, heart rate monitoring | iOS and Android compatible Read More Show Expert Take Show less Show less Why we like it: If you want a sleep tracker that will keep your athletic goals in mind, the Whoop is your best bet.Whoop delivers daily sleep and recovery scores, but it also gives you a strain target you're encouraged to meet, based on the night's sleep and morning's readiness. I'm currently following a weight-training and diet regimen, and I've found the strain target invaluable. The Whoop's daily outlook tab summarizes my morning data and then provides me with exercises and durations for hitting my strain target. For example, one morning it prescribed me either a 30-minute run, a 70-minute elliptical session, or a 30-minute weightlifting session to reach my 13.5 strain target. The tracker made these recommendations after it registered my 88% sleep score and 80% recovery score. The Whoop is another reliable, accurate sleep tracker. One study performed by Central Queensland University found that the Whoop was 99.7% accurate in measuring heart rate and 99% accurate in measuring heart rate variability during sleep. Compared to polysomnography, the Whoop also correctly identified sleep and calculated total time spent asleep. The sleep debt feature is also a great way to keep track of your caught-up -- or not-caught-up -- sleep. Whoop tells you once you've reduced or gained sleep debt and encourages more or maintained rest. It also comes packed with graphs displaying weekly averages, your sleep hours versus your sleep need, performance, and consistency. Unlike Oura, which employs separate tabs for daily and weekly sleep data, I enjoy how all my sleep data is available in one place. Also: I wore the Whoop 5.0 -- it gave me the best of Apple Watch, Oura Ring, and moreWho's it for: Whoop just announced its three new annual subscription tiers starting at $200 and going all the way up to $360. At $200, the Whoop One membership is the least feature-rich option with only sleep, strain, and recovery tracking. It also features V02 max and heart rate zone monitoring, alongside hormonal health insights. For $240, Peak has all the aforementioned features, plus Whoop's new Healthspan and Pace of Aging feature, a Health Monitor feature, and stress monitoring. Life is the most expensive tier at $360. This tier adds blood pressure and ECG monitoring, as well as advanced health sensor tech. The Life tier comes with a Whoop MG -- medical grade -- band, while the One and Peak tiers come with the Whoop 5.0 band. In short, it's going to cost you at least $200 a year to use this device. You could buy an older generation Apple Watch for that very price and never have to pay a subscription on it. The ideal customer for the Whoop is someone who is an avid health and fitness junkie, kind of like a more intense Oura user. This person is actively training and refining their athletic performance and also wants to learn more about their body's capacity through features like Healthspan or Pace of Aging. The Whoop will be an effective sleep tracker for people who want to optimize their training regime for a steep price.Who should look elsewhere: The Whoop is the most expensive sleep tracker on this list. If you want a sleep tracker with similar functionalities but a cheaper or nonexistent subscription, I'd recommend the Oura Ring 4. The ring costs $350 and then $70 for an annual subscription that offers full access to all your health data. Some users are even happy with the limited access provided without a subscription. If all this health data is overhwelming, I'd also recommend the Apple Watch Series 10 instead or even an earlier model if you wanted a cheaper sleep tracker. The Apple Watch Series 8 and later include the Vitals app, which is essential for sleep tracking.Whoop 4.0 specs: Up to 14 days battery life | Sleep cycles | Bluetooth | 1.5 x 1.5 x 0.45 inches | IP68 water resistant | Blood oxygen, skin temperature sensor, heart rate, menstrual tracking | iOS and Android compatible Pros Detailed sleep tracking for athletes Personalized sleep coach Sleep debt feature Cons Annual membership subscription that just got even more expensive Why we like it: If you want a sleep tracker that will keep your athletic goals in mind, the Whoop is your best bet.Whoop delivers daily sleep and recovery scores, but it also gives you a strain target you're encouraged to meet, based on the night's sleep and morning's readiness. I'm currently following a weight-training and diet regimen, and I've found the strain target invaluable. The Whoop's daily outlook tab summarizes my morning data and then provides me with exercises and durations for hitting my strain target. For example, one morning it prescribed me either a 30-minute run, a 70-minute elliptical session, or a 30-minute weightlifting session to reach my 13.5 strain target. The tracker made these recommendations after it registered my 88% sleep score and 80% recovery score. The Whoop is another reliable, accurate sleep tracker. One study performed by Central Queensland University found that the Whoop was 99.7% accurate in measuring heart rate and 99% accurate in measuring heart rate variability during sleep. Compared to polysomnography, the Whoop also correctly identified sleep and calculated total time spent asleep. The sleep debt feature is also a great way to keep track of your caught-up -- or not-caught-up -- sleep. Whoop tells you once you've reduced or gained sleep debt and encourages more or maintained rest. It also comes packed with graphs displaying weekly averages, your sleep hours versus your sleep need, performance, and consistency. Unlike Oura, which employs separate tabs for daily and weekly sleep data, I enjoy how all my sleep data is available in one place. Also: I wore the Whoop 5.0 -- it gave me the best of Apple Watch, Oura Ring, and moreWho's it for: Whoop just announced its three new annual subscription tiers starting at $200 and going all the way up to $360. At $200, the Whoop One membership is the least feature-rich option with only sleep, strain, and recovery tracking. It also features V02 max and heart rate zone monitoring, alongside hormonal health insights. For $240, Peak has all the aforementioned features, plus Whoop's new Healthspan and Pace of Aging feature, a Health Monitor feature, and stress monitoring. Life is the most expensive tier at $360. This tier adds blood pressure and ECG monitoring, as well as advanced health sensor tech. The Life tier comes with a Whoop MG -- medical grade -- band, while the One and Peak tiers come with the Whoop 5.0 band. In short, it's going to cost you at least $200 a year to use this device. You could buy an older generation Apple Watch for that very price and never have to pay a subscription on it. The ideal customer for the Whoop is someone who is an avid health and fitness junkie, kind of like a more intense Oura user. This person is actively training and refining their athletic performance and also wants to learn more about their body's capacity through features like Healthspan or Pace of Aging. The Whoop will be an effective sleep tracker for people who want to optimize their training regime for a steep price.Who should look elsewhere: The Whoop is the most expensive sleep tracker on this list. If you want a sleep tracker with similar functionalities but a cheaper or nonexistent subscription, I'd recommend the Oura Ring 4. The ring costs $350 and then $70 for an annual subscription that offers full access to all your health data. Some users are even happy with the limited access provided without a subscription. If all this health data is overhwelming, I'd also recommend the Apple Watch Series 10 instead or even an earlier model if you wanted a cheaper sleep tracker. The Apple Watch Series 8 and later include the Vitals app, which is essential for sleep tracking.Whoop 4.0 specs: Up to 14 days battery life | Sleep cycles | Bluetooth | 1.5 x 1.5 x 0.45 inches | IP68 water resistant | Blood oxygen, skin temperature sensor, heart rate, menstrual tracking | iOS and Android compatible Read More Show Expert Take Show less Show less View now at Walmart Why we like it: The Galaxy Ring is a discreet, comfortable sleep-tracking solution with Samsung Health integrations. If you do own a Galaxy Watch and use it for fitness, your sleep data will be stored in the same place on the app. Out of all the sleep trackers I've tried, the Galaxy Ring provides the highest sleep and energy -- its version of readiness -- ratings. The smart ring is ideal for people who don't want to feel terrible about their rest while they track their sleep. Its battery life is also comparable to the Oura Ring at around seven days. The ring's app doesn't have a lot of the other special touch features that some of its competitors. It keeps the metrics it monitors simple and doesn't stray from sleep, activity, energy, and stress. It's a great smart ring for people who just want to track their sleep on a daily basis and don't need in-depth health insights. Who's it for: The Galaxy Ring is best for Android users who want to keep their data within the Samsung ecosystem. Additionally, it's a great smart ring for those who are intrigued by the Oura Ring -- but not the subscription price tag. Unlike the Oura Ring, whose price increases depending on the ring's finish, every Samsung Galaxy Ring finish costs the same, sweet price of $350. Who should look elsewhere: This smart ring is only available to Android users, since the data is stored on the Samsung Health app. So iOS users should look to the Oura Ring 4 or Ultrahuman Ring Air instead.  Also: Samsung's Galaxy Ring is smarter than my Apple WatchSamsung Galaxy Ring specs: Up to seven days battery life | Sleep cycles | Bluetooth | Water resistant | Blood oxygen, skin temperature sensor, heart rate monitoring | Android compatible Pros Best smart ring for Android users Sleep and energy tracking that doesn't make you feel bad Great for entry-level health trackers Cons Not as feature-rich as the Oura Ring Why we like it: The Galaxy Ring is a discreet, comfortable sleep-tracking solution with Samsung Health integrations. If you do own a Galaxy Watch and use it for fitness, your sleep data will be stored in the same place on the app. Out of all the sleep trackers I've tried, the Galaxy Ring provides the highest sleep and energy -- its version of readiness -- ratings. The smart ring is ideal for people who don't want to feel terrible about their rest while they track their sleep. Its battery life is also comparable to the Oura Ring at around seven days. The ring's app doesn't have a lot of the other special touch features that some of its competitors. It keeps the metrics it monitors simple and doesn't stray from sleep, activity, energy, and stress. It's a great smart ring for people who just want to track their sleep on a daily basis and don't need in-depth health insights. Who's it for: The Galaxy Ring is best for Android users who want to keep their data within the Samsung ecosystem. Additionally, it's a great smart ring for those who are intrigued by the Oura Ring -- but not the subscription price tag. Unlike the Oura Ring, whose price increases depending on the ring's finish, every Samsung Galaxy Ring finish costs the same, sweet price of $350. Who should look elsewhere: This smart ring is only available to Android users, since the data is stored on the Samsung Health app. So iOS users should look to the Oura Ring 4 or Ultrahuman Ring Air instead.  Also: Samsung's Galaxy Ring is smarter than my Apple WatchSamsung Galaxy Ring specs: Up to seven days battery life | Sleep cycles | Bluetooth | Water resistant | Blood oxygen, skin temperature sensor, heart rate monitoring | Android compatible Read More Show Expert Take Show less Show less Why we like it: The Apple Watch Series 10 is the most approachable sleep-tracking option for people who want a general sense that they're hitting their sleep goals. The functions on the Apple Watch aren't going to grade you on how you rested, but it will tell you if key metrics are within normal or abnormal ranges and accurately capture your sleep data. The Apple Watch shows you your time spent awake, in REM, core, and deep sleep, as well as whether your sleep duration has increased or decreased over the past week. The Vitals app is going to be your Apple Watch's best friend if you want some biometric-tracking mechanisms. The smartwatch app displays your sleeping wrist temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate, and sleep duration on a graph. It will also notify you whether these datapoints are in or out of your typical range. We chose the Apple Watch Series 10 because it is the thinnest and most comfortable smartwatch Apple's produced. This makes it a little easier to sleep with compared to its bulkier counterparts in the Apple Watch lineup. It also comes with several sleep-friendly functionalities, like a bedtime reminder feature that automatically goes into do not disturb at your set bedtime. For those with breathing disturbances, the smartwatch has an FDA-cleared Sleep Apnea Detection feature that can help catch the often-undiagnosed condition.  Who's it for: Apple owners, first and foremost. Unlike the other picks on this list, the Apple Watch has a screen and is your iPhone's personal assistant first and a health tracker second. You can take calls, set timers, send texts, create reminders, and even use it as a de facto wallet. Secondly, it's for people who don't mind the feel of wearing a smartwatch to bed. This might be the most comfortable smartwatch Apple's ever made, but it's still pretty bulky and distracting.The smartwatch is a great solution for people looking for a subscription-free health tracker with medical grade, yet simple and judgement-free, features. Apple updates its firmware regularly and adds new health-minded features every year, so you can get a lot out of keeping this smartwatch around your wrist. Who should look elsewhere: The Apple Watch Series 10 battery life is better than its predecessors, but it's still shorter than the other options on this list. You'll have to charge your smartwatch everyday if you want around-the-clock usage, which may be a deterrent for people. If that's you, I'd recommend the Whoop instead, since it's a similar wrist band form factor but with a 14-day battery life and a wearable charging case.Review: Apple Watch Series 10Apple Watch Series 10 specs: Up to 18-hour battery life | Sleep cycles and sleep apnea-tracking | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, and/or cellular options | 42mm and 46mm models | IP6X dust and water resistant | Blood oxygen, body temperature sensor, EKG, irregular heart rate alerts | iOS only Health & wellness 10 Build quality/durability 9 Advanced features 6 Applications 10 Core functionality 9 Pros Sleep cycle tracking No subscription to track sleep Sleep apnea detection Vitals app Cons Must be paired with iPhone Shorter battery life than other wearables No sleep scores Apple Watch Series 10 Best sleep tracker for iPhone owners 4.4 / 5 Score Why we like it: The Apple Watch Series 10 is the most approachable sleep-tracking option for people who want a general sense that they're hitting their sleep goals. The functions on the Apple Watch aren't going to grade you on how you rested, but it will tell you if key metrics are within normal or abnormal ranges and accurately capture your sleep data. The Apple Watch shows you your time spent awake, in REM, core, and deep sleep, as well as whether your sleep duration has increased or decreased over the past week. The Vitals app is going to be your Apple Watch's best friend if you want some biometric-tracking mechanisms. The smartwatch app displays your sleeping wrist temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate, and sleep duration on a graph. It will also notify you whether these datapoints are in or out of your typical range. We chose the Apple Watch Series 10 because it is the thinnest and most comfortable smartwatch Apple's produced. This makes it a little easier to sleep with compared to its bulkier counterparts in the Apple Watch lineup. It also comes with several sleep-friendly functionalities, like a bedtime reminder feature that automatically goes into do not disturb at your set bedtime. For those with breathing disturbances, the smartwatch has an FDA-cleared Sleep Apnea Detection feature that can help catch the often-undiagnosed condition.  Who's it for: Apple owners, first and foremost. Unlike the other picks on this list, the Apple Watch has a screen and is your iPhone's personal assistant first and a health tracker second. You can take calls, set timers, send texts, create reminders, and even use it as a de facto wallet. Secondly, it's for people who don't mind the feel of wearing a smartwatch to bed. This might be the most comfortable smartwatch Apple's ever made, but it's still pretty bulky and distracting.The smartwatch is a great solution for people looking for a subscription-free health tracker with medical grade, yet simple and judgement-free, features. Apple updates its firmware regularly and adds new health-minded features every year, so you can get a lot out of keeping this smartwatch around your wrist. Who should look elsewhere: The Apple Watch Series 10 battery life is better than its predecessors, but it's still shorter than the other options on this list. You'll have to charge your smartwatch everyday if you want around-the-clock usage, which may be a deterrent for people. If that's you, I'd recommend the Whoop instead, since it's a similar wrist band form factor but with a 14-day battery life and a wearable charging case.Review: Apple Watch Series 10Apple Watch Series 10 specs: Up to 18-hour battery life | Sleep cycles and sleep apnea-tracking | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, and/or cellular options | 42mm and 46mm models | IP6X dust and water resistant | Blood oxygen, body temperature sensor, EKG, irregular heart rate alerts | iOS only Read More Show Expert Take Show less What are the tariffs in the U.S.?The recent U.S. tariffs on imports from countries like China, Vietnam, and India aim to boost domestic manufacturing but are likely to drive up prices on consumer electronics. Products like smartphones, laptops, and TVs may become more expensive as companies rethink global supply chains and weigh the cost of shifting production.Headphones and wearable devices, which are predominantly manufactured in these regions, are now subject to tariffs as high as 54% on Chinese imports and 46% on Vietnamese goods. As a result, consumers may see price increases of approximately 20% on these items. Manufacturers are exploring options like relocating production to countries with lower tariffs, but such shifts are complex and may not provide immediate relief. In the short term, shoppers should anticipate higher costs for headphones and wearables due to these trade policies.Right now, it looks like some tech may be exempt from the issued tariffs, but since it's always changing and developing, we are keeping an eye on it and will update you on the latest.Also: Tariff exemptions for electronics offer a break for tech - but not for longWhat is the best sleep tracker? The best sleep tracker overall is the Oura Ring 4, thanks to its comprehensive features that provide a deeper understanding of the health data behind your sleep score. It is more comfortable to wear than a smartwatch and offers the most detailed summaries and recommendations for your night's sleep.Best sleep trackerCostBattery lifeiOS/AndroidSleep cyclesSubscription needed?Oura Ring 4$350 (plus $70 annual subscription)8 daysiOS and Android✔YesWhoop 5.0 Starts at $200 annually 14 daysiOS and Android✔YesSamsung Galaxy Ring $4007 daysAndroid only✔NoApple Watch Series 10$24918 hoursiOS only✔No Show more Which is the right sleep tracker for you? That depends on your needs. Do you prefer a device with a screen or one without? Are you an athlete looking to combine sleep data with training metrics, or are you casually interested in tracking your nightly sleep score? Do you want to pay a monthly fee to access all your data, or do you want to keep the costs low? We've compiled a list of options to suit a variety of preferences and use cases. Choose this best sleep tracker...If you want...Oura RingThe best sleep tracker overall, with a battery life that lasts nearly a week, comprehensive sleep data, and a discreet form factor.Whoop 4.0The best sleep tracker for athletes who don't want a screen on their wrist. Get insights and recommendations through Whoop's personalized sleep coach and learn how you can recover from your workouts with the right amount of sleep that Whoop calculates for you.Galaxy Ring Any easy-going sleep tracker that won't make you feel bad about your night's sleep. The smart ring is subscription-free and is only compatible with Android devices -- sorry iPhone owners. Apple Watch Series 10The best sleep tracker for Apple users with easy Apple integration, sleep cycle information and sleep apnea detection, and a larger, thinner, and brighter display. Show more Factors to consider when choosing a sleep tracker Poor sleep quality can lead to an increased risk of dementia, obesity, cardiovascular disease, depression, and even certain types of cancer. Sleep is vital.To find the best sleep trackers, ZDNET relied on hands-on testing and thorough research into product quality as well as sleep studies on these devices. Additionally, we considered the following factors:Sleep Tracking: Sensors in your sleep tracker can collect a variety of data such as heart rate, heart rate variability, time asleep, sleep stages, and even how much you snore. All of this data is collected and analyzed, and the best sleep trackers present this information clearly.Comfort: If you're wearing a device to bed, it should be comfortable. We've considered smartwatches, bands, and rings that are lightweight, compact, and unobtrusive.Additional features: Some sleep trackers may also provide additional features, like a smart alarm or health and fitness tracking. These insights can help you live a better life during the day, so you sleep better at night. Subscription: To access some features, you may need a subscription. Some subscriptions require a one-time fee, while others may charge an ongoing monthly fee. Be sure to review the terms of the subscription before purchasing. While generally affordable, this is an additional cost that you should factor into the total price.Price: Sleep trackers can be reasonably priced but get expensive as you add extra features. I found that the cost of the best sleep trackers ranges from $80 to $400, depending on the model.User sentiment: We read customer reviews for each product to see what people liked and disliked about each sleep tracker. Show more How did we choose these sleep trackers? We understand how much of an investment any type of personal tech can be. When we select products for our lists, we give them careful consideration. We rigorously test these products for days and weeks, read customer reviews, and evaluate whether they deliver on their value and cost.The ZDNET team is constantly testing and ranking products, swapping out older models for newer ones, and removing products that are no longer competitive. Whether a product costs $30 or $300, we want you to get your money's worth. Show more What is a sleep cycle? A sleep cycle consists of three stages: light sleep, deep sleep, and rapid eye movement (REM). Typically, when you first fall asleep, you'll enter either light or deep sleep, likely one after the other, before entering a REM phase.This cycle lasts about 1.5 hours, then repeats in intervals closer to two hours, possibly with a few awake minutes in between, but it always ends with REM sleep. As the night progresses, you'll likely spend less time in deep sleep, while the REM stages become longer.A regular night of sleep should include about 50% light sleep, 20% REM sleep, 20% deep sleep, and 10% awake.  Show more How can I improve my sleep? The National Sleep Foundation recommends improving your sleep by practicing certain habits throughout the day and before bed. Following a consistent bedtime routine -- waking up and going to bed at the same time each day -- is one way to signal to your body to ease into sleep. Dimming the lights a few hours before bed, limiting screen time, and creating a cozy, dark, and cool bedroom environment are all ways to improve your sleep schedule. Regular exercise and limiting alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine consumption can also help you stay asleep. Show more How much REM do I need? Nearly a quarter of your sleep should be REM sleep, according to health experts. If you're sleeping eight hours a night, the recommended average, two hours of REM sleep each night is ideal. Show more Are sleep trackers really accurate? If you need your sleep analyzed, doctors will usually order a sleep study, which examines a person's oxygen level, heart rate, breathing, eye movement, and leg movement while simultaneously running an electroencephalogram (EEG).An EEG shows your brainwaves during different stages and cycles of sleep. A wearable smartwatch or fitness tracker on your wrist, however, is far from your brain.The most popular wearables from Fitbit, Apple, Garmin, and Samsung collect a combination of the following measurements: heart rate and heart rate variability (HRV), movement, breaths per minute, and skin temperature. Devices that track sleep cycles use an algorithm to estimate your sleep cycles based on the data.A 2017 study compared a polysomnography with the performance of a Fitbit Charge 2 in 35 adults. Researchers found the Fitbit device detected sleep onset with 96% accuracy, but overestimated time spent asleep by nine minutes on average. In the study, the Fitbit detected light sleep with 81% accuracy, deep sleep with only 49% accuracy, and REM sleep with 74% accuracy.A newer study published in April of 2022 compared the performance of the Fitbit Alta HR to results from an EEG conducted simultaneously on 40 college athletes while sleeping. This study found Fitbit data to effectively track sleep onset, time spent asleep, and sleep cycles. Fitbit can be a useful tool for athletes' sleep management.While not 100% accurate, the Fitbit data showed a strong correlation with polysomnography results. Show more What types of sleep trackers are there? There are several types of sleep trackers to choose from. Smartwatches, rings, and under-mattress nearables are the three most popular options.Smartwatches: These can be either smartwatches or wristbands, depending on the level of technology you need. Smartwatches often include smart assistants like Alexa or Google Assistant and offer a range of features, such as GPS tracking and fitness tracking, in addition to sleep tracking.Rings: This is another wearable sleep tracker but far more basic. It uses sensors along the inside of the ring to collect data and track your sleep. Under mattress or nearables: There are some models, like the Withings Sleep Tracker Pad, that simply slide under your mattress for an unobtrusive solution to sleep trackers. Show more What are the best sleep trackers that don't require a subscription? The Apple Watch Series 10, Samsung Galaxy Ring, Google's Pixel Watch 2, and the Garmin Venu 3S are all impressive smartwatches that offer great sleep-tracking capabilities without a subscription. If you're a casual sleep tracker, I'd recommend the Apple Watch for those in the Apple ecosystem and the Galaxy Ring for Android users. If you're an athlete, I'd suggest the Garmin Venu 3S. Show more Other products we tested  With so many sleep trackers available, there are many alternatives worth considering. Here are our top picks for alternative sleep trackers that we have tested and can recommend.    Wearables Wearables Roundups Robot Vacuums Reviewed & Compared ZDNET Recommends

The year will kick off with the maiden voyage of New Glenn, a heavy-lift rocket built by Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin. Credit: Blue Origin Though 2025 won't mark the return of astronauts into deep space as NASA had hoped, launchpads still will be scorching-hot from a procession of robotic spacecraft attempting to land on the moon. How many of these moon landings will succeed? Will the number top the two-ish (one of which made a heckuva comeback) last year? Giant commercial rockets, such as SpaceX's Starship and Blue Origin's New Glenn, will likely also have several uncrewed orbital test launches as they iron out the kinks in their hardware. And while people await scientific missions to distant solar system destinations, a few probes will send home close-up pictures of planets as they snag gravitational boosts from flybys.  You May Also Like Here's a round-up of space missions and cosmic events just around the bend. Bookmark this calendar and look for updates from Mashable throughout the year.  BepiColombo makes final Mercury flyby: Jan. 8Mercury is the closest planet to the sun, but it's perhaps the most overlooked of the rocky worlds in the solar system. Hot and harder to reach than Saturn, it hasn't enjoyed the level of study that other worlds have.But BepiColombo, a joint mission of the European and Japanese space agencies, seeks to change that. The spacecraft makes its sixth and final flyby on Jan. 8 before returning to enter orbit around the planet in late 2026. Closest approach will take the spacecraft just 160 miles above the surface of Mercury. Mission controllers will release images of the event on Jan. 9.Two moon landers on one rocket: Jan. 15Two small uncrewed spacecraft, one of which is carrying several NASA instruments, will try to land on the moon with a boost from the same rocket. Both Firefly Aerospace and Japan's ispace will ride a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket slated to leave Earth as early as 1:11 a.m. ET Jan. 15. Firefly's Blue Ghost lander was originally scheduled to lift off in late 2024, and the launch will mark its maiden voyage. The spacecraft is slated to travel for 45 days before trying to touch down in early March. Firefly's flight will be the first Commercial Lunar Payload Services mission of the year. The NASA program has recruited vendors from the private sector to help deliver instruments to the moon and send back crucial data.Ispace's new Hakuto-R mission will be its second try, after it ran out of fuel and crashed on the lunar surface in April 2023. The Resilience lander, a partnership with Japan's space agency JAXA, is taking a long way to the moon to save on fuel, arriving about four to five months after launch.Blue Origin's first flight for New Glenn: Jan. 16Amazon founder Jeff Bezos will soon get a chance to see his giant rocket New Glenn launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida. His aerospace company Blue Origin started a countdown on Jan. 13, but launch controllers waved off the opportunity when a technical issue arose. The company will try again no earlier than Jan. 16, targeting a three-hour launch window that opens at 1 a.m. ET.Blue Origin's goal is to reach orbit, and the company will also try to land its booster on a barge in the Atlantic Ocean so that it can be reused on future flights, though executives admit doing so would be "ambitious" on the first try. SpaceX tests upgraded Starship: Jan. 16SpaceX is preparing to launch another uncrewed Starship test, this time with an upgraded spacecraft and 10 mock satellites to practice a payload deployment in space. This SpaceX launch would mark the seventh Starship test and feature a reused engine from the booster returned from the fifth test. Weather-related postponements have made it possible that Starship and Blue Origin's New Glenn will lift off for these tests on the same day. Starship's one-hour launch window opens at 4:00 p.m. CT. NASA moon rover and orbiter delivery: Feb. 26Intuitive Machines made history last year as the first company to reach the moon intact — though its lander, Odysseus, broke a landing leg and touched down tilted. The Houston-based company is now gearing up for a second moon landing — this time with the Athena lander. The mission, referred to as IM-2 or PRIME-1, will carry a NASA rover. The spacecraft will test a drill and mass spectrometer, a device that identifies the kinds of particles in a substance. Liftoff is targeted for a four-day launch window that opens no earlier than 7:02 p.m. ET Feb. 26.Another spacecraft, NASA's Lunar Trailblazer, will also hitch a ride on this flight. The small satellite will orbit the moon to map out the locations of lunar water. Europa Clipper flies by Mars: March 1After a successful October 2024 launch, the Europa Clipper spacecraft has been hurtling through space. It's on schedule to make its first flyby of Mars on March 1, where it will get a gravity assist to continue its journey. Its closest approach to the Red Planet is expected at 12:57 p.m. ET, when it will zip 550 miles above the Martian surface. The probe won't arrive at Europa, one of Jupiter's moons, for its mission until 2030. Scientists are intrigued by Europa because they believe it could hold double the water held by Earth's oceans. Could this small world in the outer solar system have conditions capable of supporting life? If NASA finds that Europa is a habitable place, a second Europa mission could return to determine if there are indeed any inhabitants. Firefly attempts moon landing: March 2Following a successful launch in January, Firefly Aerospace will target a robotic landing in the Mare Crisium region of the moon, an ancient hardened lava flow, no earlier than 2:34 a.m. CT on March 2. Prior to descent onto the surface, NASA and Firefly intend to broadcast commentary, starting at 1:20 a.m. CT that morning. However, the broadcast will not include a live video stream of the spacecraft."Our available bandwidth will be dedicated to critical descent operations during landing," Firefly officials said on X, formerly called Twitter. Landing on the moon remains onerous. The moon's exosphere provides virtually no drag to slow a spacecraft down as it approaches the ground. Furthermore, there are no GPS systems on the moon to help guide a craft to its landing spot. Blue Ghost shared a ride on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the Japanese company ispace, which will try to land on the moon after a failed attempt in 2023. Its Resilience lander is taking a longer route than Blue Ghost to save on fuel, arriving in May or June.  Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up! Intuitive Machines attempts moon landing: March 6On the heels of Firefly Aerospace's moon landing attempt, competitor space company Intuitive Machines will try to touch down just four days later. The landing is slated for 11:32 a.m. CT on March 6. Intuitive Machines will provide live event coverage, starting at 10:30 a.m. CT / 11:30 a.m. ET. The company's lander, Athena, will attempt to descend on Mons Mouton, a plateau at the moon's south pole. Before landing, the spacecraft is expected to orbit the moon for about one week. SpaceX tests Starship following explosion: March 6Coming off the heels of a Starship test that ended in an explosion and a scrubbed launch on March 3, SpaceX will try to fly the rocket and empty spacecraft again as early as 5:30 p.m. CT March 6. The upcoming launch will be the eighth for Starship and feature several hardware changes following January's mishap. During the previous test, two flashes occurred near one of the ship's engines shortly after booster separation. A post-flight investigation determined that strong vibrations led to fuel leaks that were too much for the ship's vents to handle, leading to fires that eventually triggered the flight termination system. Launch of new astrophysics observatory: March 11NASA intends to launch an astrophysics observatory to create a map of the entire sky in 3D. The mission, SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer), will orbit Earth while studying hundreds of millions of stars and galaxies, showing them in 102 invisible "colors." One of the main goals of the mission is to learn more about cosmic inflation, a brief but crucial phase of the Big Bang that contributed to the universe's expansion. It will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California as early as 11:10 p.m. ET on March 11. Live launch coverage will begin at 10:15 p.m. ET. NASA’s PUNCH (Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere) probe is hitching a ride on the same rocket and will be the first to image the sun’s corona and solar wind together to better understand them as a connected system.  European spacecraft Hera flies by Mars: March 12Back in 2022, NASA deliberately crashed a spacecraft into a harmless asteroid to practice thwarting a space rock, should a hazardous one ever be on a collision course with Earth. The European Space Agency is providing a follow-up to that test, known as Hera. The mission's spacecraft launched in October 2024 and will rendezvous with Dimorphos, the slammed asteroid, in 2026. But this March, it will also have a quick pop-in with Mars, closest approach at 7:51 a.m. ET, and one of the Red Planet's two moons, Deimos. Mission controllers will use the opportunity to collect data on the Martian moon. The agency plans to host a webcast image release from the flyby at 6:50 a.m. ET the next day, March 13.Boeing astronaut crew returns home: March 18Two astronauts whose eight-day visit to the International Space Station turned into a more than eight-month layover are expected to return to Earth in March. NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have been waiting for their ride since the space agency decided not to send them home on the spaceship they rode in on. That test vehicle, Boeing's Starliner, landed empty without any problems, but NASA hadn't wanted to risk it after the capsule experienced propulsion issues in space. The pair was supposed to return in a SpaceX Dragon capsule in February, but NASA announced at the end of 2024 that the flight would likely be pushed back to March. Wilmore and Williams, who were integrated into Crew-9, will fly back to Earth after the next crew arrives at the space station, allowing for a brief hand-off period. Crew-10 launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on March 14. Due to weather concerns later in the week, NASA has decided to move up the Crew-9 return. Their spaceship is expected to undock at 1:05 a.m. ET on March 18. A splashdown landing would follow at about 5:57 p.m. ET that evening. Katy Perry and others head to space: April 14Blue Origin will send an all-female crew to the edge of space in its next civilian astronaut mission. The flight will be the eleventh carrying passengers on the New Shepard rocket to the Kármán line, where Earth's atmosphere and outer space meet.Katy Perry, CBS Mornings' Gayle King, and Jeff Bezos' fiancée Lauren Sánchez will join former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, bioastronautics scientist and social activist Amanda Nguyen, and fashion designer-turned-film producer Kerianne Flynn on the trip. The NS-31 mission will target liftoff from the company's private West Texas launch pad at 8:30 a.m. CT / 9:30 a.m. ET on April 14. Check back here for details about the webcast as the launch approaches. Lucy spacecraft flies by asteroid: April 20NASA launched the Lucy spacecraft on a grand 12-year asteroid tour last fall with plans to fly by several space rocks that share Jupiter’s orbit. On April 20, Lucy will encounter a small main-belt asteroid, Donaldjohanson, as a sort of test sequence before it visits seven Trojan asteroids. The asteroid, called DJ for short, is only 2.5 miles wide, with an extremely slow rotation that takes more than 10 days to complete. Peak of Lyrids meteor shower: April 21-22Meteor showers happen every year or at regular intervals as Earth passes through the dusty wake of previous comets. Each time a comet zips through the inner solar system, the sun boils off some of its surface, leaving behind a trail of debris. When the planet intersects with the old comet detritus, the result can be a spectacular show, with sometimes up to hundreds of meteors visible per hour. The debris that creates the Lyrid meteor shower originates from comet Thatcher. The Lyrids, best viewed from the Northern Hemisphere, will be active from April 17 to 26. Related Stories Peak of Eta Aquariids meteor shower: May 3-4The Eta Aquariids meteor shower, best viewed from the southern tropics, produces strong "persistent trains" of shooting stars. The shower is the first of two each year created by Halley's Comet debris. The celestial event will be active from April 20 to May 21.Twin spacecraft go to Mars: no earlier than springA NASA-funded science mission seeks to get to the bottom of how solar radiation strips away the tattered Martian atmosphere. Called Escapade, the mission will involve two Mars orbiters built by Rocket Lab.The flight was previously scheduled for October aboard Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket, which would have been its first launch. But, as rockets are wont to do, the inaugural flight was delayed. NASA and Blue Origin are now in talks for a new launch date for that mission, no earlier than spring 2025.Japanese company tries moon landing: June 5After a failed attempt in April 2023, Japan's ispace will try to land an uncrewed robotic spacecraft on the moon and deliver a rover to its surface. The Hakuto-R mission is gearing up for a landing near the center of Mare Frigoris at 3:24 p.m. ET on June 5 (It will be June 6 for Japan). Livestream coverage will begin about one hour earlier, at 2:15 p.m. ET, with English translation. If conditions change, the company has identified three other potential sites for its lander, dubbed Resilience. The alternative locations have different landing dates and times. Private astronauts fly to ISS: June 8Private astronauts will launch to the International Space Station for Axiom Space's fourth mission. Four crew members will launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida, as early as 9:11 a.m. ET on June 8. The commercial space company has said this mission will consist of about 60 scientific studies on the effects of spaceflight on the body and how to improve health and medical treatments on Earth.When Axiom flew its first private mission in 2022, it redefined the word "astronaut." For decades, that title was reserved for government space pilots and crew. More recently, uber-rich space tourists earned the distinction by breaching Earth's atmosphere. But with Axiom's private mission came a third possible description: Someone privately trained and sent into space to perform commercial scientific research. Axiom crews receive 750 to over 1,000 hours of training. Peak of Delta Aquariids meteor shower: July 29-30The Delta Aquariids are another shower best observed from the southern tropics. Conditions will be favorable for viewing meteors in the morning. Astronomers suspect the interacting debris causing the event came from the strange Comet Machholz. The event will be active from July 18 to Aug. 12. Peak of Perseids meteor shower: Aug. 12-13 Perseids meteors streak across the sky over Bishop, California, in 2024. Credit: NASA / Preston Dyches The popular Perseids, made up of remnants of comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle, is usually a spectacular show for the Northern Hemisphere. The meteor shower is active from July 17 to Aug. 23. But don't get your hopes up this year: Experts say the waning gibbous moon, more than 80 percent full, will allow only the brightest meteors to be seen. Europe's Juice spacecraft flies by Venus: Aug. 31The European Space Agency's so-called Juice mission is scheduled to fly by Venus on Aug. 31, though exact times and distances will be determined closer to the event. "Juice" is a wonky acronym for Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer.The mission will study Jupiter's moons, including Europa, Callisto, and particularly Ganymede. These moons have intrigued scientists for years because they're thought to have liquid oceans trapped beneath icy shells. Before reaching Jupiter, the spacecraft will make flybys of Earth and Venus to get enough energy to slingshot to the outer solar system, reaching Jupiter in 2031.Astrobotic attempts moon landing, again: fall Astrobotic Technologies tried to become the first commercial company to land on the moon last year, but it lost its chance just a few hours into the flight because of a fuel leak. The company will try again this fall with its Griffin lander. Originally, this mission was supposed to carry a NASA rover to drill for ice at the lunar south pole. But VIPER — short for Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover — was canceled due to cost overruns. Griffin will still launch without the rover as a flight demonstration of the lander and engines.Peak of Orionid meteor shower: Oct. 22-23The Orionids meteor shower marks the return of activity caused by Halley's Comet debris. In recent years, the displays have been pretty lackluster, but a waning crescent moon rising near dawn means moonlight won't obscure the shower in 2025. The celestial event will run from Oct. 2 to Nov. 12.Peak of Southern Taurids meteor shower: Nov. 3-4The Southern Taurids make up a complex meteor shower. Usually, the displays are weak, but Taurid meteors are more numerous sometimes. Known as a "swarm year," 2025's event could offer more fireballs as Earth plows through a group of pebble-sized fragments from the Comet Encke. But given the moon's phase, there's a good chance moonlight will interfere with viewing most Taurids. Activity will go from Oct. 13 to Nov. 27.  A Dream Chaser spaceplane, Tenacity, is expected to launch to the International Space Station in 2025. Credit: Sierra Space Peak of the Leonids meteor shower: Nov. 16-17The Leonids are some of the fastest-moving meteors, traveling up to 44 miles per second. The debris that causes the show comes from Comet Tempel-Tuttle, but the displays are usually pretty weak. The exceptions are years when the showers become so-called "meteor storms," but that won't likely happen again until perhaps 2035. The shower will be active from Nov. 3 to Dec. 2. Peak of Geminids meteor shower: Dec. 12-13Widely regarded as the best meteor shower of the year, the Geminids can be seen from most any part of the world, especially the Northern Hemisphere. The Geminids are denser meteors, allowing stargazers to see them as low as 29 miles above ground before the cosmic dust burns up. The shower will be active between Dec. 1 and 21.This year the moon will have a waning crescent phase, which rises around 2 a.m. local time. Prior to that, views should be moon-free. You could glimpse bright meteors by facing a direction with the moon at your back, according to the American Meteor Society.Peak of Ursids meteor shower: Dec. 21-22The Ursid meteors are caused by debris from Tuttle's Comet, which orbits every 13 years. This shower, often overlooked because of its close timing to Christmas, can only be observed in the Northern Hemisphere. Because of a new moon at the shower's peak, moonlight won't interfere with the show. The event will be active from Dec. 16 to 26. Other possible missions in 2025Sierra Space has been working on a spacecraft with the nostalgia of NASA's space shuttle program. Dream Chaser, a cargo space plane capable of runway landings, is set to launch for the first time to the ISS for a resupply mission sometime this year. Following Intuitive Machines' second mission in early 2025, the company will shoot for another later in 2025 or early in 2026. If successful, the lunar landing mission, IM-3 or PRISM, will deploy rovers and study a so-called "lunar swirl."NASA is teaming up with India's space agency on a mission to study Earth's land and ice, involving the NISAR satellite, which will scan all of the planet's surfaces twice every 12 days to measure changes. The satellite will launch from the Indian Space Research Organisation's space port, the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, on India's southeastern coast. It was supposed to liftoff this spring, but neither agency has provided an update on the mission's status. Topics NASA Elisha Sauers Elisha Sauers writes about space for Mashable, taking deep dives into NASA's moon and Mars missions, chatting up astronauts and history-making discoverers, and jetting above the clouds. Through 17 years of reporting, she's covered a variety of topics, including health, business, and government, with a penchant for public records requests. She previously worked for The Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk, Virginia, and The Capital in Annapolis, Maryland. Her work has earned numerous state awards, including the Virginia Press Association's top honor, Best in Show, and national recognition for narrative storytelling. For each year she has covered space, Sauers has won National Headliner Awards, including first place for her Sex in Space series. Send space tips and story ideas to [email protected] or text 443-684-2489. Follow her on X at @elishasauers.

How is the discipline of sports analytics evolving to deliver marginal gains to the performance of players and teams? Rugby football is no stranger to analytics. But what difference does it make at an elite competitive level? Dan Biggar (pictured above) is a Welsh professional rugby player, primarily known for his role as a fly-half – a position that is known as the creative brain of a rugby team, like the number 10 position in football. Biggar is currently playing for French Top 14 side Toulon, and has twice been selected to tour with the British and Irish Lions. He earned his first cap for Wales in 2008 and has been a mainstay in the national team, representing his country in Rugby World Cups and Six Nations Championships. With 112 caps, he is the most-capped fly-half for Wales and has scored over 600 points in his career. Over his international career, he has won three Six Nations titles and a Grand Slam with Wales, and was captain for the 2022 Six Nations campaign. What does Biggar think of the role of analytics in rugby? Compared with, for example, more traditional aspects of team sports, like the culture of a specific group of players at a particular moment in time? “I’m always really intrigued by the word ‘culture’ because you can’t coach it. As soon as you start coaching culture, it becomes forced, and some people, especially in a team environment, may not agree, or it’s difficult to get,” he said. Wales bucked the culture of being the underdogs, but we only did that because of the hard work we put in Dan Biggar, professional rugby player “And culture is very difficult to measure. How do you measure the All Blacks’ culture against England’s culture, or Wales’s culture, or Scotland’s culture? It’s just something that you create without knowing you’re creating it,” added Biggar. “The culture of Welsh rugby is always wanting to be, or always thinking of ourselves as, the underdogs. Wanting to punch above your weight. Now, one thing I will say on that is, when we had our most successful years, 2011 to 2021, we bucked every cultural trend of Wales because, during those 10 years, we were not underdogs very often. We weren’t expected to punch above our weight. We were the guys who were the standard bearers in a sense, certainly in the northern hemisphere,” he recalled. “It’s a fascinating discussion, which probably can’t be measured. But what can be measured is how hard you work, how many metres you’ve run, how many minutes you’ve spent on the training pitch, and so on. If you combine those numbers and put them into, say, a Welsh culture of being hard-working underdogs, that’s where you’d find an overlap between the two. “So, we bucked the culture of being the underdogs, but we only did that because of the hard work we put in. If you have a hard-working culture with the stats to back it up, you have an overlap. But if the stats say you are way off it compared with other teams, you don’t have a hard-working culture.” He also says you can hold team members to account with data, and vice versa. “I used to act on what I felt, and I think that has stood me in good stead in general. But then, when you go back and look at the data, or the video analysis, or whatever, you can think that probably wasn’t the right way to handle this or that situation. Wales had a culture where we could hold each other to account. And if we had a heated disagreement on the field, in the moment, we were brilliant as a group by the time we’d got off the pitch or showered or had dinner together in the hotel afterwards – it was gone,” said Biggar. “It’s always helpful if you’ve got something to back [your theory] up, whether that’s a video analysis, a stats pack, data analysis, whatever it is” Dan Biggar, professional rugby player “We could then look back and say, ‘What do you think here? What do you think the stats say here? If we did it that way, we’d have been better off. Or if we did it the other way, we would have got more success out of it’, you know? “It’s always helpful if you’ve got something to back it up, whether that’s a video analysis, a stats pack, data analysis, whatever it is. If you’ve got something to make your point more valid, and you do it in the right way, you’re generally going to get a lot more out of your players, employees, workers, whatever.” On the question of whether data analytics is landing with professional rugby players better than it might have done 10 to 15 years ago, Biggar says 100% yes. “The game has changed dramatically in the last 25 years, but the game has changed even from five to 10 years ago. And I think nowadays players are very much more wanting to look at certain examples on laptops or get provided with stats and analysis pieces,” he said. And that is especially true of his position, he says, which is a playmaker position. “[Others can] go through the whole game and just know their role, just know their positions and what they need to do individually. Probably positions like myself, I need to know, ‘What does Dan Biggar need?’ But also, ‘What does the number 12 for Australia do? What does the number 6 for Argentina do? And how often do Ireland lose playing into the wind?’ When you are in a position of real leadership, you probably need to know more about the data and the analytics.” Biggar was speaking at a recent media event where the possible data analytics generated by Sportable’s “smart ball” were being demonstrated. Sage, which provides accounting, financial, HR and payroll technology for small and medium-sized businesses, set up the event alongside Sportable, a global data collection and analytics platform. Sage has been sponsoring Six Nations Rugby since October 2022, bringing fans of the game real-time data and analytics captured through the smart ball technology and advanced predictive analytics. Sage has been collaborating with Sportable, which specialises in technology that tracks balls and players across various sports, including rugby, Australian rules football, American football and soccer. Its hardware is underpinned by artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), which turn thousands of data points into real-time, automated insights on how players and the ball move during a game and in training.  The Gilbert x Sportable Smart Ball, which has been used in elite professional-level rugby games since 2022, works with wireless beacons around the field to show live game data, such as how far the ball is kicked or passed, and how much territory a team gains as they attack. The technology helps players, coaches and teams use these insights to make performance improvement, tactical and recruitment decisions, while broadcasters and fans benefit from immediate game analysis.Raphael Brandon, director of performance science at Sportable, spoke at the Sage event about the novelty of the use of the analytics generated by the ball. “The chip in the ball provides new sets of data that cannot be got manually. For example, Arsenal coaches are able to put objectivity on many things, using the smart ball data, against which they are judging players and looking for improvement” Raphael Brandon, Sportable “The chip in the ball provides new sets of data that cannot be got manually. For example, Arsenal coaches, who use our system, are able to put objectivity on many things, using the smart ball data, against which they are judging players and looking for improvement,” he said. “It can be as simple as, ‘We want our midfield player to move the ball faster’. The chip means they can put a number on that. You can put a level of specificity on player technical performance, say comparing the tempo of the first team and the under-18s,” added Brandon. “Also, the automation of the game analysis [with the smart ball analysis] is novel. Otherwise, you either have a person doing manual analysis or semi-automated computer vision from a camera, which can’t track the movement of the ball sufficiently well. The smart ball makes the analysis fully automated. And that means the democratisation of advanced sports analytics down the levels. So, not just Six Nations or the Premiership, but, say, Dutch Division Two, or youth or many women’s sports where advanced analytics is not affordable.” Read more about data analytics in sport Football players are seeking to gain more control of their performance data through ‘stop processing’ requests, in an attempt to strike a better balance between firms’ commercial interests and the data rights of footballers. Spain’s La Liga has turned to Databricks’ Lakehouse Platform to analyse footballer performance and engage with fans. Leicester City Football Club was the surprise winner of the 2016 season’s English Premier League, thanks, in part, to data analytics.

doops. Member Jun 3, 2020 5,069 Stumbled upon this list on Backloggd, and was intrigued to hear if anyone has any other games that could be applicable or any takes on the ones already mentioned? 'Narratives that can only exist in video game media' a list of games by Paggi | Backloggd Its somewhat normalized that narrative excellence in games means mirroring books and cinema Not only thats far from the truth but some games have used the media they represent to achieve a whole new level of writing backloggd.com List is: OneShot Nier: Automata Shadow of the Colossus The Silver Case Undertale Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony EarthBound INSIDE Spec Ops: The Line Death Stranding Alan Wake II The Stanley Parable Return of the Obra Dinn Portal Immortality Legend of Mana   Busaiku Teyvat Traveler Member Oct 25, 2017 17,821 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors   Glasfrut Avenger Oct 27, 2017 4,824 Does the first Bioshock go here?   OP OP doops. Member Jun 3, 2020 5,069 Glasfrut said: Does the first Bioshock go here? Click to expand... Click to shrink... Ooo, yeah, that's a good pick!  Gangster Gastino Member Mar 21, 2018 2,805 Eternal Darkness   Mr Evil 37 Member Mar 7, 2022 27,539 Disco Elysium KOTOR  southwest Member Sep 15, 2022 2,718 Glasfrut said: Does the first Bioshock go here? Click to expand... Click to shrink... Why?   JakeNoseIt Catch My Drift Verified Oct 27, 2017 4,744 I think you could argue for almost any game to be on this list. The second there is gameplay, there is narrative (and then obviously that narrative couldn't exist in film or TV)   barbarash22 Member Oct 19, 2019 820 Soma   hiberner toujours Member Dec 6, 2023 1,756 13 sentinels   PallasKitten Member Jul 11, 2022 1,776 Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons The House in Fata Morgana Doki Doki Literature Club  Holundrian Member Oct 25, 2017 11,122 Probably every Daniel Mullins game   OP OP doops. Member Jun 3, 2020 5,069 JakeNoseIt said: I think you could argue for almost any game to be on this list. The second there is gameplay, there is narrative (and then obviously that narrative couldn't exist in film or TV) Click to expand... Click to shrink... Well, technically yes, but that's not as fun for discussion lol  Rustyspider13 Shinra Employee Member Nov 16, 2023 3,587 I'm not sure if the entire story counts but a moment in Brothers: A tale of Two Sons cannot be accomplished outside of video games.   blueredandgold Member Oct 25, 2017 8,626 Spoilers OK if marked? 999 on DS has you hooked until the last 10% or maybe even 5% of the game where the rug is literally pulled out from under you and you are forced to think about every action you as this external detached player character has made throughout the story seemingly while only acting out as the protaganist. Gone Home is by rights a "spooky house and you're all on your own" story at first but it transforms into a beautiful story about youth, family and discovering one's true self. Mario and Luigi Bowser's Inside Story explores what makes the big man tick. Like, literally. Killer 7 on the outside and at the outset is a bonkers third person shoot-em-up and puzzle infused cel shaded action game but t's more a visual novel that's a really interesting character study of a person's personality. Or how it might become more than just singular. RTS games by and large that try and categorise you as someone in-game never sat well with me. I quite liked being more of the invisible hand guiding the events or having the entire campaign come crashing down on me like it's that movie Downfall and I need to yell at everybody, Semi-recently. I can't not mention 1000x Resist. I even was able to stomach voice acting in a video game for once. I'm as surprised as anybody. Play these games. Thank me later.  Boopers Member Nov 1, 2020 4,303 Vermont usa Dragon's Dogma, kinda sorta.   Ashes of Dreams Fallen Guardian of Unshakable Resolve Member May 22, 2020 19,573 Didn't people like the Nier Automata anime? I haven't watched it but I heard it did a decent enough job. What about that story can only exist in a video game? I guess the final bit to an extent but if anything, I'd say the first Nier is a much better pick for that, given it's use of the NG+ mechanic. Edit: Thinking about this list further, I think it's title is doing it a disservice. It should have just been "games that use game specific elements to enhance the narrative" or "narratives made better by being in a game" or something.  Kromis Member Oct 29, 2017 8,083 SoCal Why is Shadow of the Colossus on that list? Haven't played it in almost two decades :')   ynthrepic Member Oct 25, 2017 891 Ashes of Dreams said: Didn't people like the Nier Automata anime? I haven't watched it but I heard it did a decent enough job. What about that story can only exist in a video game? Click to expand... Click to shrink... Its less the main narrative and everything else supporting it. Game mechanics given context in ways that are lost outside the medium.  blueredandgold Member Oct 25, 2017 8,626 Ashes of Dreams said: Didn't people like the Nier Automata anime? I haven't watched it but I heard it did a decent enough job. What about that story can only exist in a video game? Click to expand... Click to shrink... The answer to that is a spoiler and it's also partly due to the fact you can literally come away from it having completely different interpretations of the story, and exactly how it was resolved, compared to another person. I don't fully understand the over-arching thrust of the game's final act/ending but I also don't entirely mind that fact, either. Whereas in a standard three-act story you know what happened at least happened to the other people who experienced the same story as you.  Mr Evil 37 Member Mar 7, 2022 27,539 southwest said: "Would you kindly" would not work anywhere near as well in a linear storytelling medium where the audience isn't controlling the protagonist.   SpicySpiritGun Member May 16, 2018 350 Outer Wilds   Homura ▲ Legend ▲ Member Aug 20, 2019 6,953 As much as I love V3, I don't see why an anime would be impossible. The 1st twist can work with unreliable camera angles, and the 2nd twist doesn't really rely on being a video game at all.   Ashes of Dreams Fallen Guardian of Unshakable Resolve Member May 22, 2020 19,573 blueredandgold said: The answer to that is a spoiler and it's also partly due to the fact you can literally come away from it having completely different interpretations of the story, and exactly how it was resolved, compared to another person. I don't fully understand the over-arching thrust of the game's final act/ending but I also don't entirely mind that fact, either. Whereas in a standard three-act story you know what happened at least happened to the other people who experienced the same story as you. Click to expand... Click to shrink... I'm very familiar with Nier Automata, don't worry. It's just the anime I haven't seen. My point was the story seems to work outside the context of games, so the title of the list is a bit exaggerated.  southwest Member Sep 15, 2022 2,718 Mr Evil 37 said: "Would you kindly" would not work anywhere near as well in a linear storytelling medium where the audience isn't controlling the protagonist. Click to expand... Click to shrink... I really do not agree at all that that cannot exist outside of video games.   Badcoo Member May 9, 2018 1,846 Mass Effect.   Necromanti Member Oct 25, 2017 12,794 hyouko Member Oct 27, 2017 3,902 I've soured on Jonathan Blow, but the standard ending of Braid is pretty good for this.   kaputt Member Oct 27, 2017 1,291 Driver San Francisco It's a detective/cop story, but without the "Shift" element of the gameplay, it wouldn't be nearly as fun as it is. And I don't think it would be easily adaptable to other mediums, it works way better as a game  twister926 Member Apr 28, 2022 764 I Kromis said: Why is Shadow of the Colossus on that list? Haven't played it in almost two decades :') Click to expand... Click to shrink... At some point you may get a feeling that you are not the hero of the story, as the game suggested at the start, and start feeling really bad by progressing it.   Mr Evil 37 Member Mar 7, 2022 27,539 southwest said: I really do not agree at all that that cannot exist outside of video games. Click to expand... Click to shrink... Maybe not CANNOT exist, but I don't think it would work anywhere near as well. It's a twist that is almost entirely predicated on the audience having agency in the story.   giapel Member Oct 28, 2017 5,216 JakeNoseIt said: I think you could argue for almost any game to be on this list. The second there is gameplay, there is narrative (and then obviously that narrative couldn't exist in film or TV) Click to expand... Click to shrink... That's true but most games don't lean on the advantages of the medium and the story they tell is confined to be "cinematic". I would add Blue Prince to the list. It's storytelling is wonderfully interactive.  Lihwem Member Mar 17, 2020 857 I want to say Last of Us Part 2 but the TV show has been stellar so far so who knows   Homura ▲ Legend ▲ Member Aug 20, 2019 6,953 Blue Prince is a good example, as the roguelike element is a canon part of the narrative.   Bucca Member Oct 25, 2017 5,436 The Last Guardian   404LinkNotFound Member Oct 27, 2017 10,600 The entire Zero escape series The whole Ai the somnium files series  Odinsmana Member Mar 13, 2019 3,601 So does this jsut mean games where they tell the story during gameplay or the fact that you are playing the MC enchances the story? Otherwise I don`t really understand why something like SotC or Inside is on the list? Does something like What Remains of Edith Finch count in that case? Anyway. Here as some games with storytelling methods that only work in a game: Doki Doki Literature Club Games like The Golden Idol series and the Rootrees Are Dead. Road 96 Her Story  southwest Member Sep 15, 2022 2,718 Mr Evil 37 said: Maybe not CANNOT exist, but I don't think it would work anywhere near as well. It's a twist that is almost entirely predicated on the audience having agency in the story. Click to expand... Click to shrink... Maybe. But the thread and list is specifically asking for narratives that cannot exist outside of video games.   Nyandeyanen Member Apr 16, 2024 820 Persona, to some extent? The freeform nature of the social links and social skills is pretty video game specific. I do wish the main story would better reflect your social links and romances though.   Bulgowski Member Apr 8, 2022 666 Bloodborne, Elden Ring, Dark Souls   Frankish Member Oct 25, 2017 1,468 USA Came here to say Death Stranding but that's already on list. I'll add Inscryption.  Vic20 Member Nov 10, 2019 4,408 Bulgowski said: Bloodborne, Elden Ring, Dark Souls Click to expand... Click to shrink... Those games have no narratives Anyway I pick GTA and RDR  Mr Evil 37 Member Mar 7, 2022 27,539 southwest said: Maybe. But the thread and list is specifically asking for narratives that cannot exist outside of video games. Click to expand... Click to shrink... I think there's nuance to any conversation like this, but I personally think a game like BioShock which engages directly with the idea that it is a game and the audience is actively controlling the character (or they think they are) qualifies for this discussion. At no point when you're watching a movie do you feel that you are controlling the protagonist. I'm sure there is a way to adapt the twist to a movie but it would need to be presented very differently to the point where the core message would probably be different.  

When Bob Dylan Isn’t Writing Nobel-Winning Lyrics, He’s Creating Original Paintings and Drawings Nearly 100 imaginative portraits, still lifes and other artworks by the renowned singer-songwriter are now on view at the Halcyon Gallery in London The collection includes several portraits of musicians. Halcyon Gallery Bob Dylan is famous for his poetic lyrics and raw vocals, but the renowned singer-songwriter has long turned to another art form to “relax and refocus a restless mind”: drawing and painting. Now, nearly 100 of his artworks are on display in London. Titled “Point Blank,” the free exhibition at the Halcyon Gallery features colorful acrylics based on sketches that Dylan completed between 2021 and 2022. The artworks depict subjects like a tree outside a window, a living room and a waterfront in Zurich. The collection also includes imaginative portraits of people engaged in various activities, such as playing guitar, riding a bicycle and drinking tea. “The idea was not only to observe the human condition, but to throw myself into it with great urgency,” Dylan says in a statement, adding: “As to the color schemes, the idea was to create living, breathing entities that have emotional resonance—colors used as weapons and mood-setters, a means of storytelling.” Dylan made the original sketches between 2021 and 2022. Halcyon Gallery The artworks on display are “hazy, snapshot things,” according to Artnet’s Richard Whiddington. “With Dylan remaining noncommittal as to which derive from reality and which from his imagination, the viewer is [encouraged] to partake in a little storytelling of their own.” Born in Duluth, Minnesota, in 1941, Dylan moved to New York City to begin his musical career in 1961. “The artist who would eventually become the voice of a generation was then a 19-year-old college dropout bored with the Midwest and intrigued by the folk music coming out of Lower Manhattan’s Greenwich Village,” writes Smithsonian magazine’s Grant Wong. In the years that followed, Dylan rose to fame with folk songs such as “Blowin’ in the Wind” and “The Times They Are A-Changin’.” Throughout his career, the musician has released 40 studio albums, earning the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012 and the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2016. Along the way, he decided to try his hand at drawing and painting. Dylan has been exhibiting visual art since 2007. Halcyon Gallery “He’s always been an artist in quiet moments,” writes the London Times’ Nancy Durrant. “If he has been more visible in this guise recently, it’s because his usual relentless touring schedule evaporated during the pandemic and he suddenly had the opportunity to focus on painting in a new way.” The singer-songwriter has been displaying his visual artworks since 2007, when an exhibition of 200 watercolor and gouache paintings based on drawings and sketches opened in Germany. In 2019, the Modern Art Museum in Shanghai showcased his sculptures, paintings and drawings. Halcyon has staged several exhibitions of Dylan’s paintings, including a 2022 show that displayed them alongside works by some of his artistic influences, such as Claude Monet, Henri Matisse and Marc Chagall. “A real artist made these drawings and paintings,” wrote the Guardian’s Jonathan Jones in a review of a 2016 show at Halcyon. “Their integrity is compelling. They demand to be looked at, for their awe and wonder at the beauty and grandeur of being alive. These are the pictures of a true poet.”According to the gallery, “Point Blank” began as a book of “quick studies” and “accompanying prose.” Visitors will be able to read the text as they examine Dylan’s latest artworks. “These works on paper feel like memories, intangible windows into the life and imagination of one of the greatest storytellers who ever lived,” says Kate Brown, Halcyon’s creative director, in the statement. “People who attend the exhibition will discover that they provoke stories from our imagination. We consider the circumstances of the protagonists and ponder our movement through the spaces that the artist depicts.” “Point Blank” is on view at the Halcyon Gallery in London through July 6, 2025. Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.

A California judge slammed a pair of law firms for the undisclosed use of AI after he received a supplemental brief with “numerous false, inaccurate, and misleading legal citations and quotations.” In a ruling submitted last week, Judge Michael Wilner imposed $31,000 in sanctions against the law firms involved, saying “no reasonably competent attorney should out-source research and writing” to AI, as pointed out by law professors Eric Goldman and Blake Reid on Bluesky.“I read their brief, was persuaded (or at least intrigued) by the authorities that they cited, and looked up the decisions to learn more about them – only to find that they didn’t exist,” Judge Milner writes. “That’s scary. It almost led to the scarier outcome (from my perspective) of including those bogus materials in a judicial order.”As noted in the filing, a plaintiff’s legal representative for a civil lawsuit against State Farm used AI to generate an outline for a supplemental brief. However, this outline contained “bogus AI-generated research” when it was sent to a separate law firm, K&L Gates, which added the information to a brief. “No attorney or staff member at either firm apparently cite-checked or otherwise reviewed that research before filing the brief,” Judge Milner writes.When Judge Milner reviewed the brief, he found that “at least two of the authorities cited do not exist at all.” After asking K&L Gates for clarification, the firm resubmitted the brief, which Judge Milner said contained “considerably more made-up citations and quotations beyond the two initial errors.” He then issued an Order to Show Cause, resulting in lawyers giving sworn statements that confirm the use of AI. The lawyer who created the outline admitted to using Google Gemini, as well as the AI legal research tools in Westlaw Precision with CoCounsel.This isn’t the first time lawyers have been caught using AI in the courtroom. Former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen cited made-up court cases in a legal document after mistaking Google Gemini, then called Bard, as “a super-charged search engine” rather than an AI chatbot. A judge also found that lawyers suing a Colombian airline included a slew of phony cases generated by ChatGPT in their brief.“The initial, undisclosed use of AI products to generate the first draft of the brief was flat-out wrong,” Judge Milner writes. “And sending that material to other lawyers without disclosing its sketchy AI origins realistically put those professionals in harm’s way.”See More:

Back Into Hyding-ra Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra's release has been delayed to early next year, so Skydance can spend more time superpolishing it The studio's also teasing having "some exciting things in store" and says it'll start sharing soon. Image credit: Skydance New Media/Marvel News by Mark Warren Senior Staff Writer Published on May 13, 2025 We've not seen all that much about Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra since it broke cover at GDC last year, with both Marvel and Skydance New Media having generally elected to stay in their lairs working away, aside from a few interviews with its main scribe, former Uncharted writer Amy Hennig. Now, we've gotten some news, in the form of the game being delayed into early 2026. So, not the news folks who're keen to dive into the the action and fight the Hydra in 1940s Paris as Captain America or Black Panther were hoping for, but news nontheless. To see this content please enable targeting cookies. "We have an important update: Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra will now be launching in early 2026," reads a message from Marvel 1943's team put on on Skydance's socials. "Taking this additional time will allow us to add more polish, and make sure we give you the best possible experience, and one that lives up to our vision," it continues, "We have some exciting things in store and look forward to sharing more soon!" To see this content please enable targeting cookies. So, there you go. Another game that may well have taken a bit of time to wait and see if GTA 6 would get its own delay - which it did - then picked a more firm launch point for its own game that's both better for it and comes with the bonus of not risking getting run over by Rockstar's behemoth. We were intrigued by what we saw from the swanky Unreal Engine story trailer the Plaion-published game debuted with at its reveal last year, but that was before going a year and a bit without seeing any actual gameplay. It could well still turn out to be a banger, though, especially given Hennig's pen credentials. Are you keen to see what Rise of Hydra is like regardless of this delay? Let us know below!

Wizards of the Coast has been gradually rolling out what it's got in store for Magic: The Gathering and its big Final Fantasy crossover this summer. Over the weekend, the team debuted a significant chunk of cards, from both the main set and the Commander decks, and fans are enjoying some of the fun and even surprising cuts from their favorite Final Fantasy games.The Universes Beyond collaboration with Final Fantasy is getting both the usual Commander treatment and a booster-driven series, so there are a lot of cards to go over. The main set tinkers with the entirety of Final Fantasy's mainline, numbered games, running from Final Fantasy 1 to Final Fantasy 16. The Commander Decks, meanwhile, focus on four specific games: Final Fantasy 6, 7, 10, and 14, with their respective Commanders of Terra, Cloud, Tidus, and Y'shtola.Out June 13Starter KitOut June 13Play Booster Box (30 Packs)Out June 13BundleOut June 13Collector’s Edition Commander Deck Bundle$599.96 at AmazonOut June 13Commander Deck Bundle$279.96 at AmazonOut June 13Commander Deck 1 - Revival TranceOut June 13Commander Deck 2 - Limit BreakOut June 13Commander Deck 3 - Counter BlitzOut June 13Commander Deck 4 - Scions & SpellcraftOut June 13Gift BundleOut June 13Collector Booster BoxSome of the cards shown at last Saturday's Magic: The Gathering panel at PAX East captured the journey of individual characters throughout their games. Final Fantasy IV's Cecil, for example, has an entire mechanic around transforming from a Dark Knight into a Paladin. The summons of Final Fantasy utilize a "Saga Creature" set-up, to act as powerful but temporary forces on the field, melding Magic and Final Fantasy concepts in the process.Then you have cards like Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER, with artwork from Square's Tetsuya Nomura. The transformation along the card illustrates Sephiroth's various forms throughout the FF7 universe, from a young fighter into, eventually, Safer Sephiroth on the card Sephiroth, One-Winged Angel.And what would a Final Fantasy be without some Cids? The Final Fantasy set will include a Cid from each of the numbered Final Fantasy games, though Wizards is opting for the older Cid from Final Fantasy XV over his daughter, Cindy.After Saturday's panel, though, Wizards of the Coast released the decklist for the four aforementioned Commander decks, and fans started poring over the art and additions to see how the team adapted those four Final Fantasy games into Magic. Pretty well, it turns out.Reprints, or new versions of existing Magic cards, get some clever crossovers with Final Fantasy lore. Skullclamp, for instance, draws on the Jenova project in Final Fantasy 7 for its art.Together, Forever also takes an emotional stab at the Final Fantasy 10 fans out there. It shouldn't be surprising that Final Fantasy 10 has some emotional wellsprings to draw from, with its central protagonists' journey through a ruined land, on a somber pilgrimage. Several decks' cards reference some notable character moments, by the way, so you might want to go into these decklists aware that there will be some story spoilers for each respective game.But to lighten things up, one of Final Fantasy 10's more iconic, and frequently memed, moments also made the cut with Inspiring Call.In fact, Wizards found more than a few ways to incorporate Final Fantasy's less-serious moments into cards. Clever Concealment puts a spin on the Wall Market scene with Cloud, Aerith, and Tifa in dresses, heading to Don Corneo's, and even has a mechanic that seems fitting for the occassion. I'm a big fan of the Secret Rendezvous card, which has four different versions of the Golden Saucer date scene from Final Fantasy 7 with each potential date: Aerith, Tifa, Yuffie, and Barret.Even still, fans have been discovering the tiny details that show how much homage is being paid to the source material. The Final Fantasy 14 set, in particular, has quite a few references to the critically acclaimed MMORPG. The Hildibrand Manderville card mimics the infamous gentleman's habit of disappearing and returning, making for quite an interesting White/Black card in the process.One user on the FFXIV subreddit noted that the Archaeomancer's Map card uses a real possible location found in a Gaganaskin Treasure Map, for instance.In turn, Final Fantasy 14 players have been having fun with the cards. There are some jokes about wondering who the Thancred card represents, referencing the "This is Thancred" meme. And there's the alternative flavor text a user added to the Rite of Replication card, commemorating everyone's favorite speech from A Realm Reborn:Even the Tome of Legends card depicts a Wondrous Tails book, with all the little details you see in-game when a player picks up their Tails and, of course, several missed four-in-a-row connections.There's some clear attention to detail put into these cards, and it's certainly got me intrigued to see the full set. While the Commander games got a lot of love in these cards, a few reveals from Saturday's panel like Commune With Beavers have me eager to see how some of the other Final Fantasy games got adapated into the full Magic set.Magic: The Gathering's Final Fantasy set is out on June 13, 2025, with pre-release weekend one week prior.Eric is a freelance writer for IGN.

"Artificial intelligence, if we're being frank, is a con: a bill of goods you are being sold to line someone's pockets."That is the heart of the argument that linguist Emily Bender and sociologist Alex Hanna make in their new book The AI Con. It's a useful guide for anyone whose life has intersected with technologies sold as artificial intelligence and anyone who's questioned their real usefulness, which is most of us. Bender is a professor at the University of Washington who was named one of Time magazine's most influential people in artificial intelligence, and Hanna is the director of research at the nonprofit Distributed AI Research Institute and a former member of the ethical AI team at Google.The explosion of ChatGPT in late 2022 kicked off a new hype cycle in AI. Hype, as the authors define it, is the "aggrandizement" of technology that you are convinced you need to buy or invest in "lest you miss out on entertainment or pleasure, monetary reward, return on investment, or market share." But it's not the first time, nor likely the last, that scholars, government leaders and regular people have been intrigued and worried by the idea of machine learning and AI.Bender and Hanna trace the roots of machine learning back to the 1950s, to when mathematician John McCarthy coined the term artificial intelligence. It was in an era when the United States was looking to fund projects that would help the country gain any kind of edge on the Soviets militarily, ideologically and technologically. "It didn't spring whole cloth out of Zeus's head or anything. This has a longer history," Hanna said in an interview with CNET. "It's certainly not the first hype cycle with, quote, unquote, AI."Today's hype cycle is propelled by the billions of dollars of venture capital investment into startups like OpenAI and the tech giants like Meta, Google and Microsoft pouring billions of dollars into AI research and development. The result is clear, with all the newest phones, laptops and software updates drenched in AI-washing. And there are no signs that AI research and development will slow down, thanks in part to a growing motivation to beat China in AI development. Not the first hype cycle indeed.Of course, generative AI in 2025 is much more advanced than the Eliza psychotherapy chatbot that first enraptured scientists in the 1970s. Today's business leaders and workers are inundated with hype, with a heavy dose of FOMO and seemingly complex but often misused jargon. Listening to tech leaders and AI enthusiasts, it might seem like AI will take your job to save your company money. But the authors argue that neither is wholly likely, which is one reason why it's important to recognize and break through the hype.So how do we recognize AI hype? These are a few telltale signs, according to Bender and Hanna, that we share below. The authors outline more questions to ask and strategies for AI hype busting in their book, which is out now in the US.Watch out for language that humanizes AIAnthropomorphizing, or the process of giving an inanimate object human-like characteristics or qualities, is a big part of building AI hype. An example of this kind of language can be found when AI companies say their chatbots can now "see" and "think."These can be useful comparisons when trying to describe the ability of new object-identifying AI programs or deep-reasoning AI models, but they can also be misleading. AI chatbots aren't capable of seeing of thinking because they don't have brains. Even the idea of neural nets, Hanna noted in our interview and in the book, is based on human understanding of neurons from the 1950s, not actually how neurons work, but it can fool us into believing there's a brain behind the machine.That belief is something we're predisposed to because of how we as humans process language. We're conditioned to imagine that there is a mind behind the text we see, even when we know it's generated by AI, Bender said. "We interpret language by developing a model in our minds of who the speaker was," Bender added.In these models, we use our knowledge of the person speaking to create meaning, not just using the meaning of the words they say. "So when we encounter synthetic text extruded from something like ChatGPT, we're going to do the same thing," Bender said. "And it is very hard to remind ourselves that the mind isn't there. It's just a construct that we have produced."The authors argue that part of why AI companies try to convince us their products are human-like is that this sets the foreground for them to convince us that AI can replace humans, whether it's at work or as creators. It's compelling for us to believe that AI could be the silver bullet fix to complicated problems in critical industries like health care and government services.But more often than not, the authors argue, AI isn't bring used to fix anything. AI is sold with the goal of efficiency, but AI services end up replacing qualified workers with black box machines that need copious amounts of babysitting from underpaid contract or gig workers. As Hanna put it in our interview, "AI is not going to take your job, but it will make your job shittier."Be dubious of the phrase 'super intelligence'If a human can't do something, you should be wary of claims that an AI can do it. "Superhuman intelligence, or super intelligence, is a very dangerous turn of phrase, insofar as it thinks that some technology is going to make humans superfluous," Hanna said. In "certain domains, like pattern matching at scale, computers are quite good at that. But if there's an idea that there's going to be a superhuman poem, or a superhuman notion of research or doing science, that is clear hype." Bender added, "And we don't talk about airplanes as superhuman flyers or rulers as superhuman measurers, it seems to be only in this AI space that that comes up."The idea of AI "super intelligence" comes up often when people talk about artificial general intelligence. Many CEOs struggle to define what exactly AGI is, but it's essentially AI's most advanced form, potentially capable of making decisions and handling complex tasks. There's still no evidence we're anywhere near a future enabled by AGI, but it's a popular buzzword.Many of these future-looking statements from AI leaders borrow tropes from science fiction. Both boosters and doomers — how Bender and Hanna describe AI enthusiasts and those worried about the potential for harm — rely on sci-fi scenarios. The boosters imagine an AI-powered futuristic society. The doomers bemoan a future where AI robots take over the world and wipe out humanity.The connecting thread, according to the authors, is an unshakable belief that AI is smarter than humans and inevitable. "One of the things that we see a lot in the discourse is this idea that the future is fixed, and it's just a question of how fast we get there," Bender said. "And then there's this claim that this particular technology is a step on that path, and it's all marketing. It is helpful to be able to see behind it."Part of why AI is so popular is that an autonomous functional AI assistant would mean AI companies are fulfilling their promises of world-changing innovation to their investors. Planning for that future — whether it's a utopia or dystopia — keeps investors looking forward as the companies burn through billions of dollars and admit they'll miss their carbon emission goals. For better or worse, life is not science fiction. Whenever you see someone claiming their AI product is straight out of a movie, it's a good sign to approach with skepticism. Ask what goes in and how outputs are evaluatedOne of the easiest ways to see through AI marketing fluff is to look and see whether the company is disclosing how it operates. Many AI companies won't tell you what content is used to train their models. But they usually disclose what the company does with your data and sometimes brag about how their models stack up against competitors. That's where you should start looking, typically in their privacy policies.One of the top complaints and concerns from creators is how AI models are trained. There are many lawsuits over alleged copyright infringement, and there are a lot of concerns over bias in AI chatbots and their capacity for harm. "If you wanted to create a system that is designed to move things forward rather than reproduce the oppressions of the past, you would have to start by curating your data," Bender said. Instead, AI companies are grabbing "everything that wasn't nailed down on the internet," Hanna said.If you're hearing about an AI product for the first time, one thing in particular to look out for is any kind of statistic that highlights its effectiveness. Like many other researchers, Bender and Hanna have called out that a finding with no citation is a red flag. "Anytime someone is selling you something but not giving you access to how it was evaluated, you are on thin ice," Bender said.It can be frustrating and disappointing when AI companies don't disclose certain information about how their AI products work and how they were developed. But recognizing those holes in their sales pitch can help deflate hype, even though it would be better to have the information. For more, check out our full ChatGPT glossary and how to turn off Apple Intelligence.