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"We're on AI time," that's what I tell people now when they try to comprehend the rapid pace of AI and all connected technologies, advancements.Even though it's been just two and a half years since OpenAI unleashed ChatGPT on the world, I've known intuitively for months that in the world of technology, we are no longer operating on Moore's Law: the number of transistors on a chip doubles every two years. This is now AI Model Law, in which generative model capabilities are doubling every three months.Even if you don't believe that Large Language Models (LLMs) are developing at that pace, there's no denying the unprecedented speed of adoption.A new report (or rather a 340-page presentation) from Mary Meeker, a general partner at BOND investments, paints the clearest picture yet of the transformative nature of AI and how it's unlike any other previous tech epoch."The pace and scope of change related to the artificial intelligence technology evolution is indeed unprecedented, as supported by the data,” wrote Meeker and her co-authors.Google, what?(Image credit: Bond Capital)One stat in particular stood out to me: It took Google nine years to reach 365 billion annual searches. ChatGPT reached the same milestone in two years.Meeker's presentation illustrates something I've been trying to articulate for some time. There's never been a time quite like this.I've lived through some big tech changes: The rise of personal computing, the switch from analog to digital publishing tools, and the online revolution. Most of this change was gradual, though, granted, it did feel rapid at the time.I first saw digital publishing tools in the mid-1970s, and it wasn't until the middle-to-late 1980s that many of us made the switch, which is also around the time personal computers started to arrive, though they wouldn't become ubiquitous for at least another decade.AI Time leaves little time, I think, for self-reflection.With the public internet arriving in 1993, it would be years before most people were on broadband. Knowledge workers didn't rise up immediately. Instead, there was a slow and steady shift in the workforce.I'd say we had a decade of solid adjustment before the Internet and its associated systems and platforms became an inexorable part of our lives.I still remember just how confused the average person was by the Internet. On The Today Show in 1994, the hosts literally asked aloud, "What is the Internet?" AI and platforms like ChatGPT, Copilot, Claude AI, and others haven't met with the same level of confusion.Sign us up(Image credit: Bond Capital)Meeker's report notes that ChatGPT users skyrocketed from zero in October 2020 to 400M in late 2024 and 800M in 2025. A shocking 20M people are paying subscribers. It took decades to convince people to pay for any content on the Internet, but for AI, people are already lining up with their wallets open.I suppose the rise of the internet and ubiquitous and mobile computing might have prepared us for the AI Era. It's not as if artificial intelligence appeared out of the blue. Then again, it sort of did.Almost a decade ago, we were marveling at IBM's Deep Blue, the first AI to beat a Chess Grandf Master, Gary Kasparov. That was followed in 2005 by an autonomous car completing the DARPA challenge. A decade after that, we saw DeepMind AlphaGo beat the world's best Go player.Some of these developments were startling, but they were arriving at a relatively digestible pace. Even so, things started to pick up in 2016, and various groups began sounding the warning bells about AI. No one was publicly using the terms "LLM" or "generative." Still, the concern was such that IBM, Amazon, Facebook, Microsoft, and Google's DeepMind formed the nonprofit Partnership on AI, which was intended to "address opportunities and challenges with AI technologies to benefit people and society."That group still exists, though, I'm not sure anyone is paying attention to its recommendations. AI Time leaves little time, I think, for self-reflection.Image 1 of 2(Image credit: Bond Capital)Image 2 of 2(Image credit: Bond Capital)A 2016 Stanford University Study on AI in 2030 (no longer available online) noted that "Contrary to the more fantastic predictions for AI in the popular press, the Study Panel found no cause for concern that AI is an imminent threat to humankind.”Meeker's presentation, though, presents an accelerated picture that, I think, does raise some cause for concern, with one caveat: the predictions come from ChatGPT (which is an even greater cause for concern).By 2030, for instance, it predicts AI's ability to create full-length movies and games. I'd say Gemini's Veo 3 is proof we're well on our way.It promises AI's ability to operate human-like robots. I would add that AI time has accelerated humanoid robotic development in a way I, in my 25 years of covering robotics, have never seen before.It says AI will build and run autonomous businesses.In 10 years, ChatGPT believes AI will be able to simulate human-like minds.If we remember that ChatGPT, like most LLMs, bases most of its knowledge on the known universe, I think we can assume that these predictions are, if anything, underambitious. Even AI doesn't know what we don't know.Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang (Image credit: Nvidia)There was some argument in the office that I had the equation wrong. There is no AI Model Law, there's just Huang's Law (for Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of Nvidia). This law predicts a doubling of GPU performance at least every two years. Without the power of those processors, AI stalls. Maybe, but I think that the power of these models has yet to catch up with the processing power provided by Nvidia's GPUs.Huang is simply building for a future in which every person and business wants GPU-based generative power. That means we need more processors, more data, and development leaps to prepare for models to come. However, model development in real-time is not hindered by GPU development. Those generative updates are happening far faster than silicon advancements.If you accept that there is a thing such as AI Time and that the AI Model Law (heck, let's call it "Ulanoff's Law") is a real thing, then it's easy to accept ChatGPT's view of our impending reality.You might not be ready for it, but it's coming all the same. I wonder what ChatGPT thinks about that.You might also likeWhen I die, please do not produce an AI version of meAI doesn't belong in the classroom unless you want kids to ...The Godfather of AI is more worried than ever about ...

We may never fully understand how TikTok's "For You" algorithm works or why it sends users down the sometimes very specific rabbit holes it does. But the company is making it a bit easier to control what topics are likely (or not) to appear in recommendations.

The company is rolling out a setting to "manage topics" within the app to all users in an attempt to add more personalization to users' feeds. The setting, which the company began offering in the United States last year, is a set of sliders that allow people to specify how often they want particular types of videos to appear in their recommendations. The sliders cover about a dozen general topics, like nature; food and drink; fashion and beauty; and pets. For each interest, you can drag the slider to "see more" or "see less."

TikTok notes that these in-app controls "won't eliminate any topics entirely," so the sliders won't, say, prevent any sports content from ever appearing in your feed. But the company says the setting "can influence how often they're recommended as your interests evolve over time."

For those who want more granular control over their feeds — at least when it comes to blocking specific types of content — TikTok is also expanding its keyword filtering option, which allows people to choose specific keywords they don't want to see. Now, the app will use AI to make those filters smarter by adding extra keywords for similar content. For example, if you choose to filter "remodeling," the app may also opt to add "renovations" to your filtered words. The app may also automatically block alternate spellings of topics, like "cat" or "c@t." The company says it expects these "smart filters" to "get increasingly precise as more people use it over time" and that it will eventually allow users to add up to 200 keywords.

Both features are available now in TikTok's settings in the app's "content" preferences section.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/tiktok-is-making-it-easier-to-control-what-is-and-isnt-in-your-for-you-feed-175301931.html?src=rss

There's a new tactical RPG coming down the pike, and it's a doozy. Never's End has a retro look that's sure to please fans of iconic titles like Final Fantasy Tactics and boasts a fantastic pedigree. Masayoshi Nishimura, from Octopath Traveler, is on character design duties and the rapper/multi-instrumentalist Doseone made the soundtrack. He previously composed the music for Enter the Gungeon.

Indie developer Hypersect is making the game. It previously developed the creative puzzler Inversus, which ended up becoming a sleeper hit. The company hopes this will be something more than a clone of Tactics Ogre or the aforementioned Final Fantasy Tactics. Founder Ryan Juckett says that Never's End was also inspired by the freeform gameplay of stuff like Divinity: Original Sin 2 and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

To that end, the game features an open world and plenty of creative ways for players to tackle turn-based battles. The battle grids can be transformed via elemental magic. Players can drain rivers in the middle of a battle, for the purposes of navigation, or melt the ground to turn it into lava. Enemies can be frozen or set aflame. The company promises that "every battleground is unique, challenging you to find new ways to use magic and shift the odds in your favor."

Hypersect

Customization seems to be the order of the day here. Players can "upgrade towns, temples and other locations to build businesses, establish trade routes, and recruit new companions." As the story progresses, these locations will attract a growing community of weaponsmiths, tavern keepers, tanneries, logging camps and more." Characters can also team up to unleash "tactical synergies." Check out the trailer. It looks pretty fun.

Never's End comes out in late 2025. It'll be available for PlayStation consoles and PC via Steam. We don't have a price yet but it can already be wishlisted on Steam.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nevers-end-is-a-retro-tactical-rpg-with-a-fantastic-pedigree-180020441.html?src=rss

The most productive people now rest for nearly two and a half hours in an eight-hour day, report claimsIn-office work may naturally support better mental recoveryDeskTime’s productivity metric is role-specific, which brings in subjectivityThe long-held belief that working longer hours leads to higher productivity is facing increasing scrutiny, after new research claimed quite the opposite.A new study by DeskTime challenges this conventional wisdom, revealing shorter work sessions combined with longer breaks may correlate with higher levels of output.The study found the most productive employees now follow a 75/33 work-to-rest ratio, working for 75 minutes followed by a 33-minute break. This represents a significant increase in rest time compared to DeskTime’s original 52/17 ratio reported a decade ago.Productivity is subjective, not universalThis means that in an 8-hour workday, current-day productive employees will need about two hours and twenty-seven minutes (147 minutes) of rest.The rest time is higher than the 118 minutes given to productive employees for the same workday ten years ago.This revelation may not sit well with employers who equate productivity with endurance rather than efficiency. However, the shift to a 75/33 cycle in 2025 may reflect how hybrid or in-office work fosters more balanced work habits.“When DeskTime conducted the work/break ratio study back in 2021, we saw that working from home had immensely impacted workers’ ability to draw a line between work and life,” said Artis Rozentals, CEO of DeskTime.“Now, our latest productivity research shows we’re returning to more balanced working habits. Given the prevalence of hybrid work, the new 75/33 ratio may be linked to working in-office again.”Indeed, in-office work naturally introduces more breaks through informal interactions and social moments. These may appear counterproductive on the surface, but could be essential for mental rejuvenation.“The hybrid model is the Goldilocks choice, as it best leverages both the in-office social dynamic and the deep focus afforded by remote work,” Rozentals added.As a result, companies using employee monitoring software may need to reconsider how they define “productive behavior.”To identify top performers, DeskTime analyzed the top 10% of users with the highest ratio of time spent in productive applications. This group - comprising 6,000 individuals - served as the benchmark for the study’s findings.Unlike many metrics that rely on generalized definitions, DeskTime’s approach to productivity is more tailored. The software allows users to define which applications are considered productive based on their specific roles.However, since the data is based on software-tracked activity, it raises questions about the nuances such tools may overlook.Platforms that offer quantitative insights, like task management platforms, often fail to capture the full picture, especially when so-called “idle” time includes thinking, strategizing, or informal collaboration.You might also likeThese are the best AI website builders aroundTake a look at our guide to the best freelance websitesAI powering a “dramatic surge” in cyberthreats as automated scans hit 36,000 per second

If you're still waiting on access to Google's AI-driven Ask Photos feature, you'll need to hold tight a little longer. Jamie Aspinall, a product manager for Google Photos, chimed in to a conversation on X to address some complaints about the feature. "Ask Photos isn't where it needs to be, in terms of latency, quality and ux," Aspinall wrote. He said the rollout was being paused "at very small numbers" and that a new version of Ask Photos is slated to ship in about two weeks.

I hear you both. Ask Photos isn't where it needs to be, in terms of latency, quality and ux. Rollout has been paused at very small numbers while we address these issues. In ~2 weeks we'll ship an improved version that brings back the speed and recall of the original search— Jamieasp (@jamieasp) June 3, 2025

Ask Photos was introduced at last year's I/O conference and began select early access availability in September. The feature uses the Gemini AI chatbot to find images from a photo library based on natural language queries.

As with so many tech giants, Google's implementation of AI-powered features to its services has hit several snags. The AI Overviews feature in search had a notoriously bad introduction to users and its image-generation tool offered some baffling results at launch. Google has also seen critiques from former leaders and current employees about its approach to artificial intelligence.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/google-has-paused-the-ask-photos-rollout-182409437.html?src=rss

With the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct showcase behind us, we now know more about the console than ever before, including its release date (June 5) and price ($450). We're also keeping a close eye on how the recently-announced tariffs in the United States are affecting Nintendo's launch plans. Pre-orders in the US and Canada kicked off on April 24, and now the Switch 2 is sold out at online retailers.

Thanks to Nintendo's January 16 teaser trailer, we've long known what the Switch 2 will look like, and that it will arrive in 2025 — over eight years after its predecessor. The Nintendo Switch 2 looks very similar to the original system, albeit with a larger display, magnetic Joy-Cons and a sleeker design. The upcoming console will be backwards compatible with Switch games.

Looking to catch up on everything we know about the Switch 2? Check out our final preview of the console before it arrives on Thursday and read on for everything else.

What are the key new features of the Nintendo Switch 2?

Display and dock

The Nintendo Switch 2 has a 1080p 7.9-inch display with a 120Hz refresh and HDR compatibility. It also supports up to 4K output at 120Hz (with variable refresh rates) when docked.

Joy-Con and Pro Controller

The new Joy-Con 2 for Nintendo Switch 2 attaches magnetically with a button to release them. They have larger SL and SR buttons (the ones hidden when the Joy-Con are attached) to make playing multiplayer games on individual Joy-Cons more feasible. These buttons are also made of steel and attach to the Switch 2's magnets.

The analog sticks are no longer tiny nubs, and are closer in size to the ones you might find on a PS5 or Xbox controller. However, they do not have Hall effect sensors, the use of which can minimize the risk of the "stick drift" issue that plagued the original Joy-Cons.

The Joy-Con 2 have what Nintendo is calling “HD Rumble 2” built in, which seems to be a refinement of the original (and still very good) vibration function. Finally, each Joy-Con 2 has an optical sensor that allows you to use it as a mouse, and a C button, which we’ll get to in a minute.

Nintendo

The new Pro Controller for the Nintendo Switch 2 comes with everything you’d expect based on the refreshed Joy-Con 2: Namely HD Rumble 2 and the C button. There are also remappable GL/GR buttons around the back and a standard audio jack for connecting a headset.

Both options come with Amiibo support built in. The Switch 2 comes with two Joy-Con 2, as you’d expect, and additional pairs are priced at $95. The Pro Controller will cost $85.

The C button stands for "chat"

The new C button is a dedicated way to enter a chat session with friends. As well as the standard features you’d expect from voice chat, Nintendo has built a Discord-like video-sharing feature, which lets you show your gameplay to others and see other people’s screens while you’re playing.

The GameChat function works with a mic built into the console, though headsets are also supported. Nintendo will also sell a $55 camera that plugs into the USB-C port on the top of the console, which will allow you to stream your face along with your game.

Nintendo

GameCube support

The Switch 2 will work with GameCube games via the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack. The three titles available at launch will be F-Zero GX, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker and Soul Calibur II.

Improved specs

Perhaps the biggest feature, though, is one you can’t see: The Switch 2 has an all-new processor and GPU and significantly more storage (256GB vs 64GB in the Switch OLED), along with support for faster and more capacious microSD cards. This will obviously lead to better first-party games and upgraded Switch experiences, but more importantly it will mean multi-platform games that had to skip the original, underpowered Switch will be able to be ported over. With games like Cyberpunk 2077 coming to the Switch 2 at launch, it seems like far more ports will be feasible than on the original console.

Digital Foundry has been able to confirm a bunch of the details of the Switch 2's specs that Nintendo hasn't explained publicly, but the highlights are the consoles custom chip and faster storage. The Switch 2 uses a NVIDIA chip with eight ARM Cortex A78C cores, six of which are available to developers, and a GPU with the company's Ampere architecture. That's alongside 12GB of LPDDRX RAM and a custom FDE (file decompression engine) that decompresses game files without drawing power from the Switch 2's CPU.

Another major improvement comes in the form of networking — the Switch 2 supports Wi-Fi 6, which will improve the original's often glacial download speeds. Similarly, the new dock sports an Ethernet port for a rock-solid connection.

Virtual game cards

Virtual Game Cards are Nintendo’s way of making digital games replicate the experience of physical copies. They let you lend digital games to friends and family, letting them enjoy the game on their system without buying a separate copy.

Of course, there are caveats. Much like a physical cartridge, only one system can play each Virtual Game Card at a time. You can only loan games to up to eight people, and each will need to be on the same Nintendo Family Account and local network. Finally, you can only share one game at a time, and the lending period lasts only two weeks. Although that’s a healthy list of limitations, the feature is still more than other consoles have offered — and, if we’re lucky, it will be something Sony and Microsoft are pressured to adopt.

Perhaps best of all, the feature isn’t exclusive to the Switch 2. It’s already available for the first Switch.

Game-Key cards

Game-Key cards are physical Switch 2 games that only contain a portion of their game data. The first time you slot one in, your Switch 2 will download the rest of the game to your local storage and the Game-Key card becomes the "key" you need to use anytime you want to play it.

Nintendo says you'll have to have an internet connection the first time you boot up the game, but afterwards the card itself should be enough to let you play. You'll also be able to resell your Game-Key card in the same way you would a normal cartridge or disc.

This fusion of digital and physical has become fairly common on other consoles as the size of games has grown larger, but it's relatively novel for Nintendo. Since the Switch 2 is going to be running more demanding, high-fidelity games, though, it's a compromise that lets people still enjoy the common-sense benefits of physical game cards.

What's it like to play?

Nintendo gave the press a chance to check out the Switch 2 and a few of the games it highlighted. You can read our impressions of Mario Kart World as well as more general thoughts on how the Switch 2 feels in person. Right off the bat, Mario Kart World feels like an outstanding launch title, with more depth and better visuals than we've ever seen from a Mario Kart game. The core formula is intact, but there are a lot of new features and play styles to dig into.

As for the Switch 2 hardware, it feels like a major step forward from the original Switch — it has grown up a lot and feels far more polished and refined. And while it may not have an OLED screen, the 7.9-inch LED display Nintendo did use is outstanding.

When will the Nintendo Switch 2 come out?

June 5, 2025.

When do pre-orders open for Nintendo Switch 2?

Switch 2 pre-orders were initially set to begin on April 9, but the following week, Nintendo said it was suspending pre-order plans in the US "indefinitely" in reaction to a slate of tariffs imposed by President Trump.

Finally, when pre-orders opened on April 24, a hot mess ensued. Those who stayed up late trying to snag a Switch 2 were often left empty-handed as Walmart, Best Buy and Target’s websites weren’t fully equipped for the demand. Many customers were left with unmoving queues and error messages — a familiar process for many who’ve tried to pre-order a hot gaming or tech product in recent years. (Folks who pre-ordered a PS5 during the pandemic caught the nastiest case of deja vu.)

No retailers are currently taking Switch 2 pre-orders. Although there’s always the chance one will drop an unexpected stock refresh, your best option right now is to register your interest with Nintendo. That may not lead to a launch-day console, as Nintendo has warned, but it won’t likely be a crazy delay like those familiar to GPU buyers. And if your Nintendo cred ticks the right boxes (you have been subscribed to Switch Online for at least 12 months, have opted in to share gameplay data, and have at least 50 total gameplay hours), your odds will improve.

Costco is a dark-horse candidate for day-one availability. The retailer doesn’t appear to have taken any Switch 2 pre-orders, but a product listing claims it will have Mario Kart World console bundles in stock on launch day.

In any case, Nintendo says the console’s June 5 release date is unchanged.

In a somewhat disappointing update, Nintendo appears to be shipping "sold out" signs to retailers so that they can quickly let people know the Switch 2 isn't in stock. We can only read so much into that, but it seems likely that if you can't grab one on launch day from a retailer, you'll be waiting a while for them to come back in stock.

How much will the Nintendo Switch 2 cost?

On April 2, Nintendo announced that the Switch 2 would cost $450 standalone, or $500 with a bundled digital copy of the new Mario Kart game, Mario Kart World. That’s significantly more expensive than the original Switch, which launched at $300, and has remained at that price ever since. It’s also more expensive than the entry-level current-gen consoles from Sony and Microsoft.

The comparison looks a little better up against Valve’s Steam Deck, which costs $400 for the LCD model or $550 for the basic OLED model. The Steam Deck is more affordable than most PC handhelds.

When Nintendo delayed the pre-orders from the original date of April 9, it said it was doing so "in order to assess the potential impact of tariffs and evolving market conditions." With heavy US tariffs levied on Nintendo's Asian production centers, the implication was that would have little choice but to pass at least some of those costs on to American consumers. But Trump's April 9 tariff pivot — reverting to 10 percent across the board for 90 days for all countries except China, which now gets a triple-digit hit — further muddied the waters. That's because it's unclear how much, if any, of the components and assembly of US-bound Switch 2 consoles will originate in China.

The administration exempted some electronics from reciprocal tariffs, but they'll soon be subject to new levies on semiconductors. Some analysts suggest that Nintendo will be selling consoles at a loss in the US with even a 10 percent tariff.

Nevertheless, the company is keeping the price of the Switch 2 at $450 and the Mario Kart World bundle at $450. However, it noted that it had to increase the prices of Switch 2 accessories "due to changing market conditions" and added that other price modifications may occur in the future for a similar reason.

How much do the Nintendo Switch 2 accessories cost?

When Nintendo announced the rescheduled Switch 2 pre-order date for the US and Canada, it confirmed price increases for many of the console's accessories. The current US prices for the accessories are as follows:

Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller — $85

Joy-Con 2 Pair — $95

Joy-Con 2 Charging Grip — $40

Joy-Con 2 Strap — $14

Joy-Con 2 Wheel Set — $25

Nintendo Switch 2 Camera — $55

Nintendo Switch 2 Dock Set — $120

Nintendo Switch 2 Carrying Case & Screen Protector — $40

Nintendo Switch 2 All-In-One Carrying Case — $85

Nintendo Switch 2 AC Adapter — $35

Samsung microSD Express Card – 256GB for Nintendo Switch 2 — $60

The price of the Joy-Con 2 strap has gone up by $1, but the prices of other products have risen by between $5 and $10, with the dock set getting the larger increase. Thankfully, your Nintendo Switch 2 will come with a dock. Nintendo also released a list of accessory prices for Canada.

How long will the Switch 2's battery last?

Nintendo says that the Switch 2 will last between 2 and 6.5 hours on a single charge. This is similar to the original Switch, which was rated for 2.5-6.5 hours, though later revisions upped that figure significantly. The company cautions that "this time is an estimate ... battery life will depend on the games you play and usage conditions."

Based on video Nintendo shared in the Nintendo Today app, one way the Switch 2 will extend the longevity of its battery over time is with a new "battery preservation mode." When enabled, your Switch 2 will stop charging when it reaches 90 percent, saving its battery from the wear and tear of charging to 100 percent every time. This is a fairly common feature on smartphones, and it makes sense for a handheld console you charge every day.

A new battery mode won't change the Switch 2's estimated battery life, but it will slow the damage charging the console has, which keeps it usable for longer.

When can I try the Nintendo Switch 2?

Nintendo is hosting a worldwide roadshow to let gamers go hands-on with the console. These events started in New York and Paris on April 4-6, with others taking place throughout the following two months.

Ticket registration for many of the Nintendo Switch 2 Experience events has closed, but waitlists are available. However, given that Nintendo is taking a first come, first served approach, your chances of attending the roadshow if you don't already have a ticket (or unless you signed up for the waitlist immediately) seem very small at this point.

The full list of Nintendo Switch 2 Experience dates is as follows:

North America:

New York, April 4-6, 2025

Los Angeles, April 11-13, 2025

Dallas, April 25-27, 2025

Toronto, April 25-27, 2025

Europe:

Paris, April 4-6, 2025

London, April 11-13, 2025

Milan, April 25-27, 2025

Berlin, April 25-27, 2025

Madrid, May 9-11, 2025

Amsterdam, May 9-11, 2025

Oceania:

Melbourne, May 10-11, 2025

Asia:

Tokyo (Makuhari), April 26-27, 2025

Seoul, May 31-June 1, 2025

Hong Kong, To be announced

Taipei, To be announced

Is the Nintendo Switch 2 backwards compatible?

Nintendo confirmed in November 2024 that the Nintendo Switch 2 will be backwards compatible. It will also feature access to Nintendo Online, so users will be able to play all of those old retro titles.

In the initial Nintendo Switch 2 press release, Nintendo reiterated that physical and digital Switch games will work on the new system. However, it noted that "certain Nintendo Switch games may not be supported on or fully compatible with Nintendo Switch 2." We now have more information on which games are working thanks to a guide Nintendo put together.

Nintendo's software compatibility chart on April 2, 2025.Nintendo

As of April 1, the vast majority of Switch 2 games are marked as compatible, but many popular games are said to have some issues. Nintendo has marked most of these as “under investigation,” suggesting a fix may be on the way in time for launch. Nintendo says it is manually testing every Switch game for compatibility.

Only one title is marked as incompatible: Nintendo Labo Toy-Con 04: VR Kit. This was part of Nintendo’s Labo range of games that worked with Cardboard accessories, and is incompatible as the Switch 2 doesn’t physically fit in the VR headset.

Will old games be enhanced in any way?

The original Switch has, to put it mildly, struggled to run some of the late-generation software that's come down the pike. Could these games be enhanced to take advantage of the increased horsepower of the Switch 2? That’s unclear. In an “Ask the Developer” page on its site, Nintendo says that old games are working through a real-time translation system, which sounds similar to how Rosetta allows modern Macs to run old software. With that said, the new and old Switch are much closer in hardware than that.

In the same developer interview, it’s said that in its testing of old games for compatibility, there were some occasions “where loading times became faster, or game performance became more stable,” but we don’t have any detail beyond that.

As well as backward compatibility, Nintendo is also offering up premium "Switch 2 Edition" upgrades for a select few games. These have improved resolutions and frame rates, and (in some cases) bonus features and content. What exactly that means will vary, but Nintendo did confirm that Metroid Prime 4: Beyond will have 4K/60 fps and 1080p/120 fps options on the Switch 2.

Games confirmed to have a Switch 2 Edition to date include:

Super Mario Party Jamboree

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Kirby and the Forgotten Land

Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond

In the case of the two mainline Zelda games, those upgrades will be included with a Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership or cost $10 each. Upgrades for the other games are also paid, but Nintendo has not said how much those will cost.

What will the cartridges taste like?

You may remember that the original Switch cartridges taste absolutely awful. This was on purpose, to discourage folks from putting the games in their mouth.

Similarly, the Switch 2 carts are also said to taste terrible, in large part to stop children or pets from accidentally ingesting them. It is not yet clear what substance Nintendo has coated the Switch 2 cartridges in to make them taste foul, but Nintendo's Takuhiro Dohta advised against licking them all the same.

"We don't want anybody to be at risk of any unwanted consumption," he told GameSpot. "We have indeed made it so that if it enters your mouth, you'll spit it out."

What are the launch games?

We expect this list to change substantially over the coming weeks and months, but the titles currently confirmed to be available on day one follow:

Arcade Archives 2 Ridge Racer

Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster

Cyberpunk 2077

Deltarune

Fast Fusion

Fortnite

Hitman: World of Assassination

Hogwarts Legacy

Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess

Mario Kart World

Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour

Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S

Split Fiction

Street Fighter 6

Survival Kids

Yakuza 0: Director's Cut

That's everything we know about the Nintendo Switch 2 today. We'll update this article with any information we can gather directly from sources. Any changes made to the article after its initial publishing will be listed below.

Update, January 24, 2025, 12:36 PM ET: This story has been updated to include speculation about price, potential game enhancements and the taste of cartridges.

Update, February 5, 2025, 9:30AM ET: This story has been updated to note the time when the April 2 Nintendo Direct starts.

Update, February 24, 2025, 12:30 PM ET: This story has been updated to include speculation about storage and information about the new microSD Express standard.

Update, March 6, 2025, 2:30PM ET: This story has been updated to note recent FCC filings to indicate the presence of Wi-Fi 6 and NFC support.

Update, March 14, 2025, 12:15PM ET: This story has been updated to include pricing and sales speculation from analysts.

Update, March 20, 2025, 12:45PM ET: Updated to include a note about the Seattle Mariners new jersey patches featuring Nintendo and the Switch 2.

Update, March 27, 2025, 3:50PM ET: Updated to add details about the C button, Nintendo Today! and Virtual Game Cards.

Update, April 1, 2025, 10:16AM ET: Updated to add link to livestream and details on its length.

Update, April 2, 2025, 4:40PM ET: Added details from the April 2 Nintendo Direct event, including specifications, price, release date and launch titles.

Update, April 4, 2025, 11:17AM ET: Added details about pre-orders being put on hold.

Update, April 7, 2025, 1:56PM ET: Added details about the Switch 2 cartridges still (reportedly) tasting terrible, the lack of Hall effect sensors in the controllers and game upgrade pricing.

Update, April 9, 2025, 5:41PM ET: Added context on how the changing rules on the Trump tariffs may or may not affect Switch 2 pricing in the US.

Update, April 11, 2025, 7:11PM ET: Re-affirmed that May 8 is when Nintendo is confirming the first batch of pre-orders through its site, after a faulty report online suggested otherwise.

Update, April 18, 2025, 10:33AM ET: Added details about the new pre-order date for the US and Canada, as well as accessory pricing.

Update, April 30, 2025, 3:24PM ET: Updated pre-order info and added a Virtual Game Card breakdown.

Update, May 14, 2025, 11:50PM ET: Added info on Game-Key cards, battery preservation mode, and the Switch 2's specs.

Jeff Dunn contributed to this report.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-switch-2-launches-on-thursday-heres-everything-you-need-to-know-143310737.html?src=rss

Apple TV+ has announced that Slow Horses season 5 will return on September 24The series has already been confirmed for a sixth seasonThe first two episodes will be premiering at the same time The hit Apple TV+ series Slow Horses season 5 returns on September 24, which means we haven't got long to wait for the new installment's two-episode premiere.This will likely come as a relief for fans of the best Apple TV+ shows, considering Severance season 2's agonizing three-year gap, so fans of the award-winning series can rest easy.News of Slow Horses season 5's renewal broke in early 2024, and confirmation that it would also return for season 6 followed soon after. You can check out the teaser trailer for season 5 below.What is the plot of Slow Horses season 5?(Image credit: Apple TV+)Slow Horses season 5 is confirmed to be an adaptation of Mick Herron’s London Rules novel, the sequel to Spook Street, which acted as the basis for season 4.The series continues to draw on the original novels for inspiration, and we have an inkling of what the new plot will involve. We'll be seeing familiar faces once again, too, including Gary Oldman, Jack Lowden, Kristin Scott Thomas, and Saskia ReevesApple TV+'s official synopsis reads: "In season 5 of Slow Horses, everyone is suspicious when resident tech nerd Roddy Ho has a glamorous new girlfriend, but when a series of increasingly bizarre events occur across the city, it falls to the Slow Horses to work out how everything is connected."After all, Jackson Lamb knows that in the world of espionage, 'London Rules' should always apply."So, there's plenty to get excited about here, especially when it comes to these "bizarre events" the plot is referring to. We don't have long to wait, but there's plenty of great stuff to catch until then, including the best Apple TV+ movies.You might also likeHBO Max might hog the 'premium streaming' spotlight, but lately I've gotten way more value from my Apple TV+ subscription – here's whyI'm a huge stage magic fan so I can't wait for Apple TV+'s new Siegfried and Roy seriesApple TV+ drops trailer for a new nightmarish thriller that sees Julianne Moore and Sydney Sweeney unravel a mystery