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Marvel Rivals Season 2 arrives later this month, adding Emma Frost as a brand new Vanguard. There are also interesting changes coming to Team Ups, with some like Magneto and Scarlet Witch's Metallic Chaos ability being removed, while new ones between Captain America and Winter Soldier are being added. By the looks of things, this season will shake up the meta quite a bit.I'm still absolutely loving Marvel Rivals, having reviewed it back at launch. Since then, The Fantastic Four have been added, and I've spent a considerable time gaining Sue Storm, using the push ability to send enemies flying. By having a good cadence of adding new heroes, Marvel Rivals remains highly ranked in TechRadar Gaming's best crossplay games page. If Season 2 continues to bring new maps, modes, and heroes at a decent pace, I can't see myself being torn away from Marvel Rivals anytime soon.NetEase has now revealed the main details surrounding Marvel Rivals Season 2. There's a new Hero to try out, and an evolving story set around an opulent gala on Krakoa. Here's when Marvel Rivals Season 2 launches, as well as some info on upcoming changes to the balance of the game. As we near launch day, I'll update this page with all of the latest news.

Marvel Rivals Season 2 release date

Marvel Rivals Season 2 will arrive on April 11 UTC. This means that it'll launch at the following time according to your timezone:

April 10 at 5PM PST: West Coast USApril 10 at 8PM ET: East Coast USApril 11 at 1AM BST: United KingdomApril 11 at 2AM CET: Central EuropeApril 11 at 9AM JST: Japan

Based on previous seasons, expect Marvel Rivals to go offline for a few hours before the launch of the second season. Keep on eye on the official Marvel Rivals website for more info.I'll be sure to update this section with any news of expected downtime once it's revealed.

Marvel Rivals Emma Frost release date

(Image credit: NetEase)

Marvel Rivals will add Emma Frost on April 11 UTC. She's a new Vanguard, operating on the front line of battle by utilizing telekinetic abilities and sheer brawling firepower. -NetEase has fully detailed the character in the video below, which shows off each of her abilities. It appears that she'll have a decent bit of range, as well as the ability to apply her diamond skin and move in for close-quarters combat. She has an ultimate that damages multiple enemies at once with telekinetic beams while pulling them toward her.There are some interesting details to Emma Frost's kit that are worth diving into. Firstly, her dash and choke slam ability ends with a sweep kick which knocks enemies back. This can be used to throw an opponent off of an edge for a quick kill. Emma Frost can also place diamond shields, using them to block Ultimates like Iron Man's. This works similarly to Groot's shield walls, in that there's a fair bit of range to where you can place them.Emma Frost joins Hulk, Doctor Strange, Venom, Captain America, The Thing, Groot, and Magneto as a Vanguard. Primarily, she will be used to tank damage on the frontline, though she clearly has a lot of potential as a brawler, and some support elements in her shielding abilities.

Emma Frost joins Hulk, Doctor Strange, Venom, Captain America, The Thing, Groot, and Magneto as a Vanguard. Primarily, she will be used to tank damage on the frontline, though she clearly has a lot of potential as a brawler, and some support elements in her shielding abilities.I'm a Venom main in Marvel Rivals, so I primarily tend to go with Vanguards over the other two classes, so I'll definitely be giving Emma Frost a go when she launches. We'll have to wait and see how her Team Up with Magneto and Psylocke plays out, but having a 2-tank team with Emma Frost and Magneto could be a good place to start in terms of working out a new meta.

Marvel Rivals Ultron

(Image credit: NetEase)

Now for Ultron, who won't launch until Season 2.5. If we look at the release schedule for the previous season, I expect Ultron to arrive sometime in May. We haven't seen much from this upcoming character just yet, only a brief tease in the Season 2 reveal trailer. It's clear that he's set to be the villain of the season but in terms of how he'll play? Well, that's yet to be seen.

Marvel Rivals Season 2 Team Up Changes

(Image credit: NetEase)

Marvel Rivals Season 2 will bring in a bunch of new Team Ups, while removing existing ones. The first new one sees Emma Frost as the anchor Hero, with an ability called Mental Projection. This gives Magneto and Psylocke illusory projections, making it more difficult for the enemy to hit them. Next up is Arcane Order, which sees Doctor Strange sharing his magic abilities with Scarlet Witch, enhancing her attacks. Then, Stars Aligned allows Winter Soldier to leap towards allies at critical moments.Here are the key points on the changes coming to Team Ups in Marvel Rivals Season 2:

Mental Projection: Emma Frost, Magneto, Scarlet Witch (NEW)Arcane Order: Doctor Strange, Scarlet Witch (NEW)Stars Aligned: Captain America, Winter Soldier (NEW)Gamma Charge: Hulk, Namor, Iron-Man (Doctor Strange removed, Namor added)Ammo Overload: Rocket, Punisher (Winter Soldier removed)Dimensional Shortcut: Magik, Black Panther (Psylocke removed)Chilling Charisma: Luna Snow, Jeff the Land Shark (Namor removed)Voltaic Union: Thor, Storm, Captain America (Removed entirely)Metallic Chaos: Magneto, Scarlet Witch (Removed entirely)

Marvel Rivals Season 2 balancing changes

In the Developer Vision video you can view above, some general balance updates are outlined for the future of Marvel Rivals. We've collected the key points in the list below:

Hero balancing (buffs): Black Widow, Mister Fantastic, Scarlet Witch, Jeff the Land Shark, Peni Parker, Moon Knight, and Rocket RaccoonHero Balancing (nerfs): Doctor Strange, Adam Warlock, LokiNew Hero schedule: One per month from Season 3 onwardsMaps: Map rotation will be in effect from Season 2 onwards (ranked), Hellfire: Gala (new map)Modes: New limited-time modes will be added over timeCompetitive: Map rotation, Bans added to Gold III, each player drops 9 divisions at the start at Season 2, minimum level requirement now 15, One Above All and Eternity ranks only allow duo queuing, Increasing the rate of individual performance vs match outcome.

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Adaptive Security secures $43 million in investmentOpenAI listed as one of the key investors alongside a16zAdaptive wants to tackle social engineering and deepfakes

ChatGPT maker OpenAI has backed a security start-up in a sign the company might be about to focus more heavily on cyber protections.With generative AI enabling more sophisticated cyberattacks like deepfakes and phishing content, OpenAI has revealed a major supporting role for Adaptive Security.The New York-based startup helps companies defend against AI-powered cyberattacks, and already counts over 100 enterprise clients on its books since publicly launching in January 2023.

OpenAI is backing Adaptive Security

“I’m thrilled to announce our $43 million investment round, led by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) and the OpenAI Startup Fund – marking OpenAI’s first-ever investment in a cybersecurity company,” shared Adaptive’s CEO and co-founder Brian Long.Long noted that social engineering continues to be the leading cause of security breaches, but artificial intelligence has enabled attackers to “[increase] the efficacy and blast radius of these attacks.”It doesn’t just come down to the creation of content, because AI can now imitate colleagues and business leaders to “make phone calls, send emails or text your team.”For decades, policymakers, leaders and individuals from all walks of life have been split on whether we can fight fire with fire, but Long believes AI can be the solution to AI-enhanced threats: “With the right models and data, we can simulate realistic AI attacks, train employees to recognize threats, triage suspicious behavior in real time, and surface risk before it turns into loss.”Demonstrating how realistic deepfakes can be, Long even has a deepfake of himself on the website that customers can interact with. I asked the fake Brian to tell me about the company: “We offer a suite of next-generation cybersecurity training and simulation products designed to protect organizations from advanced threats,” he said.It’s unclear how much money OpenAI invested individually, but the fact that the AI giant is now getting involved with cybersecurity – not least, relating to its own products’ impact – is especially noteworthy.

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Signify has released eight spring-themed scenes for Philips Hue lightsThe new scenes are available in the Philips Hue app with version 5.39An updated icon hints that the Philips Hue AI assistant may arrive soon

Want to give your home a quick makeover? Signify, the company behind the Philips Hue lighting system, has released an update for the Hue app that adds eight new lighting scenes that you can apply to a whole room with a single tap.Scenes are themed presets that use a palette of colors to create a particular mood. The latest collection are all designed around the theme of springtime, with fresh floral shades of pink and yellow alongside fresh greens.Fabian, editor of Hueblog.com, has shared a screenshot of the new scenes in the app's German language edition. Seven appear to be standard scenes, while the eighth (named 'Die Farben der Natur', or 'The Colors of Nature') is one of Signify's new 24-hours scenes, which shifts to different shades depending on the time of day.

Scenes let you instantly apply a themed color scheme to all the Philips Hue lights in a room (Image credit: Signify)

AI is on the way

It looks like we'll have to wait a little longer for Signify the launch the Philips Hue AI assistant that it announced back in January, but it could arrive any day now. Just a couple of weeks ago, the search button in the Hue app changed from a magnifying glass icon to the cluster of sparks that's typically used to represent AI.For the time being, the change is only cosmetic and the search bar still works the same as before. However, the new icon suggests that the assistant may launch imminently.According to Signify, the upcoming feature will let you create "personalized lighting scenes based on mood, occasion or style", so you won't need to tinker with colors by hand, or wait for an app update to add a theme that you particularly want.The Philips Hue system already holds the number one spot in our roundup of the best smart lights, so it'll be interesting to see whether the addition of AI will make it an even more compelling choice.

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New footage for The Fantastic Four: First Steps was revealed at CinemaCon 2025The sizzle reel confirmed a big fan theory about the Marvel movie's first trailerIt's unclear if the MCU Phase 6 film's latest teaser will be released online

Marvel detectives, you've done it again. One week after sleuthing fans claimed they'd worked out Avengers: Doomsday's plot, a big fan theory regarding The Fantastic Four: First Steps' first trailer has been proved correct.During yesterday's (April 3) Walt Disney Studios showcase at CinemaCon 2025, Marvel chief Kevin Feige revealed new scenes – ones that won't be released publicly, in my view – from the hotly-anticipated Marvel Phase 6 movie. And, in a surprise turn of the events, The Fantastic Four: First Steps' latest teaser revealed fans were right to be curious about something they saw in the film's first round of footage.Major spoilers immediately follow for The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Do not proceed if you don't want to know anything ahead of its July 25 release.

More like The Fantastic Five... (Image credit: Marvel Studios)

As revealed on social media by CinemaCon attendees, Sue Storm, who'll be played by Vanessa Kirby in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), will be pregnant for a portion of The Fantastic Four's latest big-screen reboot.This won't come as a huge shock to some fans. As I mentioned earlier, MCU devotees had their suspicions that Sue Storm was with child as soon as The Fantastic Four: First Steps' inaugural trailer dropped online.Multiple viewers pointed out that, during the teaser's scene where Kirby's Storm and Pedro Pascal's Reed Richards are showing an individual around their home, something looked off about Storm's midriff. That led a number of fans to theorize that Marvel had edited the footage to hide her baby bump. Thanks to the film's CinemaCon sizzle reel, we have confirmation that Storm will not only be pregnant, but is likely to give birth to her first child in First Steps.

Why Sue Storm's pregnancy is such a big deal in The Fantastic Four: First Steps

Say hello to Franklin Richards, everyone (Image credit: Marvel Comics)

Potentially big spoilers follow for The Fantastic Four's MCU debut.

Let's cut right to the chase: Storm's pregnancy is such a huge deal because it means Franklin Richards, Storm and Reed's first-born, will appear in First Steps.For the uninitiated: Franklin Richards is not only a supremely powerful being in Marvel Comics, but he's also someone with incredibly close ties to Galactus, aka First Steps' Big Bad who'll be voiced by Ralph Inseon.And, when I say 'incredibly close ties', what I mean is they're related. No, Galactus isn't Franklin's real dad – he's actually Franklin himself.

Franklin Richards actually becomes Galactus in one Marvel comic book series (Image credit: Marvel Comics)

Well, in one Marvel comic book series, anyway. 'Earth X', a 1999 limited comic series, sees Richards take on the mantle of the planet-devouring cosmic entity following the demise of Johnny Storm/The Human Torch, aka Sue's brother and, by proxy, Franklin's uncle.Now, it's incredibly unlikely that the Galactus who'll appear in First Steps will be the future form of this universe's Franklin Richards. After all, there have been numerous versions of the character throughout Marvel's illustrious history, many of whom haven't been Franklin Richards to begin with.Sure, time travel and dimension hopping exist in the Marvel Cinematic Multiverse (MCM), so it's still a possibility. However, I don't think it's the wisest move to have Marvel's First Family face off against a villainous version of the offspring of two of their team members. Not now, anyway.The more likely scenario is that Galactus – and his most famous Herald, aka The Silver Surfer, who was shown off for the first time in First Steps' CinemaCon sizzle reel – travel to Earth for another reason. That being, Galactus taking an interest in Franklin Richards due to his potent reality-warping and teleportation powers.

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If Galactus learns of Franklin Richards' abilities, I suspect he'd want to commandeer for his own nefarious purposes. Namely, being able to travel across the multiverse to devour as many planets as possible in an attempt to satiate his never-ending hunger.That could eventually lead to The Fantastic Four being transported to the MCU. Marvel has already teased that the supergroup don't actually exist in the MCU (designated Earth-616), but live in an alternate reality. If their Earth is destroyed by Galactus because they refuse to hand over Franklin, First Steps might end with Franklin teleporting his family to Earth-616 to escape Galactus and survive in another dimension. That would also set the stage for the team's inclusion, and likely big role, in Avengers: Doomsday.This is all speculation on my part. But, based on what we now know about Franklin's likely introduction in First Steps, it's the most logical theory I can come up with.We won't find out if I'm right until one of 2025's most exciting new movies lands in theaters in late July. Until then, read up on everything else we know about the film in my dedicated hub on The Fantastic Four: First Steps.

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A new patent has revealed that Samsung is working on an exciting new smart ring charging solutionIt would involve charging your Ring on the back of your Galaxy phoneThe tech reveals a built-in slot that would securely house the device

New technology developed by Samsung could one day let users of its Galaxy Ring charge the device by placing it in a secure slot on the back of its Galaxy phone lineup, according to a new patent.The Samsung Galaxy Ring is the best smart ring out there right now thanks to its comfortable design, extensive feature set, and lack of subscription – a crucial advantage over the Oura Ring 4.The Galaxy Ring, like most devices on the market, charges using a small, standalone charging case. Battery life is good for up to six or seven days on a single charge, and you can get multiple charges from the case, with a full charge taking about 80 minutes.Now, a newly published Samsung patent spotted by 91Mobiles reveals how this could change in the future.The patent comprises a device with a processor, memory, battery, and more, clearly a smartphone, replete with a grooved housing that can seat a smart ring securely to provide wireless charging. It's pretty self-explanatory, but it would be a unique and novel solution to smart ring charging.

The future of smart ring charging

(Image credit: Samsung / WIPO)

One of the reasons to choose a smart ring over the best smartwatches is battery life, with the best models generally tending to last a week or longer.The charging case solution employed by every smart ring manufacturer isn't particularly cumbersome or inconvenient, but I can see the appeal of an even more streamlined solution like using wireless charging tech on the back of a phone.Firstly, the case is only good if you have it on you, which means if your smart ring dies unexpectedly or without warning and you don't have it handy, you're at a loss. You'll. likely always have your Galaxy phone on you, so this could be a handy emergency solution and a great alternative to carrying a bulkier case around.Smart rings don't need a ton of juice to get going, so it's not going to destroy your phone's battery life either.I don't think this tech solution would be the primary mode of charging, and I can see charging cases sticking around, but as a way to supplement charging, this is a great idea from Samsung. Employing a slot or groove makes sense, too, because the Galaxy Ring is small and light and could easily become dislodged otherwise.What's more, it would mean you could simply pop the ring in your pocket and forget about it while it's charging and you get on with your day.Just a patent at this stage, so don't expect to see this technology deployed in the Samsung Galaxy Ring 2, which is probably just a few months away.Bearing in mind this would require some serious hardware tweaks to Samsung's Galaxy phone lineup, it's safe to assume its probably a couple of years away.

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Nintendo’s new console has finally been revealed in full, with magnetically attaching Joy-Cons, a new chat function and a bigger higher-res 7.9-inch screen that supports 120Hz and HDR.

Then there are the new Joy-Cons. Alongside larger SL and SR buttons made of metal, the controllers can be disconnected by pressing a more pronounced release button on the back. The big upgrade, though, is using either Joy-Con like a mouse. (And even use them on your pants, if you want to.)

The Switch 2 also uses DLSS, so it’s easier for developers to port games across to the hybrid console. In a very Nintendo way, it didn’t actually talk up the hardware specifics, so NVIDIA had to fill in the gaps.

Engadget

According to NVIDIA, responsible for the chip inside, the Switch 2 has “ten times” the graphical performance of the original. DLSS tech means games can be rendered at a lower resolution, and trained AI models and dedicated Tensor Cores can be used to fill in extra details.

With that extra power, the Switch 2 supports up to 60 fps at 4K resolution and 120 fps at 1440p or 1080p resolutions, docked. The 1080p screen can handle variable refresh rates up to 120Hz in handheld mode, too.

Yes, catching up with the last two decades, the Switch 2 can also do video chat (and voice chat, but yawn). However, it demands a sold-separately camera, costing $50. Boo.

I think that strikes at the issue of price. The original Switch was $300 at launch, the PS5 starts at $399 now. The Switch 2 is $450. Sure, that includes the screen and (technically) two controllers, but it’s a bit of a jump.

Is Nintendo factoring in tariffs? Possibly. While some of us think $450 is an appropriate price for the console itself, the costs are creeping up in every direction. Want the new must-have Mario Kart World? That’s $80 now. Meanwhile, older games re-released on the Switch 2 also won't be cheap. Cyberpunk 2077 rings in at $70. Oof.

If you want to expand storage, well, you’d need a microSD express card, the faster, pricier version of the tiny storage card. Need another pair of Joy-Cons? That will be $90, please.

Want to pre-order a Switch 2 ahead of the June 5 launch? We’ve got all the details, but it’s worth noting Nintendo is trying to get ahead of scalpers by offering a dedicated pre-order system for existing heavy Switch users with a Switch Online subscription.

In Nintendo’s words: “Invitation emails will be prioritized on a first-come, first-served basis to registrants who have purchased a Nintendo Switch Online membership with a minimum of 12 months of paid membership and a minimum of 50 total gameplay hours, as of April 2, 2025.”

Read on for our hands-on impressions of the Switch 2.

— Mat Smith

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Even more Switch 2 stuff

Nintendo Switch 2: Everything you need to know

The Switch 2’s Joy-Cons can double as mouse-like controllers

Mario Kart World hands-on: The perfect launch game for the Switch 2

The Nintendo Switch 2 has built-in voice chat and screensharing

GameChat will be free until March 31, 2026.

Nintendo

While we didn’t get to try it at the early hands-on event, voice chat is an integral part of the new Nintendo console. By pressing the new C button on the right Joy-Con, players can jump into a GameChat with friends and family. Nintendo demoed the feature during its recent Switch 2 Direct, alongside a new Switch 2 Camera, enabling video chat too, with a cut-out profile. It looks a lot like a stream on Discord, with windows along the bottom of the screen for every chat participant. Up to four friends can share their screen and join with video chat if they own the Switch 2 Camera.

Continue reading.

Want a less ugly Switch 2 camera?

National Security Council adds Gmail to its list of bad decisions

Signalgate was just the start.

It’s not long since that Signal messaging app disaster, but US politicians continue showing off their minimal national security expertise. The Washington Post reports that members of the White House’s National Security Council have used personal Gmail accounts for official government business. National security advisor Michael Waltz and a senior aide of his both used their own accounts to discuss sensitive information with colleagues. Government departments typically use business-grade email services, while the federal government also has its own internal communications systems with additional layers of security.

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Google’s Pixel Buds Pro 2 are back on sale

You can pick up a pair for $179.

Google’s latest wireless earbuds are on sale via Amazon for just $179. This is a record-low price, down from $229. As per our review, they sound great. They provide a good low end, which is tough to do with earbuds, and crunchy highs. Google says it redesigned the entire audio system, and it shows. We called out the “noticeable improvement” over the original Pixel Buds Pro earbuds.

Continue reading.

'Careless People' author will testify on Meta at Senate hearing

This will be Wynn-Williams’ first remarks since Meta took legal action against her.

Sarah Wynn-Williams, the former Facebook policy director who wrote a best-selling memoir about her time at the company, will testify at a Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing next week. In her book, Careless People, Wynn-Williams recounts Meta executives’ interactions with world leaders and government officials as Facebook’s influence expanded globally in the early 2010s. Her account has resurfaced information about Facebook’s attempts to operate in China and revealed new details about its overtures to Chinese government officials.

Prior to her book’s publication, Wynn-Williams also filed whistleblower complaints about alleged misconduct at the company.

Meta’s attempts to curtail sales of the memoir spectacularly backfired, with the book seeing explosive sales after reports suggested Meta took legal action against the author. Now there’s a senate hearing too.

Continue reading.

The world’s smallest pacemaker is injectable and powered by light

And it dissolves when no longer needed.

Northwestern University

Engineers at Northwestern University have developed the world’s smallest pacemaker. It’s so small that it fits in the tip of a syringe. It safely dissolves into the bloodstream after a time, so it’s a temporary solution. It’s designed for folks who need heart help short-term, like newborn babies with congenital defects. The pacemaker pairs with a wireless device mounted to a patient’s chest. When it detects an irregular heartbeat, it shines a light that activates the pacemaker.

Continue reading.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-engadget-newsletter-111500071.html?src=rss

Sergey Brin has reaffirmed his belief that employees should work 60 hours a weekGoogle co-founder is also an advocate of return-to-office policiesBut Infosys CEO Narayana Murthy wants a further 10 hours/week

Google co-founder Sergey Brin has reaffirmed his belief workers should consider giving up to 60 hours a week to their job.An internal memo seen by The New York Times has Brin yet again urging workers to devote 60 hours each week to work in order for Google specifically to keep up with the likes of Microsoft and OpenAI in the AI race.Brin is also an evident advocate of in-office working for its perceived productivity benefits, adding that workers might want to consider paying a visit to the office at least every weekday to get things done.

Longer hours

“60 hours a week is the sweet spot of productivity,” Brin declared as he discussed how underperforming workers can be “demoralizing” to others: “A number of folks work less than 60 hours and a small number put in the bare minimum to get by.”Not forgetting that worker burnout is still a thing, particularly among developers, Brin also called for increased use of artificial intelligence tools.Sure, the likes of Google are working to develop better AI models, but that shouldn’t stop workers from exploiting current technologies to make them the “most efficient coders and AI scientists in the world,” he said.Brin isn’t the only business leader in favor of extreme working hours – Infosys CEO Narayana Murthy has urged Indian workers to devote a staggering 70 hours per week to life the country’s poorest out of poverty once and for all.Big Tech has also been turning back to office working, upping their return-to-office policies from three days per week to five – Amazon and Dell are two such companies, which have both been met with widespread worker dissatisfaction.As we continue our long-term return to ‘normal’ in a post-pandemic world, the definition of ‘normal’ continues to shift as the divide between worker and employer desires becomes more evident.

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After Nintendo revealed the full details around the Switch 2 this week, Engadget's Sam Rutherford got some hands-on time with the new console. In this episode, he talks about the major improvements in the new hardware (especially that 1080p, 120 fps screen) and why he doesn't really miss the older Switch OLED. Also, Sam discusses his time with Mario Kart World, the new semi-open world version of Nintendo's classic racer.

In other news, we dive into the latest updates around the TIkTok ban, and we discuss how the Trump administration's tariff push will affect everything in the technology world and beyond. Stay tuned to the end of the show for our chat with Shinichiro Watanabe, the creator of Cowboy Bebop, about his new anime series Lazarus.

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Topics

Switch 2 details are finally here, Sam Rutherford got hands-on time with it – 1:47

U.S.’s broad new tariffs on China and beyond could make everything from keyboards to cars more expensive – 49:32

TikTok’s divest-or-ban deadline is April 5, here are the possible buyers – 54:57

xAI buys X, but how much does that matter? – 58:24

Working on – 1:00:59

Pop culture picks – 1:02:31

Credits

Hosts: Devindra Hardawar and Sam RutherfordProducer: Ben EllmanMusic: Dale North and Terrence O'BrienThis article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/engadget-podcast-nintendo-switch-2-hands-on-and-the-cowboy-bebop-creator-chats-about-lazarus-113005280.html?src=rss

Now that the PS5 Pro is in the hands of gamers everywhere, the list of PS5 Pro enhanced games continues to grow. Around launch, Sony detailed 50+ titles that have dedicated modes that make use of everything the upgraded console has to offer.As Sony revealed the PS5 Pro, it was made clear that plenty of currently available PS5 games will receive updates to coincide with the launch of the PS5 Pro, and now that it’s out, we’re happy to confirm that this is indeed true. Thanks to the PS5 Pro specs, it's no surprise that games such as Marvel's Spider-Man 2 look and feel better than ever, leveraging AI-driven upscaling and improved raytracing. Now that the dust has settled on the PS5 Pro launch, we’ve even been able to spend time with many of the upgraded games, and feel confident offering some recommendations on the PS5 Pro games to play first.Before you seek out where to buy a PS5 Pro, however, you'll want to know what games have received upgrades, which is where we come in. In this article, we'll cover every PS5 Pro game confirmed so far, including a look at what's set to change in each title. As more games are unveiled in the future, we'll be sure to update this list.Update (April 4, 2025): Added Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, a new tactical RPG that'll offer enhanced PS5 Pro features. We don't know what they are yet, so stay tuned!

PS5 Pro games list - confirmed PS5 Pro-enhanced titles

(Image credit: Sony / Guerrilla)

Given that there are now over 100 PS5 Pro enhanced games, and with each developer handling things slightly differently, the list below represents just a small slice of the headline games that have received beefy PS5 Pro updates since launch:

Alan Wake 2 - Performance Mode now offers 4K at the same fidelity as the base PS5's Quality Mode. The PS5 Pro Quality Mode however, will target raytracing. As confirmed in this blog post.Assassin’s Creed: Shadows - exhibist an enhanced ray-traced global illumination technology. Improved fidelity thanks to expanded GPU capabilities, and leveraging of PSSR. As per the PS Blog.Demon’s Souls - 4K image-like quality at 60 frames per second.Dragon’s Dogma 2 - benefits from the power of the PS5 Pro, PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR) and new ray tracing technology, allowing improved framerates.Dragon Age: The Veilguard - The game’s Fidelity and Performance modes both see improvements on the hardware, including improved resolution in 30FPS Fidelity and 60FPS Performance modes.Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 - enhanced on PlayStation 5 ProFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth - The new Enhanced Mode* developed especially for PS5 Pro combines the characteristics of the existing Performance Mode and Graphics Mode to offer players a new visual experience.F1 24 - F1 24 is upgrading its Quality mode to add new ray tracing effects that shined particularly on rain-soaked courses and made the tracks feel more realistic and immersive. As per the PS Blog.Gran Turismo 7 - now able to support ray tracing during races, which was previously impossible. This allows not only for car surfaces to show full reflections of other cars, but also for a car to reflect its own parts, greatly enhancing realism and immersion throughout the whole game.Hogwarts Legacy - Players are able to experience crisper, richer, higher resolution graphics, leveraging PSSR on all visual modes.Horizon Forbidden West - you can now enjoy a visual quality that matches or surpasses the Quality mode on the regular PlayStation 5, but now at 60 FPS – double the framerate.Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 - Spider-Man 2 finds a new default Performance Pro mode, which marries the crisp 4K resolution and ray tracing features of Fidelity mode with the speedy 60 frames per second of Performance mode.Marvel's Spider-Man 2 - PSSR technology allows for the trees and the lush vegetation of the game’s iconic jungle terrain to become more vivid, and enhances the sense of realism of infiltrating through a natural environmentMonster Hunter Wilds - Resolution Mode for full Ray Tracing at 4K and 30FPS. Performance Mode allows for uncapped frame rate. Balanced Mode with some Ray Tracing at 40FPS on 120Hz monitorsRatchet & Clank: Rift Apart - new default Performance Pro mode, which marries the crisp 4K resolution and ray tracing features of Fidelity mode with the speedy 60 frames per second of Performance mode.Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered - new default Performance Pro mode, which marries the crisp 4K resolution and ray tracing features of Fidelity mode with the speedy 60 frames per second of Performance mode.Marvel's Spider-Man Miles Morales - new default Performance Pro mode, which marries the crisp 4K resolution and ray tracing features of Fidelity mode with the speedy 60 frames per second of Performance mode.Resident Evil 4 Remake - the game runs at a higher framerate, making the dynamic action even more intense. Resident Evil 4 also uses the power of PS5 Pro for ultra-high-resolution technology, painting vividly realistic imagery brimming with detailed environments and more natural and beautiful visual effects than ever before.Resident Evil Village - added 120fps gameplay to provide the best possible user experience on PS5 Pro.Star Wars Jedi: Survivor - In Quality Mode, the game offers its highest-ever console resolution at 2160p. At the same time, Performance Mode continues to deliver a solid 60 fps—but now with higher resolutions and the added visual depth of ray tracing for reflections and ambient occlusion.Stellar Blade - 4K resolution at 50fps or more, with smoother gameplay, and you’ll notice an improvement in grain and detail in the game in PSSR upscale mode. Plus, the HFR (high framerate) option is supported, allowing you to enjoy a fluid gaming experience at 80 fps (120hz display support required).The Crew Motorfest - more objects on-screen – decals, vegetation, crowds – all running at 60fps.The First Descendant - expanding the ray tracing feature by leveraging PS5 Pro’s superior GPU performance and enhanced ray tracing architecture.The Last of Us Part I - new PS5 Pro-specific enhanced rendering mode that takes advantage of improved graphics processing, rendering 1440p, then upscaling to 4K via PSSR super resolution. This mode maintains the 60 fps target, offering an ideal balance of framerate and resolution.The Last of Us Part II Remastered - new PS5 Pro-specific enhanced rendering mode that takes advantage of improved graphics processing, rendering 1440p, then upscaling to 4K via PSSR super resolution. This mode maintains the 60 fps target, offering an ideal balance of framerate and resolution.Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 - Upscaled resolution of 2160p. Target performance of 60FPS, unlocked with VRR enabled. Leverages PSSR upscaling technology.Lies of P - "Quality Mode benefits from more than a 30 percent increase in FPS, delivering smoother, more fluid gameplay. Additionally, Performance Mode now supports full native 4K resolution, allowing players to enjoy stunning visuals without sacrificing responsiveness," - Lies of P director Jiwon Choi in an interview with Eurogamer.Lords of the Fallen - the PS5 Pro enhanced version of the action role-playing game (RPG) allows players to experience a "40% increase in pixel density over the base PlayStation 5 console, resulting in a sharper image and finer details. Read the full details here.Zenless Zone Zero - native 4K resolution and 60 FPS simultaneously with the average frame rate increasing by nearly ten frames. Update arrives December 18, 2024.

And now, the full list, as previously confirmed on the PS Blog ahead of the PS5 Pro launch.

Alan Wake 2AlbatrozApex LegendsArma ReforgerAssassin’s Creed MirageAssassin's Creed ShadowsBaldur’s Gate 3Black Myth: WukongCall of Duty: Black Ops 6Clair Obscur: Expedition 33EA Sports College Football 25Dead Island 2Dead Rising Deluxe RemasteredDemon’s SoulsDiablo IVDragon Age: The VeilguardDragon’s Dogma 2Dying Light 2 Reloaded EditionDynasty Warriors: OriginsEA Sports FC 25EnlistedF1 24Final Fantasy VII RebirthFortniteGod of War RagnarökHogwarts LegacyHorizon Forbidden WestHorizon Zero Dawn RemasteredKayak VR: MirageKingdom Come Deliverance 2Lies of PLords of the FallenMadden NFL 25Marvel’s Spider-Man RemasteredMarvel’s Spider-Man: Miles MoralesMarvel’s Spider-Man 2Monster Hunter WildsNaraka: BladepointNBA2K 25Ninja Gaiden 2 BlackNo Man’s SkyPalworldPaladin’s PassagePath of Exile 2Planet Coaster 2Professional Spirits Baseball 2024-2025Ratchet & Clank: Rift ApartResident Evil 4Resident Evil VillageRise of the RoninRogue FlightSlitterheadStar Wars: Jedi SurvivorStar Wars: OutlawsStellar BladeTest Drive Unlimited: Solar CrownThe Callisto ProtocolThe Crew MotorfestThe FinalsThe First Descendant The Last of Us Part IThe Last of Us Part II RemasteredUFC 25UFLUntil DawnWar ThunderWarframeWarhammer 40,000 DarktideWorld of Warships: LegendZenless Zone ZeroPirate Yakuza in Hawaii

The games above have received dedicated PS5 Pro versions, and are even be labeled separately to indicate as such. There's also a whole host of PS4 and PS5 games that'll benefit from what Sony is calling PS5 Pro Game Boost (as per the PS Blog):"With the PS5 Pro version of the Game Boost feature, you can enjoy faster and smoother frame rates in some of the PS4 and PS5 console’s greatest games."This is said to apply to at least 8,500 PS4 and PS5 titles, so there are plenty of changes and upgrades on the way to the games you already own if you do choose to pick up a PS5 Pro. In addition, PS5 Pro will significantly enhance PSVR 2 games according to Mark Cerny.

PS5 Pro enhanced games - what's the difference?

As part of the initial PS5 Pro technical presentation, we saw a few games running on the new hardware, highlighting the differences relative to the base PS5 console. Each enhanced game benefits from the new specs in different ways, but they all pull from the improvements below:

Upgraded GPU with 67% more compute units and 28% faster memory; resulting in 45% faster renderingAdvanced ray-tracingAI-driven upscaling known as PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR)2TB SSDPS5 Pro Game BoostOptional disc-driveVRR and 8K gaming support

(Image credit: PlayStation)

In our PS5 Pro review, we came to the conclusion that the main attraction is really “the convergence of graphical fidelity and performance with games now able to tap into the PS5 Pro’s hardware and features to shine in both ways - at the same time”. This boosted graphical fidelity is, more often than not, on par with the Quality Modes of the base PS5, but with a much smoother experience thanks to 60FPS or higher. This best of both worlds approach is really going to be the key difference moving forward, though it’s likely that we’ll see developers experiment further with higher end graphical settings that focus on ray tracing, or make use of the hardware’s new AI-boosted upscaling.Speaking on ray tracing, there have been significant advancements for many of the games now enhanced by the PS5 Pro. In our PS5 Pro review, we were impressed by the ray tracing across the board, noting that “you can now enjoy some of the best ray-tracing PS5 has to offer in a performance mode, targeting 60 frames per second, which is truly special in games like Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.” So far, we’re looking at games that have already come out as well, so moving forward we’re excited to see what the PS5 Pro’s ray tracing capabilities can achieve as games get bigger and better looking across the board.

PS5 Pro review: The TechRadar Gaming verdict(Image credit: Future)Our Managing Editor, Rob Dwiar, spent some time with the PS5 Pro pre-launch, and gave his verdict in the TechRadar Gaming PS5 Pro review. He concludes that the PS5 Pro “is a superb console and now the best PlayStation 5 machine available. The advancements are glorious and bring a new level of immersion and beauty to games, while also boosting performance levels to offer fluid and smooth frame rates and very high levels of image fidelity - at the same time - offering a clear advancement over the base PS5, and will be perfect for those enthusiasts yearning for more from the camps of fidelity and performance.”

One thing that is immediately surprising when taking the PS5 Pro out of the box is its size and weight relative to the base model, especially the one that launched with a disc drive back in 2020. The PS5 Pro is much lighter than you’d expect, and its sleek design and black vented sides really stand out alongside the all white of the PS5’s faceplates. Under the hood, you now get 2TB of storage as standard, meaning that you can hold more games on your hard drive without having to swap things out for new releases.While the technical upgrades and visual changes are indeed exciting, it’s also vital to point out the price jump between the base PS5 and the PS5 Pro. For $699.99 / £699.99 / AU$1,199, you do not get a disc drive, or even a vertical stand, something that really represents a sting in the tail for an otherwise enticing mid-generation upgrade. Our review concludes that “If you’ve a keen eye for detail, are a PlayStation fanatic who wants to be at the bleeding edge of the brand’s console and wants the most performant PlayStation console going, or you’re a graphics obsessive who wants the best experience going, or are a PS5 user with a new 120Hz-capable gaming TV or PS5 monitor, then the gaming experiences provided by the PS5 Pro are going to be very tempting indeed. For everyone else, it’s just going to be too expensive.”You can read more on the differences between the Pro and the base PS5 in our PS5 Pro vs PS5 article.

PS5 Pro games: FAQs

Will new games be PS5 Pro-enhanced?

While we'll have to wait and see what upcoming PS5 games like Death Stranding 2 do with the new PS5 Pro technology, it's highly likely that first-party games will offer some form of PS5 Pro version. This was how things worked with the PS4 Pro, so expect there to be boosts to upcoming games like Marvel's Wolverine, and Ghost of Tsushima 2. In terms of third-party, PS5 Pro enhancements will come on a case by case basis. Some games will lean into the PS5 Pro's features, even offering separate PS5 Pro-labelled versions, while others may focus on a more general PS5 offering.

How much does the PS5 Pro cost?

The PS5 Pro launched on November 7, 2024, and currently retails for $699.99 / £699.99 / AU$1,999.95. This is a significant step up from the base console, especially when you consider that you won't get a disc drive or a vertical stand with it.

What games are the TechRadar Gaming looking forward to on PS5 Pro?

Now that the PS5 Pro is out, we’ve spent some time with the currently available list of enhanced games. Looking ahead, Assassin's Creed Shadows is sure to offer a smoother experience on PS5 Pro when it launches later in March. Beyond that, it’s Death Stranding 2 and Ghost of Yotei that’ll most likely show off the next level of PS5 Pro enhancements, especially the latter, which is being developed by Sony first party studio Sucker Punch.

What are the best PS5 Pro games to play on the new console?

In my opinion, the best PS5 Pro games are currently Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, and Alan Wake 2. The former introduces the new Performance Pro Mode, increasing the fidelity available while running the game at variable refresh rates. The results are extremely impressive, and immediately felt during the game’s opening fight with Sandman. Alan Wake 2 is significantly enhanced by the PS5 Pro as well, with the Performance Mode now able to match the Quality Mode on the base PS5, all while maintaining a smooth framerate. TechRadar Gaming’s Managing Editor Rob Dwiar recommends Horizon Forbidden West, in particular, calling it “hands down, the best looking game I think I've ever seen on a home game console, ever.”

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Windows 365 Link is easy to set up for IT admins and secureIt’ll cost $349 / £349 / AUD639 and is available to buy nowWe also got a Windows 365 Frontline Shared Mode

Windows 365 Link, Microsoft’s first purpose-built Cloud PC device for connecting to Windows 365, is now generally available.The device is available from Microsoft account teams or a number of resellers in all of the countries it’s for sale in. It’s priced at: AUD639 in Australia, CAD519.99 in Canada, €419 in Germany, JPY56,800 in Japan, NZD739 in New Zealand, £349 in the United Kingdom and $349.99 in the United States.Key to its upcoming success will be its simple setup and minimal configuration requirements, making it an IT-friendly tool to deploy via Microsoft Intune.

Windows 365 Link on sale

An announcement by Stefan Kinnestrand, VP for Modern Work at Microsoft, claims in the several months after it was previewed at Microsoft Ignite 2024, more than 100 organizations got in on the preview program to offer feedback ahead of general availability.Kinnestrand noted that Windows 365 Link could be especially useful for desk-based or frontline workers in shared workspaces, because the device leaves no local data when users sign out.In the same breath, Kinnestrand also uncovered a handy new update – Windows 365 Frontline Shared Mode. It allows multiple users to share a single Cloud PC license and automatically clears user data after each session ends for privacy, making it an ideal system for temporary or occasional access use cases.Highlighting the benefits of Windows 365 and Azure Virtual Desktop, a Microsoft-commissioned Forrester Consulting study details how users can save six to 12 minutes per day from avoided outages and improved latency, implement cost-effective bring-your-own-PC (BYOPC) programs, reduce their IT infrastructure costs and make substantial five- or six-figure savings (for companies with 2,000 employees).Other announcements shared include a Windows app for Android devices and a reminder of the Windows 11 hotpatching update.

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Following the release of rival Anthropic's Claude for Education, OpenAI has announced that its $20 ChatGPT Plus tier will be free for college students until the end of May. The offer comes just in time for final exams and will provide features like OpenAI's most advanced LLM, GPT-4o and an all-new image generation tool.

"We are offering a Plus discount for students on a limited-time basis in the US and Canada," the company wrote in a FAQ. "This is an experimental consumer program and we may or may not expand this to more schools and countries over time."

On top of the aforementioned features, ChatGPT Plus will offer students benefits like priority access during peak usage times and higher message limits. It'll also grant them access to OpenAI's Deep Research, a tool that can create reports from hundreds of online sources.

AI tools have been widely adopted by students for research and other uses, with open AI recently saying that a third of young adults aged 18-24 already use ChatGPT, with much of that directed toward studies. Anthropic is going even farther than OpenAI to tap into that market with Claude for Education, by introducing a Learning mode specifically designed to guide students to a solution, rather than providing answers outright.

Where Anthropic is positioning itself more as a tutor to students, OpenAI is simply giving them access to its most powerful research tools. That brings up the subject of academic integrity and whether AI tools are doing work that students should be doing themselves. Anthropic's approach may be more palatable to institutions — along with its Claude for Education launch, the company announced that it partnered with several universities and colleges to make the new product free for students. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/openais-20-chatgpt-plus-is-now-free-for-college-students-until-the-end-of-may-120037778.html?src=rss

Full camera specs for the Google Pixel 10 series have supposedly leakedThey point to a telephoto camera being added to the Pixel 10, but its other sensors being downgradedThe rest of the Pixel 10 line might not be in for many camera changes

Google’s Pixel phones usually excel at photography, but based on the latest leak, that might not be the case with the Pixel 10, as Google is seemingly trading quality for quantity when it comes to this phone’s sensors.Android Authority claims to have seen documents shared by a source inside Google that detail the complete camera specs of the Pixel 10 series.The biggest changes are said to be coming to the standard Google Pixel 10, which could gain a third lens. This would apparently be the same 10.8MP sensor as you’ll find on the Pixel 9 Pro Fold – so, like that phone, it will probably offer 5x optical zoom, but that’s not mentioned here.However, presumably to keep the cost down, these documents suggest that Google will replace the Pixel 9’s main and ultra-wide sensors with lesser ones for the Pixel 10. Specifically, the Pixel 10 will apparently have the same 48MP wide and 13MP ultra-wide sensors as the Pixel 9a, along with the same selfie camera as the Pixel 9.Note that this report lists the main sensor as being 50MP rather than 48MP, but it’s said to be the same Samsung GN8 sensor as is used by the 48MP Pixel 9a, so we’d assume it will be marketed as 48MP here, too.

No change for the Pro and little difference for the Fold

The Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

In any case, there’s less change on the other models, with the Pixel 10 Pro and the Pixel 10 Pro XL said to have exactly the same cameras as their predecessors, meaning a 50MP main sensor, a 48MP ultra-wide, and a 48MP telephoto (presumably offering 5x optical zoom).The Pixel 10 Pro Fold is also detailed in this leak, but the only camera change here is apparently a small upgrade from the Sony IMX787 (which is also used by the Pixel 8a) to the Samsung GN8 (which is also used by the Pixel 9a).That would mean a 50MP main sensor, joined by the same 10.5MP ultra-wide, 10.8MP telephoto (likely with 5x optical zoom), and pair of 10MP selfie cameras as the Pixel 9 Pro Fold.We would, of course, take all of these claims with a pinch of salt, but we’ll likely find out for sure what cameras the Pixel 10 phones have in August, as that’s probably when they’ll launch.

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Not too long ago, our best phones guide featured models of all shapes and sizes, from the tablet-like Samsung Galaxy Note to the brightly colored iPhone 5C.These days, however, flat metal sides, gently rounded corners, and muted, industrial colorways are the order of the day, with practicality and understated style seemingly prioritized over "look at my new phone!" personality.But is this homogeneity a bad thing? Despite their plainness, today’s best (and best-selling) phones are objectively superior devices to their more characterful predecessors, and the best foldable phones (think the Galaxy Z Flip 6) are ready and waiting for those whose favor fun over conformity.To find out how you, our readers, feel about modern smartphone design, we published an article back in February encouraging you to have your say.We ran a poll in the TechRadar WhatsApp channel alongside that article, and a whopping 1,483 of you responded to the question ‘How do you feel about flagship smartphone design in 2025?'. Here are the results:

(Image credit: Future)

As you can see, an overwhelming majority of respondents – 915 (62%) – responded with the answer ‘Modern smartphone designs are boring – I miss the variety!’. A further 235 (16%) selected the third option – ‘Modern smartphone designs are boring, but I understand the need for conformity’ – meaning 78% of respondents feel negatively about the state of smartphone design in 2025.Only 204 respondents (14%) think that smartphone design is better than ever, while an even lower 129 (8%) think there’s still enough variety in the smartphone market. Suffice it to say, that won’t provide happy reading for manufacturers like Apple, Samsung, and Google.For almost every major brand, smartphone sales have been steadily declining since 2021 (via ICIS), and it’s clear that innovative AI features haven’t yet proven the industry-saving development it was clearly hoped they would be.

The iPhone 16 Pro Max (left) and Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra (right) (Image credit: Future)

That said, it’s hard to point the finger at boring smartphone designs as the sole – or even primary – reason for this downward trend.Consumer buying patterns have changed; it’s no longer feasible, or even advisable, to replace your smartphone every two years, with most consumers now choosing to do so after four or five.Even the best cheap phones will now remain supported with software updates for up to seven years, and their chipsets and batteries are advanced enough to see out that period with ease. Sure, modern smartphones are boring, but they’re extremely practical and fit for purpose – does it really matter that they all look the same?It’s a question that will no doubt be playing on the minds of company executives across the industry. Apple, for instance, has come under fire for sticking with the same “boring” iPhone formula for too long, but will it risk messing with its golden goose for the sake of variety? The latest iPhone 17 rumors suggest it will, though it’s hard to believe that a slightly more adventurous camera module design will spark a tidal wave of iPhone upgrades.As our poll demonstrates, consumers are clamoring for something new – but an element of nostalgia is undoubtedly at play here.What do you think smartphone manufacturers should do to spice up the stagnating smartphone market? Let us know in the comments.

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Amazon has started testing another AI-powered feature called "Buy for Me," which allows the e-commerce company to make purchases for you from other websites. Specifically, from the actual website of a brand you're looking looking up. The experience is built into the Amazon app. When you search for an item from a particular brand, you may see a section of results labeled "Shop brand sites directly" separate from the results you'll get from Amazon and its third-party sellers.

If you click on the "Buy for Me" button underneath an item in the separate results section, you'll be taken to a product detail page right inside the Amazon app. The company says the page will provide relevant product information similar to the product details in Amazon's own listings. Amazon will purchase the item for you from the brand's website if you decide to go through with the transaction. It uses agentic AI, a type of AI that doesn't need human intervention, to provide your name, address and payment details for the checkout process. Your details are encrypted, Amazon says, and it will not be able to see your previous and future orders from brands' websites. You'll receive a confirmation email from the brand store itself for your purchase, but you can track your order within the Amazon app through the new Buy for Me Orders tab in the Your Orders page.

The company didn't say whether it's getting a commission from your purchases made through the experimental feature, but that's probably the end goal for it. For now, the feature is still in beta and will only be available to a subset of customers on the US on its iOS and Amazon apps. The test will also only feature a limited number of brand stores and products for now. Just a few days ago, Amazon also released an AI-powered feature called "Interests," which can process prompts in every day language related to your, well, interests. You can, for instance, type in "Brewing tools and gadgets for coffee lovers" to get relevant notifications for Amazon's deals and offerings.

Amazon

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/amazons-buy-for-me-ai-will-purchase-stuff-from-third-party-websites-123036361.html?src=rss

A new rumor suggests the next iPad mini may get an OLED screenThis would make it the second iPad to get the upgrade, after the iPad ProThe rumor is light on details, and Apple has not acknowledged it

When the iPad Pro M4 released in 2024, Apple made waves by equipping its premier high-end tablet with a stunning OLED display – the first on any iPad model.Since then, we’ve been wondering which iPad will be the next to make the leap from older LCD tech to the increased contrast and color accuracy of OLED – and a new rumor suggests an unlikely candidate could be next up.Noted tipster Digital Chat Station (via GSMArena) made a post on Weibo suggesting that “iPad is evaluating small OLED” in the context of mainstream tech companies producing 8.8-inch tablets.Admittedly, that’s not a lot to go on, but Digital Chat Station has a fairly decent record and is considered one of the more reliable tipsters posting on Chinese platforms.The current-gen iPad mini, released at the tail-end of 2024, sports an 8.3-inch display. The post isn’t clear enough to know whether Digital Chat Station is implying a screen size increase for the iPad mini, as well as the new OLED tech.Our iPad mini (2025) review found the tablet very impressive overall, but an OLED screen upgrade would still be more than welcome.The iPad mini is the second-cheapest iPad model by starting price. At $499 / £499 / AU$799, it’s only beaten by the base model iPad, which clocks in at $329 / £329 / AU$599.This would leave the LCD-equipped iPad Air models sandwiched between the iPad mini and iPad Pro on Apple’s pricing ladder – but while this might seem like an odd choice, I think this strategy could actually be a realistic one.

Analysis: why an OLED iPad mini could make sense

(Image credit: TechRadar)

Though the iPad mini does sit between the iPad and iPad Air on Apple’s tablet pricing ladder, it isn't really accurate to consider it as an intermediate option between the two.It’s more realistic to think of the iPad, iPad Air, and iPad Pro forming a contiguous product line aimed at mainstream consumers, with the iPad mini offering a similar experience to a niche market of small tablet fans.The trend across all mobile devices for the last decade has been larger screens. The iPhone has increased from 4.7 to 6.9 inches, and the iPad from 9.7 to a maximum 13 inches of screen size.The iPad mini is unique in that it’s only increased very slightly in the same timespan, from 7.9 to 8.3 inches, most of which can be attributed to the adoption of the modernized, full-screen iPad design language.That’s all to say that the people buying an iPad mini are probably buying it because it has a small display, not because they’re looking to save money versus an iPad Air or iPad Pro.As such, it makes sense that Apple would begin extending some of those higher-end features to the iPad mini, as its target audience would probably never experience them otherwise.And with the iPad mini enjoying popularity in certain professional and high-end leisure spaces – it’s a known favorite of pilots – there’s definitely scope for some feature upgrades.

Apple referenced the iPad mini's popularity with pilots in the reveal of the iPad mini 6 in 2021 (Image credit: Tech World Walt Plus / Apple)

As well as an OLED screen, I’d personally love to see the iPad mini get an M-series chipset. That might seem like overkill for such a small device, but when you consider the M1 chipset turns five years old this year, it’s not such a big ask.For now, though, I think the addition of an OLED screen would be enough – a sign from Apple that their small tablet is still a priority, despite only comprising 10% of iPad sales (as MacRumors reports).The only real sticking point could be price. A browse of Reddit suggests there are plenty of casual users who love the iPad mini for email, reading, web browsing – standard day-to-day stuff. I wouldn’t want to see these users saddled with any major price hikes as a result of the iPad mini getting closer to the Pro.Of course, the above is pretty much entirely based on rumor at this point, so we’ve got a bit of a wait-and-see situation on our hands. For now, be sure to keep up with our iPad coverage and let us know what you’d like to see come to the iPad mini in the comments below.

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Amazon is launching its first Project Kuiper satellites on April 9They're the first step in its plan to offer a new satellite broadband serviceProject Kuiper will launch "later this year" to take on Starlink

The new space race, where tech giants battle to offer us high-speed internet from low-earth orbit, is heating up – Amazon has just announced that its first Project Kuiper satellites will be launching next week to take on Starlink.The launch of 27 satellites – the first of around 3,200 that Amazon will blast into space – is scheduled to take place at 12pm ET on April 9, weather permitting. More importantly for anyone who's pinning their hopes on satellite-based broadband solving their dead zones, Amazon says "we expect to begin delivering service to customers later this year".Like the Starlink satellites launched by SpaceX, Amazon's system will be a worldwide service. The tech giant says Project Kuiper "will deliver high-speed, low-latency internet to virtually any location on the planet". It hasn't revealed how long it'll take to get its 3,200 low-earth orbit satellites into space, but says the process will involve 80 launches – and that its satellite internet will be available before the end of 2025.Amazon sent two prototype satellites into space in October 2023, but says the new KA-01 (or Kuiper Atlas 1) models that are launching on an Atlas V rocket next week are a "significant upgrade" on those, with better antennas, processors and more. They've also apparently been coated in a unique "dielectric mirror film" to make them less of a visible eyesore to earth-based astronomers.

How fast will its broadband be?

(Image credit: Amazon)

Amazon says the broad aim of Project Kuiper is to "provide fast, affordable broadband to communities around the world that are currently unserved by traditional internet and communications options". That includes the developing world but also regions of countries like the US and UK, where Amazon is hoping to take on Starlink by offering affordable broadband to rural areas.During Project Kuiper's early days, you'll need to get one of three antennas or "terminals" (above) to connect to Amazon's low-earth orbit satellites. The smallest model will apparently provide speeds of "up to 100Mbps", with the middle option going "up to 400Mbps". The largest one is designed for businesses and government, and will deliver "up to 1Gbps".Those "up to" qualifiers are obviously important and we'll have to wait until later this year to get an idea of real-world speeds. Our Starlink review, for example, found that it gave us 71Mbps download speeds (and 15Mbps uploads), which did indeed fit into the promised range of 25-100Mbps.Amazon hasn't yet announced pricing for Project Kuiper, so far only promising that "affordability is a key principle of Project Kuiper" and compared its pricing strategy to that of its Echo Dot and Fire TV Stick. Further down the line, we can expect Amazon to move towards a 'direct-to-device' service that connects its satellites to smartphones and tablets, but a launch for that hasn't yet been confirmed.For now, Amazon is looking to get its first internet satellites into space – and all things being well, that'll be the case by the end of next week.

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Several high ranking officials across the NSA have been reassigned This comes after far-right activist Laura Loomer lobbied against department membersThis follows a turbulent few days for the administration

President Trump has “reassigned” the Head of the US Cyber Command and the National Security Agency, Timothy Haugh, with Wendy Noble, Deputy Chief of the NSA, now transferred into the Pentagon’s office, and four other officials removed.Both agencies will reportedly be headed up by William Hartman for the time being, although it's possible that Trump will split the “dual-hat” leadership structure between the NSA and Cyber Command as he did last time he was in office.Far-right activist Laura Loomer claimed Haugh and Noble were fired because they have been “disloyal to President Trump”, arguing the administration “cannot allow for a Biden nominee” to hold the office of “arguably the most powerful intel agency in the world” in the NSA.

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In the firing line

The Vice-chair of the Senate intelligence committee, Mark Warner, took to X (formerly Twitter) to speak out against the reassignment of Haugh, pointing to the lack of action over the “Signalgate” scandal as a hypocrisy of the administration;“It is astonishing that President Trump would fire the nonpartisan, experienced leader of the NSA while still failing to hold any member of his team accountable for leaking classified information on a commercial messaging app – even as he apparently takes staffing direction on national security from a discredited conspiracy theorist in the Oval Office.”Other high-ranking Democrats are reportedly “deeply disturbed” by the decision, and say it jeopardises national security.This recent round of firings follows mass federal layoffs, which a former NSA cybersecurity director has warned will have a "devastating impact on cybersecurity” - continuing the instability in the department.Loomer reportedly had a persuading hand in the decision, and lobbied against numerous she considers disloyal, including against Deputy National Security Advisor Alex Wong, who Loomer claimed added a journalist to the sensitive Signal chat “as part of a foreign opp to embarrass the Trump administration on behalf of China”.Wong’s wife also works at the Justice department and was involved in prosecuting January 6 Capitol rioters, which might help explain Loomer’s vendetta.Via The Washington Post

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You have to go all the way back to the Nintendo 64 to play the most recent 3D Donkey Kong game. But without a new mainline Zelda or Mario title (Mario Kart World doesn't quite count) queued up for the Switch 2's launch in June, Nintendo's favorite ape is getting some time to shine in Donkey Kong Bananza. And after getting a chance to play a demo of the game prior to its release on July 17, I have to say I'm loving this glowed-up gorilla.

Now, I'm not entirely sure how DK went from the jungle to being stuck in the banana mines because the demo just kind of dropped me in without a ton of context. Regardless, there's no doubt that this is the best the gorilla has ever looked. He's got a fresh, almost cell-shaded look not entirely dissimilar to the art style seen in recent Zelda games, along with a more youthful and expressive appearance. And it seems his time spent digging has garnered him some new skills as well, which include the ability to punch, dig and butt stomp his way below, into and through all sorts of terrain, with dirt flying everywhere as you do it.

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

This opens up a world (cave?) of exploration because now DK can tunnel through to new locations or shape his surroundings with a ground pound, though there's also the usual assortment of actions like running and jumping. This type of freedom immediately changes the way you tackle obstacles compared to a standard platformer. Nearly everything is destructible in some way, and between digging, rolling or simply chucking giant rocks at foes, it feels like there are multiple ways to get where you need to go.

Granted, you still have familiar tropes like collecting jeweled bananas and of course, a companion in the form of a friendly purple rock monster that rides on DK's shoulder. But make no mistake, this ain't the same country DK has swung through before. Thanks to all of its new traversal mechanics, in a lot of ways, Bananza reminds me more of Mario Galaxy than Odyssey. It's just swapped out the gravity-bending physics for bombastic spelunking.

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

That said, while the game looks great and handles well, I do have some initial concerns. After a while, the constant digging and rock smashing felt a bit button-mashy. Plus, all the ricks and detritus that gets kicked up becomes a distraction, as I would kind of like to actually see where I'm going. There really is a ton of earth that needs moving. This makes me wonder if the game is aimed at a slightly younger audience similar to a lot of Kirby games rather than something meant to appeal to older players.

But even though I only had a brief time with the game, I saw more than enough to make me want to come back. And alongside Mario Kart World, it's exceedingly clear that Donkey Kong Bananza is part of Nintendo's giant punch that will carry the Switch 2 through its launch window.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/donkey-kong-bananza-hands-on-a-funky-fresh-take-on-nintendos-favorite-ape-130057272.html?src=rss

The trailer for M3GAN 2.0 is here and if you were expecting a copy-paste of the original's horror vibe, you may be surprised. Instead, the sequel is embracing a turn towards action in vein of Terminator 2 complete with upgrades to the original doll, a robot showdown and... a wing suit?

Set to arrive in theaters only on June 27, the film is once again directed by Gerard Johnstone and features returning cast members Allison Williams, Violet McGraw, Brian Jordan Alvarez and Jen Van Epps, along with newcomer Ivanna Sakhno (Pacific Rim: Uprising) as Amelia.

It's two years after the original M3GAN doll went on a murderous rampage (including that wild dance sequence) and was eventually destroyed. Since then, her designer Gemma has become an author and voice for more robust AI oversight, while her niece Cady (who M3GAN 1.0 swore to protect) is now a teenager.

Meanwhile, M3GAN's AI tech was stolen by a defense contractor to build super robot solidier Amelia. However, the experiment went awry and Amelia seeks murderous revenge against the AI's creators, particularly Gemma and Cady. Despite misgivings (mostly over the fact that M3GAN tried to murder her), Gemma decides to resurrect the OG doll to combat Amelia, and even adds updates to make her faster, stronger and, well, taller.

That sets up a showdown between M3GAN and Amelia, complete with guns, a Teletubby version of M3GAN, catchphrases ("hold onto your vagina") and the aforementioned wingsuit sequence. It has strong shades of Terminator 2 with the original robot doll protecting a key character from a new upgraded model. That's married with a camp aesthetic, lots of blood and even a creepy usage of Britney Spears' Oops I did it Again. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/watch-m3gan-switch-from-horror-to-action-in-the-new-sequel-trailer-125749110.html?src=rss

Microsoft has applied a useful tweak to the taskbar in a new preview buildWhen there are a lot of app icons on the taskbar, they'll be scaled down intelligently to fit more inThat avoids being forced to overflow excess app icons to a secondary menu, where they might get lost – but you don’t have to enable this behavior

Windows 11 appears to be set for another tweak to the taskbar which will be handy for those who like to juggle a lot of apps and keep a bunch of them running all at once.It’s just in testing for now, but the fresh introduction to a preview of Windows 11 in the Beta channel (as highlighted by The Verge) is a feature called taskbar icon scaling.What normally happens when you open a lot of apps is that when Windows 11 gets to the point where it can’t display all the icons, the overflow will be separated off into a popout (secondary) menu.With the new taskbar icon behavior, though, what’ll happen instead is that Windows 11 will intelligently trim down the icons, scaling their size so that more of them can be shown at one time on the taskbar.Other notable changes in this new Beta build (version 26120.3671) include an ability to help you share files more easily. This kicks in when you drag a file from a folder, whereupon a tray pops up at the top of the screen, offering a selection of apps that you can drop said file straight into to share it directly.Also, for those with Copilot+ PCs, Microsoft is changing its still controversial Recall feature so it has a “basic search history” added, and Click to Do now has an ‘Ask Copilot’ option.

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Analysis: Added taskbar smarts, but only if you want them

The way the taskbar currently works in Windows 11 isn’t ideal for situations where you have a heavy load of app usage. In these scenarios, some of those applications are shuttled off elsewhere, to that secondary menu, and you might even forget that you’ve got them running because of that. Or at least it’s a bit clunky when you want to switch to a given app, and you can’t find it on the bar, so you have to click through, wait for said secondary menu to pop up, and then locate the application there.Smaller, intelligently scaled icons solve this problem, but of course, the drawback with shrinking app icons is that they become harder to see, at least if you go too far. That’s why Microsoft has made this a choice, of course – if better visibility is crucial to you, then you don’t have to enable taskbar scaling.There’s an option to have it on, or off, and a third choice to only use the feature when the taskbar is full (which is likely what the majority of users who like this idea will plump for).This is a useful change, then, albeit one from Apple’s playbook – this is how macOS deals with app icons on the dock – and hopefully it’s a tweak that won’t take too long to come through to the release version of Windows 11. Notably also hidden in the background of recent preview builds is a much bigger move for another core element of the Windows 11 interface – in this case, it’s the Start menu, which is potentially getting the change that I’m most desperate to see.

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By now, your brackets were likely busted a long time ago. The 2025 NCAA Tournaments, affectionately known to many as March Madness, are coming to a close. Both the men's and women's Final Four — the semifinal games — are happening this weekend, with the championship to follow in subsequent days. Different broadcasters own the rights to each tournament, so streaming both installments of the Final Four can be confusing. I’ve broken down the best, most affordable way to access each one so that you'll be ready when the games begin on Friday.

When is the Final Four?

The women's NCAA basketball Final Four is Friday, April 4. 1-seed Texas takes on fellow 1-seed South Carolina at 7:00PM ET, then 2-seed UConn will battle 1-seed UCLA in the other semifinal match up at 9:30PM ET. The winners to play for the national championship on Sunday, April 6 at 3:00PM ET. All three of these games will be on ESPN and ESPN+.

The men's NCAA basketball Final Four is Saturday, April 5. The 1-seed Auburn takes on familiar SEC foe and fellow 1-seed Florida at 6:09PM ET. Following that game at 8:49PM ET, 1-seed Houston will face 1-seed Duke. The winners will play for the national championship on Monday, April 7 at 8:50PM ET. All three of these games will be on CBS.

How to watch the Final Four and championship games

All of the women's games will be available on ESPN and ESPN+, which means you can watch via a live TV streaming service or in the ESPN app (with a TV log-in or ESPN+ subscription). The most affordable way to watch these games is with a $12/month ESPN+ plan. All men's games will air on CBS, where you have the option of streaming on a live TV service or via Paramount+. The most affordable way to watch these games is with a $13/month Paramount+ with Showtime plan.

You could also try a streaming trial this weekend if one is available. Hulu + Live TV, for example, gives you three days to test its service, while DirecTV Stream gives five — both of them have both CBS and ESPN. The Hulu plan is available to both new and returning customers, so it might be an option to watch most of the action from both tournaments. Since all of the games are spread over four days, you won't get everything, but if you're only watching one or the other, this is a viable way to save some money.

The rest of this story includes a more complete March Madness overview, including content that was originally published prior to the start of the tournaments.

When does March Madness start?

The men’s NCAA Basketball Tournament begins on Tuesday, March 18 with two of the so-called First Four matchups. These are the four games that are used to determine the final four teams in the main 64-team bracket. To some, they’re known as the “play-in games” although they’ve officially been part of the men's tournament since 2011. The first game on March 18 begins at 6:40PM ET with another to follow at 9:10PM ET. The same schedule is expected for the second slate of games on Wednesday, March 19.

On the women’s side, March Madness is offset from the men’s tournament by a day. The first two of the First Four games are Wednesday, March 19 at 7PM ET and 9PM ET. The second pair of matchups follows on Thursday, March 20 in the same two time slots.

The 64-team bracket kicks off in earnest for the men at 12:15PM ET on Thursday, March 20. For the women, the main action begins at 11:30AM ET on Friday, March 21st. Here’s the full schedule for each tournament:

2025 Men’s NCAA Basketball Tournament

First Four: March 18-19

First round: March 20-21

Second round: March 22-23

Sweet 16: March 27-28

Elite Eight: March 29-30

Final Four: April 5

Championship game: April 7

2025 Women’s NCAA Basketball Tournament

First Four: March 19-20

First round: March 21-22

Second round: March 23-24

Sweet 16: March 28-29

Elite Eight: March 30-31

Final Four: April 4

Championship game: April 6

How to stream the 2025 Men’s NCAA Tournament

ASSOCIATED PRESS

CBS and Warner Bros. Discovery share the broadcast rights to the men’s tournament, and as they have in years past, TV coverage will be spread across four networks. During the course of March Madness, games will air on CBS, TNT, TBS and truTV, with the final rounds and championship game landing on CBS.

If you already have a paid TV plan (such as traditional cable), a good way to watch the men’s tournament is with the March Madness Live app or website. There's a big catch though: CBS games aren't available in the app. That means this is really only a good option through the Elite Eight. Once you log in with your TV provider credentials, you can watch games on the other networks in one spot with features like multiview (up to four games at once), “excitement alerts” that let you know when there’s a close game and a Fast Break stream that covers of all the in-progress games in one spot.

The app also offers ways to follow your bracket, if you filled it out on MarchMadness.com. And when you’re watching on desktop, the crucial Boss Button will throw up a fake work screen when you need it. March Madness Live is also available on Amazon, Fire TV, Apple TV, iOS, macOS, Google Play, LG smart TVs, Roku and Xbox devices.

Your most affordable option to watch every game is to actually use two services. It’s not ideal, I know, but it will save you a lot of money. Max’s Basic plan is $10/month and gives you access to live games from TNT, TBS and truTV with three-game multiview. B/R Sports, which powers all of the live coverage on Max, will only be available on the pricier Standard and Premium levels starting March 30. That's not a problem since games after that date will only air on CBS. For the CBS games, you’ll need a Paramount+ with Showtime subscription that costs $13/month. So, in total, your best option to stream all of the men’s tournament is $23 spread across two apps.

A live TV service like YouTube TV or Hulu plus Live TV is over $50 more per month at full price, but they would offer you “one-stop shopping” for all the games in the men’s tournament. YouTube TV is currently on sale for $70/month for the first six months you use it.

How to stream the 2025 Women’s NCAA Tournament

ASSOCIATED PRESS

While Warner Brothers Discovery owns the rights to the men’s NCAA Tournament, ESPN has the women’s bracket locked down. Every game of the women’s tournament will be spread across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPNEWS, including the First Four matchups. The Final Four will be on ESPN, but the championship game will air on ABC. All three of those culminating games will stream on ESPN+.

Since ESPN+ won’t get every game, it’s not an option if you want to watch the entire tournament. You will be able to watch “select matchups” on both ESPN+ and Disney+, but ESPN hasn’t announced what those will be. So, unfortunately, your best bet is a live-TV streaming service like Sling, YouTube TV or Hulu + Live TV for a comprehensive experience. Sling is the cheapest avenue here, with the requisite Orange and Sports Extra plans costing $34 (Sling is currently offering a discount on the first month of Orange). YouTube and Hulu live TV options are both the same price at $83/month (YouTube TV currently discounted to $70 for the first six months), so it’s a matter of which set of content and features you like best. YouTube TV offers a handy multiview tool so you can watch up to four games at once, but Hulu + Live TV comes with Disney+ and ESPN+ (both with ads) for that cost. (Opting for Hulu + Live TV only saves you one whole dollar per month if you don’t include the Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu bundling.)

If you’re a more casual fan who can afford to roll the dice on the “select” options on ESPN+, you can save some money. That service only costs $12/month. And if you already have a TV plan that includes the ESPN family of networks, the ESPN app is the best place to watch the tournament. The mix of scores and info, along with multiview streaming for up to four games at a time on Apple TV and Xbox, make the app a well-equipped conduit for the women’s tournament.

The March Madness website only shows scores and news for the women’s tournament. There are no live games available on the website.

What if I want to stream both the men’s and women’s tournaments?

ASSOCIATED PRESS

If you’re hoping to stream all of both the men’s and women’s NCAA tournaments, I hope you ordered Samsung’s eight-TV bundle. In terms of streaming services, just jump straight to a live-TV option like YouTube TV or Hulu + Live TV. I prefer the former because of its multiview feature – a tool that Hulu doesn’t offer. At times when there are multiple games that you want to watch, especially during the first two rounds, you’ll want multiview in order to keep tabs on all of the action.

Are any of the March Madness games available to stream for free?

You can watch all of the games broadcast on CBS on the March Madness website and mobile apps without a TV provider. Sure, it’s a small sample of the tournament, but it’s completely free and a good option for casual fans who don’t have a paid TV plan they can exploit for more of the action. It’s also a good option for watching the first round at work, if your company hasn’t blocked streaming sites, or if you can discreetly watch on your phone.

For the women’s tournament, there aren’t any games available for free. Unless you have an old-school OTA antenna, in which case you can watch men’s games on CBS and women’s games on ABC without any kind of streaming plan. Of course, this is a streaming guide so I’d consider an antenna an extraordinary move in 2025.

If you were hoping to use a free trial period to watch March Madness, I’ve got bad news. None of them will be long enough to watch an entire tournament. Some of them don’t offer them at all, but the longest is YouTube TV at 10 days which wouldn’t get you through the second weekend.

Update, March 20, 2025 12:19PM ET: This guide has been updated to clarify the games available on March Madness Live and to update game availability and pricing for Max.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/how-to-stream-march-madness-2025-watch-the-final-four-games-on-april-4-and-5-181552477.html?src=rss

CISA, FBI, and partners warn of 'fast flux' attacksThe technique involves attackers rapidly changing the IP addresses of their malicious domainsTo tackle the threat, organizations should go for a multi-layered approach

The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA) has warned government agencies, internet service providers (ISP), and other organizations, about so-called “fast flux attacks” which, it says, are becoming a growing problem in cyberspace.Fast flux attacks are a technique where attackers rapidly change the IP addresses associated with a malicious domain using a botnet, making it difficult to track and take down.This method helps hide phishing sites, malware distribution networks, and command-and-control servers by leveraging a constantly shifting pool of compromised hosts.

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Mitigating the threat

CISA published a new security advisory to warn about the threat, together with the FBI, NSA, Australian Signals Directorate’s Australian Cyber Security Centre (ASD’s ACSC), Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (CCCS), and New Zealand National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC-NZ).“Many networks have a gap in their defenses for detecting and blocking a malicious technique known as “fast flux,” the advisory says.“This advisory is meant to encourage service providers, especially Protective DNS (PDNS) providers, to help mitigate this threat by taking proactive steps to develop accurate, reliable, and timely fast flux detection analytics and blocking capabilities for their customers.”CISA also provided guidance on how to detect and mitigate fast flux attacks, which includes adopting a multi-layered approach through DNS analysis, network monitoring, and threat intelligence.It further stated agencies should work together on building and deploying scalable solutions that will “close the ongoing gap” in network defenses.Finally, the agencies stressed that some legitimate activity, such as common content delivery network (CDN) behaviors, “may look like” malicious fast flux activity.“Protective DNS services, service providers, and network defenders should make reasonable efforts, such as allowlisting expected CDN services, to avoid blocking or impeding legitimate content,” the advisory concludes.Via The Register

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Rumored pricing for RTX 5060 Ti 8GB and 16GB models has emergedThe good news is that we shouldn’t see a price hike with these GPUsHowever, we won’t see the MSRP drop either, as Nvidia seemingly plans to stick to the same prices seen with RTX 4060 Ti models

It appears that Nvidia is going to stick to its pricing guns with the incoming RTX 5060 Ti and that the two flavors of this graphics card will cost about the same as existing models of the RTX 4060 Ti.VideoCardz pointed out a post on the Board Channels forum (a regular source of supply chain leaks over in China) which outlines rumored pricing details, but obviously be very skeptical here.The contention – and bear in mind possible translation wrinkles (the original post is in Chinese) – is that the RTX 5060 Ti is ‘estimated’ to have ‘similar’ pricing to the RTX 4060 Ti models. Although later in the post, it talks about having the same price for these GPUs – so the overall vibe is that price tags will be identical, or very close, for the RTX 5060 Ti models.The grapevine has for a long time now insisted that Nvidia is going to produce the RTX 5060 Ti in two spins, with 8GB and 16GB of video RAM, just the same as the existing RTX 4060 Ti boards.The MSRP or recommended price for the RTX 4060 Ti 8GB is $399 (in the US) and for the 16GB version it’s $499, so the guestimate here is that the RTX 5060 Ti will follow suit.Or maybe, if we’re lucky, we might see a tiny decrease, but the leaker seems to think the new Blackwell equivalents of these more affordable GPUs (relative to the rest of the range) will be pretty much the same. So, if there’s any difference, it’ll be minor.

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

Analysis: Best laid plans?

It’s worth reiterating the advice to heap on the skepticism here, as the Board Channels isn’t always the most reliable source in my experience – but that said, I wouldn’t call it unreliable either. The somewhat vague language in the post also gives pause for thought, although that could be wrapped up in translation issues to some extent.Considering Nvidia’s philosophy with Blackwell pricing thus far, I’m certainly not expecting an increase. Mainly given that the RTX 5070 stuck with the same price tag as the RTX 4070, and indeed the RTX 5080 dropped a fair bit versus its predecessor (and the RTX 5070 Ti dipped slightly). The RTX 5090 was the outlier in that its MSRP was notched up considerably – and has been hiked well over that to sky-high levels – but there are reasons for that which don’t apply to other Blackwell GPUs (namely its crossover with the world of AI graphics cards).Sticking to the same pricing scheme as rumored here feels quite likely to me, as Nvidia (theoretically) has the identical problem it faced with the Lovelace generation in that the xx60 Ti class model with 16GB of VRAM actually has more memory than the higher-tier xx70 model that’s equipped with 12GB – and so the firm pushes pricing almost to make buyers of the latter feel better about their outlay. That perception of being shortchanged with 12GB is even more keenly felt in this new generation of Nvidia graphics cards, too.In summary, I think this sounds a likely pricing plan, although it may just be that – the current plan. In other words, the rumor mill might be correct in its assertion here, and Nvidia may be mulling this exact pricing scheme right now, but Team Green could still have a last-minute change of heart. Let’s hope it’s for the better, if this does happen, and we could just see a slight reduction on pricing for these more affordable Blackwell GPUs.Can you tell I’m not convinced? Well, as long as we don’t see an uplift in pricing, that’s the main thing. But given Nvidia’s situation with goodwill from gamers these days – or lack of it since this year began – I really don’t see how the company could even consider a hike with its RTX 5060 models. I guess stranger things have happened, though (‘unlaunching’ a GPU springs to mind).These RTX 5060 Ti graphics cards are expected to arrive soon, in the middle of the month, in fact, on April 16 (with a reveal rumored for the day before, April 15). There’s no chatter about RTX 5060 pricing here, either, which would seem to back up the notion that the vanilla GPU is due later on, in mid-May – though supposedly it could also be revealed on April 15 (perhaps sans pricing). Again, chuck on the seasoning liberally, but there’s no shortage of hints and rumors that these graphics cards are close to release.

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Rumors suggest the EOS R7 Mark II is due in Q3 or Q4 of this yearSources indicate that the Mark II could have a 40MP APS-C sensorNo official announcement from Canon

The Canon EOS R7 was the company’s first flagship mirrorless model built around an APS-C sensor. Launched in 2022, we gave it high praise in our in-depth review – and it remains a fantastic hybrid camera today. But with stiff competition in the mid-range market, it’s fast approaching time for Canon to introduce a second edition of the R7.If online chatter proves accurate, that’s exactly what could arrive later this year. We’re still some way off a definite launch date, but Canon Rumors – a reliable source for industry information – has published a story claiming that it expects the EOS R7 Mark II to hit shelves in Q3 or Q4 of 2025. It also suggests that the model will go “upmarket”.Canon Rumors didn’t share any further details about what we can expect to see on the spec sheet of the EOS R7 Mark II and the manufacturer itself is still tight-lipped. But a quick look at the shortcomings of the original R7 should offer a few clues. It might also give Fujifilm something to worry about: an upgraded EOS R7 Mark II could outgun the X-T5 – the best Fujifilm camera you can buy right now.

Rumors suggest the EOS R7 Mark II will could have a larger body than the EOS R7 (above). (Image credit: Future)

What specs could the Canon EOS R7 Mark II have?

One of the key upgrades for the EOS R7 Mark II is likely to be its sensor. While the R7’s 32.5MP number was the class of the field when it launched, it was subsequently trumped by the X-T5, with its 40.2MP resolution. For this reason, a number of sources – including Canon Rumors – have suggested that Canon will increase the resolution of the EOS R7 Mark II to around 40MP.Some have suggested that the sensor upgrade could also unlock 8K video recording capabilities. That would certainly make it a more powerful hybrid. So would the ability to shoot 4K/120p video, a feature which was lacking on the first-gen EOS R7.Physically, we wouldn’t expect the Mark II to be a huge departure from the established form factor of the EOS R7. That said, Canon Rumors has posited that the Mark II will have a larger body, with ergonomics closer to those of the EOS R5 Mark II.Several sources have also mooted whether the EOS R7 Mark II will benefit from significantly faster readout speeds. Canon Rumors has dangled the idea that the EOS R7 Mark II will be the first Canon mirrorless camera to eliminate a mechanical shutter altogether, aping the likes of the Nikon Z8 in delivering faster frame rates and reduced rolling shutter.Paired with Canon’s latest subject tracking autofocus, this would make the Mark II a strong crop-sensor choice for serious enthusiasts, particularly those who like to shoot action, sports and wildlife. To match, we’d expect to see an upgrade to the resolution of the electronic viewfinder, which we found “a little pedestrian” in our review of the R7.Of course, all of the above is based on speculation and nothing has been confirmed by Canon. That said, the EOS R7 Mark II is almost certain to be a major advancement for Canon’s APS-C line-up – and one that offers a compelling alternative to Fujifilm’s X-series.

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Midjourney has released the alpha version of V7, which it says is an "entirely new" AI image generation model and is much smarter at processing your text prompts. The image quality of its output is noticeably higher, the Midjourney team says, and can create better textures, bodies and hands. AI image generators typically struggle with creating accurate depictions of hands, but based on photos posted by some users on their socials, V7 is capable of spitting out some photorealistic images of human hands.

The new model comes with a feature called "Draft Mode," which can render images at half the speed the program usually takes. Its results are rougher and less detailed, but it will cost half of what a standard generation costs. Midjourney says Draft Mode is the best way to iterate on ideas. You can use it, say, if you're collaborating with someone and just spitballing ideas with them — it works with voice, so you don't even have to type out each other's suggestions — or if you're unsure what kind of vibe you're going for. If you like an image Midjourney creates in Draft Mode, you can click "enhance" or "vary" on it to re-render it at full quality.

At launch, V7 will have Turbo and Relax modes for standard rendering, with the former costing twice as much as a normal speed job on the V6 model. Midjourney needs more time to optimize its standard speed mode for V7, but it will make the option available in the future. The new mode is missing more capabilities, as well, including upscaling, editing and retexturing, which will fall back to the program's V6 model for now. Midjourney promises to roll out new updates for the model every week or two over the next two months.

To be able to test the alpha version of V7, you'll have to unlock your personalization profile first. Midjourney describes personalization as "a style assistant for your image creations," since it teaches the AI your visual preferences. You'll have to rank at least 200 pairs of images to create a V7 Global Personalization Profile and test the model. Personalization is switched on by default for the V7, but you'll be able to switch it off if you want.

One of the most exciting new features for our new V7 model is something we call "Draft Mode". Draft mode is half the cost and 10 times the speed and it might be the best way to iterate on ideas ever. Try it with voice, think out loud and let our ideas flow like liquid dreams. pic.twitter.com/ANfTMC6Ej1— Midjourney (@midjourney) April 4, 2025

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/midjourney-launches-its-new-v7-ai-image-model-that-can-process-text-prompts-better-134546883.html?src=rss

Lexar has unveiled the world's first 1TB Micro SD Express cardIt is available right now and looks like it would be perfect for Nintendo Switch 2512GB and 256GB options are also available

Storage giant Lexar has unveiled the world's first 1TB Micro SD Express card and it looks like it could be a must-have accessory for Nintendo Switch 2.Just in case you missed the memo, Nintendo has confirmed that the Nintendo Switch 2 will be compatible with Micro SD Express cards format rather than regular Micro SD cards.This means that, while all of the best SD cards Switch will not work with the Nintendo Switch 2, the upcoming console will feature dramatically faster expandable storage. This will help allow for significantly more ambitious games and massively improved loading times on the platform.As it's quite a new format, having launched just a few months ago, there aren't that many options on the market right now. Still, this newly released model from Lexar pushes the envelope when it comes to storage capacity and handheld gaming performance.Designed with the Nintendo Switch 2 in mind, the Lexar Play Pro Micro SD Express Card is capable of blisteringly fast read speeds of up to 900MB/s and write speeds of up to 600MB/s.Like other Micro SD Express cards, it's also backwards compatible with UHS-I and USH-II devices (like the original Nintendo Switch), though will operate at significantly lower speeds.It's available in three capacities, 256GB, 512GB, and the showstopping 1TB. These cost $49.99, $99.99, and $199.99 respectively.The 1TB model is definitely my pick up the bunch and while almost $200 seems like quite a lot to spend on any storage device, it's a reasonable step up from the $80-100 price range of existing 512GB models from Lexar and other major manufacturers.You should also bear in mind that 1TB is an awful lot of storage and should see you through much of the Nintendo Switch 2's life if current information on game file sizes is anything to go by. We know from early eShop listings that first-party games like Mario Kart World come in at just under 25GB. Even a massive game like Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition can fit on a 64GB game cartridge.All three models are covered by Lexar's limited lifetime warranty, which means you're covered if quality problems arise during use. Even in regions where the limited lifetime warranty does not apply, you're still covered for 10 whole years which is excellent.The best part? It's available right now via Amazon, so you can pick one up right alongside your Nintendo Switch 2 pre-order and have all of your storage needs met for years to come on day one.

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It's rare that an animated project leads our weekly round-up of the best new movies and TV shows on the world's leading streaming services.There's a first time for everything, though – and, luckily for Netflix's anime adaptation of the popular Devil May Cry videogame series, that time is now.Not interested in that particular project? Fret not, because there are six other terrific and/or much-anticipated films and TV series to wrap your eyeballs around this weekend (April 4 to 6). Without further ado, then, here's what we recommend you stream over the next couple of days. – Tom Power, senior entertainment reporter

Devil May Cry (Netflix)

I'll readily admit to not seeing many of Netflix's animated TV adaptation of beloved video game franchises (don't worry, Arcane, you'll always be in my heart).As a huge fan of Capcom's – and, more recently, Ninja Theory's – Devil May Cry (DMC) games, though, you can bet I was seated day one to see demon hunter Dante slice and shoot his way through the worst that the underworld could throw his way.Helmed by Adil Shankar, i.e. the brains behind other critically-acclaimed but under-appreciated anime-inspired Netflix adaptations including Castlevania, the streamer's DMC TV reimagining has all the tools necessary to enter our best Netflix shows hall of fame. Make sure you've got Ebony, Ivory, and The Rebellion to hand while you watch it, everyone. – TP

Watch Devil May Cry on Netflix

A Real Pain (Disney+)

I still haven't seen Jesse Eisenberg's directorial debut, When You Finish Saving the World, but that doesn't mean I'm not excited to watch this, especially with Kieran Culkin wining this year's Best Supporting Actor Oscar.A Real Pain also has two BAFTAs under its belt and TechRadar's very own stamp of approval as one of the best movies of 2024. So, if you're still unsure about streaming it on Disney+ this weekend – the film made its streaming debut stateside on Hulu in January – then let those doubts fade away.This heartwarming buddy comedy-drama follows Eisenberg and Culkin, who play two cousins on a trip to Poland to honor their grandmother that ends up taking them on a whole other journey. It's undoubtedly one of the best Disney+ movies you'll watch. – Amelia Schwanke, senior entertainment editor

Watch A Real Pain on Disney+ (internationally)

The Bondsman (Prime Video)

Kevin Bacon as a demon bounty hunter in a new gothic series with an original blues music soundtrack? You read that right.The Bondsman may not have been on your Prime Video radar but, with an 85% RT critical score (at the time of writing), it should be. Based on that alone, this Amazon TV Original will make the cut to be one of the best Prime Video shows – and it's easy to see why when you hear that it's being compared to similar R-rated projects like Constantine and Ash vs. the Evil Dead. Speaking to TechRadar, series producer Erik Oleson revealed that the goal was to "create a scream out loud, laugh out loud mashup of family dramedy with Appalachian lore with demon hunting and music". Bacon poking chainsaws through demons’ foreheads is just for good measure! – AS

Watch The Bondsman on Prime Video

Y2K (Max)

Y2K is the latest A24 film to debut on Max but, unfortunately, it bombed critically and is among the studio's worst-rated movies.With 42% on Rotten Tomatoes, Y2K won't be appearing on our best Max movies list. But, if you're keen to make up your own mind about it, here's what it's about: a group high school juniors crash a New Year's Eve party, but typical young adult dramas are the least of their worries when machines rise up against humanity.Inspired by the real-life-but-thankfully-not-actually-happening Y2K problem (millennials, you'll know what I'm talking about!), this movie turns a technology glitch into something darker, with some humor scattered throughout It might not be the best A24 movie out there, but it's definitely unique! – Lucy Buglass, senior entertainment writer

Watch Y2K on Max

Pulse (Netflix)

With medical drama The Pitt earning rave reviews from critics and general audiences alike following its season 1 release on Max in January, it's Netflix's turn to *ahem* surgically enhance its own back catalog of hospital-based projects.Pulse, which was renewed for a second season well before its debut outing landed on the streaming titan this Thursday (April 3), looks like a modern take on classic medical drama ER. Indeed, with its romance-laced storylines, melodrama aplenty, and dramatization of how medical facilities function, it's easy to see why such comparisons have been made.Will it set our hearts aflutter and land a spot on our best Netflix series list? Time will tell. – TP

Watch Pulse on Netflix

Dying for Sex (Disney+/Hulu)

I love a good podcast, and theis new Hulu and Disney+ series is based on a very heartfelt one. Dying for Sex is based on Nikki Boyer, who sits down with her best friend Molly Kochan to get candid about her experiences after she was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer.The show dramatizes Kochan's life, with Michelle Williams in the leading role as a woman who ends her 15-year marriage to explore herself and her sexuality before her death. The real-life Kochan passed away in 2019, and her legacy lives on through this series, with Boyer serving as executive producer.Across eight episodes, we follow Kochan's life and experiences, with plenty of humor balanced with the drama. It's quite the rollercoaster and very binge-worthy, too. One to keep an eye out for on our best Hulu shows and best Disney+ shows lists. – LB

Watch Dying for Sex on Hulu (US) and Disney+ (internationally)

Gone Girls: The Long Island Serial Killer (Netflix)

Not at all affiliated with the David Fincher movie, this new true-crime documentary series explores the hunt for Rex Heuermann, aka 'The Long Island Serial Killer'.Told from the perspective of his victims, their loved ones, and the police, Gone Girls reveals how the local New York architect managed to hide in plain sight and exposes a web of corruption, but it's not the end of the story. Gone Girls focuses on a live case, meaning there's a very real chance more information could come out about Heuermann and his crimes.Speaking to Tudum, director Liz Garbus said: "After we completed and turned in our cuts to Netflix, there was another victim added to [Heuermann’s] docket. Will there be more between now and the time that we air? It’s possible. Will there be more between now and the time that we go to trial, if they go to trial? It’s probable." – LB

Watch Gone Girls: The Long Island Serial Killer on Netflix

For more streaming recommendations, read our guides on the best Max shows, best Paramount+ movies, best Apple TV+ shows, and best Paramount+ shows.

Looking for a different day?A new NYT Connections puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Friday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Friday, April 4 (game #663).

Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need Connections hints.What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #664) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

CROSSWORDTIMESTARSIGNRAINBOWMENUCONTRACTBILLBOARDBANNERPEOPLEGRIMACEENGAGERETAINHEADERSEMBLANCESIDEBAR

NYT Connections today (game #664) - hint #1 - group hints

What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?

YELLOW: On the jobGREEN: Online BLUE: Glossy readPURPLE: Words that include weaponry

Need more clues?We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…

NYT Connections today (game #664) - hint #2 - group answers

What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?

YELLOW: EMPLOY GREEN: PARTS OF A WEBSITE BLUE: MAGAZINES PURPLE: ENDING WITH MEDIEVAL WEAPONS

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Connections today (game #664) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #664, are…

YELLOW: EMPLOY CONTRACT, ENGAGE, RETAIN, SIGNGREEN: PARTS OF A WEBSITE BANNER, HEADER, MENU, SIDEBARBLUE: MAGAZINES BILLBOARD, PEOPLE, STAR, TIMEPURPLE: ENDING WITH MEDIEVAL WEAPONS CROSSWORD, GRIMACE, RAINBOW, SEMBLANCE

My rating: ModerateMy score: 2 mistakes

I’m guilty of reading categories I don’t solve really quickly and mentally telling myself “yeah, whatever”.So, today, I didn’t initially see the words “ENDING WITH” and was all ready to say how amazing it was that there was an ancient weapon called the CROSSWORD – I’m imagining it only killed someone once you completed 13 across blows and 13 downward blows.Anyway, the fact is that I completely missed the words SWORD, MACE, BOW, and LANCE hidden in plain sight, despite almost daily thinking there is some Connections category about Medieval warfare.My first mistake today came by impulsively guessing that I was collecting the characters of some imaginary Pee-wee Herman-style children’s TV show — so I had STAR, RAINBOW, GRIMACE and TIME.Admittedly, this would be a pretty terrible TV show — sales of Grimmace dolls would be very poor. Then, ignoring the fact that there was a similar category on Thursday, I thought BILLBOARD, MENU, HEADER and BANNER were printed items, before “one away” made me see PARTS OF A WEBSITE.How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Friday, 4 April, game #663)

YELLOW: WHAT'S LEFTOVER BALANCE, DIFFERENCE, REMAINDER, RESTGREEN: CAR TRIP CRUISE, DRIVE, RIDE, SPINBLUE: BASEBALL VENUES DIAMOND, FIELD, PARK, STADIUMPURPLE: COMPANIES WITH "E" REMOVED BAY, HARMONY, INK, TRADE

What is NYT Connections?NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final one, as you'll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.It's a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

Looking for a different day?A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Friday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Friday, April 4 (game #397).

Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.Want more word-based fun? Then check out my NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games, and Marc's Wordle today page for the original viral word game.SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Strands today (game #398) - hint #1 - today's theme

What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?• Today's NYT Strands theme is… In it to win it

NYT Strands today (game #398) - hint #2 - clue words

Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.

BACKWORSECOMBWEEPPEATGATE

NYT Strands today (game #398) - hint #3 - spangram letters

How many letters are in today's spangram?• Spangram has 12 letters

NYT Strands today (game #398) - hint #4 - spangram position

What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?First side: left, 5th rowLast side: left, 5th row

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Strands today (game #398) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #398, are…

SWEEPROUTRALLYUPSETCOMEBACKTHREEPEATSPANGRAM: GAMECHANGERS

My rating: ModerateMy score: 2 hints

I was at a football/soccer game last weekend where I was sat next to a very vociferous person who, it became increasingly clear, was attending his first live match.I was able to deduce this by his random shouts of “come on our team” and "let's win this, guys". He was also quite drunk and I suspect he may have forgotten the names of the teams he was watching.Anyway, faced with these sporting words I am in danger of sounding very similar to my noisy companion should I attempt to bluff out some quickly Googled content about the NBA Play-In tournament being particularly compelling this season. So I won’t.Come on your team.How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Friday, 4 April, game #397)

CONCRETEHARDWOODLINOLEUMLAMINATETERRAZZOSPANGRAM: FLOORING

What is NYT Strands?Strands is the NYT's not-so-new-any-more word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable that has been running for a year and which can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you're struggling to beat it each day.

Looking for a different day?A new Quordle puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Friday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Friday, April 4 (game #1166).

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,100 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today – or scroll down further for the answers.Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles, while Marc's Wordle today column covers the original viral word game.SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

Quordle today (game #1167) - hint #1 - Vowels

How many different vowels are in Quordle today?• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 4*.

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too).

Quordle today (game #1167) - hint #2 - repeated letters

Do any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 0.

Quordle today (game #1167) - hint #3 - uncommon letters

Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?• No. None of Q, Z, X or J appear among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #1167) - hint #4 - starting letters (1)

Do any of today's Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?• The number of today's Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 0.

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you're not ready yet then here's one more clue to make things a lot easier:

Quordle today (game #1167) - hint #5 - starting letters (2)

What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?• G• V• W• B

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

Quordle today (game #1167) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1167, are…

GUSTYVAULTWHINEBEGAT

I had a great run today, though I had to do a little bit of thinking alongside my good fortune.WHINE was the easiest of the four words, but I thought I was in trouble when it didn’t add any new clues to the remaining three.Without having eliminated the letters I would have gone for ADULT or FAULT instead of VAULT, but handily there was no alternative.The hardest word was BEGAT — not the sort of thing you’d use much in everyday life. Although in many ways Quordle is a game where one word begat another.How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Daily Sequence today (game #1167) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1167, are…

PAPALAVAILALLOYTWICE

Quordle answers: The past 20

Quordle #1166, Friday 4 April: OAKEN, LOOPY, CURIO, BUTTEQuordle #1165, Thursday 3 April: ASCOT, JETTY, DRUNK, JOLLYQuordle #1164, Wednesday 2 April: INDEX, QUEEN, INCUR, STOLEQuordle #1163, Tuesday 1 April: HUMUS, BALMY, WORRY, ERECTQuordle #1162, Monday 31 March: RECUT, MOODY, WHERE, BRACEQuordle #1161, Sunday 30 March: CRIME, DRINK, CLOVE, TRUERQuordle #1160, Saturday 29 March: LATER, ODDLY, CUMIN, AGREEQuordle #1159, Friday 28 March: TERSE, MUSHY, PROVE, FRONDQuordle #1158, Thursday 27 March: CRONE, APNEA, LIGHT, AWOKEQuordle #1157, Wednesday 26 March: LEFTY, NOOSE, NOISE, TRIADQuordle #1156, Tuesday 25 March: SNEER, WATCH, FLORA, STAINQuordle #1155, Monday 24 March: FLOUT, SMASH, RAZOR, SMALLQuordle #1154, Sunday 23 March: ALLEY, GAMUT, GEESE, RADIIQuordle #1153, Saturday 22 March: PICKY, BRACE, BOOZE, SURLYQuordle #1152, Friday 21 March: DITTY, VALOR, TOWER, AMISSQuordle #1151, Thursday 20 March: RIPER, STILL, WAFER, NOTCHQuordle #1150, Wednesday 19 March: FLAME, CARAT, SPAWN, TUNICQuordle #1149, Tuesday 18 March: NAVEL, TREAT, COPSE, SLINKQuordle #1148, Monday 17 March: INFER, FLINT, CHUMP, SHEERQuordle #1147, Sunday 16 March: INPUT, RUMBA, ELUDE, BLANK

Researchers claim Apache Parquet was carrying a maximum-severity flawIt allows threat actors to run arbitrary codeA patch was released, and users are urged to apply it

Apache Parquet, a columnar storage file format, was carrying a maximum-severity vulnerability that allowed threat actors to run arbitrary code on affected endpoints.Parquet is a columnar storage file format optimized for efficient data storage and processing, commonly used in big data and analytics workloads, with Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and Meta just some of the large companies which use it.The bug, spotted on April 1, 2025, by Amazon security researcher Key Li, is now tracked as CVE-2025-30065, and has a maximum severity score - 10/10 (critical).

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Patch and mitigations

“Schema parsing in the parquet-avro module of Apache Parquet 1.15.0 and previous versions allows bad actors to execute arbitrary code,” a short description on the NVD page reads. “Users are recommended to upgrade to version 1.15.1, which fixes the issue.”The problem reportedly stems from the deserialization of untrusted data, that allows threat actors to gain control of target systems via specially crafted Parquet files.he caveat here is that the victim needs to be tricked into importing the files which, the researchers suggest, means that the threat is not as imminent, despite the 10/10 score.Those that are unable to upgrade their Apache Parquet instances to version 1.15.1 straight away are advised to avoid untrusted Parquet files, or at least to carefully analyze them before taking action.Furthermore, IT teams should monitor and log their Parquet processing systems more closely these days.At press time, there was no evidence of abuse in the wild, although hackers usually start scanning for vulnerable endpoints once a patch is released, betting that many organizations don’t apply it on time.Via BleepingComputer

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Analysts have offered multiple theories as to why the Nintendo Switch 2 costs so much in the United StatesOne says it could be a "strategic balancing act" due to the recent increase in tariffsThe Switch 2 costs less in Japan, and the main reason could be the importance of Nintendo's Japanese market

The Nintendo Switch 2's divisive price has finally been revealed, but analysts say that there’s a strategic reason Nintendo priced the console higher in the United States.It wasn’t until after the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct finished airing that we learned that the new console would cost $449.99 / £395.99 or $499.99 / £429.99 for the Mario Kart World bundle. The expensive pricing wasn’t a total shock, and according to several analysts who spoke to IGN, there are multiple contributing factors as to why.Joost van Dreunen, professor at NYU Stern School of Business and author behind the book One Up: Creativity, Competition, and the Global Business of Video Games, called the pricing a "strategic balancing act", and is partly due to the recent increase in tariffs and manufacturing costs.Regarding these new tariffs, which US President Donald Trump announced following the Nintendo Switch 2 reveal, Dreunen says that Nintendo "appears to be building in a buffer against these potential trade barriers."Piers Harding-Rolls, an industry analyst at Ampere Analysis, also wasn't surprised by the $450 cost and compared it to the Switch OLED's $350 asking price, but speculated that the reason why Nintendo didn't reveal the price during the Direct was due to the ongoing changes in the US market."My view is that they probably had a range of pricing for the US market in play up until the last minute due to the uncertainty on import tariffs," Harding-Rolls said.Another analyst, Dr. Serkan Toto, CEO of Kantan Games, also suggested that Sony and its recent PS5 Pro launch could have played a part in the Switch 2 pricing, saying, "Nintendo probably factored in possible tariffs, the current inflationary climate in the world and the US$700 Sony dared to charge for the PlayStation 5 Pro last year."In Japan, Nintendo is releasing a Japanese language-locked Switch 2 that costs $333.22 (49,980 yen), which is notably $110 cheaper than the console in the US, as well as a multi-language system at $466.56 (69,980 yen).According to Omidia analyst James McWhirter, the main reason could be the importance of Nintendo's Japanese market, which "accounts for a quarter (24%) of the Nintendo Switch installed base in 2024", and that if pricing aligned with the US, it would "weaken" the company's position in the country."If Switch 2 pricing in Japanese Yen was aligned with the US Dollar price, it would dramatically weaken Nintendo's position in Japan, representing a doubling in the list price over the classic LCD Nintendo Switch model."McWhirter also notes, however, that if Nintendo continued to rely on region-specific pricing significantly cheaper in USD terms, "they would face an issue with grey imports to other territories", and suggests that selling a multi-language console for a more expensive price can "protect the Japanese market from grey imports from other territories"."Smart considering there are no other major console markets with a not insignificant number of people proficient in the Japanese language," he said.The Nintendo Switch 2 will launch on June 5, 2025, with preorders scheduled to open on April 8.TechRadar Gaming attended an exclusive hands-on preview and spent four hours testing out the Nintendo Switch 2.

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Welcome to TechRadar's new movies guide. Below, you'll find an assortment of the biggest new films that are releasing in theaters worldwide this year.It's pretty quiet on the new releases front this weekend (April 4 to 6). Indeed, A Minecraft Movie is the biggest flick that's just debuted in cinemas.There is, though, plenty more in the way of silver screen entertainment to look forward to. From new comic book movies including James Gunn's Superman movie and The Fantastic Four: First Steps, to other substantial genre fare, there'll be something for everyone to enjoy before the end of 2025. Read on to find out what's coming soon.

New movies: April

A Minecraft Movie

Release date: out now (worldwide)As the proliferation of video game movie adaptations continues, Warner Bros. – in association with Minecraft creator Mojang and its parent company Microsoft – are, surprise surprise, making a Minecraft movie. And, well, it's called just that: A Minecraft Movie.The trio are going all-out to make it the next big, erm, big-screen videogame movie franchise, too. Starring Jack Black as the series' iconic mascot Steve, it tells the story of how he discovered the franchise's Overworld – and, when four human misfits (played by Jason Momoa, Danielle Brooks, Emma Myers, and Sebastien Eugene Hansen) also find it, they must navigate the Overworld together to find their way home.The film's first teaser, which arrived last September, had us all asking if what's been crafted looks beautiful or horrifying. To find out if it's at least got substance to go with its divisive art style, read my review of A Minecraft Movie.

Death of a Unicorn

Release date: out now (US and UK); April 10 (Australia)The second A24-produced film to arrive recently, this film sees Wednesday actor Jenna Ortega team up with Paul Rudd, Will Poulter, Anthony Carrigan, Richard E. Grant, and other famous faces for a dark comedy-fantasy horror that sounds as surreal as it is terrifying.Ortega and Rudd play Ridley and Elliot, a daughter-father duo who accidentally hit a unicorn on route to a crisis summit meeting with Elliot's boss Odell Leopold (Grant). Long story short: the Leopold family seize the animal's corpse, discover the wonderful medical properties it contains – and then the unicorn's blood-thirsty mate turns up seeking revenge on those who harmed it. One of this month's new movies I was really hyped for but, unless its 54% RT critical score improves, it's one I'm giving a wide berth to.

The Penguin Lessons

Release date: out now (US); April 17 (Australia); April 18 (UK)Oscar nominee Steve Coogan fronts this Lionsgate dramady that takes its inspiration from Tom Michell's 2016 memoir.Here, Coogan portrays an 19th century English migrant, who heads to Argentina during a particularly turbulent time in the South American nation's history for job purposes. There, he unexpectedly adopts a penguin, which transforms his outlook on life. Given the competition it'll be up against in March and April, one that's likely to be nothing more than a small hit. Based on its 81% critical RT rating, though, maybe I'm doing it a disservice.

The Amateur

Release date: April 10 (Australia); April 11 (US and UK)Rami Malek's next silver screen offering comes in the form of this espionage thriller. In it, he plays Charlie, a brilliant but introverted CIA operative who goes rogue after his wife is killed during a London terrorist attack. So begins a cat and mouse game as his superiors try to stop Charlie from becoming a vigilante as he carries out all manner of dangerous missions (albeit with his limited 'in the field' skillset) as he enacts revenge on those who murdered his beloved.The Amateur sounds pretty derivative from a plot perspective, but its high-stakes action, drama, and spy-based sensibilities should ensure it's one of April's new movies that performs well at the global box office.

Drop

Release date: April 11 (US and UK); April 17 (Australia)Described as a mystery-thriller, Drop stars Meghann Fahy as Violet, a widowed mom who meets up with Henry (Brandon Sklenar) for her first date in years. However, things take a dark turn when an unknown individual starts airdropping images and videos to her phone, which say that, unless she murders Henry, her son and his babysitter will be killed.Drop's first trailer and story synopsis make the mistake of revealing too much about its plot, but I suspect there might be a twist or two to come in its final act. That's what I'm hoping for, anyway...

Sinners

Release date: April 17 (Australia); April 18 (US and UK)Black Panther franchise director Ryan Coogler will take a temporary step back from his Marvel projects with this forthcoming horror-thriller that's already being billed as one of 2025's best new movies.Michael B. Jordan leads an all-star cast in Sinners, with the Creed and Black Panther star playing twin brothers Elijah and Elias. In an effort to leave their traumatic pasts behind, the duo return to their small, rural hometown to start afresh, only to find that a supernatural evil awaits them. Hailee Steinfeld, Jayme Lawson, Delroy Lindo, Wunmi Mosaku, and Jack O'Connell are part of the A-list cast.

The Accountant 2

Release date: April 24 (Australia); April 25 (US and UK)Nine years after The Accountant divided critics, a sequel – one that sees Ben Affleck return in the title role – is set to arrive in late April.Once again, Affleck plays Christian Wolff, a mysterious individual with a knack for solving complex problems. When one of his old pals is murdered, Wolff enlists the help of estranged and highly-lethal brother Brax (Daredevil: Born Again's Jon Bernthal) and US Treasury Deputy Director Marybeth Medina (The Rings of Power's Cynthia Addai-Robinson) to track down the aforementioned friend's killers. We'll see if this one *ahem* pays off handsomely for Warner Bros.

Until Dawn

Release date: April 25 (worldwide)Based on Supermassive Games' 2016 'choose your own adventure' horror videogame of the same name, Until Dawn will try to become the latest film adaptation to succeed, rather than flop, at the global box office.Unlike the game it's inspired by, Until Dawn won't ask audiences to make choices in real-time (like Netflix's Bandersnatch interactive movie did, for example) to determine what'll happen. Instead, the film's five-strong cast of characters, who arrive in a creepy small town to investigate the disappearance of one of their relatives, find themselves trapped in a terrifying time loop as myriad monsters and supernatural beings kill them only for the group to be resurrected and be forced to endure the same night over and again. The only way out? To survive – yep, you guessed it – until dawn.

New movies: May

Thunderbolts*

Release date: May 2 (worldwide)In a year where a new Captain America movie came out and The Fantastic Four's highly-anticipated MCU debut is on the cards, you'd be forgiven for thinking Thunderbolts* would be the Marvel movie that nobody cares about. And yet, whisper it quietly, it looks really good. Like, really, really good.Starring Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova and Sebastian Stan's Bucky Barnes among other returning anti-heroes, this Marvel Phase 5 film will see a group of misfits and traumatized individuals team up to prevent another potentially world-ending event from occurring in the MCU. You can read more about its confirmed cast, plot specifics, and development history in my dedicated Thunderbolts guide. I really, really hope one of May's new movies doesn't let me down!

Shadow Force

Release date: May 2 (US and UK); TBC (Australia)Kerrie Washington and Omar Sy team up in this Lionsgate action espionage thriller that becomes the latest flick to tackle the cliched "what if two spies retired, had kids, and then had to return to their old lives when their enemies come after their family?" story.One of May's many new movies' first trailer certainly suggests it'll be pretty trope-ish, but maybe Shadow Force will surprise us all when it's eventually released.

Final Destination: Bloodlines

Release date: May 15 (Australia); May 16 (US and UK)Everyone's favorite supernatural horror film franchise from the early 2000s is back. Final Destination was the horror movie series of its time and it'll hope to win a new army of fans with Bloodlines, the first entry in the series for over 14 years, when it arrives in mid-May.Its first trailer, which you can watch above, doesn't really tell us anything about its plot. So, here's the official story synopsis from Warner Bros: "Plagued by a violent recurring nightmare, college student Stefanie heads home to track down the one person who might be able to break the cycle and save her family from the grisly demise that inevitably awaits them all."

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning

Release date: May 21 (UK); May 22 (Australia); May 23 (US)This is it, people. Tom Cruise's likely final outing as Ethan Hunt will explode into theaters in late May and, based on its first trailer, the Mission: Impossible film series will aim to go out with an almighty bang.Picking up where Mission Impossible 7 left off, it'll see Hunt race to destroy the AI known as The Entity and stop Esai Morales' Gabriel from completing his quest to establish a new world order. It'll be tough to say goodbye to Hunt after a new-two-decade-long run for this movie series, but all good things must come to an end.

Lilo & Stitch

Release date: May 22 (Australia); May 23 (US and UK)Disney's live-action remake push shows no signs of slowing down. Indeed, following Snow White's release in mid-March, this reimagining of a beloved 2002 animated classic will make its theatrical debut in late May. And, based on how its first trailer has stolen everyone's hearts, it seems Lilo & Stitch (2025) will be another smash hit for the House of Mouse.For the uninitiated: Lilo & Stitch tells the touching tale of a lonely Hawaiian girl and the fugitive alien who helps to mend her broken family. Chris Sanders, who voiced Stitch in the original, reprises his role as the lovable maverick in its remake. One of May's new movies that'll be a sure-fire hit.

Karate Kid: Legends

Release date: May 29 (Australia); May 30 (US and UK)A continuation of the Karate Kid film franchise and Netflix's Cobra Kai TV spin-off, which is itself a spin-off of the aforementioned movies, Karate Kid: Legends will attempt to introduce newcomers to the franchise made famous by Mr Miyagi and his iconic "wax on, wax off" phrase.Under the tutelage of Mr. Liu (Jackie Chan) and Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio), Ben Wong's Li Fong will look to win a New York-based karate competition after he's forced to leave Beijing due to a family tragedy. One that Cobra Kai fans should flock to see.

Bring Her Back

Release date: May 29 (Australia); May 30 (US and UK)After their first feature film – A24's Talk to Me – earned plenty of acclaim in 2022, Danny and Michael Phillipou, aka the duo known as RackaNacka, are back with another horror flick that'll aim to spook us silly.Bring Her Back stars Sally Hawkins and Billy Barratt among others, but that's about as much as we know about this mystery-laced supernatural horror. Indeed, its trailers don't give us much information on its story. Hopefully, we'll learn more before it's released.

New movies: June

Ballerina

Release date: June 6 (worldwide)Get ready to return to The World of John Wick in June, everyone. Ballerina, the franchise's second spin-off, one that's set between John Wick's third and fourth films, will make its debut in mid-2025.Ana de Armas stars as the titular assassin who, like Wick, embarks on a mission of revenge – one that seeks her seeking vengeance on those who killed her family and orphaned her years earlier.The action thriller's first trailer had everyone asking the same question about Keanu Reeves' legendary hitman, while Ballerina's official trailer confirmed he'll have a much bigger role in proceedings than we expected. I just hope it's better than The Continental prequel TV spin-off...

Materialists

Release date: June 12 (Australia); June 13 (US and UK)Celine Song's directorial feature debut, Past Lives, was one of the best movies of 2023. Many of her fans will be hoping that the so-called 'sophomore slump' doesn't hit her hard with her next flick, a romantic drama called Materialists.Dakota Johnson inhabits the title role as Lucy, a New York-based matchmaker who learns the harsh lesson that love doesn't come easy, even to those whose job it is to set up singletons. Indeed, Lucy will find herself torn between her imperfect ex John (Chris Evans) and seemingly perfect match Henry (Pedro Pascal) in this A24 movie that'll certainly tug at the heartstrings.

Elio

Release date: June 19 (Australia); June 20 (US and UK)Pixar will aim to keep the recent good times rolling with its latest feature. Indeed, after hits like Inside Out 2 and Win or Lose, the popular animation studio will attempt to make it three wins from three with sci-fi comedy-adventure Elio.In it, the titular 11-year-old's unusual wish to be abducted by aliens is granted when, well, he's abducted by aliens. However, Elio soon realizes that he's been plucked from relative obscurity because he's accidentally been christened Earth's mightiest hero (see what I did there?). Cue an intergalactic adventure where Elio will have to find his actual place in the big, wide universe.

28 Years Later

Release date: June 19 (Australia); June 20 (US and UK)18 years have passed since 28 Weeks Later, the sequel to the critically-acclaimed 28 Days Later, crashed into theaters globally. Now, the horror franchise's third entry – and the first in a planned new trilogy – is ready to feast on our metaphorical brains.28 Years Later is, well, set 28 years after the Rage virus decimated humanity. In it, two members of a pocket society (played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Alfie Williams) will leave their island home to undertake a dangerous mission on the mainland. Jodie Comer, Ralph Fiennes, and Jack O'Connell are also among the hotly-anticipated flick's cast.Pencil this one on your new movies calendar, everyone, because we think it's going to be a huge hit.

M3GAN 2.0

Release date: June 26 (Australia); June 27 (US and UK)Everyone's favorite dancing and murderous android is back. M3GAN 2.0 will reunite us with the titular killing machine as she's revived and reprogrammed to hunt down another homicidal autobot, named Amelia, after the underlying tech that created M3GAN is stolen and repurposed for military means.It'll be interesting to see if one of June's new movies can hold a candle to its breakout hit of a forebear. But, hey, none of us expected one of Universal's newest horror originals to take the world by storm, so maybe its sequel will similarly surprise us.

F1

Release date: June 26 (Australia); June 27 (US and UK)If campy horror flicks aren't your thing, maybe this eagerly-awaited sports-based drama from Top Gun: Maverick director Joe Kosinski will appeal to you instead.Brad Pitt stars as washed up Formula 1 driver Sonny Hayes, who returns to the world's most famous racetracks in a bid to win the crown that eluded him back in the 1990s. Driving alongside, not to mention having a rivalry with, star-in-the-making Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris), Hayes will face numerous challenges on the road to sporting redemption.Javier Bardem and Rebecca Ferguson are among the film's starry ensemble. F1's first trailer will get viewers as close to the grand prix-based action as possible, too, with Kosinski and company employing Maverick's new-fangled tech to transport us from one cockpit (that of a jet fighter) to another (that of an F1 racecar).

Want more new movies recommendations? Our new Netflix movies, new Max movies, new Prime Video movies, and new Disney Plus movies lists are full of streaming-based suggestions for a night at home instead.

M3GAN 2.0 has a new trailer which reveals some important plot detailsThe movie will arrive in theaters on June 27There's no word on a streaming release date yet

It's shaping up to be a great year for new movies. I previously wrote about the six biggest horror movies coming in 2025 that I can't wait to watch, and now M3GAN 2.0 is worthy of a spot, even if it doesn't feel as horror-like as its predecessor.The new trailer teases an upgrade for M3GAN in more ways than one, and it seems they're leaning on the comedic elements of the unstable android rather than some of the horror we saw in the first movie.As much as I love the horror genre, I am excited to see where it goes when it arrives in theaters on June 27. Take a look at the trailer below!

What is the plot of M3GAN 2.0?

(Image credit: Blumhouse / Universal Pictures)

Now we have a trailer, we've got a good idea of what M3GAN 2.0 will be about, and it's a fun twist on the title because she's getting some serious upgrades.It's set two years after the original, and M3GAN's creator Gemma has become an advocate for government oversight of AI after what happened when M3GAN went on a murderous rampage. However, a defense contractor has created a military-grade weapon known as Amelia, the ultimate infiltration spy, based on M3GAN's design.Hoping to stop Amelia, Gemma resurrects M3GAN, making her faster, stronger, and more lethal, teasing a very fun showdown that I'm excited to see.

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Jump to your regionUS Nvidia RTX 5080 stockUK Nvidia RTX 5080 stock

The Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 went on sale on January 30 with an MSRP of $999 in the US and £979 in the UK - and as many of us feared, stock sold out pretty quickly.But don't give up hope just yet! Stock is still popping up across retailers in the UK and US, so if you don't want to miss a chance to get the RTX 5080, then keep this page open, as we'll continue to update it with advice on where to buy the Nvidia RTX 5080.In our review of the Nvidia RTX 5080, we were impressed with the performance of the GPU, with it almost hitting RTX 4090 levels of performance (a GPU that cost a lot more money when it launched), though the generational leap from the RTX 4080 and RTX 4080 Super to the RTX 5080 isn't the biggest.However, with hardware improvements in the form of more CUDA cores, fourth-gen RT cores, fifth-gen Tensor cores, and 16GB of GDDR7 memory, the RTX 5080 is a brilliant graphics card for people looking to play the latest PC games at 4K, especially with the new features included with DLSS 4, Nvidia's AI-powered image rendering software.There's a lot of hype around the RTX 5080 (and its bigger sibling, the RTX 5090, which we also show you where to buy), which meant there was a big rush when the RTX 5080 first went on sale. If you missed out on that initial release, don't worry, as we'll be keeping tabs on all the major retailers in the US and UK and will be updating this page live to point you towards where you can buy the GPU - without being ripped off by scalpers.

WHERE TO BUY RTX 5080: US QUICK LINKS

Nvidia: Buy direct from Nvidia (including Founders Edition and third-party GPUs)Best Buy: Founders Edition was on saleNewegg: Founders Edition and third-party GPUsB&H: Preorders start at 9:00am ET, Thursday January 30Micro Center: Retailer had stock on January 30, but it sold out fast - but still stock if you can pick up in storeAdorama: Worth checking

WHERE TO BUY RTX 5080: UK QUICK LINKS

Nvidia: Buy Founders Edition and third-party GPUs directEbuyer: Lists RTX 5080 models as 'coming soon'Scan: Some stock of RTX 5080 GPUs left - but it could be a waitOverclockers: RTX 5080 GPUs still in stock!Box: Another well-known store for PC components should have stock soonEE: The mobile network operator is getting in on the act, selling RTX 5080 on a first-come first-serve basisCCL: RTX 5080 GPUs from Palit, Gigabyte and more - still in stock!Currys: Lots of third party options but most are currently out of stock - still a few good finds!

WHERE TO BUY RTX 5080 IN THE US

Nvidia RTX 5080 deals at AmazonAmazon is expected to be a reliable source of RTX 5080 stock as with nearly everything else - that's the good news. The bad news is that everyone else will think to check Amazon, so I expect stock to be dwindling or already sold out very soon after launch. You will likely find some options if you don't mind shelling out a bit extra for a third-party GPU, though.View Deal

Nvidia RTX 5080 deals at NvidiaListed for $999, the RTX 5080 FE stock on Nvidia's website sold out particularly quickly. If your plan was to go directly to the source, you'll need to wait for restocks now. However, if you're able to snag one, the FE cards are at a reasonable price, feature a sleek design, and are even small enough to fit into an SFF build.View Deal

Nvidia RTX 5080 deals at Best BuyBest Buy is similar to Amazon in that you can expect restocks of Nvidia's new 5000 series cards, but they'll be flying off the shelves and into carts without a second look at the price tag.View Deal

Nvidia RTX 5080 deals at NeweggNewegg, a personal favorite tech retailer of mine, is a fantastic location to find upgraded 5080s from Asus, Zotac, MSI, and more. Newegg is also offering trade-in value on your current GPU towards the new card, so if you want to get some value from your 30 series card, this is an excellent opportunity.View Deal

Nvidia RTX 5080 deals at B&HB&H is another solid retailer to search for third-party RTX 5080 deals. It's got incoming 5080 stock available to pre-order, so I believe it'll have a decent backlog of MSI, Asus, and Gigabyte 5080s to sling around after January 30.View Deal

WHERE TO BUY RTX 5080 IN THE UK

Not to worry UK folks, Nvidia hasn't forgotten about you - though stock is proving to be just as hard to get there as well. Here's what we dug up from retailers like Ebuyer and Box:

Nvidia RTX 5080 deals at NvidiaNvidia has stock for the RTX 5080 on its UK website as well, but like the US counterpart, stock is moving very quickly. Founders Edition cards will be selling like hotcakes, but you can also find third-party GPUs on Nvidia's website.View Deal

Nvidia RTX 5080 stock at OverclockersOverclockers UK is an excellent site for buying PC components, and has already listed its 5080 stock (though it's predictably sold out fast), and there are a fair number of cards on offer with prices starting at £1,099.99.View Deal

Nvidia RTX 5080 stock at EbuyerEbuyer is another fantastic site to check for new PC components, and the 5080 launch is no exception. Like everywhere else, be sure to check back in after January 30 to assess the available stock and sign up for notifications.View Deal

Nvidia RTX 5080 stock at ScanScan has populated its GPU pages with swathes of RTX 5080 cards from Gigabyte, Asus, Zotac, and MSI. For now, the only thing you can do is get notified when they're available, but be sure to check back.View Deal

Nvidia RTX 5080 stock at EEWhile EE is better known for selling smartphones and tariffs, it was also selling the RTX 5080 on January 30 on a first-come-first-serve basis from £1,245.99 - there's no stock left there now, but keep an eye out.View Deal

Nvidia RTX 5080 stock at CurrysCurrys has a wide range of RTX 5080 GPUs from third-party makers such as Asus and Palit. You'll need to wait for a restock now, but as a major retailer, there's a good chance Currys will get stock back in before some other digital storefronts.View Deal

Nvidia RTX 5080 stock at CCLCCL is a dependable retailer for computing components and is offering plenty of third-party RTX 5080 models. Stock will also be limited to one per customer, which will hopefully slow down how fast these sell out - and it looks like there are still a few RTX 5080 models available there after launch.View Deal

These are the best graphics cards of 2025

(Image credit: Future)

Launch day is finally here! We'll be here all day, monitoring stock at all the major retailers and beyond to try and help you snag an RTX 5080.It looks like RTX 5090 stock is going to vanish in a flash, so you might have better luck than those hunting for Nvidia's new flagship GPU, but there's no guarantee this one will be easier to pick up...

We're still hours away from the official stock drop, but Micro Center's RTX 5000 page has seemingly gone down, returning a 403 Forbidden error at the time of writing. Either too many people were visiting the page, or Micro Center has taken it offline intentionally to prep it for sales...

As we approach the hour when the RTX 5080 goes on sale, I have to say that stock levels are looking rather dicey.MSI has issued a statement revealing that it'll only be opening pre-orders for the RTX 5090 today, with actual cards shipping on February 6 instead. However, the RTX 5080 will be available on MSI's online storefront.

(Image credit: Temporary-Director46)

Some eager shoppers are even camped out in front of physical stores in the US to try and snag one of these highly prized GPUs. The image above is from a Reddit post showing people camping four days before the launch.While I can't stop you from doing that, I would personally recommend avoiding the cold and just bookmarking this page...

(Image credit: Future)

While we all wait for the Nvidia RTX 5080 to go on sale in a few hours, make sure you read our Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 review by our components editor John Loeffler. John's been reviewing GPUs for us for many years now, and there's no one's opinions on graphics cards I respect more, so definitely take a look. He was impressed, giving the new GPU a very good four and a half stars.

Speaking of our RTX 5080 review, definitely dive into the relative performance of the best graphics cards on the market and see whether the RTX 5080 is the right card for you.

If you're seriously considering upgrading to Nvidia's RTX 5080, I'd head to one of the websites that lets you get a notification as soon as stock drops in - these being Nvidia, Best Buy and B&H Photo in the US, and Nvidia, Scan, Overclockers, and Box in the UK (links above) - so you can try your best to beat the scalpers and resellers.If you live near a Micro Center, you might have a good chance of picking a 5080 up in person. It's offering a voucher system on a first-come first-serve basis that guarantees you'll be able to purchase a GPU on launch day (though it doesn't guarantee a specific model or manufacturer). Micro Center stores also have a rule in place that allows only one 5080 or 5090 per customer, meaning if you don't mind waiting in line, this could be a good chance to pick up a Blackwell card the day it comes out.If you'd prefer to try your luck at buying one online, Newegg is a great place to look. It's offering a trade-in deal on your current GPU towards a new 5000 series card. Just for fun, I looked at how much I'd get if I traded my (fully-functioning, undamaged) MSI Gaming GeForce RTX 3080 Ti in - $419 towards a new GPU isn't shabby at all.

(Image credit: Nvidia)

You can't talk about Nvidia's new graphics cards without talking about AI and DLSS, can you?DLSS is the tech that allows Nvidia to tout results like the new $549 5070 performing as well as 2022's $1,599 RTX 4090 - it's also cause for heated debate in the PC gaming world, as enthusiasts are divided on whether "fake frames" should be considered in performance metrics.While all RTX cards (including the 20, 30, and 40 series GPUs) will be able to utilize most of DLSS 4's features, as of right now only the new 50 series cards will benefit from the latest improvements like Multi Frame Generation (though it looks like Nvidia may be bringing MFG to older cards).If you read through our Nvidia RTX 5090 review, you'll find "In non-upscaled 1440p gaming, you're looking at a roughly 18% better average frame rate and a 22.6% better minimum/1% framerate for the RTX 5090." over the 4090 - so it seems DLSS isn't everything the 5000 series has to offer.

(Image credit: Future)

Oof, we've just published some worrying news - some sources are saying that Nvidia RTX 5090 GPU stock will be ‘basically non-existent’ for launch day, and RTX 5080 doesn’t sound like it’ll be much better.It seems retailers could be getting less stock from Nvidia than with the RTX 4080 launch. While RTX 5080 GPUs from third party makers like Asus and Gigabyte might be easier to get hold of, this latest news, combined with recent rumors, suggests it could really be a struggle to find stock - which is why this guide will be so useful.

(Image credit: Shutterstock / rudall30 / Asus)

If you're thinking of buying the RTX 5080 today, then you'll also want to make sure that the rest of your PC is able to support it.One consideration is the PSU (Power Supply Unit), as you need something that will be able to cope with the demands of the RTX 5080, as well as powering the other parts of your PC as well.Asus ROG's RTX 5080 page lists the ROG THOR III 1600W (or 1200W at least) power supply as the "perfect PSU companion" to the newly-listed ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5080 16GB GDDR7 OC Edition graphics card - now that's a lot of power.This version of the 5080 also comes stocked with not two, or even three, but four fans along with rows of heatsink fins to keep the heat from slowing down clock speeds, and 16GB of Nvidia's new GDDR7 video memory will definitely be a sight to behold.Check out our guide on the best PSUs for more options.

If you're in the UK and near Bolton, you could head over to Scan Computers, which is holding a launch day event that will have RTX 5080 and RTX 5090 GPUs for buying in-person.Sure, not the most convenient way of getting a new GPU, especially if you don't live near Scan Computers (which is also selling the GPUs online), but if you can get there, it could be a good way to make sure you get an RTX 5080.You can find out more about the Scan Nvidia 50-series launch event here.

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

We're approaching the final countdown, with RTX 5080 stock going on sale in just over an hour's time. Now is a good time to get retailers loaded up.

Posted by OverclockersUK on

Overclockers UK's Facebook page is hyping up the launch - looks like they will have lots of stock! But how long will it last?

Checking Amazon US and there's no placeholder RTX 5080 GPUs yet. However, there are pre-built PCs with the RTX 5080 in its listings. This might be a better way of getting hold of a GPU, especially if you need to upgrade other parts of your PC.

CyberPowerPC Gamer Supreme Gaming PC, AMD Ryzen 9 9900X 4.4GHz, GeForce RTX 5080 16GB, 32GB DDR5, 2TB PCIe 4.0 SSD - $2,299.99CyberPowerPC Gamer Xtreme VR Gaming PC, Intel Core Ultra 7 265KF 3.9GHz, GeForce RTX 5080 16GB, 32GB DDR5 - $2,319.99CyberPowerPC Gamer Xtreme VR Gaming PC, Intel Core Ultra 9 285K 3.7GHz, GeForce RTX 5080 16GB, 64GB DDR5 - $2,699.99CyberPowerPC Gamer Supreme Gaming PC, AMD Ryzen 9 9950X 4.3GHz, GeForce RTX 5080 16GB, 64GB DDR5, 4TB PCIe 4.0 SSD - $2,769.99

Over in the UK, we can see Overclockers UK's RTX 5080 models and their prices. While we're still around 55 minutes away from being able to buy them, you can at least get an idea of what kind of price you'll be paying for the new GPU.

(Image credit: Zotac)

The most affordable RTX 5080 model from Overclockers UK looks like it'll be the Zotac GeForce RTX 5080 Solid, which is £1,099.99.

Next cheapest looks like they'll be the Gainward GeForce RTX 5080 Phoenix and Palit GeForce RTX 5080 Gaming Pro which will both go on sale in around 50 minutes for £1,159.99.

For US readers looking to buy the RTX 5080 from Best Buy, you'll need to make sure you have a Best Buy account ahead of the GPU going on sale, including providing location details. It's best to get this sorted now, so you're in with a better chance of getting hold of an RTX 5080 when things kick off in about 45 minutes!

(Image credit: Future)

Speaking of Best Buy, it might be the best place to get hold of an affordable RTX 5080, as it is selling the Founders Edition RTX 5080 for $999.99.

Remember, if you're looking for the RTX 5090, we have a dedicated where to buy the RTX 5090 live guide as well!

We're now 30 minutes away from the RTX 5080 (and the RTX 5090) going on sale, and it looks like there's a lot of excitement building about this launch.

Interesting fact from the Overclockers UK page, which says that "Pre-Orders for this product will begin after 2pm on the 30th January. Models will be put on sale at varying intervals after this time."So we might see a staggered release of stock, so if things sell out quickly in 25 minute's time, there might still be a chance that some models will be available to buy later on.

Just under 10 minutes to go! Use this time to make sure you're signed into any retailers you're trying to buy from, as this will speed up the process when checking out - and every second could count!

OK stock should now be on sale! Good luck!

Nvidia's page hasn't updated for the RTX 5080 going on sale yet, so I'm keeping an eye on that...

Best Buy has the RTX 5090 Founders Edition in stock for $1,999.99!

Oh! It's now saying sold out, but there's other options like the GIGABYTE - AORUS GeForce RTX 5090 MASTER ICE 32G - White which is 'coming soon'

Looks like Best Buy's stock is all selling out very fast, so best check other retailers.

Looks like Overclockers UK website has crashed under the pressure of people trying to buy the RTX 5080 - I'll keep you posted. Also in the US, it seems stock has already sold out.

OK UK buyers! It looks like Scan has got stock!

All in stock:

MSI NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 16GB VENTUS 3X OC Blackwell Graphics Card - £979ZOTAC NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 SOLID 16GB Blackwell Graphics Card - £979PALIT NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 16GB GAMING PRO Blackwell Graphics Card - £979

Microcenter seems to have stock for the RTX 5080 for buying in store, which could be a good way to get hold of the new GPU, though you'll need to be near a store with stock.

If you have the budget, one way of getting an RTX 5080 is to buy a pre-built PC with it in - this can sometimes be a good choice if you need to upgrade lots of components in your PC. Adorama has sold out of standalone RTX 5080s, but it has the CyberPowerPC Gamer Supreme Liquid Cooled Gaming Desktop Computer, AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D 4.7GHz, 32GB RAM, 2TB SSD, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 16GB, Windows 11 Home, Black for $2,419.99.You're essentially paying an extra $1,400 for some pretty decent components.

Overclockers UK website is still having issues - sometimes it's up, then it crashes. If you can get through, it might be a good bet as stock sells out elsewhere.

Overclockers also has some pre-built PCs with the RTX 5080 GPU for sale and in stock, if you really want to get hold of the GPU.

In the UK, Novatech will be selling RTX 5080 GPUs, though it doesn't say when. It could be a retailer that gets the next batch of stock when it's made available.

Still no sign of any RTX 5090 on Amazon's US site.

STOCK ALERT!

Overclockers UK is back up and has RTX 5080 GPUs in stock and at decent prices!

Palit GeForce RTX 5080 GameRock 16GB GDDR7 PCI-Express Graphics Card - £1,299MSI GeForce RTX 5080 Gaming Trio OC 16GB GDDR7 PCI-Express Graphics Card - £1,469.99

If the above say out of stock, go back to the RTX 5080 product page and click 'Add to basket' it seems to work!

STOCK UPDATE!

CCL has RTX 5080 GPUs in stock and delivering from tomorrow! Be quick as it might sell out (it's UK only I'm afraid).

Palit GeForce RTX 5080 GameRock 16GB GDDR7 Graphics Card - £1,349.99INNO3D GeForce RTX 5080 X3 16GB GDDR7 Graphics Card - £1,349.99INNO3D GeForce RTX 5080 X3 OC 16GB GDDR7 Graphics Card - £1,399.99

Palit GeForce RTX 5080 GameRock OC 16GB GDDR7 Graphics Card - £1,399.99Gigabyte GeForce RTX 5080 WINDFORCE SFF OC 16GB GDDR7 Graphics Card - £1,399.99Gigabyte GeForce RTX 5080 AERO SFF OC 16GB GDDR7 Graphics Card - £1,399.99Gigabyte GeForce RTX 5080 GAMING OC 16GB GDDR7 Graphics Card - £1,499.99

More RTX 5080 UK stock at CCL:

MSI GeForce RTX 5080 VENTUS 3X PLUS 16GB OC GPU - £1,499.99MSI GeForce RTX 5080 GAMING TRIO 16GB OC GPU - £1,499.99MSI GeForce RTX 5080 GAMING TRIO 16GB OC GPU - £1,499.99ASUS GeForce RTX 5080 TUF Gaming 16GB OC GPU - £1,499.99MSI GeForce RTX 5080 GAMING TRIO WHITE 16GB OC GPU - £1,559.99ASUS GeForce RTX 5080 ROG Astral 16GB OC GPU - £1,599.99Gigabyte GeForce RTX 5080 AORUS MASTER 16GB OC GPU - £1,699.99Gigabyte GeForce RTX 5080 AORUS MASTER ICE 16GB OC GPU - £1,699.99Gigabyte GeForce RTX 5080 Xtreme Waterforce 16GB OC GPU - £1,799.99

It looks like stock of RTX 5080 GPUs has pretty much dried up in the US from the major retailers. We'll keep on checking, though, as they'll be getting in new stock in the coming days, so if you're on this live blog, you'll be among the first to know.We'll also look into pre-built PCs with RTX 5080 GPUs installed, as they can be a good way to get hold of the GPU (and a good excuse to upgrade your entire PC, rather than just the graphics card).

(Image credit: Future)

In the UK, RTX 5080 stock is looking more promising, with Overclockers UK having certain models in stock.CCL also still has stock of the RTX 5080, so well worth checking out both these retailers ASAP - as I'm sure stock won't last much longer.

We're still trying to find stock where we can in the US and UK, though as expected, the RTX 5080 is selling out fast.

B&H Photo in the US looks to be entirely out of RTX 5080 stock as of 4PM EST.

Morning, everybody! Christian Guyton, UK Computing Editor here - I'm back, ready to hunt down any stragglers on sale, although I'm not expecting to find much.In the US, stock of both RTX 5080 and RTX 5090 cards is virtually non-existent at this point. Any physical store units will almost certainly have sold out by now too; evidently Nvidia and its third-party GPU partners weren't exactly generous when it came to launch day stock supplies. Some retailers have stock alert notifications in place (like B&H Photo), which I'd recommend signing up for if you haven't already.

Over in the UK, things are looking a little better - you can currently order an RTX 5080 from CCL Online or configure a pre-built OcUK gaming PC containing the GPU from Overclockers. It's worth noting that both of these won't ship for a couple of weeks, mind you. There's no sign of any RTX 5090 stock at all in the UK, either.

Another update for you all - not much luck, basically. UK shoppers may be able to find stock of RTX 5080 cards at some retailers, but it looks like US shoppers are out of luck. Most UK retailers aren't shipping overseas for this launch, thought if you're in the US and have a friend or colleague in the UK, you could potentially ask them to snap one up for you and then mail it across the Atlantic... that'll cost you, of course, but it's cheaper than shelling out to some scalper who might not even send you the GPU.

Speaking of scalpers, there's a rather hilarious series of events unfolding on eBay right now - multiple sellers have listed photos of the RTX 5090 and 5080 (with one person even uploading a pretty mediocre pencil sketch) and stated in the description that these are NOT for purchase by humans: they're dummy listings designed to make a quick buck off scalper bots who scrape reseller sites for cards to snap up. Oh, how the turntables, etc.

Another day, another lack of RTX 5080 (and 5090) stock. While a small number of retailers in the UK and Australia have pre-orders open for pre-built PCs with RTX 5080 cards inside, you're out of luck if you want to pick up the card by itself - and US shoppers get basically nothing, with no restocks in sight for the next week or more. Sorry folks!

Some good news (sort of) for shoppers in the US: while it still doesn't look like anywhere has restocked the standalone RTX 5080 card, you can currently nab Dell's Alienware Area-51 gaming PC, which comes packing the GPU along with an Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, 32GB of RAM, and 2TB of SSD storage. The downside? It costs $4,449.99 - a hefty premium for a high-end gaming desktop, to be sure, but possibly the only way to get your hands on an RTX 5000 card in the US right now.

(Image credit: Dell)

RTX 5080 shoppers, you'll still struggle to pick up one of these GPUs in the US or UK. Some retailers have pre-orders available, but these are subject to restocks and work on a first-come, first-served basis - meaning that at this point, you'll be behind many other people in the queue. Only sign up for this sort of pre-order if it's a 'reserve now, pay later' situation; paying upfront for a nebulous promise of getting a GPU at some point in the future isn't a good idea.

Today's the day, folks: our RTX 5070 review has gone live, and while it's no 5080 in terms of performance, it is an affordable Blackwell card that expands the number of 50 series GPUs on the market.We covered both the considerable upsides and disappointing drawbacks in our 5070 review, including the solid 1440p gaming performance and reasonable price point, as well as the high power draw and just 12GB of VRAM.If you're keen on getting your hands on one, I'd check the retailers listed above like Newegg and Micro Center. Check out our full review for a deep dive into the performance and value of Nvidia's new RTX 5070 GPU.

To all of our UK friends in search of an RTX 5080, we bring good news: Overclockers just got some fresh stock in starting at £979 - get in before the scalpers and resellers do!You've got options, too. Zotac, MSI, Asus - you name it, Overclockers has it in right now. Even a water-cooled version from MSI if you're after a fully water-cooled build (though it will cost you a grand £1,699.99).

Jump to your regionUS Nvidia RTX 5070 Ti stockUK Nvidia RTX 5070 Ti stock

Nvidia's newest addition to the RTX 5000 series lineup, the RTX 5070 Ti, starts at $749 in the US and £729 in the UK and is available for purchase starting today Thursday, February 20.If you're on the hunt for a shiny new Blackwell card to put in your PC, unfortunately you are far from alone. The good news is, you've come to the right place. TechRadar's Computing team has our eyes glued to the retailers in this list so you can be the first to know where to buy the RTX 5070 Ti as stock changes.We're also on the lookout for prebuilt gaming PCs and laptops with 5070 Ti cards already installed. These may be your best bet at getting an RTX 5070 Ti close to launch day for a reasonable price.So be sure to bookmark this page - you won't want to miss any updates on these GPUs. If the RTX 5080 and 5090 are to be any indication, the 5070 Ti will sell out incredibly fast.

WHERE TO BUY RTX 5070 Ti: US QUICK LINKS

Nvidia: Buy third-party GPUs direct from NvidiaAmazon: May have some initial stock but usually a good bet later onBest Buy: Several third-party cards on saleNewegg: Loads of 5070 Ti cards from Asus, Gigabyte, MSI, and moreB&H: A few PNY cards available from stock alert onlyMicro Center: Retailer will have stock on February 20Adorama: Worth a look when sales go live

WHERE TO BUY RTX 5070 Ti: UK QUICK LINKS

Nvidia: Find third-party GPUs right on Nvidia's websiteAmazon: Should have a number of RTX 5070 ti models soonEbuyer: Already lists RTX 5070 Ti models but no pre-orders (yet)Scan: Loads of Zotac, Gigabyte, and more 5070 Ti GPUsOverclockers: Has a fair amount of stock available from Feb 20 at 2pmBox: Check here for third-party stockEE: The mobile network operator is selling RTX 5070 Ti GPUs on a first-come first-serve basisAWD-IT: Gaming PCs stocked with 5000 series cards, including the 5070 Ti

WHERE TO BUY RTX 5070 TI IN THE US

If you've been put off by the RTX 5080 and 5090s' price tags, I don't blame you. Nvidia's RTX 5070 Ti card comes in at a much more palatable price point for a modern-day upgrade, and you still get the latest Nvidia advancements like fifth-gen Tensor cores and Multi Frame Generation.They're likely to sell out nearly instantly, though. So be sure to have your alerts set and this page bookmarked if you plan to get one on launch day, February 20.

Nvidia RTX 5070 Ti deals at AmazonIf the 5070 Ti follows suit of its bigger brothers, Amazon probably won't actually have much stock at all on launch day. We're not positive this will be the case, so I'd still check it out, but I presume Amazon will be a better bet for stock down the road.View Deal

Nvidia RTX 5070 Ti deals at NvidiaNvidia, on the other hand, will definitely have RTX 5070 Ti stock for sale on Thursday. You can find third-party GPUs from Asus, MSI, and more right from Nvidia's website. If you can get in quick enough, this could be a good shot at getting your hands on a Blackwell card when they drop.View Deal

Nvidia RTX 5070 Ti deals at Best BuyBest Buy is always a great place to look for graphics cards, but because most everyone knows that, stock is sure to disappear before you can blink twice. That said, with the wide range of 5070 Ti models and prebuilts on offer here, you might luck out. View Deal

Nvidia RTX 5070 Ti deals at NeweggNewegg is still running a GPU trade-in value deal, which is a great chance to get a 5070 Ti at a discounted price while also getting rid of your old hardware. There are plenty of third-party GPUs to pick from, so there's a decent chance stock will hold up come release day.View Deal

Nvidia RTX 5070 Ti deals at B&HB&H photo has it set up so that the only way you can get an RTX 5070 Ti is if you're signed up and have stock alerts enabled. This is one extra hoop to jump through, but hopefully it should stave off some scalpers and give you a chance to get a graphics card on launch day.View Deal

WHERE TO BUY RTX 5070 Ti IN THE UK

Stock for the RTX 5080 and 5090 seems to have disappeared just as quickly in the UK as in the US, so we doubt the 5070 Ti will prove to be much different. That's why it's important to have your bookmarks set and your alerts enabled at these retailers!

Nvidia RTX 5070 Ti deals at NvidiaGoing directly to the source could net you an RTX 5070 Ti, but you'll have to be quick about it. You can find third-party cards here from Asus, MSI, and more for fair prices.View Deal

Nvidia RTX 5070 Ti for £729 at AmazonAmazon UK has got stock of the MSI GeForce RTX 5070 Ti 16G SHADOW 3X OC, and it's selling it for the MSRP of £729.View Deal

Nvidia RTX 5070 Ti stock at OverclockersYou can look now to see what kind of stock Overclockers will have available starting at 2pm on February 20. There are all kinds of third-party 5070 Ti GPUs from PNY, Asus, Gigabyte, and more. Ignore the crazy price tags for now, these will change come launch day.View Deal

Nvidia RTX 5070 Ti stock at EbuyerEbuyer is another fantastic site to check for new PC components, and the 5080 launch is no exception. Like everywhere else, be sure to check back in on January 30 to assess the available stock.View Deal

Nvidia RTX 5070 Ti stock at ScanScan looks to have a fantastic amount of stock for the Nvidia RTX 5070 Ti. Not only can you find Blackwell graphics cards from just about every major third-party retailer, but there are already listings for gaming laptops as well.View Deal

Nvidia RTX 5070 Ti stock at EEWhile you may not think of EE when it comes to graphics cards, it's also going to be selling Nvidia's RTX 5070 Ti on February 20 on a first-come-first-serve basis.View Deal

These are the best graphics cards of 2025

(Image credit: MSI)

Good morning! Today's the day that the Nvidia RTX 5070 Ti goes on sale. If Nvidia's previous RTX 5000 series launches are anything to go buy, expect stock to go live around 9am ET / 2PM GMT.That's still a few hours away, so now is a good time to check out the retailers above, and make sure you're signed in to your accounts ahead of the GPUs going on sale.This is because, like the RTX 5080 and RTX 5090 GPUs that launched a few weeks ago, I expect the RTX 5070 Ti to sell out fast, so you'll want to make sure you're as prepared as usual. You don't want to have a new GPU in your shopping cart, only to find out when you come to pay that you need to sign in with a long-forgotten password.

(Image credit: Future)

So, why do we think the RTX 5070 Ti will sell out fast? Well, for a start, as I mentioned earlier, the RTX 5080 and RTX 5090 sold out incredibly quickly when they went on sale a few weeks ago, proving that there's a huge demand for Nvidia's latest GPUs.Those two cards are high-end and very expensive GPUs, which makes the fact they sold out so fast even more impressive.However, this doesn't bode well for RTX 5070 Ti stock availability. For a start, everyone who tried and failed to get a 5090 or 5080 will likely try to get a 5070 Ti, as reviews suggest it's an excellent card.On top of that, the 5070 Ti has a much more affordable price tag, which should mean it'll be more popular than the premium GPU, so we could see even more people try to snag one.

(Image credit: Future / Mike Moore)

So, there's going to be a big rush when the RTX 5070 Ti goes on sale - but there are some things we've learned from the earlier launches that can help improve your chances of getting one.Firstly, I recommend you keep this page open throughout the day, as we'll be updating it live - and we'll be giving stock alerts when we find a retailer that is still selling 5070 Tis, and we'll link directly to the GPUs so you can quickly buy them.

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Using this page to help you find stock will also keep you from being scammed or overpaying. Unfortunately, unscrupulous people will use the excitement and demand of the 5070 Ti to take advantage of people.This could be done by selling fake cards, or (in a process known as 'scalping') buying real 5070 Tis and then selling them on for hugely inflated prices.We'll only recommend trusted retailers that we know won't rip you off, and we'll only link to 5070 Ti models that are sensibly priced. With the RTX 5090 launch, I found several retailers selling the GPU for around $4,000 - a huge mark up. No matter how desperate you are to get a new 5070 Ti, you really don't want to pay obscene amounts just to get one. It's much better to wait until more stock arrives - trust me.

As well as the main retailers, we'll also check out less well known stores as well, as they can sell out more slowly as most people will check out the likes of Best Buy and Currys (in the UK) first.

(Image credit: Future / HP)

As with previous GPUs that were subject to high demand, one alternative way of getting hold of one is by buying a pre-built gaming PC with the GPU installed.While this might seem an expensive way of doing things, it can be worth it if you were thinking of upgrading several parts of your Pc at once. You could also sell your old PC if you no longer need it, and that could make the initial outlay more affordable.

And, while this might not be the case with the more affordable 5070 Ti, we have seen in the past inflated GPU prices which meant buying an entire PC with the GPU installed wasn't much more expensive than buying the GPU by itself! Considering you're getting other new components with an entire PC, it can end up being better value than you might first imagine.So, we'll also highlight any great prebuilt gaming PCs that come with the RTX 5070 Ti as well.

Of course, we're still updating our where to buy the Nvidia RTX 5080 and where to buy the Nvidia RTX 5090 guides as well, though stock remains extremely low, so there's not too much to report at the moment.

Although its pricing and performance (the latter of which places it almost on par with the more expensive RTX 5080) could make the RTX 5070 Ti the de facto best pick of Nvidia’s current crop of GPUs, finding one at retail price could prove difficult - and if it does, I'd feel compelled to say you should sit and wait.That goes double for anyone who already has an RTX 4000 card; frankly, I'll be sticking with my RTX 4080 for a while, Multi Frame Generation be damned.

(Image credit: Nvidia)

Don't get me wrong, mind you: DLSS 4 with Nvidia's newly boosted frame-gen tech is seriously impressive. I recently saw it in action in Cyberpunk 2077, and having used the first-gen iteration of the software, the difference is truly night and day.It's still not perfect, but visual tearing, blurring, and artifacting while upscaled to 4K with frame-gen turned on is significantly reduced even against DLSS 3 on a 4000-series GPU, to the point where it's almost completely unnoticeable even when I'm actively looking for it. I spotted the occasional tiny bit of blurring on the HUD while driving and shooting at high speeds, but that was literally it - Nvidia's framerate-boosting features have come a long way since the comparatively iffy original DLSS.

Our Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti review just went live!TechRadar's Components Editor, John Loeffler, put the Asus Prime GeForce RTX 5070 Ti through its paces in our comprehensive benchmark suite of creative, AI, and gaming testing.The results speak for themselves - the RTX 5070 Ti looks to be the best graphics card currently on the market for most systems...if you can manage to buy one. Read the full review for an outstanding in-depth breakdown of the RTX 5070 Ti's performance and value proposition.

Honing in on 4K gaming, the RTX 5070 Ti puts up some impressive numbers at its MSRP of $749. That said, as we discuss in our review, without a Founders Edition 5070 Ti to serve as a baseline, that price is more of a suggestion than a steadfast rule for partner cards.Still, if you can find a 5070 Ti for a respectable price, you're looking at "31% better overall average FPS than the RTX 4070 Ti and about 23% better average FPS than the RTX 4070 Ti Super" per our benchmark tests.The graph below has some customization options - use the top drop down bars to select different test results and single out specific GPUs, like the RTX 5070 Ti vs the RTX 4070 Ti.

Access to upscaling and frame-gen tools is clearly going to become the Next Big Thing in gaming, with even home consoles starting to implement resolution upscaling (I do still think PSSR is a terrible name, though).With that in mind, the RTX 5070 Ti - and the upcoming RTX 5070 - make a lot of sense for gamers looking to upgrade from an older GPU. If you're still rocking a 2000 card or even something from the GTX generations, these midrange Blackwell cards will be a worthy upgrade purely for DLSS 4, let alone the raw performance improvements.

One key question some shoppers may be asking is this: should I get an RTX 5070 Ti, or just wait for the regular 5070?For some PC gamers, this might be an answer as simple as ‘do I have an extra two hundred bucks’, but for those who could spring for the 5070 To but are uncertain, it's a much harder decision. Personally, I want to say that the 4070 Ti Super-beating performance makes it a sure bet, but we're still a few weeks away from the 5070 launch on March 5, so it's too soon to say - with a fairly significant price difference, I'd say that unless the Ti model outperforms the regular 5070 by a margin of at least 20% before upscaling tech is applied, the cheaper card may in fact be the better option when it comes to value for money.

To absolutely nobody's surprise, and as was the case for the RTX 5080 and 5090 before it, nearly all stock for the RTX 5070 Ti has been scooped up and accounted for on the first day.While you probably won't have much luck getting a standalone GPU until retailers restock (stay tuned!), you do still have some options for prebuilt PCs and gaming laptops from retailers like Newegg and B&H Photo. These options aren't exactly budget-friendly, but they do offer a chance at the latest hardware in a professional, pre-planned and fully compatible build, oftentimes with a warranty as an added layer of protection.

Weren't able to get your hands on an Nvidia RTX 5070 Ti? We're not surprised - but we are here to let you know the RTX 5070 has gone on sale and our review highlights both the upsides, like fantastic 1440p performance and a reasonable price point over previous-gen cards, and the downsides, like an underwhelming 12GB of VRAM and high power draw.Downsides aside, this is yet another chance at securing a Blackwell card close to release, and if you have an older 30 series card, there's definitely some huge performance gains to be had here for a price that won't break the bank.You can still find some stock at retailers like Newegg and B&H Photo, so hurry in to place your order if you're looking to upgrade!

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

UK friends - if you're still on the hunt for Nvidia's RTX 5070 Ti, we have some good news!AWD-IT has some fantastic options for pre-built gaming PCs stocked with Blackwell GPUs, including the 5070 Ti. Rather than one-size-fits-all stock builds, rigs like the £1,299.99 AWD-IT Charger are built-to-order, meaning you get quite a few customization options when it comes to the internals. The PC is built around the graphics card though, so that can't be swapped out (but AWD-IT also has PCs featuring the 5070, 5080, and 5090).When you look at the value on offer here, that's a pretty solid deal considering scalpers and resellers have already had their fun with Nvidia's latest, and fairly rocky, 5000 series launch.

And if you're in the US, it looks like Micro Center has some 5070 Ti cards in stock right now from Zotac, MSI, Asus, and more - hurry to them!

UK Stock alert!

(Image credit: MSI)

Amazon UK now has the MSI GeForce RTX 5070 Ti 16G SHADOW 3X OC for £729!It's great to see the GPU not only in stock, but also selling for the MSRP - but it looks like it's selling fast so make sure you're quick.

It looks like we're finally seeing some retailers get more stock in after the initial tidal wave of GPU sales, and Overclockers isn't one to be left out.It's got 5070 Ti cards in stock from £729, and if you hurry and place your order now you might be able to beat the scalpers.Looking at the more budget friendly RTX 5070 instead? Overclockers has you covered there too with stock starting at at £529.99(or £509 on sale for the Palit GeForce RTX 5070 Infinity 3).These are pretty solid prices given how quickly stock is flying off the shelves, so hurry in if you're looking to upgrade. It's not just a few cards, either - you've got options.

Motorola has revealed the Motorola Edge 60 Fusion, with a unique canvas-like texture on one modelA spokesperson from Motorola told TechRadar about a bit of "world-first" display tech in the new phoneThe Edge 60 Fusion is out now and costs £299.99 in the UK - a US release is not expected

Motorola has announced a new cheap phone with a unique canvas finish, and what it calls the “world’s first quad-curve edge display”.The Motorola Edge 60 Fusion comes equipped with a 6.67-inch quad-curved display that continues the company’s partnership with Pantone by offering Pantone-validated color profile.At a starting price of £299.99, the Edge 60 Fusion takes on the role of Motorola’s new cheap slab handset – we expect it will soon be joined by the Edge 60 Pro, the rumored details of which we recently covered.We don’t yet have a price for Australia, and the phone won’t launch at all in the US.As well as the supposed “world’s first” in its display tech (more on that later), the Edge 60 Fusion is probably most likely to turn heads with its design and construction.

Thought the Motorola Edge 60 Fusion has four camera rings, two are occupied by a flash and light sensor (Image credit: Motorola)

Motorola has also collaborated with Pantone on the phone’s design, with three stylish colors to choose from: Pantone Zephyr, Pantone Slipstream, and Pantone Amazonite – that’s pink, blue, and teal in everyday parlance.Build-wise, the phone comes in a pleasant vegan leather in the Zephyr and Slipstream colors, while the Amazonite model features a synthetic material that emulates the feeling of canvas. If you ever wanted your phone to feel like a tote bag, Motorola’s got you covered.That unique material conveys no loss in resistance to the elements – the phone is rated at up to IP69, the highest possible rating for dust and water resistance.Let’s talk hardware: the Edge 60 Fusion sports the mid-range MediaTek Dimensity 7300 chipset and 8GB of RAM, which should offer a respectable level of hardware power for the phone’s low price.The phone also comes with up to 256GB of storage, offering plenty of room for photographs and videos taken with its dual-camera system.Alongside a main 50MP camera with optical image stabilization, the Edge 60 Fusion comes equipped with an ultra-wide lens with in-built macro abilities, with a minimum focal length of 3cm.A handful of software shooting modes – some assisted by Motorola’s proprietary Moto AI toolkit – allow for more flexibility, such as Action Shot and Adaptive Stabilization.That same Moto AI suite pops up elsewhere, too – the phone comes with AI features that are fast becoming standard for smartphones, such as transcription, note taking, and image generation.

World’s first?

(Image credit: Motorola)

As I write this, I have the Motorola Edge 60 Fusion to hand, and while I’m impressed by its display quality and light construction, I can’t quite see what makes it a “world first”.A spokesperson from Motorola told TechRadar: "In a world first, we are excited to launch Motorola Edge 60 Fusion with the quad-curve edge for our tech-savvy fans. Not only has the device been crafted with Pantone Validated Colours, the unique all-around curved display transitions seamlessly from the screen to the back."What sets the device apart from competitors is the 'endless edge' concept where the curve is more intense and pronounced, wrapping over the edges to create a waterfall effect for a more immersive device experience.”Granted, the display does wrap around in all four directions, but most prominently on the long sides of the phone. I’ve also used other phones that curve on all sides, like the Oppo Find X8 Pro, and while the long edges of the Motorola Edge 60 Fusion are definitely more pronounced, I’m not sure the same applies to the top and bottom of the display.In any case, the Edge 60 Fusion looks like good enough value to not have to rely on somewhat tenuous “world’s-first” claims – I can see it contending for a spot on our list of the UK’s best cheap phones. Let us know what you think of the Motorola Edge 60 Fusion in the comments below.

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Nintendo is delaying US Switch 2 pre-orders in response to the sweeping tariffs announced by President Donald Trump earlier this week, reports Polygon. As of Nintendo's announcement of the console on Wednesday, pre-orders in the United States were scheduled to open on April 9. They're now delayed indefinitely.

"Pre-orders for Nintendo Switch 2 in the US will not start April 9, 2025 in order to assess the potential impact of tariffs and evolving market conditions," the company told Polygon. "Nintendo will update timing at a later date. The launch date of June 5, 2025 is unchanged."

Nintendo did not immediately respond to Engadget's comment request.

Developing...This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-delays-switch-2-us-pre-orders-following-trump-tariffs-150747208.html?src=rss

Nintendo Switch 2 preorders in the US have been delayedPreorders won't open on April 9, 2025, but is still launching on June 5, 2025Nintendo says it is assessing the potential impact of tariffs

Nintendo has announced that it will be delaying Nintendo Switch 2 preorders in the US as it assesses the impact of tariffs imposed by the Trump Administration.The company initially announced during its big Switch 2 Direct that the console will officially launch on June 5, 2025, with preorders scheduled to open on April 8 in the UK and April 9 in the United States.Unfortunately, US fans will have to wait a bit longer before they can secure their console as Nintendo has now confirmed that preorders will not start on April 9."Pre-orders for Nintendo Switch 2 in the U.S. will not start April 9, 2025, in order to assess the potential impact of tariffs and evolving market conditions," Nintendo said in a statement to press that TechRadar Gaming has received.Nintendo said it will update the preorder timing at a later date but confirmed that the console will still launch on June 5.Once preorders do officially open in the US, the Switch 2 will cost $449.99 / £395.99 or $499.99 / £429.99 for the Mario Kart World bundle.Following the Switch 2 Direct, some online storefronts in the UK opened preorders ahead of time, and Amazon UK is also now accepting invites for those interested in getting their hands on the console.

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After months of anticipation and years of speculation, Nintendo is finally spilling all the beans about the Switch 2. In a Nintendo Direct presentation, the company is filling in questions we've had about the console since it was first officially revealed in a short teaser this past January.

Switch 2 launch date and pricing

We finally know when the console will be available: June 5, 2025. It'll cost $450 at launch. Pre-orders were planned to start on April 9, but on April 4 the company announced they were on hold indefinitely because of the newly-announced tariffs in the United States.

Switch 2 hardware

The Switch 2 console has the same thickness but has a much larger display — 7.9 inches at a 1080p resolution, versus the 6.2-inch 720p screen on the old console. And it runs at up to 120fps. It is an LCD display, rather than OLED, but it supports HDR at least.

As expected, the new Joy-Con controllers attach magnetically and have much bigger SL and SR buttons for when you're playing on a single Joy-Con controller. The sticks are also bigger, and each Joy-Con can be used as a mouse on compatible games.

The built-in stand looks much better than the ones on older Switch systems, and there are two USB-C ports on the console as well. Nintendo also highlighted 3D audio when using compatible headphones, and the speakers on the console itself should be a lot better as well. The console has 256GB of storage, far surpassing the 32GB on the original model. The Switch 2 dock outputs at up to 4K with compatible games and the dock has a built-in fan to keep things cool when running at higher resolutions.

Switch 2 is using similar game cards to the original Switch, but Nintendo notes that they're faster; you'll have to use microSD Express cards for extra storage this time though. Standard microSD ones won't be compatible with the new hardware.

A new Nintendo Switch 2 Pro controller will also be available with the C button to activate GameChat, and it also has GL and GR buttons on the back that you can assign to any specific actions. There's also a headphone jack, too.

One of the most important specs on a portable console is battery life — and unfortunately, the Switch 2 might not be great in that department. Nintendo's spec sheet says it is rated between 2 and 6.5 hours of gameplay, depending of course on the game. Even the original Switch promised a slightly better 2.5 to 6.5 hours of battery life. Either way, it's far beyond what the current Switch models offer. As for networking, the Switch 2 has been upgraded to Wi-Fi 6.

Voice and video chat

The first new feature Nintendo highlighted on its updated Joy-Con controllers was the C button. The C button lets you enter the new GameChat features. You can voice chat while playing using a built-in microphone, even when the console is docked. It's the first time that a Nintendo system has had voice chat, and you can also share your game screen with friends as you play as well. For example, in Mario Kart this gives you more of a feel like you're all playing connected to a TV even though you're remote, because you can see everything that your friends are doing as well.

And the chat and screen-share features work even if you're all playing different games, so you can just get a group together to hang out while playing different titles. There's also a Switch 2 camera that enables video chat that'll show you on screen while you're playing. These features will require a Nintendo Switch Online subscription, but Nintendo will offer it for free to everyone until March 31, 2026.

Mario Kart World

As expected, we're finally getting a new entry in the venerable Mario Kart series, Mario Kart World. It looks looks familiar while also showing off some wild new tricks, like skateboard-style grinds on rails and wall jumps. The courses also look much larger and wider than any we've ever seen before. For the first time, it looks like there's an open world connecting all the various courses, and weather and time of day will change.

Nintendo also says that you can go off-course and drive "virtually everywhere." And fitting those huge tracks, the Grand Prix will have 24 competitors in one race. Overall, it's a massive update which feels appropriate — the last Mario Kart game arrived way back in 2014 for the Wii U and was updated for the original Switch. It'll be out the same day as the Switch 2, June 5.

Other games coming to Switch 2

Nintendo ran down a handful of other games coming to the Switch 2, including Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition, a new title called Drag x Drive that uses the Switch 2 mouse controls in what looks like an extreme wheelchair sporting event, Hades II, Street Fighter 6, Split Fiction, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 +4, Hitman: World of Assassination and Daemon x Machina.

Nintendo is also working on Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, which will be out this winter; it's being developed in with Koei Techmo games and will have the same combat-focused vibes as other Dynasty Warrior-style titles.

From Software is also releasing a new game exclusively for the Switch 2 called The Duskbloods in 2026. It feels a lot like Bloodbourne at first glance.

Perhaps the biggest first-party game to be revealed today besides Mario Kart World is a new 3D platformer starring Donkey Kong: Donkey Kong Bananza. It definitely has similar vibes to 3D Mario adventures, but in a totally new context.

There's a laundry list of games that were mentioned today; Nintendo has helpfully pulled them together in this press release.

Finally, Nintendo has announced that the Switch Online service will host another classic console, the GameCube. The initial game library includes The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, F-Zero GX and SOULCALIBUR II. For the first time on Nintendo's classic consoles through the Switch Online service, GameCube games will run at higher resolutions than the original titles.

Nintendo Switch 2 edition games

In addition to games expressly designed for the Switch 2, Nintendo will also be releasing a "Switch 2 edition" for selected titles, like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. Those titles will have improved resolutions and frame rates as well as new features that'll show up in a companion smartphone app. Nintendo didn't say how much these upgrades would cost yet.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land is also getting a Switch 2 edition that adds an additional world to explore, while Metroid Prime 4: Beyond will have both a Switch and Switch 2 edition; the Switch 2 edition can run in 4K at 60fps or up to 120fps at a lower resolution.

Update, April 4 2025, 11:18AM ET: Added details about pre-orders being put on hold indefinitely.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-switch-2-release-date-price-new-switch-games-and-everything-else-you-need-to-know-133105613.html?src=rss

The State Bar of Texas is warning members about a data breachIt is offering free credit and identity theft monitoringINC ransomware claimed responsibility for the attack

The State Bar of Texas, the official regulatory authority for lawyers in the US state, has confirmed suffering a data breach that resulted in the theft of sensitive member data.“On February 12, 2025, the State Bar of Texas identified suspicious activity on its network and moved quickly to secure its environment,” a data breach notification letter sent to affected individuals reads.”Through the investigation, we determined that there was unauthorized access to our network between January 28, 2025 and February 9, 2025.”The Texas State Bar is responsible for licensing, ethics enforcement, and professional development. Its members are mostly licensed attorneys, and it also provides legal resources for the public and supports the legal profession through education and advocacy.

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INC ransomware

While the organization did not detail the type of information stolen, or the identity of the attackers, ransomware operators called INC ransomware claimed responsibility for the breach. In fact, the group already leaked samples of the data on the dark web, which include full member names and some legal case documents.While the authenticity of the data is yet to be determined, the State Bar of Texas has already offered free credit and identity theft monitoring service through Experian, until July 31 2025.Potentially affected individuals are also recommended activating a credit freeze, or placing a fraud alert on their credit files to make sure the attack does not escalate further.If the organization is added to a leak site, and samples are available to download, then it’s safe to assume that the negotiations between the attackers and the victim are ongoing.If the archives get removed, then the organization likely paid the ransom demand. If the entire data gets put up for sale (or dumped), then the negotiations most likely broke down.Law enforcement agencies advise against paying the ransom demand.Via BleepingComputer

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A four-pack of Samsung’s SmartTag 2 trackers is on sale for $58 via Woot. That’s a massive discount of 42 percent, as the regular price is $100. This combo pack ships with two black trackers and two white trackers.

They easily made our list of the best Bluetooth trackers. We appreciated the vast finding network, as there are a lot of Samsung phones out there contributing to it. We said the network is “larger than anything out there for Android.” The trackers offer a decent battery life of 16 months, and the batteries are replaceable.

There’s also a large hole for keychains, which is something Apple AirTags lack. The ring volume is also louder than both AirTags and Tile Pro trackers. These trackers are fairly hearty, with IP67 water and dust-resistance. Setup is simple, as the companion app walks users through just about everything.

There’s only one downside, but it’s a doozy. SmartTag trackers only work with Samsung tablets and phones. This doesn’t really impact the finding network, as there are millions of Samsung devices out there, but does limit who should make this purchase.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/a-four-pack-of-samsung-smarttag-2-trackers-is-on-sale-for-58-right-now-152356230.html?src=rss

Building strong customer relationships is essential for business success, but many companies make critical errors that damage these connections. Here are five common mistakes and practical solutions to address them:

Poor communication

Many businesses struggle to establish clear and consistent communication channels with their customers. This lack of effective communication can lead to misunderstandings, frustration, and ultimately lost sales. Customers may feel ignored or undervalued when their inquiries or concerns are not addressed promptly and effectively.How to Fix It:1. Implement a Multi-Channel Communication Strategy: Embrace a comprehensive approach that incorporates various platforms such as email, phone calls, social media, and face-to-face interactions. This ensures that customers can reach out using the method they are most comfortable with, enhancing their overall experience.2. Set Clear Expectations for Response Times: Communicate to customers how long they can expect to wait for a response depending on the channel they use. For instance, you might aim for a response within 24 hours for emails, immediate responses on social media, and real-time support via phone. Clearly stating these expectations fosters trust and reduces frustration.3. Ensure Consistent Follow-Through: Make it a priority to adhere to the promised response times and follow up with customers after resolving their issues. A simple message confirming that a concern has been addressed shows customers they are valued and encourages ongoing engagement.4. Utilize CRM Software: Consider implementing Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software to keep track of all customer interactions. This tool can help ensure that no customer inquiries are overlooked and allows team members to view the history of communications, enabling better continuity in service. A well-maintained CRM can also provide insights into customer behavior and preferences, which can be leveraged to tailor communications further.5. Train Your Team: Regular training sessions for your staff on effective communication techniques can significantly enhance customer interactions. Equip them with the skills to handle various scenarios, fostering empathy and understanding during discussions with customers.6. Seek Customer Feedback: Encourage customers to provide feedback on their communication experiences. Surveying customers can highlight areas for improvement and help refine your communication strategies over time.By adopting these strategies, businesses can not only improve communication but also build stronger relationships with their customers, leading to increased loyalty and satisfaction.

Not listening to customer feedback

(Image credit: Maskot via Getty Images)

Companies frequently solicit customer feedback but often fail to take meaningful action on it, which can leave customers feeling undervalued and ignored. This disconnect not only diminishes customer trust but can also lead to increased churn rates.How to fix it:1. Establish a Structured Feedback Process: Develop a clear and systematic approach to collecting, reviewing, and acting on customer feedback. Utilize a variety of channels—surveys, social media, direct communication—to ensure you gather a wide range of insights. Consider implementing a dedicated team or using specialized software to manage and analyze feedback effectively.2. Categorize and Prioritize Suggestions: Once feedback is collected, categorize it based on themes (e.g., product improvement, customer service, website usability). Prioritize the suggestions that align with your business goals and have the potential to create the most significant impact on customer satisfaction.3. Communicate Impactful Changes: Transparency is key. Regularly inform customers about how their feedback has prompted specific improvements. Use newsletters, social media updates, or dedicated sections on your website to showcase changes inspired by customer input. This not only demonstrates that you value their opinions but also encourages continued engagement.4. Close the Feedback Loop: After implementing changes based on feedback, follow up with the customers who contributed those suggestions. Send personalized messages or invitations to share their thoughts on the improvements. This not only reinforces their importance but also fosters a relationship of trust and accountability.5. Continuously Evaluate and Adapt: Regularly assess the effectiveness of the changes made in response to customer feedback. This evaluation should include monitoring customer satisfaction metrics and soliciting feedback on the new implementations. Use this ongoing data to refine your approach and make further enhancements.By creating a robust system that actively responds to customer feedback, companies can enhance customer loyalty and satisfaction while fostering a culture of continuous improvement.

Focusing on transactions instead of relationships

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

When businesses emphasize short-term sales at the expense of fostering long-term relationships, they ultimately undermine customer loyalty. This approach can lead to transactional interactions, where customers feel like mere numbers rather than valued individuals.How to fix it:1. Train Your Team for Customer Success: Shift the focus of your training programs to prioritize customer success. Equip your team with the skills and mindset needed to understand customer needs deeply and to offer solutions that genuinely enhance their experience. Encourage them to build rapport and actively listen to client feedback. Regular workshops and role-playing scenarios can help refine these skills.2. Develop Comprehensive Loyalty Programs: Create loyalty programs that not only reward repeat business but also incentivize referrals. Consider tiered rewards that offer greater benefits as customers engage more with your brand. This could include exclusive discounts, early access to new products, or personalized offers based on their purchase history. Communicate these programs clearly to ensure customers understand the value they provide.3. Measure Customer Lifetime Value (CLV): Instead of solely focusing on individual transactions, broaden your metrics to include customer lifetime value. CLV provides insight into how much revenue a customer is likely to generate over their lifetime with your business. By analyzing this data, you can make informed decisions about how much to invest in nurturing relationships, targeting marketing efforts, and tailoring services to meet customer needs effectively.4. Solicit Feedback and Act on It: Regularly seek feedback from your customers to gauge their satisfaction and identify areas for improvement. Develop surveys or direct outreach initiatives to collect this information. Importantly, act on the feedback received and communicate the changes to your customers. This demonstrates that you value their opinions and are committed to enhancing their experience.5. Create a Community Around Your Brand: Build a sense of community among your customers by engaging them through social media, exclusive events, or forums where they can connect with each other as well as with your brand. This not only fosters loyalty but also encourages customers to advocate for your brand, enhancing your reputation and reach.By implementing these strategies, businesses can cultivate a loyal customer base that values authentic connections, ultimately driving sustainable growth.

Over-promising and under-delivering

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Making commitments you can't keep can significantly undermine trust between you and your customers. When clients rely on your word but find that promises are unfulfilled, it can lead to frustration and disappointment, potentially damaging long-term relationships.How to fix it:1. Set Realistic Expectations: It’s crucial to provide clear and achievable timelines regarding your products and services. Take the time to assess your capabilities and consider all factors that could impact delivery, including resource availability and market conditions.2. Build in Buffer Time: Anticipate potential delays by creating buffer periods in your timelines. This cushion allows for unexpected issues without jeopardizing your commitments. When clients are aware that you’ve factored in these contingencies, they are more likely to be understanding if delays occur.3. Communicate Proactively: Transparency is key. If challenges arise that may affect your ability to meet commitments, address these issues immediately with your customers. Keeping them informed shows that you value their trust and are working diligently to resolve any problems.4. Follow Up Regularly: Even when things are going smoothly, regular check-ins can reinforce trust. Keep clients updated on the progress of their requests or projects, and reassure them that they can count on you throughout the process.5. Learn from Experience: After any commitment is fulfilled, reflect on the process. Analyze what went well and where improvements can be made. Incorporating feedback from clients can help you adjust your future commitments, ensuring they are more manageable.By implementing these strategies, you can foster trust and reliability with your customers, ultimately enhancing their overall experience and loyalty to your brand.

Neglecting existing customers for new ones

(Image credit: Shutterstock/fizkes)

Many businesses prioritize acquiring new customers, often overlooking the importance of nurturing and retaining their current clientele. This oversight can lead to weakened customer relationships and lost revenue in the long run.How to Fix It:1. Develop Specific Retention Strategies: Businesses should create targeted retention strategies that reflect their customer base's unique needs and behaviors. This includes segments based on purchase history, preferences, and feedback.2. Allocate Appropriate Resources: Dedicate resources—both financial and human—to customer retention initiatives. This could mean hiring dedicated personnel for customer success roles or investing in technology that facilitates better customer engagement.3. Implement Specialized Onboarding Programs: A well-structured onboarding process can set the tone for the entire customer relationship. Tailor onboarding programs to ensure that customers are fully educated about the products or services they’ve purchased, highlighting key features and best practices to enhance their experience.4. Create Ongoing Relationship Management Programs: Develop relationship management programs that include regular check-ins with customers. Scheduled follow-ups can be used to gather feedback, offer support, and suggest additional products that might meet their evolving needs.5. Establish a Customer Feedback Loop: Regularly solicit feedback from customers through surveys, interviews, and direct conversations. Actively listen to their input and take actionable steps based on their suggestions or concerns. This not only makes customers feel valued but also helps businesses tailor their offerings.6. Deliver Value Beyond the Sale: Engage customers with valuable content or resources even after the sale. This can include newsletters, webinars, or exclusive offers, which can deepen the relationship and create a sense of community.By identifying and proactively addressing these common pitfalls, businesses can transform previously struggling customer relationships into robust, mutually beneficial partnerships. Such investments in customer retention can lead to increased loyalty, higher customer lifetime value, and sustained growth and success for the organization.

Ivanti recently patched a critical severity flaw in Connect Secure VPNMandiant says the bug is being used in the wild by Chinese actorsTwo new malware strains were discovered

Ivanti has recently patched a critical severity vulnerability found in its Connect Secure (ICS) VPN appliances which was allegedly being abused in the wild by Chinese state-sponsored actors.Researchers at Mandiant published a new security advisory stating Ivanti discovered and fixed a buffer overflow vulnerability in ICS 9.X (unsupported) and 22.7R2.5 and earlier versions. The vulnerability is tracked as CVE-2025-22457, and carries a severity score of 9.0/10 (critical).At first, no one was aware of the bug’s disruptive potential, Mandiant explained, but later - evidence of remote code execution (RCE) attacks were discovered.

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Cyber-espionage

In these attacks, allegedly conducted by a threat actor tracked as UNC5221, two new malware variants were used: TRAILBLAZE, and BUSHFIRE.The former is an in-memory only dropper, while the latter is a passive backdoor. Furthermore, the researchers saw cybercriminals dropping malware from the SPAWN ecosystem, as well.UNC5221 is a known, China-nexus espionage actor that was observed, on multiple occasions, targeting vulnerable Ivanti instances. For example, in early January this year, Ivanti said it saw two flaws - CVE-2025-0282 and CVE-2025-0283 - being abused by this threat actor. Both were impacting Ivanti Connect Secure VPN appliances.In these attacks, SPAWN variants were also used.Mandiant says that this CVE was probably first used in mid-March 2025, a month after the patch was released.“We assess it is likely the threat actor studied the patch for the vulnerability in ICS 22.7R2.6 and uncovered through a complicated process, it was possible to exploit 22.7R2.5 and earlier to achieve remote code execution,” the researchers said.Ivanti has released fixes for the exploited vulnerabilities and its customers are advised to upgrade their endpoints without hesitation, since the flaws are being actively targeted.

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