The common belief for a long time was that video games based on movie properties almost always ended up badly. There have been many blockbuster films that tried to incorporate video game releases into their marketing push for their theatrical release. And while the movies may have been good or went on to become iconic, the games that were based on them weren't always the best. Sometimes, they were so terrible that it became a joke among gamers to say a bad movie tie-in game was the standard for major film releases. But people tend to forget that in the sea of bad releases, some games based on blockbuster films were actually a lot of fun to play.

I had a rather humble start with my first NAS. I wanted something that could store my work files, backup my family photos, and maybe help me stream some media using Plex — nothing fancy. It was supposed to be a basic system that didn’t burn a hole in my pocket. So, I shopped around and went with the NAS system that met my bare minimum needs and didn’t cost a bomb. It looked like a sensible choice then, even for a few months afterward.

If I were building a PC today, there's a lot I'd strive to get right. I'd pick the best CPU and GPU I could within the budget, balance all other components based on performance and value for money, not cheap out on the crucial stuff, and keep esthetics and peripherals in mind. When I was younger, however, I ignored all these best practices, and just went with the cheapest hardware.

For some, Patch Tuesday is an exciting time to check out new features, absorb the new UI changes, and see what Microsoft has planned for the future of Windows. For others, it's a nightmare. After all, when you're part of the tech team for a large company and Microsoft pushes out an update that could very well send PCs into BSODs, boot loops, and other annoying issues, Patch Tuesday is more like wearing a potentially disastrous storm. And it's usually disastrous.

As a writer, I often spend considerable time in my web browser throughout the day. Like most, I have been using whatever bookmarking feature is included in the browser I’m using. I use different browsers, and they virtually all handle bookmarks the same way. I create folders and add bookmarked sites to them.

The tool provides Amazon sellers with six AI-generated clips to choose from, among other features.Amazon is making it easier for sellers to quickly create generative AI ads on its platform, sometimes with just a single click. Amazon Ad’s Video Generator, a free advertising tool introduced in beta last year, now has some new tricks and is generally available for sellers in the US to create “photorealistic video assets” in five minutes or less.New capabilities include motion improvements to show items in action, which Amazon says is best for showcasing products like toys, tools, and worn accessories. For example, Video Generator can now create clips that show someone wearing a watch on their wrist and checking the time, instead of simply displaying the watch on a table. The tool generates six different videos to choose from, and allows brands to add their logos to the finished results.The Video Generator can now also make ads with multiple connected scenes that include humans, pets, text overlays, and background music. The editing timeline shown in Amazon’s announcement video suggests the ads max out at 21 seconds.. The resulting ads edge closer to the traditional commercials we’re used to seeing while watching TV or online content, compared to raw clips generated by video AI tools like OpenAI’s Sora or Adobe Firefly.A new video summarization feature can create condensed video ads from existing footage, such as demos, tutorials, and social media content. Amazon says Video Generator will automatically identify and extract key clips to generate new videos formatted for ad campaigns. A one-click image-to-video feature is also available that creates shorter GIF-style clips to show products in action.We’ll likely see Amazon retailers utilizing AI-generated video ads in the wild now that the tool is generally available in the US and costs nothing to use — unless the ads are so convincing that we don’t notice anything at all.

It's been a little under a week since Nintendo officially launched the Switch 2, and official sales numbers for the launch period are finally in. In its first four days on the market, Nintendo's latest hybrid console sold over 3.5 million units — the most any Nintendo console has ever sold at launch. In fact, while Nintendo isn't saying it, analysts have indicated this is the biggest console launch in general.

There's a fight for control going on inside the cockpits of many modern cars. Enable all the active safety systems in a Tesla, and it'll do most of the steering for you. But if it makes an errant turn or meanders a little too far this way or that in the lane (and trust me, it will), you're left wrestling the wheel out of Autopilot's virtual hands.Assistance systems from other manufacturers do better at ceding control whenever you feel like taking over, but BMW is about to take that to a new level with the first car built on its upcoming Neue Klasse platform. It includes an advanced driver assist system that the company says is a proper symbiosis, where the car's sensors and systems don't fight with or yell at you but instead work with you to make driving safer and less stressful.I sampled this suite in a prototype of BMW's iX3, the first electric SUV on the Neue Klasse platform, designed from the ground up to offer more range, better handling, and way more smarts. BMW is promising 400 miles of range from a new battery architecture that can charge at up to 400 kW. That means adding something like 200 miles of range in 10 minutes, but there's a lot more to it than that.Better …Read the full story at The Verge.

What's better than a game with your friends? A completely free game, that's what. That way, nobody is left behind during game night; everyone can grab the game, get it downloaded, and hop in for absolutely nothing. I mean, if it worked for Content Warning, it can work for anyone.

Samsung’s latest smart fridges now support multi-voice recognition powered by the company’s Bixby assistant, which can be used to bring up personalized information on the built-in smart displays based upon which member of a household is speaking.Voice identification in smart home tech is nothing new, but with no successful Samsung-branded smart speaker line of its own, connected appliances are Samsung’s only real route to apply that kind of personalization.The main perk is that the fridge will be able to display your calendar or personal photo gallery using only voice commands. You’ll also be able to ask the fridge to trigger an alarm on your phone, useful if you can’t find it. The update may be more helpful for those who are hard of vision, as it will automatically change the fridge screen’s display mode to match settings like color inversion or grayscale that have been applied on your phone.Samsung is also adding a new way to activate Bixby on its fridges. In addition to tapping the Bixby icon or using voice commands, you’ll now be able to double tap on the fridge’s display while it’s off to bring the beleaguered voice assistant —no longer the default even on Samsung’s own phones — to life.The Voice ID feature and double-tap gesture are arriving now in an update for Samsung’s Bespoke AI fridges with Family Hub (the company’s term for its larger smart home screens), starting with the 2025 models, and will later roll out to appliances with the smaller AI Home displays.

Nintendo was expecting the Switch 2 would be just as successful as the original, and it’s already become the fastest-selling game console of all time after a strong launch. Nintendo revealed today that it has sold more than 3.5 million Switch 2 units in the console’s first four days, surpassing records for any of Nintendo’s hardware within the same launch period. But the record is more significant than that.Daniel Ahmad, director of research and insights at Niko Partners, points out on X that the Switch 2 is “the fastest selling home video game console of all time.” It took Sony 16 days to sell 2.1 million PS4 consoles, and six weeks to reach 4.2 million units. The Switch 2 has also comfortably beaten the PS5 launch, which debuted during the pandemic and associated chip supply constraints. It took seven weeks for Sony to sell-through 4.4 million PS5 units.View LinkIt’s clear that Nintendo was able to meet pent-up demand for a Switch successor by having ample inventory on hand in key markets. Switch 2 preorders sold out across major retailers in the US ahead of the launch, but there was still some limited stock on launch day for those willing to line up at midnight or take a chance in the morning. The threat of price increases from tariffs likely helped goose initial demand, too.While the Switch 2 isn’t the biggest UK console launch of all time and it seemed relatively easy for Brits to buy one on launch day, it’s still the fourth best-selling console in the UK according to data from NielsenIQ. Analysts had widely predicted strong Switch 2 launch sales, despite a lack of launch titles for Nintendo’s latest console. Nintendo’s record-breaking Switch 2 sales are thanks to a lot of pent-up demand waiting on this new hardware, and Nintendo using that time to build enough units to meet demand.The real question now is whether Nintendo can keep up this sales pace, and if tariffs and handheld alternatives could slow down sales. Nintendo is aiming to hit its goal of 15 million Switch 2 console sales by the end of March 2026, and it’s already off to a good start with 3.5 million in four days. The original Switch launched in March 2017 and sold 17.79 million units in its first 13 months on sale — more than Nintendo’s own estimates at the time. The Switch has now sold more than 150 million units over its lifetime, pushing it close to overtaking the DS as Nintendo’s best-selling console.

The Flip Folio is compatible with 11- and 13-inch iPad Air and Pro models. | Image: LogitechLogitech has announced a new keyboard case for iPad Pro and iPad Air models that lets you remove and position its keyboard exactly where you need it. It’s not an entirely new idea for the company — its Combo Touch case also lets you detach the keyboard — but the new Flip Folio’s keyboard has a much smaller footprint, giving you more flexibility when it comes to where you can use it.The Flip Folio is priced at $179.99 for a version compatible with 13-inch iPad Air and iPad Pro models, or $159.99 for a slightly smaller case that’s compatible with the 11-inch versions of those tablets. Availability gets a little more complicated depending on what color you want. A graphite version will launch globally in June 2025, as will a black option, but only in North America. A pale grey and lilac version will debut later this year in September 2025 “in select regions,” alongside a sand option that will also be limited to North America.Both the larger and smaller versions of the wireless keyboard are just over a quarter of an inch thick and weigh less than 207 grams. Each is designed to magnetically attach to the back of the Flip Folio case without adding too much thickness. It includes dedicated iPadOS shortcut keys and multi-device Bluetooth pairing so you can easily switch between using it with your tablet, smartphone, or even a computer.Battery life is estimated to be up to two years, but that will depend on how frequently you’re using the keyboard. When it dies, you’ll need to replace its coin cell battery, because the keyboard doesn’t feature a rechargeable battery or even a USB port for connecting it to a device with a cable. It’s wireless all the way.The Flip Folio case itself offers front and back protection for your iPad. Since it connects to the tablet magnetically, you can position the iPad in either landscape or portrait orientations when using it as a multi-angle support stand. With the iPad supported vertically, the Flip Folio has a bit of extra room for supporting a smartphone, too, letting you position them side by side and expand your multitasking.