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We’re two whole months out from Captain America: Brave New World, and Marvel’s gradually starting its promo cycle for the Anthony Mackie-led film. Like with Thunderbolts* not too long ago, the studio’s got a “special look” for the film that basically functions as another trailer or commercial.
Primarily, the special look teases the hero’s emotional arc: now that Sam’s Captain America, President Thaddeus Ross (Harrison Ford) wants him to be an asset for the U.S. government again, and tugs at Sam’s patriotic heartstrings to get the “right” answer. We know the Head of State will be shot by Sam’s old friend Isaiah Bradley later in the film, and that Sam goes about investigating the attack and uncovering the forces behind it. But according to VO from Samuel Sterns (Tim Blake Nelson), Sam “doesn’t even know what this is,” and he may not be entirely prepared for Giancarlo Esposito’s Sidewinder or Ross morphing into the Red Hulk. (But then, could anyone be ready for the president to suddenly become a flaming rage monster?)
While light on new footage, the promo finally offers a true look at the other superhero to grace Brave New World: Joaquin Torres, Danny Ramirez’s character from Falcon and the Winter Soldier, has gotten some high-tech wings of his own and taken Sam’s mantle to become the new Falcon. So far, previous trailers have just shown Joaquin in his civilian clothes or offered very brief glimpses of him in his suit. This film’s trying to mimic the spy thriller style of Winter Soldier, which debuted Mackie’s burgeoning hero, so everything’s coming full circle.
Captain America: Brave New World hits theaters on February 14, 2025. Along with the special look, Marvel released a brand new poster below featuring the main cast.
The Game Awards are over — congratulations to Team Asobi for Astro Bot taking home the Game of the Year award. Our review of Astro Bot earlier this year called it « one of the best games Sony has ever made, » and it seems the industry and game-playing public agree.
As always, the long, long stream was a hybrid award ceremony, advertising reel and game announcement marathon.
There were countless announcements interspersed throughout the awards, including all-new games like Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet from Naughty Dog, The Witcher 4 from CD Projekt REDand Split Fiction from It Takes Two studio Hazelight. It was also a show of revivals, with long-dormant franchises like Okami, Onimusha, Ninja Gaiden and Virtua Fighter returning.
You can view all of the winners at the Game Awards’ official site. And if you missed it, you can watch a the Video Game Orchestra’s GOTY medley; it’s always a highlight of the show and watching them fit Astro Bot and Balatro in this year was a vibe — praise the keytar!
Here are our top announcements from the show, in no particular order — you can watch all the trailers below, or click on one of the headlines to get the full story.
Well, let’s be honest: I don’t think any of us expected to see CD Projekt Red preview The Witcher 4 any time soon, and yet the studio did just that, sharing a lengthy cinematic trailer for the upcoming sequel at the Game Awards. Even if there’s no gameplay footage to be found, fans of the series will love what they see.
Naughty Dog is pivoting from post-apocalyptic fungal drama to interstellar sci-fi bounty hunting with its newest game, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. The studio revealed its new title with a cinematic trailer at The Game Awards on Thursday. Intergalactic takes place thousands of years in the future and it stars bounty hunter Jordan A. Mun, played by Chilling Adventures of Sabrina actor Tati Gabrielle. Jordan finds herself stranded on the planet Sempiria, which has been cut off from the rest of the universe for more than 600 years. She’s on a mission to escape Sempiria, but it looks like some vicious robots are going to get in her way.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is just barely in the rearview mirror and FromSoftware already has a new game in the wings. The first trailer for Elden Ring Nightreign, a standalone co-op action game, at The Game Awards 2024.
Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio delivered a meaty one-two punch at The Game Awards. First came the news that the Like A Dragon studio is behind a revival of the Virtua Fighter series. Not only that, but the forever-busy studio (which, you may recall, has a Like A Dragon spinoff coming in February) is also making a Like A Dragon-style game set in the 1910s.
There were several major surprise announcements during this year’s edition of The Game Awards, but perhaps none was quite as out of the blue as word of a sequel to Okami. Not only that, the original game’s director, Hideki Kamiya, is at the helm.
It’s only been a short few months since Gearbox announced Borderlands 4, the next game in its long-running looter shooter franchise. Back in August, all we had was a cryptic teaser, but at today’s Game Awards, we got a proper look at the new game.
We told you back in 2021 that The Outer Worlds 2 was a thing that existed, and now, more than three years later, we have evidence in support of this claim: a gameplay trailer.
2K’s consistently sporadic Mafia series will return in 2025. Mafia: The Old Country is set in Sicily in the 1900s, and will explore the origins of organized crime. Developer Hangar 13 announced that a new Mafia title was in development back in 2022, but gave few details beyond that. The game’s first trailer is a melodramatic affair complete with a patriarch monologuing over candlelight, horses galloping across the plains and opera music as a backing track. This is drama, people.
Swedish indie studio Hazelight is synonymous with co-op gaming, so of course its next project is built for two players — but this time, it also features two genres. Split Fiction is a co-op adventure where players leap between sci-fi and fantasy worlds in a bid to escape the clutches of a greedy publishing corporation. It supports local and online co-op, and, fittingly, it plays out in split-screen.
BrawlersAbsolverandSifuput Sloclap on the map thanks to their memorable looks, slick action and crunchy animations. So naturally the next project for the French studio is [checks notes] a 5v5 arcade soccer game. Uh, sure! Rematch, which is slated to arrive next summer, perhaps makes more sense for Sloclap than first meets the eye. The studio says the title falls within its remit of making challenging action games with a stylized look.
Thick as Thieves is a new project from the team of immersive sim and stealth-action icons at OtherSide Entertainment, which includes Deus Ex creator Warren Spector, Looking Glass Studios founder Paul Neurath, and Thief: The Dark Project lead Greg LoPiccolo. Yes, that’s a stacked lineup. Together, the OtherSide crew has created or worked on the System Shock, Deus Ex, Thief and Ultima Underworld series, and (along with Doug Church and Ken Levine) are largely responsible for the existence of immersive sims as we know them.
One of the highlights from The Game Awards was the moment Breaking Bad star Aaron Paul and voice actor Laura Bailey took the stage to reveal Dispatch. Set to arrive in 2025, the narrative game is from AdHoc Studio, founded by former Telltale Games developers, and features a stacked cast including Paul, Bailey, Jeffrey Wright, Erin Yvette, Jacksepticeye and others — a mix of A-list Hollywood talent and top-tier game voice actors.
There are two cool pieces of news here. First, the indie studio behind the Overcooked series, Ghost Town Games, is working on a new title called Stage Fright, and it’ll support both online and couch co-op. Rad! Second, Stage Fright is being published by No Man’s Sky studio Hello Games, a move that marks Hello’s first foray into publishing other studios’ projects. Double rad! Stage Fright is built around co-op, and its mechanics bring Overcooked-style chaos to a series of escape rooms in a spooky, Luigi’s Mansion kind of world.
Capcom has announced Onimusha: Way of the Sword, the first new Onimusha game since the original 2001 PS2 version was remastered in 2019. Revealed at The Game Awards 2024, it reveals a modern take on the classic dark action game, minus the fixed perspective. The trailer for the single player, Wordplay action game shows an unnamed Samanosuke-like hero as he takes on samurai zombies in bloody combat, collecting golden orbs as before.
Resurrecting a beloved gaming series like Ninja Gaiden is always a tricky proposition. Anyone who might have worked on the franchise in its heyday has likely moved on to other projects or left the industry entirely. But judging by the talent working on Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, the new series entry revealed at the Game Awards, I think it’s safe to say the franchise is in safe hands. That’s because Ragebound unites two companies who know a thing or two about making quality games.
Update, December 13, 3:00PM ET: This article was updated to include a couple more stories that rolled in after we originally published. Enjoy the Dispatch and Onimusha trailers! (The headline was also updated from « 13 » to « 15 » because math is important.) We also added a link to view all of the award winners, a shoutout to our Astro Bot review, and a link to the Game Award Orchestra’s GOTY medley, just because.
Since tax season tends to sneak up in the haze after the holidays, it’s important to note the major deadlines for filing and paying your taxes. While a majority of states adhere to the federal government’s timetable, some have their own deadlines too. Here are the key dates you need to know to get you through this tax season.
The IRS has not yet announced the official start date for tax filing season, for those who like to get an early start on submitting their tax returns, but tax filing usually opens in late January. In 2024, Tax Season started on Monday, Jan. 29.
We will update this story with exact dates when the IRS makes an announcement for 2025.
Also note that employers are required to send employees their W-2 and 1099 income tax forms by the end of January.
When is the deadline for filing a 2024 tax return with the IRS?
The official deadline for most people to file federal tax returns is Tuesday, April 15, 2025.
There are a few exemptions though. The IRS offers extensions in the event of a disaster. For instance, those directly impacted by Hurricane Helene will have until May 1, 2025, to file various individual and business tax returns and make tax payments. And military personnel serving abroad or in a combat zone may also be granted additional time to file.
What is the deadline to file for a tax extension?
April 15, 2025, is also the deadline to file a six-month tax extension with the IRS if you need more time to file your taxes.
Note, that filing an extension doesn’t change your payment deadline — it just gives you an extension until Wednesday, Oct. 15, to complete the relevant paperwork. You still have to submit any payments you owe by April 15 to avoid late penalties.
States with tax-filing exceptions
Nine states do not levy an earned income tax. These states are Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming. Among these, New Hampshire and Washington impose taxes on certain types of income, such as stock earnings and investments, but do not tax income earned from employment.
Of the 41 states that do impose state income tax, most adhere to the April 15 federal filing deadline. There are some exceptions, though. Delaware, Hawaii, Iowa, Louisiana and Virginia, have different deadlines for their state Tax Day 2025. There are also regions across several states that have until May 1, 2025, to file federal individual and business tax returns due to natural disasters, including Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
Remember, an extension of time to file is not an extension to pay taxes you owe. Check with your state department of revenue for the most up-to-date information about key deadlines.
When can I expect my refund?
Taxpayers who file electronically and are due a refund can expect it within 21 days, according to the IRS. Enrolling to receive your refund via direct deposit will help you get your money faster. Note that if there is an issue with your return or if you filed a paper return, it may take four weeks or more.
If you claimed the Earned Income Tax Credit or the Additional Child Tax Credit, you can expect to get your refund by Feb. 27 — this is if you file your return online, select to get your refund by direct deposit and have no issues with your return. By law, the IRS must wait to issue these refunds until mid-February, so you cannot get it earlier. This timing applies to your entire refund, not just the part that’s related to the specific credit you claimed on your tax return.
CISA is requiring organizations in critical sectors to update their security
MFA, vulnerability management, and data encryption will be enforced
These changes will help mitigate the potential theft of data by state-sponsored and nation state actors
The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has unveiled a set of proposed security requirements aimed at reducing risks posed by unauthorized access to American data.
The move is due to concerns about the vulnerabilities exposed by recent cyberattacks, state-sponsored hacking campaigns, and the misuse of personal data by hostile nations.
The proposal aligns with Executive Order 14117, signed by President Biden earlier in 2024, which seeks to address gaps in data security that could compromise national interests.
Strengthening protections against foreign threats
The proposed requirements focus on entities that handle large-scale sensitive data, particularly in industries such as artificial intelligence, telecommunications, healthcare, finance, and defence contracting.
CISA’s primary concern is that data from these organizations could fall into the hands of “countries of concern” or “covered persons” – terms used by the U.S. government to refer to foreign adversaries known for engaging in cyber espionage and data breaches.
These new security standards aim to close loopholes that could expose sensitive data to state-sponsored groups and foreign intelligence actors.
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Businesses will need to keep an updated inventory of their digital assets, including IP addresses and hardware configurations, to stay prepared for potential security incidents. Companies will also be required to enforce multi-factor authentication (MFA) on all critical systems and require passwords that are at least 16 characters long to prevent unauthorized access.
Vulnerability management is another key focus, and organizations must remediate and address any known exploited vulnerabilities or critical flaws within 14 days, even if exploitation has not been confirmed. High-severity vulnerabilities must be fixed within 30 days.
The new proposal also emphasizes network transparency, and companies are required to maintain accurate network topologies to enhance their ability to identify and respond to security incidents.
Immediate revocation of access for employees following termination or changes in role is mandated to prevent insider threats. Additionally, unauthorized hardware, such as USB devices, will be prohibited from connecting to systems that handle sensitive data, further reducing the risk of data leakage.
In addition to system-level protections, CISA’s proposal introduces robust data-level measures aimed at minimizing the exposure of personal and government information. Organizations will be encouraged to collect only the data that is essential for their operations and, where possible, mask or de-identify it to prevent unauthorized access. Encryption will play a vital role in securing data during any transaction that involves a “restricted entity,” ensuring that even if data is intercepted, it cannot be easily deciphered.
A critical requirement is that encryption keys must not be stored alongside the data they protect, particularly in regions identified as countries of concern. Furthermore, organizations will also be encouraged to adopt advanced privacy-preserving techniques, such as homomorphic encryption or differential privacy, which allow data to be processed without exposing the underlying information.
CISA is seeking public feedback on the proposed requirements to refine the framework before it is finalized. Interested stakeholders, including industry leaders and cybersecurity experts, are invited to submit their comments via regulations.gov by entering CISA-2024-0029 in the search field and following the instructions to provide input.
Getting checked for cervical cancer is looking to become a lot more convenient. An influential panel of experts is calling for new changes to the current recommendations surrounding cervical cancer screening—changes that should result in fewer pap smears for many women starting in their 30s.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force issued its draft guidelines for the screening of cervical cancer in the U.S. The most notable difference will be recommending that women ages 30 to 65 only need to get tested for high-risk strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV) every five years, rather than needing to get pap smears every three years. The guidelines should make cervical cancer screening a less stressful experience for most American women.
The USPSTF is under the umbrella of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, but its members are voluntary outside experts brought in to review the evidence and to provide recommendations on a variety of topics related to preventive health care, including cancer screening. Its guidelines are widely followed by health care professionals and can even influence the insurance coverage of interventions like vaccines.
Currently, the USPSTF recommends that women ages 20 to 29 start getting screened for cervical cancer every three years via cervical cytology (the pap smear). Women between 30 and 65 are currently recommended to either receive a pap smear every three years, a high-risk HPV test every five years, or a combination pap smear/HPV test every five years. The USPTF’s recommendation for women in their 20s is staying the same, but its experts are now saying that women over 30 should primarily only opt for HPV testing every five years. These tests work by checking vaginal samples for types of HPV infection known to raise the risk of cervical cancer. Women over 65 are generally not advised to seek screening for cervical cancer if they’ve received regular testing before and are not at high risk otherwise, nor are women who have had total hysterectomies (where the cervix is removed) with no history of precancerous cervical lesions.
The USPTF’s stated rationale for the change is simple enough. High risk HPV infections are by far the leading cause of cervical cancer, accounting for nearly all cases. And in women over 30, looking for these infections first and foremost seems to be the most useful way to detect cervical cancer as early as possible, based on the evidence assessed by the USPTF. Additionally, the USPTF has determined that self-collected HPV tests are just as valid for screening as those performed by a healthcare professional. Two HPV tests were recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration this year for self-collection.
“The latest science shows that screening for cervical cancer with an HPV test is the optimal approach for women who are 30 to 65 years old,” said Task Force vice chair John Wong, a primary care clinician in the Department of Medicine at Tufts Medical Center, in a statement from the USPTF announcing the news.
The guidelines will still call for women over 30 to receive pap smears or combination testing if the standard HPV test isn’t available. And patients and their doctors can still always choose the method they most prefer. It is possible that the USPTF’s draft recommendations could substantially change before they’re finalized next year, though this rarely happens (as usual, the USPTF is allowing the public and outside experts to weigh in on their decision, with the comment period open until mid-January). If these new guidelines are enshrined as expected, they should make cervical cancer screening a less time- and resource-intensive experience for many women in the U.S.
The expansion of screening and the arrival of vaccines that prevent most high-risk HPV infections have greatly reduced the incidence of cervical cancer in the U.S. and worldwide in recent decades, though it remains the fourth-most common cancer in women globally.
The Xbox Series X was the perfect opportunity for Microsoft to run far away from its tumultuous Xbox One years and towards an era of genuine 4K gaming, ray tracing and Game Pass abundance. But it was not meant to be. The PlayStation 5 has outsold Microsoft’s new consoles by two to one, according to a VGChartz sales comparison, a replay of the battle between the PS4 and Xbox One. Now, Microsoft simply seems to be running down the clock of this console generation.
When I initially reviewed the Xbox Series X, I found it to be a powerful console that surpassed the PlayStation 5 in some ways. But it was clear that Microsoft had a major problem at launch: Games. Four years later, not much has changed, despite spending nearly $69 billion acquiring Activision Blizzard. While Sony and Nintendo consistently delivered exclusive system-selling games — even on the aging Switch! — Microsoft has stumbled.
It’s no wonder Microsoft wants to call so many other devices Xboxes. If you look too hard at its flagship console, you can’t help but be disappointed.
Xbox
The Xbox Series X is still a powerful gaming console, but its limited library of exclusives makes it far less compelling than the PlayStation 5.
Normally, I’d tackle the question of buying a device towards the end of a review, but this is a re-review so it’s worth asking up front: Who is the Xbox Series X for? It’s been around for four years, and, aside from the $450 version without a disc drive, there haven’t been any major hardware changes. Beyond the Xbox faithful, I’d wager most gamers would be better off putting $500 towards anything else.
For anyone dipping their toes into modern console gaming for the first time — a parent grabbing something for their kid, or a former gamer trying to reclaim their hobby — it makes more sense to go for a PlayStation 5 instead of the Xbox Series X. Sony’s console has a wider array of noteworthy exclusives, more innovative haptics with its DualSense controller and its digital edition is typically cheaper than the disc-less Series X.
Of course, if you’re a Halo fan the Xbox Series X is pretty much your only choice for a premium console (though the $300 Series S is a solid option for secondary TVs, especially when it’s on sale). Microsoft also released a special $600 2TB « Galaxy Black » model this year, but I’m still half-convinced that’s some sort of sick Tim Robinson-esque joke. It has to be when the more powerful and desirable PlayStation 5 Pro is only $100 more, right?
1 / 9
Xbox Series X
Xbox Series X
Hardware: The pinnacle of 2020
The Xbox Series X is still powered by an 8-core AMD Zen 2 CPU and an RDNA 2 GPU, similar to what’s inside the PlayStation 5. It also has 16GB of GDDR6 RAM, 10GB of which runs at a higher bandwidth than the PS5’s memory. The Series X’s larger GPU gave it a slight edge over Sony’s console early on, but in practice that didn’t amount to much. Occasionally some third-party titles would run a bit more smoothly on the Xbox, but both consoles still had trouble balancing the demands of visual fidelity and performance.
Instead of being the generation of no-compromise consoles, the Xbox Series X and PS5 frequently forced gamers to choose between playing games with ray tracing and graphical upgrades at 30fps, or forgoing them to reach a smooth PC-like 60fps. That’s the main reason Sony threw a more powerful GPU into the PlayStation 5 Pro — the standard PS5 hardware just couldn’t cut it.
The Xbox sales slump made it clear why Microsoft didn’t try to compete with its own mid-cycle refresh, but it’s still sad to see the company shy away from any sort of innovation, like the leaked hardware that never arrived. The redesigned 2TB all-digital « Brooklin » Series X would have been a useful replacement for the base model. It also would have included a revamped controller, codenamed « Sebile, » with improved haptics (likely similar to Sony’s DualSense) and a direct cloud connection for playing streamed games. Microsoft even floated the idea of bringing 1TB of storage to the $300 Series S.
Instead of those functional upgrades, though, we got a slightly cheaper all-digital $450 Series X, that overpriced 2TB model nobody will buy and a $350 1TB version of the Series S. Those prices are all at least $50 too high if Microsoft genuinely wanted to move consoles. I’d argue the company would benefit from going even cheaper to undercut Sony, but that would also dig into the company’s already slim profit margin. I’m sure Microsoft isn’t eager to lose more money on Xbox.
In use: A good enough console
Even with its aging hardware, the Xbox Series X can still make modern games look great. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, for example, looks solid on the Series X, with smooth 60fps gameplay and ray tracing features. While it’s running at around 1800p instead of 4K, it’s still pretty sharp on both my 4K OLED and 4K Formovie ultra short throw projector. Sure, the game performs noticeably better on my RTX 4090-powered PC, but I can’t easily play that in my home theater. (According to Digital Foundry, even the Xbox Series S can run The Great Circle at 60fps, albeit at just 1080p with variable-rate shading.)
It’s still disappointing that Microsoft stuck with its classic Xbox controller design for the Series X, though. When I reviewed the PlayStation 5, its DualSense haptics felt transformative. It made playing Astro Bot or Returnal feel unlike any console gaming experience I had before. Controller-wise, playing anything on the Xbox Series X doesn’t feel much different from the Xbox One or even the Xbox 360.
Microsoft poured all of its innovation experience into delivering a slightly faster machine than the PS5, but it turns out that didn’t matter much in the long run. In addition to having more noteworthy games, Sony’s console feels like a genuine upgrade from the PlayStation 4. The PlayStation VR 2, flawed as it was, also demonstrated that Sony wasn’t afraid to take some risks this generation.
Where are the exclusive games?
After striking out with middling exclusives like Redfalland Starfield, the new Indiana Jones game is a rare feather in Microsoft’s dusty fedora. But even that advantage will disappear eventually — the company already plans to bring it to the PlayStation 5 next spring, alongside other former Xbox exclusives like Hi-Fi Rush and Sea of Thieves.
Given the sheer amount of development talent at Microsoft from its many acquisitions (and despite an obscene number of layoffs), the company has now become one of the most important publishers in the gaming world. But owning a popular multi-platform series like Call of Duty hasn’t translated directly into Xbox sales.
Beyond exclusives, Microsoft’s Game Pass subscription is the strongest argument for owning an Xbox. But even that has gone through its own form of enshittification this year. The company increased the monthly price of the « Ultimate » plan to $20, which includes day-one access to new titles and a large library of games for Xbox and PC. The new $15 a month « Standard » plan doesn’t get day-one access, but does include a library of hundreds of games, while the $10 a month « Core » option offers a limited library of 25 titles alongside multiplayer support.
The Game Pass Ultimate plan also feels less, well, ultimate these days thanks to opportunistic early-access pricing for new titles. For example, subscribers could have paid an additional $35 for the « Digital Premium » edition of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle to play it three days early. That timing included the weekend before the game’s December 9 launch, so I’m sure many impatient Game Pass subscribers upgraded just to clock some uninterrupted playtime. It feels like a backhanded way for Microsoft to treat its most loyal players, despite not being overtly evil.
Sony’s competing PlayStation Plus subscription isn’t as robust as Game Pass (there aren’t any launch day titles), but it still offers a large array of older games and cloud streaming support. While I wasn’t a huge fan of the PlayStation Portal handheld initially, it’s certainly a compelling accessory for PS Plus customers now that it can access cloud titles.
Oddly enough, Microsoft hasn’t promoted Game Pass cloud streaming much over the past few years. It recently started testing the ability to stream a handful of games that you own, outside of the Game Pass library, yet that’s also a feature that should have been implemented years ago. The cringey « This is an Xbox » marketing campaign is a rare attempt at making mainstream players aware of Xbox cloud streaming, but even that feels like it’s coming way too late.
Aaron Souppouris/Engadget
Where does Microsoft go next?
It’s not as if Microsoft has an empty gaming plate ahead. The company showed off a bit of its Perfect Dark and Fable reboots this summer, alongside a tease of a new Gears of War. We just saw a trailer for The Outer Worlds 2at The Game Awards, the Dishonored fan in me is hyped for Arkane Lyon’s Blade, and I’m eager to learn more about Hideo Kojima’s OD. But all of those games will likely be available on Windows PCs, and many will also head to other consoles.
There’s no doubt 2025 is going to be a busy year for Xbox — it’s just a shame that it likely won’t help Microsoft catch up to the PS5’s sales lead. But who cares, right? Everything can be an Xbox if you believe hard enough (or have a browser to access Game Pass cloud streaming).
Back in February, when Microsoft confirmed it would be bringing Xbox titles to other consoles, Engadget Executive Editor Aaron Souppouris argued that the company should exit the console business entirely. While that makes a certain amount of sense for Microsoft, a software company that has often struggled with hardware outside of the Xbox 360 (and even that had its issues), I’m not convinced the company needs to go that far.
For one, it would leave Sony and Nintendo as the only remaining console makers. Sony would also effectively have a monopoly on powerful console hardware and graphically intense games, at least based on what we’re hearing about the Switch 2. Less competition potentially also means less innovation down the line — Sony could easily coast if it was the only powerful console maker around.
Aaron Souppouris/Engadget
Much like it did with the original Xbox, Microsoft could potentially cut its losses and try to jump-start the next console generation earlier than Sony. If Microsoft could produce hardware that’s more powerful than a PS5 Pro and deliver it at a relatively affordable price, it has a chance at peeling away Sony loyalists. That’s particularly true if it can ensure desirable exclusives are actually available for launch.
Microsoft should also work towards making its recent Xbox marketing campaign more of a reality, instead of placing its bets mostly on expensive consoles. Make cloud streaming faster, sharper and easier to access. Make people aware that they can game on their phones, tablets and just about any computer. Revive the streaming dongle accessory and make it cheap so you can turn any TV into an Xbox, and also keep working on bringing Game Pass apps to all TVs.
Hell, produce that genuine Xbox portable systemand make sure Windows is better optimized for third-party portables. You should be able to spin up your Xbox games from practically wherever you’re sitting, no matter the device in front of you. (And while I’m on this soap box, why not let people turn the Xbox Series X and S into Windows PCs? These systems are all basically PCs already, and they would make lovely mini desktops or servers down the line.)
The console wars of the future won’t be fought like those of the past. Microsoft should plan accordingly.
Aaron Souppouris/Engadget
Wrap-up
If you already have an Xbox Series X, or find one obscenely cheap somewhere, it’s still a solid way to play Microsoft’s titles, popular third-party games and everything Microsoft has available on Game Pass. But if you had to choose between buying the Series X or PlayStation 5, it’s hard to deny that Sony’s console is a smarter purchase.
Perhaps the next console generation could be an Xbox 360-esque revival for Microsoft, but the company needs to look closely at what Sony and Nintendo are doing right. And really, it just comes down to having more games people want to play. Now that it’s flush with so many notable developers, Microsoft may finally be able to solve that problem. There’s no doubt that staying in the console business would be risky and expensive, but if there’s one company that can justify sticking around, it’s the one printing money from the cloud.
If you’re looking for the best internet provider in Jackson, Mississippi, you have a few options. The internet provider you choose will depend on several factors, including your location, budget and broadband needs. After reviewing the available options, CNET selected Xfinity as the best internet service provider overall for most households in Jackson. It offers affordable introductory deals and covers almost the whole town. However, for fiber internet, AT&T Fiber or C Spire Fiber are solid picks, depending on what’s available in your area. If you want a lower monthly price, try bundling your phone and internet with T-Mobile.
If you’re hunting for the lowest prices or fastest speeds, we’ve also found those top options. The cheapest internet in Jackson is Xfinity’s $20-per-month 150Mbps plan, with that pricing good for the first year. The fastest internet speed in Jackson is C Spire Fiber’s 8,000Mbps plan for $350 monthly, though availability is limited to just 12% off the area. AT&T Fiber’s 5-gig plan is a more accessible alternative with the provider covering 78% of Jackson.
AT&T Internet: AT&T’s outdated DSL network should only be a fallback option if absolutely necessary. It costs $60 monthly for speeds up to 100Mbps, but speeds may be much lower depending on your address. There are no contracts or equipment fees, but most speed levels have a 1.5TB data cap. The 100Mbps plan is unlimited. Look for cable or fiber (if available) before you settle for DSL.
Satellite internet: If you live in Jackson, you can at least get Xfinity’s cable service. If you live in a rural area outside of town and can’t get a decent wired or fixed wireless plan, look into satellite internet from Starlink, Hughesnet or Viasat. They’re not the cheapest, and speeds can be slow or variable, so investigate other options first.
Jeremy Woodhouse/Getty
Cheap internet options in Jackson
Xfinity has the lowest-price home internet in Jackson by quite a bit. For $20 per month, you can get 150Mbps downloads. There are some catches. The price will go up after the first year, and you’ll need to either provide your own equipment or lease from Xfinity for $15 per month. There’s also a 1.2TB data cap. Overall, it’s a good deal while it lasts.
Some addresses in Jackson may qualify for Xfinity’s low-cost Internet Essentials plans starting at $10 monthly for 50Mbps. The Internet Essentials Plus plan is $30 per month for 100Mbps. Both plans include Wi-Fi equipment and unlimited data. Check your address with Xfinity to see if you qualify. Regarding fiber, look to AT&T Fiber’s entry-level 300Mbps for $55 per month. That’s a decent value, especially considering the equally fast upload speed.
What’s the cheapest internet plan in Jackson?
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Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
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How to find internet deals and promotions in Jackson
The best internet deals and top promotions in Jackson depend on what discounts are available during that time. Most deals are short-lived, but we look frequently for the latest offers.
Jackson internet providers, like T-Mobile Home Internet and Xfinity, may offer lower introductory pricing or streaming add-ons for a limited time. Others, however, including AT&T Fiber and C Spire, tend to run the same standard pricing year-round.
For a more extensive list of promos, check out our guide on the best internet deals.
How fast is Jackson broadband?
Many residents of Jackson have access to multigig download speeds, whether through Xfinity’s Gigabit X2 cable plan or through C Spire or AT&T’s fiber offerings. C Spire checks in with the fastest plan in town at 8,000Mbps. The availability of speedy downloads hasn’t translated into super-fast internet overall in Jackson. The city pulled down a median fixed internet download speed of about 134Mbps in a recent Ookla speed test report. (Disclaimer: Ookla is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis.) That’s significantly slower than the Mississippi state average of around 205Mbps.
Most internet connection plans can now handle basic productivity and communication tasks. If you’re looking for an internet plan that can accommodate videoconferencing, streaming video or gaming, you’ll have a better experience with a more robust connection. Here’s an overview of the recommended minimum download speeds for various applications, according to the FCC. Note that these are only guidelines — and that internet speed, service and performance vary by connection type, provider and address.
0 to 5Mbps allows you to tackle the basics — browsing the internet, sending and receiving email, streaming low-quality video.
5 to 40Mbps gives you higher-quality video streaming and videoconferencing.
40 to 100Mbps should give one user sufficient bandwidth to satisfy the demands of modern telecommuting, video streaming and online gaming.
100 to 500Mbps allows one to two users to simultaneously engage in high-bandwidth activities like videoconferencing, streaming and online gaming.
500 to 1,000Mbps allows three or more users to engage in high-bandwidth activities at the same time.
How CNET chose the best internet providers in Jackson
Internet service providers are numerous and regional. Unlike the latest smartphone, laptop, router or kitchen tool, it’s impractical to personally test every internet service provider in a given city. So what’s our approach? For starters, we tap into a proprietary database of pricing, availability and speed information that draws from our own historical ISP data, partner data and mapping information from the Federal Communications Commission at FCC.gov.
But it doesn’t end there. We go to the FCC’s website to check our data and ensure we consider every ISP that provides service in an area. We also input local addresses on provider websites to find specific options for residents. We look at sources, including the American Customer Satisfaction Index and J.D. Power, to evaluate how happy customers are with an ISP’s service. ISP plans and prices are subject to frequent changes; all information provided is accurate as of publication.
Once we have this localized information, we ask three main questions:
Does the provider offer access to reasonably fast internet speeds?
Do customers get decent value for what they’re paying?
Are customers happy with their service?
While the answers to those questions are often layered and complex, the providers that come closest to “yes” on all three are the ones we recommend. When selecting the cheapest internet service, we look for the plans with the lowest monthly fee, though we also factor in things like price increases, equipment fees and contracts. Choosing the fastest internet service is relatively straightforward. We look at advertised upload and download speeds and consider real-world speed data from sources like Ookla and FCC reports.
To explore our process in more depth, visit our how we test ISPs page.
What’s the final word on internet providers in Jackson?
If you live in Jackson, you’re pretty much guaranteed to have Xfinity as an option. The cable ISP’s introductory rates are affordable, but you may need to negotiate to keep your plan price down once the promotional period expires. Some neighborhoods are hooked up with fiber through AT&T Fiber or C Spire Fiber. Check into these providers if you need zippy uploads or extremely fast downloads. T-Mobile Home Internet is a dark horse candidate to check into if you’re not satisfied with the wired internet offerings at your home.
Internet providers in Jackson FAQs
What is the cheapest internet provider in Jackson?
Xfinity rolls in with the most affordable home internet plan in Jackson. The 150Mbps Connect plan has a one-year introductory price of $20 per month with a 12-month contract. Be sure to factor in equipment costs, though. You can provide your own gear or rent from Xfinity starting at $15 per month. The plan price goes up once the year is up.
Which internet provider in Jackson offers the fastest plan?
C Spire Fiber smokes the competition with its 8,000Mbps plan, featuring uploads just as fast as downloads. AT&T Fiber’s 5,000Mbps plan is the next-fastest in Jackson.
Is fiber internet available in Jackson?
Fiber is a little scarce in Jackson, but you may luck out and fall into the coverage area for AT&T Fiber or C Spire Fiber. C Spire takes the speed crown with an 8,000Mbps option.
What internet provider has the best coverage in Jackson?
Xfinity reaches nearly 99% of homes in Jackson, according to FCC data. That’s the broadest coverage of any wired internet provider in the city.
iFi has taken the proven GO Link formula and, by adding a balanced 4.4mm headphone output and deleting MQA compatibility (which is, let’s not pretend otherwise, no loss), produced the GO Link Max.
It’s a little larger than its more affordable sibling – but that’s not the same as being large. And its relative bulk is mitigated no end by classy metal casework. Only the exposed braided cable that connects the main body of the DAC to the block which plugs into your source device, gives us any cause for concern. And even then, its vulnerability is theoretical rather than actual.
Like virtually every iFi product TechRadar has tested, the GO Link Max performs well and offers significant value for money. No matter if it’s connected to a smartphone or a laptop, with a half-decent pair of headphones at the other end this DAC is capable of putting a rocket up the sound quality you’d otherwise be treated to. In every meaningful respect, it improves on the unassisted sound of your computer or phone – and not in a subtle way. Is it one of the best portable DACs available for this money? You probably know the answer to that…
iFi GO Link Max review: Price and release date
(Image credit: Future)
Released November 20, 2024
Priced $79 / £79 / AU$139
The November 2024-release iFi GO Link Max USB DAC is on sale now, and in the United Kingdom it costs no more than £79. In the United States it will set you back $79, while in Australia it sells for $139.
The world’s far from short of affordable USB DACs, of course (not least from iFi itself – see the admittedly pricier $499 / £449 / AU$769 iFi GO Bar Kensei or the five-star iFi hip-dac 3 at $199 / £199 / AU$349 for starters). But nevertheless, the combination of price and specification looks alluring here…
iFi GO Link Max review: Features
(Image credit: Future)
DSD256 and 32bit/384kHz PCM support
Twin ESS Sabre ES9219 DACs
Unbalanced 3.5mm and balanced 4.4mm outputs
Of course, the iFi GO Link Max is something of a one-trick pony – and so consequently it has very few features. Those features it has, though, are designed to get that one job done in some style.
So at one end of the braided cable there’s a little block with a USB-C connector on the end. iFi provides both lightning and USB-A adapters to fit it, so the GO Link Max should be compatible with any smartphone or laptop you care to mention. At the other end of the cable there’s a larger block with unbalanced 3.5mm and balanced 4.4mm outputs at its end, and on the inside is everything required to turn digital audio information into analogue as effectively as possible.
iFi has deployed twin ESS Sabre ES9219 DAC chipsets to get the job done – which means the GO Link Max can deal with audio files up to DSD256 and PCM 32bit/384kHz resolution. And fittingly for a company that’s never been afraid of a good acronym or two, iFi has fitted this little device with ‘THDC’ (total harmonic distortion compensation) technology to keep harmonic distortion to a minimum, and ‘DRE’ (dynamic range enhancement, sadly, and nothing to do with the celebrated hip-hop producer) which – hey! – wants to increase the dynamic contrast between the quietest and the loudest moments in your music.
This arrangement, says iFi, results in a USB DAC that can twist out 100mW of power from the unbalanced output and over 240mW from the balanced alternative. Which is a lot by any USB DAC standards, and should allow the GO Link Max to drive pretty much any appropriate headphones without problems.
Features score: 5 / 5
iFi GO Link Max review: Sound quality
(Image credit: Future)
Greater dynamism and improved levels of detail
More positive, punchier sound
Across-the-board improvements
Let’s face it: only the most optimistic customers buy a new laptop or smartphone expecting sonic excellence. These devices are too noisy (in electrical terms) and too feature-heavy for audio quality to be anything other than an afterthought. If you want great sound while you’re out and about or at your desk, a dedicated music player might seem to be the way forward. iFi, though, disagrees – and the way this GO Link Max can make your laptop or smartphone sound demonstrates that as long as the critical stuff is done properly, these can be just as viable a source of music as the most expensive stand-along digital audio player.
The difference in quality between plugging a pair of headphones directly into the headphone socket of an Apple MacBook Pro, say, and plugging the same headphones into the GO Link Max having connected it via its USB-C is really remarkable. The gains are far from mild, and they are wide-ranging. In all honesty, the reproduction is of an entirely different standard.
Take mid-range resolution, for instance. A 16bit/44.1kHz file of Lisa O’Neill’s Old Note is more detailed, more direct, carries greater harmonic variation and is, in the final analysis, simply more communicative and eloquent when heard via the iFi USB DAC. Daft Punk’s Get Lucky as a 24bit/48kHz FLAC file demonstrates greater low-frequency depth and texture, increased dynamic headroom, and an altogether more assured way with rhythm and tempo management. And Lobbo by Vieux Farka Touré et Khruangbin as a 24bit/96kHz file has greater bite and presence at the top of the frequency range, as well as increased substance.
The frequency range hangs together more smoothly and confidently, and the tonal balance is improved too. Soundstaging is more open, better defined and far more effectively controlled than it is when you leave the computer to deal with things. There’s just no aspect of music reproduction that the iFi GO Link Pro doesn’t deal with far more effectively than an expensive, high-end laptop computer.
Sound quality: 5 / 5
iFi GO Link Max review: Design
(Image credit: Future)
Braided connecting cable
150 x 15 x 10mm (HxWxD)
14.5g
Just as with the ‘features’ section, the GO Link DAC is a functional, no-frills device where ‘design’ is concerned. This is a product that needs to be as small, light and portable as is realistically possible, and that’s exactly what iFi has delivered.
The metal casework of the two sections of the DAC feel and look good, and give a hint of the premium to what’s a necessarily discreet device. There’s a single LED on the main body of the GO Link Max, which lights up in one of a selection of colours to indicate the size of the digital audio file it’s dealing with – though I can’t help thinking it’s a bit of a shame that the same colour (green) indicates PCM all the way up to 96kHz. A little visual confirmation that 96kHz is a significantly higher resolution than 44.1kHz might be nice…
The only aspect of the design that’s in any way problematic is the braided cable that joins the two sections of the DAC, and even then, this is a theoretical issue rather than anything tangible. iFi reckons the braiding helps shield the cable from outside interference, and I’ve no reason to think that’s not the case – it just feels a bit vulnerable for a product that’s likely to spend a lot of its life in a pocket or a bag.
Design score: 4.5 / 5
iFi GO Link Max Review: Usability and setup
Plug into your smartphone or laptop
Plug in your headphones
Away you go!
“It’s not rocket science” is, I think, too weak a description for how straightforward the iFi GO Link Max is to use. Plugging the USB-C end into your laptop or smartphone at one end, and your headphones in at the other, doesn’t require in-depth instructions – and if you can’t get this device up and running in mere seconds, I don’t think any amount of instructions are likely to help.
Usability and setup score: 5 / 5
iFi GO Link Max review: Value
You simply can’t argue with the value for money here
Does what it does in fine style
The iFi GO Link Max represents unarguable value for money. The latent fragility of the cable aside, it’s robustly made, properly finished, light and portable – and it does what it does in fine style. If you want to maximise your portable and/or desktop audio experience without spending an arm and a leg, you really can’t go wrong here.
Value score: 5 / 5
Should I buy the iFi GO Link Max?
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Attributes
Notes
Rating
Features
The perks here are all you need for hi-res audio
5/5
Design
Small (potential) cable worry aside, it’s a smart little thing
4.5/5
Sound quality
Detailed, dynamically agile, and punchier this time
5/5
Value
It’s impossible to argue with what you get for the money
5/5
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
iFi GO Link Max review: Also consider
If you can live without the 4.4mmm balanced output, the even smaller, even lighter iFi GO Link USB DAC makes a whole lot of sense – especially as it’s usefully cheaper than the already-quite-affordable GO Link Max. If you want to free yourself for the ubiquity of iFi, though, it’s worth considering FiiO’s KA13 – by iFi standards its relatively bulky, but it get the job done in fine style.
How I tested the iFi GO Link Max
Qobuz and Tidal; Android smartphone and Apple MacBook with Colibri software
Sennheiser IEMs; Austrian Audio over-ears
I plugged the iFi GO Link Max into a Samsung Galaxy S21 smartphone using the USB-C connection, and into an Apple MacBook Pro using the same socket. I also connected it to an Apple iPhone 14 Pro via the Lightning adapter. Each device is loaded with Qobuz and TIDAL music streaming service apps, and the laptop also features Colibri software to get around Apple’s inexplicable disdain for truly hi-res digital files. Headphones included Sennheiser IE900 (connected using the 4.4mm socket) and Austrian Audio Hi-X20 (using the 3.5mm equivalent), and music came from every era and every genre. I listened to the GO Link Max for well over a working week this way – and it was no kind of hardship.
Despite how frequently we deal with knots—in our shoelaces, in our corded earphones, in our holiday gift-wrapping—they might be giving us more trouble than we realized.
Two researchers from Johns Hopkins University have revealed that people consistently have a surprisingly hard time wrapping their minds around knots. Their findings, detailed in a September 23 study published in the journal Open Mind, suggest that knots may represent a new “blind spot” in our physical reasoning.
The inspiration for the study came from embroidery. One day, Sholei Croom, a PhD student in Chaz Firestone’s lab—both of whom co-wrote the study—flipped her embroidery over to the back of the design and couldn’t make sense of how to handle the tangle of embroidery floss, even though it was her own work. Instead of reacting the way most of us would have (by giving up or reaching for the scissors), she suspected that knots could present a strange gap in intuitive physics: what we expect from the world around us just by looking at things.
“People make predictions all the time about how the physics of the world will play out but something about knots didn’t feel intuitive to me,” Croom said in a university statement. “You don’t need to touch a stack of books to judge its stability. You don’t have to feel a bowling ball to guess how many pins it will knock over. But knots seem to strain our judgement mechanisms in interesting ways.”
The test Croom and Firestone conducted for the study was relatively simple. It involved four similar knots with varying strengths, ranging from one of the strongest (the reef knot) to one of the weakest (the grief knot). The researchers asked participants to look at one pair of knots at a time, and guess which was strongest.
The participants failed spectacularly. They were then presented with videos of each knot slowly rotating, and they failed at this, too. A third iteration of the experiment presented participants with diagrams of the knots’ construction next to each knot—but that didn’t seem to help, either. The few times the participants guessed correctly, they did so for the wrong reasons. The researchers concluded that most people simply cannot differentiate a weak knot from a strong one by sight.
“People are terrible at this,” said Firestone. “Humanity has been using knots for thousands of years. They’re not that complicated—they’re just some string tangled up. Yet you can show people real pictures of knots and ask them for any judgment about how the knot will behave and they have no clue.”
The participants, however, were non-experts, and Croom speculated that individuals with more knot experience—such as sailors or mountaineers—might perform better. Nevertheless, she suggested that it may be harder for people to intuitively understand soft objects like string or rope compared to solid ones.
“We’re just not able to extract a salient sense of a knot’s internal structure by looking at it,” Croom added. “It’s a nice case study into how many open questions still remain in our ability to reason about the environment.”
So the next time you have to show a child how to tie their shoes for the fifteenth time, remember to have a little sympathy—chances are you don’t know your way around knots much better than they do.
There are some things you just don’t do in certain parts of the US. You don’t use inferior salsa during a cattle drive in Texas. You don’t eat pizza with a knife and fork in New York City. You don’t yell “Belichick is a big, fat cheater!” in a crowded Boston bar (even if it happens to be true).
And if you’re in New Jersey or just America in general, you NEVER take the holy name of Bruce Springsteen in vain in ANY manner. So it’s bewildering why one New Jersey representative would even think about faking his listening habits when it comes to The Boss.
9to5Mac spotted a curious looking post on X from US Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ). The congressman shared what appeared to be his Spotify Wrapped playlist for the year, with one list consisting of Springsteen’s classic tracks like “Glory Days” and “Thunder Road” and the other filled with tracks from various hip hop stars. He tried to cement his esteem for Springsteen in his post by saying his “first ever concert was at Meadowlands to see The Boss!” Well, it didn’t take long for the internet and anyone who’s ever used Spotify to figure out that he faked the whole list just to kiss up to his constituents.
Gottheimer’s list included such glaring mistakes as inconsistent font sizes, improper spacing between the albums on his lists and the fact that both lists were titled “Your top songs” even though one only had Springsteen albums. He didn’t even use the same font type or size for all of his track and album entries.
So how did Gottheimer handle this musical faux pas with the press? He dug in his heels on his Springsteen tracks and blamed his two kids for the rest. He admitted to NJ Advance Media that he made a fake Spotify Wrapped list but says the tracks on each list are accurate because he shares an account with his children because that’s easier than going back in time and setting up a family plan.
“This would be my Spotify Wrapped if I didn’t share my account with my 12 and 15-year old kids,” Gottheimer told the outlet. “While it’s Springsteen all day for me — don’t get me wrong, I still love listening to Taylor Swift!”
Gottheimer has since taken the post down and replaced it with a list of his most listened to Springsteen tracks. He’s trying to save face because he’s in a heated race for governor and if you want a solid shot at moving into New Jersey’s governor mansion, then you need to make your love for The Boss known far and wide across the Garden State. If Gottheimer is also going for the “Dad who makes his kids cringe at their music choices” vote, then he’s a lock.
