bot

Blue Prince releases on April 10, and will immediately be available on Xbox Game Pass, Microsoft announced last week. The PlayStation Blog announced today that it will be available the same day on PlayStation Plus, as well.

Between a nomination for “Best Gameplay” at Gamescom 2024 and a more recent deluge of positive reviews, the puzzle game — whose name I just recently realized is a play on “blueprints” — has garnered a ton of attention ahead of release. Blue Prince is the rare game to get a day-one release via both PlayStation Plus and Xbox Game Pass, no doubt thanks to the strong word of mouth it’s enjoyed for the last year and change.

Here’s a little bit of what Jay Castello had to say about the game in their review for Polygon:

This gradual accumulation of knowledge is almost the whole of Blue Prince (one early room recommends having a notebook at hand; I filled several pages), although there are some architectural elements of the house that become permanent, making future runs more likely to be fruitful. These moments tend to feel big, some of them even having very atmospheric cutscenes that break up the routine of drafting door after door. You’ll also be collecting passwords and codes that stay the same across runs. Mainly, every new draft is a question of what you will learn about the estate and how you will apply that knowledge in future runs.

As for the other PlayStation Plus offerings this month, EA Sports PGA Tour will be available alongside Blue Prince on April 10, while Hogwarts Legacy, Lost Records: Bloom & Rage Tape 2, Battlefield 1, and PlateUp! will be added to the game catalog on April 15. And finally, classics Alone in the Dark 2 and War of the Monsters will join the PlayStation and PlayStation 2 classics lineups, respectively.

From Polygon via this RSS feed

Thanks to Framework, one of the most transparent computer companies out there, we now have a sterling example of just how ridiculous President Donald Trump’s tariffs can make life in the year 2025.

Today, the company made all of its computers more expensive. Then, it almost immediately reversed that to bring its computers back to their original prices,in real time, all because Trump posted to social media that he was instituting a tariff pause less than a day after his new tariffs began.

Here’s the timeline of events:

At 12:01AM ET Wednesday, Trump’s new tariffs went into effect, including an incredible 104 percent tariff on China and a 32 percent tariff on Taiwan.At 12:30PM ET, Framework announced a 10 percent price hike on all its computers, one it never thought it would need to introduce because it doesn’t make computers in China. (It does make them in Taiwan.)At 1:18PM ET, just over 12 hours after the new tariffs were officially in place, Trump announced a 90-day pause on tariffs for most countries but an increased 125 percent rate for China.At 1:48PM ET, Framework announced that nope, actually, it’s bringing prices back to normal.

Live view of the Framework team: pic.twitter.com/AFVqKvhwwA

— Framework (@FrameworkPuter) April 9, 2025

A 10 percent price hike wasn’t the only change Framework made in response to Trump’s tariffs. This very morning, Framework delayed opening preorders for its new entry-level Framework Laptop 12 in the United States even as it put it on sale in other territories. (I’ll have a story about that machine soon.)

On Monday, it also said it would temporarily pause selling some of its cheapest laptop configurations.

Framework couldn’t immediately tell me if it would begin US preorders for the Framework Laptop 12 now that the Taiwan tariffs are on a 90 day pause.

You can read more about Framework’s thought process on the tariffs in its likely-soon-to-be-revised blog post published earlier today, where it initially promised to absorb part of the increased cost. While it builds systems in Taiwan, Framework says that many of its modular components are still manufactured in China where Trump’s tariffs are strongest, and it’s possible that prices for those will continue to go up.

Here is that whole original blog post for posterity, as written by Framework CEO Nirav Patel:

As a result of the new tariffs that were announced last week, we have a series of unfortunate price and availability adjustments we need to make for US customers. We manufacture most of our products in Taiwan, for which we now face a new 32% import tariff into the US. We’re absorbing part of this cost temporarily, and we are increasing prices on in-stock laptops and new system pre-orders by approximately 10% for US customers. For our lowest-priced configurations, where we can’t afford to absorb the tariffs, we’re currently pausing sales to the US. We’re also delaying the pre-order launch of Framework Laptop 12 in the US. We’re continuing to monitor changes to tariffs, and we will make additional adjustments if needed. For non-US customers, there is currently no tariff impact, and we’re keeping the same pricing and availability of our products.

First, I want to acknowledge that this sucks, for you, for us, and for our mission to remake Consumer Electronics. We will get through it. This isn’t the first challenge we’ve faced, and it won’t be the last one. We’ll navigate through and keep focused on delivering great products and fulfilling this mission. We’re going to remain open and transparent throughout and try to bring clarity to a messy situation wherever we can.

Next, let’s go into more detail on the specific changes we’re making. Our Framework Laptops, Mainboards, Framework Desktop, and a subset of our modules are made in Taiwan, which means they are now impacted by a 32% import tariff to the US. Those are the products we’re increasing pricing on by 10% in the US, and we may need to increase this further if tariffs persist. Many of our modules are currently manufactured in China, where we face between 104% and 129% (!!!) tariffs. On those modules, we’re also absorbing part of the tariff and increasing pricing, depending on the category. Our Western Digital storage is manufactured in Malaysia, which now faces a 24% tariff. We’ve also increased storage pricing by up to 10%, but recommend that you purchase it elsewhere for your DIY Edition if possible, like directly from the Western Digital website.

These changes are going into effect now in the US for both in-stock orders and for new pre-orders. We’re enacting tariff absorption along with price increases as a temporary measure while we track the evolving situation around tariffs. In the event tariffs are removed, we’ll reset pre-orders that haven’t yet been fulfilled back to their previous prices. If tariffs persist or increase, we’ll likely need to increase US prices further. For existing US pre-orders of Framework Laptop 13 (AMD Ryzen AI 300 Series) and Framework Desktop, we’re still determining how to handle the tariff impact. In the event we need to adjust pricing, we will ask for your confirmation on the new price before finalizing your pre-order. We’ve also temporarily removed the functionality to edit configurations of existing US pre-orders, but you’ll still be able to edit your order at pre-order finalization. As always, pre-orders remain fully refundable. We’ll keep you updated on US pre-order timing for Framework Laptop 12. We’re reserving some manufacturing capacity for US orders to be able to ship alongside orders from other countries.

For US orders of parts and modules that ship from our New Jersey warehouse, we’ve temporarily paused ordering while we implement changes that let us decouple pricing between laptop configuration items and items in the Framework Marketplace. When we open ordering again, we’ll continue to sell items that are already in inventory in the US at the original price, while updating pricing for each item when we import new inventory. Canadian orders that ship from our US warehouse will also remain at the original CAD price at the moment, but we may need to make future price adjustments on items that are made in China, on which we face some tariff impact.

Now, let’s get into more detail about how the tariffs work. We’re keeping this apolitical and sharing more about how this works operationally. When goods are imported into the US, tariffs are assessed based on the country of origin and the HTS (Harmonized Tariff Schedule) code that the goods are classified as. We ship all of our products DDP (Delivered Duty Paid), meaning we pay tariffs as goods clear customs and include the cost inside of our product pricing. The tariff is calculated against the value of the product at import, meaning our cost as the importer, rather than the final price we charge for the product. The country of origin is defined as the last location in which “substantial transformation” occurs. For computers, US Customs has specifically defined substantial transformation as the location at which the main circuit board is assembled.

When starting Framework five years ago, we anticipated increased trade challenges between the US and China, and we chose to build most of our manufacturing and logistics footprint in Taiwan. At the time, imports from China to the US were subject to 7.5-25% Section 301 tariffs, with exceptions that included laptops, but not laptop parts. Because we’ve assembled our Mainboards in Taiwan since 2022 (we also do final system assembly and make magnesium parts and some aluminum parts there), the country of origin for our laptops is Taiwan. While this has largely shielded us from earlier rounds of tariffs on imports from China, all countries with a meaningful electronics manufacturing infrastructure are impacted by the current round. We are actively investigating paths to perform Mainboard assembly in the US, but our current manufacturing partners do not have necessary infrastructure in place. We were also already in the process of moving some module production from China to lower-tariff regions like Thailand and Indonesia. Migrating manufacturing partners or setting up new manufacturing infrastructure is a theoretical long term solution, but is not something we can execute ahead of tariffs coming into place this week.

This brings us back to the price and availability adjustments. Our products are built around longevity, and our business is too. We’ve built excellent Supply Chain and Logistics teams to be ready for this kind of disruption, and they are exploring every possible option to get back to normal US fulfillment. We’ll share changes and solutions as we come up with them, and we’ll remain transparent throughout. Thanks for continuing to follow along the journey.

We’ll let you know if Framework changes its plans further.

From The Verge via this RSS feed

More Gemini in more places.

Were you clamoring for two AI-generated podcast hosts to talk through the key points of your document before you send it to your boss? No? Well, you’re getting it anyway. Google has announced new Gemini features coming to Workspace apps, including NotebookLM-style AI podcasts integrated right into Google Docs. There’s a wide spread of new features in this announcement, from an editor that can make suggestions in your documents to a tool that will help make sense of your spreadsheets, all with Gemini at the center.

Maybe the most uncanny of them all is the podcast feature, which exists in a couple of places already. It grabbed a lot of attention when Google offered it as part of its NotebookLM research tool, and it’s also available in the Gemini app when you upload a file. This update, which is coming to Workspace accounts “in the coming weeks,” will bring audio overviews right into Google Docs, along with the option to have AI read your article out loud. Having your writing read back to you is genuinely useful, but I used Gemini to generate one of these “podcasts” based on an article I wrote and I’m not in a hurry to do it again.

Another feature coming to Docs is a prompt to “Help me refine.” Rather than just doing the writing for you, it will leave comments with suggestions about how you can tighten up an existing draft. I’m familiar with this concept as an editor, and they’re hella useful. If you don’t have access to, you know, a person editor, an AI version might not be a terrible idea. This one will be available “later this quarter.”

Further out, Google has some lofty but vague promises for Sheets. Right now, you can ask Gemini for help with specific questions and tasks in Sheets, like generating visuals. A feature called “Help me analyze” offers a broader scope to help you make sense of your spreadsheet. In theory, it will help you identify trends and “guidance to get you started,” kind of like an on-demand data analyst. It sounds like we’ll have to wait a bit to try this one out — it’s coming “later this year.”

From The Verge via this RSS feed

President Donald Trump’s latest round of tariffs — including a now 125 percent levy on Chinese imports — will hit the smart home industry hard.

Many smart home device makers are already struggling, thanks, in part, to Trump’s first round of tariffs. Increased competition from budget smart home companies largely based in China has also played a part, and so has slower takeup from homeowners than the industry expected.

Smart home control panel maker Brilliant cited tariffs and supply chain issues along with weaker-than-expected demand when it was close to shutting down last year. This year, robot vacuum maker iRobot announced it has struggled in the face of increasing competition as cheaper products from China flood the US market.

The sky-high tariffs on Chinese goods and components present a huge challenge for all smart home manufacturers. Most companies source products from China, and even if they moved manufacturing to other countries, they still may use Chinese-made components. The new, steeper tariffs on countries like Vietnam, where many companies relocated manufacturing, compound their problems.

Despite the just-announced 90-day pause on tariffs from “non-reta …

Read the full story at The Verge.

From The Verge via this RSS feed

President Donald Trump’s tariffs have only been in effect since midnight ET, and hours later he’s already announced “a 90 day PAUSE, and a substantially lowered Reciprocal Tariff” of 10 percent for countries that haven’t retaliated against the tariffs he created.

However, Trump also said in his post on Truth Social that he will be increasing the rate for China — which has placed tariffs on US goods in the past days — to 125 percent.

After Trump’s post, the New York Times reports White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters the tariff level would be brought down to a universal 10 percent, a significant drop for many countries that produce large amounts of US-bought goods, like Vietnam.

Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick tweeted that “(Treasury Secretary)Scott Bessent and I sat with the President while he wrote one of the most extraordinary Truth posts of his Presidency. The world is ready to work with President Trump to fix global trade, and China has chosen the opposite direction.” Meanwhile, Bessent spoke to reporters at the White House, claiming the now-delayed tariffs were about getting “negotiating leverage” for Trump instead of capitulation, with rewards (in the form of still-higher tariffs) for countries that didn’t retaliate.

Donald Trump:

Based on the lack of respect that China has shown to the World’s Markets, I am hereby raising the Tariff charged to China by the United States of America to 125%, effective immediately. At some point, hopefully in the near future, China will realize that the days of ripping off the U.S.A., and other Countries, is no longer sustainable or acceptable. Conversely, and based on the fact that more than 75 Countries have called Representatives of the United States, including the Departments of Commerce, Treasury, and the USTR, to negotiate a solution to the subjects being discussed relative to Trade, Trade Barriers, Tariffs, Currency Manipulation, and Non Monetary Tariffs, and that these Countries have not, at my strong suggestion, retaliated in any way, shape, or form against the United States, I have authorized a 90 day PAUSE, and a substantially lowered Reciprocal Tariff during this period, of 10%, also effective immediately. Thank you for your attention to this matter!

Developing…

From The Verge via this RSS feed

OS 2.0 is now available for the Teenage Engineering EP-133 KO II synthesizer. | Image: Teenage Engineering

Nearly a year and a half after it first launched the EP-133 KO II synthesizer in late 2023, Teenage Engineering has released its first major software update. The OS 2.0 update, which can be downloaded to the synth through a web browser or installed using a USB cable, includes features like creating new samples from existing samples or beats, hands-free sampling while playing another instrument, and the ability to layer and play more sounds simultaneously.

You can see all of the new features in the OS 2.0 release notes, but the most significant update appears to be new resampling capabilities that let you process or add effects to existing samples to create brand new ones. The update also allows you to create new samples by capturing snippets of a beat made up of previously recorded samples. The KO II is also getting a new hands-free sampling mode letting you record the sounds from an instrument that requires two hands to play – like a piano – without requiring a third hand to press record or stop on the synth.

Teenage Engineering has also increased the number of sounds that can be layered and played simultaneously on the KO II from 12 mono and six stereo to 16 mono and 12 stereo with OS 2.0 installed. Other upgrades include a new song mode that “adds the ability to chain scenes and create longer, more structured track arrangements,” and sidechaining that “allows one sound to control the volume of another.” So the volume of a bass drum in a beat can be automatically lowered whenever the sound of a kick drum plays so it’s not drowned out.

The $299 KO II falls somewhere in between the company’s $59 Pocket Operator synthesizers and its expensive but highly-capable $1,999 OP-1 Field. It’s positioned as a sort of advanced musical toy, but musicians might now find it a more capable song-making tool with OS 2.0.

From The Verge via this RSS feed

Dark Horse and Naughty Dog are collaborating on a limited-edition bust depicting Joel from The Last of Us angrily wielding a brick. It stands 8.5 inches tall, costs $149.99, and is very bad.

“Clutching the ever-reliable brick, Joel stands battle-worn yet determined, clad in his signature green flannel and weathered backpack,” the press copy reads, perhaps too serious by half for such a silly collectors item. “Whether used as a weapon or a well-timed distraction, the brick is an essential tool in Joel’s fight for survival.”

Who is this for? I can’t imagine even the most die-hard The Last of Us fan — a person I never want to meet, to be really real with everyone — wanting this harsh, bearded man on display in their home. What are you going to do, put it up next to your niece’s baby photos and that nice little painting you bought from a local artist at last week’s farmers market? The Last of Us is violent, sometimes to a hyperbolic degree, but I think ol’ Bricky Joel here would still shy away threatening to demolish grandma’s urn and spread her ashes on the fireplace mantle.

All that said, it’s nowhere near as bad as the “Ellie with switchblade” bust the two companies released last year, and that unfortunate-looking statue sold out. I don’t think of myself as a snob, but if you welcome me into your home and I see either of these grumpy dorks on display anywhere outside of your teenager’s room, I’m making up an excuse and leaving early.

From Polygon via this RSS feed

The moment I knew Blue Prince was my kind of game was when I found a scrap of paper strongly encouraging me to take notes in a journal. You see, I’m something of a note-taking game aficionado. I want to jot down codes, diagram a puzzle, connect the dots. And Blue Prince might be one of the best note-taking games I’ve ever played.

First, when it comes to organizing my notes, Blue Prince makes it very simple: I just add a new section for each room I uncover. While I enjoy the aesthetics of my incomprehensible Fez and Animal Well notes, they were a little hard to follow at times. It was hard enough figuring out what I should be taking notes on in those games, which can be part of the challenge, but also makes it hard to keep things orderly.

My notes in Blue Prince still have a little bit of the conspiracy cork board look to them, but by simply organizing them by room it’s much easier to page through and find what I’m looking for. If I find a new clue in one room and have a eureka moment, I know exactly which room I need to draft to complete the puzzle. It even reinforced what I think is the simplest bit of advice I can give players who get hung up on a certain puzzle: just draft some new rooms. The pleasure of adding a new room to my notes finally got me to try some dead end rooms I didn’t realize could be so important.

That’s exactly why I think taking notes works so well with the game’s roguelite structure. Many roguelikes and roguelites give you a taste of progress on each run, and Blue Prince is no different: Without revealing too much, there are “upgrades” you can find that will make your future runs more successful. But sometimes what you gain on a run is simply something new to jot down in your notebook. Will it matter for a future puzzle or the story? Maybe, but either way I have always felt like I’ve made progress on nearly every run (I don’t think I needed to draw a picture of the billiard table, but it does make my notes look cooler).

Of course, the game encourages taking notes because it makes solving many of the game’s puzzles much easier. Deciphering what is worth taking a note of is part of roleplaying as a detective: Finding the answers you need means knowing what questions to ask. Solving a puzzle is always a high point of note-taking games, but I’m often more thrilled when I figure out how to solve a puzzle. Cracking that nut is what notes, especially physical notes, really help you accomplish because you can lay out the information you have, rearrange it, and find new connections.

I realize that not everyone enjoys taking notes while playing a game or prefer to take digital notes instead of physical ones. Some games, like Return of the Obra Dinn and The Roottrees Are Dead have exceptional in-game note-taking that made it easy enough to set aside my journal. One of my favorite games of all time, Outer Wilds, has an ingenious in-game chart for visually connecting your clues.  But Blue Prince reminded me how good it feels to hold the pen and pad in my hands again.

From Polygon via this RSS feed

WordPress.com has launched a new AI-powered site builder in early access that can construct your WordPress webpage, including fully written text, layout, generated images, and more. WordPress.com says the AI website builder can make “beautiful, functional websites in minutes.” However, it can’t yet do the heavy lifting of creating an ecommerce site or one with “complex integrations,” but the company says to stay tuned for such features.

You’ll need a WordPress.com account to start the free trial for the WordPress AI Site Builder, and while you won’t need a credit card on file to have fun with the tool, you will need to get a WordPress.com hosting plan to actually make the site usable, which starts at $18 per month (less if you pay for a whole year or more).

The builder works by inputting prompts into a chatbot, so you can tell it that you need a personal or business site, describe how you want the header to look, what kind of colors you like, etc. WordPress.com says being as specific as possible in your first prompt will get you better results, but the chatbot can ask you for information like your business name and location. It then makes you a site complete with AI-generated headers, images, and text. You can then continue prompting the chatbot to tweak anything from colors, styles, photos, and information that you want included.

I tried it out and made my own fake retro videogame store website. I got a super basic but serviceable site laid out in sections like Discover, Events, and Visit Us. It populated a collection of random AI-generated gameroom images, including one with a girl leaning on a CRT displaying an unknown Tetris-like puzzle game. It also presented a “Sega Saturday Showdown” event that you can RSVP for (coupled with an entirely unrelated image of a woman holding a box of Christmas cookies).

Once the site is built, you can transfer it to WordPress.com’s hosting service, where you can continue working on it manually or return to the AI builder. The tool only works for new WordPress instances and can’t yet be used for pre-existing sites.

The new tool comes as WordPress.com owner Automattic just moved to shed 16 percent of its workforce last week. Automattic also faces a lawsuit brought on by hosting company WP Engine, which offers several tools, including templates, to help you build and manage a site.

From The Verge via this RSS feed

Blizzard has published the Diablo 4 2025 roadmap that lists out some of what players can look forward to this year (and beyond). After the rise of Mephisto during Vessel of Hatred, 2025 will be mostly about the spread of Mephisto’s influence, along with some unannounced collaborations and rewards.

We’ll break down everything announced in the Diablo 4 2025 roadmap below.

Diablo 4 2025 roadmap

The Diablo 4 2025 roadmap is broken down by quarters that correspond to seasons.

January through April: Season of Witchcraft

The beginning of the year saw the introduction of witch powers, headhunts, occult gems, and an earnable raven pet. The new Armorysystem was also added.

April to June: Belial’s Return

Late spring and early summer will bring Belial’s Return and new boss powers, a new apparition incursion activity, and a new earnable feline pet.

You’ll be able to tackle Belial and two other bosses from Vessel of Hatred as part of the updated Lair Boss system.

There will also be an update to the Battle Pass system. Details are still a little thin, but it is likely going to be replaced by the Reliquary and will allow players to set their own order for earning rewards.

This season will also see the first of two as-yet-unannounced IP collaborations.

July to September: Sins of the Horadrim

Early fall’s Sins of the Horadrim will bring some changes to nightmare dungeon progression, Horadric powers, and a new earnable pet.

Keyboard and mouse support for consoles will also be added.

September to December: Infernal Chaos

Diablo 4 rounds out the year with Infernal Chaos and chaos powers, infernal horde tweaks, and another earnable pet.

The second IP collaboration will also take place at the end of the year.

What to expect for Diablo 4 in 2026

The big thing to watch for next year is a new expansion to Diablo 4, plus leaderboards and an overhaul to the ranking system.

From Polygon via this RSS feed

The Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller isn’t the only new Nintendo gamepad getting two back buttons: the Joy-Con 2 Charging Grip has the additional buttons as well, according to Nintendo’s online listing for the controller.

Like the Pro Controller, the new back buttons are GL and GR that can be remapped to other buttons, the listing says. However, the Switch 2’s Charging Grip, at $34.99, is cheaper than the Pro Controller, which costs $79.99, so the grip is a more affordable way to try out those new buttons.

However, as with the original Switch’s charging grip, this new grip only charges your Joy-Con while it’s plugged in. “Attach the Joy-Con 2 controllers to the Joy-Con 2 charging grip to use as a classic-style controller – or a handy charging station with the included USB-C charging cable,” the listing says.

I wish the new charging grip had an included battery. But the ability to charge the Joy-Con while playing and use the new back buttons does make it a step up from the basic Joy-Con 2 grip included with the Switch 2. (Though the back buttons do look quite small.)

The Joy-Con 2 Charging Grip is scheduled to launch on June 5th alongside the Nintendo Switch 2. Nintendo has delayed preorders for the console in the US and Canada and hasn’t yet said when they’ll go live in those countries.

From The Verge via this RSS feed

The Last of Us season 2 is just days away, but it seems that HBO doesn’t want to leave everyone in suspense about what’s next for one of its most popular series. The network announced on Wednesday that the series has been renewed for season 3 via a short video teaser.

It can’t be for nothing. Season 3 is coming. #TheLastOfUs pic.twitter.com/q5HxyvK9O6

— Max (@StreamOnMax) April 9, 2025

For those that may be surprised about a third season of the show, despite there not being a third game, showrunners Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin have been teasing this decision for a while. In fact, in 2023, Mazin and Druckmann said that the events of that game could take two seasons at the very least to complete in the TV adaptation. While that may sound like a lot, it’s worth remembering that the game is some where between 20-30 hours long, and three seasons would bring the TV version to a similar runtime.

But before we get too far ahead of ourselves with what season 3 might be about, we’ll have to make it through the second season first. The Last of Us season 2 begins Sunday at 9 p.m. EDT, and will consist of seven episodes. We don’t know the exact format of the season just yet, especially given how complicated the game is, but we do know that Kaitlyn Dever is set to show up as Abby, and that Jeffrey Wright will reprise his role as Isaac from the game.

From Polygon via this RSS feed