Battlefield 6producer Phil Girette believes Season 2 is the "strongest" one yet
He also thinks it will bring back the players who left after Season 1's extension
He adds that Season 2 will be the "foundation" for future updates
A Battlefield Studios developer has said Battlefield 6 Season 2 is its "strongest" yet and believes it will bring back players who may have abandoned the game after Season 1.
In an interview with TechRadar Gaming, producer Phil Girette and associate producer Kit Eklof discussed the latest season, which is available now. They said they're confident that those that may have quit for a while following the launch of Arc Raiders - another big online shooter - will come back to try it out.
"So we launched Battlefield 6 and we were super happy to have had a smooth launch for once. And then going into season 1, I think the key thing there because, [...] there were a lot of people spending a lot of time playing it, what kind of broke that pace is the extension we did of Season 1," Girette said.
"We looked at the content that we have in Season 2 and we just said, 'it needs a little bit more time in the in the oven to further polish'."
He continued: "Season 2 is definitely bigger than what we have done in Season 1. We have the maps, we think they're going to be quite strong. We have the additional gameplay mechanics. We have popular vehicles coming back like the Little Bird. There's a whole new addition in REDSEC itself as well."
Eklof echoed that sentiment, saying, "If you're really a die hard Battlefield fan, there are so many things that are in the Battlefield DNA that we're adding to Battlefield 6 here, which I think it's really, really exciting, and on top of that, some some innovations as well. I think it's great."
Season 2 has so much new content, including new weapons, vehicles, Battle Pass, and even a new map with a toxic gas similar to the poison gas in Battlefield 1.
When asked if he believes Season 2 is the best season the team has made yet, Girette argued that it was the "strongest" and that it will lay the foundations for future seasons going forward.
"Does the perfect Battlefield season even exist?" he said. “Everyone sat together and said, ‘This is really, really strong.’ We want to use Season 2 as kind of the foundation going forward - this is the level we need to hit. We hope that the players think the same, but I think this is going to be the strongest season [yet].”
Apple's Mac mini and Mac Studio are suffering from long shipping delays
This pertains to the models with more than a baseline level of RAM
It's seemingly the consequence of the AI boom and popularity of local AIs, notably OpenClaw, which is causing, or at least contributing to it
If you were thinking of ordering a Mac mini with lots of RAM from Apple, then you could be in for something of a wait – and that's even more true for the Mac Studio.
Tom's Hardware noticed a post on X from Alex Finn, the CEO of Creator Buddy (an AI tool), who observed that: "Something big is happening. First Mac Minis. Now Mac Studios. Completely sold out. When I bought 2 Mac Studios a month ago, my wait was 14 days. Now the wait is 54 days."
The theory is that people are catching on to the potential of AIs that are run locally – meaning on your own PC, rather than accessed in the cloud – and this is being driven ahead at a fast pace by the popularity of AI agent OpenClaw (among other factors).
So, people are looking for a PC with a beefy enough loadout of RAM to run such local AIs. Apple's Mac mini and Mac Studio, which you can load up with an absolute ton of memory, are good candidates for the job. (The RAM comes at a correspondingly high cost, it should be noted.)
If we look at the Apple store in the US currently, the evidence is plain enough to see. The base Mac mini with the vanilla M4 chip is available for immediate dispatch in its 16GB form, but if you want 24GB or 32GB of RAM, you're looking at a wait of two to three weeks for delivery.
With the Mac mini M4 Pro model, you are also going to be waiting two to three weeks for the PC to arrive, with the only exception being the base model again – in this case, the lower-tier CPU with 24GB of RAM, which can be sent out immediately.
For the Mac Studio, the wait is even longer. With the PC that has the M4 Max higher-tier variant, if you want this model with 64GB of RAM, there's currently a delay of four to five weeks. Go for the 128GB model, and you'll be drumming your fingers for five to six weeks before your Mac Studio shows up. (Disclaimer: finger drumming for extended periods of time is not recommended.)
The M3 Ultra version of the Mac Studio, with a whopping 512GB of RAM, is also showing a five to six week shipping delay from Apple. All of these delivery timeframes are accurate at the time of writing, but may have altered by the time you read this.
Analysis: mini mania
(Image credit: Apple)
The Mac mini, packed with a whole load of RAM, is a great solution for running an AI locally, with that unified memory (shared by the CPU, NPU, and GPU) being seriously nippy and ideal for such tasks.
And this is seemingly being reflected in sales of these compact computers, and the beefier Mac Studio, too. As Tom's points out, there's a growing number of companies that are using "clusters and clusters of Mac Studios" which are "perfect for long-running agentic tasks and local private LLMs" (Large Language Models, or AIs).
While there clearly are some pretty long lead times for ordering RAM-packed Macs, we can't jump to the conclusion that this is entirely due to a local AI boom. But there's clearly something going on in that respect, and it's not going to help if Apple is facing supply pressures at this point in terms of securing memory inventory. (And even Apple's huge resources will start to creak at some point).
If we see this trend continue, it's not difficult to imagine where all this is headed – these Macs are going to get very expensive (which is true with the RAM crisis as it is, anyway), and maybe even difficult to get hold of at all.
In short, if you were mulling the purchase of a Mac mini (or indeed a Mac Studio) with more than a baseline amount of memory, you might want to think about pulling the trigger sooner rather than later.
And of course, you can also follow TechRadar onYouTubeandTikTokfor news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us onWhatsApptoo.
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Now that the PS5 Pro is in the hands of gamers everywhere, the list of PS5 Pro enhanced games continues to grow. Around launch, Sony detailed 50+ titles that have dedicated modes that make use of everything the upgraded console has to offer. Since then we've even put together a best PS5 Pro games list, highlighting the top titles that are enhanced on the premium console.
Now that the PS5 Pro is out, and we've finalized our PS5 Pro review, there's a lot to love about Sony's most powerful console. Thanks to the PS5 Pro specs, it's no surprise that games such as Marvel's Spider-Man 2 look and feel better than ever, leveraging AI-driven upscaling and improved raytracing. Now that the dust has settled on the PS5 Pro launch, we’ve even been able to spend time with many of the upgraded games, and feel confident offering some recommendations on the PS5 Pro games to play first.
Before you seek out where to buy a PS5 Pro, however, you'll want to know what games have received upgrades, which is where we come in. In this article, we'll cover every PS5 Pro game confirmed so far, including a look at what's set to change in each title. As more games are unveiled in the future, we'll be sure to update this list.
PS5 Pro games list - confirmed PS5 Pro enhanced titles
(Image credit: Housemarque / PlayStation Studios)
Given that there are now well over 100 PS5 Pro enhanced games, and with each developer handling things slightly differently, the list below represents just a small slice of the headline games that have received beefy PS5 Pro updates since launch:
007: First Light - enhanced for PlayStation 5 Pro, using PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR) and having optimized performance, with the game playable at 60 FPS in Quality Mode. Coming in 2026.
Alan Wake 2 - Performance Mode now offers 4K at the same fidelity as the base PS5's Quality Mode. The PS5 Pro Quality Mode, however, will target raytracing. As confirmed in this blog post.
Assassin’s Creed: Shadows - exhibits an enhanced ray-traced global illumination technology. Improved fidelity thanks to expanded GPU capabilities and leveraging of PSSR. As per the PS Blog.
Battlefield 6 - Pro offers Balanced or Performance Mode, with a higher visual fidelity and framerate, respectively (compared to base PS5)
Control Ultimate Edition - Unlocked frame rates, improved Temporal Anti-Aliasing, and PSSR improvements, ray-tracing at 60fps.
Demon’s Souls - 4K image-like quality at 60 frames per second.
Dragon’s Dogma 2 - benefits from the power of the PS5 Pro, PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR), and new ray tracing technology, allowing improved framerates.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard - The game’s Fidelity and Performance modes both see improvements on the hardware, including improved resolution in 30FPS Fidelity and 60FPS Performance modes.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 - enhanced on PlayStation 5 Pro.
Doom: The Dark Ages - enhanced on PS5 Pro. Details not given.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth - The new Enhanced Mode* developed especially for PS5 Pro combines the characteristics of the existing Performance Mode and Graphics Mode to offer players a new visual experience.
F1 24 - F1 24 is upgrading its Quality mode to add new ray tracing effects that shine particularly on rain-soaked courses making the tracks feel more realistic and immersive. As per the PS Blog.
Ghost of Yōtei - Raytracing Pro mode, higher baseline resolution.
God of War Ragnarök - "PS5 Pro Enhanced Mode: New mode added for PS5 Pro that enables Favor Quality features while running at 60 frames per second", say Santa Monica Studio. PSSR option added in addition to TAA.
Gran Turismo 7 - now able to support ray tracing during races, which was previously impossible. This allows not only for car surfaces to show full reflections of other cars, but also for a car to reflect its own parts, greatly enhancing realism and immersion throughout the whole game.
Hogwarts Legacy - Players are able to experience crisper, richer, higher resolution graphics, leveraging PSSR on all visual modes.
Horizon Forbidden West - you can now enjoy a visual quality that matches or surpasses the Quality mode on the regular PlayStation 5, but now at 60 FPS – double the framerate.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle - experience next-level realism and image clarity with native 4K resolution and advanced ray tracing.
Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 - Upscaled resolution of 2160p. Target performance of 60FPS, unlocked with VRR enabled. Leverages PSSR upscaling technology.
Lies of P - "Quality Mode benefits from more than a 30 percent increase in FPS, delivering smoother, more fluid gameplay. Additionally, Performance Mode now supports full native 4K resolution, allowing players to enjoy stunning visuals without sacrificing responsiveness," - Lies of P director Jiwon Choi in an interview with Eurogamer.
Lords of the Fallen - the PS5 Pro enhanced version of the action role-playing game (RPG) allows players to experience a "40% increase in pixel density over the base PlayStation 5 console, resulting in a sharper image and finer details. Read the full details here.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 - Spider-Man 2 finds a new default Performance Pro mode, which marries the crisp 4K resolution and ray tracing features of Fidelity mode with the speedy 60 frames per second of Performance mode.
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 - PSSR technology allows for the trees and the lush vegetation of the game’s iconic jungle terrain to become more vivid, and enhances the sense of realism of infiltrating through a natural environment
Mafia: The Old Country - support for variable refresh rate, support for 120Hz displays, and higher dynamic resolution in both Quality and Performance mode.
Monster Hunter Wilds - Resolution Mode for full Ray Tracing at 4K and 30FPS. Performance Mode allows for an uncapped frame rate. Balanced Mode with some Ray Tracing at 40FPS on 120Hz monitors
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart - new default Performance Pro mode, which marries the crisp 4K resolution and ray tracing features of Fidelity mode with the speedy 60 frames per second of Performance mode.
Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered - new default Performance Pro mode, which marries the crisp 4K resolution and ray tracing features of Fidelity mode with the speedy 60 frames per second of Performance mode.
Marvel's Spider-Man Miles Morales - new default Performance Pro mode, which marries the crisp 4K resolution and ray tracing features of Fidelity mode with the speedy 60 frames per second of Performance mode.
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart - Ray-tracing in 60fps performance mode, PSSR boosts to image quality, and two high-quality 'pro' graphics modes to choose from.
Resident Evil 4 Remake - the game runs at a higher framerate, making the dynamic action even more intense. Resident Evil 4 also uses the power of PS5 Pro for ultra-high-resolution technology, painting vividly realistic imagery brimming with detailed environments and more natural and beautiful visual effects than ever before.
Resident Evil Village - added 120fps gameplay to provide the best possible user experience on PS5 Pro.
Returnal - new resolution offering a boost of up to 2.5x
Stalker: Heart of Chernobyl - the PS5 Pro version will support 4K 60fps when played on both performance and quality modes, though more textures have been added to improve the latter.
Saros - PS5 Pro enhanced confirmed for release. Details to follow
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor - In Quality Mode, the game offers its highest-ever console resolution at 2160p. At the same time, Performance Mode continues to deliver a solid 60 fps—but now with higher resolutions and the added visual depth of ray tracing for reflections and ambient occlusion.
Stellar Blade - 4K resolution at 50fps or more, with smoother gameplay, and you’ll notice an improvement in grain and detail in the game in PSSR upscale mode. Plus, the HFR (high framerate) option is supported, allowing you to enjoy a fluid gaming experience at 80 fps (120hz display support required).
The Crew Motorfest - more objects on-screen – decals, vegetation, crowds – all running at 60fps.
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered - PS5 Pro Enhanced
The First Descendant - expanding the ray tracing feature by leveraging PS5 Pro’s superior GPU performance and enhanced ray tracing architecture.
The Last of Us Part I - new PS5 Pro-specific enhanced rendering mode that takes advantage of improved graphics processing, rendering 1440p, then upscaling to 4K via PSSR super resolution. This mode maintains the 60 fps target, offering an ideal balance of framerate and resolution.
The Last of Us Part II Remastered - new PS5 Pro-specific enhanced rendering mode that takes advantage of improved graphics processing, rendering 1440p, then upscaling to 4K via PSSR super resolution. This mode maintains the 60 fps target, offering an ideal balance of framerate and resolution.
Zenless Zone Zero - native 4K resolution and 60 FPS simultaneously with the average frame rate increasing by nearly ten frames. Update arrives December 18, 2024.
And now, a highlight of the major titles that have received a PS5 Pro patch, as previously confirmed on the PS Blog ahead of the PS5 Pro launch.
Alan Wake 2
Albatroz
Apex Legends
Arma Reforger
Assassin’s Creed Mirage
Assassin's Creed Shadows
Baldur’s Gate 3
Battlefield 6
Battlefield Redsec
Black Myth: Wukong
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
EA Sports College Football 25
Dead Island 2
Dead Rising Deluxe Remastered
Demon’s Souls
Diablo IV
Dragon Age: The Veilguard
Dragon’s Dogma 2
Dying Light 2 Reloaded Edition
Dynasty Warriors: Origins
EA Sports FC 25
Enlisted
F1 24
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
Fortnite
Ghost of Yōtei
God of War Ragnarök
Hogwarts Legacy
Horizon Forbidden West
Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Kayak VR: Mirage
Kingdom Come Deliverance 2
Lies of P
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii
Lords of the Fallen
Madden NFL 25
Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered
Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Monster Hunter Wilds
Naraka: Bladepoint
NBA2K 25
Ninja Gaiden 2 Black
No Man’s Sky
Palworld
Paladin’s Passage
Path of Exile 2
Planet Coaster 2
Professional Spirits Baseball 2024-2025
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
Resident Evil 4
Resident Evil Village
Rise of the Ronin
Rogue Flight
Slitterhead
Stalker 2: Heart of Chernobyl
Star Wars: Jedi Survivor
Star Wars: Outlaws
Stellar Blade
Test Drive Unlimited: Solar Crown
The Callisto Protocol
The Crew Motorfest
The Finals
The First Descendant
The Last of Us Part I
The Last of Us Part II Remastered
UFC 25
UFL
Until Dawn
War Thunder
Warframe
Warhammer 40,000 Darktide
World of Warships: Legend
Zenless Zone Zero
The games above have received dedicated PS5 Pro versions, and are even be labeled separately to indicate as such. There's also a whole host of PS4 and PS5 games that'll benefit from what Sony is calling PS5 Pro Game Boost (as per the PS Blog):
"With the PS5 Pro version of the Game Boost feature, you can enjoy faster and smoother frame rates in some of the PS4 and PS5 console’s greatest games."
This is said to apply to at least 8,500 PS4 and PS5 titles, so there are plenty of changes and upgrades on the way to the games you already own if you do choose to pick up a PS5 Pro. In addition, PS5 Pro will significantly enhance PSVR 2 games according to Mark Cerny.
PS5 Pro enhanced games - what's the difference?
As part of the initial PS5 Pro technical presentation, we saw a few games running on the new hardware, highlighting the differences relative to the base PS5 console. Each enhanced game benefits from the new specs in different ways, but they all pull from the improvements below:
Upgraded GPU with 67% more compute units and 28% faster memory; resulting in 45% faster rendering
Advanced ray-tracing
AI-driven upscaling known as PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR)
2TB SSD
PS5 Pro Game Boost
Optional disc-drive
VRR and 8K gaming support
(Image credit: PlayStation)
In our PS5 Pro review, we came to the conclusion that the main attraction is really “the convergence of graphical fidelity and performance with games now able to tap into the PS5 Pro’s hardware and features to shine in both ways - at the same time”. This boosted graphical fidelity is, more often than not, on par with the Quality Modes of the base PS5, but with a much smoother experience thanks to 60FPS or higher. This best of both worlds approach is really going to be the key difference moving forward, though it’s likely that we’ll see developers experiment further with higher end graphical settings that focus on ray tracing, or make use of the hardware’s new AI-boosted upscaling.
Speaking on ray tracing, there have been significant advancements for many of the games now enhanced by the PS5 Pro. In our PS5 Pro review, we were impressed by the ray tracing across the board, noting that “you can now enjoy some of the best ray-tracing PS5 has to offer in a performance mode, targeting 60 frames per second, which is truly special in games like Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.” So far, we’re looking at games that have already come out as well, so moving forward we’re excited to see what the PS5 Pro’s ray tracing capabilities can achieve as games get bigger and better looking across the board.
PS5 Pro review: The TechRadar Gaming verdict
(Image credit: Future)
Our Managing Editor, Rob Dwiar, spent some time with the PS5 Pro pre-launch, and gave his verdict in the TechRadar Gaming PS5 Pro review. He concludes that the PS5 Pro “is a superb console and now the best PlayStation 5 machine available. The advancements are glorious and bring a new level of immersion and beauty to games, while also boosting performance levels to offer fluid and smooth frame rates and very high levels of image fidelity - at the same time - offering a clear advancement over the base PS5, and will be perfect for those enthusiasts yearning for more from the camps of fidelity and performance.”
One thing that is immediately surprising when taking the PS5 Pro out of the box is its size and weight relative to the base model, especially the one that launched with a disc drive back in 2020. The PS5 Pro is much lighter than you’d expect, and its sleek design and black vented sides really stand out alongside the all white of the PS5’s faceplates. Under the hood, you now get 2TB of storage as standard, meaning that you can hold more games on your hard drive without having to swap things out for new releases.
While the technical upgrades and visual changes are indeed exciting, it’s also vital to point out the price jump between the base PS5 and the PS5 Pro. For $699.99 / £699.99 / AU$1,199, you do not get a disc drive, or even a vertical stand, something that really represents a sting in the tail for an otherwise enticing mid-generation upgrade. Our review concludes that “If you’ve a keen eye for detail, are a PlayStation fanatic who wants to be at the bleeding edge of the brand’s console and wants the most performant PlayStation console going, or you’re a graphics obsessive who wants the best experience going, or are a PS5 user with a new 120Hz-capable gaming TV or PS5 monitor, then the gaming experiences provided by the PS5 Pro are going to be very tempting indeed. For everyone else, it’s just going to be too expensive.”
While we'll have to wait and see what upcoming PS5 games like Resident Evil 9: Requiem do with the new PS5 Pro technology, it's highly likely that first-party games will offer some form of PS5 Pro version. This was how things worked with the PS4 Pro, so expect there to be boosts to upcoming games like Marvel's Wolverine, and Saros. In terms of third-party, PS5 Pro enhancements will come on a case by case basis. Some games will lean into the PS5 Pro's features, even offering separate PS5 Pro-labelled versions, while others may focus on a more general PS5 offering.
What games are the TechRadar Gaming looking forward to on PS5 Pro?
Now that the PS5 Pro is out, we’ve spent some time with the currently available list of enhanced games. Looking ahead, Saros and Resident Evil 9 will most likely show off the next level of PS5 Pro enhancements, especially the former, which is being developed by Sony first party studio, Housemarque. Beyond that, we've just had news of 007: First Light's PS5 Pro support, arriving in 2026.
The PS5 Pro launched on November 7, 2024, and currently retails for $749.99 / £699.99 / AU$1,999.95. This is a significant step up from the base console, especially when you consider that you won't get a disc drive or a vertical stand with it.
And of course, you can also follow TechRadar onYouTubeandTikTokfor news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us onWhatsApptoo.
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A new NYT Connections puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Monday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Monday, February 16 (game #981).
Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need Connections hints.
What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.
SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.
NYT Connections today (game #982) - today's words
(Image credit: New York Times)
Today's NYT Connections words are…
PLUM
LEAF
FLASH
BUSTLE
THUMB
OYSTER
FLOPPY
ZIP
SKIM
SOY
DART
BOMBAY
SPEED
FLIP
HOISIN
MISSUS
NYT Connections today (game #982) - hint #1 - group hints
What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?
YELLOW: Whizz about
GREEN: Asian cookery
BLUE: Hurriedly peruse something
PURPLE: Begins with failure
Need more clues?
We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…
NYT Connections today (game #982) - hint #2 - group answers
What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?
YELLOW: ZOOM
GREEN: SAUCES IN CHINESE CUISINE
BLUE: RIFFLE (THROUGH)
PURPLE: STARTING WITH SYNONYMS FOR "DUD"
Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.
NYT Connections today (game #982) - the answers
(Image credit: New York Times)
The answers to today's Connections, game #982, are…
YELLOW: ZOOM DART, FLASH, SPEED, ZIP
GREEN: SAUCES IN CHINESE CUISINE HOISIN, OYSTER, PLUM, SOY
BLUE: RIFFLE (THROUGH) FLIP, LEAF, SKIM, THUMB
PURPLE: STARTING WITH SYNONYMS FOR "DUD" BOMBAY, BUSTLE, FLOPPY, MISSUS
My rating: Hard
My score: 1 mistake
Thinking that I had spotted four tiles that were linked by computer drive storage I confidently connected THUMB, FLOPPY, ZIP and FLASH.
After not even getting a “one away” pop up, I focused and swapped my initial thought that OYSTER could belong to a group of exotic mushrooms, spotting the SAUCES IN CHINESE CUISINE.
For FLIP, LEAF, SKIM, THUMB, I was thinking these words referred to reading or perusing books at speed rather than RIFLE (THROUGH), but as is often the case with Connections it’s the group of fours rather than the category that gets you over the line.
Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Monday, February 16, game #981)
YELLOW: KNEE SLAPPER HOOT, LAUGH, RIOT, SCREAM
GREEN: HOMOPHONES DO, DOE, DOH, DOUGH
BLUE: SOUNDS A CHICKEN MAKES BUCK, CACKLE, CLUCK, SQUAWK
NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.
On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final one, as you'll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.
It's a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.
It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.
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X is down for many users right now, with thousands reporting that the social media site is serving up error messages and isn't working for them.
The issues started at around 8.02am ET / 1.02pm GMT, when a large spike in reports appeared on Downdetector in the US and UK. At the time of writing, those reports are at over 11,000 in the US and over 3,300 in the UK.
There's been no official confirmation yet from X about the issue, but we'll be bringing you all the updates here in this liveblog.
The latest news
X is down for many users around the world right now
The issues started at around 8.02am ET / 1.02pm GMT
The outage has no known cause yet
That's a big spike
(Image credit: Downdetector)
It seems most people (including us) are struggling to get X to load right now – there's currently over 23,000 reports on Downdetector (above) in the US, and over 6,400 in the UK.
The outage is affecting both the app and website, with neither working for us. We're getting a "something went wrong" message, with no posts loading.
A quiet day on X
(Image credit: X)
If you're seeing the message above for X on desktop or in the mobile app, you're not alone.
The social media site appears to be experiencing a big Monday outage, with the reports of issues in the US now at over 40,000 on Downdetector.
That's the kind of number we haven't seen since its last big outage in November 2025. Let's hope for the sake of memes and hot-takes that this one doesn't last as long...
Where do we go now?
Unfortunately, one of the best places to go for information during major outages is still... X. And it obviously isn't possible to contact the @Support account either.
Many users are using the Downdetector comments section as a place of refuge, with many stating that (like us) no posts are showing and neither are profile pages. Let's hope that 'retry' button starts working soon...
The reports continue to spike
(Image credit: Downdetector)
Our hopes that this might be a short, sharp blip appear to be fading – reports of problems on X continue to grow, with the number now at a massive 41,000 in the US. It's down for thousands in the UK too, during the critical lunch hour doomscroll period.
During the site's last big outage in November 2025, Cloudflare issues were the culprit. However, that doesn't seem to be case so far this time, with some outage spikes on Downdetector for both Cloudflare and AWS very minor. The picture should hopefully become clearer soon.
Signs of progress?
(Image credit: Downdetector)
There's been a small dip in the number of Downdetector reports for X in the last 15 minutes or so. It's now down to just over 37,000 reports, from a high of 42,845 at 8.34am ET / 1.34pm GMT.
It still isn't working for me at the time of writing with the desktop site showing a black screen, but that could mean a fix is working for some regions.
If you're in the US and are looking for something to replace your daily doomscroll, I'd recommend checking out our pick of the Presidents' Day deals. They're more fun than looking at a black screen, anyway.
X isn't exactly flourishing
(Image credit: X)
Seeing as X is still down for most of us right now, it feels timely to mention another recent X problem that had a somewhat comical conclusion.
As reported by Futurism, many users were recently puzzled to discover that the site's dark blue 'dim' theme had disappeared. When they complained on X (when the site was working), X’s head of product Nikita Bier replied that "we don’t have the capacity to support more than two colors right now", but that "we are looking into lightening the black on web.”
Leaving aside that baffling reply, is today's outage related to X's promised color tweaks? No, but it is another amusing X anecdote that suggests the site isn't exactly firing on all cylinders right now. In fact, none of its cylinders are firing, because it's still very much down right now...
The error messages continue
(Image credit: X)
The number of Downdetector reports for X is continuing to drop, which is a promising sign – it's now down to just over 25,000 reports in the US, from a peak of just over 41,000 at 8.42am ET / 1.42pm GMT.
Yet many of us are continuing to get error messages, so I thought I'd bring you one I haven't seen before to tide us over. The one above in the Android app explains that posts can't be retrieved and to "please try again later".
Seeing as X is making a habit of going down these days, I might start collecting these error messages and start a bingo game.
Moving in the right direction
(Image credit: Downdetector)
Good news for fans of freshly cooked hot-takes and memes – X appears to be back online after an outage that last for over an hour.
The number of reports on Downdetector has plummeted to just over 8,000 in the US, and a little over 2,000 in the UK. Given there's usually a slight delay between Downdetector reports and reality, I'd say the issue is now largely fixed for most (including me).
There's been no official post saying what caused the outage and everyone is now posting like nothing happened. Including the fact that Apple has just announced a special event for March 4 in New York...
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Discord's age verification plans are pushing users to alternative platforms
Stoat, previously known as Revolt, is having capacity issues coping with an influx of Discord leavers
Discord is seemingly sticking to its plan to enact global age verification measures in March
Discord hasn't done itself any favors so far this year, with plans to implement age verification measures globally on the platform in March, following the introduction of the policy for UK users due to the Online Safety Act. Those changes are still weeks away, but the impact is already clear.
As reported by Destructoid, an alternative Discord platform, Stoat, is facing capacity issues due to a large number of Discord users leaving the service to avoid these age verification plans.
Stoat's status page indicates that performance on the social platform has gone downhill, with a note stating that: "There's simply too many people, but we're trying our best."
It's worth noting that Stoat was previously named Revolt, but rebranded in 2025, keeping the same team and maintaining the app's interface.
Fortunately for those flocking to Stoat, the interface resembles Discord's, but with the benefit of free themes and customization (whereas with Discord, this is locked behind the Nitro subscription paywall).
StoatStoat
The battle for Discord deserters
While servers and voice chats are available on Stoat, there are no screen sharing options, which might be deal-breaker for many (I know it is for me).
That hasn't stopped a flood of people from joining the platform, though, and since Discord is showing no signs of reversing its ID verification plans, we'll likely see more defectors heading to various alternative services (such such as Root).
It's likely there'll be quite the battle to grab the attention of those who are fleeing from Discord.
While ID verification isn't compulsory, those who don't undergo the process will have 'teen-by-default' settings, which limits quite a number of facets of the Discord experience, and is far from ideal.
The other part of the controversy here, of course, is Discord's data breach in 2025. That has left some people understandably skeptical, with trust issues around handing over personal data, with many seemingly unwilling to take that chance.
The question is: at what point might the numbers of exiting members cause Discord to rethink its current stance on ID verification?
And of course, you can also follow TechRadar onYouTubeandTikTokfor news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us onWhatsApptoo.
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Windows 11 has been suffering with a bug that causes black-screen crashes for gamers with a 'security check failure' error
Microsoft has admitted to the glitch, and tells us that it's now fixed
The fix is in the most recent February update for Windows 11, alongside one for problems with connecting to certain Wi-Fi networks
Microsoft has confirmed that some Windows 11 gamers have been suffering from a bug that causes their PC to completely lock up — but the good news is that the February update packs a cure for this.
Windows Latest reports that the bug causes the dreaded Black Screen of Death (BSOD – which used to be blue, of course), whereby the system requires a restart. The telltale sign of this glitch is that the screen itself carries a 'Kernel Security Check Failure' error message.
The tech site notes that testers have also been running into this problem of late (although they get green-colored error screens), as well as those running the full version of Windows 11 — and this has been an issue in the distant past, too.
Windows Latest highlights a Microsoft Feedback Hub post with a complaint about Genshin Impact crashing, and there are Reddit posts about the problem, too (for example this one detailing issues with Marvel Rivals).
Microsoft says the problem is now resolved in the release notes for the February update: "[Graphics] Fixed: This update addresses an issue where certain GPU configurations might recently have experienced a system error related to dxgmms2.sys, resulting in the Kernel_Security_Check_Failure error."
Analysis: Wi-Fi-related side-effects and Microsoft's reputational issues
(Image credit: Future)
A good few reports of trouble with GPUs of late in Windows 11 have been focused on Nvidia graphics cards, with Team Green itself observing there was a problem with the January update causing not just black-screen crashes, but visual corruption of various kinds (like screen flickering).
However, Microsoft has indicated that all graphics cards may experience this particular black-screen error with the security check failure, so presumably AMD and Intel GPUs could also be hit by this unfortunate bug.
Not anymore, thankfully, since the February update has arrived. You should have been offered that upgrade by now, so if you are suffering black-screen crashes then it should be a priority to install. In fact, we saw this cure arrive in the January preview update at the end of last month (which, of course, is the beta of the February update — so it's not a shock that the fix was present here, and some of you may already have it if you grabbed that optional update).
That said, there's a twist in the tale here, because if you did install the January preview update, this had a fresh bug that stopped Windows 11 connecting to certain Wi-Fi networks using WPA3 (the cutting-edge wireless encryption standard).
So, if you've had difficulty hooking up to some Wi-Fi networks after installing that most recent optional update, you'll want to get the February update, which also fixes this WPA3 issue.
It's not the first time we've seen a fix applied, only for another bug to emerge (albeit only in preview this time). And gaming-related bugs certainly aren't new, and have been depressingly regular occurrences with Windows 11 since the 24H2 update, so this latest glitch won't help Microsoft's reputation in this regard — a reputation the company is hoping to repair this year, let's not forget...
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A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Sunday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Sunday, February 15 (game #714).
Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.
Want more word-based fun? Then check out my NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games, and Marc's Wordle today page for the original viral word game.
SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.
NYT Strands today (game #715) - hint #1 - today's theme
What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?
• Today's NYT Strands theme is… The cutting edge
NYT Strands today (game #715) - hint #2 - clue words
Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.
SPORE
JEST
WORST
BOATING
THING
PINT
NYT Strands today (game #715) - hint #3 - spangram letters
How many letters are in today's spangram?
• Spangram has 13 letters
NYT Strands today (game #715) - hint #4 - spangram position
What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?
First side: left, 5th row
Last side: bottom, 6th column
Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.
NYT Strands today (game #715) - the answers
(Image credit: New York Times)
The answers to today's Strands, game #715, are…
JUMP
LIFT
LOOP
COMBO
CROSSOVER
THROW
SPIN
SPANGRAM: FIGURESKATING
My rating: Hard
My score: 1 hint
Seeing a rare letter like J in the game is a big leg up to getting a word, but after finding JUMP I need some more assistance so took a hint. LIFT didn’t help me make sense of what we were searching for either.
On a quest for more non-game words I discovered skating, then FIGURESKATING and finally caught on to our Winter Olympics-themed diversion.
I’m enjoying the events from Italy, but I do think there should be more multi-sport events like there is for athletics. Maybe something that combined the skeleton, snowboarding and curling would be a hit? Also, considering how big a part they’re playing in the coverage, they may as well have a drone race to the top of the mountain and back.
Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Sunday, February 15, game #714)
GRASP
APPREHEND
FATHOM
UNDERSTAND
REALIZE
SPANGRAM: SEETHELIGHT
What is NYT Strands?
Strands is the NYT's not-so-new-any-more word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable that has been running for a year and which can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.
I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you're struggling to beat it each day.
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A new NYT Connections puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Sunday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Sunday, February 15 (game #980).
Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need Connections hints.
What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.
SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.
NYT Connections today (game #981) - today's words
(Image credit: New York Times)
Today's NYT Connections words are…
BUCK
SCREAM
DO
LAUGH
FAWN
DOE
FLIGHT
SQUAWK
HOOT
FIGHT
RIOT
DOUGH
FREEZE
CACKLE
DOH
CLUCK
NYT Connections today (game #981) - hint #1 - group hints
What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?
YELLOW: Very funny
GREEN: All sound the same
BLUE: Fowl noises
PURPLE: Strong reactions
Need more clues?
We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…
NYT Connections today (game #981) - hint #2 - group answers
What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?
YELLOW: KNEE SLAPPER
GREEN: HOMOPHONES
BLUE: SOUNDS A CHICKEN MAKES
PURPLE: STRESS RESPONSES
Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.
NYT Connections today (game #981) - the answers
(Image credit: New York Times)
The answers to today's Connections, game #981, are…
YELLOW: KNEE SLAPPER HOOT, LAUGH, RIOT, SCREAM
GREEN: HOMOPHONES DO, DOE, DOH, DOUGH
BLUE: SOUNDS A CHICKEN MAKES BUCK, CACKLE, CLUCK, SQUAWK
Despite the minor thrill of getting the answers in the perfect difficulty order I found this game really annoying.
Perhaps I shouldn’t have begun by singing “Doe a deer, a female deer” and thus trapping myself into making up a group of words that in my ignorance I thought were about animals – DOE, FAWN, BUCK and HOOT (that’ll be what you call a baby owl right?).
I redirected and made another mistake before I got KNEE SLAPPER, as I had CACKLE instead of RIOT (I was thinking these were all exclamations).
My bad run didn’t end there, though, as I had FAWN instead of BUCK in the group that became SOUNDS A CHICKEN MAKES. Frankly, a chicken would have done a better job of today’s game than I did.
Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Sunday, February 15, game #980)
GREEN: SOMETHING THAT BRINGS BACK MEMORIES ECHO, REMINDER, TRACE, VESTIGE
BLUE: KINDS OF COMPLEXES ELECTRA, INFERIORITY, OEDIPUS, SUPERIORITY
PURPLE: STARTING WITH WAYS TO REACH SOMEONE VIA PHONE BUZZARD, CALLIOPE, DIALECT, RINGMASTER
What is NYT Connections?
NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.
On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final one, as you'll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.
It's a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.
It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.
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A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Saturday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Saturday, February 14 (game #713).
Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.
Want more word-based fun? Then check out my NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games, and Marc's Wordle today page for the original viral word game.
SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.
NYT Strands today (game #714) - hint #1 - today's theme
What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?
• Today's NYT Strands theme is… "Now I get it!"
NYT Strands today (game #714) - hint #2 - clue words
Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.
GREAT
HERD
THEME
SPARE
DATE
GRAPH
NYT Strands today (game #714) - hint #3 - spangram letters
How many letters are in today's spangram?
• Spangram has 11 letters
NYT Strands today (game #714) - hint #4 - spangram position
What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?
First side: left, 1st column
Last side: bottom, 4th column
Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.
NYT Strands today (game #714) - the answers
(Image credit: New York Times)
The answers to today's Strands, game #714, are…
GRASP
APPREHEND
FATHOM
UNDERSTAND
REALIZE
SPANGRAM: SEETHELIGHT
My rating: Hard
My score: 1 hint
Zs in words where we would have Ss – as in today’s REALIZE – is an issue for Strands players in the UK, but that’s no excuse for my slow play today (that’ll have a bit more to do with the hangover I’m nursing).
"Now I get it!" are the words I often say to myself when I finally UNDERSTAND the day’s theme, but I absolutely did not get it today and took a hint after finding half a dozen non-game words.
The word GRASP helped me, erm, grasp the search at hand although I’d argue comprehend may have fitted better in this game than APPREHEND – but then my fields of perception are decidedly blurred.
Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Saturday, February 14, game #713)
EMBRACE
SNUGGLE
SMACK
PECK
SMOOCH
CUDDLE
SPANGRAM: HUGSANDKISSES
What is NYT Strands?
Strands is the NYT's not-so-new-any-more word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable that has been running for a year and which can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.
I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you're struggling to beat it each day.
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A new NYT Connections puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Saturday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Saturday, February 14 (game #979).
Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need Connections hints.
What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.
SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.
NYT Connections today (game #980) - today's words
(Image credit: New York Times)
Today's NYT Connections words are…
CALLIOPE
SUPERIORITY
RINGMASTER
ATLAS
OEDIPUS
BUZZARD
ECHO
ELECTRA
TRACE
DIALECT
INFERIORITY
DICTIONARY
THESAURUS
REMINDER
ENCYCLOPEDIA
VESTIGE
NYT Connections today (game #980) - hint #1 - group hints
What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?
YELLOW: Informative volumes
GREEN: The stirring of recollections
BLUE: Psychological issues
PURPLE: Starting with analog contacts
Need more clues?
We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…
NYT Connections today (game #980) - hint #2 - group answers
What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?
YELLOW: REFERENCE BOOKS
GREEN: SOMETHING THAT BRINGS BACK MEMORIES
BLUE: KINDS OF COMPLEXES
PURPLE: STARTING WITH WAYS TO REACH SOMEONE VIA PHONE
Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.
NYT Connections today (game #980) - the answers
(Image credit: New York Times)
The answers to today's Connections, game #980, are…
GREEN: SOMETHING THAT BRINGS BACK MEMORIES ECHO, REMINDER, TRACE, VESTIGE
BLUE: KINDS OF COMPLEXES ELECTRA, INFERIORITY, OEDIPUS, SUPERIORITY
PURPLE: STARTING WITH WAYS TO REACH SOMEONE VIA PHONE BUZZARD, CALLIOPE, DIALECT, RINGMASTER
My rating: Hard
My score: 1 mistake
I am sure there are more than the four stated KINDS OF COMPLEXES among today’s tiles and this is where I made my mistake – including RINGMASTER instead of ELECTRA. I’m imagining the ringmaster complex as someone who has to take control and conduct any social event, in the manner of a circus ringmaster. Could be a thing, surely?
Anyway, somehow I added ELECTRA and minimized my mistakes to just one.
I am old enough to be familiar with many of the words that featured in STARTING WITH WAYS TO REACH SOMEONE VIA PHONE – a list that’s missing bell and tinkle. Incidentally did you know that the inventor of the telephone Alexander Graham Bell’s suggested greeting when answering was “ahoy hoy”? Very civilized.
Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Saturday, February 14, game #979)
YELLOW: UPTICK HIKE, JUMP, RISE, SPIKE
GREEN: PROTUBERANCE BUMP, HUMP, LUMP, MOUND
BLUE: TOM HANKS ROLES GUMP, PHILLIPS, SULLY, WOODY
PURPLE: WORDS BEFORE "MINT" BREATH, JUNIOR, PEPPER, SPEAR
What is NYT Connections?
NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.
On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final one, as you'll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.
It's a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.
It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.
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