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Oh hey there! If you're here, it must be time for Wordle. As always, we're serving up our daily hints and tips to help you figure out today's answer.

If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: NYT Connections today: Hints and answers for April 8 Where did Wordle come from?

Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once. 

Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.

What's the best Wordle starting word?

The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.

What happened to the Wordle archive?

The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.

Is Wordle getting harder?

It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn't any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle's Hard Mode if you're after more of a challenge, though.

SEE ALSO: NYT's The Mini crossword answers for April 7, 2025 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

An extra.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

There are no recurring letters.

Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with...

Today's Wordle starts with the letter S.

SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. The Wordle answer today is...

Get your last guesses in now, because it's your final chance to solve today's Wordle before we reveal the solution.

Drumroll please!

The solution to today's Wordle is...

SPARE.

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for April 8

Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Wordle.

If you're reading this, you're looking for a little help playing Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game.

Strands requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There's always a theme linking every solution, along with the "spangram," a special, word or phrase that sums up that day's theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable

By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.

If you're feeling stuck or just don't have 10 or more minutes to figure out today's puzzle, we've got all the NYT Strands hints for today's puzzle you need to progress at your preferrined pace.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 8 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 8 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Out of this world

The words are titles.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words are movies that share an 'out of this world' genre.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is horizontal.

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is ScienceFiction.

Featured Video For You Strands 101: How to win NYT’s latest word game NYT Strands word list for April 8

• Gravity

• Arrival

• Dune

• Alien

• Megalopolis

• ScienceFiction

Looking for other daily online games? Mashable's Games page has more hints, and if you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now!

Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Strands.

The future of the popular video app is now at the center of a geopolitical tussle between Washington and Beijing.

Although the iPhone's 20th anniversary is still a few years away, Apple is already planning a "bold" design change.

According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple is "preparing a major shake-up" for the iPhone 19 series, slated for release in 2027. That includes a foldable iPhone and an iPhone 19 Pro "that makes more extensive use of glass."

SEE ALSO: Apple's iPhone may be the new Signalgate scapegoat

Not much else is known beyond that, apart from ever-persistent rumors about Apple's development of a foldable iPhone, which have recently become more substantial. But Gurman also said this year's iPhone 17 points toward a sleeker, glassier model. Apple will reportedly release a slimmer iPhone 17 "Air." This model is rumored to have the same screen size as current models, will be two millimeters thinner, but will have similar battery life. This, of course, requires some compromises, like featuring only one rear-facing 48MP camera and an A19 chip instead of the A19 Pro chip.

Rumors for the iPhone 17 Pro launching in September 2025 include a 48MP telephoto lens, an A19 Pro chip, and a camera bump redesign.

SEE ALSO: How Apple and other tech stocks are impacted by Trump tariffs

First, we have Apple's WWDC to contend with, as well as a reported iOS 19 overhaul. Plus, macOS 16, iPadOS 19, tvOS 19, watchOS 12, and visionOS 3 will be revealed on June 9.

The Silicon Valley giant had ordered employees to stay silent on the landmark case before reaching a settlement with a workers’ union over the issue.

Baseball players are, by and large, odd birds. It's a particular sport where you're mostly left to your own thoughts. And catchers are perhaps the strangest of all ballplayers. It's a grueling, physical position that also requires you to lead the entire team on the field. There's a reason catcher's gear has long been dubbed the Tools of Ignorance. It's like being a hockey goalie — you've got to be a little unhinged and odd to choose that job.

All that's to say it makes sense that New York Yankees catcher Austin Wells is going viral for reviewing breakfast burritos. It's distinctly catcher behavior.

You can find his reviews at the aptly titled Instagram account @wells.ranked.burritos, which has racked up more than 60K followers in just three days and two reviews. Its mission statement, spelled out in the bio, is simple: "I am here to rank the Well(s) done road clubhouse breakfast burritos!" So far, the chorizo breakfast burrito from Pittsburgh is the top choice, scoring an 87 out of 100 on the quite-detailed Wells scale.

View this post on Instagram

It's a bit of pure internet joy in a time when there is, well, very little of that. The account harkens back to a bygone internet era when people would post things they enjoyed, rather than hone in on what can be monetized. (Remember Lorde's secret onion rings Instagram?) Frankly, it might just take the brain of a catcher to get to that place in 2025.

“What inspired me? Well, I just really liked breakfast burritos,” Wells told MLB.com.

Severance-themed glass cubes in Grand Central are out; full-scale makeovers of Severance shooting locations are in.

SEE ALSO: 21 burning 'Severance' questions we have after the Season 2 finale

On April 5, Apple transformed Bell Works — the Holmdel, New Jersey, complex that serves as Severance's Lumon Industries building — into an immersive Lumon experience. It's the latest in a series of stunts promoting Severance's second season, including the aforementioned Grand Central pop-up and a balloon-themed installation in London. While those were already impressive (I thought about the Grand Central cube almost daily for the entirety of Season 2's run), the Bell Works event somehow made them seem small.

What's it like to step into Lumon Industries? Check out that cube. Credit: Eric Charbonneau / Apple TV+ via Getty Images

The thrill of the Bell Works event started well before I entered the building itself. Driving onto the campus, we passed the classic white water tower — voiced by Saturday Night Live's Sarah Sherman in Season 2's "Lumon is Listening" video — and signs welcoming us to Lumon headquarters. While Lumon employees might view these sights with mundane resignation, or perhaps even zealous worship of Kier, all I felt was excitement. Yes, please welcome me to this corporate nightmare!

The excitement only grew after walking through Bell Works' doors. It's not every day you get to immerse yourself in the world of one of your favorite shows and experience cool architecture, but the event instantly offered up that double whammy. Even without the Severance connection, Bell Works is a formidable building, with its mirrored exteriors, tiered walkways, and high ceilings creating a vast retro-futuristic interior. With crowds of fans milling about and exploring the space, it was all too easy to imagine you were clocking into work at Lumon on a busy day.

SEE ALSO: I went to the 'Severance' pop-up in Grand Central. It was wild.

Bolstering the illusion was the decor, like the Lumon front desk and Lumon's propaganda posters, featuring such hits as "Live, Laugh, Lumon" and "I'm a Frolic-aholic!" There was even a Lumon vending machine, if you wanted to treat yourself to some cursed Lumon snacks. Actors dressed as Lumon employees also milled about the floor, with Sarah Bock even reprising her role as Miss Huang and continuing the Grand Central tradition of Severance actors playing their characters at these pop-ups.

Watching over it all was the massive head of Kier Eagan, projected onto one of Bell Works' floor-to-ceiling walls. The scale was enough to make me want to burst out into the Kier anthem, but I knew my version wouldn't be enough to match the verve of Choreography and Merriment's thrilling rendition in the Season 2 finale.

On the basement level, you could find displays proclaiming that "Lumon is listening," along with the "Missing" Gemma (Dichen Lachman) posters Irving B. (John Turturro) drew for Mark (Adam Scott).

SEE ALSO: 'Severance's brilliant Season 2 finale, explained

The Lumon vibes extended to the afterparty, which housed office sets where actors played the red ball game or refined data at the MDR desk. One actor was even lying facedown on a conference table, mirroring Helly's (Britt Lower) introduction in the series.

Elsewhere, copies of Ricken Hale's (Michael Chernus) masterpiece The You You Are were displayed in glass cases, while refreshments included a melon bar and a waffle party (served without masked dancers). Someone call Dylan (Zach Cherry), because the perks were out in full force.

The Severance Bell Works event brought Mammalians Nurturable to life. Sign me up for a job in Mammalians Nurturable. Credit: Eric Charbonneau / Apple TV+ via Getty Images

The centerpiece of the Bell Works event was a Q&A with the Severance cast, showrunner Dan Erickson, and director and executive producer Ben Stiller, all moderated by Stephen Colbert.

The Q&A was full of interesting tidbits. Adam Scott discussed getting a concussion while shooting Mark's fight scene with Mr. Drummond (Ólafur Darri Ólafsson), Britt Lower touched on the challenges of playing Helena acting as Helly, and Colbert tried to get further answers about Cold Harbor.

SEE ALSO: 'Severance' Season 2 finale: Let's break down that chilling Cold Harbor room

But the most fascinating part of the Q&A was the set. This was no ordinary stage set-up. Instead, the event recreated the rolling grass hills of Mammalians Nurturable within a massive box (keeping up with the box theme from Grand Central, I see). The contents of the box were kept hidden until the beginning of the Q&A, which started with Severance composer playing the show's theme song live. (Naturally, I got full body chills.) Then, a curtain dropped to reveal Mammalians Nurturable in all its glory, along with Gwendoline Christie in-character as Lorne, the Goat Queen herself.

For several minutes, Christie wandered the stage, ringing her cowbell (or would goat-bell be more appropriate?), trimming the grass and caring for the goats that dotted the fields. A puppet version of Emile, the goat from the Season 2 finale, even made an appearance, standing in the cart Lorne uses to bring him to the goat sacrifice room. Thankfully, Emile avoided death in that episode so he could embrace a career on the stage — the Bell Works stage in particular.

The Severance Bell Works event brought Season 2 fandom full circle. A little creepy, a lot cool. Credit: Eric Charbonneau / Apple TV+ via Getty Images

The entire Bell Works event was an astonishing undertaking, but, just like with the Grand Central cube pop-up, what really took the whole thing over the edge was the presence of the fans.

Grand Central is a massive transit hub, so at rush hour on a weeknight, there's no question that it will be packed with people who are happy to take a gander at actors doing office tasks in a giant glass cube. But Bell Works is much harder to get to, meaning that fans — who only found out about the event at most a day before the event — undertook an even greater journey to arrive there. That's commitment, and it speaks to how much Severance's fandom has grown since Season 1.

I watched Season 1 of Severance back in 2022, when I was still mostly isolating due to COVID-19. Very few people I knew beyond my coworkers watched it, and with my friends scattered in different cities, recommending it to them over texts or phone calls felt like an inadequate way to truly sell them on it. (Especially when it was on AppleTV+, which very few people had.)

In the years since, though, Severance attracted later viewers, making Season 2 the most viewed AppleTV+ show (and a hot topic among friends and family). To see all these passionate fans make the trek to Bell Works was proof of the show's resonance and impact. Perhaps celebrating as a crowd, in a place that means so much to Severance, was the true perk we earned along the way.

Severance Season 2 is streaming on Apple TV+.

For a show that clings to a six-decade-old premise — it's about the Doctor, an alien time traveler who can regenerate their body before death, the TARDIS, a time-and-space machine that's bigger on the inside, and the human companions along for the ride — Doctor Who can seem surprisingly fresh when it's done right.

Why? Not because of the Doctor, as magnetically charming as the lead usually is (current charmer: Ncuti Gatwa). The Doctor may have doubts, setbacks, and mysteries to solve, but as any actor will tell you, very little in the way of character development. Freshness arrives via the companions, who provide the ever-shifting perspective of present-day culture. If the audience is not on board with a new companion by the time they step aboard the TARDIS, many will decline to take the trip.

So will fans (not to mention newbies) feel fresh on April 12? That's when Doctor Who returns for Gatwa's second season (also known as season 2 in the new Disney+ numbering, season 15 since showrunner Russell T Davies rebooted it in 2005, and season 41 for the really old-school fans). It's also when we meet new companion Belinda Chandra (Verada Sethu).

And based on Episode 1, "Robot Revolution," Davies has his work cut out for him when it comes to convincing us to join her. That's not a knock on Sethu, who is about to light up the screen here and in Andor season 2 (where she plays Cinta). It's the fact that Davies has made Belinda the first full-on 21st century iteration of an ancient Doctor Who trope — the reluctant, accidentally-kidnapped companion — without fully locking in a reason to care about her in the first place.

SEE ALSO: All our burning questions for 'Doctor Who' season 15 Meet Belinda Chandra, reluctant companion

We meet Belinda immediately in the cold open, a flashback to 17 years ago that tells us everything about the indignities she's suffered and nothing about her reaction. On a park bench under the stars, then-boyfriend Alan presents Belinda with an International Star Registry-style certificate for a star he's bought and named for her.

Instantly, we learn everything we need to know about Alan: not only does he want her to fold up and save the wrapping paper, but he insists on naming the star Miss Belinda Chandra. "Are you married?" he asks superciliously when she questions this. Belinda concedes she is not.

SEE ALSO: James Bond is canon in 'Doctor Who' now

Remember, this scene isn't set in the distant pre-feminist past. It's 2008, by which time Doctor Who had been offering us formidable female companions for 3 years. Put Rose Tyler (Billie Piper) on that bench, even before her life-changing encounter with the Doctor, and she'd knock Alan back with a zinger. Put Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) there, she'd probably knock him back with a fist too.

So Belinda is acting meek. Fair enough, but why? Is it her family? Some other culturally conservative institution? And what drew her to this humorless wrapping-saving male chauvinist in the first place? Ironically, there's no equivalent of Alan's character-sketch lines to tell us.

We simply fast-forward to May 2025, when Belinda is a nurse in A&E (for Americans, the ER). She mutters her suspicion that a catatonically injured man was attacked by his wife. And she's still suffering indignity in her private life; one of her flatmates falsely accuses her of stealing food and calls her "Linda."

And still there's not one moment of agency for Belinda, as much as we may sympathize. There's no personality quirk that makes her come alive before or after she is kidnapped by robots who take her back to their planet and in a sense, her planet. The robots land in a big old 1950's style sci-fi rocket that they beam her up into, Star Trek-style. (This belt-and-braces approach is typical of "Robot Revolution," which seems giddy about how many cool Disney-money effects Doctor Who can finally deliver.)

The rest of the episode sprinkles on up-to-date cultural references, including the show's first use of "incel," and its response to ChatGPT-style generative AI. But like Belinda's backstory, we move past the references too fast for the show to say anything meaningful or memorable about them.

SEE ALSO: 'Doctor Who' returns — now with Alan Cumming!

By the time Belinda is effectively kidnapped again, as the Doctor finds the TARDIS unwilling to return her to Earth, we're with her, but not necessarily in a good way. Her motivation is to get back home (though why, given how home treats her, we're not told). She's shunning the traditional all-of-time-and-space offer. "I am not your adventure!" Belinda snaps at the Doctor.

'Doctor Who' and the kidnapped companions

The "accidentally kidnapped companion" concept isn't new. It goes back to the very first episode of Doctor Who in 1963, when schoolteachers Ian (William Russell) and Barbara (Jacqueline Hill) strayed onto the TARDIS when following the Doctor's granddaughter Susan (Carole Ann Ford); with the Doctor's unreliable piloting, it took them two seasons to get home.

Then in 1981 came Tegan Jovanka (Janet Fielding), an Australian air stewardess who stepped into what she reasonably thought was a phone box for police when her car broke down. Another two seasons elapsed before the Doctor successfully delivered her to Heathrow airport.

The companions were clearly drawn and had agency. Ian and Barbara went into that police box out of concern for their pupil. Tegan was heading to Heathrow on her first day of work, fearing she'd be fired before she began — and was instantly as upset as Donna Noble about it.

Davies, an old-school nerd whose first memory is the first Doctor regenerating, knows all this. And to be fair, he has more than earned the trust of seasoned fans. He's a master of the slow-building season arc, as you know if "Bad Wolf" and "Torchwood" mean anything to you; this one promises much in ways that we can't talk about yet.

And remember that Davies often opens a season with his silliest, most kid-friendly offering; for many casual fans, Gatwa's first season was hobbled by the fact it started with "Space Babies."

But at least in that case, we had Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson, who is returning for season 2 — but not yet). Ruby had a clearly established desire, to find the identity of her birth mother. In character, she was herself a TARDIS full of quips and comebacks. "If you talked to me and the girls like that on a Friday night," Ruby told a 19th century male chauvinist in "Rogue," one of season 2's more successful episodes, "we'd rip you a new one."

Belinda isn't anything like that. Fair enough, but Davies has given himself a mountain to climb here with a companion who rejects all Doctor Who tropes, including the endearing quips.

In effect, Belinda doesn't just want out of the TARDIS. She wants out of Doctor Who. And when this trained nurse points out that the Doctor did not ask her consent before scanning her with his Sonic Screwdriver — when we realize that the Doctor has always had a problem with this kind of consent — we may be forgiven for agreeing about wanting out, no matter how promising the season arc that lies ahead.

Doctor Who Season 2 premieres Apr. 12 on Disney+ and BBC.

Have you heard about the new Minecraft movie? The teens have — and they're involving themselves in screenings of the movie at the theater a la The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

According to IGN, teens attending screenings of A Minecraft Movie screamed "CHICKEN JOCKEY!" along with Jack Black's character, Steve, threw their popcorn around, and, in some theaters, police were even called. You can't actually spend much time on TikTok without being bombarded with proof.

X is also full of reactions — although most posts are admitting to the complete shock they experienced upon seeing all the pandemonium, the disappointment in the actual quality of the film, and, well, our ages.

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TL;DR: 27 April is the last day to secure a lifetime subscription to Headway Premium for just A$98 (reg. A$490).

If you're not doing so hot on your New Year's resolutions, let spring serve as your inspiration to do some self-improvement. Headway makes this a totally attainable task, letting you learn and grow right from your smartphone while you're waiting in line or sitting down on a morning commute. 

Headway Premium is an app that offers 15-minute bite-sized nonfiction book summaries you can tackle in your spare time, and today is the last day to secure a lifetime subscription for A$98 (reg. A$490), the best price on the web.

Make phone time more productive with Headway

When was the last time you read a book? No judgment; it's just rare to find time to finish entire books these days. But that's what Headway is for — saving you time by offering 15-minute summaries of non-fiction books to get you up to speed on important topics while you're on the go. 

Though you don't get access to the whole original book, you'll get the key ideas, concepts, and principles. And if it's something that piques your interest, you can then read the whole book and learn even more. 

Headway already has a library of over 1,500 summaries to choose from on topics like personal development, health insights, and business strategies. There are also 50 new summaries are added every month, so you'll never run out of content. 

Aside from offering major personal growth as you tackle all these interesting ideas from some of the world's best non-fiction books, think how good you'll be at your next trivia night armed with all this knowledge. 

27 April the last day to take advantage of this discount, dropping the price of a Headway Premium lifetime subscription to just A$98 (reg. A$490). 

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Opens in a new window Credit: GTHW App Limited Headway Premium: Lifetime Subscription AU$98
AU$490 Save AU$392 Get Deal

BUY ONE GET ONE FREE: Through April 11, Audible Premium Plus subscribers in the U.S. can get two select titles for a single credit during its 2-for-1 Bring the Spring Sale.

Opens in a new window Credit: Audible Audible BOGO Sale Get two select titles for one credit Get Deal

Audible is easily one of my favorite subscriptions I pay for. If you need a break from the screens, the catalog of audiobooks in the Premium Plus catalog will keep you endlessly entertained. Not to mention, reading feeds your imagination much more than streaming countless episodes of the latest TV series. If you haven't hopped aboard the audiobook train yet, an Audible Premium Plus membership costs $14.95 per month and unlocks access to hundreds of Audible Original audiobooks, an included credit each month to purchase titles in the premium collection (no matter the price), and exclusive access to sales — including the current Bring the Spring Sale.

Through April 11 at 2:59 a.m. ET, Audible Premium Plus members can purchase two select titles for a single credit. While only select titles are eligible for the sale, the list is brimming with top-rated books and New York Times best sellers. It includes titles like A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas, Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell, Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews, and Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney. In order to redeem the offer, click "Add to sale selection" on two different titles in the selection provided on the 2-for-1 promo page. When you check out, the second title will appear for free.

Audiobooks not only use the same part of your brain as reading physical books, but they also give you the freedom to multitask while devouring chapters. You can stimulate your mind or escape the mundanity of ordinary tasks like cleaning and cooking by popping in headphones and opening the Audible app. Whether you prefer thrillers, memoirs, sci-fi-, romance, or anything in between, there's something for you in Audible's Bring the Spring sale. Get two books for a single credit and dive in while you can.

E-BOOKS FOR $1.99: As of April 7, find e-books deals for as low as $1.99 across platforms. Find savings from Kindle Store, Kobo, and Bookshop.org.

Best e-book deals Best Kindle deal 'Knife' by Salman Rushdie $2.99 at Amazon (Save $25.01) Get Deal Best Kobo deal 'The Night We Lost Him' by Laura Dave $2.99 at Kobo (Save $7) Get Deal Best Bookshop.org deal 'The Searcher' by Tana French $1.99 at Bookshop.org (Save $12)) Get Deal

While it's an upfront investment, an e-reader can save bookworms a lot of money in the long run. Not only can you access all the library books you want on these devices, but e-books are a whole lot cheaper than physical copies. But like anything, e-books go on sale, and we're here to track the deals.

Whether you prefer to read with Kindle Store, Kobo, or Bookshop.org, there are deals to be had. This week, shop e-books for as low as $1.99. Here are all the best deals to shop now.

Best e-book deal Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon 'Knife' by Salman Rushdie $2.99 at Amazon
$28 Save $25.01 Get Deal Why we like it

Knife is Salman Rushdie harrowing account of the 2022 attack that nearly took his life. In his 2024 memoir he details the violent attack as well as his road to recovery and the wisdom he gained throughout. Named one of the best books of 2024, Knife by Salman Rushdie is now on sale for $2.99, down from $28 to save you $25.01 for 89% off. You can find it at Amazon but it's also on sale at Bookshop.org and Kobo, too.

Looking for more deals? Explore all the book deals available this week below.

Kindle e-book deals

• Disobedient by Elizabeth Fremantle — $1.99 $26.95 (save $24.96)

• Here After by Amy Lin — $1.99 $14.99 (save $13)

• Operation Mincemeat by Ben Macintyre — $1.99 $20 (save $18.01)

• A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson — $2.99 $24 (save $21.01)

• The Age of Magical Overthinking by Amanda Montell — $2.99 $28.99 (save $26)

• Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily Nagoski and Amelia Nagoski — $2.99 $17 (save $14.01)

• Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky — $2.99 $19.99 (save $17)

• Lady Tan's Circle of Women by Lisa See — $2.99 $18.99 (save $16)

• The Night We Lost Him by Laura Dave — $2.99 $9.99 (save $7)

• Shark Heart by Emily Habeck — $2.99 $13.99 (save $11)

• The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin — $2.99 $13.99 (save $11)

• Want by Gillian Anderson — $2.99 $25.20 (save $22.21)

• The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware — $2.99 $18.99 (save $16)

• In Pieces by Sally Field — $3.99 $17.99 (save $14)

• A Walk in the Park by Kevin Fedarko — $3.99 $34 (save $30.01)

Kobo e-book deals

• Becoming Madam Secretary by Stephanie Dray — $1.99 $12.99 (save $11)

• Beg, Borrow, or Steal by Sarah Adams — $1.99 $11.99 (save $10)

• The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston — $1.99 $9.99 (save $8)

• Fever by Mary Beth Keane — $1.99 $13.99 (save $12)

• The Final Revival of Opal & Nev by Dawnie Walton — $1.99 $13.99 (save $12)

• The History of Bees by Maja Lunde — $1.99 $8.99 (save $7)

• How to Hide in Plain Sight by Emma Noyes — $1.99 $12.99 (save $11)

• Knife by Salman Rushdie — $2.99 $28 (save $25.01)

• March by Geraldine Brooks — $1.99 $14.99 (save $13)

• Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams — $1.99 $13.99 (save $12)

• Rouge by Mona Awad — $1.99 $13.99 (save $12)

• Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel — $1.99 $9.99 (save $8)

• The Next Best Fling by Gabriella Gamez — $2.99 $11.99 (save $9)

• The Night We Lost Him by Laura Dave — $2.99 $9.99 (save $7)

• Shark Heart by Emily Habeck — $2.99 $13.99 (save $11)

Bookshop.org e-book deals

• Rouge by Mona Awad — $1.99 $13.99 (save $12)

• The Searcher by Tana French — $1.99 $13.99 (save $12)

• Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel — $1.99 $9.99 (save $8)

• Foundation by Isaac Asimov — $2.99 $7.99 (save $5)

• Holly by Stephen King — $2.99 $14.99 (save $12)

• Knife by Salman Rushdie — $2.99 $28 (save $25.01)

• Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda La — $2.99 $13.55 (save $10.56)

• Raw Dog by Jamie Loftus — $2.99 $13.99 (save $11)

SAVE $100: The EcoFlow River 3 portable power station is on sale for $159 at Amazon, down from the usual price of $259.

Opens in a new window Credit: EcoFlow EcoFlow River 3 portable power staion $159 at Amazon
$259 Save $100 Get Deal

Ready or not, spring and summer storms are here. If you tend to worry about losing power during a storm, there's a great deal at Amazon that'll help put your mind at ease while you're studying the upcoming forecast.

As of April 7, the EcoFlow River 3 portable power station is on sale for $159, marked down from the standard price of $259. That's a $100 savings thanks to the 39% discount.

No one loves when the lights flicker and then completely cut out. That means no more streaming Netflix (gotta preserve phone battery) and it's especially concerning if you haven't saved that Excel sheet recently. Instead of stressing, a portable power station can help you ride out the storm.

SEE ALSO: Too much pollen? Breathe easier with 15% off a Levoit Air Purifier.

The compact EcoFlow River 3 is great to keep around at home, offering a 300W output. It weighs just under eight pounds, so it's easy to carry around the home to power up devices — even more so thanks to the built-in carrying handle. EcoFlow mentions this model can keep your WiFi router powered on for about 30 hours, a laptop for about 3.5, a CPAP for almost five hours, and a light for 17 hours. All of these could be a lifesaver if you end up in stormy weather that takes out power.

One of the best features from the EcoFlow River 3 is its ability recharge from 0 to 100% in just one hour on AC power. The same can be said for recharging with a gas-powered generator. It can also be recharged via solar or from your car.

The helpful LCD display shows how much battery percentage remains, the total input/power, and how much time remains before a full recharge. You can also connect the River 3 to the EcoFlow app which gives you mobile access to stats like the remaining power and the ability to turn on power-saving mode.

The EcoFlow River 3 is nice to have around the house in case of a power outage, but it can also be fantastic to pack along for camping or off-grid outdoor adventures . Plus, it's waterproof so wet weather is no issue.

If you've been worried about power outages and keeping devices charged up, grab the EcoFlow River 3 while it's $100 off at Amazon. The peace of mind is worth it.

SAVE $800: As of April 7, Amazon is selling the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra for $999.99, down from $1,799.99. That's a 44% discount, or $800 off the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Roborock Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra $999.99 at Amazon
$1,799.99 Save $800 Get Deal

The Roborock is one of our favorite robo-vac brands, but its top-of-the-line models usually come with a hefty price tag that puts them out of reach for many. Now that the Roborock Saros 10 is out, however, we’ve seen some price drops on other Roborock models.

Right now, you can grab the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra robot vacuum and sonic mop at Amazon for just $999.99, down from $1,799.99. That’s a 44% discount or $800 off the list price. Getting this level of advanced cleaning tech for under a grand is pretty rare.

This robot vacuum has everything you’d want in a high-end robo-vac mop combo. The dock automatically empties the dustbin, washes the mop pads with hot water, dries them with warm air, refills the robot's water tank, and dispenses detergent. It’s smart, too — it knows if the mop pads or floor areas aren't clean enough and will automatically re-wash or re-mop until the job is done right.

SEE ALSO: The Roborock Saros 10R aces one thing that most other robot vacuums can't

Aside from its docking and self-washing/drying skills, the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra has serious cleaning power with 10,000 Pa suction and sonic mopping that scrubs 4000 times per minute. The FlexiArm Design Side Brush is built to reach tight spots, and the Extra Edge Mop gets super close to baseboards (cleaning within less than 1.68mm margins).

It also has Reactive AI 2.0 Obstacle Recognition that helps the robot avoid getting stuck on shoes, cords, and pet waste. Speaking of pets, you can use the onboard camera to video call your fur babies while you’re away from home. If you’re unsure where they're hiding, the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra will patrol your home until they’re in view. It can even snap quick photos during cleaning runs!

Bottom line: If you want one of the most advanced, self-sufficient robot vacuum and mop systems out there, now is a great time to buy.

GET $250 OFF: As of Apr. 7th, the LG 65 inch UT70 LED UHD Smart TV is on sale for $349.99 at Best Buy, for a savings of $250, or 42%.

Opens in a new window Credit: LG LG 65 inch UT70 LED UHD Smart TV $349.99 at Best Buy
$599.99 Save $250 Get Deal

For many Americans, a TV screen is the centerpiece of the living room. If you're in need of a TV refresh, this LG deal is not to be missed.

Right now, the LG 65 inch UT70 LED UHD Smart TV is on sale for $349.99, saving you 42%, or $250 off.

SEE ALSO: Watch on-demand movies and TV shows for life with this $15 streaming hack

Whether you'll be streaming Adolescence or questing through the lands of Avowed, this TV screen is built for entertainment. Its 60Hz refresh rate makes it a good pick for casual gaming, while its 4K LED screen will look crisp in even the largest living room.

The TV advertises AI features. What this means is that the TV's processor will upscale lower resolution content to 4K and add depth to its 2 channel audio. This ensures older content looks and sounds Hollywood.

As of now, April 7th, the LG 65 inch UT70 LED UHD Smart TV is on sale for $349.99, saving you $250, or 42% off.

With direct lit LED pixels, this 4K TV brings modern screen tech into your home. Cop it now while its on sale and enjoy startlingly detailed picture quality and quick gaming.

Check out the best Amazon deals of the day as of April 7: OUR TOP PICK Sony WF-C700N noise-cancelling earbuds $78 (save $41.99) Get Deal BEST TABLET FOR KIDS DEAL Amazon Fire 7 Kids $59.99 (save $40) Get Deal BEST HOME DEAL Google Nest Cam $129.98 (save $50.01) Get Deal BEST TABLET DEAL Amazon Fire Max 11 $184.99 (save $45) Get Deal BEST TOY DEAL Toniebox Audio Player Starter Set $69.99 (save $30) Get Deal

Now that Amazon's Big Spring Sale has passed, there's not another major sale at the mega retailer until Prime Day, which typically falls in July. Fortunately, we're still keeping our eyes peeled for discounts in the months in between. There's always deals floating around at Amazon — you just have to poke around to find them.

We've done some digging for you — here are our top picks for the best Amazon deals of the day on April 7. If none of these are catching your eye, be sure to check back tomorrow as we select a whole new round of deals.

Our top pick: Sony WF-C700N noise-cancelling earbuds Opens in a new window Credit: Sony Sony WF-C700N noise-cancelling earbuds $78 at Amazon
$119.99 Save $41.99 Get Deal

You don't have to spend a fortune to get a decent pair of noise-cancelling earbuds. Case in point: the Sony WF-C700N are back down to just $78 at Amazon (their lowest price on record) and offer all the essentials. Our sister site PCMag (also owned by Ziff Davis) tested them out and dubbed them a "low-cost entry in the company’s lineup that produce robust bass and work with a useful app that offers EQ." While the noise cancellation is effective, they note that it largely depends on how you position them in your ears. Regardless, for a fraction of the price of other noise-cancelling buds, it's hard to complain.

Amazon Fire 7 Kids Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Amazon Fire 7 Kids $59.99 at Amazon
$99.99 Save $40.00 Get Deal

If you want to get a tablet for your preschooler, we highly recommend the Amazon Fire 7 Kids. It's a durable first device with a rubbery case that can withstand drops and spills. Plus it's packed with parental controls. Parents can customize screen time limits, age filters, access access to specific apps, and schedules. It comes with six months of Amazon Kids+ for free, which unlocks access to over 20,000 kid-appropriate apps, and a two-year worry-free guarantee. While it doesn't have an HD screen like other Amazon tablets, we highly doubt your 4-year-old will care. It's back on sale for just $59.99 as of April 7. That's 40% in savings.

Google Nest Cam Opens in a new window Credit: Google Google Nest Cam $129.98 at Amazon
$179.99 Save $50.01 Get Deal

Thanks to two-way audio, motion and sound detection, mobile and email alerts, and built-in intelligence that can decipher between a person, vehicle, or animal, the Google Nest Cam is one of our favorite security cameras on the market. The slick, waterproof build allows it to work inside or outside to catch 24/7 live HD video with 6x digital zoom. It'll basically work as your eyes and ears when you're away or asleep. It usually costs $179.99, but it's down to just $129.98 as of April 7. That's 28% in savings and its lowest price so far this year.

Amazon Fire Max 11 tablet Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Amazon Fire Max 11 $184.99 at Amazon
$229.99 Save $45 Get Deal

Amazon's best iPad competitor, the Fire Max 11 tablet boasts a crisp 11-inch display (the largest Fire tablet you can get), 8MP cameras that support 1080p video, 14-hour battery life, an upgraded octa-core processor, and WiFi 6 compatibility. And as our reviewer points out, it's also "blazing fast, making it a good alternative to pricier tablets for streaming and games." It typically would run you $229.99, but as of April 7, it's back down to $184.99. That's 20% in savings.

Check out our full review of the Amazon Fire Max 11 tablet.

Toniebox Audio Player Starter Set Opens in a new window Credit: Tonie Toniebox Starter Set with Playtime Puppy $69.99 at Amazon
$99.99 Save $30 Get Deal

One of the top toys of the holiday season last year is on sale for 30% off at Amazon. Grab the Toniebox Starter Set in any color variety for just $69.99 instead of $99.99 at of April 7. Designed for screen-free listening and play, the Toniebox inspires kids' imaginations with bedtime stories, music, and education. The Starter Set include a Playtime Puppy Tonie, which plays 52 minutes of popular traditional children's songs for playtime.

None of these deals catching your eye? Check out Amazon's daily deals for even more savings.

The Last of Us Season 2 is just as moving as its predecessor, but it's also infinitely more frustrating.

Just like in Season 1, series co-creators Craig Mazin (Chernobyl) and Neil Druckmann (creator of The Last of Us game) have crafted a stirring post-apocalyptic tale about the relationship between survivors Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey), one that's just as likely to fill your heart as it is to stomp it into tiny pieces. But as the season seeks to widen the world of The Last of Us beyond its central pair and the settlement of Jackson, Wyoming, it often comes up short of the in-depth world-building that made Season 1 feel so lived-in and complete.

SEE ALSO: 'The Last of Us' Season 2 teaser is here to bring you to tears The Last of Us Season 2 is a haunting continuation of Joel and Ellie's story. Bella Ramsey in "The Last of Us." Credit: Liane Hentscher / HBO

The Last of Us Season 2 picks up five years after the Season 1 finale, when Joel wiped out the Fireflies in Salt Lake City in order to save Ellie's life. Now, the two live in the thriving community of Jackson, alongside Joel's brother Tommy (Gabriel Luna) and his wife Maria (Rutina Wesley). However, their relationship has frayed to the point that they're barely on speaking terms. Joel reckons with the loss by speaking with town therapist Gail (a wonderfully no-nonsense Catherine O'Hara), while Ellie throws herself into patrol duty with new friends Jesse (Young Mazino, Beef) and Dina (Isabela Merced, Alien: Romulus).

The season's early episodes spend a lot of time establishing the daily rhythms of Jackson, from city planning and council meetings to community dances and baseball games. The mundanity of the tasks allows us to sink into a post-apocalyptic world where stability is possible. That stability makes Joel and Ellie's silent treatment all the more heartbreaking, especially given all they went through to make it to Jackson in Season 1.

SEE ALSO: 5 burning 'The Last of Us' questions we have for Season 2

If Season 1's motto was "endure and survive," then Season 2 is about what happens in the wake of these survival attempts. That means Joel continues to reckon with his murder of the Fireflies, and more importantly, his lie to Ellie about what happened in Salt Lake. The impact of that lie reverberates across the season, with The Last of Us carefully peeling back layer after layer of how it has warped Joel and Ellie's connection. Pascal and Ramsey are once again phenomenal together, each a portrait of emotional restraint just seconds from snapping. Pascal brims with guilt and melancholy, while Ramsey simmers with rage, and by the end of the first episode, you'll be aching for the two to talk it out and rekindle their found father-daughter relationship. (By the end of the season, forget aching — you'll just be broken.)

Joel isn't the only character reeling from his actions in the Season 1 finale. Firefly Abby (a magnificent Kaitlyn Dever) and her crew of fellow soldiers are the sole survivors of Joel's rampage, and they want revenge. Their quest for vengeance will rope the citizens of Jackson into a larger conflict, one that extends to a war-torn Seattle clawed to bits by the tyrannical Washington Liberation Front (WLF) and the religious extremist Seraphites.

The Last of Us Season 2 is stunning, but incomplete. Kaitlyn Dever in "The Last of Us." Credit: Liane Hentscher / HBO

The WLF (whose members are known as Wolves) and the Seraphites (whom the Wolves call "Scars") are major new power players in The Last of Us Season 2. Yet despite all the fanfare for their arrival, they feel disconnected from the season, even though Ellie spends much of it on their home turf in Seattle.

In theory, this makes sense. As a newcomer in this world, Ellie has no idea what conflict she's stumbled into, and she fittingly spends much of her time trying to avoid these rival factions. Yet The Last of Us often cuts to scenes of WLF leader Isaac Dixon (Jeffrey Wright) discussing attack plans, or Seraphites revering their prophet. These sequences do flesh out the world somewhat, but there's a perfunctory sense to them. The show primarily uses them to set up Ellie's next encounters, as opposed to immersing us fully in this new environment. (A torture sequence involving a monologue by Isaac about cookware is a season highlight, though.) Otherwise, we have very little knowledge of the nature of their conflict, or even a deeper idea of who these characters are. Like Ellie, all we do is observe instead of inhabit, with the Seattle episodes becoming a far cry from the beautifully wrought Jackson episodes.

The disjointed nature of many of these Seattle scenes comes as a result of not having a clear emotional anchor in the WLF or Seraphites. Without one — and with the season's unfortunate underuse of Dever, Mazino, and Luna — The Last of Us Season 2 feels incomplete.

That incompleteness is intentional, stemming directly from bold, effective storytelling choices in The Last of Us Part II. Yet those choices' transitions to TV are jarring, especially after early adaptation choices suggest a different direction. It's often unfair to base an opinion on what isn't onscreen in an adaptation — the game and the show are different beasts, after all — but throughout The Last of Us Season 2, certain omissions practically scream to be included. (The season's strange pacing also comes as a result of its length: Seven episodes simply isn't enough for one of TV's biggest shows to tell a satisfying, compelling story.)

Yes, so much of this season is spectacular, from Joel and Ellie's wrenching relationship to a snowy Clicker battle that calls to mind Game of Thrones' "Hardhome." But ultimately, it's just one half of a great story — is that enough?

The Last of Us Season 2 premieres April 13 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and Max.

The stock market just plunged, thanks to a wave of new tariffs. Your boss just called into Zoom from a mansion-sized cabin upstate. Inequality is reaching heights previously unseen in times of peace. ChatGPT is replacing artists at work. A recession is always "looming." Entire civilizations are being leveled by war. We’re living in a time of chaos — and with chaos, apparently, comes an aesthetic to match.

This one’s been dubbed "boom boom," a shorthand for the aesthetics of Patrick Bateman: high-end, hyper-curated suits; a revolving door of expensive new restaurants praised not for their food but for their exclusivity; and an obsessive fetishization of wealth. Don’t worry: boom boom doesn’t come bundled with the murder, violence, and misogyny of Bret Easton Ellis's American Psycho.

"We live in an era defined by explosions: of inequality, of knowledge, of information, of wealth — and yes — of actual bombs. Boom boom is embraced by those who see opportunity in the chaos. For those who disagree, this will seem villainous and nihilistic — a dark mode shift, as Edmond Lau called it. But it’s important to remember, no one ever imagines that they’re the bad guy," trend forecaster Sean Monahan said in his Substack newsletter, 8Ball. His work at trend forecasting spans from 2013's normcore to the vibe shift of 2022.

Monahan describes the boom boom aesthetic — not to be mistaken for the nasal stick on Shark Tank — as a "fetishization of the past." If you have money, you want to look like it, and that's what the boom boom aesthetic offers. This aesthetic is the opposite of quiet luxury, shouting your seven-figure income from the top of a rooftop bar with a fur coat on. 

Monahan told The Cut that the term was inspired by the Boom Boom Room, a golden-hued club at the Standard Hotel in the heart of New York City’s Meatpacking District that opened in 2009, and Windows on the World, a restaurant at the top of the North Tower of the World Trade Center that was a hotspot in the 1980s.

Monahan isn't the only cultural purveyor who has noticed our collective obsession with the '80s. The National Portrait Gallery in the UK currently has an exhibition that "brings together the work of over 80 photographers" featured on The Face magazine covers during its 1980s heyday. 

"In the future, everyone will blame the '80s for all societal ills, in the same way that people have previously blamed the '60s," Peter York, an '80s style and cultural trend expert, told The Rake. "All the Big Bangs unleashed then — monetarism, deregulation, libertarianism — have been working their way through the culture ever since."

The Big Bang that York refers to has, seemingly, resulted in Monohan's boom boom aesthetic. We now have a president who once lived in a fully gilded apartment, launched a $5 million "gold card" U.S. Visa with his own face on it, swapped the deep red curtains in the Oval Office for golden ones, and — lest we forget — was name-dropped dozens of times in American Psycho, to the point that Patrick Bateman’s obsession with him becomes a source of tension with his girlfriend, Evelyn. Meanwhile, Bateman himself is being resurrected, with Luca Guadagnino set to direct a new American Psycho film.

The "boom" in boom boom refers to a "booming" economy — or at least the illusion of one. In that way, the trend seems to fold in on itself, becoming a kind of self-aware satire. One of the richest men in the world is the president’s right-hand man, and the Trump administration has imposed tariffs so aggressive that even penguins are somehow being economically affected. As The Cut recently put it, we’re in the 2020s now, an era where it’s “no longer gauche to be bougie and brash.” Writer Emilia Petrarca succinctly added, "Online retailer Ssense currently sells a $55 T-shirt that reads YOU’RE A SLAVE TO MONEY THEN YOU DIE. The purists here are the butt of the joke."

During men’s Fashion Week in Paris a few months ago, Saint Laurent featured men in Wolf of Wall Street–esque suit jackets on top with baggy leather pants or thigh-high boots on the bottom. Armani's January campaign featured the broad-shouldered, loose-fitting power suits of the ’80s and ’90s. Celebrities jumped on the trend, too. Ayo Edebiri's oversized gray Loewe suit at the Golden Globes; Chappell Roan wore an oversized grey suit to the Grammy Museum; both of Doechii's Thom Browne looks at the Grammys were reminiscent of 80s suits, and her pinstripe Thom Browne suit at Variety's Hitmakers Awards Ceremony was boom boom to a T.

SEE ALSO: Is 'castlecore' the aesthetic of our technofeudal future?

Boom boom is everywhere. Like all aesthetics, it's political — but Monahan argues this one isn’t partisan. I’m not entirely convinced anything can be political without being at least a little partisan, but boom boom does seem to resonate across the political spectrum. It might be an evolution of the "old money" aesthetic teased in Succession, but to me, boom boom feels more sarcastic, more biting. It embraces power-dressing and corporate themes just as we drift further into work-from-home culture — a strange response to nostalgia for the office, or maybe a glamorized reaction to corporate precarity. It mirrors a kind of reactionary longing for rigid hierarchies and traditional power structures.

But it’s not just political commentary. Boom boom cosplays the one percent — it mocks them. And yet, the people selling us this aesthetic are the one percent. All love to Doechii, Chappell Roan, and Ayo Edebiri — they’re immensely talented, but also figures of significant cultural influence, likely with the financial stability to match. The head designers at Saint Laurent or Thom Browne hold their own kind of capital. And let’s not forget: The man with the golden apartment we mentioned earlier is literally the president.

It's difficult to tell if boom boom is actually ironic or if it just uses irony as a shield for indulgence, not unlike what happened with the commodification of punk.

So who actually benefits from an aesthetic that celebrates, whether playfully or not, the shameless pursuit of wealth above all else? And in a world where satire and reality blur beyond recognition, how do we distinguish boom boom's performative parody from the dangerous obsession of a real-life Patrick Bateman?

SAVE $30: As of April 7, you can get the Toniebox Audio Player Starter Set with Playtime Puppy for $69.99, down from $99.99, at Amazon. That's a 30% discount, or $30 off.

Opens in a new window Credit: Tonies Toniebox Audio Player Starter Set with Playtime Puppy $69.99 at Amazon
$99.99 Save $30 Get Deal

If you’re worried your little one is spending too much time glued to a screen, you might want to check out the Toniebox, a screen-free interactive speaker made for kids.

Right now, you can get a Toniebox Audio Player Starter Set with Playtime Puppy for $69.99, down from $99.99, at Amazon. That’s a 30% discount, or $30 off the list price.

SEE ALSO: The best fitness trackers for kids in 2025

The Toniebox is a soft yet durable portable cube designed for little hands. It works with Tonies, which are hand-painted figurines that attach to the Toniebox and play stories, songs, and more. This starter set includes a pink Toniebox (it’s available in multiple colors), a charging station, and a Playtime Puppy with 52 minutes of popular children's songs. Examples include "The Wheels on the Bus," "If You're Happy and You Know It," and "The Muffin Man."

It’s super simple for kids to use: Place a Tonie on top, and the story or music starts playing. Pressing the ears adjusts the volume, and tapping the sides changes tracks. However, a parent will need to set it up first by downloading the myTonies app and connecting to WiFi.

Nintendo Switch 2, at least for now, will not incorporate one of the most-requested features users have wanted for years.

Nintendo of America's Nate Bihldorff confirmed as much in an interview with Nintendo Life. In an excerpt posted on Monday, Bihldorff said the new Joy-Cons have been "designed from the ground up" and "feel really good," but they don't use Hall Effect sensors, which are widely believed to be the best way to prevent the kind of analog stick drift that has plagued modern video game controllers. It's been a particular concern on the original Switch console, so much so that Nintendo has a webpage about it.

SEE ALSO: Nintendo Switch 2 preorders delayed in the U.S. due to tariffs

If you're not already aware, "Hall Effect" is a concept in electromagnetic science that has recently been incorporated into the design of some premium third-party video game controllers. However, the default gamepads that come with Nintendo, PlayStation, and Xbox consoles don't use them at the moment. Given the existing pricing concerns around Switch 2, Nintendo may have opted out of using Hall Effect sensors for that reason, but that's just speculation on my part.

Having gotten my hands on the new Switch 2 controllers last week, I can at least confirm the new analog sticks feel very nice. However, that was an idealized demo situation, where it's impossible to tell if long-term drift issues will eventually come into play. At this point, it's probably reasonable to assume they will. To what extent remains to be seen, of course, but those looking to avoid stick drift entirely might need to explore third-party options for Switch 2.