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The PlayStation 5 Pro's main promise is better, more stable graphics—there's a reason why it costs a lot more than the regular Slim model of the console. Now, though, Sony is thinking about party tricks to raise the bar even further, and the latest party trick thought up by the company actually looks very, very nice.

Apple Arcade is a mobile gaming subscription that offers excellent quality games built on a simple foundation of zero adverts and in-app purchases, but it could always be better.

Microsoft has announced the end of support for the Remote Desktop app for Windows. You’ll need to switch to the ‘Windows App’ to continue remotely accessing your Windows PCs or servers, though this shutdown doesn’t affect all types of remote connections.

Unless you still own a working Xbox 360, the only real way to play games from this era is via emulation, with some very mixed results. However, what if you didn't have to use emulation to play these games? What if you could easily create native ports of these games for virtually any platform? That dream is quickly becoming a reality.

Your charging brick is basically only good for charging your phone, laptop, tablet, or, at most, multiple devices at once. This dock, however, makes for a pretty multifunctional charging brick in essence—and it's now available for a really good price.

Always one to make a spectacle, the Arch-based Linux distribution Garuda Linux has released a major update that comes with several visually impressive additions and redesigns.

Mark Zuckerberg tried to get Facebook into China, where it is blocked, for well over a decade. According to a whistleblower report, Zuckerberg and Meta considered some fairly unsavory tactics to make it happen, including a censorship system and sharing user data. 

The whistleblower in this case is Sarah Wynn-Williams, who filed a 78-page complaint with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The report, obtained exclusively by The Washington Post, alleges Facebook considered giving China’s ruling party the ability to censor content and squelch dissent. Also included in the report was Meta’s willingness to share user data with China.

The complaint from Wynn-Williams reportedly alleged that Facebook, in 2015, created a censorship tool for China that would allow it to remove content or shut down the site during “social unrest.” The complaint from Wynn-Williams, who was fired in 2017 from her job working on a team that worked on China policy, reportedly contains internal Meta documents. 

The complaint also alleges that Facebook faced pressure to store Chinese users’ data in China, which could’ve made it easier for the government to access the information. Facebook also allegedly considered weakening privacy protections for Hong Kong users in an effort to appease China.

SEE ALSO: 8 ways Mark Zuckerberg changed Meta ahead of Trump’s inauguration

Some of this information was already known. Facebook had to answer for its China-centric censorship tool after anonymous employees tipped the media about it in 2015. At the time, Meta — then Facebook — didn’t deny that the tool existed but said it had never been used. Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg told investors at the time that “we’re studying about the Chinese market, and we’ll see what happens.” Per the report, Facebook did eventually abandon its pursuit of breaking into China in 2019.

The news about sharing user data with China is new but shouldn’t be too surprising. Meta has a history of playing fast and loose with user data, most notably in the  Cambridge Analytica scandal. The company considering questionable tactics is also old news. Just last year, Facebook was caught secretly looking at user data in other apps like Snapchat, Amazon, and YouTube to better understand user behavior. 

The good news is that sharing data with China is currently off the table. As The Washington Post notes, Zuckerberg seems to have turned his attention to replacing TikTok if the Chinese social media app fails to find a buyer and gets banned again next month. Per Trump, talks of TikTok’s sale are still ongoing. 

A potential security issue has been discovered by cybersecurity researchers that has the capability to affect more than one billion devices.

According to researchers at the cybersecurity firm Tarlogic, a hidden command has been found coded into a bluetooth chip installed in devices around the world. This secret functionality can be weaponized by bad actors and, according to the researchers, used as an exploit into these devices.

Using these commands, hackers could impersonate a trusted device and then connect to smartphones, computers, and other devices in order to access information stored on them. Bad actors can continue to utilize their connection to the device to essentially spy on users.

The bluetooth chip is called ESP32 and is manufactured by the China-based company Espressif. According to researchers, the ESP32  is "a microcontroller that enables WiFi and Bluetooth connection." In 2023, Espressif reported that one billion units of its ESP32 chip had been sold globally. Millions of IoT devices like smart appliances utilize this particular ESP32 chip.

SEE ALSO: New 'browser syncjacking' cyberattack lets hackers take over your computer via Chrome

Tarlogic researchers say that this hidden command could be exploited, which would allow  "hostile actors to conduct impersonation attacks and permanently infect sensitive devices such as mobile phones, computers, smart locks or medical equipment by bypassing code audit controls." Tarlogic says that these commands are not publicly documented by Espressif.

Researchers with Tarlogic developed a new Bluetooth driver tool in order to aid in Bluetooth-related security research, which enabled the security firm to discover a total of 29 hidden functionalities that could be exploited to impersonate known devices and access confidential information stored on a device. 

According to Tarlogic, Espressif sells these bluetooth chips for roughly $2, which explains why so many devices utilize the component over higher costing options.

As BleepingComputer reports, the issue is being tracked as CVE-2025-27840.

As I'm sure you've experienced, the way your computer is set up can make all the difference in productivity and overall comfort when using your PC. After resetting Windows 11 recently, I immediately turned off a few settings to get started on the right foot.

Navigating the iFixit website and buying replacement parts can be a somewhat overwhelming experience. So, iFixit is introducing a new Device Compatibility Checker to further reduce the guesswork involved in device repair.

Instagram released a whole host of new features for app users in February, and most of them are intended to bring messaging to the forefront. Now, you can translate messages in your DMs, schedule them ahead of time, add music, and pin messages. These features might be familiar to iMessage users and people who use Slack, but they're actually pretty new for a social media app.

"Last year, we introduced the ability to pin up to three chat threads in your DM inbox, making it easier to find important conversations," Meta said in a press release. "Now, you can pin specific messages to the top of any 1:1 or group chat to make it even easier to coordinate, connect with your friends or revisit content that makes you laugh every time."

And it's pretty simple. Here's how to pin a message to an Instagram DM:

Total Time

• 1 min

What You Need

• Phone
• Instagram app

Step 1: Press on the message you want to pin

Press and hold on the message you want to pin to the top of your conversation, and you'll see eight options: "reply," "forward," "copy," "make AI image," "translate," "pin," "delete for you," and "report."

Credit: Screenshot / Instagram

Step 2: Click "pin"

Click "pin," and your message will be pinned to the top of your chat.

Credit: Screenshot / Instagram

Step 3: To unpin, hard press and click "unpin"

If you'd like to unpin the message, press and hold on the original message. When the eight options pop up, choose "unpin," and the message will be unpinned from your conversation.

Credit: Screenshot / Instagram

This feature is not yet available on desktop, but it is available on iOS and Android apps.

It’s a complicated time for car shoppers. President Donald Trump’s tariffs threaten to increase new car prices, and the used car prices are expected to rise in turn. That is, of course, unless you’re shopping for Teslas, which are getting more affordable versus the rest of the car market. 

Forbes reports that a used Model Y has dropped $6,000 on average over the last year. In March 2024, a Model Y with decent mileage would’ve gone for around $36,000. That price has dropped to $30,000, with a steady decrease coming since the U.S. elections in November. Forbes notes that it’s not particularly difficult to find a Tesla Model Y with under 20,000 miles for under $30,000.

This trend also affects Tesla’s other models. The Model X has dropped from around $45,000 to $41,500. Per CarGurus, Tesla vehicles, on average, have gone from $32,000 to about $29,000 over the last year. However, none of Tesla’s models were hit as hard as the Cybertruck. Just eight months ago, a used Cybertruck had a $120,000 price tag. Today, those same Cybertrucks are going for a hair over $90,000, a reduction of approximately 25 percent. 

For context, Tesla’s 10 percent drop in used car prices is much higher than most automakers. Kia, for instance, has mostly held steady over the last year, while Ford prices have gone up since 2025 started but are down around 4 percent since last March. Most automakers are around that same range. Edmunds noted last month that used car supplies are beginning to dry up, which may lead to higher used car prices later in 2025. Tesla seems to be bucking that trend for now. 

SEE ALSO: Tesla sales are reportedly falling globally. How bad it is and where.

There are numerous reasons why buyers might be hesitant to purchase a Tesla or current owners might want to ditch their cars. Some may not agree with Musk’s increasingly right-wing political views, while others may want to avoid having their cars vandalized. While there are plenty of anecdotal reports of people selling their Teslas, there isn’t much firm data to quantify exactly how many people have done so or why. After all, Tesla has also begun shipping out its new Model Y, which may be leading existing Model Y fans to trade in the old model for the new one. 

Tesla’s misfortunes in the used car market are the latest in a long string of bad press. Profits have plummeted 70 percent over the last quarter, and it’s likely not going to get better anytime soon. There are already reports of new Tesla shipments dropping 50 percent in Europe, led by Germany, where sales of new Teslas have declined by 76 percent. Public sentiment isn’t ideal, and activists are protesting Musk in Tesla showrooms across the U.S. 

On the ever-so-tiny plus side, you can get a Tesla for an outstanding price if you can stomach all of the controversy.

SPEND $50+ AND GET $10 OFF: Stock up by spending $50 or more on eligible allergy products at Amazon and receive $10 off your order.

Opens in a new window Credit: Puffs / Allegra / Bausch + Lomb / Claritin / Breathe Right Spend $50+ on eligible allergy items at Amazon and get $10 off your order Get Deal

While we're all still in recovery mode from losing an hour of sleep during the shift to daylight savings time, we do have a few things to cushion the blow. Warmer temperatures are on the way with spring weather, bird signing sweet melodies, and beautiful flowers starting to bloom. We're so close to officially being in the spring season and those feel-good vibes that winter is finally over. However, if you deal with spring allergies, you might not be so thrilled. To help combat the sniffles, Amazon is offering a nice deal this month.

Until March 24 at 11:59 p.m. PT, spend $50 or more on eligible allergy products at Amazon to get $10 off your purchase. To score this deal, add $50 worth of product to your Amazon cart and the discount will automatically be applied at checkout.

SEE ALSO: 9 of the best air purifiers, according to experts

The allergy products deal at Amazon extends to a huge lineup of relief that ranges from soft tissues to eye drops to allergy pills and nasal sprays. Amazon also included some anti-itch products in this deal since some of us unfortunate souls are mosquito magnets.

Before this deal disappears, check your medicine cabinet to see if you're well prepared for this upcoming allergy season. If not, snag some of the included allergy products below or browse the full list.

Eligible allergy products at Amazon:

• Benadryl Ultratabs Antihistamine Allergy Relief (24 count) — $4.79 $7.84 (save $3.05)

• Benadryl Anti Itch Gel — $6.27 $8.46 (save $2.19)

• Puffs Plus Lotion Facial Tissues (8 Family Boxes) — $13.28 $17.91 (save $4.63)

• Breathe Right Nasal Strips (44 count) — $16.06 $19.99 (save $3.93)

• Claritin Children's Chewables 24 Hour Allergy Relief (40 count) — $31.65 $37.99 (save $6.34)

• Allegra 24-hour Adult Non-Drowsy Antihistamine Tablets (100 tablets) — $35.45 $44.39 (save $8.94)

$49 ONE-WAY: Southwest Airlines has one-way flights from $49 to select destinations. Book by March 13 and fly in April or May.

Opens in a new window Credit: Southwest $49 one-way Restrictions and exclusions apply Learn More

If you’ve been dreaming of sandy beaches, a lakeside getaway, or a weekend trip to explore a new city, Southwest Airlines just announced its spring sale, where you can get one-way flights for as low as $49.

Of course, there’s some fine print to go over here: The discounted fares are only available for select routes and dates, so you'll need to be flexible with your travel plans. You’ll also need to book by March 13 to get the low prices, and your travel dates must fall between March 31 and June 11. Some blackout dates may also apply, so be sure to check the details carefully.

But even with the restrictions, you can’t beat $49 for a flight. Southwest flies to popular destinations all across the United States, from the beaches of Florida and California to bustling cities like Chicago, New York, and Seattle.

UP TO 75% OFF: It's Mar10 Day, the iconic Mario holiday that takes place every March 10. And right now, you can save up to 75% on Mario titles at Nintendo.

Opens in a new window Credit: Nintendo Mar10 Day Deals for Nintendo Switch Save up to 75% on Mario games Get Deal

This sale will have you jumping on the back of a digital Koopa turtle. Mar10 Day is a day to celebrate Mario, and Nintendo is on board with major deals on a handful of Mario games for Nintendo Switch.

Shop now to get up to 75% off Mario games. The deals include Super Mario Bros. Wonder for $41.99, saving you $18 on list price.

SEE ALSO: Nintendo Switch 2 patent seems to confirm mouse functionality for the new Joy-Cons

The Mario universe is mad up of much more than simple side scrolling jumping games. Today, games like Super Mario RPG, Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope Gold Edition, and Super Mario Maker expand the ways you can play in the Mushroom Kingdom.

Whether you're looking for fidgety fun for your commute home or deep gameplay to enjoy on your TV, this Mario sale is full of delights. As of March 10, Nintendo is offering deals on Mario games for up to 75% off.

Take advantage of this sale and lean into your inner Bowser, help Luigi out of a haunted mansion, and more.

AI tools are proving useful across a range of applications, from helping to drive the new era of business transformation to helping artists craft songs. But which applications are providing the most value to users? We’ll dig into that question in a series of blog posts that introduce the Semantic Telemetry project at Microsoft Research. In this initial post, we will introduce a new data science approach that we will use to analyze topics and task complexity of Copilot in Bing usage.

Human-AI interactions can be iterative and complex, requiring a new data science approach to understand user behavior to build and support increasingly high value use cases. Imagine the following chat:

Here we see that chats can be complex and span multiple topics, such as event planning, team building, and logistics. Generative AI has ushered in a two-fold paradigm shift. First, LLMs give us a new thing to measure, that is, how people interact with AI systems. Second, they give us a new way to measure those interactions, that is, they give us the capability to understand and make inferences on these interactions, at scale. The Semantic Telemetry project has created new measures to classify human-AI interactions and understand user behavior, contributing to efforts in developing new approaches for measuring generative AI (opens in new tab) across various use cases.

Semantic Telemetry is a rethink of traditional telemetry–in which data is collected for understanding systems–designed for analyzing chat-based AI. We employ an innovative data science methodology that uses a large language model (LLM) to generate meaningful categorical labels, enabling us to gain insights into chat log data.

Figure 1: Prompting an LLM to classify a conversation based on LLM generated label taxonomy

This process begins with developing a set of classifications and definitions. We create these classifications by instructing an LLM to generate a short summary of the conversation, and then iteratively prompting the LLM to generate, update, and review classification labels on a batched set of summaries. This process is outlined in the paper: TnT-LLM: Text Mining at Scale with Large Language Models. We then prompt an LLM with these generated classifiers to label new unstructured (and unlabeled) chat log data.

Description of LLM generated label taxonomy process

With this approach, we have analyzed how people interact with Copilot in Bing. In this blog, we examine insights into how people are using Copilot in Bing, including how that differs from traditional search engines. Note that all analyses were conducted on anonymous Copilot interactions containing no personal information.

Topics

To get a clear picture of how people are using Copilot in Bing, we need to first classify sessions into topical categories. To do this, we developed a topic classifier. We used the LLM classification approach described above to label the primary topic (domain) for the entire content of the chat. Although a single chat can cover multiple topics, for this analysis, we generated a single label for the primary topic of the conversation. We sampled five million anonymized Copilot in Bing chats during August and September 2024, and found that globally, 21% of all chats were about technology, with a high concentration of these chats in programming and scripting and computers and electronics.

Figure 2: Top Copilot in Bing topics based on anonymized data (August-September 2024) Figure 3: Frequent topic summaries in Technology Figure 4: Frequent topic summaries in Entertainment

Diving into the technology category, we find a lot of professional tasks in programming and scripting, where users request problem-specific assistance such as fixing a SQL query syntax error. In computers and electronics, we observe users getting help with tasks like adjusting screen brightness and troubleshooting internet connectivity issues. We can compare this with our second most common topic, entertainment, in which we see users seeking information related to personal activities like hiking and game nights.

We also note that top topics differ by platform. The figure below depicts topic popularity based on mobile and desktop usage. Mobile device users tend to use the chat for more personal-related tasks such as helping to plant a garden or understanding medical symptoms whereas desktop users conduct more professional tasks like revising an email.

Figure 5: Top topics for desktop users and mobile users

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Microsoft research copilot experience

Discover more about research at Microsoft through our AI-powered experience

Start now Opens in a new tab Search versus Copilot

Beyond analyzing topics, we compared Copilot in Bing usage to that of traditional search. Chat extends beyond traditional online search by enabling users to summarize, generate, compare, and analyze information. Human-AI interactions are conversational and more complex than traditional search (Figure 6).

Figure 6: Bing Search Query compared to Copilot in Bing Conversation

A major differentiation between search and chat is the ability to ask more complex questions, but how can we measure this? We think of complexity as a scale ranging from simply asking chat to look up information to evaluating several ideas. We aim to understand the difficulty of a task if performed by a human without the assistance of AI. To achieve this, we developed the task complexity classifier, which assesses task difficulty using Anderson and Krathwohl’s Taxonomy of Learning Objectives (opens in new tab). For our analysis, we have grouped the learning objectives into two categories: low complexity and high complexity. Any task more complicated than information lookup is classified as high complexity. Note that this would be very challenging to classify using traditional data science techniques.

Description of task complexity and 6 categories of the Anderson and Krathwohl’s Taxonomy of Learning Objectives

Comparing low versus high complexity tasks, most chat interactions were categorized as high complexity (78.9%), meaning that they were more complex than looking up information. Programming and scripting, marketing and sales, and creative and professional writing are topics in which users engage in higher complexity tasks (Figure 7) such as learning a skill, troubleshooting a problem, or writing an article.

Figure 7: Most and least complex topics based on percentage of high complexity tasks.

Travel and tourism and history and culture scored lowest in complexity, with users looking up information like flight times and latest news updates.

Demo of task complexity and topics on anonymous Copilot interactions

When should you use chat instead of search? A 2024 Microsoft Research study: The Use of Generative Search Engines for Knowledge Work and Complex Tasks, suggests that people are seeing value in technical, complex tasks such as web development and data analysis. Bing Search contained more queries with lower complexity focused on non-professional areas, like gaming and entertainment, travel and tourism, and fashion and beauty, while chat had a greater distribution of complex technical tasks. (Figure 8).

Figure 8: Comparison of Bing Search and Copilot in Bing for anonymized sample data (May-June 2023) Conclusion

LLMs have enabled a new era of high-quality human-AI interaction, and with it, the capability to analyze those same interactions with high fidelity, at scale, and in near real-time. We are now able to obtain actionable insight from complex data that is not possible with traditional data science pattern-matching methods. LLM-generated classifications are pushing research into new directions that will ultimately improve user experience and satisfaction when using chat and other user-AI interaction tools.

This analysis indicates that Copilot in Bing is enabling users to do more complex work, specifically in areas such as technology. In our next post, we will explore how Copilot in Bing is supporting professional knowledge work and how we can use these measures as indicators for retention and engagement.

FOOTNOTE: This research was conducted at the time the feature Copilot in Bing was available as part of the Bing service; since October 2024 Copilot in Bing has been deprecated in favor of the standalone Microsoft Copilot service.

References:

1. Krathwohl, D. R. (2002). A Revision of Bloom’s Taxonomy: An Overview. Theory Into Practice, 41(4), 212–218. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15430421tip4104_2 (opens in new tab)

Opens in a new tab

The post Semantic Telemetry: Understanding how users interact with AI systems appeared first on Microsoft Research.

TikTok has until April 5 to find a buyer, and President Donald Trump says that at least four are currently in the mix. The short-from video platform may need to find new ownership since the U.S. passed its sell-or-ban law last year due to security concerns. 

Per Reuters, the president spoke with reporters on Sunday about the potential sale, saying that he has been in contact with suitors leading up to the deadline. “We’re dealing with four different groups,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One. “A lot of people want it… all four are good.”

Trump didn’t specify who the four suitors were, but it could be any number of high-profile rumored bidders. Interest is high for the popular short-form video platform and includes heavy hitters like Oracle, Mr. Beast, Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary, Microsoft, and Project Liberty, a group led by former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian. Even the U.S. government has been in and out of the rumor mill.

TikTok was formally banned in the U.S. on Jan. 19, though it lasted all of about 12 hours. Trump signed an executive order to push the ban by 75 days to give TikTok more time to find a buyer. At that time, the beleaguered streaming platform left the various app stores, only to be reinstated nearly a month later after Trump promised Google and Apple that they wouldn’t be fined for doing so. In short, it’s been a long year for TikTok and its users so far. 

SEE ALSO: As TikTok faces a ban, creators brace for an uncertain future

Despite the issues, TikTok is still going strong. It was still among the most-downloaded apps in the U.S. in 2024, and approximately half of the country’s population is among TikTok’s active users. The app is noted for its intense ability to influence trends. Heck, it even brought back ska music, and ska music hasn’t been popular in almost 30 years. 

So far, the U.S. government has been content to kick the can down the road when it comes to enforcing a TikTok ban, as it has been for the last five years. However, time may be finally running out as interest in purchasing TikTok has entered a fever pitch. 

“We have a lot of interest in TikTok,” Trump told reporters. “And China is going to play a role. Hopefully, China will approve of the deal.”

Have you ever swiped through your Instagram Reels feed and thought, "Wow, the only thing that will make this better is if someone else could also watch what I am watching and know that this is what The Algorithm thinks of me?"

Well, I have good news for you. Instagram is live testing a new feature called "Blend," which creates a private feed of recommended Reels for you and a friend. Think of it like the combined algorithm that creates your Spotify Blend playlists but for Instagram Reels instead.

The feature has been in development for some time and was spotted by reverse engineer Alessandro Paluzzi back in March 2024. At the time, Meta told TechCrunch that it wasn't being tested externally just yet — until now, it seems.

A Meta spokesperson told Mashable in an emailed statement that the platform is "testing the ability to opt-in to a new Reels experience where you can blend suggested reels between friends in a DM chat." They didn't give any information about the timeline, but said they are "testing with a small group of people to start."

One user, @uw.3 on Threads, posted screenshots on Threads showing a pop-up encouraging users to invite their friends on DMs to blend, Social Media Today spotted. The pop-up shows three main notes: see each other's suggested reels, new reels based on the chat, and invite only.

SEE ALSO: I'm quitting Instagram. You should too. View on Threads

"See who each reel is suggested for based on each person's activity on Instagram, including the reels they watch and interact with," describes "See each other's suggested reels."

"When you join a blend, reels you send to the chat will inform and update the blend for everyone," describes "new reels based on the chat."

"Each blend is unique to the people who join. You can leave a blend at any time," reads "invite only."

This feature seems like a smart business decision for Instagram: It could keep people logged on and scrolling longer and put their dedication to Reels up front, no matter how terrible an experience Reels Blends sounds to me personally. However, perhaps the most incredible thing about this potential new feature is that it doesn't copy TikTok.

A new bill filed in the North Carolina House of Representatives aims to ban children under 14 from social media and age-verify some sites — but not like other age-verification laws.

HB 301, called the Social Media Protections for Minors Act, was introduced last Wednesday and passed its first reading, according to North Carolina station WFMY News 2. It'll now go to a committee for further review.

SEE ALSO: Do age-verification laws work? Not according to this study.

Similar to Australia's social media ban for children under 16, this bill would prohibit anyone under 14 from creating an account on social platforms that meet certain criteria (like having 10 percent daily active users under 16 and "addictive" features like infinite scrolling). Children aged 14 to 15 would need parents' permission to make an account, though it doesn't detail how this consent would be handled.

Additionally, HB 301 calls for "anonymous" or standard age verification when viewing a site with a substantial portion (over a third) of content deemed "harmful to minors." The phrase "harmful to minors" harkens back to a Supreme Court case, Ginsberg v. New York, which concluded that content that isn't obscene (thus protected by the First Amendment) can still be "harmful to minors."

Typically, in age-verification laws, this means explicit content. This part is in line with other such laws, which require some form of age verification (such as a digital ID or facial scan) in order to visit porn sites.

Unlike other age-verification laws that have passed in the U.S. — including North Carolina's own age-verification law — this one requires these site visitors to be 16 years or older, not 18, though. In North Carolina, the age of consent is 16.

In January, the Supreme Court heard about age-verification laws in the case Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton, and their ruling will likely come out this summer. Findings from a recent study on age verification laws suggest that these laws don't work at their proposed aim to keep minors away from explicit websites. This is because they can access websites that don't comply with the laws, or work around them with a VPN.

Well, we endured and survived, baby girl.

The Last of Us ended its first season almost two years ago in March 2023, leaving us nothing less than emotional husks, nothing more than hungry for more deep character-based trauma in Season 2. But after that cold hard finale, I'm sure you've got as many questions as we have.

Unless you've played the game's sequel, that is. 

SEE ALSO: 'The Last of Us' salutes Ellie's favourite thing: comics

For those who haven't experienced Naughty Dog's lauded sequel The Last of Us Part II, the future is uncertain for Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and Joel (Pedro Pascal). The series, like the game, ended with Joel's polarising decision to save Ellie, sacrificing a potential cure for the Cordyceps infection and executing the entire Fireflies' medical team, including their leader, Marlene (Merle Dandridge). And now? Ellie and Joel have made it back to Jackson, where the future is uncertain.

If you're dying to know what's in store for Season 2, we're about to get spoilery with first-hand game knowledge, trailer hints, and first looks to consider some of the major plot points and characters you can expect director Craig Mazin and creator Neil Druckmann to get stuck into. We won't ruin the ending, but we will set you up with some monumental moments to uh...look forward to?

If you haven't played the The Last of Us Part II, however, you might want to turn back and consider our burning questions article instead, which is free of game (though not show) spoilers.

For everyone else, let's delve into the biggest storyline moments we can expect to see in Season 2 — including the one that HBO had better expect a riot over.

The Last of Us Season 2 means terrifying new Infected Don't breathe. Credit: Liane Hentscher / HBO

While The Last of Us Part II didn't completely reinvent the wheel when it comes to new Infected, there's a few additions we can't wait to see. The latest HBO trailer indicates airborne Cordyceps spores will be added as a hurdle for our protagonists, something Season 1 eliminated for on-screen practicality/Pedro Pascal visibility.

One of the most terrifying new types of Infected will be the Stalkers, who are briefly shown in the trailer scurrying about in the darkness. These stealthy trackers peep out from their hiding places and use echolocation like Clickers. But they have the ability to see who they're charging at — and boy, do they charge. Honestly, I hate them so much.

We're also keen to see if there's the possibility of a Rat King this season, the game's horrific amalgamation of Infected in one hulking mass — think The Witcher.

SEE ALSO: 'The Last of Us' Season 2 tailer: Hidden details you may have missed We're going back to Jackson Four years later... Credit: Liane Hentscher / HBO

It's time to head back to Jackson, Wyoming, folks. The fortified settlement where Joel and Ellie finally find his brother Tommy (Gabriel Luna) and wife Maria (Rutina Wesley) is first seen in The Last of Us Season 1, episode 6. And it's where Season 2 will likely begin.

Jackson is a key location in the second game. We don't actually visit the town in the first game at all; we just see it in the distance. But Jackson is where Season 1 of the show ends, as Joel and Ellie have a confrontation on a ridge above the town after everything that went down in Salt Lake City. And Joel lies.

It's likely Season 2 will pick up where The Last of Us Part II does, four years later. As the trailer shows, Tommy and Maria now have a young son, who doesn't exist in the game. Joel and Ellie are living in their own places in Jackson, with a major strain on their relationship. By now, Ellie is 19 and doing Infected patrols with her horse Shimmer, who made a sweet cameo in Season 1, episode 6 as a foal. And she's about to fall head over heels.

The Last of Us Season 2 will introduce Ellie's next big love Dina + Ellie 4eva 💘 Credit: Liane Hentscher / HBO

Ellie's tragically short romance with her best friend Riley (Storm Reid) was her first love, but certainly not her last. And in Season 1, an Easter egg had gamers abuzz, with the fleeting appearance of a character integral to Ellie's life in The Last of Us Part II.

In episode 6, when Joel and Ellie are in the Jackson food hall, there's a moment when Ellie's manners fail her and she throws a barb at a staring girl. Fans of the game surmised that this was Dina, Ellie's future love interest — and in HBO's podcast for the show, neither Mazin or Druckmann confirmed nor denied it.

Played by Madame Web's Isabela Merced in Season 2, Dina is a complex, kickass character who will play a hugely important role. In The Last of Us Part II, the game begins with one of the franchise's best scenes: a Jackson barn dance where Dina and Ellie share their first kiss. Their relationship grows with every patrol, every tragedy, every secret they share together — including Dina's major reveal. In the game, Dina's deep love for Ellie means she joins her quest for revenge: "You go, I go. End of story."

Jesse has a significant part to play. Credit: Liane Hentscher / HBO

Another Season 2 newbie will be Ellie's best friend Jesse, Dina's ex-boyfriend from Jackson, who is played by Beef's Young Mazino. Jesse tracks Ellie and Dina on their travels in order to help them on their quest to find the people responsible for the most shocking moment of the series.

Yep, it's gonna hurt.

The Last of Us Season 2 will do it: Joel's death Noooooooooooooooooooooooo. Credit: Liane Hentscher / HBO

For fans of the game, we know what's coming in Season 2. And we also know this will break fans of the show, as it did us while playing The Last of Us Part II.

I'm talking about Joel's death. It's one of the most unexpected, traumatising events I've ever encountered in a video game — the brutal murder of a protagonist you've spent literally hundreds of hours playing, understanding, and becoming attached to. You've survived so much with Joel, as has Ellie, and Naughty Dog made us watch as her beloved father figure is killed in front of her — the game mechanics literally pin Ellie (that's you) to the ground in this scene.

It will be worse than this moment in Season 1. Credit: Liane Hentscher / HBO

Yes, Joel's death allowed Naughty Dog to differentiate the games and introduce new character dynamics, namely moving Ellie into young adulthood. But I have a feeling this episode will be one of the most talked about, most hands-in-the-air, Red Wedding-level, how-could-they-do-this-to-us episode of Season 2. Considering the skyrocketing fame and internet worship of Pedro Pascal, this devastating moment in the narrative will be all over your feed. Prepare for several solid weeks of grieving online.

Joel's brutal death at the hands of new character Abby Anderson (more on her below) will likely be in an early episode of Season 2, rattling viewers to the core. But don't despair entirely, Pascal fans. The Last of Us Part II features many flashback scenes with the pair, including an all-important, dinosaur-related memory, scenes in involving Joel's guitar, and a major reveal about why exactly there's tension between Joel and Ellie at the beginning of the sequel. Season 2 won't be completely Pascal-free, even after his character's death.

SEE ALSO: 'The Last of Us' episode 8: Why Joel's final line is so important Bella Ramsey will have room to shine in Season 2 It's only going to get harder, Ellie. Credit: HBO

Season 2 is all about Ellie. Our protagonist's grief and rage in The Last of Us Part II will give Ramsey the challenge they deserve to take an already incredible performance even further. Pascal and Ramsey have built the same level of chemistry and bond voice actors Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson's Joel and Ellie did in the games, and it's going to break hearts to see Bellie and Pedge destroyed like this. But Ramsey will also have plenty of action scenes ahead of them too, as Ellie's fight scenes really level up this season.

The Last of Us Season 2 will focus on a shellshocked Ellie wanting only vengeance, tracking Joel's killers to their base in Seattle. Tommy goes after them himself, thinking Ellie will just sit tight in Jackson, but of course that doesn't happen. So, the events of The Last of Us Season 2 will mirror those of the first season — we're always looking for Tommy in TLOU it seems. But with the addition of Tommy and Maria's son as seen in the trailer, Tommy's decision takes on a very different light.

Oh no. They have a son... Credit: Liane Hentscher / HBO

So, Season 2 is another road trip, and will focus on Ellie's journey from from Wyoming to Washington. As Ellie gets more and more brutal in her hunting tactics, fuelled by grief and rage, Ramsey will have one hell of a journey on their hands. That scene from episode 8 in which Joel gets real cold and torture-y with the map trick? It rubbed off, people.

Season 2 is also all about Abby There's always another perspective. Credit: Liane Hentscher / HBO

The Last of Us Season 2 will introduce the game character of Abby Anderson, Joel's aforementioned killer. Kaitlyn Dever (Booksmart, Apple Cider Vinegar, Unbelievable) takes on the polarising role, who will fuel one of the most upsetting moments in the story — but remember, she is a character. And she's a character you actually play as for half the game in The Last of Us Part II, and all the uncomfortable attachment that goes with it.

The word "villain" is subjective as always for humans in this franchise, depending on your perspective. (Except David. David is a villain.) Abby's journey in Season 2 will cause viewers to reconsider what makes someone a monster in this post-apocalyptic hell. As devastating as her actions are, Abby's character expands the world of The Last of Us beyond Ellie's experience. There'll be plenty of world-building to look forward to with where Abby calls home: the WLF.

Season 2 introduces two new factions: WLF and the Seraphites WTF is the WLF? Credit: Liane Hentscher / HBO

Ultimately, saving Abby's life from Infected beyond the safety of the Jackson settlement will be Joel's undoing, as she's part of a Seattle militia group known as the Washington Liberation Front (WLF), aka the Wolves. Led by Isaac Dixon (brilliant casting with American Fiction's Jeffrey Wright), the Wolves are comprised of former Fireflies and recruits, and their base in Seattle is sure to be impressive set design. There's a whole cast of new characters here with their own connections and backstories, with actors Danny Ramirez, Tati Gabrielle, Ariela Barer, and Spencer Lord joining Dever.

In Season 2, we'll also meet the faction behind strange symbols and preachy graffiti, the Seraphites, also referred to as the Scars — you'll know them by their self-inflicted facial scarring. They're a cult-like group and direct rivals to the Wolves for control of Seattle. In the trailer, you'll spy them with their bows, arrows, and tendency to hang people in the forest. And within this faction, we'll meet two beloved characters, siblings Lev and Yara, who will have a major impact on Abby's life.

It's not clear whether the Rattlers, another horrific faction in The Last of Us Part II, will feature this season. Hope not? Hope so? I can't tell what I want.

Will we hear Pedro Pascal sing Pearl Jam in episode 1? *tunes guitar* Credit: Liane Hentscher / HBO

At the very beginning of The Last of Us Part II, Joel gifts Ellie a guitar and the promise of lessons, but not before he plays a little something on it. He picks Pearl Jam's "Future Days," a somber ballad that begins with the fitting lyric "If I ever were to lose you / I'd surely lose myself." This begs the question: Will we hear Pedro Pascal himself sing a little Pearl Jam in Season 2, episode 1?

The Last of Us Season 1 is now streaming on Max. Season 2 premieres on HBO and Max in 2025.