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If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.

There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it'll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.

An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.

If you find yourself stuck at any step of today's Hurdle, don't worry! We have you covered.

SEE ALSO: Hurdle: Everything you need to know to find the answers Hurdle Word 1 hint

To begin.

SEE ALSO: Apple’s new M3 MacBook Air is $300 off at Amazon. And yes, I’m tempted. Hurdle Word 1 answer

START

Hurdle Word 2 hint

Blazing.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for June 6, 2025 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

FIERY

Hurdle Word 3 hint

Huge.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for June 6 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for June 6, 2025 Hurdle Word 3 answer

GIANT

Hurdle Word 4 hint

Marine.

SEE ALSO: NYT Strands hints, answers for June 6 Hurdle Word 4 answer

NAVAL

Final Hurdle hint

A twig.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Games available on Mashable Hurdle Word 5 answer

STICK

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

TL;DR: Live stream Chile vs. Argentina in World Cup qualifiers for free on SBS On Demand. Access this free streaming site from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

Argentina are totally dominating the South American World Cup qualification campaign, and they'll be confident of beating bottom side Chile in their next fixture. Chile have only won two games so far, but anything can happen in international competition. They'll need to be at their absolute best to take anything from Argentina, but the passionate home support should help.

If you want to watch Chile vs. Argentina in World Cup qualifiers for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Chile vs. Argentina?

Chile vs. Argentina in World Cup qualifiers kicks off at 9 p.m. ET on June 5. This fixture takes place at the Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos.

How to watch Chile vs. Argentina for free

Chile vs. Argentina in World Cup qualifiers is available to live stream for free on SBS On Demand.

SBS On Demand is geo-restricted to Australia, but anyone can access this free streaming service with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Australia, meaning you can access free live streams on SBS On Demand from anywhere in the world.

Lve stream Chile vs. Argentina for free by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in Australia

4. Visit SBS On Demand

5. Stream Chile vs. Argentina for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can watch Chile vs. Argentina in World Cup qualifiers without actually spending anything. This clearly isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream select World Cup qualifiers before recovering your investment.

If you want to retain permanent access to free streaming sites from around the world, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for streaming live sport is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for SBS On Demand?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on SBS On Demand, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including Australia

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to eight simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.95 (including money-back guarantee).

Live stream Chile vs. Argentina in World Cup qualifiers for free with ExpressVPN.

TL;DR: Live stream Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Indiana Pacers (Game 1) in the 2025 NBA Finals for free on YouTube. Access this free live stream from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The 2025 NBA Finals are finally here, with the Oklahoma City Thunder taking on the Indiana Pacers for a place in the history books.

Both teams have looked incredibly dominant throughout the playoffs, and the prospect of these fast paced and youthful teams going head to head is fascinating. Sure, the Thunder are favorites with most people. But the Pacers have already upset the odds on their journey to the Finals.

If you want to watch Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Indiana Pacers (Game 1) in the 2025 NBA Finals for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Indiana Pacers (Game 1)?

Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Indiana Pacers (Game 1) starts at 8:30 p.m. ET on June 5. This game takes place at the Paycom Center.

How to watch Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Indiana Pacers (Game 1) for free

Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Indiana Pacers (Game 1) in the 2025 NBA Finals is available to live stream for free on YouTube.

This content is geo-restricted to India, but anyone can access this free live stream with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in India, meaning you can live stream the 2025 NBA Finals from anywhere in the world.

Live stream the NBA for free by following these simple steps:

1. Sign up for a VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in India

4. Visit YouTube

5. Watch Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Indiana Pacers (Game 1) for free

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month) $12.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Learn More

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but they do tend to offer money-back guarantees or free trials. By leveraging these offers, you can watch NBA live streams without actually spending anything. This clearly isn't a long-term solution, but it does mean you can watch select games from the NBA Finals before recovering your investment.

If you want to retain permanent access to free live streams from around the world, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for streaming sport is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for YouTube?

ExpressVPN is the best service for accessing free live streams on platforms like YouTube, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including India

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to eight simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $139 and includes an extra four months for free — 61% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month subscription for just $12.95 (with money-back guarantee).

Live stream Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Indiana Pacers (Game 1) for free with ExpressVPN.

TL;DR: Live stream Paraguay vs. Uruguay in World Cup qualifiers for free on SBS On Demand. Access this free streaming site from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

Paraguay started the South American World Cup qualification campaign really poorly, but they've slowly turned things around. Paraguay are now unbeaten in their last eight games, and have beaten the likes of Argentina and Brazil in recent outings.

Next up for Paraguay is Uruguay. These teams are tied on 21 points, so we're expecting a really close game between two strong sides.

If you want to watch Paraguay vs. Uruguay in World Cup qualifiers for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Paraguay vs. Uruguay?

Paraguay vs. Uruguay in World Cup qualifiers kicks off at 7 p.m. ET on June 5. This fixture takes place at the Estadio Defensores del Chaco.

How to watch Paraguay vs. Uruguay for free

Paraguay vs. Uruguay in World Cup qualifiers is available to live stream for free on SBS On Demand.

SBS On Demand is geo-restricted to Australia, but anyone can access this free streaming service with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Australia, meaning you can access free live streams on SBS On Demand from anywhere in the world.

Access a free live stream of Paraguay vs. Uruguay by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in Australia

4. Visit SBS On Demand

5. Stream Paraguay vs. Uruguay for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can watch Paraguay vs. Uruguay in World Cup qualifiers without actually spending anything. This clearly isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream select World Cup qualifiers before recovering your investment.

If you want to retain permanent access to free streaming sites from around the world, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for streaming live sport is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for SBS On Demand?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on SBS On Demand, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including Australia

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to eight simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.95 (including money-back guarantee).

Live stream Paraguay vs. Uruguay in World Cup qualifiers for free with ExpressVPN.

A private space firm from Japan did not stick its moon landing on Thursday, which makes this the second failed attempt to get to the lunar surface for the company in the past two years. 

The mission, dubbed Hakuto-R by the company ispace, tried to touch down around 3:15 p.m. ET on June 5 after a long 4.5-month meandering journey to save on fuel. But the team lost communication with the lander with less than two minutes to spare — a foreboding sign that something went wrong.  

UPDATE: Jun. 6, 2025, 10:21 a.m. EDT Executives at ispace have called the mission off, stating it was unlikely they would be able to restore contact with the Resilience lander. The team is continuing its post-flight investigation to nail down what caused the failure.

Ispace invited the public to watch alongside its Tokyo-based mission control, where it was already the early morning hours of June 6. The landing sequence lasted about an hour as the robotic spacecraft Resilience performed a braking engine burn and followed automated commands to adjust the lander's orientation and speed.

SEE ALSO: Private spacecraft circling moon snaps photo with strange optical illusion

The livestream showed a stoic crowd of engineers piled into the mission control room, staring intensely at their consoles for updated information on the spacecraft's status. Some were holding their faces with nervous looks.

"Telemetry figures are not coming," one of the broadcast commentators said through an English interpreter. 

After minutes of waiting, the broadcast ended with ispace spokespeople saying they would try to have answers at a news conference later in the day. Hours later, company executives said they assume the spacecraft crashed because it didn't slow down as much as they had expected during the descent.

Mission controllers await confirmation on Resilience lander during a livestream of the moon landing attempt on June 5, 2025. Credit: ispace screenshot

"Given that there is currently no prospect of a successful lunar landing, our top priority is to swiftly analyze the telemetry data we have obtained thus far and work diligently to identify the cause," said ispace founder and CEO Takeshi Hakamada, in a statement.

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The Resilience lander was targeting a northern location on the moon's surface, a relatively easier site than the dark, heavily cratered south pole, where many other spacefaring countries and companies want to go. The area is known as Mare Frigoris, aka the "Sea of Cold," which stretches across the near side's top.

NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, which previously took a snapshot of the landing spot, could help ispace get visual confirmation of the crash as it flies over the region. The spacecraft was able to perform this service following the company's first mission. The pictures were released about a month after the failed landing.

Resilience was supposed to deliver a tiny European rover, dubbed Tenacious, to the moon's surface. The robot is smaller than a toddler's Big Wheel and armed with a scoop for collecting soil. If everything had gone as planned, it could have been the first European spacecraft to drive on the moon. 

The lander was also carrying a miniature replica of a traditional Swedish house. The red dollhouse with white trim, called the Moonhouse, would have been placed on the surface, for no other purpose than art.  

Ispace engineers pack the lander in 2024 for its shipment to Cape Canaveral, Florida, ahead of the launch to space. Credit: ispace

Landing on the moon remains onerous — demonstrated by numerous flopped landings. Though Firefly Aerospace succeeded in landing in March, another U.S. company, Intuitive Machines, didn't fare as well, ending up on its side in a crater less than a week later. 

The difficulty arises from the lunar exosphere, which provides virtually no drag to slow a spacecraft down as it approaches the ground. What's more, there are no GPS systems on the moon to help guide a craft to its landing spot. Engineers have to compensate for those challenges from 239,000 miles away.

Ispace's first Hakuto-R lander crashed in April 2023 because it ran out of fuel on the way down, unable to control its landing. It was unclear immediately after the second attempt on Thursday if the lander had faced the same fate.

The mission is just one of many other commercial missions expected to attempt this feat, most of which are an outgrowth of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services Program. The program was established in 2018 to recruit the private sector to help deliver cargo to the moon. Ispace couldn't directly participate in the NASA program because it isn't an American company, but it is collaborating on one of the contracts led by Draper Technologies in Massachusetts, expected to land on the moon as early as 2027.

These upcoming missions will support the U.S. space agency's lunar ambitions, shipping supplies and experiments to the surface ahead of astronauts' arrival in 2027 or later. They're also supposed to kickstart a future cislunar economy, the perceived market opportunity for business ventures on and around the moon.

"We need to never quit the lunar quest," a commentator's interpreter said.

TL;DR: Live stream Ecuador vs. Brazil in World Cup qualifiers for free on SBS On Demand. Access this free streaming site from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

Ecuador have been the surprise package in the South American World Cup qualification campaign. Argentina are way out ahead of the competition, but Ecuador are second in the standings ahead of the next round of fixtures. They are even two points ahead of Brazil, but that could all change as the sides meet in Guayaquil.

If you want to watch Ecuador vs. Brazil in World Cup qualifiers for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Ecuador vs. Brazil?

Ecuador vs. Brazil in World Cup qualifiers kicks off at 7 p.m. ET on June 5. This fixture takes place at the Estadio Monumental.

How to watch Ecuador vs. Brazil for free

Ecuador vs. Brazil in World Cup qualifiers is available to live stream for free on SBS On Demand.

SBS On Demand is geo-restricted to Australia, but anyone can access this free streaming service with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Australia, meaning you can access free live streams on SBS On Demand from anywhere in the world.

Access a free live stream of Ecuador vs. Brazil by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in Australia

4. Visit SBS On Demand

5. Stream Ecuador vs. Brazil for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can watch Ecuador vs. Brazil in World Cup qualifiers without actually spending anything. This clearly isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream select World Cup qualifiers before recovering your investment.

If you want to retain permanent access to free streaming sites from around the world, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for streaming live sport is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for SBS On Demand?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on SBS On Demand, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including Australia

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to eight simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.95 (including money-back guarantee).

Live stream Ecuador vs. Brazil in World Cup qualifiers for free with ExpressVPN.

Folks, we’re finally here. The Nintendo Switch 2 is finally showing up on people’s doorsteps, while others braved the lengthy lines at midnight launch events that spanned the globe. 

Because I have a cool job, I actually got the console a day early. And after spending about 24 hours with my new Switch 2, I’ve got plenty of early thoughts to share. I know some gamers are on the fence about spending $450 on a new Nintendo console (and $80 for the new Mario Kart World), especially in tough economic times. My full Switch 2 review will come later, but for now, let’s dive into my first day of gaming.

And because you've waited long enough, here's my early verdict: It's awesome, though not without its setup quirks.

Where to buy the Switch 2: Quick links Buy the Nintendo Switch 2 at Nintendo $449.99 Shop Now Buy the Nintendo Switch 2 + Mario Kart World bundle at Costco $524.99 Shop Now Buy the Nintendo Switch 2 at GameStop $449.99 Shop Now Buy the Nintendo Switch 2 at Best Buy $449.99 Shop Now Buy the Nintendo Switch 2 + Mario Kart World bundle at Walmart $499 Shop Now SEE ALSO: Where to buy Nintendo Switch 2 online: Smash that refresh button on these listings My Nintendo Switch 2 first impressions

Remember: This is definitely not a full review of the console, as again, I’ve only had it for a little over 24 hours at the time of writing. My impressions and reviews of games like Mario Kart World and Rune Factory will also have to wait. These are my unfiltered thoughts on the hardware and user experience so far. You can also check out my first impressions of the new Game Chat features.

Setup is easy enough but not perfect Your Switch 2 main menu will look a lot like this right after the first boot. Credit: Joe Maldonado/Mashable

Let's start with good news: Getting the console up and running on the initial startup is quite simple. You turn it on, log into your Nintendo account if you have one (you should probably have one), connect to the internet, and then you’re more or less good to go. I mean, you won’t be able to play any games right away unless you have physical copies because downloading games takes time, but all things considered, I found this process pretty painless.

The only caveat I’d add to all of that? There’s a (by all accounts) lengthy and involved data transfer process if you want to transfer over everything from your Switch 1 to your Switch 2. This is obviously useful if you have a bunch of old Switch games you’re currently in the middle of playing, or if you want to grab your save data the old-fashioned way. Nintendo Switch Online members have access to cloud saves, and for almost every game, downloading them takes just a few seconds on the home screen the first time you boot the game up.

Attaching and detaching the magnetic Joy-Con 2 controllers feels so good the first time you do it. Just trust me.

I should note that I didn’t try the data transfer because I didn’t have my Switch on me at the time and I needed to start playing games ASAP, but everything I’m hearing from other gamers makes it sound like kind of a mess. Former Mashable superstar Adam Rosenberg went through his experience in a thread on Bluesky, in which he said the process took two hours. His Switch 2 tried to transfer everything instead of giving him an easy way to decide what to bring over and what to leave behind.

He’s not the only person I know who expressed frustration with the Switch 2 transfer process. I would normally recommend skipping the data transfer process, but there are two factors that might make that a bad idea for some of you. First, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet and Animal Crossing: New Horizons lack support for cloud saves, so if you want to keep playing those games on Switch 2, you should do the transfer.

Second, it sounds like you only get one shot at the transfer, weirdly enough. Hat tip to Kotaku for bringing that to my attention; if you have any interest whatsoever in transferring data, don't skip it at setup just assuming you can do it later. I've reached out to Nintendo for clarification on this and will update the article if/when an answer arrives.

The hardware itself is an immediate and profound step up The new Joy-Cons are much better. Credit: Joe Maldonado/Mashable

Strange setup quirks aside, the Switch 2 is so, so much better than the first console once it’s actually in your hands.

The new 7.9-inch, 1080p display has a 120Hz refresh rate and is a colossal improvement over the 6.2-inch, 720p, 60Hz original. There’s one more caveat here, though; it’s an LCD display, meaning it is, in one specific way, inferior to the Switch OLED. I was never a Switch OLED owner, so I can’t say authoritatively that the lack of OLED is a huge problem on the Switch 2. The new display looks pretty darn good to me, though I suppose it could be a bit more vibrant in certain spots. That said, your mileage may vary if you’re used to looking at an OLED display.

Beyond that, the new Joy-Con 2 controllers are substantially bigger than before, making them much better suited to adult-sized hands. The new analog sticks have a bit more travel to them and feel a little more responsive overall, though it remains to be seen if stick drift will be a big problem on Switch 2, given the lack of Hall Effect sensors.

The new dock does its job well. Credit: Joe Maldonado/Mashable

I’d also like to shout out the new magnetic attachment mechanism for the Joy-Con controllers. On the first Switch console, the Joy-Cons slid on and off via a vertical rail. This was fine for 2017, but over time, it became clear that a better solution was needed. Switch 1 Joy-Con controllers have a bit of wiggle to them, even when attached. That’s been entirely eliminated on Switch 2, based on my experiences so far. Attaching a Joy-Con 2 to the unit is as easy as slapping it into the open slot and letting magnets take over from there. Thankfully, there’s a release lever you have to pull to detach them, making it functionally impossible to detach them accidentally. (At least, that's been my experience so far.)

Attaching and detaching the magnetic Joy-Con 2 controllers feels so good the first time you do it. Just trust me.

The new dock, which looks and works similarly, is also worthy of some praise. The new dock can output at up to 4K resolution and has a new built-in fan for heat dissipation. Crucially, it also has a built-in ethernet port now. Please, please wire up your dock if you can. Your experience will be so much better.

Virtual game cards are weird

The Switch 2 introduces “virtual game cards,” a new feature Nintendo has added to both Switch consoles. This essentially turns any games you’ve purchased digitally into a commodity that can only live on one console at a time. At any time, you can scroll to the new virtual game card section in the main system menu and load any games you own digitally onto the console. In fact, you have to do this to bring over any Switch 1 games you plan on playing. Once that’s done, you can’t play it on any other Switch console unless you boot that machine up and do the same thing over there.

For a single and childless person like me, this is only mildly inconvenient. I’m not going to complain too much about having to press an extra button to tell the Switch 2 to download a Switch 1 game I own. However, I can imagine this being nightmarish for multi-Switch households. Users have the ability to “loan” virtual game cards to other users for up to two weeks, but as I understand it, that means the loaner loses the ability to play that game while it’s in the hands of the loanee. 

While some games now support “GameShare” (a new feature that allows users to play multiplayer games with only one copy of a game), that’s not universally supported. There are definitely good use cases for loaning digital games to other people, to be sure, but this is also a lot of extra management that’s foisted upon every Switch 2 owner. I can imagine it’s going to create entirely new ways for siblings to fight with each other, too.

SEE ALSO: You can already find 100+ Switch 2 eBay listings. We don't recommend them. Storage is going to be an issue in the long term I had to grab my virtual game cards for all of these. Credit: Joe Maldonado/Mashable

Obviously, I’ll do a deeper dive into the console once I’ve had more time with it, but the final first impression I’ll share is that the Switch 2’s internal storage capacity of 256GB might not be enough for serious gamers.

When it was first announced, I thought it was fine. I mistakenly made the assumption that game file sizes wouldn’t balloon too much from the OG Switch, but I was wrong. In fairness, first-party Nintendo stuff has been fine so far; Mario Kart World is a manageable 22GB, and the only other thing I saw that crossed the 20GB threshold from Nintendo itself is the Switch 2 version of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

Third-party games are a different story, however. Hitman: World of Assassination is 58GB, or roughly 22 percent of the internal storage capacity. That at least makes sense, as that’s three entire games in one package, and frankly, it’s a lot bigger on other platforms. Street Fighter 6 is 48GB, which is pretty big, but again, that’s a big game on other platforms, too.

The most confusing one I’ve seen is Yakuza 0: Director’s Cut. On a PlayStation 4, Yakuza 0 is 24GB. On a Switch 2, it’s a staggering 45GB. Granted, there’s some new content, like additional cutscenes, a multiplayer mode, and new English voice acting, but nearly doubling the file size is a bit much. 

'Yakuza 0' has a weirdly big file size. Credit: Sega/Nintendo

To make life more difficult, the Switch 2 only has one option for external storage expansion — microSD Express cards. This is a new type of memory card with substantially faster data read speeds than a regular microSD card. Nintendo going to this new standard is a good thing overall because games load way faster than before, but it also means everyone has to buy a new memory card, and they’re pretty expensive and hard to find right now. That won’t be a problem forever, so hopefully people can hold out until there are some good Black Friday sales or something like that.

I feel like I’ve spent most of this piece complaining about some relatively minor quirks with Switch 2, so I want to make something very clear: I think it’s awesome. Most of the games I’ve played have been impressive in one way or another, and the hardware is a clear improvement over the first Switch. It’s not perfect, but nothing is.

Look out for a full review in the near future. In the meantime, I'll be perfecting my grinding skills in Mario Kart World.

Where to buy the Switch 2

As of this writing, the Switch 2 is still sold out at all major retailers, though price gougers are having a good day over at eBay. You can try placing an order through the My Nintendo Store or check the retailers listed below.

Opens in a new window Credit: Nintendo Nintendo Switch 2 console $449.99 at Nintendo
Shop Now

• Buy the Switch 2 at Nintendo

• Buy the Switch 2 at Walmart

• Buy the Switch 2 at GameStop

• Buy the Switch 2 at Best Buy

• But the Switch 2 at Costco

• Buy the Switch 2 at Target (available online June 6)

UPDATE: Jun. 6, 2025, 10:38 a.m. EDT This article has been updated with additional information on the Switch 1 to Switch 2 transfer process.

A startup promised that their AI assistant would build you an app. But the work was actually done by human engineers.

Builder.ai, a startup backed by Microsoft, pitched itself as an AI-powered way to simplify app development. Clients chatted with the platform's signature AI assistant, Natasha, and received a functional, AI-generated app based on the information they provided. But instead of using AI technology to run the chatbot and create the app, the company hired 700 engineers in India to pose as Natasha in conversations with clients, and then to do the actual coding of the app.

The company's human-run chatbot operation is part of a larger problem in the tech industry today: An issue called "AI-washing," when tech companies purport that their tools use AI a far greater amount than they actually do. It happens remarkably often, like when Coca‑Cola claimed their 2023 product Y3000 Zero Sugar was co-created with AI, but provided no details on how AI was actually involved in the creation of the product, leaving many to speculate that the claim was designed to get more attention and interest from consumers.

As companies scramble to incorporate AI into their offerings — or at least, give the impression that they have done so — consumers may not share the tech sector's unfettered enthusiasm for AI everything.

The Pew Research Center reports that 43 percent of respondents think AI will harm them, in comparison to just 24 percent who think the tech will benefit them. Moreover, "Public optimism is low regarding AI’s impact on work," the Pew report reads. "While 73 [percent]of AI experts surveyed say AI will have a very or somewhat positive impact on how people do their jobs over the next 20 years, that share drops to 23 [percent] among U.S. adults." According to another study, about half of all respondents said they’d rather speak to a real person over AI, in comparison with just 12 percent of respondents who said they preferred to speak with an AI chatbot. A quarter of respondents said it depended on the situation.

But AI washing wasn’t the problem that got Builder.ai in trouble. According to the Latin Times, a lender seized $37 million from the company after discovering it generated just $50 million in revenue — 300 percent lower than its $220 million claim. Linas Beliūnas of Zero Hash accused Builder.ai of fraud in a LinkedIn post, writing: "It turns out the company had no AI and instead was just a group of Indian developers pretending to write code as AI." A former employee sued the company, Business Standard reported. An audit seized millions from the company. Now, it owes Amazon $85 million and Microsoft $30 million for cloud services it never paid for.

The company filed for bankruptcy in the UK, India, and the U.S. In statement on LinkedIn, Builder.ai wrote that it would be "entering into insolvency proceedings and will appoint an administrator to manage the company’s affairs."

"Despite the tireless efforts of our current team and exploring every possible option, the business has been unable to recover from historic challenges and past decisions that placed significant strain on its financial position," the LinkedIn post read.

Third-party developers currently pay Elon Musk's X as much as millions of dollars per year to in order to access the platform's API.

However, it appears that Musk and company now want a cut of those developers' revenue instead.

X is now planning to change their API pricing scheme to a revenue share model, according to a number of companies and third-party developers that pay for X API access who reached out to Mashable.

X recently began sending out emails to paid subscribers of its Enterprise API plans, which start at $42,000 per month, informing them of the upcoming change. The new API pricing scheme is scheduled to go into effect on July 1. X has not yet shared final details about the change, such as exactly what percentage the revenue share model will be, with its customers.

SEE ALSO: Elon Musk says X is getting new XChat with 'Bitcoin style' encryption

"We are excited to announce that X is now part of xAI holdings, placing us at the forefront of the information revolution unfolding before us," reads the email obtained by Mashable. "In line with our renewed mission and vision, we will be conducting a comprehensive re-review of your use case from a fresh perspective. Additionally, effective July 1, 2025, we will discontinue our existing Enterprise API tiers and introduce a new streamlined v2 API tier accompanied by a new revenue-sharing pricing model."

In the email, X attributes the changing API subscription model to the "rise of Large Language Models (LLMs)" which have "fundamentally reshaped how we approach data, derive insights, and generate code."

"This shift from usage-based to value-based pricing reflects our commitment to leveling the playing field and fostering a fair, consistent ecosystem that drives growth and innovation for all," X said in the email.

Mashable reached out to X for comment on these upcoming API changes and will update this piece if we hear back.

X loses more app developers

However, some of X's API customers strongly disagree with the change. 

The popular no-code automation platform Make, which boasts more than 3 million users, officially removed X integration from its platform at the end of last month. Make tells Mashable that its decision to drop support for X is a result of these API changes.

"Our decision to remove X from our app's offering stems directly from X's revised API policies and pricing," Make VP of Market Strategy Darin Patterson said. "These new terms prevent us from continuing to offer an X integration that is both sustainable for us and provides the reliable value our customers expect.

"We’re disappointed to see that X’s commercial approach is driving a regression in what users can do with the platform," Patterson continued. "X has long been an important part of many users’ workflows, and it’s frustrating to see it become less open and accessible. If conditions change in the future, we’d be glad to explore bringing the integration back. Our commitment to offering a strong suite of other integrations remains through other platforms. We will continue focusing our resources on these to deliver the best possible value."

In addition to Make, Mashable heard from a popular social media management platform that they intend to drop X support, while another platform told us that they are waiting to see exactly what the revenue share details would be before making a final decision.

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As a result, some users of these third-party platforms have already shared their intent to stop posting on X.

"Our automation provider, http://Make.com, has deprecated support for X due to API changes," read a post on X from tech news outlet Six Colors. "This is probably our last post. Follow us on Mastodon or Bluesky or just via RSS. Bye!"

Little remains of Twitter's third-party ecosystem on X

Before Musk's acquisition of the company then-known as Twitter, the platform was beloved by third-party developers who created Twitter clients and other types of apps utilizing the company's generous free API tier. This encouraged app developers to integrate Twitter into their own platforms and, in turn, resulted in even more use of Twitter by its users.

However, just months after Musk's Twitter takeover, the company outright killed many popular third-party Twitter clients by suspending their access to the API. Shortly after that, Musk and company unveiled the end of its free API tier. Musk instituted new API plans with highly restrictive limits that forced most publicly-available third-party apps onto the company's new Enterprise API subscription, which ranged from $42,000 to $210,000 per month.

The new expensive API tiers led to a collapse in Twitter's third-party ecosystem. Many Twitter-based apps, including Twitterific and Tweetbot, announced their shuttering, unable to pay the new expensive API rates. Even major corporations like Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo removed the Twitter integrations from their respective video game consoles as a result of the API changes as well. Musk's X would later introduce a "cheaper" $5,000-per-month Pro plan, below the Enterprise API tiers, but by then many apps had already shut down or removed X from their platforms.

Musk's X further squeezed its API subscribers, already paying tens of thousands of dollars per month, with new fees late last year. In October, X announced that in addition to the monthly API subscription, X would charge developers an additional $1 per month for each X account connected to their app. For example, if a social media scheduling service had 10,000 X users connecting their X account to their platform, the company would have to pay X an additional $10,000 per month.

TL;DR: Live stream Spain vs. France in the UEFA Nations League semi final for free on TF1+ and RTVE. Access these free streaming platforms from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The UEFA Nations League semi finals kicked off with Germany vs. Portugal, but the second match is arguably more interesting.

Spain are taking on France for a spot in the showpiece event. Fans will flock to see the stars on display in this exciting matchup, with the likes of Yamal and Mbappe going head to head. It's going to be fascinating to see which side comes out on top, and you can do exactly that without spending anything.

If you want to watch Spain vs. France in the UEFA Nations League semi final for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Spain vs. France?

Spain vs. France in the UEFA Nations League semi final kicks off at 3 p.m. ET on June 5. This fixture takes place at the MHPArena.

How to watch Spain vs. France for free

Spain vs. France in the UEFA Nations League semi final is available to live stream for free on TF1+ or RTVE.

TF1+ and RTVE are geo-restricted to France and Spain respectively, but anyone can access these free streaming platforms with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in France or Spain, meaning you can access free live streams on TF1+ or RTVE from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Spain vs. France by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in France or Spain

4. Visit TF1+ or RTVE

5. Live stream Spain vs. France for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can watch Spain vs. France in the UEFA Nations League without actually spending anything. This clearly isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream select UEFA Nations League fixtures before recovering your investment.

If you want to retain permanent access to free streaming platforms from around the world, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for streaming sport is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for live sport?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on TF1+ or RTVE, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including France and Spain

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to eight simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $139 and includes an extra four months for free — 61% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month subscription for just $12.95 (including money-back guarantee).

Stream Spain vs. France in the UEFA Nations League semi final for free with ExpressVPN.

SAVE $500: As of June 5, the Hisense 75-inch U8 Mini-LED 4K TV is on sale for $1,999.99 instead of $2,499.99. That's 20% in savings. Plus, you'll get a $200 Amazon credit added to your account after purchase.

Opens in a new window Credit: Hisense Hisense 75-inch U8 Mini-LED ULED 4K TV $1,999.99 at Amazon
$2,499.99 Save $500.00 Get Deal

It may not traditionally be the best time to buy a TV, but it is arguably the best time to buy the Hisense 75-inch U8 Mini-LED ULED 4K TV.

As of June 5, not only is the Hisense 75-inch U8 Mini-LED ULED 4K TV on sale at Amazon for $1,999.99 — down 20% from its usual $2,499.99 — but buyers will also receive a $200 Amazon credit after their purchase. It's basically like being rewarded for upgrading your TV. The promotional credit will be automatically added to your account 30 days after shipment, and you'll receive an email from Amazon so you don't miss it.

The 2025 U8 Mini-LED TV is a step up from last year's model, with a 165Hz native refresh rate (vs. 144Hz), up to 5,000 nits of peak brightness (vs. 3,000), and up to 5,000 local dimming zones (vs. 2,000). Besides the variable refresh rate, it also supports AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, Auto Low Latency Mode, and Low Latency MEMC, making it an excellent choice for console gaming. Even casual gamers will notice how seamless and fluid gameplay feels.

SEE ALSO: Roku's 65-inch QLED TV is half off at Amazon

It's not just for gamers, though. Movie lovers and sports fans will also appreciate the incredibly bright, punchy colors with strong contrast, as well as the 4.1.2 multi-channel surround sound with built-in subwoofer. The Hi-View AI Engine Pro automatically optimizes the picture and sound based on the content you are watching. It detects, analyzes, and adjusts the details, depth, and appearance, helping you hear every whisper, see every shadow, and catch every call from commentators.

Of course, if the sound doesn't live up to your standards, you can always use the $200 Amazon credit you'll receive from your purchase to snag a soundbar. Upgrade your TV, save 20%, and a get some free money while you can.

The best TV deals to shop this week

• Roku Ultra 4K Ultimate Streaming Player (2024 Release) — $79.99 (List Price $99.99)

• Amazon Fire TV 4-Series (43 inches, 2024) — $329.99

• 55-inch Sony Bravia 3 4K LED Smart Google TV (2024 Model) — $648.00 (List Price $699.99)

• Hisense 85-Inch Class U8 Series Mini-LED ULED 4K UHD Google Smart TV — $1,699.99

• LG 65-inch Class UR9000 Series 4K Smart TV   — $496.99 (List Price $629.99)

This week, OpenAI announced that free users will now have access to the ChatGPT Memory feature, which remembers your past conversations to better answer your future prompts. But now, after a new judge's ruling, OpenAI has been ordered to remember all chats for all users — even the deleted ones.

The court order is the result of lawsuits against OpenAI brought by news organizations such as the New York Times. (Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.)

In a May 13 ruling, United States Magistrate Judge Ona T. Wang, a federal judge in New York, ordered OpenAI to "preserve and segregate all output log data that would otherwise be deleted on a going forward basis until further order of the Court." (Emphasis in original ruling, as reported by ArsTechnica.)

While the ruling came weeks ago, the news has only recently come to light now that OpenAI is challenging the order. And according to ArsTechnica, OpenAI is now "demanding" oral arguments to block the judge's order.

The plaintiffs (the New York Times and other news organizations) argued that OpenAI could delete incriminating ChatGPT chat logs that could show, for example, ChatGPT users bypassing paywalls by asking the chatbot to summarize articles. For its part, OpenAI argues this is speculative.

In a court filing this week reported by Bloomberg, OpenAI lawyers argued the order would create a "substantial burden" and "require OpenAI to make significant changes to its data infrastructure." By forcing the company to preserve all deleted chats, the ruling could even require OpenAI to violate its own privacy policies. Per Bloomberg, OpenAI is ready to fight the "sweeping, unprecedented order."

If the new ruling stands, then ChatGPT users will have to assume that all of their conversations with the chatbot are now being preserved, raising serious privacy concerns for millions of people.

The Nintendo Switch 2 console officially launched in the United States on June 5 at midnight. But even hours before the console was handed over to early shoppers at midnight launch parties, we identified more than 100 eBay listings for the Switch 2.

So, how did eBay sellers list the Switch 2 for sale before they actually possessed the physical device?

Many U.S.-based sellers are only promising to sell the console after their "confirmed preorder" arrives. Some sellers are using alleged screenshots of Walmart and Target preorder confirmation pages or shipping tracking details. And now that launch day has arrived, we are seeing the first genuine listings for Switch 2 consoles on eBay. I know these listings can be tempting, but as Mashable's Tech Editor, I recommend purchasing through the retailers themselves.

Opens in a new window Credit: Walmart Switch 2 console $449 at Walmart
Learn More SEE ALSO: Where to buy Nintendo Switch 2 online: Hurry, it's in stock at Costco

We reached out to eBay to ask if the pre-launch Switch 2 eBay listings violated any of their policies, and a company representative confirmed that listings like this do not violate eBay’s Presale Policy. While eBay does have a price gouging policy, it only applies to essential items, not video game consoles. If you do purchase a Switch 2 from eBay, check the seller's reviews first. If something does go wrong, eBay sales are covered under the company's Money Back Guarantee.

Nintendo expects to sell 20 million Switch 2 units in the next year, but preorders have been very hard to come by for many gamers. (Check the latest stock ahead of the launch.) Post-launch, the console is still listed as "Out of stock" at most retailers. Still, don't give the hoarders and price gougers what they want.

Most eBay listings for the console are priced between $650 and $750, which is a lot to ask considering that most of these sellers don't even have the console in hand yet. Remember, even gamers with confirmed preorders may still have to wait days or weeks for their console to arrive.

Opens in a new window Credit: GameStop Switch 2 + Mario Kart World Bundle $499.99 at GameStop
Learn More

Nintendo has actually taken steps to discourage this type of opportunism — at least, in Japan. In Nintendo's home country, the game company is working directly with third-party seller platforms like Mercari and Rakuten to ban Switch 2 listings after the launch, according to The Verge. Unfortunately, those plans don't include the United States.

I would be extremely skeptical of these listings, at least for now. The only Switch 2 units we know for certain have been delivered so far are review units, like the one received by Mashable earlier today.

So, while you can try your luck on eBay listings, we recommend exercising a little patience. Hopefully, once the console officially launches, retailers will have a steadier inventory available for sale. Plus, we never want to encourage hoarding and price gouging.

Where else can you buy a Switch 2 online?

In the meantime, keep checking Nintendo and its official Switch 2 retailers to see if they have the console in stock yet:

• Nintendo

• Target

• Walmart

• GameStop

• Best Buy

• Costco

UPDATE: Jun. 5, 2025, 12:11 p.m. EDT This article has been updated with more details about the Switch 2 launch; it was previously updated with a response from an eBay representative.

TL;DR: Scan anything, anywhere, with a lifetime subscription to iScanner, now A$38 (reg. A$310) with code SCAN through 10 July.

Opens in a new window Credit: iScanner iScanner App: Lifetime Subscription AU$38
AU$310 Save AU$272 with code SCAN Get Deal

Raise your hand if you've ever had to rush to the library to print something. If most of us don't have the space for clunky printers, chances are we also don't keep a scanner at home. That's what iScanner is for.

This iOS app transforms your iPhone or iPad into a handy little scanner that works for basically any document type. It's also only A$38 (reg. A$310) for a lifetime subscription with code SCAN.

No more wasted desk space

Even if you're one of the few with a physical scanner still in your presence, you can now clear some counter space thanks to iScanner. And while you're at it, you can throw away that dusty old filing cabinet, too. 

iScanner is the number one US-based scanning and document management tool, letting you knock items off your to-do list from anywhere. Need to save a receipt for taxes? Do you have a contract you need to digitize? You can scan any document using just the phone on your iOS device. 

Students, entrepreneurs, educators, and stay-at-home moms alike will all find endless uses for a scanner in your pocket. The AI-powered tools ensure your documents' borders are detected and automatically adjusted while also straightening scan pages and ditching curves and skews. 

Thanks to AI, you can also use iScanner to help you solve complicated math problems.  Or put its OCR technology to the test and let it help you decipher text in up to 20 languages.

Once things are scanned, the app becomes a full PDF editor and file manager. Edit your scans, including signing them, adding text, or autofilling them with custom templates. Then, use the file manager's folder via drag and drop to keep them safe and organized. 

Scanning something confidential? You can also protect files and folders by locking them with a PIN. 

Use code SCAN by 20 July at 11:59 p.m. PT to get an iScanner lifetime subscription on sale for A$38.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

FREE SMART KEYBOARD + FOLIO CASE WITH PURCHASE: As of June 5, pre-order the OnePlus Pad 3 for $699.99 at OnePlus and get a Smart Keyboard ($199.99 value) and Folio Case ($49.99 value) for free.

Opens in a new window Credit: OnePlus OnePlus Pad 3 $699.99 at OnePlus
Get Smart Keyboard and Folio Case free with purchase Get Deal

Looking to add a new tablet to your collection? If you're looking to give something beyond what Apple and Samsung have to offer, you might consider testing out tech from OnePlus. The OnePlus Pad 3 is available to pre-order now, and it's got an enticing offer that comes along with it when you buy your new device straight from OnePlus: some goodies that can make using your new tech even better.

As of June 5, pre-order the OnePlus Pad 3 for $699.99 at OnePlus and get a Smart Keyboard ($199.99 value), Folio Case ($49.99 value) for free. To get your freebies, just add them to the cart from the item page (where it says "Free Gift. Pick 2 items from below"), and the discount will automatically be applied. Your items have an estimated delivery of July 15.

SEE ALSO: The Google Pixel Tablet is back down to its lowest price ever at Amazon

This lightweight tablet boasts a 13.2-inch LCD screen with a Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, 12GB of RAM, a 12,140 mAh battery, and a 13MP rear camera with 8MP front-facing option. It's just 1.49 pounds, and runs on Android 15 with OxygenOS 15. It's an attractive package with a slimline form factor, and a smaller, more nondescript camera bump than some of its rivals.

It uses facial recognition to get you logged in, features an eight-speaker setup that gives you better, more crisp audio than the usual four-speaker arrangement from its competitors, and a feature called Holo Audio that offers positional sound. This tablet does a lot of things better than the other tablets on the market, with a laundry list of additional features you'll want to make use of.

But what really makes it a great buy are the freebies you can get with it, so grab yours while they're still available.

Best tech deals

• Roku Ultra 4K Ultimate Streaming Player (2024 Release) — $79.99 (List Price $99.99)

• Beats Pill Bluetooth Speaker — $99.95 (List Price $149.95)

• Roborock Qrevo Master Robot Vacuum and Mop — $899.99 (List Price $1599.99)

• Apple AirTag (4-Pack) — $74.99 (List Price $99.00)

• DualSense Edge Wireless Controller — $169.00 (List Price $199.99)

SAVE $70: The Ninja Artisan Outdoor Pizza Oven is on sale at Amazon for $229.99, down from the normal price of $299.99. That's a 17% discount that matches the lowest price we've ever seen.

Opens in a new window Credit: Ninja Ninja Artisan Outdoor Pizza Oven $229.99 at Amazon
$299.99 Save $70 Get Deal

I'm not a great chef. My arsenal of dinner recipes includes maybe 10 meals that I make on repeat to keep things simple. I'm more of a person who eats to stay alive rather than enjoying getting creative when it comes to dinner. However, the Ninja Artisan Outdoor Pizza Oven has changed my meal rotation significantly, and it's on sale now at Amazon.

As of June 5, the Ninja Artisan Outdoor Pizza Oven is on sale for $229.99, marked down from the list price of $299.99. That's a 17% discount that takes $70 off the cost. It also matches its record-low price at Amazon.

The Ninja Artisan Pizza Outdoor Pizza oven is a miracle machine when it comes to whipping out restaurant-quality pizzas. I was blown away by what I was able to create with the oven, even on my first attempt. The Ninja Pizza Oven can reach a whopping 700 degrees, and it comes with an included pizza stone, which are immediate cheats when it comes to making great pizza. Because of that high temp, you only want to use this oven outside, but that's what summer is for.

If I can make this, you can too. Credit: Lauren Allain / Mashable

The pizza oven has several options to make your perfect pie including Neapolitan, Thin Crust, Pan, and New York. There's no flame involved with this model and instead, the electric heat can alter from 90 (perfect for proofing pizza dough) to 700, which is awesome for getting crisp crust in just three minutes.

SEE ALSO: Take $100 off the Shark Clean & Empty stick vacuum and get a free $14 Amazon credit

But the Ninja Artisan Pizza Oven isn't just for pizza. You also get a 12x12-inch baking tray that you can use on the oven's bake, broil, and warm settings. I've baked up chicken, roasted a tray of vegetables, and baked a loaf of bread.

I know what you're thinking — this looks awesome, but it's still over $200. That's true, but if we compare this to the price of a frozen pizza at the grocery store, you don't have to make many pies to break even. That becomes even more true if you're stopping by the local pizza parlor for take-out once a week. I use a super simple pizza dough recipe from King Arthur Baking that takes just oven an hour to combine, knead, and proof. All in all, it's a minimal effort event that comes with delicious payout.

Impress yourself, your family, friends, and neighbors by making incredible backyard pizza thanks to the Ninja Artisan Outdoor Pizza Oven. It's a great day to score this versatile oven, since it's back at the lowest price we've ever spotted at Amazon. Plus, it's made with weatherproof materials so you won't have to stop using it when the weather turns cold in the fall.

The best home and kitchen deals to shop this week

• Skylight Frame 10-inch Digital Picture Frame — $139.99 (List Price $159.00)

• Ninja Crispi Air Fryer — $159.99 (List Price $179.99)

• Birdfy AI Smart Solar Powered Bird Feeder with Camera — $179.99 (List Price $249.99)

• KitchenAid Artisan Series 5-Quart Tilt Head Stand Mixer — $449.95

• Eufy Omni C20 Robot Vacuum and Mop With Self-Emptying Base — $479.99 (List Price $699.99)

Bankrupt genetic testing company 23andMe is looking to sell its assets — most notably its customers' DNA data — for more than $300 million.

The company told a bankruptcy judge this week that it wanted to re-open bidding for its assets after co-founder and ex-CEO Anne Wojcicki put forth a $305 million bid, Reuters reported. The company last month agreed to sell most of its data to Regeneron Pharmaceuticals for $256 million. Now, 23andMe is looking to back away from that deal. Regeneron's lawyer called the "do-over" unfair but indicated the company was willing make another offer, according to Reuters. Regeneron did request a $10 million breakup fee if the new Wojcicki-led bid is ultimately accepted.

"The auction was over, the rules were clear," Regeneron's lawyer Emil Kleinhaus told the judge, via Reuters.

SEE ALSO: 23andMe data breach settlement could give up to $10K to victims

It is, of course, a bit unsettling for 23andMe customers to see their DNA info up for sale. Regeneron promised in a press release at the time of the initial agreement that it would "process all customer personal data in accordance with the consents, privacy policies and statements, terms of service, and notices currently in effect."

Still, it's been a rough time for 23andMe and its users over the past few years. The company had a major data breach, saw its valuation plummet, and is now ultimately bankrupted and up for sale.

One of the key use cases for generative AI involves answering questions over private datasets, with retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) as the go-to framework. As new RAG techniques emerge, there’s a growing need to benchmark their performance across diverse datasets and metrics. 

To meet this need, we’re introducing BenchmarkQED, a new suite of tools that automates RAG benchmarking at scale, available on GitHub (opens in new tab). It includes components for query generation, evaluation, and dataset preparation, each designed to support rigorous, reproducible testing.  

BenchmarkQED complements the RAG methods in our open-source GraphRAG library, enabling users to run a GraphRAG-style evaluation across models, metrics, and datasets. GraphRAG uses a large language model (LLM) to generate and summarize entity-based knowledge graphs, producing more comprehensive and diverse answers than standard RAG for large-scale tasks. 

In this post, we walk through the core components of BenchmarkQED that contribute to the overall benchmarking process. We also share some of the latest benchmark results comparing our LazyGraphRAG system to competing methods, including a vector-based RAG with a 1M-token context window, where the leading LazyGraphRAG configuration showed significant win rates across all combinations of quality metrics and query classes.

In the paper, we distinguish between local queries, where answers are found in a small number of text regions, and sometimes even a single region, and global queries, which require reasoning over large portions of or even the entire dataset. 

Conventional vector-based RAG excels at local queries because the regions containing the answer to the query resemble the query itself and can be retrieved as the nearest neighbor in the vector space of text embeddings. However, it struggles with global questions, such as, “What are the main themes of the dataset?” which require understanding dataset qualities not explicitly stated in the text.  

AutoQ: Automated query synthesis

This limitation motivated the development of GraphRAG a system designed to answer global queries. GraphRAG’s evaluation requirements subsequently led to the creation of AutoQ, a method for synthesizing these global queries for any dataset.

AutoQ extends this approach by generating synthetic queries across the spectrum of queries, from local to global. It defines four distinct classes based on the source and scope of the query (Figure 1, top) forming a logical progression along the spectrum (Figure 1, bottom).

Figure 1. Construction of a 2×2 design space for synthetic query generation with AutoQ, showing how the four resulting query classes map onto the local-global query spectrum. 

AutoQ can be configured to generate any number and distribution of synthetic queries along these classes, enabling consistent benchmarking across datasets without requiring user customization. Figure 2 shows the synthesis process and sample queries from each class, using an AP News dataset.

Figure 2. Synthesis process and example query for each of the four AutoQ query classes.  Azure AI Foundry Labs

Get a glimpse of potential future directions for AI, with these experimental technologies from Microsoft Research.

Azure AI Foundry Opens in a new tab AutoE: Automated evaluation framework 

Our evaluation of GraphRAG focused on analyzing key qualities of answers to global questions. The following qualities were used for the current evaluation:

• Comprehensiveness: Does the answer address all relevant aspects of the question? 
• Diversity: Does it present varied perspectives or insights? 
• Empowerment: Does it help the reader understand and make informed judgments? 
• Relevance: Does it address what the question is specifically asking?  

The AutoE component scales evaluation of these qualities using the LLM-as-a-Judge method. It presents pairs of answers to an LLM, along with the query and target metric, in counterbalanced order. The model determines whether the first answer wins, loses, or ties with the second. Over a set of queries, whether from AutoQ or elsewhere, this produces win rates between competing methods. When ground truth is available, AutoE can also score answers on correctness, completeness, and related metrics.

An illustrative evaluation is shown in Figure 3. Using a dataset of 1,397 AP News articles on health and healthcare, AutoQ generated 50 queries per class (200 total). AutoE then compared LazyGraphRAG to a competing RAG method, running six trials per query across four metrics, using GPT-4.1 as a judge.

These trial-level results were aggregated using metric-based win rates, where each trial is scored 1 for a win, 0.5 for a tie, and 0 for a loss, and then averaged to calculate the overall win rate for each RAG method.

Figure 3. Win rates of four LazyGraphRAG (LGR) configurations across methods, broken down by the AutoQ query class and averaged across AutoE’s four metrics: comprehensiveness, diversity, empowerment, and relevance. LazyGraphRAG outperforms comparison conditions where the bar is above 50%.

The four LazyGraphRAG conditions (LGR_b200_c200, LGR_b50_c200, LGR_b50_c600, LGR_b200_c200_mini) differ by query budget (b50, b200) and chunk size (c200, c600). All used GPT-4o mini for relevance tests and GPT-4o for query expansion (to five subqueries) and answer generation, except for LGR_b200_c200_mini, which used GPT-4o mini throughout.

Comparison systems were GraphRAG (Local, Global, and Drift Search), Vector RAG with 8k- and 120k-token windows, and three published methods: LightRAG (opens in new tab), RAPTOR (opens in new tab), and TREX (opens in new tab). All methods were limited to the same 8k tokens for answer generation. GraphRAG Global Search used level 2 of the community hierarchy.

LazyGraphRAG outperformed every comparison condition using the same generative model (GPT-4o), winning all 96 comparisons, with all but one reaching statistical significance. The best overall performance came from the larger budget, smaller chunk size configuration (LGR_b200_c200). For DataLocal queries, the smaller budget (LGR_b50_c200) performed slightly better, likely because fewer chunks were relevant. For ActivityLocal queries, the larger chunk size (LGR_b50_c600) had a slight edge, likely because longer chunks provide a more coherent context.

Competing methods performed relatively better on the query classes for which they were designed: GraphRAG Global for global queries, Vector RAG for local queries, and GraphRAG Drift Search, which combines both strategies, posed the strongest challenge overall.

Increasing Vector RAG’s context window from 8k to 120k tokens did not improve its performance compared to LazyGraphRAG. This raised the question of how LazyGraphRAG would perform against Vector RAG with 1-million token context window containing most of the dataset.

Figure 4 shows the follow-up experiment comparing LazyGraphRAG to Vector RAG using GPT-4.1 that enabled this comparison. Even against the 1M-token window, LazyGraphRAG achieved higher win rates across all comparisons, failing to reach significance only for the relevance of answers to DataLocal queries. These queries tend to benefit most from Vector RAG’s ranking of directly relevant chunks, making it hard for LazyGraphRAG to generate answers that have greater relevance to the query, even though these answers may be dramatically more comprehensive, diverse, and empowering overall.

Figure 4. Win rates of LazyGraphRAG (LGR) over Vector RAG across different context window sizes, broken down by the four AutoQ query classes and four AutoE metrics: comprehensiveness, diversity, empowerment, and relevance. Bars above 50% indicate that LazyGraphRAG outperformed the comparison condition.  AutoD: Automated data sampling and summarization

Text datasets have an underlying topical structure, but the depth, breadth, and connectivity of that structure can vary widely. This variability makes it difficult to evaluate RAG systems consistently, as results may reflect the idiosyncrasies of the dataset rather than the system’s general capabilities.

The AutoD component addresses this by sampling datasets to meet a target specification, defined by the number of topic clusters (breadth) and the number of samples per cluster (depth). This creates consistency across datasets, enabling more meaningful comparisons, as structurally aligned datasets lead to comparable AutoQ queries, which in turn support consistent AutoE evaluations.

AutoD also includes tools for summarizing input or output datasets in a way that reflects their topical coverage. These summaries play an important role in the AutoQ query synthesis process, but they can also be used more broadly, such as in prompts where context space is limited.

Supporting the community with open data and tools 

Since the release of the GraphRAG paper, we’ve received many requests to share the dataset of the Behind the Tech (opens in new tab) podcast transcripts we used in our evaluation. An updated version of this dataset is now available in the BenchmarkQED repository (opens in new tab), alongside the AP News dataset containing 1,397 health-related articles, licensed for open release.  

We hope these datasets, together with the BenchmarkQED tools (opens in new tab), help accelerate benchmark-driven development of RAG systems and AI question-answering. We invite the community to try them on GitHub (opens in new tab). 

Opens in a new tab

The post BenchmarkQED: Automated benchmarking of RAG systems appeared first on Microsoft Research.

SAVE $15: As of June 5, the Amazon Echo Buds are on sale at Amazon for $34.99 down from $49.99. That's 30% in savings and just $10 shy of their best price ever.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Amazon Echo Buds $34.99 at Amazon
$49.99 Save $15 Get Deal

Amazon didn't reinvent the wheel when they dropped the budget-friendly Echo Buds in 2023, but they did completely overhaul the design of the previous version. They're super simple earbuds, but they still hold their own — especially for less than $50.

As of June 5, you can grab a pair for even less — just $34.99 at Amazon. That's 30% off their list price of $49.99, and just $10 shy of their best price ever.

SEE ALSO: My favorite Beats earbuds are $30 off for a limited time

As Mashable reviewer SaVanna Shoemaker noted, "For the price, the Echo Buds are a solid pair of wireless earbuds." They may not offer noise cancellation or have the most comfortable fit on the market, but they sound great, last up to 20 hours, are simple to set up, and seamlessly pair with your other Alexa gadgets. The controls are easy to use — just tap to pause or play, double tap to skip to the next track, triple tap to go back, or long press to talk to Alexa — but being able to ask Alexa to do things for you is especially helpful.

The Echo Buds look and feel pretty similar to basic AirPods, but they're only a fraction of the price. They probably won't wow you if you're an audiophile, but for casual listeners, they'll definitely get the job done.

The best headphones and speaker deals to shop this week

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SAVE $200.01: As of June 5, get the Dreame L10S robot vacuum at Amazon for $399.98, down from $599.99. That's $200.01 in savings for 33% off.

Opens in a new window Credit: Dreame Dreame L10S Ultra robot vacuum $399.98 at Amazon
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Sick of hauling out the vacuum every week to keep your floors clean? Even if you go for a cordless option, you still have to make sure it's charged and then empty out the dust bin after every use. If you need to take one thing off your to-do list each week, it's time to turn to a robot vacuum. The best robot vacuum deal we've spotted this week is on the Dreame L10S Ultra.

As of June 5, shop the Dreame L10S Ultra robot vacuum at Amazon for $399.98. That saves $200.01 off the list price of $599.99 for a 33% discount. It's also the lowest price we've spotted on the Dreame L10S Ultra this year.

SEE ALSO: Take $180 off the Roborock Q10 X5+ robot vacuum and mop at Amazon and outsource your chores

The Dreame L10S Ultra robot vacuum comes at an affordable price tag but possesses features you'd find in much more expensive robot vacuums. It's a combo model that, in addition to vacuuming, also mops floors. Its docking station keeps things exceptionally hands-free. In addition to auto-emptying, it will also wash and dry mop pads and add water and cleaning solution.

Grab the Dreame L10S Ultra robot vacuum for $399.98 at Amazon and save $200.01.

Best home and kitchen deals

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