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Junes PlayStation Plus Monthly Games lineup includes Xboxs Grounded – Engadget

Junes PlayStation Plus Monthly Games lineup includes Xboxs Grounded – Engadget


A Destiny 2 collection will join the Game Catalog for Extra and Premium subscribers on June 9.

Sony has revealed the games that PlayStation Plus members can claim in June and retain access to as long as their subscription remains active. There’s a very interesting name in the mix this time in the she of Grounded (PS4 and PS5), which is from the Xbox-owned studio Obsidian Entertainment.

The Honey, IShrunk The Kids-esque survival title — which left early access on Xbox and PC in fall 2022 — hit PS4, PS5 and Nintendo Switch in ril 2024 after Microsoft loosened its grip on first-party game exclusivity. The Xbox division’s new leadership team is said to be reassessing that strategy.

The other two PS Plus Monthly games for June are Nickelodeon All Star Brawl 2 (PS4 and PS5) and Warhammer 40,000: Darktide (PS5). The former is a platform fighting game that features a mix of Nickelodeon characters. Warhammer 40,000: Darktide is a first-person shooter that’s billed as a spiritual successor to the Warhammer: Vermintide series.

All three games will be available for PS Plus users to claim starting on June 2. You’ll still have until then to snag two of May’s games, Nine Sols and Wuchang: Fallen Feathers.

The other PS Plus Monthly game from May, EA Sports FC 26, is remaining in the mix a bit longer than usual. You have until June 16 to claim that one. Sony notes EA Sports FC 26 is getting an update on June 4 that will add an international tournament mode featuring 48 national teams. A cynic might be inclined to believe EA is looking to citalize on a certain FIFA-branded international soccer tournament that’s coming up.

Sony also revealed the first June addition to the PS Plus Game Catalog for Extra and Premium subscribers. Destiny 2: Legacy Collection will be available on June 9 — the same day that Bungie will release the final update for the long-running game as it winds down active development. While the base version of Destiny 2 is free-to-play, this bundle includes all the expansions up until 2024’s The Final She, which wrped up the main storyline. The final two expansions from last year, The Edge of Fate and Renegades, are not included in the Legacy Collection.

Meanwhile, Sony announced the latest Days of Play sale will start on May 27 and run through June 10. It will feature discounts on accessories (such as $100 off a PlayStation VR2 headset) and games including Ghost of Yōtei, Helldivers 2, Death Stranding 2 and The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered. There are also discounts on PS Plus memberships for new subscribers and those upgrading to a higher tier. However, it seems like consoles aren’t included in the sale this time following the recent price hike.

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Prime Video: 11 of the Best Sci-Fi Movies You Should Stream Right Now

Prime Video: 11 of the Best Sci-Fi Movies You Should Stream Right Now


If you’re looking for a solid sci-fi movie to stream, head on over toPrime Video. I’m serious. The Amazon-owned streamer has film selections that any genre fan would love. Though you may need to spend some time scrolling through the content pages to find what you’re looking for.

You see, for every good sci-fi movie, Prime Video is stocked with a bunch of missable ones. You may want to bypass this part of the search process altogether. Well, you’re in luck, as I did a bunch of the heavy lifting for you. Below is a roundup of sci-fi movies on the platform worth watching. Keep in mind, these titles are all included with your Prime membership, so this list has nothing to do with add-on subscriptions or the films currently available for rent.

Every flavor of science fiction is at your disposal here, with stories about alien invasions and alternate dimensions to mad doctors and dystopian futures. Scroll on to find CNET’s roundup of the best sci-fi movies currently on Prime Video. I’ll regularly update this list, so be sure to check back each month.

Read more:Netflix’s 27 Best Sci-Fi TV Shows to Stream Right Now

Screenshot by Aaron Pruner/CNET

John Dies at the End is based on the book by Jason Pargin (who wrote under the pen name David Wong). You could categorize this movie as sci-fi, as horror and as comedy, and you’d be correct all three times. Don Coscarelli directed the film, which follows two slacker friends who travel to other dimensions after taking a drug called Soy Sauce. Oh, and they must save the planet from monsters, aliens and inter-dimensional beasts.

  • Director: Don Coscarelli
  • Stars: Chase Williamson, Rob Mayes, Paul Giamatti, Clancy Brown, Glynn Turman, Doug Jones
  • Running time: 99 minutes

Ross Ferguson/Paramount Pictures

Edgar Wright came through with a flashy remake of the ’80s cult classic. What’s different about this Running Man? There’s no Arnold Schwarzenegger or Richard Dawson, but the movie absolutely strikes a chord. And, it’s truer to the Stephen King (I mean, Richard Bachman) short story. Basically, the idea here is that it’s the future, and people love this reality TV show that follows a man who is hunted everywhere he goes. If he survives, he wins a fortune. Yeah, I’d watch that.

  • Director: Edgar Wright
  • Stars: Glen Powell, Lee Pace, Emilia Jones, Michael Cera, Colman Domingo, Josh Brolin
  • Running time: 134 minutes

Paramount Pictures

This sleeper sci-fi flick was a covert spinoff of monster disaster movie Cloverfield. Most of the film takes place in a bunker and follows two people who are being held ctive by a doomsday prepper convinced that the world is under attack. Spoiler: It is.

  • Director: Dan Trachtenberg
  • Stars: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Goodman, John Gallagher Jr.
  • Running time: 103 minutes

Empire International Pictures

You could absolutely consider Re-Animator to be a horror movie — and it is. But the subject matter of life regeneration in this H.P. Lovecraft-inspired B-movie classic puts it in the sci-fi category, as well. It’s campy, gory and peak ’80s fun. You’re welcome.

  • Director: Stuart Gordon
  • Stars: Jeffrey Combs, Bruce Abbott, Barbara Crampton, David Gale
  • Running time: 86 minutes

Prime Video/Screenshot by CNET

The Janese cult classic takes place in a dystopian reality where high school students are forced by the government to go on a killing spree against each other until there’s one survivor left. There have been a bunch of comparisons between this movie and other dystopian titles, like The Hunger Games, but Battle Royale stands the test of time for its extreme violence, dark humor and sociopolitical themes.

  • Director: Kinji Fukasaku
  • Stars: Tatsuya Fujiwara, Aki Maeda, Taro Yamamoto
  • Running time: 114 minutes

UK Film Council

There are time loop movies, and then there’s Triangle. This is a little underdog of a movie filled with enough twists and terror to keep you invested. Heck, it burrowed itself into my brain when I first saw it in 2009 and stayed there for a while. The movie follows a woman named Jess as she struggles to survive a killer on a deserted boat. Sounds simple enough, but things go haywire rather quickly.

  • Director: Christopher Smith
  • Stars: Melissa George, Joshua McIvor, Jack Taylor, Michael Dorman, Henry Nixon, Liam Hemsworth
  • Running time: 99 minutes

20th Century Studios

Highlander follows an immortal man named Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert) who faces off in a centuries-long battle against five immortal enemies in the streets of New York City. This movie is peak ’80s sci-fi, which means if you’re looking for an action movie that leans heavily into the schlocky absurdity of the genre, this is the title for you.

  • Director: Russell Mulcahy
  • Stars: Christopher Lambert, Sean Connery, Roxanne Hart, Clancy Brown
  • Running time: 111 minutes

Relativity Media/Screenshot

What if there were a pill that could turn any person into a hyperintelligent super genius? Limitless aims to answer that question. The movie stars Bradley Cooper as Eddie Morra, a down-on-his-luck writer who takes the untested drug and uses it to massively level up his life. Of course, what goes up must come down, and Eddie soon finds out that sometimes, it’s best to leave mysterious meds alone.

  • Director: Neil Burger
  • Stars: Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro, Abbie Cornish, Johnny Whitworth, Andrew Howard, Hill Harper, Richard Bekins, Daniel Breaker, Robert John Burke
  • Running time: 105 minutes

Amazon Prime Video

Chris Pratt stars in this action movie that follows a group of soldiers who travel back in time to warn of a future where humanity is losing the war against an army of alien invaders. Mankind’s only hope lies in a group of would-be heroes who are tped to travel to the future in order to save the present.

  • Director: Chris McKay
  • Stars: Chris Pratt, Yvonne Strahovski, Betty Gilpin, Jasmine Mathews, Sam Richardson, J.K. Simmons
  • Running time: 138 minutes

Paramount Pictures

A Quiet Place: Day One takes audiences back to the very beginning of the alien invasion. While it may not be a necessary entry in the franchise — like, say, 10 Cloverfield Lane — the movie digs its heels into the human experience amid an otherworldly cataclysmic disaster. Come for the disaster, stay for the cute cat.

  • Director: Michael Samoski
  • Stars: Joseph Quinn, Lupita Nyong’o, Alex Wolff, Djimon Hounsou, Thea Butler, Denis O’Hare
  • Running time: 99 minutes

Newmarket Films

This mind-bending cult classic stars Jake Gyllenhaal as a misunderstood high schooler who, after seemingly surviving a horrific accident, begins traveling through time. In the process, he discovers the joy of being alive and in love. Themes of depression, repression and alternative universes fill this delightfully bizarre film. Also, let’s not forget that giant demon bunny named Frank.

  • Director: Richard Kelly
  • Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Drew Barrymore, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Seth Rogen, Jena Malone, Patrick Swayze, Mary McDonnell, Noah Wyle
  • Running time: 113 minutes

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Spain blocks Polymarket and Kalshi as it investigates prediction market platforms – Engadget

Spain blocks Polymarket and Kalshi as it investigates prediction market platforms – Engadget


The Spanish government has issued an order to block the gambling platforms Polymarket and Kalshi, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal. The ban is being instituted as the country investigates the legality of prediction market platforms, as they operate in Spain (and everywhere else) without a gambling license.

The country’s ministry in charge of consumer affairs said it blocked the websites as a precautionary measure pending an official investigation. This investigation will determine if the platforms violate Spain’s gambling laws. It’s set to complete within the next four months and could mandate that these companies require specific administrative licenses to operate.

Kalshi and Polymarket have also been making waves on this side of the pond. Several US states have tried to regulate or outright ban prediction market platforms, with a Minnesota ban set to take place on August 1. Rhode Island, Illinois, Arizona, Connecticut, Nevada and New Jersey have all challenged the legality of such prediction markets.

However, the federal government isn’t having any of it. The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has started suing states for attempting to ban or regulate prediction markets. The CFTC believes it has sole jurisdiction to regulate these platforms, and not the states. Also, remember when states rights was a thing?

Who knows why the federal government has become so enamoured with prediction markets. It is worth noting that the platforms have made headlines in recent months after suspicious activity has raised concerns of insider trading in Washington.

To that end, it’s fairly easy for anyone “in the know” to rig a Polymarket or Kalshi bet. Case in point? A US soldier has been charged with using classified information regarding the cture of Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro to win more than $400,000 via gambling platforms. This is what hpens when people gamble on real world events. Sporting events have official organizations and referees, but most real world situations do not.

People are people and will also influence real world events given half the chance, which is something these platforms most definitely invite. Someone allegedly used a hairdryer to rig Polymarket weather bets in France, with the hairdryer being used to warm up a temperature sensor.

In any event, Kalshi and Polymarket are making money hand over fist. Kalshi was recently valued at $22 billion and Polymarket was recently valued at $15 billion.

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Tech

Today's NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Tuesday, May 26


Looking forthe most recentMini Crossword answer?Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.


Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? Once you solve it, look at the letters in the drop shes — they spell out a word related to that she. Read on for all the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visitCNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

The completed NYT Mini Crossword puzzle for May 26, 2026.

NYT/Screenshot by CNET

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Unit of scissors, underwear or AirPods
Answer: PAIR

5A clue: Rabbit relative
Answer: HARE

6A clue: The circled letters in this puzzle, e.g.
Answer: DROPS

8A clue: Justice Sotomayor
Answer: SONIA

9A clue: Letters in a Big ple address
Answer: NYNY

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: High degrees, for short
Answer: PHDS

2D clue: Quarterback Rodgers
Answer: AARON

3D clue: A hardware store with a broken doorknob is an example of it
Answer: IRONY

4D clue: Affix again, as the tail on the donkey
Answer: REPIN

7D clue: “Hey, I just thought of something …”
Answer: SAY

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Sennheisers Momentum 5 headphones are all about the audio and ANC upgrades – Engadget

Sennheisers Momentum 5 headphones are all about the audio and ANC upgrades – Engadget


The new model arrives June 16 for $400

Nearly four years after Sennheiser debuted its Momentum 4 headphones, the company is back with their successor. The new Momentum 5 Wireless carries a very similar design to its predecessor, which means nearly all of the changes are on the inside. The company is promising big upgrades to both sound and active noise cancellation (ANC), but there are a few caveats on the spec sheet. The main one being the Momentum 5 is $50 more than the Momentum 4.

The Momentum 5 uses the same 42mm transducers that are in the Momentum 4, which were inspired by Sennheiser’s iconic HD 600 series headphones, tuned for “full-bodied sound”and “dynamic bass.”What’s new on the fifth-generation model is a Hi-Res Audio certification and Sndragon Sound, the latter of which offers Bluetooth codec support up to tX Lossless. Sennheiser’s Smart Control Plus p now has an 8-band EQ alongside audio presets and sound personalization. The Momentum 5 is also compatible with the company’s BTD 700 lossless Bluetooth dongle that debuted with the HDB 630 headphones.

To further bolster audio quality, digital signal processing (DSP) Bluetooth updates are already planned. With a “day one update,”Sennheiser will add Dolby Atmos support with head when listening to or watching compatible Atmos content. Right now, the headphones only support Dolby Atmos without the more immersive head feature. And while the Momentum 5 will ship with Bluetooth 5.4, the headphones were designed for the upcoming Bluetooth 6.0 release, another upgrade that will arrive via firmware update.

To improve the ANC performance, Sennheiser added two additional microphones per side (now four on each ear cup) for what it calls “across-the-board improvements.” The company promises the upgrades offer up to three times more effective noise cancellation of human voices. What’s more, the additional mics should provide “more natural voice quality on calls,” according to the company.

Another difference between the Momentum 4 and the new Momentum 5 is battery life. The previous model lasted up to 60 hours on a charge with ANC enabled, but the new version is rated for 57 hours. That’s not a huge loss, and it’s still a long time, but this is one place the two models vary. TheMomentum 5 has a quick charge feature that will give you up to three hours of use in just five minutes. Additionally, the 700mAh battery is user-replaceable, and you only need a small Phillips-head screwdriver to make the sw.

The Momentum 5 Wireless headphones will be available June 16 for $400. Sennheiser will offer the new model in black, white and blue colors.

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Ferrari Luce unveiled: Heres the first car from Jony Ives design house – Engadget


Our first look at the entire luxury EV designed by LoveFrom.

If the wild, Jony Ive- and Marc Newson-designed interior for the Ferrari Luce had you intrigued and wanting more, here’s the payoff. After committing to build an EV last year, ignoring those earlier statements that it would never hpen, Ferrari has finally given me a look at the entire finished product. As big a departure as that interior is from Ferrari’s current suite of sports cars, the exterior is an even bigger step, one that not everyone is going to love.

Whether you love it or hate it, you can likewise attribute Luce’s exterior styling to LoveFrom, the design house founded by Jony Ive in 2019. Though this is LoveFrom’s first full car design, it’s actually Newson’s second, following on the Ford 021C concept from 1999. That vehicle has a very different she from the Luce, but it does feature doors that open the same way, and I’m picking up similar vibes from both.

A distinctive she

The Luce is definitely not a traditional sports car, more like an SUV in its size and she, featuring four doors and five seats. It isn’t Ferrari’s first four-door; the Purosangue SUV bears that honor, but it is the first time a car with a prancing horse on the hood has seated more than four people.

And it does so reasonably comfortably. The back seat is quite roomy, accessed via a pair of so-called suicide doors that hinge at the rear, making for a slightly more glamorous, less awkward entry to the back. For extra style on the red carpet, there’s a button that swings them shut for you.

I found headroom in the second row to be just a bit limited, but otherwise, I was quite content. There’s even a little control pad back there to fiddle with that has the same funky knobs and dials as found in the interior up front.

Not yet functional

I spent more time fiddling with those controls from the driver’s seat, and I’m sorry to report the software is still largely non-functional at that point. The cheeky little stopwatch in the upper-right of the touchscreen did nothing, nor did the drive modes or seat ventilation. Still, everything looked good and felt great, something that can’t be said for most pre-production models like this.

Seeing the interior inside of an actual car, rather than standing free on pedestals as I experienced it before, gave me a very different impression. Where previously I thought it was far too cold and clinical for a Ferrari, surrounded by the scent and presence of warm leather, it actually seemed to fit.

I still don’t think the typical Ferrari owner is going to immediately fall in love with that interior, but then I don’t think the typical Ferrari owner is going to fall in love with the exterior, either. This is a model to not only extend Ferrari’s portfolio but also to diversify its clientele, too. Or, as Ferrari CMO Enrico Galliera said: “The possibility to enlarge our Ferrari community.”

Where it counts

It may not look or feel like a Ferrari, but it should offer the kind of outrageous performance typical of the brand. It has 1,035 horsepower, which is certainly a lot, but more importantly, it comes from a set of four motors. That means one per wheel, a setup that should deliver some impressive dynamics.

By adding more power to the outside wheels, the Luce can be made to turn into corners more aggressively. And, by modulating power individually, the EV can more precisely handle low-grip situations, or even wheelspin on high-grip surfaces, which will surely be an issue since 1,035 horsepower is plenty enough to liquify even the best of tires.

The car also has four-wheel steering, so it can turn the back wheels with or against the fronts to either add more stability or agility. The Luce features a version of Ferrari’s active suspension, which relies on an electrically actuated damper system to not only provide varying degrees of stiffness or softness, but to dynamically adjust ride height, too. Get up to speed on the highway (maximum 193 mph), and it’ll lower itself by 10mm.

Power and control

All that comes together with a new, more advanced traction and stability control systems, all managed by what Ferrari calls the Vehicle Control Unit, or VCU. The system is designed to sample the road surface and motor output on all four corners every 5 milliseconds, adjusting power output and suspension behavior to best suit conditions.

Power comes from a 122-kWh gross battery pack situated down low in the car, skateboard-style. That charges at a maximum speed of 350 kW, and Ferrari says it’ll deliver 329 miles on the European WLTP cycle. If that holds, it’ll likely be somewhere south of 300 miles on the harsher EPA cycle.

That’s all fair enough, and I look forward to experiencing how well it comes together in due time, but there’s one other system onboard that might prove equally vital in forming the complete driving experience.

Sound design

EVs, of course, make very little noise. Their silence is one of their strongest attributes when you’re just cruising to work. But with Ferrari, the sound has always been a crucial part of the experience. Thankfully, that continues with the Luce.

Rather than creating a wholly synthesized sound, like Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 N, for example, the Luce actually has a sort of acoustic pickup mounted on the rear axle. There, it can sample the vibrations of the rear motors. That signal is then pumped through a sort of amplifier to create a distinctive note that is suitably evocative but still wholly distinctive. It has a familiar sound that isn’t far off from some of the company’s high-strung V8s in the past, but yet clearly isn’t trying to pretend to be something else. It is its own thing.

Ferrari likens the process to an amp for an electric guitar, pointing to this being the next evolution beyond analog motoring. Ferrari has already evolved through numerous powertrains in the past, both large and small, and with engines mounted ahead of or behind the driver.

This, though, feels rather more significant, a complete reboot to both the brand’s look and feel as well as its means of propulsion. Will it be successful? Before anyone can draw a conclusion there we’ll have to see how it drives. Hopefully that’s an answer we can provide soon.

Hopefully we’ll know how much it costs soon, too. Ferrari has not yet set U.S. pricing, but in its home market of Italy it will carry a starting price of€550,000. That will make it the company’s most expensive model, pricing it well above the roughly $430,000 Purosangue. That’s quite an ask, but then most of LoveFrom’s prior designs have carried quite a premium, so why shouldn’t this?

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