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Todays Nintendo Direct provided a surprising bit of software news. The company just announced something called Virtual Game Card, which is a way to make playing and sharing downloaded titles more convenient. As the name suggests, this system creates a digital simulacrum of a physical game card. This means that multi-Switch households will easily be able to start a game on one console and transfer to another without any real hassle. Nintendo says they want to make digital games as easy to use as physical game cards. Sure, starting something on a regular Switch before moving over to the OLED model is a nice feature, but that's not the only hook. Nintendo, a company that famously loves money, is going to let us lend out digital games. This is pretty darned cool. There are some caveats. You can only loan games to up to eight people on the same Nintendo Family Account, so its really for families and tight-knit groups of friends. Also, the systems have to be able to connect locally via the same wireless network. So you cant loan out a game to someone on the other side of the country. You can only lend one game out at a time and it lasts for two weeks. This functionality will be available at the end of April. Dont worry. Its also coming to Switch 2.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-just-introduced-a-way-to-loan-out-digital-games-to-friends-and-family-150733308.html?src=rss
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Light, the company behind a pair of minimalist handsets, just released the Light Phone III. This is the perfect device for those who are tired of modern smartphones, with their easy access to doomscrolling and their abundance of wonky AI tools. The Light Phone III features a sleek black-and-white OLED display, which is a new design element. The previous models included e-paper screens. The big draw, however, is not what this phone has but what it doesnt have. There are no third-party apps. Theres no access to social media, the internet or even email. Its intended to be, first and foremost, a phone. Its not completely bare. This model includes an embedded NFC chip for making payments, a bare-bones music player, a podcast player, a messaging app, a flashlight, voice notes, a calendar, a timer and an alarm. It also includes a simple camera system that was inspired by point-and-shoot models. Theres a two-step shutter button with center focus and a fixed focal length. The company calls it genuinely fun. The Light Phone III has a navigation app, which is likely the most useful part of modern smartphones, but with a twist. The company paid for private access to navigational information, so Google wont get ahold of any tracking data. Other specs include 6GB of RAM, up from 1GB in the Light Phone II, 128GB of memory and a newer Qualcomm chip. It includes a fingerprint ID on the power button, a USB-C port and some loudspeakers at the bottom. The battery is also user-replaceable, which is a huge bonus. Its larger than previous generations and I find it to be pretty cute. It's around the width of a modern iPhone, but much shorter. This was on purpose, the company says, to make it easier to text while holding it vertically. There is a spot of bad news here. The Light Phone III costs $800, which dwarves the price of the second-gen model. It was available for much cheaper as a pre-order bonus, but those days are gone.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/the-minimalist-light-phone-iii-is-officially-available-for-purchase-150056138.html?src=rss
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On Saturday, March 29, a solar eclipse will darken the skies. Unlike the Great American Eclipse of 2024, though, this will not be a total eclipse; instead, a partial eclipse will be visible in the early morning hours in parts of the northern hemisphere. A partial eclipse isnt as dramatic as a total eclipse, but its still worth seeing. While the sun will not be fully obscured, with proper eye protection, you will be able to see the moon take a bite out of the sun. Because the eclipse will occur in many places during sunrise, viewers may get the chance to see the famed devil horns the crescent of solar light emerging from behind the moon. When can you watch this partial solar eclipse, and those devil horns? Lets talk about how to safely watch this eclipse. What areas will experience the partial solar eclipse, and when? The partial solar eclipse will be visible in areas of the northern hemisphere. It will be visible at sunrise in eastern North America and sunset in Siberia, Russia on Saturday, March 29. In Europe, it can be viewed around mid-morning. But the events footprint will be limited: No eclipse will be visible west of Toronto, Canada, and Washington, DC in North America. NASA This global map of the partial solar eclipse from NASA is more than a little confusing, but heres how to read it. The yellow curve is the path of the partial solar eclipse, moving from west to east. The lighter colored yellow curves give the percent obscuration of the sun. (In other words, how much of the sun is covered by the moon depends on where you are and when youre looking.) Most of Europe will only see around a 20 percent obscuration (with the exception of Greenland and Iceland), for example, while the extreme northeastern part of the United States will see up to 89 percent of the sun covered. The Nunavik region of Quebec will see maximum obscuration of 94 percent. The green lines on the map show the eclipses progress over time. Times are given in UTC, which is four hours ahead of Eastern Daylight Time. However, sunrise and sunset makes things more complicated. This is depicted on the map by the orange loop. The left side of the loop (over the Great Lakes in the United States) shows where the eclipse ends at sunrise. Therefore, the eclipse is not visible west of that orange line. The right side of the loop is where the eclipse begins at sunrise. That means to see the maximum partial solar eclipse at sunrise, its best to be along that blue line running down the middle of the orange loop. (Its worth noting that the eclipse will also be visible across a narrow part of Siberia, but at sunset rather than sunrise thats what the other half of the orange loop depicts). If it seems incredibly confusing, thats because it is indeed incredibly confusing. Some places with maximum obscuration will have a shorter eclipse duration because the partial eclipse will start before sunrise. The sun will also be low to the horizon in North America, so any viewing location will need to be above tall trees with a clear view of sunrise. In Europe, the viewing locations will be easier because the sun will be higher in the sky but the sun will not be as obscured. For example, in Bar Harbor, Maine, the sun will rise at 6:19AM, and the maximum eclipse will be at 6:22AM, with 80 percent of the sun obscured. The partial eclipse will end at 7:11 am. Technically though, the eclipse will begin at 5:26 am ET, but because that's before sunrise, Mainers will be cheated out of about half their potential eclipse viewing time. Moving south, the best view will be through coastal New England, then down through Boston, New York City and Philadelphia.The path basically ends in Washington, DC, where just 1.2 percent of the sun will be obscured at 6:59AM ET. NASA According to Time and Date, only 44,800 people will see a 90 percent partial eclipse, while 3,820,000 will see an 80 percent. Thats a far cry from the 30 million people in the path of totality for the 2024 total solar eclipse. Will a total solar eclipse be visible in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean? No, there is nowhere on Earth that a total solar eclipse will be visible for this event. For any solar eclipse to happen, the sun, the moon and the Earth need to line up. However, because the moon doesnt orbit in the same plane as the sun and the Earth, eclipses are rare. A partial solar eclipse, like the one occurring on March 29, occurs when the moon passes between the sun and the Earth, but its not perfectly lined up. As a result, the sun will have a crescent shape as if the moon took a bite out of the sun but it will never be fully obscured as it is during a total eclipse. How long will the partial eclipse last? The visible duration of the eclipse depends on where you are, and what time sunrise (or sunset) is at your location. But globally, the eclipse will begin at 4:50 am ET (8:50AM UTC). The maximum eclipse will occur at 6:47AM ET (10:47AM UTC), and the event will end at 8:43AM ET (12:43PM UTC). Keep in mind, though, that this doesnt mean the entire partial eclipse will be almost four hours long in any given location because this is just for the extreme edges of the event. Whats the weather forecast along the viewing line? Its spring across the Northern Hemisphere, which generally means unfavorable weather for any sky viewing. The Weather Channels senior digital meteorologist Chris Dolce said that cloud cover, and even rain and snow, may be likely in the northeastern United States during the eclipse, so its not great news there, unfortunately. If its just a partial eclipse, do I need eye protection? Anything that involves looking at the sun, even just 5 or 10 percent of the sun, requires eye protection. The sun can damage your retinas quickly, painlessly and often irreversibly. If you have solar viewers left from the 2024 eclipse, and they are undamaged, theyll work just fine for this one too. According to the American Astronomical Society (AAS), modern eclipse glasses do not expire. Its worth checking them ut thoroughly, though, making sure there are no rips, tears or scratches across the lenses and that the filters and lenses are still attached to the frame. Solar eclipse glasses can be difficult to purchase at the last minute, so its always good to keep them around. However, if you donated or trashed your previous pair (or didnt buy them in the first place), you can buy them online with some caution. Make sure any solar viewers conform to the ISO 12312-2:2015(E) international safety standard, and check the manufacturer against this list of brands from the AAS. Counterfeit eclipse glasses were rampant leading up the 2024 eclipse. Celestron is a reliable manufacturer of solar viewer equipment, and the companys eclipse glasses are readily available on Amazon for a low price, though youll need fast shipping at this late date What are some cool things to look out for during this eclipse? A unique feature of solar eclipses during sunrise is you may be able to see the famed devil horns, depending on where you are. When the sun rises during an eclipse (and therefore the sun is low on the horizon), as the crescent sun rises, it can look like devil horns coming up out of the ground. An earlier sunrise partial eclipse over Rice Lake, Ontario shows the "devil horns" phenomenon.John Fader via Getty Images Its best to target Maine, New Brunswick, and Quebec (along the blue line in the NASA map) to see this phenomenon. Additionally, the sun is currently at or near solar maximum, which means that our star is basically at the peak of its 11-year solar cycle. Scientists determined that the sun hit the highest level of solar activity in October 2024, and this will continue for a year or so. This means that there may be sunspots visible on the surface of the sun when the eclipse hits. (For context, heres what the sun looks like right now, courtesy of NASAs Solar Dynamics Observatory.) If you have solar binoculars or a solar telescope, this will make them much easier to see. Can I just point a telescope or camera at the sun? If youre asking yourself this question, you probably already know the answer: Nope! Not without a solar filter. Whether its a phone camera, binoculars, a telescope or a mirrorless camera, the sun can do extreme damage to this kind of equipment. (On Apollo 12, astronaut Alan Bean accidentally pointed a television camera at the sun, irreparably damaging it. Dont do this!) You can pick up solar filters at a camera store or online, or in a pinch, you can just use an extra pair of solar viewers. Simply remove the film and tape it over your smartphone camera, but dont look at the sun when aiming the camera unless youre wearing solar viewers as well. If you are interested in looking at the sun regularly, a pair of solar binoculars with a permanently attached filter is a great idea.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/partial-solar-eclipse-where-and-when-to-see-the-sunrise-event-on-march-29-144238528.html?src=rss
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A pair of cult classics from Sony's PlayStation Portable library are heading to the Switch. On Thursday, Nintendo announced Patapon 1 + 2 Replay, a package that brings together brand new remasters of 2007's Patapon and 2008's Patapon 2. Originally developed by Pyramid and Sony Japan Studio, which shuttered in 2021, the two games combine elements from strategy and rhythm games. As the player, you must guide a tribe of anthropomorphic eyeballs to victory over their foes through a combination of drum beats. Patapon and Patapon 2 were well-received on release and went on to define the PSP's library of quirky but fun games. In addition to HD graphics, Patapon 1 + 2 Replay includes quality of life changes that should hopefully make this the best way to play these two gems. No word yet if the remaster is also making its way to PlayStation consoles. We'll update this article once we know more. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/patapon-1--2-replay-brings-two-psp-classics-to-nintendo-switch-on-july-11-143627695.html?src=rss
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After years of delays and at least one complete reboot, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is coming in the near future. During a Nintendo Direct presentation on Thursday, Nintendo offered a closer look at gameplay. The trailer shows Samus exploring a jungle planet called Viewros that "she was unexpectedly transported to." She'll battle malevolent alien creatures and scan relics to learn information that may help her escape. Not only that, Samus will receive new psychic abilities she can use to open doors and manipulate mechanisms, as well as control the direction of beams that she fires. There's a bit of a mystery as to why she receives these powers, but we'll probably learn that through the course of the story. There's still no specific release date as yet. However, Nintendo reaffirmed that the game is coming to the Switch in 2025. It will presumably run on the Switch 2 as well thanks to that system's backwards compatibility.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/metroid-prime-4-beyond-gameplay-trailer-shows-off-samus-new-psychic-abilities-143326681.html?src=rss
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