Star Trek: Picard heads out to pasture when the series finale airs this week. We live in an age of shared universes, however, so another Trek is coming quicker than you can say raktajino (Klingon coffee). The second season of the well-reviewedStar Trek: Strange New Worlds premieres on June 15th, and Paramount+ has finally dropped a real trailer.

We’ve known the premiere date for a while, but there was no trailer until now, which is an odd choice considering the show starts in less than two months. Still, the footage gives a fairly in-depth look at what the Enterprise will be up to in June, and there is a lot for fans to get excited about. Eagle-eyed viewers will notice the return of regular-looking Klingons, so it looks like the vaguely off-putting redesign featured in Star Trek: Discovery is over and done with.

There is also plenty of Captain Kirk, as played by newcomer Paul Wesley. Kirk appeared twice during the first season and was heavily involved in the season finale. Remember, Strange New Worlds is a prequel that chronicles the adventures of the Enterprise before Captain Kirk, so this is a younger version of the character.

The show also features younger versions of other legacy characters like Spock and Uhura, along with minor characters from the original 1960s Star Trek, such as Nurse Chapel and Dr. M’benga. Strange New Worlds strives to captures the feel of older Trek shows, with a return to the episodic formula that made the franchise such a hit in the first place.

This has been a big couple of weeks for Trek-related announcements. Yesterday saw the official announcement of a Michelle Yeoh-led movie and last month Paramount+ revealed a forthcoming show set at Starfleet Academy. Strange New Worlds has also already been renewed for a third season. In other words, the franchise is, uh, prospering. 

Nintendo's latest Indie World showcase featured some news on the long-awaited sequel to Oxenfree. You'll be able to check out Oxenfree II: Lost Signals in a few months, as it will arrive on Switch, PlayStation 4, PS5, Steam and on mobile via Netflix on July 12th.

Night School Studio announced the follow-up to its supernatural mystery title back in 2021 during a previous Indie World stream. Last year, after Netflix bought the studio, Night School it said was delaying Oxenfree II until 2023 in order to make the game "truly special." A new trailer offers a closer look at the sequel, which sees a character called Riley returning to her gloomy hometown to delve into the mystery behind some unusual radio transmissions. As you explore, you can use a new walkie-talkie conversation system to stay in touch with local contacts.

As is often the case, the Indie World stream featured rapid-fire updates and announcements for a broad swathe of games, including Cult of the Lamb, one of Engadget's favorite titles of 2022. A major free update for the deliciously cute mashup of dungeon crawler and management sim will land on April 24th. 

Among other things, the Relics of the Old Faith update adds richer combat and a photo mode, while refreshing bosses and enemies. Those who've been waiting for a reason to come back may be pleased to learn there'll be much more post-game content as well, including additional stories, revamped dungeons, a boss rush mode and a permadeath option.

Elsewhere, it emerged during the Indie World showcase that Rift of the NecroDancer, a Crypt of the NecroDancer spin-off, is coming to Switch later this year. It adds a Guitar Hero-style rhythm twist to lane-based combat — you'll need to match onscreen prompts to fend off monsters. 

This fall, you'll be able to check out Quilts and Cats of Calico. This adaptation of the board game Calico sees you placing pieces on a board and adding buttons to earn points and attract cats. Each of the customizable cats has their own favorite quilt pattern. It all seems utterly adorable. The game supports local and online multiplayer and you'll even be able to compete in ranked matches.

In addition, cooking and restaurant management sim PlateUp! will land in October and the enjoyable Escape Academy will hit Switch in the fall. Bomb Rush Cyberfunk, a game that caught our eye during a previous showcase thanks to its Jet Set Radio vibes, will be available on Switch and Steam on August 18th. 

Paper Trail, which requires you to fold parts of the world to solve puzzles, looks charming as heck. That one is coming to Switch in August. Meanwhile, Brotato, a Vampire Survivors-style game that's been one of the most-played titles on Steam Deck in recent months, is getting a Switch port this year.

If you're looking for something new to pass the time with on your Switch until Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom drops, you're in luck. Nintendo revealed that Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach and puzzle platfomers Teslagrad Remastered and Teslagrad 2 will all be available on the eShop today, along with slapstick RPG Shadows Over Loathing. In case you missed the Indie World stream, you can catch up on the entire thing below:

Snapchat's subscription service may be more popular than you think. Snap has revealed that Snapchat+ has topped 3 million subscribers. That suggests growth is once again accelerating. While growth slowed after the 1 million mark in the first month, it reached 2 million users in January — there's clearly an audience willing to pay $4 per month for early features and VIP benefits like priority comments.

The social network is also adding a few new features for everyone. A new "After Dark" shared Story lets friends add to a summary of late-night escapades. A Communities feature for sharing views with classmates, meanwhile, is expanding to more schools over the course of the month.

Snap Map will be more useful as well. You'll see 3D landmarks that could help you find content around hotspots, while location sharing helps you keep track of pals. Places can also have tags to help you find trending venues.

The Snapchat+ expansion and new features come at a crucial moment. Snapchat has continued to grow, reaching 750 million monthly active users (and 375 million daily users) as of February despite competition from the likes of Instagram and TikTok. It also follows after a rough 2022 that included layoffs of 1,300 workers and the early death of its Pixy selfie drone. Sustained growth could not only help Snap bounce back, but help reduce its dependence on ad money.

The Seven Mysteries of Honjo is a visual novel that ties together nine (don’t ask) Japanese folktales, spirits, curses and, well, ukiyoe block prints. You’ll hop between several protagonists, trying to figure out who’s holding magical killer trinkets and who’s trying to collect them all from reviving the dead.

It’s the usual visual novel style of play: you talk to people, click on interesting things in the background, try to choose the right dialogue options, fail and try again. Paranormasight uses 360-degree environments to keep things relatively immersive. Each character illustration has frayed red, blue and green outlines that imitate old TVs – this was a time before OLED.

Nintendo

What makes Paranormasight so much fun to play through is a rich vein of subversion — which I am not going to spoil. When you first begin the game, there’s a host of sorts, with a mysterious mask, who explains the game you’re about to play, how the menus work and other administrative fun.

When you (inevitably) meet your end due to poor decisions (or someone attacking you with cursed stones), it’ll cut back to the host, who will often hint at something that you’d have never guessed before – there are several ‘game overs’ that are inevitable for the early beats of the game to make sense. Fortunately, the game ‘logic’ settles in pretty quickly. You’ll hop between each character’s quests, with narrative paths unlocking further as the story unfolds and characters, curses and misunderstandings get messy.

In the first few chapters, you must confront others who may or may not be curse holders, unaware of how their curse “works”. This turns into an anime-style stand-off, like a fight in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure or Naruto, as you either try to sneak your way out of danger or get other curse-bearers to fall into your trap, so you can claim their cursed stone and inch closer to the Rite of Resurrection.

It gets surprisingly tense at times. One confrontation occurs between a woman that wields a pyromaniac curse, while another character with a bludgeoning curse that can tell when you lie. This stand-off all happens in an innocuous living room, with a private investigator, dressed like a villain from the ‘70s looking on, baffled and powerless.

The player can jump between the overlapping timelines, even redoing very early decisions to see if they can change how the story progresses. I did find at one point that I was a little ahead of the story, but couldn’t continue with what I thought was the logical way forward until I’d clicked/tapped absolutely everything on a particular 360-degree scene.

Nintendo

Everyone is seemingly hunting the Rite of Resurrection, which can supposedly bring anyone back from the dead – one character isn’t even looking to resurrect a friend or loved one, but Katsushika Hokusai, arguably the most famous Japanese artist of all time – the ‘tsunami’ guy. The characters have plenty of delightful quirks, which reminds me of Capcom’s Phoenix Wright series, but Paranormasight feels a little smarter. Some of the twists and solutions break the fourth wall brazenly and I loved it. My only criticism is that The Seven Mysteries of Honjo is a little short – I finished it in 16 hours. Hopefully, more games will expand on this formula.

My spoiler-free advice is: listen to the masked host, keep an eye on your notes database as you learn more about the legends and don’t be afraid just to guess what might work. Often it does.

The game is available on Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android and Steam.

Since February, Netflix has offered paid account sharing in Canada, New Zealand, Portugal and Spain. The add-on allows primary account holders to pay an additional fee every month to share their Netflix service with up to two people outside of their household. Now, it’s coming for US subscribers – or non-subscribers. The company wrote in its Q1 letter to shareholders: “In Q1, we launched paid sharing in four countries and are pleased with the results.” It added: “We are planning on a broad rollout, including in the US, in Q2.” Netflix has estimated more than 100 million non-paying households have access to its service – and it wants them to pay something.

Netflix will also close its DVD rental business in September. Yes, that’s still a thing.

– Mat Smith

The Morning After isn’t just a newsletter – it’s also a daily podcast. Get our daily audio briefings, Monday through Friday, by subscribing right here.

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The Polestar 4 electric SUV arrives with 544 HP and no rear window

It also supports up to 200kW DC fast charging.

Polestar

Polestar has revealed its coupe-style electric SUV at the Shanghai Auto Show, and as expected, the Polestar 4 is a head-turner – but not for the driver. There's no rear window, so a camera provides the driver's rear view. With a large 102kWh battery, it has a 300-plus mile targeted range and $60,000 starting price, with both all-wheel and rear-wheel drive versions. It'll go on sale starting in China by the end of the year and launch in North America in 2024.

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Apple’s debut VR Headset might include workouts and fitness features

The company has reportedly been working with ‘a small number of developers.’

According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple’s mixed reality headset (maybe named Reality One or Reality Pro) will focus heavily on gaming, fitness, sports and collaboration tools. The headset is rumored to switch between virtual and augmented reality. It may even run Apple Fitness+ workouts in VR as well as support for immersive sports viewing, which could include 360-degree views at live events. It has the technology: Apple bought VR sports startup NextVR back in 2020. We’re expecting the company to announce the headset at WWDC 2023 – which isn’t far off.

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The best e-ink tablets for 2023

Scribble to your heart’s content.

Engadget

Is it time to replace your notebook with something high-tech? There’s been a boom in e-ink tablets to replace your myriad notebooks with something that can connect to the internet, detect your handwriting and more. We tested a bunch of the most popular e-ink tablets available now – and we have recommendations.

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Xiaomi's 13 Ultra features four Leica-tuned cameras

These cover focal lengths across 12mm, 23mm, 75mm and 120mm.

After debuting the first "1-inch" mobile camera sensor with the 12S Ultra last year, Xiaomi is back with a familiar-looking new phone with some significant upgrades. The Xiaomi 13 Ultra packs not three but four rear Leica cameras, with the main camera using the same "1-inch" 50-megapixel sensor, but with variable aperture to toggle between f/1.9 and f/4.0. The Xiaomi 13 Ultra is already available for pre-order in China, starting from 5,999 yuan (around $870). While it’s unlikely to launch in the US directly, we’ve been told the phone will reach international markets at some point. If you’re tempted, you may be able to import one.

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Paramount+ greenlights Star Trek film starring Michelle Yeoh

The recent Oscar winner will reprise her ‘Discovery’ character.

Paramount+ is finally making the long-rumored Star Trek Section 31 project, starring recent Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh. However, this won’t be a TV show, but a feature-length movie. A Yeoh-led Star Trek: Section 31 has been in development since 2019, transitioning from a series to an “event film” with this latest announcement, according to Variety. Star Trek: Section 31 joins multiple forthcoming Trek projects, including a just-announced Starfleet Academy show and upcoming seasons of Star Trek: Prodigy, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Star Trek: Lower Decks. Star Trek: Picard finishes its three-season run this week, and Star Trek: Discovery returns for a final season sometime next year.

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A Galaxy Quest series is reportedly under development for Paramount+. A new show based on the 1999 cult-classic film — a spoof of Star Trek and its fandom — will land on the streaming home of five original Trek series, according toThe Hollywood Reporter.

The sci-fi comedy followed a cast of washed-up actors making a meager living from the convention circuit after their television series — also called Galaxy Quest — was canceled. The plot involves aliens who picked up transmissions of the show from Earth, believing it to be a real-life documentary. The socially awkward extraterrestrials, gelatinous creates who take on humanoid forms, seek the actors’ leadership as their planet faces extinction. The cast eventually finds itself transported to outer space, where they reluctantly face the threat and eventually learn to live up to their TV personas. Galaxy Quest was a critical and commercial success, grossing over $90 million at the box office and gaining cult-classic status.

Paramount

If the series brings back the film’s original cast, it will have to make do without star Alan Rickman, who died of cancer in 2016. In addition to his scene-stealing turn as Alexander Dane, the movie starred Tim Allen as narcissistic William Shatner equivalent Jason Nesmith, Sigourney Weaver as Gwen DeMarco, Tony Shalhoub as Fred Kawn, Daryl Mitchell as Tommy Webber and Sam Rockwell as Guy Fleegman (a spoof of Star Trek’s expendable “redshirts”).

The new Paramount+ series is in its “early development stages.” Mark Johnson, an executive producer of the movie, returns for the upcoming series. No casting or writing decisions have been reported. Paramount TV Studios will develop the film for its streaming counterpart.

The upcoming series isn’t the first attempt to revive the IP. It was reported in 2021 that Simon Pegg and Succession writer Georgia Pritchett were helming a new series; it’s unclear whether the new project includes them. Before that, in 2015, an adaptation with the original cast was also under development. However, that one never advanced beyond the development stage after Rickman’s death and scheduling conflicts with Allen. In a 2016 interview, Rockwell told the Hollywood Reporter, “We were ready to sign up, and [then] Alan Rickman passed away and Tim Allen wasn’t available — he has [Last Man Standing] — and everybody’s schedule was all weird. It was going to shoot, like, right now. And how do you fill that void of Alan Rickman? That’s a hard void to fill.”

No matter how you feel about it, Star Trek: Picardis a bonafide hit so you know what that means: more Star Trek. Paramount+ is finally making the long-rumored Section 31 project, starring recent Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh. However, this is not a TV show, as previously surmised, but a feature-length movie.

A Yeoh-led Star Trek: Section 31 has been in development since 2019, transitioning from a series to an “event film” with this latest announcement, according to Variety. Production starts later this year, led by writer Craig Sweeny and frequent Star Trek: Discovery director Olatunde Osunsanmi. Producers include Alex Kurtzman, who is behind every iteration of modern Trek, and Rod Roddenberry, son of franchise creator Gene Roddenberry.

In this film, Yeoh reprises the character of Emperor Philippa Georgiou from Star Trek: Discovery, a sort-of evil, sort-of-lovable dictator from a parallel universe. (It’s a long story.) The official logline says that the movie starts when “Georgiou joins a secret division of Starfleet tasked with protecting the United Federation of Planets and faces the sins of her past.”

That brings us to the titular Section 31. The shadowy organization was introduced in the beloved 1990s series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, as a foil for Starfleet, testing the boundaries of the idealism depicted in the future world of Star Trek. Since then, it has popped up in most modern Trek installments, including the animated Star Trek: Lower Decks and in movies like Star Trek: Into Darkness.

Star Trek: Section 31 joins multiple forthcoming Trek projects, such as that just-announced Starfleet Academy show and upcoming seasons of Star Trek: Prodigy, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Star Trek: Lower Decks. Star Trek: Picard finishes its three-season run this week and Star Trek: Discovery returns for a final season sometime next year. In other news, we only have 40 more years until we make first contact with the Vulcans, so there’s that to look forward to.

After years of resistance, Instagram is allowing users to add more than one link to their profile page. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the change on Tuesday through his broadcast channel. “You can now add up to five links in your Instagram bio,” he said. “Probably one of the most requested features we’ve had.”

As a refresher, you can add a link to your Instagram profile by tapping the “Edit profile” button that appears above your photo grid and highlights. With the change rolling out to users, Instagram will even prompt you to add multiple links. The interface Meta designed for displaying the links isn’t the most elegant thing the company has ever released but it’s functional. If you put more than one link on your profile, Instagram will truncate the first one and state how many more follow. Tapping the first link that appears brings up a selection screen that allows you to see all the links at once.

If I had to guess, those who were already using services like Linktree to direct people to their other social profiles will continue doing so because those platforms offer more customization and allow you to include more than five links. In filling out my profile page, I didn’t run into any restrictions where Instagram told me I could not add a specific link, though I only attempted to link to my Engadget page and Twitter profile. I’ve reached out to Meta for more information.

Two weeks ago, Netflix confirmed it would livestream the Love Is Blind season four reunion. But when the time came, first it was delayed, then, after an hour, Netflix pulled the plug. The streaming service soon tweeted an apology and aired the reunion yesterday.

This was only Netflix's second attempt at livestreaming. Its first, Chris Rock's comedy special Selective Outrage, aired live in March. But Netflix edited his material about being hit by Will Smith at the Oscars. Rock got a film name wrong in a punchline when performing live and corrected himself mid-delivery. The streaming service subsequently cut around the hiccup. Netflix also owns the rights to stream the Screen Actors Guild Awards live, next year, which should give it enough time to fix those technical difficulties.

– Mat Smith

The Morning After isn’t just a newsletter – it’s also a daily podcast. Get our daily audio briefings, Monday through Friday, by subscribing right here.

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Google wants you to help listen for fish

Help train a conservation-focused AI model by listening for fish sounds.

Google

Google’s new project, a collaboration with marine biologist Steve Simpson and marine ecologist Mary Shodipo, is training AI to recognize aquatic wildlife sounds, hoping to replenish them and raise awareness of the ocean’s troubled habitats. The Earth’s coral reefs have been declining thanks to climate change, overfishing and pollution. The project has online volunteers listening to some reefs and flagging fish noises. Is it thrilling? No. But at least it works, unlike the Love Is Blind livestream.

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Nike’s first digital shoe collection, with real-world perks, launches

But you won't know exactly what design you're paying for until later.

After launching its .Swoosh web3 platform in November, Nike is ready to unveil its first set of digital collectibles today. The company has announced the Our Force 1 (or OF1) series of "virtual creations" will be available to invitees on May 8th, while general access opens on May 10th. You can choose to buy one of two boxes – Classic Remix or New Wave – and each will cost $19.82.

That gets you a digital box – but you won't know which design you got. On an undisclosed date after May 10th, Nike will reveal all the OF1 boxes, but you can choose not to open the box, leaving it as a virtual Schrodinger's sneaker situation.

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Adobe Firefly's new AI tools can do some simple editing tasks for you

Use prompts to animate text and add b-roll, music and sound effects to your projects.

Adobe

Adobe announced Monday it’s working on more AI upgrades, coming to Firefly's beta program later this year. Building on the company's long-running AI program, Sensei, Firefly is a suite of generative AI models that can both create and transform audio, video, illustrations and 3D models using text prompts in the same way that Dall-E and ChatGPT do. Firefly's features are already available across Adobe Premiere Pro, Illustrator, After Effects and Photoshop, with these new features accessible through the closed beta program later this year. They’re to help professional editors cut down on their drudge work, boosting color levels, inserting placeholder images, adding effects, even autonomously recommending b-roll for video projects.

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Just like that, a new Harry Potter game is on its way. On Monday, WB Games revealed Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions, a title the Hogwarts Legacy publisher is billing as a “fast-paced, competitive multiplayer” game that will be available on PC and consoles. According to the company, Unbroken Studios, best known for its work supporting the recently delayed Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, has been working on Quidditch Champions for the past “several years,” making the sport’s absence from Hogwarts Legacy make a lot more sense.

"Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions is a complete, standalone Quidditch experience," a newly published FAQ says of the project, noting fans will need an online connection to play the game. "It engages players in the sport of Quidditch and other broomstick adventures alongside friends in a competitive, multiplayer setting." The FAQ additionally states J.K Rowling was not involved in the creation of Quidditch Champions, and that the game is not a direct adaption of any of the existing Harry Potter books or films.

For the past few years, Rowling has been controversial for her transphobic views. Ahead of the release of Hogwarts Legacy, some fans chose not to buy or play the game for that reason. In addition to a new game, WB Games parent Warner Bros. Discovery is working on a new live-action adaption of all seven books in the Harry Potter series. Quidditch Champions does not have a release date. For now, WB Games is accepting signups for “limited” playtests.