Paper Trail, the game that lets you fold the world around you, finally has a release date after multiple delays. The top-down puzzler is now scheduled to launch on May 21.

Developed and published by the UK-based Newfangled Games, Paper Trail combines craft-inspired art with a unique folding mechanic that lets you crease and bend your environment to connect new paths and solve puzzles. “Alter the fabric of your world, contorting, spinning, rotating, twisting around — as you try to untangle the puzzle of the Paper Trail,” the game’s Steam description reads.

The game’s art style matches its folding mechanic, drawing inspiration from flat aesthetic styles, including printmaking and watercolor. You play as Paige (get it?), an 18-year-old aspiring astrophysicist with fuddy-duddy parents, making her way to University to pursue her calling in scientific research. The developer describes Paper Trail as easy to grasp but difficult to master, and you can imagine how the game could rack your brain when it ramps up in intensity and complexity as you reach the later levels.

Paper Trail will be available on PC, consoles (PS5 / PS4, Xbox Series X / S, Xbox One and Switch) and the Netflix mobile app (iOS and Android) on May 21. If PC is your platform of choice, you can already wishlist the game on Steam.

On Wednesday, Sony unveiled the latest catalog of games for PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium subscribers. The latest batch of titles includes the Resident Evil 3 remake, Marvel’s Midnight Suns and NBA 2K24 (among others). You can play the games for free starting on Tuesday, March 19.

Capcom’s Resident Evil 3 remake (PS5 / PS4) arrived in early 2020. You play as Jill Valentine as you try to escape the virus-infected and zombie-overrun Raccoon City. Meanwhile, Marvel’s Midnight Suns (PS5 / PS4) is a tactical RPG set “in the darker side of the Marvel Universe.” Playable characters include Iron Man, Spider-Man, Wolverine, Captain America, Doctor Strange, Hulk, Deadpool and Captain Marvel.

2K Sports / Take-Two Interactive

You can also claim the NBA 2K24 Kobe Bryant Edition (PS5 / PS4). The most current version of 2K’s long-running basketball franchise has updated rosters and historic teams, along with a “Mamba Moments” mode that relives some of the late Lakers Hall of Famer’s most memorable career highlights.

Lego DC Supervillains (PS4 only) is a 2018 game that takes the Lego franchise’s goofy, family-friendly fun and flips the script — letting you play as the bad guys. You can control villains like The Joker, Harley Quinn, Lex Luthor, Catwoman, Two-Face and the Penguin.

Other claimable titles include turn-based death match Blood Bowl 3 (PS5, PS4), puzzler Mystic Pillars: Remastered (PS5), side-scrolling RPG Super Neptune (PS4) and action RPG Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot (PS5). The classics appearing this month include the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy (PS4), Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier (PS5, PS4), Cool Boarders (PS5, PS4), Gods Eater Burst (PS5, PS4) and JoJos Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R.

Sony is rolling out a new PlayStation 5 system update that makes your controller sound better, your screen sharing more immersive and your power indicator adjustable. System Update 9.00 entered beta over a month ago and is available in the public software pushed to PS5 owners on Wednesday.

PS5 system software version 24.02-09.00.00 enhances DualSense and DualSense Edge controller audio. The controller speakers are now louder, making the speakers sound clearer when broadcasting in-game sounds and voice chat. The controller’s microphone is also improved. Sony says a new “AI machine-learning model” suppresses background noises from button presses and game audio, leading to an improved voice chat experience.”

The update also adds brightness adjustments for the PS5 power indicator. You can change its levels by heading to Settings > System > Beep and Light > Brightness. You can choose from three settings: dim, medium and bright (default).

Sony

Share Screen, which lets you broadcast your gameplay straight from the console, adds pointers and emoji reactions. Your live audience can now use a pointer to show you locations on the screen. They can also send emoji reactions highlighting your gameplay triumphs and tragedies from the Share Screen. The features are toggled on by default, but hosts can turn them off from the Share Screen settings.

The 9.00 update also adds Unicode 15.1 emojis to messages. Less specifically detailed changes include performance and stability improvements for the system software, DualSense gamepads, PlayStation VR2 headset and controllers and Access controller.

If you aren’t automatically prompted to update, you can trigger the software download by heading to Settings > System > System Software > System Software Update and Settings, and choosing “Update System Software” under “Update Available.”

Google’s Gemini won’t answer questions about the 2024 election. Reuters reported on Tuesday that the company will block the AI chatbot’s ability to generate responses about elections this year. The company said in December it would restrict the types of political questions the chatbot could discuss as the elections drew closer.

“Out of an abundance of caution on such an important topic, we have begun to roll out restrictions on the types of election-related queries for which Gemini will return responses,” the company wrote in a Google India blog post on Tuesday. “We take our responsibility for providing high-quality information for these types of queries seriously, and are continuously working to improve our protections.”

The guardrails are already in place. When I asked Gemini for interesting facts about the 2024 US presidential election, it replied, “I’m still learning how to answer this question. In the meantime, try Google Search.” In addition to America’s Biden-Trump rematch (and down-ballot races that will determine control of Congress), India and South Africa will hold national elections this year.

When I prompted OpenAI’s ChatGPT with the same question, it provided a long list of factoids. These included remarks about the presidential rematch, early primaries and Super Tuesday, voting demographics and more.

OpenAI outlined its plans to fight election-related misinformation in January. Its strategy focuses more on preventing wrong information than supplying none at all. Its approach includes stricter guidelines for DALL-E 3 image generation, banning applications that discourage people from voting, and preventing people from creating chatbots that pretend to be candidates or institutions.

It’s understandable why Google would err on the side of caution with its AI bot. Gemini got the company in hot water last month when social media users posted samples where the chatbot applied diversity filters to “historical images,” including presenting Nazis and America’s Founding Fathers as people of color. After a backlash (largely from the internet’s “anti-woke” brigade), it paused Gemini’s ability to generate people until it could iron out the kinks. Google hasn’t yet lifted that block, and it now responds to prompts about images of people, “Sorry, I wasn’t able to generate the images you requested.”

Microsoft is holding a digital event titled “Advancing the new era of work with Copilot” on March 21. Among the possible announcements are new Surface devices, potentially the first branded as AI PCs. It will already be the second Windows hardware event — and first mainline Surface Pro launch — without former chief product officer and longtime keynote presenter Panos Panay, who left for Amazon last year. Here’s everything we could see at the company's first launch event of 2024.

The company describes the event as breaking down “the latest in scaling AI in your environment with Copilot, Windows, and Surface.” There are conflicting reports about exactly what we’ll see in late March. 

Windows Central claims an OLED Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 will headline the event, with their upgraded processors enabling “huge performance and efficiency gains” over their predecessors. However, a report from The Verge suggests this month’s event will only cover the business and commercial-focused versions of the devices — with much subtler upgrades than the consumer versions. The outlet claims the consumer variants with “a larger redesign” will follow later this spring.

The new devices will allegedly be powered by Intel Core Ultra or Snapdragon X Elite silicon with next-generation neural processing units (NPUs) for advanced AI tasks. The Intel variants are expected to launch in April, while the Arm-based Snapdragon ones will reportedly arrive several months later in June. If the reports are accurate, this would be the first time the Surface Laptop line has included an Arm-based version.

At least in the consumer models, the Surface Pro 10 is rumored to switch from LCD to an anti-reflective OLED screen. The device would be brighter than the Surface Pro 9’s screen and support HDR content. Meanwhile, the Surface Laptop 6 is rumored to include thinner display bezels (with rounded corners) and a haptic touchpad. Its updated port selection is said to include two USB-C and one USB-A on its left side.

The commercial / business models (which may be all we see at this month’s event) are rumored to include a built-in Common Access Card (CAC) reader and options with up to 64GB of RAM.

Microsoft

Whether at this month’s event or later, the new consumer-facing Surface Pro and Surface Laptop are expected to kick off Microsoft’s push for Windows 11-running AI PCs. They’ll reportedly be among the first to include an on-device version of Copilot. Other rumored AI features include real-time captioning and translation, upscaling and frame-rate smoothing for games, upgraded Windows Studio Effects and a feature called AI Explorer. Both devices will reportedly include a dedicated Copilot key.

AI Explorer is rumored to include a built-in timeline that’s searchable using natural language. Perhaps similar to the third-party Rewind AI app for macOS, the feature will allegedly log everything you do and see on your device, letting you sift through it with Copilot. It would let you ask the assistant things like, “Find me that thing about dinosaurs,” and see every moment in your PC’s history relating to them. (It could be a privacy nightmare if not handled properly, but expect Microsoft to offer security assurances like encryption and entirely on-device processing.)

The feature would also allegedly “understand context, help jumpstart projects or workflows, and even suggest tasks based on what’s currently on screen.” Other rumored features include the ability to tell Copilot to remove the backgrounds of onscreen images from third-party apps in the Photos app.

The AI features, which aren’t expected to be exclusive to the Surface devices, will reportedly arrive in this year’s annual feature update for Windows 11 (version 24H2), expected in the fall. Windows Central noted it isn’t clear whether Microsoft will discuss the features during the March event.

Engadget will have full coverage of Microsoft’s announcements on March 21 at noon ET.

Samsung has launched its 2024 midrange phone lineup, which combines weaker specs and feature sets with more alluring prices than its flagship handsets. The Galaxy A55 and A35 have 6.6-inch Super AMOLED displays. For the first time in its budget handsets, the company included Knox Vault, a walled-off security section that debuted in the Galaxy S21.

Both Android 14-running phones have FHD+ (2220x1080) displays (374 pixels per inch) and variable refresh rates up to 120Hz. Like last year’s Galaxy A54, both include Samsung’s Vision Booster feature, which adjusts the screen’s tone mapping based on ambient lighting conditions. Their 6.6-inch diagonal measurements (not accounting for rounded corners) are a slight bump up from the A54’s 6.4 inches.

Samsung’s official materials didn’t list the phones’ processors, but Android Police reports the A55 uses an Exynos 1480, while the A35 settles for a slower Exynos 1380. RAM comes in different configurations: 8GB or 12GB in the A55 and 6GB or 8GB in the cheaper A35. Your storage options are 128GB or 256GB in each handset, but only the A55 has a microSD card slot.

Samsung

In addition to performance, cameras will be one of the primary differences between the two phones. The pair has three rear cameras, each with a 50MP main camera and a 5MP macro lens. But the more expensive A55 uses a 12MP ultra-wide sensor, while the A35 has a more pedestrian 8MP ultra-wide lens. In addition, the A55 has a 32MP front-facing camera, compared to the A35’s 13MP front shooter. Both use optical image stabilization (OIS) and video digital image stabilization (VDIS) to offset camera shake.

Unsurprisingly, neither phone appears to include the generative AI features Samsung uses to differentiate the Galaxy S24 series (and older flagships, via software updates). The closest you may get in this price range is the company’s “advanced AI Image Signal Processing (ISP)” for better photography in low-light conditions, included only on the A55.

Samsung didn’t list the phones’ build material in its press release and official specs, but Android Police says the A55 is the company’s first midrange phone with a metal frame. (Last year’s Galaxy A54 used plastic.) Engadget reached out to Samsung to clarify, and we’ll update this article if we hear back.

The handsets each have a 5,000mAh battery. Samsung estimates two days of battery life, but this could vary greatly depending on usage.

US pricing and launch dates aren’t yet available. However, Samsung says the A55 will start at £439 (US$562) in the UK, while the A35 will begin at £339 ($434). Samsung lists a March 20 release date for both handsets in the UK.

Rivian’s R2 reservations are off to a hot start. On Friday, CEO RJ Scaringe posted on X that the automaker had taken more than 68,000 reservations for the SUV in less than 24 hours. Amid alarmingly weakened demand for electric vehicles, perhaps there’s a latent interest in innovative EV companies when they aren’t helmed by a conflict magnet with a fixation on baseless conspiracy theories and the supposed online “rights” of Neo-Nazis.

Rivian’s 68,000 reservations hold up well against its most high-profile competitors. It took Ford about three weeks to get 100,000 pre-orders for the F-150 Lightning. Tesla’s Cybertruck got 250,000 reservations in less than a week. To be fair, reserving a Rivian R2 only requires a $100 deposit the same as the Cybertruck and F-150 Lightning.Customers plunking down a Benjamin to hold one have no obligation to pay the remaining $44,900 (and up) when the vehicle finally arrives in 2026, and even if they intend to buy one now, that’s plenty of time to change their minds.

You could argue that — like with Tesla and Ford — Rivian chose the low deposit to build hype, knowing full well that many pre-order customers won’t follow through. But it also helps that Rivian’s event on Thursday did everything the company needed. The R2 looks “quite fetching,” as Engadget’s Lawrence Bonk pointed out. On the inside, it has sleek and subtle details like two glove boxes, fold-down rear and front seats, a slide-out cargo floor and dual scroll wheels with dynamic haptic feedback on the steering wheel. It also has a 300-mile minimum range and a $45,000 starting price, which doesn't hurt.

And, of course, the surprise “One more thing”-style reveal of the cheaper, sportier and more compact R3 and R3X could help provide a halo effect for the company when it desperately needs to build excitement around its brand. In February, Rivian announced that it would lay off 10 percent of its salaried workers, and this week, it cut 100 employees at its Illinois factory. Still, the EV market could use a new “hero.” I have no idea if Rivian or its CEO, RJ Scaringe, has potential to be the face of the industry. But Elon Musk, its current poster boy, is a lightning rod for unnecessary turmoil.

In a survey of Americans conducted by The Harris Poll late last year, 45 percent of respondents said they had a lower opinion of EVs “because of the actions of people associated with them.” (I’m pretty sure they didn’t mean Ford’s Doug Field or GM’s Mary Barra.)

Perhaps Rivian’s impressive showing reveals at least some Americans have an appetite for an EV maker that’s neither a traditional auto company nor one helmed by someone who, at times, seems more interested in behaving like a teenage contrarian than a responsible adult serving as the public face of an industry the world desperately needs to grow up — and get people excited about driving electric vehicles — as climate change begins to ravage the planet.

Microsoft is deepening its ties with the Ukrainian cloud gaming company Boosteroid. Beginning today, Xbox Game Pass subscribers (PC Game Pass and Game Pass Ultimate) with a Boosteroid membership can stream Game Pass titles along with supported titles purchased through the Microsoft Store on Windows.

Some eligible games include Deathloop, Dishonored, Dishonored 2, Dishonored: Death of The Outsider, Gears 5, Gears Tactics, Ghostwire: Tokyo and Pentiment. Xbox games on Boosteroid support cross-play and cross-save with PC and Xbox consoles.

Microsoft says it will continue adding more “hits and fan favorites.” Boosteroid first began supporting Microsoft PC game purchases last year.

Boosteroid, founded in 2016 in Kyiv, Ukraine, said last year it had over four million users globally. In May 2023, Microsoft inked a 10-year deal with the company to try to convince antitrust regulators it would handle its Activision Blizzard acquisition responsibly. Around the same time, Microsoft struck similar decade-long deals with Nintendo and NVIDIA to bring Call Of Duty games to their platforms.

To stream Game Pass (or Microsoft Store) titles, install the Boosteroid app and sign in. Then, browse to the Library tab and select Xbox as a filter. Choose the game you want, click “Play” and log into your Microsoft account with an active PC Game Pass or Game Pass Ultimate membership and confirm.

Boosteroid is available on Windows, macOS, Android and ChromeOS. It also has beta apps for webOS and Android TV.

Spotify said on Thursday it will raise its subscription prices in France in response to a new tax designed to support the nation’s music industry. CEO Daniel Ek wrote an open letter denouncing the tax, which France’s government passed in late 2023. The streaming service hasn’t yet said how high the price hike will be, other than teasing, “French users will now pay the highest subscriptions across the European Union.” 

France’s CNM tax imposes a levy on music services that earn over 20 million euros ($21.9 million) in the country: Spotify, Apple Music and Deezer. (Apple Music and Deezer have opposed the tax but haven’t announced similar price hikes.) The companies pay the new 1.2 percent charge on all streaming revenue generated in the country. Social media companies licensing music, including TikTok and Facebook, are also subject to the tax. The fees will go to the nation’s Centre National de la Musique (CNM), a public institution supporting and promoting the French music industry.

Spotify’s initial response in December was to pull financial support from French music festivals Francofolies de la Rochelle and Printemps de Bourges. The company threatened to pull its services from Uruguay when a similar tax was announced there but ultimately backed down when the Uruguayan government said streaming services wouldn’t have to cover any costs.

Spotify hasn’t made similar threats to exit France, likely because the country is much more crucial to its bottom line. Instead, it’s waging a public pressure campaign, including Ek painting the tax as an unnecessary government money grab that only partially funds the music industry.

“This tax will generate approximately 15 million euros, when the CNM’s administrative budget (office fees, personnel, capital expenditure, media monitoring or professional training etc.) sits at 20.2 million euros,” the CEO wrote in his public letter. “Our concern is that possibly less than half of its overall 146.9 million euros budget will find its way toward effectively aiding music.”

Other than listing the CNM’s administrative budget, Ek didn’t provide any evidence that the fees wouldn’t go toward aiding music.

Spotify’s revenue grew 16 percent year-over-year to €3.7 billion ($4.05 billion) in Q4 2023, in what it described as “a very strong quarter.” Its CEO sold $57.5 million in stock in February, following a $64 million stock sale in October 2023.

“As we have long said, we simply can’t absorb any additional taxes,” Ek wrote. “Even after making the difficult decision to reduce our artist marketing budget and support of French music festivals — which is an essential vehicle for Spotify to continue to drive hundreds of millions of euros to the music industry — it still continues to impede our ability to operate in France. Accordingly, over the coming weeks and months, we’ll need to make changes to our price plan in France.”

Ek says French subscribers will learn more about the price hike “in the coming weeks.”

Microsoft and Atlus said today that the Expansion Pass for Persona 3 Reload will be available on March 12. The bundle will include the story’s final chapter DLC, Episode Aigis -The Answer-, which arrives in September. Game Pass Ultimate subscribers can get the Expansion Pass for free with their membership.

In the original Persona 3, the epilogue was called The Answer in the English version and Episode Aegis in the Japanese version, leading to the combined title in the remake’s DLC. Like the base game, the DLC will transform the original story with “cutting-edge graphics, modernized quality-of-life features and all the upgrades that came with Persona 3 Reload.”

The DLC’s story begins in a Groundhog Day-style time loop. “After unravelling the mysteries of the Dark Hour, fighting epic battles through Tartarus, and all the unforgettable events of Persona 3 Reload, the S.E.E.S. members find themselves trapped in a never-ending March 31st,” Xbox communication manager Michael Carven wrote. You’ll play as Aigis, a human-like android with Persona-summoning abilities.

“Persona 3 Reload would not be complete without Episode Aigis –The Answer-,” General Producer Kazuhisa Wada wrote. “The epilogue is sure to satisfy both those who have played the original Persona 3 FES and those who are just starting out.”

The Expansion Pass will also add new music and costumes. The updated tracks will include remixes and “fan-favorite tracks from previous Persona titles.”

Microsoft says Persona 3 Reload is developer Atlus’ fast-selling title, surpassing a million sales in its first week.