Samsung confirmed Monday that some of its data was stolen as part of a cyberattack that was first reported over the weekend. In a statement to Bloomberg, the Korean electronics giant revealed that a security breach saw "some source code relating to the operation of Galaxy devices" taken but customer and employee credentials were not impacted.

Although Samsung has not revealed the actors behind the compromise, South American hacking group Lapsus$ has claimed responsibility. The organization shared a 190GB torrent file that reportedly includes bootloader source code for all of Samsung's recent devices, as well as code related to the biometric authentication and on-device encryption for Galaxy phones and tablets. Attackers may have also gained access to confidential data related to Qualcomm.

The admission comes less than a week after the same group said it obtained around 1TB of data, including schematics and source code, from chip giant NVIDIA. The company said it became aware of the attack on February 23rd, after which time Lapsus$ had demanded a ransom paid in cryptocurrency to prevent NVIDIA’s files from becoming public. When NVIDIA failed to respond, source code for the company's DLSS technology and information related to as many as six unannounced graphics cards was shared online.

"Currently, we do not anticipate any impact to our business or customers. We have implemented measures to prevent further such incidents and will continue to serve our customers without disruption," Samsung later confirmed in its statement. It is not known whether Lapsus$ issued the same cryptocurrency demands to Samsung, but we've contacted the company for clarification. 

With both immersive sound and powerful active noise cancellation (ANC), Sony's WH-1000XM4 are some of the most desirable wireless headphones out there — but at $350, they're pretty expensive. If you've been looking for a deal, you can now pick up a pair at Amazon for $278, or a solid 21 percent ($72 off the regular price. And if that's still too much, Sony's mid-range and budget ANC wireless headphones are also on sale. 

The WH-1000XM4 attained an exceptional 94 score in our Engadget review for good reason. They offer great sound quality with punchy bass, plus ANC that blocks out noise better than other wireless headphones we've tested. They also offer multi-device connectivity and Speak-to-Chat, which automatically pauses audio when you talk, along with Sony's 360 Reality Audio that offers a similar surround-sound experience to Dolby Atmos. You'll get around 30 hours on a charge and you can eke another five hours from a quick 10-minute charge.

Sony

Sony's mid-range WH-XB910N headphones (above) are also on sale at Amazon for $148, near their all-time low price. They're obviously not quite up to the level of the much more expensive WH-1000XM4, particularly with the ANC, but they still deliver excellent sound quality and look great. You get clear mids and highs, powerful bass and Sony's 360 Reality Audio surround sound. Other features include "Precise Voice Pickup" that amplifies your voice on calls, on-board controls, an ambient sound mode and 30-hour battery life.

Finally, if you're looking for a budget ANC model, Amazon has another good deal on Sony's WH-CH710N model. They're now available for $98 or a solid 46 percent off the regular $180 price. They earned a best alternative spot in our buyer's guide last year, thanks to the very good sound quality with decent range and clarity. They also feature ANC that can automatically adjust cancellation based on the level of ambient noise, an ambient sound mode and 35 hours of battery life.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

Samsung has stopped shipping its products to Russia following the country's invasion of Ukraine, the company told Bloomberg News. The tech giant said it's monitoring the "complex situation," and that it's donating $6 million, which includes $1 million worth of consumer electronics, to humanitarian efforts in Ukraine. According to the publication, the shipment suspension affects all Samsung products, including its smartphones, chips and other consumer electronic devices. 

By halting all exports of its products to Russia, Samsung has joined the growing list of companies that had paused sales of products and services in the country. Apple halted all product sales in response to the invasion and after receiving a request from Ukrainian Vice Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov. The company also limited Apple Pay, pulled the apps for Russian state-backed media outlets from its store and disabled traffic data for Maps in Ukraine to avoid putting residents in danger. Microsoft suspended all new sales of products and services in Russia, as well. 

The Korean tech giant is the top smartphone brand in the country and has a 30 percent market share, according to Counterpoint Research data. That's much higher than Apple's 13 percent market share, as of the fourth quarter of 2021. In addition, Samsung has a TV plant in Russia, though it's unclear if it has also stopped production in the factory.

Its decision to halt shipments to Russia comes after Fedorov sent Jong Hee Han, the CEO for Samsung's SET division, a letter similar to what he sent Tim Cook. In it, he asked the Korean tech giant to stop supplying the country with its products, as well as to block Samsung Pay, Samsung Galaxy Store and Samsung Shop.

As Bloomberg notes, South Korean smartphones were an exemption to the export bans recently imposed by the US government. But even if Samsung did want to continue shipping products to Russia, it would have a hard time sending products to the country anyway due to airlines and shipping services halting their activities in the region.

Samsung will at least partly address complaints that it's throttling the performance of apps on some Galaxy phones. As The Vergereports, the company has promised an update to its Game Optimizing Service to give users more control over throttling. In a statement to Engadget, Samsung said the option was coming at an unspecified point in the future in response to both feedback and "careful consideration." You can read the full statement at the end of this article.

However, Samsung disputed claims GOS was throttling as many as 10,000 apps across numerous categories. The service "does not manage" apps beyond games, the company said. Users have accused Samsung of throttling the performance of non-gaming software like Netflix and TikTok while disabling the restrictions for benchmarks like 3DMark and GeekBench, skewing expectations for real-world speed.

GOS is now known to be present on the Galaxy S22 series. While the exact range of phones with GOS isn't clear, the software is known to exist on older phones like the Galaxy S21 lineup and S20 FE.

Samsung isn't alone. In 2021, OnePlus admitted that it throttled the OnePlus 9 while popular apps were in use. This was ostensibly meant to preserve battery life, but didn't include benchmarks. Huawei, Oppo and other phone makers have been caught cheating on benchmarks in the past, but those methods relied on ramping up performance when a test app was in use, not slowing down for other apps.

It's difficult for phone vendors to completely avoid throttling. Chips like the Galaxy S22's Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 and Exynos 2200 can run hot, and Samsung even introduced vapor chamber cooling to the S22 to manage that heat. As Apple learned years ago, though, at least some users want more control and transparency for throttling — they're willing to sacrifice battery life and heat to see devices reach their full potential.

"Our priority is to deliver the best mobile experience for consumers. The Game Optimizing Service (GOS) has been designed to help game apps achieve a great performance while managing device temperature effectively. GOS does not manage the performance of non-gaming apps. We value the feedback we receive about our products and after careful consideration, we plan to roll out a software update soon so users can control the performance while running game apps."

We’ve come to the end of Mobile World Congress 2022, which, despite the pandemic and a war in Europe, went on as planned. While it’s typically a show full of phone launches from companies like Sony, Huawei, TCL, Xiaomi, Oppo and more, this year there were surprisingly few of those. Instead, we saw lots of laptops and tablets, as well as some foldable concepts. Plus, with major players like Sony choosing to sit out the event, MWC 2022 was generally quieter than years past. Still, if you feel like you’ve missed out on the news from the show, here’s a recap of everything interesting out of the convention this week.

Oppo kicked things off early, unveiling one of the few phones announced at the show: the Find X5 Pro. It’s a beautiful device with a ceramic body and a pair of 50-megapixel cameras using Hasselblad-infused software. In addition to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip, the Find X5 Pro also carries the company’s own Marisilicon neural processor for faster processing when you’re recording content in high-res or low light. Like many phones unveiled at MWC, the Find X5 Pro’s availability in the US is unconfirmed, so don’t get too excited if you’re based in America.

Meanwhile, there was so much Huawei news out of PR Newswire’s daily MWC recaps that this year’s event should really be called the Huawei Show 2022. In addition to big speeches about global strategies and 5G, the company unveiled a new MateBook laptop, a MateStation all-in-one PC, a PixLab laser printer, new speakers and a tablet called the MatePad Paper.

The most intriguing of these is the MatePad Paper, a 10.3-inch e-ink tablet with some particularly thin bezels. Its texturized paper-like screen is easy to read in both sunlight and lowlight, and displays not only text and still images, but videos as well. It also works with Huawei’s M-Pencil so you can write on it, and the company’s custom software allows you to simultaneously read and write in a split-screen view. An onboard mic lets you record audio while taking notes, while a fingerprint sensor in the power button enables convenient logins.

Huawei

On standby, Huawei says the MatePad Paper can last up to four weeks. It’ll be available in Europe for 499 Euros and that price includes an M-Pencil. Honestly this might be the most modern e-ink device yet, and I’m quite taken by the sky blue and khaki color options.

Of course, Huawei continues to battle US restrictions that keep it from selling its devices stateside. This is likely part of the reason former Huawei sub-brand Honor left its parent company in 2020. At MWC this year, Honor debuted the Magic 4 series — a pair of flagship-level phones meant to contend with Samsung’s Galaxy S22s. They have triple rear cameras with 50-megapixel primary sensors, 120Hz LTPO screens and are equipped with Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chips. But all the specs comparisons might be moot, because despite promises of a global rollout, last year’s Magic 3 never made it outside of China. For now Honor has shared initial European prices on its newly announced devices, which include new earbuds and a smartwatch, but US availability remains unknown.

Though Samsung already unveiled the Galaxy S22s and Tab S8 tablets, it still had products to show off in Barcelona — namely, a new line of laptops. The new Galaxy Book 2 series iterates on last year’s models with a trio of configurations, which include a pair of convertibles and a clamshell. All three flavors are available in 13- and 15-inch sizes, with upgraded webcams and 12th-gen Intel Core processors.

As with previous Samsung laptops, these also feature beautiful AMOLED displays and are impressively thin and light. The Book 2 Pro 360 and the Book 2 360 both support the S Pen, though only the former comes with the stylus in the box. I’ve been a fan of Samsung’s PCs for awhile, and though this year’s generation doesn’t seem to bring major improvements, I’m still curious to see how they stack up against the competition. Plus, Samsung added a burgundy color option that has me kind of mesmerized.

Cherlynn Low / Engadget

Lenovo rolled into MWC 2022 the way it usually does most other shows: armed to the teeth with laptops. This week, the company unveiled about 20 new devices, including the ThinkPad X1 Extreme 5th gen and four other ThinkPads and ThinkBooks; two new sets of IdeaPad Gaming laptops and a pair of IdeaPad Flex mainstream notebooks; three Chromebooks, a Windows 11 detachable and an Android tablet. Oh, and not to mention a new USB-C monitor and a wireless gaming mouse.

I didn’t even include the new ThinkPad X13s, which is the first ThinkPad powered by a Snapdragon chip. It’s also the first in the series to run Windows 11 on ARM, and the company says it’s the first time the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 has been used in a commercial device. The biggest draw here is the estimated 28-hour battery life, in addition to support for sub-6 and mmWave 5G and WiFi 6E. Sure, Windows on ARM has struggled to appeal to a mainstream audience, but with more OEM support and increasing app compatibility, 2022 could be the year Microsoft and its partners turn things around.

One of the best things about events like MWC is seeing the wilder concepts some companies showcase alongside their more traditional products. For the last few years, TCL has teased us with various concept devices at these shows, and this time around, it brought us the “Ultra Flex.” This is a prototype foldable phone that can bend both inward and outward — meaning its hinge and screen have to be extremely durable and carefully designed. The idea is intriguing, but in reality we never saw the display turn on during a demo session ahead of MWC. We did get to see the company’s “Fold n’ Roll” prototype that it announced last April, though, and while it had a technically “working” screen, it was still incredibly janky.

Cherlynn Low / Engadget

TCL didn’t just show us experimental products it doesn’t intend to sell. The company also launched five new phones in its 30-series, as well as two new tablets, including the NXTPAPER Max 10. That’s a bigger version of last year’s 8.8-inch slate with a reflective LCD screen that enables a full-color paper-like display.

There’s still more news from MWC 2022 that might pique your interest, like Qualcomm’s new X70 5G modem and former Xiaomi sub-brand Poco’s new X4 Pro 5G phone with a 108-megapixel camera. OnePlus also confirmed that the OnePlus 10 Pro is headed to the US, Europe and India this month.

Of course, since this is a mobile show, we learned about new developments in 5G. Specifically, FCC chairperson Jessica Rosenworcel announced that the US will hold an auction in July for 2.5GHz mid-band spectrum. Finally, we also couldn’t escape everyone’s favorite buzzwords: NFTs and the metaverse. FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta said in a keynote that there’s been “a lot of attention [on] blockchain products and services such as NFTs and metaverse.” During the same speech, he said the football club “should be able to offer digital products” to its members and fans that will “generate a very interesting emotional experience.”

Although we couldn’t be on the ground in Barcelona, team Engadget was still able to check out many of these new products first-hand at various preview events. Check out our hands-on videos and reports to get all the details.

Catch up on all of the news from MWC 2022 right here!

As the Switch reaches five years old, are its best times behind it? No, the opposite. This year is shaping up to be the biggest for Nintendo’s hybrid hit. Yes, I mean even bigger than its debut year, which gave us Super Mario Odyssey, Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Xenoblade Chronicles 2, Mario + Rabbids and Splatoon 2.

So far, we’ve seen Pokémon Legends: Arceus in January, but that’s just the start of the Pokémon hype train on Switch. Nintendo also announced that a new generation of mainline Pokémon games, Violet and Scarlet, is coming to the console in “Late 2022.” 

The Pokemon Company

There aren’t many details, but we’re being promised an open-world adventure, which could mean a new Pokémon game that balances the traditional franchise parts of Sword and Shield with some of the more interesting choices made in Arceus. Also, weed cat.

A fresh Pokémon generation rounds off a lineup of major games (both from Nintendo and its partners) that makes 2022 a year packed with hugely anticipated titles. It starts now: Kirby and the Forgotten Land launches in a few weeks on March 25th.

The big one, Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2, is still set for a 2022 release, according to Nintendo. An outright sequel is a surprise for the Zelda series and will be set in the same open world of the original. Judging from the teaser trailers so far, the game appears to expand gameplay to the skies above Hyrule, with Link plummeting from the sky in one of the latest teaser trailers. (Something he’s done before in Skyward Sword – also now available on Switch.)

There are more sequels to games that set the tone at launch too. Splatoon 3 is coming this summer, offering more of the same family-friendly multiplayer inky shooter fun. There’s also Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope – a sequel to Mario + Rabbids – a game that shouldn’t have worked, but did. It combined the Mushroom Kingdom and Mario with Ubisoft’s (pretty annoying) Rabbids and wrapped the whole proposition in surprisingly tight XCOM turn-based strategy gameplay. Sparks of Hope is likely to give us more of the same, but with extra characters, weapons and whatever else happens when two franchises clash.

The longest-running wait for a sequel has to be the Switch-exclusive Bayonetta 3. It was first announced back in 2017. Then we heard nothing. Then we complained after E3. Then a month later, a Nintendo Direct broadcast confirmed that Bayonetta 3 did indeed still exist and will be released in 2022. It offers a more mature flavor of action for the console, something that Nintendo hardware has often missed out on in the past.

Beyond the Nintendo mainstays and highly anticipated sequels, there’s more to get excited about, too. I’m a huge Advance Wars fan, and I’m still waiting on Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp to arrive this April. No Man’s Sky is also, somehow, being crammed into the Switch, while an Oxenfree sequel, Xenoblade Chronicles 3, Nintendo Switch Sports, a new Mario Strikers title, Fall Guys and, I hope at least, Hollow Knight: Silksong ensure there should be something for everyone, along with the inevitable Zelda sequel purchase.

Pessimists will argue that Nintendo has a reputation for pushing back its promised release dates and, well, that’s happened a few times. Nintendo, like many companies, faced production delays during these ‘unprecedented times’, but in its latest financial reports, both the Zelda sequel and Bayonetta 3 are still listed as “primary” launch titles for the Switch this year.

Just… forget about Metroid Prime 4 for this year. Your guess is as good as mine.

Nintendo’s return to form, after the miss that was the Wii U, has been impressive. The Switch, equal parts home console and handheld, has been a huge hit for the company and recently surpassed the Wii to become Nintendo’s best-selling console. The hardware — underpowered in specs compared to the competition — has proved flexible and powerful enough, and Nintendo has crushed it with the games. With Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which landed shortly after the console launched, players got not only the best Zelda game in years but arguably (don't come for me) the best Zelda game. Period.

To celebrate its fifth birthday, we’ve pulled together the best games that have cemented the Switch as the versatile, family-friendly console that’s still going strong. Who needs a Switch Pro?

(Me, I do.)

— Mat Smith

The biggest stories you might have missed

• ICANN says it won't kick Russia off the internet

• Amazon's Eero Pro 6 mesh WiFi system is $80 off for Prime members

• Elon Musk challenges UAW to hold a union vote at Tesla's California factory

• Kia unveils 'Automode' autonomous driving tech that will debut on the EV9 SUV

• OSOM's OV1 looks to pick up where the Essential Phone left off

• The best GPS running watches you can buy

• Netflix will let Pamela Anderson 'tell the real story' in new documentary

• CD Projekt Red will no longer sell games in Russia and Belarus

'Star Trek: Picard' enters the 25th century only to promptly ignore it

This season is for all those time-travel fans.

Paramount

The first season of Picard was controversial, to say the least. Many fans were happy to see old friends again; others weren’t so thrilled at the bleak future of Starfleet and the Federation. So Star Trek did what Star Trek does: time travel! Our early preview contains moderate spoilers for the first three episodes of Star Trek: Picard season two.

Continue reading.

Another Netflix production was robbed, this time on the set of 'Lupin'

Twenty masked thieves reportedly made off with $330,000 worth of equipment.

Netflix has been the victim of two big on-set robberies in two days. On February 24th, $200,000 worth of antique props were reportedly stolen after thieves broke into vehicles used for production of The Crown. And just a day later, 20 thieves with covered faces broke on to the set of Lupin, in a northwest Paris suburb. The thieves apparently set off mortar-style fireworks before making off with the equipment.

Continue reading.

Samsung may be throttling apps to save battery life on Galaxy phones

The company says it’s looking into reports.

Samsung may have limited the performance of a large number of apps on its Galaxy smartphones. There are claims it’s been using something called the Game Optimizing Service (GOS) to throttle up to 10,000 apps (likely to save battery life), including many that have nothing to do with gaming, like Netflix, TikTok and, er, Microsoft Office. However, it isn’t throttling benchmarking apps.

Continue reading.

A 'molecular drinks printer' claims to make anything from iced coffee to cocktails

Thousands of beverages at the press of a touchscreen.

Cana

A company called Cana has revealed what it's calling the planet's first "molecular beverage printer." The idea is that, using a single cartridge of flavorings, the machine can mix one of thousands of beverages, including juice, soft drinks, iced coffee, sports drinks, wine and cocktails. The notion seems to be it can manufacture most drinks from a water base, adding in what differentiates orange juice from, say, a latte. The system uses a "novel microfluidic liquid dispense technology" to mix the beverages. The pricing is unusual, too. After paying for the machine (early adopters can bag one for $499), you have to pay for each drink. Each costs between 29 cents and $3, though Cana claims the average price will be lower than bottled beverages at retailers.

Continue reading.

Sony and Honda have signed a memorandum of understanding to design and market electric vehicles together, the companies announced. The deal isn't final, but the aim is to establish a joint venture this year and start selling vehicles by 2025.

Honda would design, manufacture and market the first model, with Sony creating the mobility service platform. The idea is to marry Honda's car building and sales chops with Sony's infotainment, mobile and image sensor expertise. 

"Although Sony and Honda are companies that share many historical and cultural similarities, our areas of technological expertise are very different," said Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe. "Therefore, I believe this alliance which brings together the strengths of our two companies offers great possibilities for the future of mobility."

For Honda, the joint venture might help it achieve its goal of shifting its entire lineup to EVs by 2040. As it stands now, the company has one of the sparsest EV lineups of any automaker, with its only true EV sold in the west being the nichey, Europe-only Honda E.

Sony pitched the partnership as a bid to "fill the world with emotion through the power of creativity and technology." That likely means you can expect high-tech interiors and fancy entertainment systems designed to help you forget that you're stuck in rush-hour traffic. It added that it wants to create a mobility system "centered around safety, entertainment and adaptability."

The news doesn't come as a complete shock, as Sony has already showed not just one but two electric vehicles of its own design, the Vision-S EV and Vision-S 02 electric SUV. When it first appeared, the Vision-S was a showcase for all of Sony's strengths, packing 33 different sensors for 360 Reality Audio tech, wide-screen displays, autonomous driving and other features. Sony promised to debut a new company called Sony Mobility sometime this spring, but it looks like the Honda alliance will serve that purpose instead.

CD Projekt Red says it will stop selling its games until further notice in Russia and Belarus following the invasion of Ukraine. People in those two countries will no longer be able to buy the publisher's own games — such as Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — or any title from its GOG store.

"Today, we begin working with our partners to suspend digital sales and cease physical stock deliveries of CD PROJEKT Group products, as well as all games distributed on the GOG platform, to the territories of Russia and Belarus," CDPR wrote in a statement on Twitter. The publisher's games are sold on several digital platforms, including the Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo Switch stores, as well as Steam, Epic Games Store and Google Stadia.

In a note to investors, CDPR said that Russia and Belarus accounted for around 9.1 percent of sales of its games and titles on GOG over the last 12-month period.

CDPR said it "stands firm with the people of Ukraine." The day after the invasion started, It donated approximately $242,000 to a humanitarian group in support of the conflict's victims.

"While we are not a political entity capable of directly influencing state matters, and don’t aspire to be one, we do believe that commercial entities, when united, have the power to inspire global change in the hearts and minds of ordinary people," CDPR said. It acknowledged the decision will impact gamers in Russia and Belarus who aren't involved in the invasion and perhaps oppose it, "but with this action we wish to further galvanize the global community to speak about what is going on in the heart of Europe."

The move follows a request from Ukraine's vice prime minister for gaming companies to temporarily block player accounts in Russia and Belarus. EA Sports said on Wednesday it's removing Russian and Belarusian teams from FIFA and NHL games.

Console generations are generally thought to last about half a decade, which is what makes today’s Switch anniversary so momentous. Nintendo’s hybrid home-handheld console turns five today, and it shows no signs of slowing down: Though rumors persist, there’s no announced plans for a new console on the horizon. The most we’ve gotten are two redesigns — the Switch Lite and the OLED Switch — and the expansion of Nintendo Switch Online to include more classic console games. But while it’s certainly fun to revisit old favorites like Super Mario Bros., Kirby's Adventure and Earthbound, it’s the games made for the Switch that have captured the hearts of the Engadget crew, along with a few other titles that made their debuts elsewhere but really shined on Nintendo’s portable system.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Regular Engadget readers know there’s no way I would let a “favorite Switch games” post pass without even one Animal Crossing: New Horizons mention. I’ve been a huge fan since the game launched way back in March 2020, and the big update from last fall really rejuvenated my love for it by introducing a boatload of new features — enough for an entirely new game, if Nintendo has decided to go that route. But no, this was entirely free and new players are sure to get more than their money's worth as they work through it all.

The game certainly benefited from launching at the start of the pandemic, leaving millions stuck indoors with nothing to do. Animal Crossing’s bright colors and relaxed pace were exactly what people needed in stressful times. But in another reality, would New Horizons still have been a big hit? I’d say yes: The series has always been a big seller and New Horizons was a huge, accessible improvement on previous installments. Once I achieve the basic in-game goals I always tended in drift off in previous Animal Crossing titles, but New Horizons is interesting enough that I still play it regularly two years after its release. — Kris Naudus, Commerce Writer

Fire Emblem: Three Houses

Three Houses is an almost-perfect Fire Emblem game.

I'd been a fan of the series since its English-language debut on the Game Boy Advance, but like many, it was the 3DS games that really made it a firm favorite. 2013's Awakening was more accessible than anything that came before, softening the sometimes brutal difficulty curve, and expanding the support/ship system in clever ways. Fates in 2016 was a truly massive game that attempted to expand on everything Awakening did, but in doing so made the general experience weaker. There was a sense that the developers had ambitions that just couldn't be achieved on the 3DS.

Through the 3DS era, there was a growing schism inside the Fire Emblem series where the various mechanics and tones didn't quite gel. The move to the Switch for Fire Emblem: Three Houses restructures the game for the better. Centering things around "castle life" integrates relationship building, recruitment and battling in a way that just feels natural. And the way the game's multiple plot paths are handled is so, so, so much better than in Fates.

The battles themselves are probably the area with the most room for improvement. Generally there are only a handful of maps that require you to carefully think about your approach, and the difficulty is only softened by the ability to rewind moves if you mess up. It's rare that you actually encounter the series' signature permadeath mechanic, which on one hand means you really love all the characters by the time one of them dies, but on the other takes away a lot of the tension.

But yet, I pumped 215 hours into this game through 2019, driven by the cast of characters and the genuinely divergent story paths you can take. My final playthrough also introduced me to my favorite map in the game — the different paths actually have some genuinely different levels. At this point I think I've experienced everything the game has to offer, but after replaying Awakening and Fates during the various coronavirus lockdowns, just writing this has made me realize it's time to start Three Houses all over again. — Aaron Souppouris, Executive Editor

The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles

Playing DS back in the early 2000s was probably my peak gaming era, not just because I was working at a gaming company (Pokémon) but also because it was around then that I was introduced to various franchises and genres that would become lifetime interests for me. One was Animal Crossing, another was the Ace Attorney series. The DS wasn’t where the series first appeared, but it is where it was first released in the United States. I’ve played every installment since and am now a big fan of visual novels as a genre. However, I was disappointed when I heard the prequel series, Dai Gyakuten Saiban, was unlikely to get an American release due to the difficulty of localization.

Well, until last year when they went and released it anyway as The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles. And, while it doesn’t feature familiar faces and some gameplay techniques introduced in the previous titles, it still has plenty of new tricks and charm to offer both new and returning players. Instead of hiding the game’s Japanese origins, Great Ace Attorney embraces them fully, and the resulting experience is as rich as it is fulfilling. The story somehow has even more twists and turns than previous installments, and I like how everything weaves together into a cohesive whole by the end. I only wish I had time to play it last year so I could have included it among Engadget’s favorite games list of 2021. — K.N.

Hollow Knight

Hollow Knight wasn't a Switch exclusive, but after spending dozens of hours exploring the murky depths of Hollownest, I'll always feel like it's inextricably tied to Nintendo's handheld. It stands out from the crowded field of Metroidvanias (and the subset with Dark Souls elements), with its elegantly atmospheric aesthetic, gorgeous sprites and a soundtrack that evokes the melancholy of exploring a lost kingdom. It's tough, but unlike the Souls games, it never feels overtly punishing. (Can't beat a boss? Try exploring another corner of the map, collect some charms and upgrade your trusty Nail.)

What truly hooked me, though, was being able to take the experience of Hollow Knight anywhere. I played it on my couch when I should have been working, during flights across the world and while I was stuck with a newborn sleeping in my arms (a fun balancing act, for sure). While I could have played Hollow Knight earlier on my computer, or on vastly more powerful systems, the Switch ended up giving me a level of freedom I didn’t know I wanted. — Devindra Hardawar, Senior Reporter

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

It’s worth acknowledging that The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild didn’t invent the open world genre. But, it did bring the format to a series that was beginning to get too reliant on its formula of “explore a dungeon, use this item to beat dungeon boss, repeat.” Breath of the Wild instead offers players the ability to explore literally any corner of the world they can see in any order they choose. Even the short intro section on Hyrule’s Great Plateau offers very little in the way of guidance.

Zelda games have always encouraged exploration, despite the linear dungeon-based format, but Breath of the Wild took this to new heights. Hyrule is positively massive, on a scale unlike any prior game in the series, and the lack of traditional guidance means every player will have an entirely different experience with the game. I poured dozens of hours into Breath of the Wild when it came out and eventually beat the game’s main goal, but I’ve gone back to it on and off in the years since to keep finding more dungeons and challenges. I don’t think I’ll ever be done exploring this exquisitely rendered version of Hyrule. — Nathan Ingraham, Deputy Editor

Metroid Dread

Metroid Dread faced a tall order when it launched in late 2021. It was the first all-new Metroid game since 2010’s disappointing Metroid: Other M, and the first new mainline, side-scrolling game in the series since Metroid Fusion way back in 2002. Fortunately for Metroid fans, Nintendo pulled it off. Dread works just as well whether you’ve played all of Samus Aran’s earlier adventures or if it’s your first time giving the series a shot.

Developer MercurySteam kept the familiar Metroid loop of exploration that leads to new weapons that opens up new areas that were previously inaccessible, but it also added a major stealth element this time out. Some areas you explore are populated by an E.M.M.I. robot that you’ll need to avoid until you find the appropriate power-up to defeat it, and those robots can kill you in one hit. So sneaking around is key, but the game mercifully gives you plenty of opportunities to retreat to safe ground and reconsider your strategy. It adds a whole new wrinkle to Metroid Dread — but the game’s focus isn’t solely on stealth. There are plenty of monsters to battle, caverns to explore and huge bosses to take down. It’s the complete Metroid package, whether you’re new to the series or not. — N.I.

New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe

Super Mario Odyssey may be the Mario title that got the most attention in the last five years — but don’t sleep on the awkwardly titled New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe. If, like me, you grew up worshiping at the altar of Super Mario World, U Deluxe is the best side-scrolling Mario game Nintendo has released in decades. It’s right up there with all-time greats World and Super Mario Bros. 3.

The game was originally released for the Wii U, a system that got no traction in sales, so plenty of Switch owners had never experienced its joys when the game was released in 2019. And, while it’ll feel familiar if you’ve played any side-scrolling Mario game before, the level designs are fresh, the challenges are just the right amount of hard and the world looks just gorgeous. It doesn’t exactly break new ground, but New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe shows that the original Mario format still has a place in 2022. — N.I.

Sayonara Wild Hearts

Sayonara Wild Hearts was once described as "Give Carly Rae Jepsen a Sword: the Game." If that alone doesn't sell you on this gem, I don't know what will. It's an ultra-stylish fever dream of an arcade game tied to a killer pop soundtrack.

It should take just over an hour to propel through the 23 levels, which are packed with slick visuals and clever gameplay ideas that'll keep you on your toes. There's so much to take in that, if you're anything like me, you'll replay the whole thing at least a few times over (especially if you want to complete the Zodiac Riddle objectives).

There are some tricky sections, but Sayonara Wild Hearts is a forgiving game with a ton of checkpoints and an option to skip parts you might struggle with. The developers are determined to help you reach the emotional finale and find out whether the protagonist can repair her broken heart. It's absolutely a worthwhile journey. — Kris Holt, Contributing Reporter

Super Mario Maker 2

Super Mario Maker 2 did what Breath of the Wild couldn't. It convinced me to buy a Switch. As a lifelong Mario fan who didn't buy a Wii U to play the original Super Mario Maker, I wasn't going to miss out this time around.

I love knowing that, at any moment, I can pick up my Switch and play a Mario level I've never seen before. I might even be the first person (other than the creator) to try it. Sure, there are a ton of garbage stages filled with too many Bowsers, but it doesn't usually take long before I play one that puts a smile on my face.

I've dabbled in making levels, though there's only one I liked enough to share. It's a puzzle stage inspired by, of all things Marie Kondo. That's kind of fitting, given how many times Super Mario Maker 2 has sparked joy for me. — K.H.

Stardew Valley

Of all the Switch games I’ve played, Stardew Valley is one of the very few that I continuously go back to — particularly when I need some “me” time. Growing up, I spent a lot of time playing games like Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life, so Stardew fills that hole for me now as an adult. I love the repetitive humdrum of building my farm up from nothing, cultivating a pleasant little green space where my character and all their chickens, rabbits, cows and goats can flourish. Harvesting pumpkins, strawberries and corn has never been more satisfying, and I’m always eager for the change of seasons when I can kick the dirt up on all of my plots and start fresh with a plethora of new veggie and fruit seeds.

There are a ton of side storylines and quests to complete, and I love that I can do them on my own time, or not at all. Maybe I spent too much time tending to my cows and sheep and missed the deadline to deliver a bunch of leeks to Evelyn. It’s OK, she won’t hold it against me… too much. And when I feel the urge to get a little dangerous, there are plenty of mine levels to explore with treasure to discover, monsters to defeat and prismatic shards to desperately search for. However, Stardew doesn’t have the highest of stakes, and sometimes I’m in the mood for tougher battles and the possibility of death (preferably by Lynels). But nothing beats going back to the farm that you built from scratch and picking up where you left off once again. After all, there’s always something more to do. — Valentina Palladino, Commerce Editor