Hogwarts Legacy has officially launched, allowing wizarding fans the chance to enter their own magical fantasy. The open-world RPG is set in the Harry Potter universe, and it seems like the game that many fans of the books have long hoped for.
The new game from developer Avalanche Software lets playersexperience the famed school of witchcraft and wizardry as a student in the 1800s, before the events of the Harry Potter books. Here are some basic things to know about Hogwarts Legacy, including when you can snag a copy depending on your platform.
What’s the story?
Hogwarts Legacy players will “embark on a dangerous journey to uncover a hidden truth of the wizarding world,” according to the game’s website. You can explore Hogwarts Castle, where you attend classes. You can also go beyond it to new and familiar locations, per the website.
You can customize your character, choose a Hogwarts house and grow your magical abilities by brewing potions, mastering spells and taming beasts. Hogwarts Legacy sticks to the lore but doesn’t adapt the Harry Potter books and films.
What systems can I play Hogwarts Legacy on?
PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC versions of the game launched on Feb. 10. Those looking to play the PS4 and Xbox One versions will, unfortunately, need to wait until April 4.
Nintendo Switch users will have to hang on even longer, until July 25, to play Hogwarts Legacy.
The game was first announced in 2020, and its release dates have changed three times. It’s published by Warner Bros. Games under its Portkey Games label.
Is there early access?
The Deluxe Edition or Digital Deluxe Edition for PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC included 72 hours of early access, starting Feb. 7.
The PS4 and Xbox One versions won’t have an early access period.
Where can I buy Hogwarts Legacy?
If you’re interested in the Standard Edition, you can buy the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S versions from stores, including GameStop, Amazon and Best Buy for $70 (about 57, AU$99). You can preorder the PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch versions from those stores for $60 (roughly 49, $AU85). The PC version is available for $60 at Steam and the Epic Games store.
You can view more ways to purchase Hogwarts Legacy (including how to buy the Deluxe Edition) on the game’s website. The Collector’s Edition has already sold out, but you may be able to find it online for a markup. The official site breaks down what comes with each edition.
What are critics saying?
The game has a Metacritic score of 84 on PS5. (The score is higher on Xbox Series X|S, and a bit lower on PC, but the PS5 score is based on the most reviews, 84.)
CNET critic Sean Keane played the PS5 version and writes in a positive review that “it captures the wonder of the early books, with an intriguing original narrative, engagingly varied gameplay and intricately designed world to explore.”
J.K. Rowling and Hogwarts Legacy
The game’s connection to Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling has led her critics to call for a boycott, according to The Week. Over the past few years, Rowling has repeatedly made comments that mocked transgender individuals and infuriated trans advocates.
The Hogwarts Legacy website notes that Rowling isn’t involved in the creation of Hogwarts Legacy. But her writing is the foundation for the project and she still makes money off of sales.
Your iPhone already has thousands of emoji, but you’ll soon get even more. The first iOS 16.4 beta included 31 new iPhone emoji that beta testers could use, and as soon as iOS 16.4 releases to the public, others will be able to use, too.
The new emoji include a shaking-head smiley, animals like a donkey, moose and a goose, and additional heart colors, including plain pink and light blue. The plain pink heart has been a long-sought emoji, according to Emojipedia, which named it one of the site’s top emoji requests in 2015. Last year’s significant emoji drop in iOS 15.4 included a melting face, a biting lip and a pregnant man, with 37 new designs in total.
A moose, donkey and goose are some of the new emoji iPhone users might see soon.
Emojipedia
Emojipedia said the new emoji came from Unicode’s September 2022 recommendation list, Emoji 15.0.
There isn’t any word yet on when the new emoji will be available across iOS devices, and the designs of the new emoji might change between now and their final release on iOS.
Apple issued a handful of bug fixes and patches with the release of iOS 16.3.1 on Feb. 13, a few weeks after the release of new features in iOS 16.3 in January.
However, these top phones come with huge price tags that make them out of reach for many of us. Worry not. Even if you’ve got an older iPhone or Android phone or a budget-focused model without all the bells and whistles, there’s a lot you can do to still take beautiful images. After all, as any photographer will tell you, it’s not just the best camera that takes the best photos.
Still, you’ll need to put in some effort yourself to elevate your shots from simple “ho hum” snaps to “oh, wow!” pieces of art.
Here, then, are my top tips for how to get the best images from an older iPhone, Galaxy phone or any older Android phone.
In this shot, taken on the iPhone X, the road snaking its way into the frame helps to add a leading line that guides the eye up toward the cloudy mountains.
Andrew Lanxon/CNET
Nail your composition
You can take a photo using the most advanced camera system on the planet, but if you’ve messed up your framing, you’ll still get a bad photo. After all, if you’re taking a photo of a lovely church and you manage to chop off the spire, no amount of editing will bring it back.
Don’t just snap away wildly at your photo location. Instead, slow down, walk around and consider the scene in front of you and how you want it to appear in your shot. Taking a landscape shot? Look for leading lines such as pathways or old stone walls that snake their way into the scene. Or perhaps there’s some interesting rocks or flowers that could add some interest in the foreground.
Taken on the Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus. I used the curving rock face as foreground interest, shooting through the gap that points toward the reservoir in the distance.
Andrew Lanxon/CNET
You can also turn on a “rule of thirds” grid overlay in the settings to help line up the different elements in your scene in a visually pleasing way — or simply to help keep your horizons straight.
If you’ve got multiple rear cameras that offer a zoomed-in or wide-angle view, experiment with these different options. Maybe zooming in can help eliminate distracting elements, or perhaps that wider view can capture more of the beautiful scene in front of you.
With no wide-angle lens on the iPhone 11 Pro, I used the panorama mode to capture a much wider scene here.
Andrew Lanxon/CNET
If you don’t have a wide-angle view, try using the panorama mode to get a wider shot than the standard camera can achieve — or use clip-on lenses, as I discuss below.
Tell a story
The most impactful, iconic images through the years aren’t simply the ones taken with the best camera, but the ones that tell a particular story or capture a moment in time. And sure, maybe you’re not trying to win a photojournalism prize on your summer vacation, but thinking like a photojournalist can help you take images that you’ll want to look back on in years to come.
Perhaps you’re heading to the beautiful Italian coast this year. Of course, you’ll get a nice snap of the ocean from your hotel terrace, but keep in mind what else has made your trip so memorable; the plates of delicious food, the old, dusty streets, the musician playing in the square or the vibrant colors of the fruits and flower stands at the local market. All these elements will make for great photos that capture the heart of the location and tell a great visual story when you look back through them.
This beautiful, shaggy Highland cow wasn’t the reason I visited Scotland, but this was a great opportunity to capture an image of an iconic animal. And the shot really adds to the story told by the images I took on that trip. Taken on the iPhone 11 Pro.
Andrew Lanxon/CNET
And it doesn’t have to be something you do only on a big family vacation. A weekend walk downtown to the street-food market will offer up great storytelling opportunities, from the graffiti art you see along the way to the plates of vibrant cuisine you choose on arrival. And none of these things require the latest camera hardware to capture beautifully.
Use the light to your advantage
Though today’s top phones can take great nighttime images, older models likely won’t have night modes. As a result, darkness won’t be your friend when you’re trying to get great images. If you’re heading to a viewpoint overlooking the city, try to get there during the day, perhaps when there’s a lovely blue sky sprinkled with fluffy clouds.
Though the middle of the day isn’t always a great time for landscape photos, you might capture moments of peace like this. Taken on the iPhone X.
Andrew Lanxon/CNET
Middle-of-the-day photography is often avoided by landscape photographers because of its harsh quality, but if you’re exploring city streets, it can offer some great opportunities to look for contrast caused by shadows, which could make for dramatic images.
No multi-camera iPhone? Use clip-on lenses
Older iPhones might lack the multiple lenses found on the most recent models, but you don’t just have to make do. Companies like Moment and Olloclip make lenses that attach to your phone, providing wide-angle, telephoto and even macro views.
Using its standard lens (left) the iPhone X can only fit so much in frame. But with the Moment wide angle adapter (right) we get a much wider view.
Andrew Lanxon/CNET
Sure, you have to carry an extra little item in your bag or pocket as you explore, but adding a clip-on lens is a great way to get a superwide view for those sweeping cityscapes without having to splash the cash in upgrading your phone.
Shoot in DNG raw, even on old phones
Apple’s ProRaw image format, introduced on the iPhone 12 Pro Max, uses computational imaging techniques like HDR but still provides you with a DNG raw file that’s much easier to edit in apps like Adobe Lightroom. It isn’t a function found on older iPhones, but those of you on older phones can still shoot in regular raw if you’re keen to do your own edits.
You can’t shoot in DNG raw in the standard camera mode, so you’ll need to use a third-party camera app that offers raw shooting. I usually use Lightroom itself, as its camera shoots in raw and automatically imports the images into your library. But I’ve also had good results with the Moment app.
By shooting in DNG raw, I had even more flexibility in Adobe Lightroom to make this portrait of my sweet bundle of beautiful wonder look even more heartacheingly gorgeous.
Andrew Lanxon/CNET
Shooting in raw allows you more flexibility to adjust white balance and color tones while generally making it easier to tone down bright highlights or lighten up shadowy areas. Those of you looking to squeeze every ounce of quality from your phone camera should consider using raw — as long as you’re willing to spend the time editing.
Keep in mind, though, that raw files are larger than their JPEG counterparts, so you’ll quickly fill up your phone’s storage if you shoot everything you see in raw.
Get creative with editing apps
Taking your photo is only part of the process, and a keen eye in the editing stage can make all the difference in creating beautiful photographic art. If you want to maintain a more natural looking photograph, look toward apps like Lightroom or Google’s Snapseed. These raw image editors give you control over colors, exposure and contrast and let you fine-tune your images to suit your taste.
Edited in Prisma, the abstract art style means it doesn’t matter if the original image isn’t amazing quality.
Andrew Lanxon/CNET
Or you can take your creativity to a whole other level with apps like Prisma, which transforms your shots into often psychedelic-looking scenes, or Bazaart, which lets you easily create wild photo collages that can look really cool. You can check out my roundup of my favorite image editing apps for more inspiration.
The great thing with editing is that there’s no right or wrong way to do things, and you can always go back to your original image if you don’t like the changes you made. But using some of these techniques can turn an otherwise forgettable shot into something that really stands out. My advice is to make a cup of tea, settle into a comfy chair and play around with the sliders in your app of choice and see what you can come up with.
With the highly anticipated Super Mario Bros. movie hitting theaters in just a few weeks, it’s a great time to be a Nintendo fan. And if you want to get ready for the release by picking up some of the latest Mario games, we’ve got some deals you won’t want to miss. This Friday, March 10, is known as “Mario Day,” and Amazon has kicked off the celebration a little early by offering up to 40% off tons of the latest Mario games for the Switch. We expect these discounts to stick around until the weekend, and there’s a good chance we’ll see even more bargains pop up in the coming days. Many of these offers have also been matched at Target and GameStop.
It’s pretty rare to see first-party Nintendo games on sale, but there are almost a dozen different Mario titles you can pick up for less at this sale. If you’re after the classic side-scrolling experience, you can pick up New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe for $39, $21 off the usual price. There are tons of different playable characters, whether you’re gaming solo or with friends, including some that offer extra assistance and tips so even younger and less experienced players can get in on the action.
Or, if you’re looking for multiplayer mayhem, you can grab Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, which is also on sale for $39. It supports up to four-person local multiplayer, and comes with 48 different courses for hours of competitive fun. And if you’re looking to take your racing off the screen, you can pick up the Mario set of Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit for $60, which saves you $40 compared to the usual price. This game comes with a real-life RC kart that you can control with your Nintendo Switch, plus gates so you can build a custom track around your home.
There are plenty of other games on sale, and there’s a good chance that Amazon, Target, GameStop and other retailers will be adding more deals as we get closer to Mario Day, so be sure to check our deals page throughout the week for even more bargains.
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Microsoft on Monday announced the launch of its Dynamics 365 Copilot, a new artificial intelligence tool meant to handle various business tasks.
“Dynamics 365 Copilot takes advantage of recent advancements in generative AI to automate these tedious tasks and unlock the full creativity of the workforce,” the company wrote.
According to Microsoft, Dynamics 365 Copilot can help write email responses to customers, draft answers to questions for both email and chat, and create an email summary of a Teams meeting in Outlook. The tool can also be used to easily make online product listings and to warn users about supply chain issues like weather.
These features are in preview in Dynamics 365 applications and Microsoft Viva Sales, according to Emily He, corporate vice president of business applications marketing.
This is not the first time Microsoft has used the term “copilot” in relation to its AI technology. When it announced in February that Bing was incorporating AI, the company said the search engine is now an “AI-powered co-pilot for the web.” This term implies the AI isn’t driving the search — or the business tasks Dynamics 365 Copilot will handle — the user is.
Editors’ note: CNET is using an AI engine to create some personal finance explainers that are edited and fact-checked by our editors. For more, see this post.
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The Galaxy Z Fold 4 is one of the latest and greatest phones in Samsung’s lineup, and while there are plenty of Z Fold 4 deals you can take advantage of right now, most involve a lengthy carrier contract or require you to trade in a recent phone to save. If you prefer to own your phone outright, Amazon is offering a chance to get your hands on one of these sleek Samsung foldables at a near-20% discount. Right now, the online retailer is offering $350 off all configurations, dropping the 256GB model down to $1,450 and the 512GB model down to $1,570.
Powered by a Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 processor and packing 12GB of RAM, the book-style foldable has been redesigned with a slimmer, more durable hinge and lighter overall weight than its predecessor.
There’s a 6.2-inch outer AMOLED display and a 7.6-inch inner AMOLED display, both of which offer a 120Hz refresh rate. One huge upgrade comes in the camera department, with an array that now includes a 50-megapixel main camera, 12-megapixel ultrawide camera and 10-megapixel telephoto camera.
There’s no set expiration on this deal, so there’s no guaranteeing how long it will be available. However, deals on unlocked models of the latest phones rarely last for too long, so we’d recommend getting your order in as soon as you can if you’re hoping to snag a phone at this price.
If you prefer the look (and starting price) of the more compact Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4, you can save on one of those at Amazon with unlocked models seeing $100 off there.
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Tablets are a great way to get anything computer-related done without the bulkiness a full-size laptop. Even if you just prefer to play games or read books on your tablet, the convenience and ease of use are enough to tempt anyone into investing in one.
We’re always on the lookout for deals on good tablets and right now, some of our favorite tablets for 2023 are on sale at Amazon. The online retailer is offering up to 40% off a huge selection of its Fire tablets, including some models that are designed specifically for kids. There’s no set expiration for these deals, so there’s no telling how long they’ll be available. We’d recommend getting your order in sooner rather than later if you don’t want to miss out on these savings.
Prices start at just $60 at this sale, which saves you $40 on the latest Amazon Fire HD 8 tablet with an 8-inch HD display and 32GB of storage. The tablet comes in black, blue or pink. If you opt to expand the storage to 64GB, you can get it for $90 (save $40).
Along the same lines, you can grab the Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus with 32GB of storage for $80 (save $30) or the Fire HD 8 Plus tablet with 64GB of storage for $100 (save $55). If you want a slightly bigger screen, there’s also the Amazon Fire HD 10 tablets with 1080p displays. The Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet with 32GB of storage will set you back $120 (save $30); the Amazon Fire HD 10 Plus costs $140, saving you $40.
Amazon is also discounting the child-friendly version of its tablets, which come with a kid-proof case and a two-year guarantee against any breakages, plus a year of Amazon Kids Plus content. Prices start at $70 ($40 off) for the Fire 7 Kids, and range up to $160 ($40 off) for the Fire HD 10 Kids Pro, which is designed for older kids and teens.
You can also check out our roundup of all the best tablet deals out there for even more bargains.
Which tablets have the best price?
Use our CNET Shopping extension to compare top products or find coupon codes before buying your next tablet.
Beats makes some of our absolute favorite wireless earbuds on the market right now, both when it comes to sound-quality and as earbuds for working out in. But since the company is owned by Apple, Beats earbuds have the same drawback as all Apple products — they’re pricey, and not always easy to find at a discount. But right now, Amazon is offering a rare chance to pick up a pair of Beats headphones on sale with up to 30% off regular prices. There’s no clear-cut expiration on these deals, but discounts on earbuds this popular rarely last for long. We’d recommend getting your order in sooner rather than later if you’re hoping to grab a pair at this price.
CNET reviewer David Carnoy compared the Beats Studio Buds to a stemless version of Apple’s popular AirPods, and they’re a great pick if you want a pair of earbuds for everyday use. They have active noise canceling and a transparency mode when you need to be aware of your surroundings, an IPX4 water-resistance rating and a battery life of up to 24 hours on a single charge. Right now, you can grab several colors on sale for $110, which is 20% off the usual price.
Or, if you’re looking for some earbuds that are a little more advanced, you can grab a pair of Beats Fit Pros — our overall favorite pair of earbuds for working out in. They have the same IPX4 water- and sweat-resistance as the Studio Buds above, but also feature flexible wingtips that help them fit in your ears more securely so you can use them on runs or at the gym. They also support active noise canceling and spatial audio, and are equipped with the same H1 chip as the AirPods Pro for seamless connectivity with Apple devices. They list for $200, but right now you can all colors are discounted to $160, including the special-edition Kim Kardashian variants and the recently-released yellow, blue and pink options.
And if you need earbuds that can handle even your most extreme adventures, you can save $70 on a pair of Powerbeats Pro, dropping the price down to $180. They’re one of our favorite pairs of earbuds with ear hooks, which will keep them in place even during intense activities like mountain biking or trail running where you’re getting jostled around quite a bit. They don’t have noise-canceling capabilities like the two pairs above, but they do boast spatial audio support, an auto play/pause feature that can detect when you remove an earbud and built-in voice-activated Siri assistance. They also have the same H1 chip as the Beats Fit Pros, and have a battery life of up to 24 hours with the charging case.
On the cheaper end, the Beats Flex earbuds are 30% off, down to their best price of the year at $49. These neckband-style earbuds pack in a ton of great AirPods-like features, plus some unique capabilities enabled by the neckband design like in-line controls and auto-pausing when the earbuds are removed. You’ll get up to 12 hours per charge with the Beats Flex and the built-in USB-C port allows for fast charging that can get you 90 minutes of playback from just 10 minutes on the charger.
It’s a brand-new season for F1 racing and superstar Max Verstappen. After an unprecedented run to the 2022 F1 Drivers’ Championship, all eyes are on Verstappen and his Red Bull team. Charles Leclerc and Ferrari are looking to close the gap this season, while Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes are hoping to rebound after a difficult 2022.
Daniel Ricciardo, a fan-favorite Australian racer, will not have a seat for the 2023 season. He was released from his contract at McLaren after a rough two years. This offseason, he signed on as a reserve driver for Red Bull — with whom he found success earlier in his career — in hopes of clawing back a full-time ride in 2024.
The 2023 season features a record 23 races, with the brand-new Las Vegas Grand Prix entering the mix. The US will now host three F1 races this season for the first time: in Austin, Miami and Vegas. The latter will be held at night on a newly created road course that will see F1 drivers roar around the Vegas Strip.
The Bahrain GP, the first race of the season, will be held today at 9:55 a.m. ET (6:55 a.m. PT) on ESPN.
The entire race weekend, including practice sessions and qualifying, will be shown in the US on ESPN’s family of television networks. Those looking to follow all the drama will need access to ABC, ESPN, ESPN 2 and ESPNews to catch every second of the action.
No single provider has exclusive rights to the network, so there are plenty of ways to get ESPN and watch the races without cable. We’ve broken down everything you need to know in order to stream today’s race, and all the other F1 races this season.
The 2023 F1 season is about to begin.
Mario Renzi/Formula 1/Getty Images
What is F1 and how is it different from IndyCar?
Both IndyCar and F1 are open-wheeled, single-seater racing formats. This means that the cars can only fit one person and have uncovered wheels that protrude from the body of the vehicle. Despite their basic similarities, F1 and IndyCar offer very different experiences.
In F1, there are only 10 teams, with two drivers apiece for a total of 20 drivers. Most races must go for 305 km, which is about 190 miles. Each driver needs to use two different tires in the race, so a pit stop is mandatory, though cars are not allowed to refuel. Races average around two hours in length and are held at venues all over the world.
Teams spend hundreds of millions of dollars each year developing their cars. All cars must have certain elements — for example, gearboxes must have eight gears plus a reverse and last for six consecutive races — but teams have leeway to tweak and change some parts of their car, including their engines, in the pursuit of speed.
In contrast, the cars featured in IndyCar are more standardized. They all have the same aerodynamic kit and chassis and can only be powered by one of two engines — either a Honda or a Chevrolet. That said, teams are allowed to develop some of their own parts, like dampers and some of their suspensions.
IndyCar races occur on a wide range of tracks, from fast ovals to road and street courses. The length of the races also varies, with some, like the Indianapolis 500, lasting 500 laps and taking over three hours to complete. Not surprisingly, refueling during pit stops is a big part of the strategy during IndyCar races. Teams can field more than two cars, meaning that the amount of drivers on the grid fluctuates from race to race.
IndyCar is mostly considered an American sport and does not have the same level of money and glamour associated with it compared to the globe-hopping F1 circuit.
Why should I care about F1?
F1 races might best be described as a sort of action-packed chess match that takes place while drivers are throttling around a track at close to 200 mph. Teams need both strategy and skill to compete against some of the best minds in motorsports.
F1 is also full of strong personalities. The Netflix documentary series F1: Drive to Survive follows many of the teams and drivers over the course of a year and has helped raise the profile of the sport in the US. Released this month, season 5 of the series chronicles last year’s rise of Red Bull and Verstappen and its effect on the other drivers. It also focuses on the internal battles between drivers on the same team, while giving viewers a peek into the tense, pressurized world of elite racing.
Does F1 stream on ESPN Plus?
ESPN does not air any F1 coverage on its ESPN Plus streaming service. If you want to watch the practices or races you will need a television provider of some kind or to pay for F1’s $80 per season TV Pro subscription.
When, where and what time are the races?
Races are held on Sunday and are usually spaced two weeks apart. Here’s the entire schedule, all times ET:
F1 2023 schedule
Date
Race
Time
March 5
Bahrain GP
10 a.m. ET
March 19
Saudi Arabian GP
1 p.m. ET
April 2
Australian GP
1 a.m. ET
April 30
Azerbaijan GP
7 a.m. ET
May 7
Miami GP
3:30 p.m. ET
May 21
Romagna GP
9 a.m. ET
May 28
Monaco GP
9 a.m. ET
June 4
Spanish GP
9 a.m. ET
June 18
Canadian GP
2 p.m. ET
July 2
Austrian GP
9 a.m. ET
July 9
British GP
10 a.m. ET
July 23
Hungarian GP
9 a.m. ET
July 30
Belgian GP
9 a.m. ET
Aug. 27
Dutch GP
9 a.m. ET
Sept. 3
Italian GP
9 a.m. ET
Sept. 17
Singapore GP
8 a.m. ET
Sept. 24
Japanese GP
1 a.m. ET
Oct. 8
Qatar GP
1 p.m. ET
Oct. 22
United States GP
3 p.m. ET
Oct. 29
Mexican GP
4 p.m. ET
Nov. 5
Brazil GP
12 p.m. ET
Nov. 19
Las Vegas GP
1 a.m. ET
Nov. 26
Abu Dhabi GP
8 a.m ET
How to watch F1 online from anywhere using a VPN
If you find yourself unable to view the game locally, you may need a different way to watch the game — that’s where using a VPN can come in handy. A VPN is also the best way to stop your ISP from throttling your speeds on game day by encrypting your traffic, and it’s also a great idea if you’re traveling and find yourself connected to a Wi-Fi network, and you want to add an extra layer of privacy for your devices and logins.
With a VPN, you’re able to virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to get access to the game. Most VPNs, like our Editors’ Choice, ExpressVPN, make it really easy to do this.
Using a VPN to watch or stream sports is legal in any country where VPNs are legal, including the US, UK and Canada, as long as you have a legitimate subscription to the service you’re streaming. You should be sure your VPN is set up correctly to prevent leaks: Even where VPNs are legal, the streaming service may terminate the account of anyone it deems to be circumventing correctly applied blackout restrictions.
Looking for other options? Be sure to check out some of the other great VPN deals taking place right now.
ExpressVPN is our current best VPN pick for people who want a reliable and safe VPN, and it works on a variety of devices. It’s normally $13 per month, and you can sign up for ExpressVPN and save 49% plus get three months of access for free — the equivalent of $6.67 per month — if you get an annual subscription.
Note that ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee
F1 in the UK is shown on Sky Sports and Channel 4 — Sky Sports airs the races, while Channel 4 gets practice rounds and qualifying. If you already have Sky Sports as part of your TV package, you can stream the game via its app, but cord-cutters will need to get the Sky Entertainment and Netflix package starting at 26 per month, plus an additional 20 per month to include Sky Sports.
Those in the UK will need Sky Sports to watch F1 racing in 2023. Those who subscribe to Sky will need the Complete Sports package or the 18 a month Sky Sports F1 package in order to get the games.
Cord-cutters will need to spend 46 a month to get the Sky Entertainment and Netflix package, along with the Sky Sports bundle.
Best options for streaming in the US without cable
Race weekends normally start on Friday with multiple practice runs and continue on Saturday with qualifying. The races themselves take place Sunday. ESPN typically airs practices and qualifying on a mix of ESPN 2 and ESPNews, while the races tend to air on ESPN. F1 events in North America often land on ABC.
Here are some of the best ways to catch the entire race weekend without cable.
You can catch the entire race weekend with a subscription to YouTube TV. ABC, ESPN, ESPN 2 and ESPNews are all included in the package, which means you’ll have all the channels you need in order to watch every second of the action.
Hulu Plus Live TV is a little more expensive than YouTube TV, but it also offers all the channels you need to watch every second of race weekend. As an added bonus, Hulu Plus Live TV comes with the rest of the Disney Bundle, which includes a subscription to Disney Plus, as well as ESPN Plus. F1 races don’t air on ESPN Plus, but the service offers a ton of other content for die-hard sports fans.
Sling TV’s $40 Orange plan might be a good choice for F1 fans who are primarily looking to just watch the races on Sundays. This plan is one of the cheapest ways to get access to ESPN and ESPN 2. Those looking for ESPNews will have to opt for the $11 Sports Extra ad-on. Sling TV lacks ABC, which could be a problem for fans hoping to catch the F1 races in North America.
FuboTV costs $75 per month and includes ABC, ESPN and ESPN 2. The base package lacks ESPNews, but you can add it for an extra $8 a month with the Fubo Extra Package or pay for the $85-a-month Elite streaming tier that includes Fubo Extra. Check out which local networks FuboTV offers here.
DirecTV Stream is the most expensive live TV streaming service. Its cheapest, $75-a-month Plus package includes ESPN, ESPN 2 and ABC, but you’ll need to move up to the $100-a-month Choice plan to get ESPNews. You can use its channel lookup tool to see which local channels are available in your area.
For gearheads looking to get every angle on the action, F1 offers its own streaming service. F1 TV Pro costs $80 per season and gives fans access to all races from F1, F2, F3 and Porsche Supercup. You’ll be able to livestream every track session from all F1 Grands Prix and have access to all driver onboard cameras and team radios. You’ll also be able to watch full on-demand races, replays and highlights, along with F1’s historic race archive.
F1 also offers a TV Access Plan for $27 per year, which only gives you on-demand access to races once they have been completed. Users will still be able to view all F1 onboard cameras, along with full replays of F1, F2, F3 and Porsche Supercup. It also includes the historic race archive.
I’d like to think I’m pretty good with a Mac. I mean, I’ve consistently used one for over a decade. Yet there always seems to be a noteworthy feature I find out about later than everyone else — like Safari’s somewhat hidden Picture-in-Picture mode, also known as PiP.
Suppose there’s a video playing in your web browser. Whether it’s on YouTube or even CNET, you can enable PiP to create a floating window of that video and move it around your screen, so you can surf the web and visit other websites while you watch. There are several ways to enable PiP, which I’ll show you below.
If a video is playing in Safari, go to the address bar at the top of the window, right-click the blue audio button on the right of the website address and click Enter Picture in Picture. The video will then automatically move to a floating window.
You can also mute the tab and configure auto-play settings from here.
Nelson Aguilar/CNET
The floating window playing the video will appear above all other open applications, including Safari, and will snap into any of the four corners of your desktop. You can adjust the size by hovering the mouse over the window’s borders and corners and then clicking and dragging to make it bigger or smaller.
The window also has two buttons: One to pause/play the video and the other to snap the floating window back into the web browser. You can also just close the floating window with the X button on the top left.
The floating video window can be moved and resized across your desktop.
Nelson Aguilar/CNET
There are two other ways to enable Picture in Picture on MacOS
If you don’t see the blue audio button in the address bar or have multiple videos playing in Safari, there are two other ways to use Picture in Picture.
The first is by clicking the PiP button in the video’s playback controls. Not every video player will have the PiP button, so you’re limited in use. The PiP button appears as two rectangles with an arrow pointing from one to the other, but you can also just hover your mouse over the various buttons to find the Open Picture in Picture mode option.
You’ll find Picture in Picture between the AirPlay and Full Screen buttons on YouTube.
Nelson Aguilar/CNET
If you don’t see a PiP button, you can right-click the video and see if you get an Enter Picture in Picture option. On YouTube, you have to right-click twice to get the correct menu, but you may only need to right-click once on other websites to find the PiP setting.
You can also use this menu to enter full screen and show the video player’s controls.
