An Xbox Game Pass subscriptionis almost essential for Xbox owners. The service, which runs $10 to $15 a month, not only includes a large, ever-changing catalog of games to download and play, but also bundles access to online multiplayer services. Each month, Microsoft adds new games to the service, and in November, an indie hit is leading the pack.
If you’re on the fence about Game Pass, or just looking for some suggestions about what to play, below are some recent and classic favorites on the service.
Madden NFL 23 might not be the best-reviewed Madden games, but it made its way to Game Pass for PC and Xbox consoles just days before Super Bowl LVII. Subscribers can find out for themselves if the Philadelphia Eagles or the Kansas City Chiefs will win the big game before this Sunday, although a simulation of the game predicts the Eagles will win 31-17.
Game Pass has evolved far beyond its Xbox-bound origins to become a subscription that delivers something for everyone who plays games, and now encompasses console and PC game downloads, access to online multiplayer services, a deal with gaming giant EA and a cloud-based service that streams games to nearly any device.
Microsoft offers several versions, but because of how the features are sliced up between them, only the $15-per-month Ultimate plan, with all the benefits detailed above, really makes sense. Read our Xbox Game Pass review.
Love, Vikings and revenge are some of the most popular themes in anime this February. A limited screening of Kaguya-sama: Love Is War — The First Kiss That Never Ends hits theaters on Valentine’s Day, but you can indulge in plenty of adventure, action or lighthearted anime right at home.
Here’s a look at what to stream this month on Crunchyroll, Netflix and other streaming services.
The Trigun Stampede reboot hit Crunchyroll on Jan. 7 and features Vash the Stampede, Millions Knives, Rem Saverem and a character called Roberto de Niro on a new set of adventures. The 12 episodes air on Saturdays at 8:30 a.m. PT (11:30 a.m. ET).
Nothing says love like heavy metal and red pandas. Retsuko is back to complete her journey in this final installment of Aggretsuko. Who will she wind up with in the love department? Is she going to go into politics? Stream the last season on Netflix, and make sure to turn up the volume to catch the death metal vibes.
My Hero Academia Season 6
Shigaraki seems unstoppable on his latest rage-filled mayhem mission, and the stakes are high for our beloved Izuku “Deku” Midoriya, U.A. High and the pro superheroes. New quirks, new challenges and a new war will keep you glued to My Hero Academia. This season is a must-see, and the show airs on Hulu or Crunchyroll on Saturdays at 2:30 a.m. PT (5:30 a.m. ET) with the dubbed version dropping at 12 p.m. PT (3 p.m. ET). Watch the latest installment into March 2023.
NieR: Automata Ver1.1a
An adaptation based on the video game NieR: Automata, the new anime series takes viewers to the year 5012, when aliens nearly wiped out humans. Androids help mankind in their fight to reclaim the planet, which is full of curious and unusual phenomena. The series launched Jan. 7 at 9:30 a.m. PT (12:30 p.m. ET) on Crunchyroll and is made up of two parts that are 12 episodes each.
Vinland Saga Season 2
After leaving viewers with a cliff-hanger in season 1, Vinland Saga returned on Jan. 9. Follow Thorfinn on a new quest, where he seeks salvation and peace after Askeladd’s death. Praised for its dynamic characters and Viking-themed storytelling, the series streams new episodes on Netflix and Crunchyroll each Monday.
The popular anime series returned to TV on Jan. 7 with the Christmas Showdown arc. The story dives into the beef between the Tokyo Manji Gang and the Black Dragons. Watch Takemichi, Hakkai and Taiju maneuver and fight when Tokyo Revengers streams on Hulu.
This anime anthology is adapted from Junji Ito’s popular horror manga, and landed on Netflix in January. Watch stories like Hanging Balloon come to life on the small screen, along with more than 15 other tales. If you missed it last month, stream all 18 episodes in season 1 now.
Tomo-chan Is a Girl!
If you want to check out a rom-com this month, get into Tomo-chan Is a Girl! on Crunchyroll. The story follows Tomo, a tomboy who’s crushing on her childhood friend Junichiro. He looks at her only like one of his bros, and she has trouble revealing her feelings. The series airs each Wednesday at 10 a.m. PT (1 p.m. ET) on Crunchyroll.
To Your Eternity Season 2
To Your Eternity comes back with more melancholy and compelling storytelling about Fushi’s struggles as a shape-shifting immortal. This time, he can’t keep his commitment to solitude when he faces the Nokkers and needs help to do it. To Your Eternity season 2 features 20 episodes and began streaming on Crunchyroll on Oct. 23 at 5:30 a.m. PT (8:30 a.m. ET). The series will wrap on March 5.
Don’t be fooled by the dark imagery in the trailer for The Eminence in Shadow, because the series falls in the lighthearted lane. Follow the coolest kid on the block, Cid Kagenou, on his quest to protect the world with his imaginary shadow organization against imaginary bad guys, the Cult of Diabolos. He’s not completely off-base, though, and that works to his advantage as he recruits others to his cause. Adapted fromDaisuke Aizawa’s manga, the new series is available to stream on Hidive on Wednesdays at 7:30 a.m. PT (10:30 a.m. ET). Season 1 began Oct. 5 and will feature 20 episodes that wrap on Feb. 15.
Ash and Pikachu head to the world championships while Goh gears up for the final stages of Project Mew. To see the beloved characters, stream part 2 when it drops on Netflix on Feb. 24.
Spy Classroom
One of the newest anime series to be adapted from its manga, Spy Classroom follows up-and-coming spy Lily, who’s motivated to show she has what it takes. It won’t be easy to be on Team Tomoshibi, and even harder to take down Impossible Mission. You can start streaming the show on Hidive on Jan. 5 and watch it each Thursday at 6:30 a.m. PT (9:30 a.m. ET).
The Ice Guy and His Cool Female Colleague
Continuing with the rom-com theme this February, you can check out this budding-workplace-romance anime about Himuro and Fuyutsuki. Himuro is descended from a snow spirit and has supernatural powers that can create icy weather around him. He falls for his co-worker, Fuyutsuki, who has a natural ability to keep him calm. Their colleagues’ love lives are just as interesting. Stream the new series on Crunchyroll.
If you enjoyed Spy x Family, you’ll probably want to check out the new original anime series Buddy Daddies. Animated by PA Works, the story follows two hitmen who happen to be roommates and wind up caring for the young daughter of a kingpin. Start streaming it on Crunchyroll on Jan. 6.
The world’s largest online retailer in January released its latest feature for Amazon Prime members — a monthly prescription drug service called RxPass that provides generic medications for more than 80 ailments, all for $5 a month. The new perk is the latest in a long line of lesser known Amazon Prime benefits.
For example, Amazon Prime members can actually get deliveries much faster than two days, sometimes in a few hours. You can also schedule delivery dates for convenience or to avoid times when you’ll be away from home. And you even get exclusive deals simply by using Alexa on an Amazon Echo.
Announced in early 2023, Amazon’s RxPass could be a sweet deal for those with monthly prescriptions. For just $5 a month (which is on top of your existing Prime membership fee), you can get all your qualified medications covered — and they’ll be delivered to your door. That means if you’re currently paying more than $5 a month for your combined medications, this add-on subscription could save you money. If you’re already a Prime member, sign up for RxPass under the Amazon Pharmacy section.
You can get free same-day delivery on qualifying items
If there’s a product you want immediately, you can see if it’s available for delivery the same day you order. To check a product’s eligibility, look for delivery that’s marked as “Prime FREE Same-Day” while shopping. Note that your order will need to contain over $35 of qualifying items. If not, you’ll have to pay a small fee.
Amazon will deliver from morning until evening, so you won’t have to worry about receiving your order at 3 a.m. However, same-day delivery isn’t available in all locations, so enter your ZIP code on the Amazon Same-Day Delivery page to see if you’re eligible.
Schedule a convenient shipping date during checkout with Amazon Day.
James Martin/CNET
Alexa offers extra discounts when you shop with an Echo
You can use your Amazon Echo to ask “Alexa, what are my deals?” anytime. Alexa will then share Prime-exclusive deals and you’ll have the option to add the item to your cart, buy it now or move on to the next deal.
Schedule convenient shipping dates for packages
Everyone knows about Amazon’s free two-day shipping, but another option is to choose a delivery date during checkout. It’s called Amazon Day and it’s helpful if there’s a specific day you know someone will be at home to answer for packages — especially if it’s something pricey that you don’t want to risk leaving unattended.
If you order multiple items on different days, you can have them delivered on the same day as long as they’re eligible for this offer.
Just say “Alexa, where’s my package?” and your Echo will let you know where it is, who it’s for and when it’ll arrive. Once your order has been delivered, the Echo’s ring light will pulse yellow and if you have the Echo Show, the delivery notification will appear on the screen.
Use any Amazon Echo to track your packages.
Chris Monroe/CNET
Shop Early Access deals before non-Prime members
If something you’ve been eyeing says “Prime Early Access,” as a Prime member you can shop that sale 30 minutes before non-Prime members. However, you’ll still have to compete with other Prime members who are interested in the product before it sells out.
Have Amazon deliver your package inside your house
When you know you’re not going to be home for a while and you’ve got a shipment on the way, it’s much safer to have an Amazon employee leave your items inside your house to avoid theft.
For in-home delivery, you’ll need a Key-compatible smart lock and an (optional) Amazon Cloud Cam. The Amazon driver will send you a notification when they’ve arrived at your house and will request to unlock your door. Amazon will verify the package is at the right address and the driver is near the door, then will turn on Amazon Cloud Cam and unlock your door.
You can also get Amazon packages delivered to your garage
“Porch pirates” — thieves who steal packages left in front of homes — are no joke. Security site SafeWise told CNET that about 260 million packages were stolen from home exteriors in 2022. The Amazon Key in-garage delivery service can stop porch theft completely and is free for all Amazon Prime members.
When you use Amazon In-Garage Delivery, select Key Delivery at checkout. The garage kit is $29 right now and turns your garage into a smart garage. It works the same as in-home delivery so Amazon will do all the verifying for you.
Amazon employees can leave a package inside your house with Amazon Key.
Tyler Lizenby/CNET
Send gifts to other Prime members, even without addresses
An Amazon Prime feature lets you send someone a gift, even if you don’t have their address. For instance, if you’d like to send a coworker something for the holidays or their birthday but don’t know what their address is, you can still send a gift. But there’s a catch — that person must also have a Prime account and you need either their phone number or email address associated with the account.
Just note that not every item on Amazon is eligible.
Share Amazon Prime perks with your family
If you’ve got another adult living in your household, like a significant other or friend, you can share your Prime membership with them. You’ll still be able to keep your personal accounts separate, but you’ll both have access to all the same Prime benefits.
You can also share your account with up to four teens and up to four children in your household. While they’ll have their own logins, you can still manage their profiles.
Love shopping online but don’t have time to compare prices or search for promo codes? Our CNET Shopping extension does that for you, so you always get the best price.
For the brainier Bing to work, though, Microsoft has to get the details right. ChatGPT can be useful, but it can be flaky, too, and nobody wants a search engine they can’t trust.
Microsoft has put a lot of thought and its own programming resources into the challenge. It’s wrestled with issues like how AI-powered Bing shows ads, reveals its data sources, and grounds the AI technology in reality so you get trustworthy results, not the digital hallucinations that can be hard to spot in machine-generated information.
I spoke to Jordi Ribas, leader of Bing search and AI, to dig more deeply into the overhauled Bing search engine. He’s a big enough fan that he used the technology to help him write his boss a memo about it. “It probably saved me two to three hours,” he said, and it improved the Spanish executive’s English, too.
When the technology expands beyond today’s very small test group, it’ll let millions of us dig for much more complicated information, like whether an Ikea loveseat will fit into your car. And we’ll all be able to see whether it truly gives Google a run for its money. But for now, are seven aspects of Bing AI that I learned.
Bing AI isn’t just a repackaged version of ChatGPT
Microsoft blends its Bing search engine with the large language model technology from OpenAI, the AI lab that built the ChatGPT tool that’s fired up excitement about AI and that Microsoft invested in. You can get ChatGPT-like results using Bing’s “chat” option — for example, “Write a short essay on the importance of Taoism.” But for other queries, Bing and OpenAI technology are blended through an orchestration system Microsoft calls Prometheus.
For instance, you can Bing, “I like the band Led Zeppelin. What other musicians should I listen to?” OpenAI first paraphrases that prompt to “bands similar to Led Zeppelin,” then repackages Bing search results in a bulleted list. Each suggestion, like Fleetwood Mac, Pink Floyd and the Rolling Stones, comes with a two-sentence description.
Bing AI cites its sources — sometimes
When you give ChatGPT a prompt, it’ll respond with text it generates, but it won’t tell you where it got that information. The AI system is trained on vast amounts of the information on the internet, but it’s hard to draw a direct line between that training data and ChatGPT’s output.
On Bing, though, factual information is often annotated, because Bing knows the source from its indexing of the web. For example, in the Led Zeppelin prompt above, Bing includes a link at the top of its answer to a Musicaroo post, 13 Bands That Sound Like Led Zeppelin, and includes that link and others from MusicalMum and Producer Hive.
That sourcing transparency helps address a big criticism of AI, making it easier to evaluate whether the response is accurate or a mere AI hallucination. But it doesn’t always appear. In the essay on Taoism above, for example, there aren’t any sources, footnotes or links at all.
Some source links are ads that make Microsoft money
The Bing AI’s elaborate answers provide a new way for Microsoft to generate money from ads. In traditional Bing searches, the “organic” search results that Bing judges to be most relevant are separate from items placed by advertisers. But with Bing AI searches, the two types of information can be blended.
Bing’s AI-powered search results blend in ads. Hovering a mouse pointer over the text in this example shows a combination of an ad and a source for its search results.
Screenshot by Stephen Shankland/CNET
For example, in its response to the query “plan me a one-week trip to Iceland without a rental car,” AI-powered Bing suggests several destinations. In one of them, several words are underlined: “You can visit places like Vík, Skógafoss, Seljalandsfoss, and Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon by joining a multi-day tour or taking a bus.” Hovering over that link shows three sources for that information and an ad from a tour company. The advertisement is the top item of the three and is labeled “ad.”
“When you look at those citations, sometimes they are ads,” Ribas said. “When it’s more of a purchasing intent query, you hover over it and you’ll see the list of the references and sometimes it’s an ad. Then sometimes in the conversation itself, you’re going to see product ads, like if you do a hotel query.”
Ad revenue is a big deal, since it takes weeks of work on an enormous cluster of computers for OpenAI to build a single update to its language model, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman estimates it costs a few cents to process each ChatGPT prompt. Bing, even though it’s a distant second to Google in the search engine market, still handles millions of queries a day.
OpenAI-boosted results are more relevant than plain old Bing
The fundamental measure of a search engine’s usefulness is whether its results are relevant, and the OpenAI technology brings a huge boost in the measurement that Microsoft uses to score its search engine results’ relevance.
“My team, working super, super hard in a given year, might move that metric by one point,” Ribas said, but OpenAI’s technology boosted it three points in one fell swoop. “It’s just never happened before in the history of Bing,” Ribas said.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella debuts Bing’s AI-powered search engine.
Stephen Shankland/CNET
That relevance boost is just for ordinary search results, Ribas added. OpenAI’s technology can further improve Bing with its chat interface that offers more elaborate answers and a follow-up exchange.
OpenAI makes Bing better with languages besides English
One particular area where Bing has been weak is searches that aren’t in English, and Ribas said OpenAI helps there. A lot of Bing’s three-point gain in relevance scoring “came from international markets,” Ribas said.
OpenAI’s large language model, or LLM, is trained with text from 100 languages. “Catalan is my first language. I can have a dialogue in Catalan. It works really, really well,” Ribas said
Bing brings OpenAI’s results up to date
Large language models like OpenAI’s GPT-3.5, the foundation for ChatGPT, are slow to build and improve, which means they don’t move at the speed of the web or of conventional search engines. GPT-3.5, for example, was trained in 2021, so it doesn’t have any idea about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the effects of recent inflation on consumers, or Xi Jinping securing his third term as general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party.
Bing often does know this more recent information, though. “When you bring in the Bing results, then you will get fresh results on that complete answer,” Ribas said.
Bing ‘grounds’ OpenAI’s flights of fancy
Microsoft uses its Bing data to try to avoid situations where OpenAI’s more creative technology could lead people astray. The more factual a query and answer are, the more Bing’s technology is used in the answer, Ribas said. This “grounding” significantly reduces AI’s problems with making stuff up: “It will reduce hallucination, which is … an ongoing battle,” Ribas said.
But Microsoft doesn’t want its grounding system to squash all the magic out of the AI. There’s a reason ChatGPT has been so captivating. The Prometheus system decides on the priorities for each query.
“We had to find the sweet spot between over-grounding the model and keeping it interesting,” Ribas said. “We have a measurement of the interestingness of the results, and we have a measurement for the groundedness of the results. The more the query is looking for something very factual, the more we weight the grounded. The more the query is supposed to be creative, the less we weight the grounded. I kept telling my team, I want my cake and eat it too.”
Playing Hogwarts Legacy instantly reminds me few fictional worlds are as bewitching as Harry Potter’s. In 1998, my mum handed me a copy of Philosopher’s Stone — published under the lesser name Sorcerer’s Stone in the US — and the mystery of that opening chapter awakened a sense of wonder. I was hooked for life.
All that baggage fell away as soon as I started Hogwarts Legacy, which hit PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Series S and PC on Friday (it arrives on other consoles in the coming months). This open-world action RPG game, developed by Avalanche Software, is designed to let us live out our fantasies of enrolling at the iconic School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as a new student.
Having played the PS5 version for 12 hours, it captures the wonder of the early books, with an intriguing original narrative, engagingly varied gameplay and intricately designed world to explore.
Back to basics
The game sidesteps the narrative restrictions of Harry’s story by jumping way back in the timeline, to the 1890s. After creating your character, you’re whisked off on a brief opening adventure before reaching the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Even though you’re a new student, you’re starting your magical career a little late and enroll as a fifth year. That’s presumably because having a wide-eyed first year, just 11 years old, explore dangerous caves, learn dangerous spells and battle dark wizards would feel kinda weird.
The customization options are a key element in living out your wizarding world fantasy, and they’re a joy. You can choose your character’s gender and appearance. Then you’ll pick and alter your wand (don’t worry, the one you start the game with is a loaner) and broom.
You also get sorted into a Hogwarts house (Slytherin FTW), based on a series of questions you’ll answer shortly after arriving at the school, but you can have a do-over if the initial selection isn’t to your liking.
Choosing your wand is an awesome moment, and you can customize it throughout the game.
Warner Bros. Games
The house you end up in doesn’t seem to change much beyond the common room, your uniform and some throwaway lines. Though teachers mention house points in some classes, you won’t actually be competing for them in the game.
Your education is occasionally interrupted by the main story, which focuses on your connection to mysterious ancient magic and a sinister dark wizard in league with the intense leader of a goblin rebellion — these baddies sport the excellent names of Victor Rookwood and Ranrok, respectively. It’s an absorbing narrative that expands this universe’s lore nicely, especially when it hints at events further back in the timeline, but sometimes fades into the background amidst all the game’s other distractions.
Living in a wizarding world
The development team’s love for Harry Potter is apparent in every aspect of Hogwarts Legacy, but shines most brightly in the world and its characters. Every teacher, student and location feels distinct and real, with a peppering of familiar names like Weasley and Black to make fans feel comfortable.
Each character is richly written, cleverly voiced — Simon Pegg plays the unpleasant headmaster — and visually diverse, so talking to them and learning about their backgrounds is fascinating. (It’s frustrating that you can’t pause during cutscenes though.) This characterisation is woven through the main story and its side quests, which range from investigating one of the castle’s mysteries and sneakily grabbing potion ingredients to wandering into a dangerous cave.
Hogwarts is full of characters to meet and secrets to discover.
Warner Bros. Games
These are varied and fun in terms of gameplay, exploration and puzzle-solving, but feel even more worthwhile since they present opportunities to learn more about the quest-givers and world. And teenage tomfoolery, like sneaking into the library in the dead of night with the help of an invisibility charm, just feels like vintage Harry Potter.
Your customized avatar’s voice acting is solid, but occasionally a bit flat — like you’re overly polite or reserved. That’s preferable to listening to a realistic teenager, though. The character models are convincing enough, but the eyes sometimes move unnaturally and feel unnerving.
The world is sumptuously designed too, particularly in the beautifully gothic Hogwarts, with its moving paintings, chatty gargoyles and fascinating student banter. Every inch is begging to be explored, with heaps of collectibles and Easter eggs to discover — you hear a satisfying hint of the John Williams theme when you pick up certain items. The nearby village of Hogsmeade isn’t quite as big, but it’s still full of fun diversions.
There’s lots to explore outside the school as well, but it isn’t as densely packed.
Warner Bros. Games
The colorful rolling hills, plains and hamlets that make up the rest of the world can feel a little bland by comparison, despite their Elder Scrolls vibes.
The game’s technical limitations are occasionally evident as you dash around the environment too; sometimes assets will pop up at the edge of your screen and doors will appear to be stuck as the area beyond loads. It never felt game-breaking, but might briefly shake your sense of immersion. I fell through the scenery and died while wandering outside the castle once too — luckily the game had autosaved seconds beforehand and the glitch didn’t repeat.
Tricks of the magical trade
The multifaceted nature of your wizarding unfolds gradually through Hogwarts Legacy’s early hours. Your character starts out with the most basic dueling skills and spells, but the way you flick out spells with your wand gives combat a unique, kinetic flow.
You block incoming attacks with a magical shield and dodge bigger ones. The combat is similar to that seen in the Batman: Arkham and Spider-Man games, but with a sorcery aesthetic. It’s immediately gratifying, to the point where you’ll be hankering for magical battles.
Potions class opens up plenty of fun options, and has one of the coolest teachers.
Warner Bros. Games
Once you get to Hogwarts, you’ll learn new spells and skills in classes like Defense Against the Dark Arts, Potions and Herbology. Crucially, the flow of quests gives you time to get comfortable with each new ability before introducing another — you’ll attend a class and then use what you’ve learnt in a few story missions or side quests.
The game encourages you to use every tool in your arsenal, instead getting comfortable with a few basic combos and relying on them to get through every battle. You’ll be playing for a few hours before the skill trees are unlocked, but you’ll likely have a sense of your preferred combat style by then. Pretty much everything you do gives you experience points too, so you’ll level up at a steady clip.
You’ll have plenty of options for attack and defense when you take on dark wizards.
Warner Bros. Games
There’s also a constant flow of new gear that’ll enhance your attack and defense, in addition to changing your character’s look. You can also apply the appearance of any previous clothing to new ones, so you aren’t stuck looking ridiculous just because a certain item has higher stats.
Annoyingly, inventory limits add needless friction to exploration — you can find new gear but be unable to pick it up. It’s irritating to have to fast travel to Hogsmeade to sell off excess items while wandering around the castle. You can increase your inventory with certain side quests, at least.
A joyous school reunion
Thankfully, Hogwarts Legacy doesn’t lean too hard into its school setting — you won’t have to adhere to a rigid schedule. Instead, you attend class to advance the narrative and add new gameplay elements rather than going because you have to.
The world opens up in a big way once you finish your first flying lesson and get your own broom. There’s a bit of a learning curve to soaring above it all, but it’s exhilarating and highlights the scope of the playing area.
Hogwarts Legacy evokes the same magic as the first book’s opening chapter and simpler time for the franchise, letting you explore a beautifully realized world, meet a fascinating cast of characters and embark on your own wizarding career. It’s the Harry Potter game fans have been dreaming of for decades.
Harry Potter NYC in photos: A slice of Hogwarts tucked away in Manhattan
Netflix, for years, was notoriously tight-lipped about its viewership. But after a few years of dropping stats for some of its programming, Netflix launched a website in mid-November posting charts of its most popular shows and movies from the past week, as well as a global ranking of its all-time most watched titles.
The charts, which are updated every week and ranked by the total number of hours that subscribers spent watching them, represent an unprecedented trove of data about what’s popular on Netflix. The site details the most popular titles in the last week not only globally but also for more than 90 countries. And it’s meant to help subscribers like you get a better sense of the biggest hits on the world’s largest subscription streaming service, in the hopes you’ll discover something new to watch.
The company updates its weekly “Top 10 on Netflix” every Tuesday, based on hours viewed from Monday through Sunday the previous week for original and licensed titles. Netflix’s rankings are broken down into top 10 charts for films in English, TV in English, films in non-English languages and TV in non-English languages.
A ranking of all-time most watched titles also lives on the site, detailing shows that have the most viewing hours in their first 28 days of release. Netflix also has these split into films in English, TV in English, films in non-English languages and TV in non-English languages — but for our charts below, we don’t differentiate between language.
If a new season releases its episodes in two parts on different dates, Netflix counts the watch time of the first volume’s episodes for their first 28 days, then it counts the watch time of the second volume’s episodes for their first 28 days. These all-time rankings are also updated every Tuesday, whenever any programs make it into the charts during the week prior.
Why the all-time rankings don’t include You or You People (yet)
Shows and movies need sustained popularity in many countries to crack into the all-time most watched charts. That means you can see titles with “Top 10” badges in Netflix’s app for days, but they still may not be generating enough hours of viewing to make the all-time rankings.
For example, the first half of You‘s fourth season came out Thursday. Netflix’s popular psychological thriller about a serial killer has gained viewing hours with each subsequent season, but season four’s viewership stats won’t show up until next week’s report.
You People, a romantic-comedy movie, has generated 121.3 million hours of watch time in just its first 10 days. But TV shows need to eclipse half a billion hours to make it onto the all-time list, and films need more than 200 million.
Even the most popular shows and movies need multiple weeks and enduring attention to accumulate enough.
Netflix’s most watched TV shows, ranked
The following are Netflix’s most watched series, based on Netflix’s own reporting of total hours viewed in the first 28 days of each titles’ release. Again, if a new season releases its episodes in two volumes on different dates, Netflix counts the watch time of the first volume’s episodes for their first 28 days, then it counts the watch time of the second volume’s episodes for their first 28 days.
Any changes in the rankings from the previous week are in bold text.
Squid Game (season 1), a Korean survival thriller — 1.65 billion hours.
Stranger Things (season 4), a retro sci-fi series — 1.35 billion hours.
Wednesday, a coming-of-age supernatural dark comedy — 1.24 billion hours
Dahmer, a true-crime serial killer series — 856.2 million hours.
Money Heist (part 5), a Spanish-language thriller — 792.2 million hours.
Bridgerton (season 2), a period romance — 656.3 million hours.
Bridgerton (season 1) — 625.5 million hours.
Money Heist (part 4) — 619 million hours.
Stranger Things (season 3), a retro sci-fi series — 582.1 million hours.
Lucifer (season 5), a fantasy police procedural — 569.5 million hours.
All of Us Are Dead, a Korean zombie thriller taking place in a high school — 560.8 million hours.
The Witcher (season 1), a fantasy show — 541 million hours.
Inventing Anna, a true-crime limited series about a fake socialite — 511.9 million hours
Ginny & Georgia (season 2), a mother-daughter dramedy — 504.8 million hours.
Former top-ranking shows that have been bumped out of Netflix’s official all-time charts:
13 Reasons Why (season 2), a controversial teen drama — 496.1 million hours.
Ozark (season 4), a crime drama series — 491.1 million hours.
The Witcher (season 2) — 484.3 million hours.
13 Reasons Why (season 1) — 475.6 million hours
Maid, a limited series about a young mother fleeing abuse — 469.1 million hours.
You (season 3), a psychological thriller — 467.8 million hours.
You (season 2) — 457.4 million hours.
Stranger Things (season 2) — 427.4 million hours.
Money Heist (part 3) — 426.4 million hours.
Sex Education (season 3), a British teen dramedy — 419 million hours.
Ginny & Georgia (season 1), a dramedy about a young mom and kids — 381 million hours.
Lupin (part 1), a French heist show — 316.8 million hours.
Elite (season 3), a Spanish teen drama — 275.3 million hours.
Who Killed Sara? (season 1), a Mexican mystery thriller — 266.4 million hours.
Elite (season 4) — 257.1 million hours.
The Queen of Flow (season 2), a musical Colombian telenovela — 230.3 million hours.
Lupin (part 2) — 214.1 million hours.
Dark Desire (season 1), a Mexican dramatic thriller — 213 million hours.
Netflix’s most watched movies, ranked
The following are Netflix’s most watched movies, based on Netflix’s own reporting of total hours viewed in the first 28 days of each titles’ release. Any changes are in bold text.
Red Notice, an action movie starring Dwayne Johnson, Gal Gadot and Ryan Reynolds — 364 million hours.
Don’t Look Up, a dark comedy with a star-packed cast — 359.8 million hours.
Bird Box, a post-apocalyptic movie starring Sandra Bullock — 282 million hours.
6 Underground, a Michael Bay explosion-fest starring Ryan Reynolds — 205.5 million hours.
Spenser Confidential, an action-comedy starring Mark Wahlberg — 197.3 million hours.
Enola Holmes, a period detective film — 189.9 million hours.
Army of the Dead, a heist set in a zombie apocalypse — 187 million hours.
The Old Guard, an action-thriller starring Charlize Theron — 186 million hours.
Murder Mystery, a comedy starring Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston — 170 million hours.
Netflix appears to have never released a non-English-language film that generated enough viewing hours to make it into an overall top-watched ranking. But additional widely watched non-English language movies on Netflix have included:
Troll, a Norwegian monster movie — 155.6 million hours.
Blood Red Sky, a German/British action horror film set during a plane hijacking — 110.5 million hours.
The Platform, a Spanish social commentary wrapped in a horror film — 108.1 million hours.
I’ve been using a desktop computer for decades, and I’m still discovering new productivity tricks and hidden features. There are so many ways to save a keystroke here and a mouse click there. Those few milliseconds can actually add up to big time savings (or at least less annoyance) over the course of a week, especially if your job is primarily done online.
But in my personal experience, the one computer trick people are most consistently surprised about is an action you can do with your scroll wheel.
The scroll wheel’s hidden function
The internet is a great place to collect random tidbits of information, but sometimes you see something you want to investigate later. You don’t want to click on the link and have to go back to the previous page, because it would interrupt your current read. But you want to keep the trail open for later.
What do you do? You have a variety of options here, but this is the slickest and most efficient: If you’re using a mouse, just use your scroll wheel to click on the link. It’s not the most intuitive motion, but if you push your scroll wheel down while hovering over the link, you’ll automatically open that link in a new tab.
This little trick is great for when you’re reading something that links out to other interesting stories — just scroll-wheel click to open new tabs and check them out after you finish reading the current story.
If you want other ways of opening new tabs, we’ll walk you through it. We also have tips on keyboard shortcuts, like Ctrl + Shift + T, and taking Windows screenshots (which you can open in new tabs with a scroll-wheel click).
How to open links in new tabs
Opening pages in new tabs is a convenient browsing technique, and there are a few different ways of doing it.
Click with your scroll wheel to automatically open the link in a new tab.
Or right-click a link and choose “open in new tab.”
You can also hold down Ctrl (or command on Mac) when you click the link and it will open in a new tab.
Opening things in a new tab means you don’t have to interrupt your current read, and you don’t have to wait for pages to load as you bounce back and forth. I use it all the time for comparison shopping — just pull up the things I’m considering in a few different tabs and quickly compare by tabbing through my browser. It’s also good for when you’re reading a story that references another story that you want to check out without interrupting your current read. Just click the link with your scroll wheel and check it out when you’re done with this story.
Bonus tip: You can use Ctrl + Tab to move forward and Ctrl + Shift + Tab to move backward through your open tabs.
Google has some of the most popular digital services in Google Drive and Gmail. According to Axios, Google Drive had 2 billion active users as of 2020, and CNBC reported Gmail had 1.5 billion active users in 2019.
Google gives you a combined 15GB of storage space for free for all its services, which can fill up pretty fast. When you get close to that limit, Google will notify you and ask if you want to pay for more storage. But you don’t have to pay more. There are other, free ways to manage your digital space.
Here’s how to free up Google Drive and Gmail space on desktop and mobile so you don’t have to pay for storage. We recommend doing this on desktop, as you’ll have an easier time sorting through and managing files compared to doing it on your mobile device.
Delete large files first
If you only want to delete a few items from Google Drive and Gmail to free up space, you can sort each service by file size and delete one or two large files instead of a few dozen smaller items.
Here’s how to delete files by size in Google Drive on your desktop.
1. Log into your Google Drive account.
2. Once logged in, click Storage in the menu on the left side of the screen.
3. The Storage page should list your files from largest to smallest, but if not click Storage Used on the right side of the screen. The files should now be ordered from largest to smallest.
4. Click large files you want to delete to select them, then click either the trash bin in the top right of your screen or drag the large files to Trash on the left side of the screen.
5. Click Trash to go to the Trash menu.
6. Click Empty Trash in the top-right corner of your screen.
7. Click Delete forever and your files are gone.
You can do this in the Google Drive app, as well. Here’s how.
1. Open your Google Drive app and log into your account.
2. Tap Files in the bottom-right corner of the screen.
3. Tap Name underneath My Drive near the top of the screen.
4. Tap Storage Used. This will arrange your files from largest to smallest.
5. Tap the three dots (…) next to the item you want to delete.
6. Tap Remove.
7. Tap the hamburger icon in the top-left corner of the screen next to Search in Drive.
8. Tap Trash.
9. Tap the three dots (…) in the top-right corner of the screen.
10. Tap Empty trash.
Whether you need to make room, or just to keep your Gmail tidy, it’s easy to make room for storage in the service.
James Martin/CNET
You can also arrange and delete files by size in Gmail on the desktop. Here’s how.
1. Log into your Gmail account.
2. Type has:attachment larger:10MB into the search bar and hit Search. This will show you all emails that have attachments larger than 10 MB from largest to smallest. You can use this format to filter by other size files, not just 10 MBs.
3. Check the boxes to the left of each email you want to delete, then click the Trash icon in the top-right corner of the screen.
4. Click Trash on the left side of the screento go to the Trash menu. If you don’t see Trash, click More and Trash should be in the expanded menu.
5. Once in Trash, click Empty trash now at the top of the screen.
Here’s how to arrange and delete files by size in the Gmail app.
1. Open your Gmail app and log into your account.
2. Type has:attachment larger:10MB into the search bar and hit Search. This will show you all emails that have attachments larger than 10MB, from largest to smallest. You can use this format to filter by other size files too, not just 10MBs.
3. Tap into the email you want to delete.
4. Tap the trash bin icon in the top-right corner of your screen.
5. Tap < in the top-left corner of your screen.
6. Tap the hamburger icon in the top-left corner of the screen next to Search in mail.
7. Tap Trash.
8. Tap Empty trash now.
Note that once a file goes to Trash, it will automatically delete after 30 days.
Empty your Gmail spam folder
It’s easy to forget about emptying your spam folder, and it can double the amount of data your Gmail account uses. Emptying your spam folder (or your social or promotions folders) is an easy way to make space.
Here’s how to empty your spam folder on your desktop.
1. Log into your Gmail account.
2. Once logged in, click Spam on the left side of the screen. If you don’t see Spam, click More, and Spam should be in the expanded menu.
3. In your Spam folder, click Delete all spam messages now.
Here’s how to empty your spam folder in the mobile app.
1. Open the Gmail app and log into your account.
2. Tap the hamburger icon in the top-left corner of the screen next to Search in mail.
3. Tap Spam.
4. Tap Delete all spam messages now or Empty spam now.
Don’t let spam bog your Gmail down.
Getty Images
Clean up your Google Photos
Google also includes Google Photos in the 15GB of free storage it gives its users. Photos and videos can take up more space than text-based files so it’s a good idea to go through and delete old photos and videos to make room.
Unfortunately, there’s no option to arrange your photos and videos from largest to smallest like in Google Drive and Gmail, so you will have to go through and delete items manually.
Here’s how to delete photos and videos from Google Photo on your desktop.
1. Open and log into Google Photos.
2. Scroll your mouse over photos and videos you want to delete and click the gray check mark icon in the top left corner of the photo or video.
3. Click the trash icon in the top right corner of the screen.
4. Click Move to trash.
5. Click Trash on the left side of the screen.
6. Click Empty trash near the top-right corner of your screen.
7. Click Empty trash again, and you’re set.
Here’s how to delete photos and videos from the Google Photo mobile app.
1. Open and log into Google Photos.
2. Tap the photo or video you want to delete.
3. Tap the trash icon in the bottom-right corner of the screen.
4. Tap Delete.
5. Tap Library in the bottom-right corner of the screen.
6. Tap Trash.
7. Tap the three dots (…) in the top-right corner of the screen.
8. Tap Empty trash.
9. Tap Delete.
If you don’t click or tap Empty trash on either platform, the photos and videos you’ve deleted will automatically delete after 60 days.
Photos and videos in Google Photos can take up a lot of storage.
Sarah Tew/CNET
When all else fails, download your files
If your storage is still almost full and you can’t part with any more items from your Google Drive, Gmail or Google Photos, you can download your items and store them directly on your computer.
Here’s how to download your Google Drive files for storage on another hard drive.
1. Open and log into your Google Drive account on your desktop.
2. Select the files you want to download.
3. Click the three stacked dots in the upper-right corner of your screen.
4. Click Download.
5. Once the items are downloaded, feel free to delete them from your Google Drive.
You can also download your emails from Gmail. Here’s how.
1. Open and log into your Gmail account on your desktop.
2. Click and open an email you want to download.
3. Click the three stacked dots next to the date of the email.
4. Click Download message.
5. Once the emails are downloaded, you can delete them from your Gmail.
Here’s how to download photos and videos from Google Photos.
1. Open and log into your Gmail account on your desktop.
2. Click and open a photo or video you want to download.
3. Click the three stacked dots in the top-right corner of the screen.
4. Click Download.
5. Once the items are downloaded, you’re free to delete them from your Google Photos.
Shopping for a camera that can keep up with all of your travels and action shots? GoPro cameras have become favorites for content creators and are changing the face of videography. The latest GoPro sports video stabilization software has advanced with each model — and even won an Emmy. It’s a great camera choice for creatives and can be edited easily for popular social media platforms.
With newer models, you can get the quality of a high-definition video camera without the bulk or hassle of traditional DSLR cameras that aren’t waterproof or dustproof. GoPros are easy to carry around and are submersible, so you can shoot clear videos underwater. These cameras can be quite pricey for all their features, but there are lots of deals and discounts on a number of models.
At GoPro, you can save up to $200 when you also buy a $50 yearly GoPro subscription — which includes unlimited cloud backup — and get up to 50% off at GoPro.com. And if you don’t want to pony up for a subscription, check out some other great deals on GoPros below.
The GoPro Hero 11 Black is GoPro’s current flagship camera. It has a new image sensor that allows for 27-megapixel photos and 5.3K-resolution video with an 8:7 aspect ratio. Essentially this means that when editing you can make a single clip fit YouTube, Instagram, Facebook or TikTok much easier than you could in previous cams.
The Hero 11 Black Mini is an even more compact camera than the regular GoPro. It’s 13% smaller in volume and weight than the full-size version of the GoPro Hero 11, but it offers the same video performance, meaning it captures 5.3K-resolution clips at 60 frames per second, 4K at 120fps and 2.7K at 240fps.
The latest GoPro is the Hero 10. This camera has won an Emmy for HyperSmooth video stabilization. That’s right — an Emmy. You get unlimited Cloud backup and auto uploads, as well as unlimited use of the Quik app. This camera can shoot 5.3K video and has a 23-megapixel camera.
The Hero 9 offers 5K video and a 20-megapixel camera. It can be submerged up to 33 feet and includes HyperSmooth 3.0 video stabilization. The camera comes with a detachable lens as well as two screens: one in the front for selfies and a touchscreen in the back for intuitive control.
While the Hero 9 and Hero 10 have 5K video, this version can shoot 4K videos and has a 12-megapixel camera. It’s still as waterproof as the Hero 9 and submersible up to 33 feet. It has an older version of GoPro’s HyperSmooth video stabilization. It is temporarily out of stock at GoPro, but you can still get it elsewhere.
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When the Dead Space remake was released last month, it exceeded expectations. It’s easily one of the best video game remakes. It not only stayed faithful to the original, it also added new content that seamlessly integrated itself into the sci-fi horror game.
One fun addition to the Dead Space remake are Easter eggs that unlock upgrade items or additional pieces to the game’s storyline. Placed throughout the USG Ishimura are red circles with symbols on them. Players who follow the steps laid out by the symbols will unlock the Easter eggs.
There are several Easter eggs, but one that’s grabbed players’ attention is the ability to unlock a sea shanty about the haunted ship.
How to find the sea shanty audio log
To find the sea shanty Easter egg, players will have to wait until they reach Chapter 4: Obliteration Imminent. This will give players access to the Bridge section of the Ishimura, where there are two elevators in the center of the Main Atrium.
Where to find the break room on the bridge.
Electronic Arts; screenshot by Oscar Gonzalez
After taking down the Brute, one of the larger monsters in the game, players can head into the elevator and proceed to Floor 1. On this first floor there’s a break room. Instead of having snacks and comfy chairs, it has a bloody shrine dedicated to the Marker, which is the artifact responsible for the horrors happening on the ship.
Don’t spend too much time in the break room.
Electronic Arts; screenshot by Oscar Gonzalez
What’s important for this Easter egg is the bloody circle on the ground in front of the monitor showing the Marker. There are two symbols seen in the circle: a foot and a hand. The foot represents the stomp Issac can perform, and the hand is for a melee attack.
A close-up of the bloody circle, showing feet and hand prints.
Electronic Arts; screenshot by Oscar Gonzalez
By going clockwise starting at the top of the circle and doing a combination of stomps and melee attacks, you’ll unlock a secret item. You can tell this has been accomplished, as there’s a quick glitch that appears on the monitor and a haunting sound effect plays.
For the sea shanty audio log, players will have to do the following while in the circle:
