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“It’s important you save your vote for the November election,” a voice that sounded an awful lot like President Joe Biden’s told Democrats in New Hampshire during a January robocall that discouraged them from voting in that month’s primary.

But it wasn’t Biden. It was an AI-generated voice that one of the men behind it now says was intended to draw attention to how AI can be harnessed to influence voter behavior.

Technology has long been used to sway voters. In the last two presidential elections, it was primarily social media, where manipulated content — like videos of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, which went viral after they were edited to make her appear incompetent — spread like wildfire. By 2023, nearly two-thirds of US internet users said misinformation and/or fake news were widespread on these platforms.

The advent of generative AI tools, which can easily create realistic text, images and videos (and audio like the fake-Biden call), only exacerbates the potential for misinformation in 2024. It’s a new reality that government, tech companies and voters will be grappling with in the coming months.

It’s something that software giant Adobe, maker of Photoshop, is mindful of. Last week, Adobe released the results of a study, Future of Trust, in which 6,000 consumers in the US, the UK, France and Germany were asked about online misinformation and generative AI. The study found that a majority are concerned, particularly within the context of elections.

Adobe itself has a gen AI tool, Firefly, that’s part of a growing landscape that includes chatbot and image-generation options from the likes of Anthropic, Google, Microsoft and OpenAI. As these tools become more sophisticated — like, say, offering the ability to create lifelike images and videos — they increase the potential for creativity, as well as for misuse. The tech companies behind them have guardrails to limit the creation of harmful content, but users have found loopholes. The cat and mouse game will continue through Election Day 2024 and beyond.

(For more on generative AI tools, along with all the latest AI news, tips and explainers, see CNET’s new AI Atlas guide.)

Misinformation 2.0

According to a July 2023 report from the Brennan Center, a nonprofit public policy institute at New York University, gen AI tools help blur the lines between organized disinformation campaigns and recipients’ world views. That is, they make it easier to tell voters what they want to hear. And though traditional social media posts can be outed by, say, grammatical errors or strange turns of phrase, gen AI can help bad actors sound much more convincing.

These actors can also use large language models — the engines behind AI chatbots — to generate millions of posts and create false impressions of widespread belief in certain narratives. And they can use chatbots to personalize interactions based on voter characteristics.

Not surprisingly, the Adobe survey found that voters believe that deepfakes, or manipulated media, will once again be used to influence what happens at the polls.

Adobe found that 84% of US respondents are worried that online content is vulnerable to manipulation, and are therefore concerned about election integrity. Meanwhile, 70% believe it’s becoming difficult to verify whether online content is trustworthy, and 76% say it’s important to know if content was generated by AI. Social media platforms like Meta, TikTok and YouTube now require users to label digitally generated and edited content. And generative AI tools like Adobe Firefly, Dall-E 3 and Copilot include where a photo, video or document originated and who created it, as well as details about any subsequent alterations.

Potential solutions

Following the faked Biden robocall in New Hampshire, the US Federal Communications Commission made AI-generated voices in robocalls illegal. But there’s still a lot of work to do.

Nonprofit think tank the Brookings Institute says the government should invest in media literacy to help students learn how to distinguish factual content from misinformation. States like California, Colorado and Illinois have already implemented these programs. (84% of Adobe respondents in the US agreed that children should be taught media literacy in school.)

The Brookings Institute also called for an effort to reduce the ability of foreign interests to spread misinformation in US elections.

In Adobe’s survey, 83% of US respondents said they believe the government should also work with tech companies to protect election integrity.

The Brennan Center suggests lawmakers focus their efforts on regulating AI. It also wants to see developers refine election-related AI filters, and it wants social media platforms to develop policies to better balance political discourse with the potential harm from disinformation.

How to protect yourself

You can do your part. AI-generated content, especially images and video, has some telltale signs you can look for. Check where the content came from: Is it a reputable source?

There are fact-checking tools, too, like digital watermarks on social media or Adobe’s Content Credentials, which identifies where content comes from and whether it’s AI-generated. (In Adobe’s survey, 88% of US respondents said they believe it’s essential to have tools to verify the trustworthiness of online content.)

Residents of New Mexico and North Carolina can access state-run resources to help fact-check information about local elections. But no such resources are yet available on a national level.

We’re also starting to see voter education campaigns emerge.

In March, the nonprofit AIandYou released one such campaign, Behind the Headlines, in partnership with LeanIn.Org, Voto Latino and TelevisaUnivision. It targets women and Black and Hispanic communities and seeks to educate these voters about AI’s potential impact on misinformation and the electoral process.

In the age of generative AI, we’re going to need all the help we can get.

Editors’ note: CNET used an AI engine to help create several dozen stories, which are labeled accordingly. The note you’re reading is attached to articles that deal substantively with the topic of AI but are created entirely by our expert editors and writers. For more, see our AI policy.

Apple hasn’t said much publicly about its plans to join the many companies offering generative AI products, but this week it did open up a window into its behind-the-scenes work on the kind of system that powers AI chatbots and image generators.

On Monday, it released OpenELM, which it calls a “state-of-the-art open language model.” Language models are the massive sets of information that tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Dall-E draw on to respond to the prompts you type when you want an AI to whip up an email, write computer code or create a fanciful image.

So it’s not yet the Apple AI product we’ve all been waiting for, but it is a logical step in that direction — and potentially hints at the AI capabilities Apple might offer in its upcoming iOS 18 software for iPhones.

OpenELM’s release comes just weeks ahead of Apple’s WWDC event in early June, where the company traditionally talks about its next wave of software offerings.

Apple did not respond to a request for comment.

But during a quarterly earnings call in February, CEO Tim Cook hinted that Apple would reveal its plans for generative AI at some point in 2024. Also around that time, Apple reportedly shuttered its long-running electric car project to focus on generative AI and the Apple Vision Pro, the wearable that went on sale that same month and that CNET reviewer Scott Stein calls “Apple’s wildest and strangest device.”

It’s not clear yet how OpenELM fits into these plans. However, in a research paper posted in March, Apple discussed multimodal large language models, or those that can generate a variety of content formats.

While Apple has been holding fire, most tech giants and a rash of startups have already rushed out one or more generations of gen AI products. Adobe, Anthropic, Google and OpenAI are in a race to release increasingly capable models that not only understand a wider variety of queries, but produce more realistic images and videos. They’re even keen to highlight internal research projects in fields like video games and music composition to tease what they may be able to offer to capture your attention and lock in your potential loyalty as users of their AI products. (For all the latest AI news, plus product reviews, explainers, tips and more, check out our new AI Atlas guide.)

Some takeaways on OpenELM

A paper posted to Apple’s Machine Learning Research site notes that the OpenELM release includes everything needed to train and evaluate the language model on publicly available datasets, including training logs, checkpoints and pretraining configurations. (The ELM part of the name stands for “efficient language model.”)

On LinkedIn, Maxwell Horton, a machine learning researcher from Apple, wrote that OpenELM is part of a new open-source repository called CoreNet, which is available via GitHub. This resource also includes code to convert models to an array framework for machine learning research on Apple chips, which allows for inference and fine-tuning on Apple devices, as well as vision and language models with training recipes and code release for 11 Apple research publications.

The OpenELM paper said the goal is to pave the way for future open research endeavors.

“The reproducibility and transparency of large language models are crucial for advancing open research, ensuring the trustworthiness of results and enabling investigations into data and model biases, as well as potential risks,” the paper added.

Large language models are measured in what is known as parameters, or the number of variables in a mathematical calculation used to produce an output from a given input. As the number of parameters increase, so does the model’s ability to make sense of language. Apple’s pretrained and instruction-tuned models have 270 million, 450 million, 1.1 billion and 3 billion parameters.

By way of comparison, ChatGPT 3.5 has 175 billion parameters. The latest version of Meta’s Llama 3 model has 70 billion parameters.

Reports emerged last July that Apple was working on an AI chatbot called Apple GPT and a large language model called Ajax, but the company has not commented.

“We have a lot of work going on internally, as I’ve alluded to before,” Cook said of generative AI during the February earnings call. “Our M.O., if you will, has always been to do work and then talk about work, and not to get out in front of ourselves, so we’re going to hold that to this as well.”

Editors’ note: CNET used an AI engine to help create several dozen stories, which are labeled accordingly. The note you’re reading is attached to articles that deal substantively with the topic of AI but are created entirely by our expert editors and writers. For more, see our AI policy.

Between scam artists, flat-earthers and married couples looking for a third wheel, it can be tough out there for online daters. Trust me.

A new survey from antivirus and anti-malware company Norton underscores this point, finding mixed reactions to AI among singles looking for love. On the one hand, there’s excitement about AI’s potential to improve the online dating experience for app-using singles. On the other, AI is helping bad actors make it harder than ever to find love.

As generative AI tools improve, we’re moving beyond the “grotesque abominations” of the AI-generated images of 2023 when hands were missing fingers and mouths were disjointed, though many AI images still have some glitches. Now companies like Adobe, Google and OpenAI are releasing tools that allow virtually anyone to spruce up a profile image — or cook up a stunning but completely fictitious one.

AI chatbots are also wizzes at creating and refining emails, essays, poems and more, so why not a dating profile? These word-savvy tools could help even the most tongue-tied of lonely hearts render a heart-stopping profile and pickup line(s) that would put Casanova to shame. (For reviews of AI chatbots and image generators like Gemini, ChatGPT and Dall-E, along with explainers, tips and the latest AI news, check out our new AI Atlas guide.)

For online daters, this is both a blessing and a curse, as bad actors also have access to these tools and it’s increasingly difficult to determine what’s really real at first blush.

AI for good

A majority of respondents to the Norton survey (64%) said they’re intrigued by the idea of using AI as a “dating coach” and to increase their chances of finding The One.

Of those currently using a dating app or service, 71% said they’d consider using AI to write pickup lines and conversation starters, while 70% said they want AI for profile optimization and 64% are interested in AI for photo enhancement.

Others want help from AI in writing breakup texts, and some are even interested in using AI avatars to go on virtual dates.

A February study from computer security company McAfee found that 45% of men were considering AI to write messages for Valentine’s Day, which turned out to maybe not be the best idea.

Norton attributes this willingness to experiment with AI to the investment that modern-day daters make in finding love. The survey found that the average single person who uses dating apps spends six hours a week on these apps and $300 over the course of their dating journey, though it wasn’t clear on what exactly.

AI for bad

At the same time, online dating scams have increased by 72% since just 2023, Norton found.

Nearly one-third (27%) of Americans who’ve used a dating app have been targeted by a scam, and 42% of this group have been duped, according to the survey. Another 30% report being catfished.

“Romance scams aren’t new, but AI is changing the game and making these types of scams more common and much harder to spot,” Leyla Bilge, director of Scam Research Labs for Norton, said in a statement.

How to protect yourself

According to Norton, education and awareness are the best ways to shield yourself from dating scams, AI-enabled and otherwise. But there are additional steps you can take to keep yourself safe.

First, ask for recent photos to verify the identity of the person you’re talking to. If they sidestep or refuse, it’s a red flag.

Also be wary if a potential match continues to delay meeting in real life.

It’s important to remember that potential matches can record video chats and then use that material to blackmail you, so proceed with caution.

Never click on links from matches. Scammers can pose as members to send links to porn or webcam sites — or malicious sites that download malware or steal your credit card information.

Finally, if the conversation doesn’t seem quite right, you could be interacting with a bot. Once again, the objective is to get you to click on links. And it’s better to be safe than sorry.

“People need to stay vigilant for signs of romance scams, such as individuals who avoid video or phone calls, have very few images on their dating profiles or attempt to progress the relationship quickly,” Bilge said.

The Norton study was conducted online in the US in March among 1,003 adults ages 18 and older.

Editors’ note: CNET used an AI engine to help create several dozen stories, which are labeled accordingly. The note you’re reading is attached to articles that deal substantively with the topic of AI but are created entirely by our expert editors and writers. For more, see our AI policy.

If you’re in the market for a new laptop and want to get something that’s thin and light yet supremely quick, you don’t need to look much further than Apple’s latest M3-powered 13-inch MacBook Air. It’s one of the best laptops in its class, and the go-to if you aren’t tethered to using Windows. Right now it’s even a bit of a bargain thanks to a discount that means you can pick one up for just $989 in your choice of color. That’s the best price we’ve seen this MacBook Air sell for and a $100 savings.

Those who’d rather buy at Best Buy can do so, but it’ll cost an extra $10. The discounted $999 price is still a great one, however, and is well worth checking out if you’d rather go that route. You can also trade in your old laptop and get up to $900 back, too.

No matter where you buy your new MacBook Air you’ll get a gorgeous 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display and an M3 chip that sports an 8-core CPU and an 8-core GPU. It’s also paired with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD.

Other features and specifications of note include a 1080p FaceTime HD selfie camera and a Magic Keyboard with built-in Touch ID sensor for biometric authentication and Apple Pay. Color options include black and essentially three different shades of silver, so pick the one you like best before adding anything to your cart.

Prefer your MacBooks to be a little more Pro or need a bigger display? Our list of the best MacBook deals will have you saving money in no time at all.

Ads in Microsoft Windows’ Start menu are nothing new, and it’s no surprise that they’re coming to Windows 11. Microsoft has been testing ads in beta releases, and this week the update that places advertising in the Windows 11 Start menu began rolling out to regular users.

According to Microsoft, the Start menu ads will be comprised of Microsoft Store apps chosen from a “small set of curated developers.” The ads will appear in the Recommended section of the Start menu which previously only showed documents and images that the user had recently used. When you click on an ad, you’ll be redirected to the Microsoft Store to download the app.

Microsoft isn’t just adding advertisements to the Start menu. The update changelog also notes that frequently used apps already installed on the user’s machine will also appear in the Recommended section alongside the ads. Apps will appear there only if they aren’t already pinned to the taskbar or Start menu.

For the time being, the update is optional. You can find it by navigating to Windows Update > Advanced Options > Optional updates where you can install update KB5036980.

In addition to Start menu ads, the update includes some additional fixes and improvements. Notably, this update fixes an issue where widget icons on the taskbar can be pixelated or fuzzy. Lock screen widgets are also improved, and Microsoft says that they’ll be more reliable moving forward. Some of minor bug fixes include fixing an issue with the Japanese 106 keyboard layout and a freezing issue with the Settings app. The full documentation is available on Microsoft’s support website.

So far, I’ve had the update installed for a bit and have yet to see any ads, although some users and publications have been able to get them to show up. It’s likely that Microsoft hasn’t turned on advertising for the majority of users yet and will wait to do so until the update rolls out to more machines.

Ads in Windows are nothing new

The Start menu is only the latest victim in Microsoft’s plan to add advertising to as many parts of Windows as it can. However, advertising has been in the operating system for a long time already. Microsoft’s Search UI recommends web articles, apps, games, and other promotional materials. For the most part, users either turn these ads off or have tuned them out.

Windows 10 also had advertising directly in its Start menu, so this is something Microsoft has done before. It was done exactly the same way with promoted apps showing up as tiles that you had to manually remove so you could use that space for other things if you wanted to. In all honesty, it’s surprising that it took Microsoft this long to start adding ads to the Windows 11 Start menu.

When will I get the update with Start menu ads?

The update is available now as an optional update in Windows Update. However, Microsoft lists the KB5036980 update as its April release, so it should start rolling out to everyone within the next couple of weeks. My machine automatically installed the update on its own Wednesday, so it’s not optional for everybody.

You can check to see if you’ve installed it by opening Windows Update and then checking your Update history. If it shows KB5036980, you have the update installed. Should you want to install it yourself, go to Windows Update > Advanced options > Optional updates to see if it’s there.

Regardless of whether it’s Wednesday or Thursday, the update is coming eventually, as it is an official Windows 11 update. There is no way around it, and you will have to update eventually if you want to keep your system current.

What do the new ads look like?

The Recommended section of the Start menu will look exactly the way it does right now. However, you’ll occasionally see a recommendation for an app. It’s easy enough to ignore, especially if you already don’t use the Recommended section very often.

There seem to be two designs floating around. Microsoft’s promotional materials show the design above, where you’ll see an app with an app icon and a tagline. In the example, the advertised app is 1Password with the tagline “Save passwords safely.” Clicking on it will send you to the Microsoft Store, where you’ll be immediately directed to 1Password’s store page so that you can download it. If you ignore the ad, then it just sits there harmlessly.

Another design was spotted by Windows Latest. Its screenshots look like the one above, except its has a small box next to the tagline that says “Sponsored” along with the other details.

With other Start menu recommendations, users can right-click on them and dismiss the recommendation. This may also apply to ads, but until they roll out to the general public, this is untested.

How do I turn off Start menu ads?

Microsoft includes a way to remove advertising from Windows 11. Here is the easiest method to turn Start menu ads off.

• Open your Start menu.
• Right-click any blank space and click Start settings
• Scroll down until you find the Show recommendations for tips, shortcuts, new apps, and more.
• Toggle that setting off.

You can also reach that setting by opening Windows Settings and then going to Personalization > Start. Or you can hit the Windows key on your keyboard and type Start settings to find it through search.

Do this while you’re at it

During Windows setup, it’ll ask you if you want Microsoft to share your “advertising ID” with third parties so that the ads you see are better targeted to you. The idea of sharing personal information with unnamed third parties makes a lot of people squeamish, so a lot of people turn that setting off. Here’s how:

• Open Windows Settings.
• Navigate to Privacy & Security > General.
• Find the Let apps show me personalized ads by using my advertising ID and toggle it off.

You can also find this setting by opening Windows Search and typing “advertising ID” to get to the setting immediately. With that ticked off, Microsoft shouldn’t share anything with third-party advertisers, which means any ads you do see won’t be personalized directly to you.

It’s hard to appreciate the difference a good soundbar makes until you actually have one in your home. They can completely change the experience of watching shows and movies, with room-filling audio and a far more immersive soundscape. And right now you can upgrade your home theater setup for less by picking up the JBL Bar 9.1 surround sound system at a 50% discounted directly at JBL. That’s thanks to a mix of a 42% discount on the store and our exclusive code WELCOMEXCNET that takes an extra $100 off at checkout. The code’s valid until 11.59 p.m. on April 28, so be quick if you want the full savings.

The JBL Bar 9.1 set comes with a soundbar, two detachable speakers, and a subwoofer as well. You can position these around your room for an optimum audio experience. The bar itself has four upfiring speakers, which means they’ll shoot sound towards the ceiling in order to have you feel as though the sound is coming from everywhere in your room. And with Dolby Atoms support, the end result is proper 3D sound from your TV shows, films and games.

You can also easily connect to your soundbar via Bluetooth, which means that you can play music from your phone through it as well. That makes it great in party settings or if you just want a more immersive way to listen to Taylor Swift’s latest. Just make sure you remember the code WELCOMEXCNET at checkout for the full discount, and have at one of the best soundbar deals going right now.

Buying a new smartwatch for your iPhone generally means picking up an Apple Watch, and that’s no bad thing. In fact, we consider the latest Apple Watch Series 9 to be one of the best smartwatches on the market, which makes this sale all the more impressive. Right now Best Buy will sell you one of Apple’s latest models with a massive $100 discount across multiple different colors and configurations.

You can order a new Apple Watch Series 9 in the 41mm size at the retailer for just $299 and the cellular version is available for just $399 as well. Prefer your Apple Watch a little bigger? The 45mm with cellular connectivity will set you back just $429 as part of this Best Buy sale.

The Apple Watch Series 9 was released in fall 2023 and features the latest S9 chipset, the first meaningful processor change since the Apple Watch Series 6, for improved speed and power efficiency. The device also features a new Double Tap gesture that opens up some one-handed use possibilities, while also being the first model to include on-device Siri commands. Ultra Wideband capabilities and a brighter display are also on board.

Apple Watch wearers have access to a bevy of health and fitness tracking capabilities plus an App Store full of apps for streaming audio, communicating with friends and even playing games. And with Apple Pay support you can make payments on the go even if you don’t have your wallet or iPhone with you.

Best Buy’s current sale is slated to end Sunday, April 28, so we expect these Apple Watch savings will expire then too, so factor that into any buying decision. And for more savings on various other Apple Watch models, be sure to hit up our dedicated Apple Watch deals roundup for the latest discounts and promotions.

While fans still have a wait in store for a third Sonic the Hedgehog film (now tipped to feature Keanu Reeves, no less, as Shadow), the good news is that a star-packed spinoff is about to hit TV screens with the release of Knuckles.

Taking place between the second and third Sonic movies, the six-episode series once again melds live-action with CGI lead characters and follows Sonic’s spiky sidekick, Knuckles, as he embarks on a personal adventure after reluctantly agreeing to train Wade (played by Adam Pally) in the fighting style of the Echidna warriors.

Idris Elba will once again be providing Knuckles’ deep voice with the British actor reprising his role from the Sonic 2 movie, while there’s the promise of guest appearances from Colleen O’Shaughnessey as Tails and Ben Schwartz as the iconic blue hedgehog. The cast also features Tika Sumpter, Stockard Channing, Kid Cudi, Edi Patterson, Ellie Taylor (Ted Lasso), Rory McCann and Cary Elwes.

Read on to find out how to watch Knuckles, no matter where you are in the world.

When is the release date for Knuckles?

All six episodes of Knuckles will premiere in the US and Canada on Friday, April 26, via Paramount Plus. The show is set to hit the streaming service in most other territories around the world, including the UK and Australia, the following day. Japan is seemingly the exception, with the show not set to hit the region until later in the year.

How to watch Knuckles from anywhere on VPN

So, what if you’re traveling outside your home country and want to enjoy the show or want an added layer of privacy for streaming? There is an option that doesn’t require searching the internet for a sketchy website: You can use a VPN, or virtual private network.

With a VPN, you’re able to virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to get access to the show. If you find yourself unable to watch locally, a VPN can come in handy. Plus, it’s a great idea for when you’re traveling and find yourself connected to a Wi-Fi network and want to add an extra layer of privacy for your devices and logins.

Most VPNs, like CNET’s Editors’ Choice, ExpressVPN, make it easy to virtually change your location. Looking for other options? Be sure to check out some of the other great VPN deals.

Watch Knuckles in the US, Canada, UK and Australia

Knuckles is exclusive to streaming service Paramount Plus. Retro gaming fans around the globe will be pleased to hear that the new adventures featuring Sonic’s buddy will also be available to watch in Australia, the UK and Canada as well as the US via Paramount Plus.

Tips for streaming Knuckles using a VPN

• With four variables at play — your ISP, browser, video streaming provider and VPN — experience and success may vary.
• If you don’t see your desired location as a default option for ExpressVPN, try using the “search for city or country” option.
• If you’re having trouble viewing after you’ve turned on your VPN and set it to the correct viewing area, there are two things you can try for a quick fix. First, log in to your streaming service subscription account and make sure the address registered for the account is an address in the correct viewing area. If not, you may need to change the physical address on file with your account. Second, some smart TVs — like Roku — don’t have VPN apps you can install directly on the device itself. Instead, you’ll have to install the VPN on your router or the mobile hotspot you’re using (like your phone) so that any device on its Wi-Fi network now appears in the correct viewing location.
• All of the VPN providers we recommend have helpful instructions on their main site for quickly installing the VPN on your router. In some cases with smart TV services, after you install a network’s app, you’ll be asked to verify a numeric code or click a link sent to your email address on file for your smart TV. This is where having a VPN on your router will also help, since both devices will appear to be in the correct location.
• And remember, browsers can often give away a location despite using a VPN, so be sure you’re using a privacy-first browser to log into your services. We normally recommend Brave.

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, a CNET Editors’ Choice award pick, offers hundreds of games that you can play on your Xbox Series X or Series S, Xbox One and PC for $17 a month. A subscription gets you new games every month (like Diablo 4) plus other benefits, like online multiplayer and deals on non-Game Pass titles.

Microsoft recently added Shadow of the Tomb Raider to Game Pass Ultimate on April 11, and the company is adding the games below to the service in April. They include three Day 1 releases, meaning they’ll appear on Game Pass the same day they’re released for sale.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

Available now.

Prepare to explore new and familiar worlds in a galaxy far, far away as Cal Kestis, one of the last surviving Jedis following the destruction of the Jedi Order. This award-winning sequel picks up five years after the events of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and follows Kestis as he continues his fight against Empire. And while he does this with the usual tools of the Jedi, like a lightsaber and the Force, he can also now use a blaster in combat, too — Obi Wan is shaking his head somewhere about how uncivilized blasters are.

Orcs Must Die 3

Available now.

Crank the orc-slaying mayhem up to 11 in the latest installment of this tower-defense series by slicing, burning, carbonizing and tossing hordes of hapless orcs. You can also use a trove of new traps and weapons, like magical staves or sawblade launchers. No matter how you dispatch them, the one thing for certain is that every last orc must die.

EA Sports NHL 24

Available now.

As the NHL hurtles into the Stanley Cup playoffs, you can too, with the latest installment in this EA Sports franchise. This entry in the series has new gameplay mechanics, including vision passing and an exhaust engine, intended to give you more control over your players and to present new challenges. So if you want to see the Las Vegas Golden Knights win the cup back to back, or you want to make absolutely sure that never happens, this game is for you.

Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes

Available now.

Gather your friends and allies for this Day 1 release. In this action JRPG, you create a party of six heroes out of over 100 — it’s in the name, after all — as you set off on an adventure across the war-torn continent of Allraan. You can also manage a small town and play mini-games along the way. And if you can’t get enough of this game and its world, you can play its prequel, Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising, on Game Pass Ultimate, too.

Another Crab’s Treasure

Available now.

You know what they say: One man’s trash is another crab’s treasure, or something like that. This Day 1 release is like a cross between Elden Ring and the classic game Ecco the Dolphin. You play as a hermit crab who sets off on a quest to buy back your repossessed shell. You’ll have to use the trash of the ocean to protect yourself against huge enemies, and you’ll also learn why the ocean is so polluted with garbage to begin with. And who knows, maybe you’ll see Ariel with her collection of thingamabobs down there.

Manor Lords (PC)

Available now.

If you watched Game of Thrones and thought, “Being a medieval lord doesn’t seem that hard. I could do it,” now’s your chance to prove it. This medieval strategy game brings city-building, tactical battles, economic simulations and social interactions into one complex sim. Now you can find out if you have what it takes to keep your people safe and fed when the seasons change and the harsh winters come.

Have a Nice Death

Available: April 30

Even Death needs a break every now and then, and that’s the goal of this roguelike game. You play as Death, the CEO of Death Incorporated, who finds himself needing a restful vacation. The only thing standing in your way from a relaxing stay at the beach — or wherever Death would vacation — is a mountain of paperwork and reminding your demonic subordinates who’s in charge. Just another day at the office.

Games added to Game Pass Core

Game Pass Core ($10 a month) is the cheapest Game Pass subscription, and it’s a good option if you only want to play certain games online. It also gives you access to a handful of games, and Game Pass Core subscribers can access these titles now, too:

• Deep Rock Galactic
• Superhot: Mind Control Delete
• Wreckfest

Titles leaving Game Pass

While Xbox is adding the above titles to Game Pass Ultimate, it’s also removing six others on April 30. So, you have some time to finish any side quests before you have to buy these titles separately:

• 7 Days to Die
• Besiege
• EA Sports NHL 22
• Loot River
• Pikuniku
• Ravenlok

For more on Xbox, here’s what Diablo 4 on Game Pass likely means for the service, other titles available on Game Pass Ultimate now and everything to know about the gaming service.