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13 Best Crossplay Games for Consoles and PC (2023): Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, Mobile

13 Best Crossplay Games for Consoles and PC (2023): Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, Mobile

Genshin Impact, somewhat uniquely, supports cross-saving as well. So if you decide to play on your phone for a little while, you can keep all your progress when you go back to your console. It’s a nice addition that makes this title one of those rare games where you can play anywhere with anyone and feel like you’re jumping into the same game.

Rocket League  (Free)

Screenshot of Rocket League game featuring a sports car flying and hitting a large ball on a field

Courtesy of Psyonix

Psyonix’s Rocket League has proved that its concept of “What if soccer, but with cars?” is an enduring one. And thanks to using Epic’s Online Services platform, players on PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, or PC can all play together. Interestingly, PC players that play the game via Epic Game Store or Steam can participate in the cross-platform action, despite Steam being a rival game store to Epic. Who says we can’t all get along?

Fall Guys  (Free)

Fall Guys characters

Courtesy of Devolver Digital

When Fall Guys came on the scene, it was overshadowed by Among Us, but it has still maintained a healthy player base. This game is a battle royale—though the most adorable one you’ve ever seen—where 60 players compete in game-show-style obstacle courses and arenas to be the last person (er, jelly bean) standing. Best of all, it’s recently gone free-to-play, so you don’t have to spend a dime to try it out.

Overcooked! All You Can Eat  ($40)

Overcooked video game screenshot with chefs in a kitchen making meals

Courtesy of Digital LTD

If you enjoy the chaos of working in a professional kitchen … well, then you’ve probably never done it in real life. Fortunately, Overcooked! All You Can Eat is a lot more fun than a real job. This game requires players to cooperate to prepare, cook, and plate food for customers in a rapid-fire environment. This version has added crossplay across a wide variety of platforms, so you can recruit chefs from just about anywhere.

No Man’s Sky  ($60)

Screenshot of No Man's Sky featuring spaceships and planets

Courtesy of Hello Games

For a game that began life starring an isolated spacefarer exploring a vast and unfathomably lonely universe, any kind of crossplay is already a significant change. But as Hello Games has continued iterating on No Man’s Sky, it has added online multiplayer features where you can bump into other travelers. You can interact with players across Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation 4 and 5. It’s not a huge amount of platforms compared to most other titles on this list, but given how unique this game’s development is, it’s a worthy addition. No Man’s Sky even overhauled its entire capital ship system and added new types of multiplayer missions you can take on with friends or strangers.

Baldur’s Gate 3  (Eventually)

Screenshot from the game 'Baldur's Gate 3' featuring an ornate character posing and holding one finger up

Courtesy of Larian Studios

Larian Studios’ Baldur’s Gate 3 has been one of the biggest smash hits of 2023, hailed for its rich storytelling that allows players to feel their consequences have real weight. Just like the tabletop D&D it’s based on, friends can play together in the same campaign. Up to four players can form a party and run through the story in tandem online.

16 Best Camera Accessories for Phones (2023): Apps, Tripods, Mics, and Lights

16 Best Camera Accessories for Phones (2023): Apps, Tripods, Mics, and Lights

We’re living in a golden age of mobile photography. The gear in this guide will up your game for making content at home or out and about, using just your smartphone. Our favorite Android phones and iPhones have outstanding cameras, but tripods, mics, and video lights can elevate the quality of your work. Here’s everything you need to turn your phone into a pro-grade powerhouse.

Check out our other buying guides, like Gear and Tips to Make Studio-Grade Videos at Home, Best Compact Cameras, Best iPhone 15 Cases, Best Pixel Phones, and Best Instant Cameras.

Updated October 2023: We’ve added the Lume Cube Creator Kit 2.0, Lume Cube Ring Light Mini, Moment T-Series Lenses, Moment Filmmaker Cage, Insta360 Flow, Boling P1, DJI Mic, Rode Wireless Go II, Nimble Champ, Canvas Lamp, Joby Wavo Plus, and Peak Design Creator Kit.

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15 Best Smart Home Lighting (2023): Decorative Panels, LED Strips, and Ambient Lamps

15 Best Smart Home Lighting (2023): Decorative Panels, LED Strips, and Ambient Lamps

There are tons of smart ambient lighting panels. Here are a few we also like.

Twinkly Dots for $100: You can stick these strings of LED dots around frames and furniture or have them hanging somewhere, and the app offers a wide range of colors and animated effects. You can map your pattern to make the most of the effects, create your own effects, and group Twinkly lights together. On the downside, the strip is split into two sections, with the power controls in the center, and you don’t get enough adhesive dots in the box.

Govee G1 Gaming Light Strip for $60: This is very similar to the Philips Hue Play Gradient Lightstrip for PC listed above, but not quite as good. It is easy to fit, comes in two sizes (for monitors 24 to 26 inches and 27 to 34 inches), and brightens up your gaming. But it relies on Govee’s flaky desktop software to sync. Sadly, streaming services like Netflix flag it as screen recording copyright infringement, so the syncing doesn’t work with them. Compatibility with Govee DreamView and Razer Chroma enables you to sync up other lights and peripherals.

Moonside Lamp One for $65: This modern lava lamp looks gorgeous and boasts 120 dynamic color zones capable of displaying millions of colors and themes (animated effects). You can even design your own themes or have the lamp react to music. Sadly, the app is a tad clunky, and the lamp is made of lightweight frosted plastic, so it’s a little too easy to accidentally knock it over.

Philips Hue Go 2 for $90: This bowl-shaped portable lamp has a ridge so you can angle it for reading, and it makes a good bedside lamp with dimming for nighttime and up to 520 lumens to wake you in the morning. You can tweak the temperature and choose from millions of colors. This newer version (2019) has Bluetooth, so you don’t need a Hue Bridge. Battery life is limited; if you crank up the brightness, you’ll be lucky to get two hours, but dimmed, it can last around 10.

Nanoleaf Elements for $200: Plastic light panels can look ugly on some walls (especially turned off), so Nanoleaf offers this version of its larger hexagonal panels with a wood finish effect (they are still plastic). Like the rest of its panels, you can arrange Nanoleaf’s Elements in whatever pattern you want, and they support touch controls and music syncing. Sadly, they only put out white light, but with a color temperature range of 1500 K to 4000 K, you can go from cool whites to warm orangey glows.

Mpowerd Luci Solar String Lights for $46: If you want lights you can take on the road or on camping trips, this clever gadget from Mpowerd can brighten up your RV or campsite. The canister pops open to unspool water-resistant string lights (IPX4). Press the power button to use them as a torch or cycle through the string light colors. There’s a solar panel on top for recharging (but it’s slow) and a port that goes both ways (so this can double as a power bank).

Govee Outdoor LED String Lights for $70: Festoon your backyard or balcony with these hanging bulbs to bring more atmosphere to BBQs and parties. You get 15 tough plastic bulbs on 48 feet of cable. The bulbs are IP65-rated and offer dimmable warm white or colored light. The control box is IPX5, but the power adapter is not waterproof, so you must run it inside or use a weatherproof box.

Govee Flood Lights for $100: Easy to mount and angle, this four-pack of flood lights offers a wide range of colors and scenes through the Govee app using Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. You can also dim or tweak the temperature. Each light can put out up to 500 lumens. They are IP65-rated and connected on a single 40-foot cord, but the power adapter is not water-resistant.

Nanoleaf Lines for $200: Our previous pick for gamers, the Nanoleaf Lines (8/10, WIRED Recommends) project light from the back of each line onto the wall, casting colors and creating a lovely ambiance. Even when turned off, the Lines look better than most decorative smart lighting because they cast shadows on the wall and could pass for sculptural art. They can also boast screen mirroring for PC to enhance gaming (Razer Chroma is supported too).

Govee Glide Hexa Panels for $180: These offer a wide choice of colors and animated effects similar to the Nanoleaf Shapes, not to mention music syncing support. But the installation is fiddly, smart home integration is limited (no HomeKit or Thread), and they lack touch controls.

Lifx Lightstrip for $90: This isn’t as bright as the Philips Hue Gradient Smart Lightstrip, but it offers rich colors, separate zones, and lovely animations. The app allows for scheduling and can gradually brighten a bedroom in the morning. There’s also music syncing using your phone’s microphone. Smart home integration is solid, and there’s no need for a hub, but when I tested the previous version (the Lifx Z), it frequently disconnected from Wi-Fi and was unresponsive until reset.

Govee Lyra Floor Lamp for $150: This is a tall, slim option that’s designed to splash colored light onto your walls. It has eight sections that can be controlled separately, supports animations, and can sync to music or other audio. It also comes with a handy remote control.

Nanoleaf Essentials Lightstrip for $50: This affordable light strip from Nanoleaf boasts Matter support, but is only recommended for folks with Nanoleaf gear already. You can choose the color, change the brightness, and tweak the color temperature, and it supports a few animations, but this light strip can only display one color at a time. The connection between the strip and power unit is flimsy, and we found the light cut out if anyone bumped it.

Crypto Groups Gemini, Genesis, and DCG Sued for $1.1 Billion ‘Fraud’

Crypto Groups Gemini, Genesis, and DCG Sued for $1.1 Billion ‘Fraud’

“These cryptocurrency companies lied to investors and tried to hide more than a billion dollars in losses, and it was middle-class investors who suffered as a result,” Letitia James, New York attorney general, said in a statement. “Hardworking New Yorkers and investors around the country lost more than a billion dollars because they were fed blatant lies that their money would be safe and grow if they invested it in Gemini Earn.”

Gemini did not return a request for comment, but in a post on X, formerly Twitter, said it “looks forward to defending ourselves” against the lawsuit. Neither Genesis nor DCG returned requests for comment.

The lawsuit filed against the trio is the latest in a line of civil cases brought against crypto companies in the US this year. In February, the SEC reached a settlement with another exchange, Kraken, which agreed to halt a service that gave US customers the ability to earn rewards for locking up their crypto. The regulator also issued crypto firm Paxos a warning of intent to sue over its BUSD stablecoin, which the SEC asserted was a security and hence was required to comply with securities regulations. In June, the regulator filed charges against exchanges Binance and Coinbase on consecutive days, accusing both of violating securities laws.

A series of crypto founders have also found themselves in custody. Bankman-Fried was arrested in December, Alex Mashinsky of crypto lender Celsius in July, and Su Zhu of Three Arrows Capital in September.

In bringing its suit, the attorney general is seeking to prevent Gemini, Genesis, and DCG from doing business in New York, the press release states, as well as “restitution for all defrauded investors and disgorgement of all ill-gotten gains.” But the implications of the lawsuit may spill into other quarters of the crypto sector too.

The case could cause delays in the much-anticipated approval of a bitcoin exchange-traded fund, a financial vehicle that would allow regular people to invest in bitcoin through their regular stock broker, speculates Travis Kling, founder of Ikigai Asset Management, a crypto asset management firm. Another DCG subsidiary, Grayscale, is among the firms lining up for approval. But it is “hard to imagine that the first bitcoin ETF [will come from Grayscale]” while these charges against its parent company are outstanding, says Kling.

Given the extent to which DCG is entangled in the cryptosphere, by means of its various venture investments, says Stephen Diehl, a crypto-skeptic commentator, a conviction and large financial penalty could also have second-order effects that are difficult to predict at this juncture. “It’s a massive holding company with affiliations with an enormous part of the American crypto industry,” says Diehl. “It’s a massive spoke in the hub of crypto.”

Meanwhile, the prospect of further enforcement action against members of the crypto industry looms. “The final shoe hasn’t dropped,” says Klippsten. “Until off-shore, unregulated, and opaque crypto businesses are brought to heel, I don’t think it will stop.”

BMW i5 (G60) Review: Specs, Price, Availability

BMW i5 (G60) Review: Specs, Price, Availability

The i3 and i8 were prescient precursors. The i4, iX and i7 moved the idea of an all-electric BMW center stage. Now things get real, for the numbers don’t lie. The i5 replaces one of the Bavarian behemoth’s heartland cars, the 5 series, a 10-million-plus bestseller across seven previous generations since 1972.

This is arguably the definitive BMW, a classy but entertaining European sports sedan aspired to by pretty much anyone with a hint of petrol in their veins. Now that fuel is changing—and much else besides.

We’re in the basement parking garage of a building in Lisbon, home to up to 2,000 software engineers employed exclusively by BMW (making it the biggest software employer in Portugal). The erstwhile purveyor of the “ultimate driving machine” now wishes to be seen as a far-sighted tech powerhouse that just happens to build cars. But can a company hard-wired to provide driver interaction truly manage the transition? Frank Weber, BMW’s head of total vehicle development, reckons the company has been on this path for decades.

“Every BMW engineer has a digital side to them,” Weber tells WIRED. “People ask about mechanical components, but there is nothing that is not digital. The software guys here are an integral part of our organization. We learned the hard way with the E65 7 series [in 2002], which was a nightmare and turned the whole organization upside down in the 12 months before its launch. But we established how to match hardware and software integration [on that car], and we now have a mature organization. The process has evolved. But, even so, software cannot compensate for hardware weaknesses.”

Two people playing games on the media console inside of the 2023 BMW i5

The new i5 has in-car gaming, with 20 built-in titles at launch.

Photograph: BMW

The i5 ramps up the new-age BMW offer significantly, not least in the way it’s pitched. As Weber hands over to colleagues, we learn little about the new car’s chassis or powertrain, but a lot about the arrival of AirConsole, which introduces in-car gaming to the 5 series.

Scan a QR code and your smartphone becomes a games controller hooked up to the 14.9-inch Curved Glass display (as premiered on the iX in 2021). BMW offers 20 built-in games at launch, with more to come, thankfully, as these launch titles aren’t exactly stellar (Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, Go Kart Go, Golazo, and Overcooked are symbolic of the questionable quality on the list. If you’re thinking Fortnite, Call of Duty: Mobile or Among Us, think again). Surprisingly, and somewhat oddly, this wasn’t set up on the review cars, so we can’t tell you how well it works.

Still, it’s another way of passing the time while you wait for your i5 to charge, as BMW admits. Then there’s the car’s streaming capability, including YouTube or TiVo, depending on which country you’re in. A Bundesliga in-car App is available from launch.

First Electric 5 Series

2023 BMW i5 EV charging next to a scenic lake

The i5 can handle a maximum DC charge of 205 kW, going from 10 to 80 per cent in 30 minutes.

Photograph: BMW

There is still a car in here somewhere, though. The i5 is the first fully electric 5 series, fitted with BMW’s fifth generation e-Drive technology and laden with all the radar, sensors, cameras, and driver assistance systems that are essential equipment these days.

Why Scientists Are Bugging the Rainforest

Why Scientists Are Bugging the Rainforest

Bioacoustics can’t fully replace ecology fieldwork, but can provide reams of data that would be extremely expensive to collect by merely sending scientists to remote areas for long stretches of time. With bioacoustic instruments, researchers must return to collect the data and swap batteries, but otherwise the technology can work uninterrupted for years. “Scaling sampling from 10, 100, [or] 1,000 sound recorders is much easier than training 10, 100, 1,000 people to go to a forest at the same time,” says Donoso.

“The need for this kind of rigorous assessment is enormous. It will never be cost-effective to have a kind of boots-on-the-ground approach,” agrees Eddie Game, the Nature Conservancy’s lead scientist and director of conservation for the Asia Pacific region, who wasn’t involved in the new research. “Even in relatively well-studied places it would be difficult, but certainly, in a tropical forest environment where that diversity of species is so extraordinary, it’s really difficult.” 

A limitation, of course, is that while birds, insects, and frogs make a whole lot of noise, many species do not vocalize. A microphone would struggle to pick up the presence of a butterfly or a snake.

But no one’s suggesting that bioacoustics alone can quantify the biodiversity of a forest. As with the current experiment, bioacoustics work will be combined with the use of cameras, field researchers, and DNA collection. While this team harvested DNA directly from insects caught in light traps, others may collect environmental DNA, or eDNA, that animals leave behind in soil, air, and water. In June, for instance, a separate team showed how they used the filters at air quality stations to identify DNA that had been carried by the wind. In the future, ecologists might be able to sample forest soils to get an idea of what animals moved through the area. But while bioacoustics can continuously monitor for species, and eDNA can record clues about which ones crossed certain turf, only an ecologist can observe how those species might be interacting—who’s hunting who, for instance, or what kind of bird might be outcompeting another. 

The bioacoustics data from the new study suggests that Ecuador’s forests can recover beautifully after small-scale pastures and cacao plantations are abandoned. For instance, the researchers found the banded ground cuckoo already in 30-year-old recovery forests. “Even our professional collaborators were surprised at how well the recovery forests were colonized by so-called old-growth species,” says Müller. “In comparison to Europe, they do it very quickly. So after, let’s say, 40, 50 years, it’s not fully an old-growth forest. But most of these very rare species can make use of this as a habitat, and thereby expand their population.”

This technology will also be helpful for monitoring forest recovery—to confirm, for example, that governments are actually restoring the areas they say they are. Satellite images can show that new trees have been planted, but they’re not proof of a healthy ecosystem or of biodiversity. “I think any ecologist would tell you that trees don’t make a forest ecosystem,” says Game. The cacophony of birds and insects and frogs—a thriving, complex mix of rainforest species—do. 

“I think we’re just going to keep on learning so much more about what sound can tell us about the environment,” says Game, who compares bioacoustics to NASA’s Landsat program, which opened up satellite imagery to the scientific community and led to key research on climate change and wildfire damage. “It was radically transformational in the way we looked at the Earth. Sound has some similar potential to that,” he says.