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All The Biggest Reveals From the 2024 Game Awards

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With E3 truly being a thing of the past in the post-pandemic world, Geoff Kieghley’s The Game Awards are now the year’s biggest source of video game announcements, taking up the mantle left behind by the show that gave us such memorable moments as “my body is ready.”

Keighley’s Summer Game Fest also typically features a few surprises, as does Germany’s Gamescom, but it’s clear that the awards show is where the big guns come out. Despite its name, it’s almost better known as a trailer festival at this point, as joked about by Muppets Statler and Waldorf (yes, really) during this year’s event.

With that in mind, here are the biggest reveals from last night’s show, including two different returns to fantasy favorites and a new sci-fi game from the creators of The Last of Us.

The Witcher IV puts Ciri in the lead role

Can you believe it’s been a little over nine years since The Witcher 3 came out? In the time since then, the title has gotten two hefty expansions and served as partial inspiration for a Netflix show, but it’s finally time for it to get a proper sequel.

Simply titled The Witcher IV, the game’s reveal was the first big announcement of the show, and while gameplay wasn’t yet shown, it came with two big revelations. 

The first was a change in protagonist. Geralt and his Fabio hair are taking a break this time around, with his adopted daughter and apprentice Ciri instead taking up the dual blades to hunt down the monsters of the Continent.

The second actually had little to do with the game itself, and was instead more of a teaser for tech nerds. At the start of the game’s trailer, a small note at the bottom of the screen said that it was “pre-rendered in Unreal Engine 5 on an unannounced Nvidia GeForce RTX GPU,” which confirms that game developers already have their hands on Nvidia’s next generation of graphics cards. Eager PC builders will likely hear about them soon, possibly as early as next month’s CES.

Elden Ring Nightreign is a co-op spin-off

After an almost 60-hour base game and a 30-40 hour expansion, Elden Ring isn’t done yet. In a surprising move for developer FromSoftware, the next title in the series will be a co-op, session-based game rather than an RPG set in a persistent world.

You wouldn’t know that from the trailer, which mostly focuses on small groups of players grouping up to fight big bosses, Monster Hunter style (it looks sick, tbh). However, outlets such as IGN (which is owned by the same parent company as Lifehacker) have already conducted interviews and gone hands-on with preview builds, which is where these details are coming from.

According to the developers, the game is built for three players but will have a solo mode, and will take place in a condensed version of the Limgrave map from the first game. Over the course of three in-game days, players will be tasked with surviving and preparing to take on a major boss at the end of the session.

Rather than customizing their own characters, players will also instead choose between eight presets here, although I presume the same character can look very different by the end of different sessions.

As a big fan of FromSoftware games, but not a huge enjoyer of their usually somewhat clunky multiplayer systems, I’m cautiously optimistic that Nightreign might finally be the game that convinces me to try playing with friends.

A new game from the people behind Shadow of the Colossus

It’s been eight years since the last game directed by legendary developer Fumito Ueda, the chief creative mind behind classics including Ico and Shadow of the Colossus. With the studio behind those titles, Japan Studio, having since been shut down and merged with Astro Bot developer Team Asobi (more on them later), it was unclear whether we’d ever see another title in the same vein as those games again.

Luckily, it seems like Ueda and a bunch of Japan Studio veterans are back with a new game currently codenamed “Project Robot.”

The trailer from last night’s award show was fairly light on details, but the vibes we all remember from Ueda’s previous games were all there, as the crowd silently watched a small figure in cryptic garb climb up a lumbering giant robot to escape an oncoming catastrophe.

Like our protagonist at the end of the trailer, a release date is still up in the air, but one surprising detail: Epic Games (yes, the Fortnite people) is helping to produce.

Okami is back

Towards the end of the awards show, Geoff Keighley pumped up the audience for what seemed like his favorite announcement of the night, going as far as to seemingly tear up a little and bring in a real-life drummer to set the tone before the trailer played.

When the host talked about impossibilities coming true and said “if you truly love video games like I do, this moment is for all of us,” I was expecting Half-Life 3 to pop up on my screen. Instead, I was surprised with an Okami sequel.

I’m not disappointed! A cult classic game for the PS2 and Wii, Okami combined a beautiful art style, Japanese folklore, innovative calligraphy mechanics, and a Legend of Zelda-style approach to gameplay to create a truly impressive blend of mechanics and vision that hasn’t really been captured since.

Part of the reason for that? Shortly after its release in 2006, director Hideki Kamiya left Capcom to help found Platinum Games, with his studio Clover shutting down just a few months later. The game had been a critical success, but it seems Capcom wasn’t happy with sales.

Now, it seems like the publisher is ready to give Kamiya a second chance, not only announcing an Okami sequel (no official title as of yet) with him at the helm, but in fact giving him a new studio under the name of Clovers (never change, Kamiya).

The news follows the success of Devil May Cry 5, a sequel to another Kamiya classic, which probably helped change Capcom’s tune. I wouldn’t be surprised to see other cult hits like Viewtiful Joe or God Hand get their time in the sun next.

A new Naughty Dog sci-fi game

In the final trailer of the night, The Last of Us developer Naughty Dog revealed its next big game, and finally, it has nothing to do with zombies. Instead, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet is a space adventure following a bounty hunter as she tries to be the first person in over 600 years to leave the planet Sempiria’s orbit.

Actual gameplay was light (a running theme for the evening), although the reveal trailer did show our heroine arming herself with a gun and facing down a hulking robot with a not-lightsaber. In what’s proven to be a controversial decision on my Bluesky feed, the trailer also played up the ‘80s nostalgia and its brand partnerships a lot, which definitely gave it some Guardians of the Galaxy vibes.

Still, the announcement’s overall lighter tone should prove to be a fun break from the grim nature of The Last of Us series, and will perhaps take Naughty Dog closer to its Jak & Daxter roots.

And the winner is…

Finally, you can’t have The Game Awards without declaring the game of the year. This year’s winner had to face some stacked competition, with the nominee list including Balatro, Black Myth: Wukong, Metaphor: ReFantazio, Astro Bot, and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.

In the end, though, Team Asobi’s Astro Bot pulled through. The win is the first time a platformer has taken home the game of the year award, with Astro Bot doing what even Mario could not (to be fair, he was going up against the likes of Link and Geralt when he was nominated).

It’s an impressive achievement for the character’s first full-fledged game, though—and as if to celebrate, the title is about $10 off across most storefronts right now.

Four Situations When Supplemental Health Insurance Makes Sense (When You’re Not Retired)

There is likely no subject less exciting or more aggravating than health insurance. The entire experience is frustrating for most people: Navigating plans is confusing, everything seems really expensive, and when you make claims you often get blank denials that explain nothing and give you few options for appeal or further information. All that being said, most people assume that once they choose a plan through their employer, they’re at least protected from disaster for the foreseeable future.

But that might not be the case. When we talk about supplemental insurance, it’s usually in the context of Medicare due to the well-known gaps in that coverage. But even if you have really good insurance through an employer or organization, you might need to pay for supplemental insurance to make sure you’re fully protected. The challenge? Figuring out if you actually need it.

What is supplemental insurance?

Supplemental insurance is something you buy on top of your main coverage, and it’s designed to cover stuff your overall policy misses. It’s not meant to be primary coverage. There are numerous kinds of supplemental insurance. For example, if you traveled to a foreign country and bought travel health insurance, that’s a form of supplemental insurance. You can buy specific supplemental plans that cover you for accidents, critical illness (including specific policies for a cancer diagnosis), hospital costs, vision and dental, and disability.

You pay a premium for your supplemental insurance and have a set schedule of benefits just like your other insurance, but supplemental plans usually pay either a flat amount or a percentage of your costs directly to you. So, for example, if you have a hospital indemnity plan and you get socked with a huge bill after a week in the hospital that your main insurance only partially covers, supplemental insurance would kick in and send you a lump sum check to help defray those costs.

Supplemental health insurance is an extra cost, of course, so the main question you need to answer is whether you actually need it. Paying twice for the same coverage doesn’t make sense, and neither does paying for coverage you’ll never use. But there are four scenarios when it’s pretty clear you need supplemental insurance.

If you have a high deductible

The average deductible with an employer health insurance plan keeps creeping up toward $2,000, and the out-of-pocket maximum (the most you’ll pay, including deductibles and co-pays, during the term of your policy, in addition to your premium) is capped by law at $9,450 for individuals and $18,900 for families—though the average out-of-pocket in 2023 was $4,346. So as a fun experiment, compare those numbers to your savings account. If there’s a significant gap, that means you wouldn’t be able to pay for a big medical expense without resorting to loans, home equity, or credit cards.

If that describes your situation, supplemental health insurance might be a good idea, because it can cover at least a portion of those expenses and reduce your exposure. If nothing else, it can give you more breathing room if you wind up paying for an expensive surgery or hospital stay.

If you’re at high risk for health problems or injury

Another reason you might want to pay for supplemental insurance is if you have a higher risk than most people for incurring large healthcare expenses:

  • Family history. If you have a high prevalence of serious illnesses like cancer, or you’ve undergone genetic testing and you have a high risk for developing some form of cancer, paying for supplemental insurance might make sense, since there’s a good chance you’ll need to pay for expensive treatments at some point.

  • Dangerous job. If you work in an industry that has a very high rate of serious injury, like construction or logging, you might need more coverage to inoculate you against frequent medical bills.

If you use a lot of healthcare

If you typically use a lot of healthcare resources, due to health conditions or family situations, and you don’t anticipate that changing any time soon, supplemental insurance can make sense. While you might hit your deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums fairly quickly, your policy might not offer enough coverage for your needs.

This is especially true if there’s a risk that you might become unable to work. Your main insurance might cover most or even all of your expenses, but could you handle losing your income for a period of time? If you’re unable to work, you might also need to pay for additional expenses, like childcare, help around the house, or in-home care, and supplemental insurance might be the difference between financial survival and ruin.

If your coverage has gaps

Finally, supplemental insurance might plug the gaps in traditional insurance coverage—like dental and vision insurance, which are (weirdly) treated as separate from health insurance, and are often frustratingly bare-bones in terms of what they cover. Who hasn’t gone to the eye doctor only to discover that their basic vision insurance barely covers the examination and offers nothing at all for those expensive glasses and contact lenses? Or discovered that their dental insurance has such a high deductible it never actually pays for anything aside from bi-annual cleanings?

If your vision and dental insurance aren’t helping much, a supplemental plan can be beneficial, especially if you anticipate a lot of use in the coming year (e.g., if you’ve been putting off dental work because your insurance is crap and won’t cover anything).

Supplemental health insurance isn’t always necessary, but it’s worth crunching the numbers to see if it might benefit you—especially if you fall into one of these four categories.

11 of the Best Music Documentaries Ever Made

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Music documentaries are having a moment. In the last month, talking heads (as opposed to the Talking Heads) have been philosophizing about the power of “yacht rock” on Max while Disney+ has released yet another film about the Beatles (produced by Martin Scorsese no less). A great music doc can reveal the stories behind how the music we love was made while placing it into a larger cultural context.

But which documentaries reach the top of the charts? I’ve compiled a list of 11 (yes, this is a Spinal Tap reference) music documentaries that will blow out your speakers, and maybe your mind. For the purposes of this list, I am leaving out concert films, mainly because there are only so many ways to talk about how great Gimme Shelter and Stop Making Sense are.

Don’t Look Back (1967)

Not only is this chronicle of Bob Dylan’s 1965 tour of England considered one of the best music documentaries ever, it’s also been influential on the music documentary genre itself. It makes grand use of you-are-there cinema verité filmmaking, and also features what many consider to be the first music video: a scene of the singer-songwriter flipping cards marked with various lyrics from his song “Subterranean Homesick Blues.” However, the best aspect of the film is seeing reporters and fans attempt to label Dylan, only for him to shut them down with his acerbic wit. Watch it on Max and the Criterion Channel, or rent it from Prime Video.

Don’t Look Back (1967)

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The Velvet Underground (2021)

Todd Haynes is no stranger to making musically-themed movies, having attempted to capture the sexual freedom of the glam rock scene with Velvet Goldmine and the many sides of Bob Dylan in I’m Not There. However, the documentary format turned out to be the perfect medium for telling the story of the Velvet Underground, a highly influential proto-punk band whose music and lyrics perfectly captured the avant-garde art scene of the late ’60s. That doesn’t mean that Haynes doesn’t add his own flourishes to the group’s story, utilizing the split screen technique to simulate the sights and sounds of the version of New York City that Lou Reed and his bandmates came up in. Keep the volume way up when you watch this doc. Watch it on Apple TV+.

The Velvet Underground (2021)

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Ornette: Made In America (1985)

Filmmaker Shirley Clarke’s visually stunning portrait of free jazz pioneer Ornette Coleman moves as rapidly as one of the musician’s works. Drawing inspiration from the cinema verité style pioneered in Don’t Look Back, Clarke elevates this approach to new heights. Through a collage of dramatic scenes, performance footage, music videos, and interviews, the film paints a vivid picture of a man who seemingly found inspiration in the most unexpected places, including the architecture of Buckminster Fuller to poetry. Watch it on the Criterion Channel or Kanopy or rent from Prime Video.

Ornette: Made In America (1985)

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Marley (2012)

If you found the recent biopic on the reggae legend lacking, this documentary paints a much better portrait of the musical icon. Through rare concert footage, news clips, and interviews with those who knew Bob Marley best, director Kevin McDonald paints an enigmatic portrait of an artist who never wavered in his belief that music could unite others, even as crime was tearing his island home apart. Watch or rent it on Prime Video.

Marley (2012)

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Searching for Sugarman (2012)

Sixto Rodriguez, a Detroit-born singer-songwriter, had a music career that never really got off the ground, even after he released two well-received albums. Yet unbeknownst to him, his songs had been covered and sampled for decades by other musicians. His work even became the soundtrack of the revolution in apartheid-era South Africa, where, according to this award-winning documentary, he was more popular than Elvis. The story of his rediscovery unfolds like a captivating musical mystery, enchanting viewers and leaving them enamored with this incredibly humble artist. Rent it from Prime Video.

Searching for Sugarman (2012)

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It Might Get Loud (2008)

Three legendary guitarists—Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin, U2’s The Edge, and Jack White—convene at a Los Angeles soundstage to engage in a captivating and insightful conversation about their playing styles, musical journeys, and profound passion for their craft. This documentary delves into the essence of what compels musicians to relentlessly improve and evolve. It’s also a lot of fun witnessing The Edge show how he creates U2’s distinctive sound with his extensive array of pedals and amps. Stream free with ads on Tubi or rent from Prime Video.

It Might Get Loud (2008)

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Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, a Journey, a Song (2022)

How did the once obscure Leonard Cohen track “Hallelujah” become part of the cultural lexicon? This documentary follows the song’s complicated journey from the songwriter’s mind to its unlikely appearance on the soundtrack to the children’s film Shrek. However, perhaps the most interesting aspect is hearing how the many musicians who have covered the song interpret its powerful lyrics. Watch it on Hulu or rent it from Prime Video.

Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, a Journey, a Song (2022)

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Freestyle 101: Hip-Hop History (2023)

Narrated by the legendary rapper Chuck D, this freewheeling film delves into the rich history of hip-freestyle hop. It features sound bites from pioneers like Ice Cube and Fat Joe, while following two artists widely regarded as the genre’s future, Open Mike Eagle and battle rapper Iron Solomon. The inventiveness of some of the lyrics the rappers pull seemingly out of the air is truly impressive, and the intensity of the rap battles makes this a must-watch for hip-hop enthusiasts. Rent it from Prime Video.

Freestyle 101: Hip-Hop History (2023)

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Hype! (1996)

Featuring rare footage of some your favorite ’90s grunge bands before they became famous, Hype! chronicles the rise and eventual downfall of Seattle’s music scene from the point of view of those who were there. The most striking part is how the major labels that once ignored the region’s underground bands suddenly found a way to exploit them once they smelled money, soon transforming art into a marketing gimmick. Watch it on Prime Video, stream free with ads on Tubi and Pluto TV, or rent it digitally.

Hype! (1996)

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Hot Potato: The Story of the Wiggles (2023)

This doc tells how three Australian musicians and their friend Jeff came from humble beginnings to form the universally beloved children’s rock band. Unlike other docs that delve into the dark underbelly of rock and roll with tales of sex, drugs, and excess, this movie refrains from tarnishing the legacy of your favorite childhood quarter. Even I, who had scant knowledge of the group when I watched this doc, got emotional hearing each member discuss how they loved entertaining children at the expense of missing their own kids grow up. Watch it on Prime Video.

Hot Potato: The Story of the Wiggles (2023)

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20 Feet From Stardom (2013)

Behind every great frontman stands an extraordinary woman singing backup. This film shines the spotlight on these unsung heroes of rock music, often overlooked because of their race or gender, and gives them a platform to share their stories, reveal the secrets behind some of your favorite songs, and give them the recognition they deserve. Rent it from Prime Video.

20 Feet From Stardom (2013)

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The Best Ways to Find a Running Track Near You (and a Beginner’s Workout to Try)

If you want to become a faster runner, you’ll probably end up doing a lot of speedwork on a track. Or if you live in a hilly place, you might wish you had a nice flat track to run on. But how do you find one that’s open to the public? Turns out it’s easier than you might think. Many public high school tracks are available for the community to use.

Call local schools

I run on a local school track, and the way I found it was pretty straightforward. I phoned up the nearest high school, and asked whether they had a track that was open to the public. They said yes, so long as I come outside school hours; but they also suggested a different school in the district whose track has fewer evening events scheduled. That’s the track I now run on most often. (I’ve even bookmarked their sports schedule, so I can check for conflicts before leaving the house.)

I’ve found that schools don’t always put their track policy (or locations!) online, so an old-fashioned phone call really is the quickest way to this information. You can also visit the school in person—after hours, please—and look for signs that say when and whether the track is open to the public.

Another great resource for finding tracks is Run Track Run, which lists tracks and running routes across the U.S. Some of the tracks have information listed, such as the type of surface, whether it’s open to the public, and whether it’s free to use.

Check maps

Satellite map showing a high school stadium with a track
I opened Google Maps on a random state, searched “high school,” and zoomed in on each to see if they had a track. Found this in less than a minute.
Credit: Google maps

Oval running tracks are easy to spot on maps. I found another track near me just by looking for oval shapes on the Strava global heatmap (it highlights popular running routes). The satellite view on Google Maps is another great way to look for nearby tracks, as I did above. Most regulation-size outdoor running tracks surround a football or soccer field, and they’ll usually be at a school or sometimes a park or community center. They will be an oblong shape, curved around the ends, often with a red rubber surface and white lane lines visible when you zoom in.

You may also find non-standard tracks around athletic fields or in parks; they are usually gravel surfaced and may not be a quarter mile exactly; I can think of one that is 0.2 miles, and a few I’ve seen that are half a mile. While I was traveling, I used maps to find this 1.125-mile running path in a Delaware park that used to be a horse racing track.

What are the rules of running on a track?

First, check for any posted rules or hours. School tracks are often closed to the public during school hours, but that still means evenings, weekends, and holiday breaks are fair game. Don’t expect that every school’s track will always be open, though. Private schools might not open theirs to the public, and public schools may still set a schedule or close the track for events. If the track is part of a park, gym, or community center, check their website or call to confirm who can use the track and when.

Once you’re there, the most important rule is to stay in your lane (if there are marked lanes). Think of them like lanes on a highway: You can pass somebody if you give them enough room, and you should always look behind you before you change lanes. Don’t block a lane by stopping in the middle; find a spot off the track if you want to sit down to stretch.

The faster people will run in the innermost lane, which means if you’re walking or warming up, you should stay in the outer lanes. Pay attention to the direction, too; usually everyone runs counter-clockwise.

How do you do running workouts on a track?

The track is there for anything you’d like to do, so there isn’t a specific procedure. But as a general rule, you’ll break down the work you’d like to do into small, measurable pieces. One lap of a regulation track (measured in the innermost lane) is 400 meters, almost exactly a quarter of a mile.

It is totally fine to jog continuously the whole time you’re at the track, but more often people will use the track for interval work. You run fast for a short distance, then either walk to recover or stand around while you catch your breath. Then do another fast interval, and repeat the process until you’re ready to go home.

Here’s a beginner-friendly workout you can do your first time on a track:

  1. Warm up with four laps around the track (1 mile). This can be a brisk walk, a slow, easy jog, or a mix of the two. You want to finish this step feeling warmed up and ready to work—not exhausted.

  2. Walk the curved part of the track (this is about 100 meters).

  3. Run the straight part of the track (this is also about 100 meters). Don’t go all-out, just keep up a strong, fast pace.

  4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 as many times as desired. One mile’s worth (four laps) will give you eight 100-meter runs, which is a good workout for your first day. You can do more later.

  5. Jog at least a lap or two to cool down, more if you like.

Runners would call the above workout “8 x 100” since you are doing eight 100-meter runs. (The walking in between is considered the recovery.) Here are common distances for intervals:

  • 100 m (the straightaway of the track)

  • 200 m (the curve plus one straightaway, or half the track)

  • 400 m (one lap)

  • 800 m (two laps)

In between the running portions of your workout, you can rest or walk for about the same amount of time it took you to run. For example, if you run a lap (400 meters) in about two minutes, you’d rest another two minutes before going again.

ChatGPT Can Finally See

After months of testing, OpenAI rolled out “advanced voice” mode for ChatGPT back in September. The feature lets you have real-time conversations with ChatGPT: You can interrupt the bot and its “speaking” to ask another question, and it understands your tone of voice, which it uses to both inform its responses, as well as the inflection it uses. (It’s very creepy when it laughs.)

One feature of advanced voice mode has been missing since launch, however. When OpenAI first announced the perk back in May, it showed off how ChatGPT would be able to access your camera and “see” the world around you. While chatting with the bot, you could point your camera at something, ask a question, and ChatGPT would answer as best it could. Seven months later, this capability is here, and it’s frighteningly impressive.

In order to access it, you’ll need to have a paid subscription to ChatGPT—either Plus ($20 per month), or Pro ($200 per month). ChatGPT Team subscribers are also eligible. The feature may not be available on your end right away, even if you pay, since OpenAI is rolling it out over time.

Testing out ChatGPT advanced voice mode’s vision feature

Accessing the camera is pretty straightforward once it rolls out to your account. You launch advanced voice mode the same way you always do, using the waveform icon in the bottom-right of the chat. From here, you’ll see a new camera icon, which, of course, launches the live camera feed. This doesn’t interrupt the chat: You can be in the middle of a conversation with ChatGPT, open the camera, and continue gabbing away, only now with the camera feed as part of the conversation.

The first time I used this, I pointed the camera at a Nintendo Switch box I had nearby, with an iPhone cable and my Magic Trackpad resting on top of it, and asked, “What is this?” ChatGPT said: “It looks like a Nintendo Switch OLED box with some cables and a laptop on top. Are you planning on setting it up?” Two of out three correct, as it mistook my trackpad for a laptop, but hey, close enough. Next up, I pointed it at my water bottle, and asked it to identify what I was highlighting: “That looks like a black Hydro Flask bottle. It’s great for keeping drinks cold or hot! Do you take it with you often?”

I asked a follow-up: “Do you know what model of Hydro Flask this is?” ChatGPT: “I can’t be certain of the exact model, but it looks like one of their wide-mouth bottles, probably around 32 ounces. It’s definitely designed to keep your drinks at the right temperature for hours.” That…is basically right. I’m not all that comfortable with ChatGPT guessing the size correctly, either.

I moved on to my keyboard, which ChatGPT accurately stated was an Apple Magic Keyboard. I asked which keys it could see, and named a handful, but not all, of the keys I had in frame. So, I asked how many keys it could see, and it said “about 30,” when there were 26. So, again, close.

It was able to identify the MagSafe port on my MacBook, as well as the two USB ports and the headphone jack to its right. It recognized the air vent in my ceiling, and the specific type of boots I had by my front door. All in all, it basically recognized everything I tested it on—minus the trackpad.

Advanced voice mode’s sight is fast

But beyond recognition, I think what startled me the most was the speed of these responses. You ask ChatGPT to identify something, and it does, sometimes quicker than if you asked a real person to do it. Sometimes, the bot will hold onto a word for a moment (e.g. “I thiiiiiiiiink that’s a…”) which is probably a trick to let ChatGPT process the rest of what it wants to say. I’ve also caught it less sure of itself with its first response: I pointed it at my Magic Mouse, and its first guess what a computer mouse. But when I asked what brand it was, it didn’t only specify Apple, but said it was an Apple Magic Mouse, known for its “sleek design” and “touch-sensitive surface.”

All things considered, though, these responses are often near-instantaneous, which speaks to how powerful OpenAI’s models are these days. I’m still largely an AI skeptic, but this was the first development in a while that impressed me—and I’m torn about how I feel about that.

On the one hand, I could see this tech being used for good. Imagine how helpful something like this could be for users who are blind or have impaired vision, especially in a convenient device like smart glasses. Someone could ask their AI assistant what direction they’re facing, to read the menu at a restaurant, or whether it’s safe to cross the street. Tech like this could change search for the better, and make it easy to learn new things about the world by pointing our smartphone camera at a subject.

On the flip side, my mind turns to the negative, especially since AI is still prone to hallucination. As more and more people use this technology, they will inevitably experience the mistakes AI can make, and if they’re relying on the bot to help them with tasks—especially something that involves their safety—hallucinations can be dangerous. I didn’t experience any large errors; just the trackpad mixup. Anderson Cooper found that the bot made a mistake on a geometry problem (again, not a huge issue). But it’s a good reminder that as this tech improves rapidly, its inherent flaws raise the stakes for failure.

Perhaps that’s why every live camera session warns you not to use the feature for anything involving safety.

My Best Advice for Shipping Holiday Cookies Without Ruining Them

I have a sick obsession with holiday baking. (“Sick” like how the kids say it because all my baking is fire.) December is my signal to start baking for friends’ parties, for my own Christmas gatherings, and for shipping to friends near and far. Sending a box full of homemade treats should bring a smile to the faces of those you care for. Make sure they arrive in pristine condition, and not a broken mess of holiday disappointment. Here are the tips I use every year to successfully ship holiday cookies. 

1. Select the best cookies for shipping

Some cookies and bars ship better than others. Keep in mind that this box will be getting tossed and rolled on its way to the destination.

Do send. The best cookies to ship are sturdy treats like drop cookies, brownies, bars, thick cookie-cutter cookies, and fudge.

Don’t send. Steer clear of delicate tuiles, almond macarons, or cookies that have runny jam, or sticky frosting.

Anything slab shaped, like brownies, bars, or fudge can be left unsliced. Ship it in a single brick so it makes the journey in one piece, and then recipient can cut it once it arrives.

2. Cool your cookies completely

Spatula scooping a cookie up-close.

Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann

It’s a hectic time, but don’t rush to pack homemade cookies. Wait for your cookies to cool completely on a wire rack before nestling them in the cookie box. Chill them in the fridge briefly if you need to speed things along.

Warm cookies are still flexible—the fats and sugars haven’t set—and any chocolate present will still be molten. Stacking those cookies in a box might cause them to bend, squish, or break. Additionally, if you close up the cookie tin tightly, humidity will build in the box. This could cause bacteria or mold to grow over the course of the shipping time.

3. Pack cookies for shipping

Cookies in a tin next to a wire rack.

Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann

It’s hard to resist a variety. While you don’t need to pare down the types of cookies you bake, you should consider how you plan to pack it all. I like to use the term “like with like,” and all that means is to keep similar cookies in the same “room.” Focus specifically on “like” flavors or aromas, and “like” textures. This will prevent treats from changing due to the impact of “un-like” neighbors in the immediate vicinity. 

An example of a bad idea: packing soft fig cookies with crisp peppermint shortbread. The soft fig cookies will add humidity to the air and soften the shortbread, messing with the texture—also making them more likely to break. The peppermint aroma could also be absorbed by the fig cookies, which is not exactly how the artist intended it to be experienced. While the scent of chocolate doesn’t tend to seep into other cookies, spice cookies and peppermint can really make an impact.

To prevent this, pack the cookies in separate tins or boxes, or wrap the cookies tightly in plastic wrap or zip-top bags to help separate them. Try to keep soft cookies and bars in airtight packaging so they don’t lose moisture.

A paper gingerbread box on a table.

Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann

Metal cookie tins are relatively air-tight, and freakin’ adorable with their cute patterns, but my friends have told me that they still have their tins from last year. Which ends up being weird storage for them, or trash after the cookies are gone. If you’re shipping cookies year after year, this can be a cumbersome collection. 

If you see your giftees often, have them return the tins to you for next year. If not, consider bakery boxes for treats that don’t need to be air-tight, or alternative repurposed containers. Paper dessert boxes can be lighter than cookie tins too, which might shave a dollar or so off your shipping price. Pringles cans, or coffee cans make excellent cookie holders. They might not bear images of polar bears or Santa wearing buffalo plaid, but they’re well-shaped for this honorable duty. 

5. Pack holiday cookies securely with alternative packing material

Cookie tin in a box full of popcorn.

Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann

Packing cookies securely is the final step to ensuring they arrive in pristine condition. It might seem like packing the space between the cookie tin and the cardboard box is good enough, but you’d be mistaken. The space inside the cookie vessel is the enemy too.

The main trick is packing them tightly inside and out. Obviously, pack as many cookies in the container as possible because everyone likes more cookies, and fill the small spaces between the cookies and on top of them. When you put the lid on the material will keep the cookies in place no matter how the box gets tossed around during shipping.

I like to sit my cookies in cupcake liners inside a cookie tin. The ruffled edges tend to fan out and fill up the voids and keep the cookies from moving from side to side. In the space above, I crumple up a sheet of parchment paper and fit it onto the top. Flat parchment is nearly useless, but the crumpling it creates more of a 3-D air buffer that keeps the cookies from bouncing. It’s also flexible so you can still easily snap on the lid.

You could buy packing bubbles or paper packing I suppose, but I always feel wasteful using brand new materials that will immediately get chucked. If you’re receiving boxes in the days before shipping your cookies, save the packaging from those boxes and reuse them.

You can also pack the box with anything that can be repurposed or isn’t terribly wasteful. Use alternative packing materials like all the totes you’ve acquired over the year, folded second-use cardboard, crumpled paper destined for the trash (newspapers or pages torn from mailer catalogs you never asked for), or plain popcorn. Although it’s wasting food, it’s cheap, not particularly nutritious, and you get 7-10 cups of popcorn from four tablespoons of kernels. 

Send cookies earlier than you think

While you still have some time, don’t delay on shipping holiday cookies. The U.S. postal service is getting slammed right about now, so don’t risk waiting. Their website gives you a useful chart of shipping deadlines based on the type of service you’ll be using. Faster shipping costs more and buys you a little more time, but not much. For the best bet on your cookies arriving by the 25th, send them by Dec. 18 (for the contiguous 48 states). Then you can rest assured that your friends and family will get their bundle of sweets with plenty of time to enjoy them before Santa comes to take his cut.

The Next Game From the Studio Behind ‘The Last of Us’ Imagines a Space Age Full of Brands

What if brands were in space? That seems to be the chief question posed by Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, the next game from The Last of Us creators Naughty Dog.

In the final reveal from the 10th annual Game Awards, a show that also saw announcements for The Witcher IV, a PC port for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, and a sequel to cult classic calligraphy game Okami, Sony’s lead studio in its narrative gaming renaissance showed that it remembered it can do something other than zombies.

The Intergalactic trailer had a lot of product placement in it, including clear Porsche, Sony, and Adidas logos, and it laid on the ’80s nostalgia thick. This is yet another “CRTs in space” story, which I’m personally not so sure about after seeing Alien: Romulus do its best to give my favorite horror series the Force Awakens treatment, but it’s also seems to have a significantly lighter tone than Naughty Dog’s done in years. As a fan of Jak & Daxter, perhaps it might surprise me yet.

Aside from that, the trailer was pretty sparse on details, instead looking to evoke a feeling more than anything else. Combat, surprisingly, appears to be melee focused, with the trailer’s heroine facing down a hulking robot with a not-lightsaber in its closing seconds. I got soulslikes vibes, but it’ll take a gameplay trailer to know for sure—the trailer also sees its lead character arming up with a gun at some point.

According to Naughty Dog, the studio has been working on the game since 2020, and yeah, the trailer’s detailed, expensive-looking visuals definitely show that extended development time. I’ve never seen such a lovingly rendered Pet Shop Boys CD in my life.

All jokes aside, Naughty Dog’s growth from Jak & Daxter developer to being the inspiration for a hit HBO series is impressive, and Intergalactic seems like it’s doing its best to blend that old school cartoony camp with the studio’s newfound prestige. A release date is still MIA—presumably, Sony’s working on landing another brand deal before its next trailer.

Ciri Takes the Lead Role in ‘The Witcher 4’

Following up on its neo-noir sci-fi RPG Cyberpunk 2077, CD Projekt RED is going back to its roots with The Witcher IV, its first full mainline game in the grim fairy tale-inspired fantasy series since 2015.

The sequel’s reveal marked the start of the 10th annual Game Awards, the combination trailer fest/award show (more of the former, to be honest) that has served as a bit of a spiritual successor to E3 since the expo’s unceremonious death during the pandemic.

Like The Witcher 3, The Witcher 4 is a single-player RPG, but unlike its predecessors, Geralt will not be our lead monster hunter this time around. Instead, his apprentice and adopted daughter Ciri will be taking the reigns as protagonist.

While tonight’s trailer stopped short of showing gameplay, IGN, which falls under the same parent company as Lifehacker, has exclusive interviews going more in-depth about what players can expect from both the game as a whole as well as its lore.

The Witcher 3 was lauded when it released in 2015, currently holding a score of 92 on Metacritic. In particular, critics praised the game’s approach to narrative, side quests, and open-world design.

From the short sequence shown so far, all of those pillars seem to be intact, with tonight’s trailer showing Ciri taking a job in a rural village and facing some unexpected consequences for saving a “chosen one” from a monster attack.

Outside of the game itself, tech nerds have a little bit to look forward to as well, as the trailer also had a small note saying its cinematics were “pre-rendered in Unreal Engine 5 on an unannounced Nvidia GeForce RTX GPU.” While the game’s release window is still up in the air, the note confirms that developers already have their hands on the anticipated RTX 5000 GPU series, indicating PC gamers might see concrete details on their launch as soon as next month’s CES.

The Best Free Way to Get Around a Paywall to Read an Article (and a Few More Methods to Try)

Over the past several years, countless websites have added paywalls. This means if you want to read their articles, you have to sign up and pay a monthly subscription fee. Some sites have a “metered” paywall—meaning you can read a certain number of articles for free before they ask for money—and others have a hard paywall, where you’ll have to pay to read even one article.

Paywalls are mostly a thing with news websites, largely because relying on advertising income alone isn’t a viable strategy anymore, and news companies are pursuing more direct revenue sources, like monthly subscriptions. Of course, paywalls aren’t entirely a bad thing—it’s wonderful to support journalism you find valuable, so by all means, if you can afford to pay to read articles, you absolutely should. If nothing else, I hope you support the websites that you read regularly—especially your friendly local news outlet.

But whether you lost your password, haven’t saved it on your phone, are in a rush, or are just strapped for cash and promise yourself that you’ll subscribe later, there are many ways to bypass paywalls on the internet—including one that has been my go-to for the past year or so.

You may be able to use some of these methods successfully today, but that could change in the future as websites clamp down on bypass methods. But if you can’t right now, here is my most-trusted way to bypass paywalls online, and a few more you can try. (This article is regularly updated as some methods stop working and others pop up.)

Archive.today is the best, most reliable option for bypassing paywalls

A screenshot of the Archive.today website

Credit: Screenshot by Joel Cunningham

Archive.today is the fastest, most reliable way to quickly bypass a paywall that I’ve found, and I’ve been using it successfully for the past year across a wide range of sites. It’s a site that will create an archived version of any website you paste into the search bar. (Think of an archived version like taking a screenshot of any website with a time stamp—a self-described “time capsule,” if you will.) Archive.today “saves a text and a graphical copy of the page for better accuracy” and gives you a short link to an unalterable record of any web page. Yes, yes—but as a bonus, you can often use this functionality to bypass a paywall and read an entire paywalled article without issue.

Just paste your article link into the black “I want to search the archive for saved snapshots” bar and you’ll be taken to a page where you can view earlier archived versions. If the article you’re trying to bypass isn’t already archived, then put the URL into the red “My URL is alive and I want to archive its content” bar. The site will then begin generating the archived version, which usually only takes a few minutes. You’ll be sent straight to this archived version once it’s ready, and you can come back to it later by copying the new URL from your browser’s nav bar.

You can also add browser extension to Chrome that will create a button in your browser toolbar you can click to instantly create an archived of any web page. The archived version will even automatically open up in a new tab.

I’ve only had this site fail me once or twice. Usually, there’s already an existing archived version for anything I want to read, but creating a new one only takes a minute or two. Still, if it doesn’t work, try the next option.

More free, easy methods to try to get around a paywall

Use 12ft.io

12ft.io is a simple website created with the sole purpose of breaking through paywalls—and like Archive.today, it’s simple to use: Simply paste the paywalled link in the text field and hit “Submit.” (Alternately, you can type “https://12ft.io/” before the URL in your browser bar.) The site will then show you the cached, “unpaywalled version” of the page. The only problem is that the site doesn’t always work on all websites (The Wall Street Journal being a notable example; I also can’t get it to show me anything from Crain’s Chicago Business). If you get the “access denied” message, try another method on this list.

Explore the web ‘shackle-free’

If 12ft.io isn’t working for you, there’s a similar alternative, shacklefree.in. You can either visit that site and paste your link into the address bar, or you can type shacklefree.in/, and paste the article link directly into the browser bar after the slash. The service claims to work with “150+ websites.”

Spaywall promises to “legally bypass paywalls”

Another site that works similarly to 12ft.io and Archive.today, Spaywall states that the site “legally [bypasses] paywalls by redirecting you to archived news and research papers.” In testing links, it appears it takes the site a big longer to archive pages than some of your other options, so it’s probably best for reading older articles.

Use smry to read the article (or an AI-generated summary)

A newer tool I found while poking around “get around a paywall” Reddit, smry.ai is a tool that works similarly to 12ft.io and Archive.today, in that it shows you a cached version of the article page (pulled, according to the developer, from either the Internet Wayback Machine or Google cache), which allows you to read the entire thing. What sets this one apart is AI integration: Click the purple “generate” button on the results page to get an AI-generated summary of the article’s key points. In practice, I found the summaries to be more akin to social media posts than an outline (for example, a 7,000-word New York Magazine article about the recent assassination attempts on the life of former President Donald Trump was trimmed to a single short paragraph), but if you’re just looking for the gist—or trying to decide if you want to read the entire article at all—it’s a nice little addition.

Try Remove Paywalls (but don’t pay for the browser extension)

Another site that works similarly to 12ft.io and Archive.today, Remove Paywall promises to provide access to archived versions of webpages and get you around most any paywall. In testing, it seemed to work just as well as the aforementioned options: You simply navigate to the website and paste the URL of the article you’re trying to read into the search box. Unlike the other options, Remove Paywall also offers a browser extension that purports to be able to get you around paywalls automatically. There’s a catch, though: It requires a one-time purchase of $80, a steep cost for something you can easily do for free with minimal extra effort, and it isn’t available on the Google Play Store because it doesn’t align with the storefront’s current requirements. Side-loading extensions is generally a no for me.

More complex solutions to your paywall problems

If you’re willing to try solutions that are a little more technical than a mere copy and paste, one of these options might work for you.

Disable JavaScript in your browser

Some websites use JavaScript to hide content behind paywalls, and you can circumvent those blocks by disabling JavaScript in your browser. Note that disabling JavaScript can (and will) break most websites—some may not let you view comments, while others may not load at all. But it’s worth trying if you just need to read the content of the post.

Ideally, you’d use a separate browser for this so that you don’t have to keep enabling and disabling JavaScript. Once you’ve chosen your secondary browser, check out our guide to disabling JavaScript in various ones.

Use a VPN

Some paywalled sites, like The Washington Post, will let you read a limited number of articles for free each month, then throw up the wall once you’ve hit the limit. You can use a VPN to change up your IP address and trick the site into giving you more freebies. This method won’t help you on sites that don’t offer any free access, but it’s worth trying, and will work with both paid and free VPNs.

Try another browser add-on

There are lots of browser extensions that allow you to bypass paywalls on many websites. For academic articles, Unpaywall (Firefox, Chrome) is a good choice. For Chrome or Edge, you can also try Postlight Reader, which can also do you the favor of cleaning away the clutter of ads and generally making online content easier to read.

Edit a couple of elements on the webpage

If you understand a bit of HTML and CSS, you can edit elements using your browser to go past some paywalls. Essentially, you’re editing the page to remove the banners that lock content behind a subscription. It’s a lot like opening the curtains to reveal the nice view outside your window.

It works with some websites, but others have added a hard block that reveals the article only if you’ve signed in with a paid account. Still, it’s worth trying once to see if it works:

On any website, right-click the banner just below the last visible sentence of the article and select Inspect Element. This will open up a console where you can search for the offending elements and hide or change them. The exact element varies from site to site, but it’s often labeled display, paywall, or subscribe. Here’s a neat GIF on Reddit that shows you how to get it done.

Use a paywall bypass shortcut on Android

If you are trying to read a paywalled article on an Android phone, you can get around it with the Bypass Paywalls Clean browser extension. This extension used to be available for Firefox but has been removed from the Mozilla store. However, you can add it to a different browser; Reddit users recommend trying the Kiwi browser.

Use a paywall bypass shortcut on iPhone

The last method on our list works only on iPhones: Apple’s free Shortcuts app lets you run automation routines on your iPhone, and its tools have been used to bypass paywalls on various websites. There are plenty of these shortcuts, and they may all not work with all websites. Get started by trying AntiPaywall, Bypass Paywall, Paywall and Cookie Bypass, or Unpaywall.

Older workarounds that probably won’t work anymore

Before websites got smarter about building more rigid paywalls, there were some easy things you could try, but they usually don’t work anymore (or are certainly less reliable than a site like Archive.today). But if you want to go old school, you can give one of them a whirl.

Paste the headline into Google

The simplest ways are often the best. There are plenty of paywalled websites that have an arrangement that lets people arriving from Google search access their articles for free. Your first port of call should be to copy the headline and paste it into the search bar on Google. The article should appear as the first result, so just click that to read it for free.

Try a Facebook redirect

Some paywalled websites let readers arriving from Facebook read articles for free, and the method works even if you don’t have a Facebook account. To do it, open the article you want to read and go to the address bar of your web browser. Now paste https://facebook.com/l.php?u= before the URL of the paywalled article and open the page. This’ll show you a Facebook redirect page, and you can click Follow Link to open the website. The paywalled article should now be free to read.

Open the link in an incognito window

Another quick way is to open the paywalled articles in an incognito window in your web browser. Just note that this method works with metered paywalls only. If you’ve used up your free article quota for the month on any website, opening its articles in an incognito window could let you keep reading without paying yet.

Enable “reader mode”

Most modern browsers now have a “reader mode” that strips extraneous elements from the page (like ads, formatting, and empty space). As a bonus, reader mode will sometimes also allow you to bypass paywalls. This article will tell you how to use reader mode in Safari, Firefox, Edge, and Chrome.

Check if your local library provides access

Many libraries offer access to paid magazine and newspaper subscriptions online. Typically you’ll have to go to your library’s website, log in with your card number or account details, and then access different publications indirectly, via the library’s portal (for example, if you live in Marin County, California, you can easily read the Washington Post for free).

There are too many library systems out there to count, so you may or may not be lucky enough to be in one that offers this perk, but it’s worth a shot; since the library is paying the publication for the service, you don’t even need to feel guilty. (Not sure if your system has a news portal? Ask your local librarian!)

Ask a subscriber for a “gift article”

This one isn’t likely to be feasible often, but it’s worth a shot for when you’re trying to read that one paywalled article that’s going viral: Many publications allow paid subscribers to “gift” a copy of a certain number of articles every month (The Washington Post and The New York Times each allows gifting 10 articles per month, for example). If you know your aunt subscribes to the New York Times, it can’t hurt to ask if she’s willing to gift you the occasional read.

For the First Time, You’ll Be Able to Stream the Oscars

It’s Hollywood’s most glamorous night (or late afternoon, for those on the west coast), and this year, there’s another option for those who want to tune into the Oscars at home. In addition to airing on a major network, the Academy Awards will also streamed live—meaning you won’t have to track down an antenna or find a way to access local channels if you’d like to watch the night of many stars and acceptance speeches.

Here’s how to stream the Oscars for the first time ever in 2025.

How to stream the 2025 Academy Awards

On Wednesday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced on X (formerly Twitter) that the 2025 Academy Awards broadcast will be a little different. While the show will still air on ABC as usual, it will also stream live on Hulu for the first time. Of course, you need a Hulu subscription in order take advantage of this development, but at least it’s another way to catch the hours-long ceremony.

And that’s not the only first for the 2025 Oscars: Emmy Award-winning television host, writer, producer and comedian Conan O’Brien will also be making his hosting debut, ABC announced in November. “America demanded it, and now it’s happening: Taco Bell’s new Cheesy Chalupa Supreme. In other news, I’m hosting the Oscars,” O’Brien said in a statement.

The 2025 Academy Awards will take place at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday, March 2, 2025. Like this year’s awards, the show will begin at the earlier time of 7 p.m. ET instead of 8 p.m. ET, as it had in previous years. The official live red carpet show begins at 6:30 p.m. ET.

It’s also possible to watch the Oscars from outside the U.S. The show is broadcast in more than 200 territories worldwide. Check your international local listings to find out how to tune in.