Technologies

Celebrate ‘Mario Day’ With Up to 50% Off Mario Games and More

From platformers to party games, you can shop tons of the latest Mario games on sale at Amazon for as little as $30, along with deals on consoles and accessories.

With the hotly anticipated Super Mario Bros. movie hitting theaters in just a few weeks, it’s a great time to be a Nintendo fan. And if you want to get ready for the release by picking up some of the latest Mario games, we’ve got some deals you won’t want to miss. Today, March 10, is known as «Mario Day,» and Amazon is celebrating by offering up to 50% off tons of the latest Mario games for the Switch. These discounts kicked off earlier this week, but we’ve seen even more bargains pop up — and many of these offers have also been matched at Target and GameStop.

See at Amazon

It’s pretty rare to see first-party Nintendo games on sale, but there are almost a dozen different Mario titles you can pick up for less at this sale. If you’re after the classic side-scrolling experience, you can pick up New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe for $39, $21 off the usual price. There are tons of different playable characters, whether you’re gaming solo or with friends, including some that offer extra assistance and tips so even younger and less experienced players can get in on the action.

You can also unleash your creative side with Super Mario Maker 2. It’s also marked down to just $39 and, along with over 100 built-in courses, allows you to make your own Super Mario worlds. There are even discounted games featuring some of Mario’s most popular friends and relatives, including Yoshi’s Crafted World for $39 and Luigi’s Mansion 3 for $40. Or save a whopping 50% and pay just $30 for Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, a wacky turn-based strategy game that was incredibly well reviewed.

Or, if you’re looking for multiplayer mayhem, you can grab Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, which is also on sale for $39. It supports up to four-person local multiplayer, and comes with 48 different courses for hours of competitive fun. And if you’re looking to take your racing off the screen, you can pick up the Mario set of Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit for $60, which saves you $40 compared to the usual price. This game comes with a real-life RC kart that you can control with your Nintendo Switch, plus gates so you can build a custom track around your home.

Searching for a great deal on a console? Check out this Mario Day Switch console bundle. It includes the standard model Nintendo Switch console, along with your choice of one free Mario game download of Super Mario Odyssey, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe or New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe and a sticker pack from the new movie. You can get it for $299 from Walmart, or $300 from Best Buy and Target. You can also find discounted accessories at various retailers, such as 33% off wired Switch controllers in a plethora of designs, including these two options featuring Mario from PDP and PowerA, which brings the price of each down to $19.

There are plenty of other games on sale at Amazon, Target, GameStop and other retailers, so be sure to check our deals page for even more bargains and grab all the discounted Mario Day merch you can while prices are low.

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Technologies

Wisconsin Reverses Decision to Ban VPNs in Age-Verification Bill

The law would have required websites to block VPN users from accessing «harmful material.»

Following a wave of criticism, Wisconsin lawmakers have decided not to include a ban on VPN services in their age-verification law, making its way through the state legislature.

Wisconsin Senate Bill 130 (and its sister Assembly Bill 105), introduced in March 2025, aims to prohibit businesses from «publishing or distributing material harmful to minors» unless there is a reasonable «method to verify the age of individuals attempting to access the website.»

One provision would have required businesses to bar people from accessing their sites via «a virtual private network system or virtual private network provider.»

A VPN lets you access the internet via an encrypted connection, enabling you to bypass firewalls and unblock geographically restricted websites and streaming content. While using a VPN, your IP address and physical location are masked, and your internet service provider doesn’t know which websites you visit.

Wisconsin state Sen. Van Wanggaard moved to delete that provision in the legislation, thereby releasing VPNs from any liability. The state assembly agreed to remove the VPN ban, and the bill now awaits Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers’s signature.

Rindala Alajaji, associate director of state affairs at the digital freedom nonprofit Electronic Frontier Foundation, says Wisconsin’s U-turn is «great news.»

«This shows the power of public advocacy and pushback,» Alajaji says. «Politicians heard the VPN users who shared their worries and fears, and the experts who explained how the ban wouldn’t work.»

Earlier this week, the EFF had written an open letter arguing that the draft laws did not «meaningfully advance the goal of keeping young people safe online.» The EFF said that blocking VPNs would harm many groups that rely on that software for private and secure internet connections, including «businesses, universities, journalists and ordinary citizens,» and that «many law enforcement professionals, veterans and small business owners rely on VPNs to safely use the internet.»

VPNs can also help you get around age-verification laws — for instance, if you live in a state or country that requires age verification to access certain material, you can use a VPN to make it look like you live elsewhere, thereby gaining access to that material. As age-restriction laws increase around the US, VPN use has also increased. However, many people are using free VPNs, which are fertile ground for cybercriminals.

In its letter to Wisconsin lawmakers prior to the reversal, the EFF argued that it is «unworkable» to require websites to block VPN users from accessing adult content. The EFF said such sites cannot «reliably determine» where a VPN customer lives — it could be any US state or even other countries.

«As a result, covered websites would face an impossible choice: either block all VPN users everywhere, disrupting access for millions of people nationwide, or cease offering services in Wisconsin altogether,» the EFF wrote.

Wisconsin is not the only state to consider VPN bans to prevent access to adult material. Last year, Michigan introduced the Anticorruption of Public Morals Act, which would ban all use of VPNs. If passed, it would force ISPs to detect and block VPN usage and also ban the sale of VPNs in the state. Fines could reach $500,000.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for Feb. 21 #720

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for Feb. 21, No. 720.

Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Strands puzzle might be easy for those who pursue a certain hobby. Some of the answers are difficult to unscramble, so if you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: The beer necessities.

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Cheers!

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

MALE, TREAT, STEAM, TEAM, MOVE, LOVE, ROVE, ROVER, SPEAR, PEAR

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:

HOPS, WATER, MALT, YEAST, BARLEY, SUGAR, WHEAT, FLAVOR

Today’s Strands spangram

Today’s Strands spangram is HOMEBREW. To find it, start with the H that’s three letters to the right on the top row, and wind down.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for Feb. 21, #986

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for Feb. 21 #986.

Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s NYT Connections puzzle features another of those purple categories where you need to look for hidden words inside of other words. It can be a real stumper. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including the number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Rookies don’t have this.

Green group hint: Call the roll.

Blue group hint: How’d you do today?

Purple group hint: Vroom-vroom, but with a twist.