Technologies

McDonald’s Launches Minecraft Happy Meals, Plus a ‘Nether’ Hot Sauce for Nuggets

The promotion is tied into A Minecraft Movie and is now available.

This is no April Fool’s trick — as of April 1, Minecraft players can pick up a Minecraft-themed Happy Meal, an adult-aimed A Minecraft Movie Meal or a McNugget sauce called the Nether Flame Sauce, the restaurant chain announced Thursday. It’s meant to tie in with the April 4 theater release of A Minecraft Movie, which stars Jack Black and Jason Momoa.

Read more: ‘A Minecraft Movie’ Trailer: Jason Momoa and Jack Black Go on a Magical Mystery Tour

There are 12 film-inspired figurines or Block World toys given out with the Happy Meals. Every Happy Meal comes with a scannable code to unlock an exclusive digital game.

The Minecraft Movie Meal — the adult version — features either a Big Mac or 10-piece McNuggets, plus medium fries, a drink and one of six different collectible Minecraft items, each of which come with a matching card and a code that fans can redeem to unlock the corresponding skin in the game. Toys include the Big Mac Crystal, Birdie Wings, Fry Helmet, Grimace Egg, Soda Potion and Zombie Hamburglar.

Buyers also receive a one-time redeemable code to unlock the McDonald’s Add-On pack in Minecraft, which adds McDonaldland characters, builds and tools to the game.

Read more: The 15 Best PC Games Right Now

There’s also a new limited-edition McNugget sauce, a hot sauce called Nether Flame Sauce, which features crushed red pepper, garlic and cayenne pepper. It’s named for The Nether, Minecraft’s hell-like dimension — hence the heat — and can be ordered with any food item.

Technologies

AT&T Says It’s Pumping $250 Billion Into New Infrastructure Improvements

Technologies

Apple’s New Smart Home Display Delayed Until Fall Over Siri Issues

It has been nearly a year and a half since the company announced the AI-powered product.

Your home could get smarter with Apple’s Siri, but it will have to wait a few more months. Bloomberg reported the iPad-shaped AI home hub won’t be ready until September, several months after the company was hoping to launch it this spring. Apple engineers first need to complete work on a new and improved Siri assistant for the home device, code-named J490, according to Bloomberg.

Apple was hoping to release J490 this month, along with a slew of other new devices, including the iPhone 17e, MacBook Neo, MacBook Air M5, new Pro models, and iPad Air M4. Apple first teased the smart home display in November 2024.

A representative for Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Siri is Apple’s virtual assistant that uses voice recognition and AI to fulfill a variety of tasks and commands, along with intriguing uses. You might use Siri to find your iPhone — «Hey Siri, where are you?» — or to hear the weather forecast — «Siri, what will the weather be today?» Siri is available on iPhones, MacBooks and iPads. It was launched in 2011 as a feature of the iPhone 4S.

As CNET reported last month, Apple engineers have struggled to push the upgraded Siri assistant out the door. It isn’t fast enough, gets confused by complex commands and doesn’t interact well with other Apple AI models. The company is also wrestling with how much personal data to access to inform the AI, and the new Siri is not yet able to complete in-app tasks, such as finding a photo and posting it to socials, all with one command.

It has been nearly two years since Apple announced that it would give Siri a major upgrade. In the meantime, competitors like Alexa Plus and Gemini for Home have entered the marketplace.

Tech tester Jon Rettinger, whose YouTube channel has 1.66 million subscribers, says the repeated delays in upgrading Siri can «erode» confidence in Apple’s ability to keep up in the AI race.

«Apple as a whole is still one of the strongest companies on the planet. But their AI play is clearly the weakest link in an otherwise very strong chain,» Rettinger told CNET.

Rettinger said he has had issues getting Siri to complete basic commands, such as setting two alarms at the same time, and that it’s a bit of «a mess» right now.

«Having said that, the iPhone has such massive market penetration that I’m not sure it will actually matter in the end. Which is kind of wild when you think about it,» Rettinger said.

Facial recognition for residents

The hardware for the forthcoming smart home display has already been finished. It resembles an iPad and can be either attached to a wall or rest on a half-domed-shaped base, the Bloomberg report said.

The device will be equipped with facial recognition, so when residents walk up to it, they will be shown personalized data such as music preferences, news headlines, appointments, reminders, tasks and so on.

The screen interface will include a bunch of circular app icons, similar to the display on an Apple Watch. The Bloomberg report said the smart home display will be the first of several home devices by Apple. Future products include a tabletop robotic limb with a 9-inch screen, a smart security camera and a Face ID-enabled smart doorbell.