Technologies

Nintendo, You Lost Me: The Switch 2 Isn’t Worth the Upgrade for Cozy Gamers

Commentary: The original Switch rekindled my love of gaming, but Nintendo has done little to entice me to upgrade — at least for now.

I’ve been looking forward to the Nintendo Switch 2 ever since it was announced, but after Wednesday’s launch event I’m not convinced I’ll ever upgrade to the new console. That’s because I have the distinct feeling that unlike its predecessor, this isn’t a console designed for cozy gamers like me.

Gaming means many different things to different people, and for a long time, I’d resigned myself to the idea that it just wasn’t for me. That wasn’t because I’d never enjoyed playing games, but the simulation, puzzle and strategy games I liked playing as a child and teenager didn’t seem to be a priority to publishers or console makers as the focus shifted toward increasingly demanding AAA games. Once my brother traded in our family PS2 for an Xbox, I considered my gaming days over.

Even though there’s long been a thriving indie game scene that I’ve occasionally dipped my toe into, I’ve never enjoyed sitting in front of a PC to game. Instead, it was the launch of the original Nintendo Switch that brought me back into gaming in a big way. Here was a console that didn’t take itself too seriously, with endless opportunities for casual, cozy gamers like me to indulge in less intense, less power-hungry titles, either with friends on our TVs or on a long-haul flight (when there’s nothing better than losing myself in a game where I pretend to be a bear running a bed-and-breakfast).

I was one of many who poured hours into Animal Crossing, but there’s a whole world of cozy games available on the Switch, with publishers releasing new titles all the time, and they’re wildly popular. One of the most recent launches, Hello Kitty Island Adventure, which came out in February, sold half a million copies in its first 30 days alone.

The serious side of the Switch 2

When the Switch 2 was announced, I was ready to see my favorite console level up, but based on Wednesday’s announcements, I see very little to get excited about for cozy gamers like myself. In fact, I think Nintendo risks alienating us with this upgrade.

I was hoping that at least one of the games announced at launch would be something to excite existing Animal Crossing fans, but no such luck. It seems to me that with a focus on more-demanding and serious titles, including The Duskbloods exclusive, the Switch is shaking off its fun and family-friendly identity to better compete with the likes of the Xbox and the PlayStation.

The Switch 2 even looks more serious. The formerly brightly hued Joy-Con controllers are now black, with a nod to their red and blue predecessors only via a ring of color around the joysticks. It reminds me more of a Steam Deck than a Nintendo console.

That said, it is still early days for the Switch 2, and just because cozy gamers aren’t being prioritized at launch doesn’t mean there won’t be future enticements to look forward to. The newly introduced mouse functionality on the Switch 2 could open up more possibilities down the line for strategy and simulation games, many of which can fall within the cozy game genre.

I’ll be keeping my eye out for future releases that are more up my street, in the hope that the Switch 2 is eventually worth the upgrade. In the meantime, you can find me curled up in bed feeding my livestock and romancing every villager in turn in Stardew Valley on my original Switch.

Technologies

Google Rolls Out Latest AI Model, Gemini 3.1 Pro

Starting Thursday, Gemini 3.1 Pro can be accessed via the AI app, NotebookLM and more.

Google took the wraps off its latest AI model, Gemini 3.1 Pro, on Thursday, calling it a «step forward in core reasoning.» The software giant says its latest model is smarter and more capable for complex problem-solving.

Google shared a series of bookmarks and examples of the latest model’s capabilities, and is rolling out Gemini 3.1 to a series of products for consumers, enterprise and developers.

The overall AI model landscape seems to change weekly. Google’s release comes just a few days after Anthropic dropped the latest version of Claude, Sonnet 4.6, which can operate a computer at a human baseline level.

Benchmarks of Gemini 3.1

Google shared some details about AI model benchmarks for Gemini 3.1 Pro.

The announcement blog post highlights that the Gemini 3.1 Pro benchmark for the ARC-AGI-2 test for solving abstract reasoning puzzles sits at 77.1%. This is noticeably higher than Gemini 3 Pro’s 31.1% score for the same test.

The ARC-AGI-2 benchmark is one of multiple improvements coming from Gemini 3.1 Pro, Google says.

3.1 Pro enhancements

With better benchmarks nearly across the board, Google highlighted some of the ways that translate in general use:

Code-based animations: The latest Gemini model can easily create animated SVG images that are scalable without quality loss and ready to be added to websites with a text prompt.

Creative coding: Gemini 3.1 Pro generated an entire website based on a character from Emily Brontë’s novel Wuthering Heights, if she were a landscape photographer showing off her portfolio.

Interactive design: 3.1 Pro was used to create a 3D interactive starling murmuration that allows the flock to be controlled in an assortment of ways, all while a soundscape is generated that changes with the movement of the birds.

Availability

As of Thursday, Gemini 3.1 Pro is rolling out in the Gemini app for those with the AI Pro or Ultra plans. NotebookLM users subscribed to one of those plans will also be able to take advantage of the new model.

Both developers and enterprises can also access the new model via the Gemini API through a range of products, including AI Studio, Gemini Enterprise, Antigravity and Android Studio.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for Feb. 20 #719

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for Feb. 20, No. 719.

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 is a bit tricky. 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: True grit

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: You might find this in a wood shop.

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:

SAND, CART, SCAR, SCAT, PAPER, HAVE

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:

COARSE, HARSH, SCRATCHY, ROUGH, PRICKLY, ABRASIVE

Today’s Strands spangram

Today’s Strands spangram is SANDPAPER. To find it, start with the S that’s the farthest-left letter on the very top row, and wind down.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for Feb. 20, #515

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Feb. 20, No. 515.

Looking for the most recent regular 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 and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition features a category all about my favorite football team. If you’re struggling with today’s puzzle but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times. It doesn’t appear in the NYT Games app, but it does in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

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

Yellow group hint: We’ll be right back…

Green group hint: Run for the roses.

Blue group hint: Skol!

Purple group hint: