Technologies

Nintendo Fails to Justify $80 Price Tag in Mario Kart World Direct

Nintendo still hasn’t explained why it’s charging more for the game.

Nintendo held its Mario Kart World Direct on Thursday morning to show off the flagship game that’ll launch with the Switch 2 in June. But even as the company showed off the game’s new features, most people watching wanted one thing: For Nintendo to lower the price.

Mario Kart World received backlash when it was revealed to have an $80 price tag after the Switch 2 reveal event on April 2. Those interested in the Switch successor are excited about the new games but concerned that its higher price may be the start of a new trend. There are already concerns about the Switch 2’s price and whether it will increase from the announced $450 mark following recently instituted tariffs, which caused a delay to preorders for the US. The price of new games currently tops at $70 across different platforms.

While Nintendo didn’t justify the price, the showcase did go over all the details about the game.

Mario Kart World will be the biggest Mario Kart game, giving players the freedom to travel across the map on their own. This is the first time racers can freely roam with no need to stay on the track — unless, of course, they want to win the race.

The Mario Kart World Direct showed off the game’s new courses: Mario Bros. Circuit, Crown City, Salty Salty Speedway, Starview Peak and Boo Cinema. Reimagined tracks from older games will also be included. There are three new racers: Goomba, Spike and Cow.

It couldn’t be a Mario Kart game without new items to use during a race. Those items include the Coin Shell, which can knock out opponents as well as drop coins, the Ice Flower to freeze other racers, the Mega Mushroom to grow huge to bump everyone out of the way and the Feather to make some big jumps. There’s also Kamek, the longtime magical enemy of Mario who will help a racer by transforming everyone else on the course.

There are two racing tours: Grand Prix and Knockout Tour. In Grand Prix, there are three cups to choose from — Mushroom, Flower, Star — and players compete in multiple races to earn points in order to win the cup. Nintendo teased that after completing the Grand Prix, the beloved Rainbow Road track might be unlocked. Knockout Tour is similar to Grand Prix except that you have to place or else get kicked out of the next race. In both tours, players will have to drive from one track to another.

New techniques are making their debut in #MarioKartWorld!

With Charge Jump you can leap over obstacles, grind along power lines, and dodge attacks from rivals!

Charge Jump toward a wall to Wall Ride for a short period of time! pic.twitter.com/xuFqRsFDny

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) April 17, 2025

During that roaming time between races, players can experience the Mario Kart World map. There are hidden coins and panels, as well as P buttons that will start quests to collect blue coins in a certain amount of time. The world also has Yoshi drive-thrus, where players can pick up food that will unlock new outfits for characters.

One of the big new additions in Mario Kart World is the Rewind function. During a race, a player can rewind themselves to make a jump or reach a platform. However, if done during a race, all the other racers will continue forward, which could cost you the race.

For multiplayer, one person with Mario Kart World can let up to four players play on the same system via split screen. Online races will support up to 24 players, and with the Switch 2 Camera and GameChat, players racing against each other can see their faces positioned over their characters while playing.

Mario Kart World launches on June 5 for $80 with the Switch 2. There is a Switch 2 Mario Kart World Bundle for $500, and during the Direct, Nintendo mentioned that this bundle will be available for a limited time.

Technologies

Grok Now Remembers What You Talked About, and Here’s How to Make It Stop

The chatbot’s memory is in beta and now available on Grok.com and the official iOS and Android apps.

Elon Musk’s artifical intelligence company xAI has added memory to its flagship AI known as Grok. The announcement was posted on Musk’s social media platform X on Wednesday, along with information about how the memory functions work, which is similar to other AI models. When you speak to Grok, it’ll pick up tidbits about your likes, dislikes, preferences and interests, and then use that information to tailor its responses directly to you.

Chat GPT and Google’s Gemini AI both added memory in 2024, and both can now remember conversations long-term to give you more personalized answers. In the example from xAI, the user asks Grok for a workout routine. The AI responds by mentioning that the user had previously asked about «dynamic, high-energy activities and fitness trends like jump rope and weightlifting.» Grok then makes a workout routine that incorporates those elements.

When referencing old conversations, Grok’s UI has a button that lets you see which previous conversations it references. Users can also view what Grok remembers about them and can tune that manually to make Grok forget what it learned. Grok’s new memory is available in beta on Grok.com along with the official iOS and Android apps. It is available for both free and premium Grok users.

Read more: Best AI Chatbots of 2025

How to turn the memory off

Despite being in beta, the feature is enabled by default, or at least it was when we tried it. The good news is that you can toggle Grok’s conversation history mode on and off at will. So, if you don’t want Grok to remember everything you tell it, here’s how to make it stop.

Grok.com: Tap your profile picture and then Settings. Navigate to Data Controls. The feature is «Personalize Grok with your conversation history.» Toggle it off to disable.
Android and iOS apps: Open the Settings, navigate to Data Controls. Here, the feature is «Personalize with memories.» Toggle it off to disable the feature.

In addition, users can toggle the private chat mode by using the ghost icon in the chatbox. Grok will not store the details of your conversation in private chat mode. While you are in the app’s Data Controls, you can also disable Grok from using your X history during conversations.

Technologies

Grab a Certified Refurbished Apple Watch Ultra 2 for $580 With This Woot Deal

Save over $200 by opting for a refurbished Apple Watch that includes a year of warranty from Apple.

Last year, the original Apple Watch Ultra was succeeded by the Apple Watch Ultra 2. The headline change is a new sleek black titanium option, but there are some other minor tweaks. If you’re after a high-performance smartwatch at a reduced price and don’t mind a refurbished model, there’s an excellent deal available. You can currently purchase a certified refurbished Apple Watch Ultra 2 for just $580 at Woot — down from its original price of $799. Since this is an Apple Certified Refurbished unit, it includes a full 1-year warranty from Apple. However, this offer is only available while supplies last, so if you’re interested, it’s best to act quickly to secure one at this discounted rate.

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is one of the best smartwatches you can buy, with CNET reviewer Lexy Savvides complimenting its «searingly bright screen and faster responses.» It originally retailed for $799, but with this deal, you receive a certified refurbished model that has undergone Apple’s rigorous refurbishment process. This includes a thorough inspection, replacement of any defective parts, and a comprehensive cleaning. The watch comes with a new battery and outer shell, ensuring it looks and functions like new. It also includes a magnetic charging cable and is packaged in a new white box. As an Apple Certified Refurbished product, it qualifies for AppleCare and comes with a standard 1-year warranty.

Hey, did you know? CNET Deals texts are free, easy and save you money.

If you’re comfortable with a refurbished device, this is a fantastic opportunity to own Apple’s most rugged and feature-rich smartwatch at a significant discount. The Apple Watch Ultra 2 offers the same 49mm titanium case as the 1st-gen, an always-on Retina display with up to 3,000 nits brightness, and advanced GPS capabilities for outdoor adventures. It offers up to 36 hours of battery life on a single charge, extendable to 72 hours in Low Power Mode. Health and safety features include heart rate monitoring, sleep tracking, fall and crash detection and a built-in siren for emergencies. With cellular connectivity, you can make calls, send messages and use Apple Pay directly from your wrist, even without your iPhone nearby.

Read more: Apple Watch Ultra 2 vs. Apple Watch Ultra: Rugged Watches Compared

If refurbished items aren’t your thing, be sure to check out our roundup of other Apple Watch deals currently available.

Why this deal matters

Purchasing refurbished products is an excellent way to save money without compromising on quality. Apple’s Certified Refurbished program ensures that each device meets strict standards and includes a full warranty for peace of mind. If you’ve been wanting to upgrade without paying full price, this is a deal worth taking before supplies run dry.

Technologies

Meta Removes Use of Apple Intelligence in Its Apps on iPhone

Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp and Threads no longer have access to the writing features of Apple Intelligence.

Meta is removing the option to use Apple Intelligence writing tools for four of its apps, CNET confirmed Thursday. These options were originally enabled across Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Threads, but seem to have been removed for some users.

It appears that Meta’s removal of Apple’s AI features may have begun as early as December of 2024, bringing confusion to iPhone owners who may have relied on the feature within its apps. Meta and Apple did not respond to requests for comment.

CNET senior writer Abrar Al-Heeti dug deeper. When she attempted to highlight text on Instagram to be rewritten, she saw only a «Write with AI» option, which instead of Apple Intelligence leads to a Meta AI window. On Threads and WhatsApp, she did not see the option to alter her text with AI at all.

Spotted earlier by sorcererhat, AppleInsider did a bit more digging into the Apple Developer documentation to confirm that iOS and iPadOS apps need to manually enable the feature along with the findings from the Apple Support Forums.

In a moment where artificial intelligence is everywhere and each massive tech company is building up their own solutions from the ground up to compete with each other, Meta’s decision to remove the use of Apple Intelligence writing tools may not be incredibly surprising, and certainly will not be in hindsight if a similar feature arrives on Meta’s own apps for iOS.