Technologies

I Ordered a Switch 2 From Verizon. It Didn’t Go Well

Commentary: I was supposed to get the Switch 2 on June 6. It didn’t show up on that day — or any day — and Verizon never gave me an update. But the story has a happy ending. Sort of, anyway.

Back on June 5, the Switch 2‘s launch day, I wrote about Belkin’s new accessories for Nintendo’s latest game console. I noted I hadn’t tried the Belkin accessories yet with my Switch 2; I ordered my console from Verizon, and it wasn’t scheduled to arrive until the following day.

My Switch 2 didn’t arrive on June 6. Or the day after. Or a week later. Or ever.

It didn’t take a genius to figure out what had happened: Verizon, a company that you don’t typically associate with selling game consoles, allowed more people to order the Switch 2 than it had in stock.

I checked in on what seemed like an apt Reddit thread entitled, «So I ordered my Switch 2 from Verizon… and it’s still not here,» which confirmed my suspicions. One of the commenters reported that he’d spoken to a customer service rep and was informed that not only was the device backordered, but there was no word as to when delayed orders would be fulfilled. The commenter also learned that Verizon had farmed out its Switch 2 sales to a third party, which made it more difficult to cancel your order.

Read more: CNET’s Switch 2 restock tracker

As days turned into weeks and I heard nothing from Verizon, and my «track order» page continued to list my Switch 2 as «scheduled to arrive June 6,» I started calling Verizon customer service every couple of days to see if anybody had any updates. The reps I spoke to were sincere in their efforts to help me and wished they could provide more clarity. But all they could tell me was that the console remained backordered.

Truth be told, I wasn’t terribly upset about the situation because I wasn’t all that eager to buy a Switch 2 in the first place; I was a little annoyed my credit card had been charged, however. Like a few people I know, I ended up ordering the Switch 2 partially because the opportunity to buy one popped up without me making a serious effort to get one — I wasn’t going to follow CNET’s Nintendo Switch 2 Stock Tracker and dash off to a retailer like Best Buy or Target the moment a new shipment arrived in store.

As it was, I was on Slickdeals.com on the morning of June 5 and saw a post about the Switch 2 being in stock at Verizon online, albeit only available to Verizon customers. I clicked the link and was slightly shocked to discover it was indeed in stock and that I was able to order it, with a confirmation email to prove it.

As soon as I placed the order, I had a tinge of buyer’s remorse. Not so much because my bill came to $500 after tax and an extra $13 for expedited shipping. But I thought that maybe if I was dropping $500 on this thing, it would have been a better idea to wait and spend an extra $50 on the Switch 2 plus Mario Kart World Bundle, which was sold out at Verizon when I placed my order for the standalone Switch 2. At least I’d get a discount on one of Nintendo’s absurdly priced new games for the Switch 2.

Arguably, the best deal right now for a Switch 2 is Costco’s Switch 2 Mario Kart World bundle that also comes with a 12-month individual subscription to Nintendo Online, plus the Expansion Pack for $525, saving you $25 off the subscription. But you have to be a Costco member to get it — if it’s in stock.

But even with that touch of lingering regret, I didn’t cancel my order, though I did get my money back for the expedited shipping. However, when I spoke with a very nice customer service rep with an Australian accent a few days ago, I did start asking some questions about how hard it was going to be to cancel the order. She confirmed the process was a little tricky, but she’d be happy to cancel it. She’d need to «file a ticket,» and it might take three to five days before my order was actually canceled and my credit card credited. I told her thanks, but I was going to hold off on canceling for a few more days.

After I hung up with her, I thought, OK, I don’t really want to be a jerk about this, but I do work for CNET, and maybe it’s time to share my Switch 2 buying saga with a wider audience.

As a journalist, what you should do in a situation like this is reach out to a company media representative and inform them that you’re writing about how you’ve had a rather poor shopping experience with their company. So I did just that, explaining that I wasn’t too upset about the situation, but I was concerned about the lack of communication about the status of my order, which seemed to be stuck in a state of limbo. Also, judging from a couple of Reddit threads on the topic, others were in the same position. Did Verizon have any comment?

Initially, it appeared Verizon might give me a comment. But then it didn’t. However, I did get tipped off that the Switch 2 Mario Kart World bundle had just come back into stock and that no one had posted about it. I quickly fired up my computer and headed back to Verizon’s website, where, sure enough, it was in stock. Glutton for punishment that I am, I placed an order for it since the bundle was what I wanted in the first place.

I then called up Verizon customer service to cancel my initial order. The Reddit users’ comments proved accurate. I spent almost 30 minutes on the phone — most of it hold time — waiting for the service rep to jump through all the hoops to get my order canceled. At the end of the call, I got a cancellation confirmation number (the aforementioned «ticket») and was told that it would indeed take three to five days to process.

For my second order, I didn’t add expedited shipping, opting instead for the free two-day shipping. I got an email that confirmed my order, but when I went to track its status the next day, it still showed that my order was received but had yet to ship. I was sure I’d entered the doom loop again.

But lo and behold, a few hours later, I received an email saying my order had arrived. In the Verizon app, the status of my order had changed to «shipped.» When I got back home, I found a plain brown box with an expedited shipping label on it. My Switch 2 and a code for Mario Kart World were inside.

If you’re thinking someone made sure that order got to me pronto, you probably wouldn’t be wrong. But I won’t lie. Despite it costing what it did and my putting a lot more effort into getting it than I wanted to, there was a certain satisfaction in finally receiving it.

I do think it’s a lot better than the original Switch that I bought shortly after it launched. Or maybe I’m just trying to justify spending $544 on it. At least I can try out those Belkin accessories now.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for June 22, #742

Here are some hints — and the answers — for the NYT Connections puzzle for June 22, #742.

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.

TV watchers — today’s NYT Connections puzzle is right up your alley. There’s also a category that might have fit well on July 4. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times now 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 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: Current happenings.

Green group hint: July 4 document.

Blue group hint: Premium TV.

Purple group hint: Not right.

Answers for today’s Connections groups

Yellow group: News announcement.

Green group: Nouns from a famous line in the Declaration of Independence.

Blue group: HBO shows.

Purple group: What «left» might mean.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is news announcement. The four answers are bulletin, flash, report and wire.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is nouns from a famous line in the Declaration of Independence. The four answers are happiness, liberty, life and pursuit.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is HBO shows. The four answers are Entourage, Euphoria, Insecure and Succession.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is what «left» might mean. The four answers are departed, port, progressive and remaining.

Technologies

Today’s Wordle Hints, Answer and Help for June 22, #1464

Here are hints — and the answer — for today’s Wordle No. 1,464 for June 22.

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

Today’s Wordle puzzle is a pretty tough one. It’s very sound-related, you’ll know it once you hear or see it, but it might not come instantly to mind. If you need a new starter word, check out our list of which letters show up the most in English words. If you need hints and the answer, read on.

Today’s Wordle hints

Before we show you today’s Wordle answer, we’ll give you some hints. If you don’t want a spoiler, look away now.

Wordle hint No. 1: Repeats

Today’s Wordle answer has no repeated letters.

Wordle hint No. 2: Vowels

There is one vowel in today’s Wordle answer.

Wordle hint No. 3: First letter

Today’s Wordle answer begins with T.

Wordle hint No. 4: Sounds like

Today’s Wordle answer is an onomatopoeic word, meaning it was formatted from a word that sounds like what it means.

Wordle hint No. 5: Meaning

Today’s Wordle answer can refer to a steady rhythmic vibration.

TODAY’S WORDLE ANSWER

Today’s Wordle answer is THRUM.

Yesterday’s Wordle answer

Yesterday’s Wordle answer, June 21, No. 1463 was GLADE.

Recent Wordle answers

June 17, No. 1459: PRANK

June 18, No. 1460: MUNCH

June 19, No. 1461: CURIO

June 20, No. 1462: TAUPE

Technologies

Why You Should Care About OpenAI’s New $200 Million Defense Department Deal

ChatGPT maker OpenAI inked a new deal with the US government. Here’s what their plans for AI in government could mean for you.

The US Department of Defense has awarded ChatGPT maker OpenAI a $200 million contract to develop «prototype frontier AI capabilities,» the government and company announced on Monday.

The deal is through the Defense Department’s chief digital and artificial intelligence office and is expected to be completed in one year. OpenAI said in its statement that its AI could help the department perform tasks ranging from «transform[ing] its administrative operations … to streamlining how they look at program and acquisition data, to supporting proactive cyber defense.»

That’s a broad list, from automating bureaucratic processes to potentially letting OpenAI’s tech play a major role in the digital systems that safeguard every American’s personal information. It could be just the first step in a more widespread adoption by government agencies.

The contract is a pilot program and the first partnership in the new OpenAI for Government initiative, through which the company aims to put its AI tools in the hands of «public servants across the United States.» Through the initiative, OpenAI says it’s offering access to AI «models within secure and compliant environments» and also, on a limited basis, new custom AI models for national security for federal, state and local governments.

This isn’t OpenAI’s first time dipping its toes into government operations. In January, the company launched ChatGPT Gov, a new pathway for government employees to access OpenAI’s models while still following the necessary security protocols. It also has partnerships with US National Labs⁠, the Air Force Research Laboratory, NASA, the National Institutes of Health and the Treasury Department. Those will all be folded into OpenAI for Government.

This deal also builds on OpenAI’s other security work. Late last year, the company announced a partnership with Anduril, a defense contractor with a focus on AI and robotics/drones. Anduril’s statement explicitly points out OpenAI’s potential to «improve the nation’s defense systems that protect US and allied military personnel from attacks by unmanned drones and other aerial devices.» (Anduril also recently announced a new deal with Meta for VR/AR tech for the US Army.)

Many essential questions around AI, like those involving privacy and safety, are still unanswered. That takes on even greater significance as generative AI gets adopted in government operations that may involve things like sensitive personal information, legal status or law enforcement activity. That could put to the test OpenAI’s policies, which specify that its AI shouldn’t be used to compromise the privacy of real people, including to «create or expand facial recognition databases without consent» and «conduct real-time remote biometric identification in public spaces for law enforcement purposes.»

It’s not surprising to see OpenAI cozy up to the US government. Since its original ChatGPT model spurred the generative AI rush starting in late 2022, governments here and abroad have struggled with how to implement and regulate the new tech. It’s affected every branch of the US government. There hasn’t been any substantial federal regulation around AI — to the contrary, President Trump’s «big beautiful bill» on government spending making its way through Congress would prevent states from regulating AI themselves.

Some government departments, like the US Copyright Office, have laid out some guidelines for AI. Meanwhile in the courts, publishers and artists have filed lawsuits against AI companies alleging copyright infringement and misuse of training material. (Disclosure: Ziff Davis, CNET’s parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.)