Technologies

I Played Donkey Kong Bananza. It’s the Switch 2’s Killer Ape

If you’re looking for a reason to get a Nintendo Switch 2, this game has a peel.

You fall out of the sky and find yourself on a day-glo series of underground islands. You have to smash your way through them with your gorilla fists to find secret objects and fossils. Occasionally you can turn into a magic ostrich. Also, a woman named Pauline rides your back and throws words at things.

Donkey Kong Bananza, a game that’s only available on Nintendo Switch 2, is the best handheld gaming console’s new must-get game. After a few hours of playing it at a Nintendo preview in New York, I’m excited to play more. So is my kid who, after discovering it was an exclusive that’s not coming to the original Switch, said «OK, this is what might convince me to get a Switch 2.» He never said that with Mario Kart World, Nintendo’s other Switch 2 exclusive game.

What I love about Bananza is how vast and new it all feels. I got vibes and styles from all sorts of Nintendo games — Super Mario Odyssey, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Splatoon and even Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom — but this game’s also full of its own styles and surprises that are utterly fresh. This is a big, welcome blast of New Nintendo.

Donkey Kong Bananza comes out July 17. It’s available for preorder now for $70 from Nintendo.com and other retailers.

Playing Donkey Kong Bananza I encountered some familiar formulas. It’s a huge 3D platformer, but it has 2D throwback moments, just like Super Mario Odyssey did. The smash-everything gameplay involving digging tunnels and unearthing treasure feels at times like Minecraft, at times like Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’s craft-everything freedom. The bright colors and bold characters remind me of Splatoon. The big multi-tier levels I explored — and tried to find secrets in — evoked the larger levels in Kirby and the Forgotten Land.

Bananza was actually made by the Mario Odyssey team, and you can tell. This is game’s similarly epic-looking, multidimensional and … musical. The songs occasionally sung by Pauline, your sidekick and friend, feel destined to appear in a future Donkey Kong Bananza animated movie. Odyssey had a lot of music riffs in it, too.

I didn’t get that much time to play. It was just a few hours and they flew. I was torn between freely exploring the huge levels, digging up stuff like fossils, crystal bananas (Banandium gems, which can be collected like many other things) and treasure chests, and finding the hidden bonus challenges. There are more straightforward goals per level, too, with a pop-up 3D map or directional arrow hint to show the way. I needed the help, since these levels can feel pretty gigantic.

I just started to feel like I was getting the hang of all the different game controls, including ripping chunks of rock off cliffs and surfing them, turning into a super-powered Bananza mode to single-punch through metal walls, and climbing all over the place. Getting skill points to add other abilities, and collecting clothing that offers other boosts, just feels like a wild amount of freedom.

I also got to try the co-op mode. A second player becomes Pauline, who can shoot solid words made of her voice that can destroy objects and enemies. The controls use the Joy-Con 2 mouse mode, making it feel like a targeting shoot-em-up. Bananza also supports Game Share to stream the co-op mode to another nearby Switch (either another Switch 2 or an original Switch). I want to try this with my family at home, but sadly, there’s no deeper co-op here. Consider it sort of like Odyssey’s hat-throwing co-op mode, but better.

I’ve gone back and watched the Nintendo Direct deep dive after my Bananza session, and I want to know more. I’m in. So’s my kid. And I’m glad this game is a step into new territory, despite starring old favorite Donkey Kong. The Switch 2 was already excellent but it feels even more vibrant now. With a few more big exclusive games like this, the Switch 2 is going to become a must-get for a lot more people. Actually, that moment might already be here.

Technologies

Act Fast to Save 15% on This Powerful CarbonMag Portable Charger

This Sharge charger can keep you powered on the go, and right now you don’t have to pay full price.

There’s nothing worse than your phone dying in the middle of the day, especially when finding an outlet means being stuck in an uncomfortable situation. MagSafe portable wireless chargers are a great fix for that, as they snap onto the back of your phone and charge it while you go about your day. One solid pick that won’t weigh your phone down like a brick is the CarbonMag MagSafe portable charger by Sharge. And right now it can be yours for less with this Prime Day deal.

Thanks to Prime Day, you can currently snag it for 15% off with the code QHUAPIWG at checkout — bringing the price down from $70 to just $59. That’s the same cost as the smaller 5,000mAh model, but this one gives you double the battery capacity for the same price.

This device is made out of carbon fiber, which makes it 40% lighter than your usual power banks and 80% more durable than chargers made with the materials normally used. It gets you a 10,000mAh battery capacity, enough to charge your devices multiple times throughout the day. You’ll enjoy up to 15W wireless charging, which can power an iPhone 15 from 0% to 55% in just 44 minutes.

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

The charger also features ultrastrong (but safe) magnets that maintain a stable hold on your smartphone. You can use the built-in USB-C port for pass-through charging or to power another device at the same time. The only catch? We don’t know when the discount code expires, so you might want to hurry.

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Why this deal matters

MagSafe wireless chargers can be a game-changer for anyone tired of juggling wires throughout the day. This deal gets you a slim, lightweight, yet powerful option at a $11 discount for a limited time. We recommend acting while you can.

Technologies

Save Up to $35 Off a Baseus Charging Station This July 4th and Stay Powered Up All Weekend

When USB ports aren’t enough, a Baseus charging station is what you need. Power all your gadgets with multiple well-spaced AC outlets and no clutter.

Keeping all your gear charged can be a job unto itself, and it gets more complicated when you have visitors. Whether you’re having guests this Fourth of July weekend or you just need a better charging solution for your family, a charging station could be the answer. But even the best charging stations can only share so many watts between devices, which is why the best charging stations from brands like Anker and Baseus not only feature multiple USB ports but also multiple AC outlets. AC outlets accommodate those few devices that still use proprietary chargers, and it lets you expand beyond the included 2-4 USB ports without sacrificing wattage when you need to top off everyone quickly before heading out.

The Fourth of July deals are bouncing into next week’s Amazon Prime Day to give us some of the best savings of the year a week early. Among the dozens of mobile accessories Baseus has on sale this holiday weekend is a trio of towers that can declutter your desk and keep everything you need ready and recharged. Available in 6-in-1, 7-in-1 for $65, and 10-in-1 varieties, these charging stations all offer two USB-C ports, at least one USB-A port and multiple AC outlets. Just note: You’ll need to clip the on-page coupon to get the lowest possible price.

For the best blend of power and ports, Baseus’ 100W 7-in-1 USB-C charging station can fast charge a laptop at 65W — full speed for all Chromebooks and many Windows laptops — while a phone and tablet each standard charge at 15W and still leave 5W for your smartwatch while your non-USB tech or your desk’s smart speaker can use the AC ports on both sides and the back of the tower. These towers are part power delivery chargers and part surge protectors with surge and lightning protection to keep your digital lifelines from frying should calamity strike.

The Baseus $35 10-in-1 desktop charging station model may sound like it’s the most powerful, but it only offers 35 watts to share between the two USB-C and USB-A ports, leaving the lion’s share of the station’s potential power to the six AC ports. This isn’t to say 35W between four ports is useless, but you’ll want to use those ports for lower-powered devices like recharging your smartwatch or wireless earbuds.

If you’re looking to charge multiple phones and tablets with those ports, you’re probably better off going with the 6-in-1 USB-C Charging Station at $50, which may only have three AC ports but features a retractable USB-C cable in addition to one standard USB-A and one USB-C port. Those three ports share 65W, meaning that you can charge both a phone and tablet at full speed rather than both getting middling speeds.

Why this deal matters

I use a 100W charging station like this at my desk and have another next to my couch for both me and my guests to keep our phones powered and ready. Being able to stick my 65W travel charger into one of the AC ports and fast charge four phones instead of two — well, one phone and my Chromebook — when I have people over and then swap it back to powering my oil diffuser or smart speaker once they’re gone is a godsend, and since the wall outlets are spread out across multiple sides of the tower instead of sandwiched next to each other in a line, I never have to worry about bulky plugs blocking out half my ports.

Because these charging stations double as surge protectors, you can also click their switch to power off and disconnect everything when severe weather comes, unlike standard charging stations you would have to unplug. Living in lightning capital of the U.S. makes this feature more important to me than most, but it can also be handy for parents wanting a one-click shut-off for all the kids’ consoles and computers.

We’re still days away from Prime Day, and deals like these will continue to drop through the next week, but these chargers are all within a few dollars of their lowest prices ever. We’ll watch for further price drops and competing deals throughout the holiday week, including Anker’s plethora of deals on chargers, speakers and smart home appliances.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for July 4, #284

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for July 4, No. 284.

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 has kind of a July 4 flavor. But come on, New York Times puzzle makers, is the blue category really a sport? Read on for hints and the answers. And pass the mustard.

Connections: Sports Edition is out of beta now, making its debut on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 9. That’s a sign that the game has earned enough loyal players that The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times, will continue to publish it. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but now appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can continue to play it 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: What you won.

Green group hint: Lone Star State sports.

Blue group hint: Chow down.

Purple group hint: Not cold.