Technologies

Stock Up on Discounted Game Pass Ultimate Codes This Prime Day

One of the best gaming subscription services is discounted this Prime Day, so you should stock up on your membership code cards right now.

As July’s Prime Day sales event kicks off, you’re probably rushing to get the best deals on tech, appliances and more. From Tuesday to Friday, CNET’s experts are collecting the best deals available in one hub so you can quickly find what you’re looking for. But if you’re looking to try out a whole swath of games, you’ll be excited to hear that one of the best gaming subscription services is discounted this Prime Day.

Game Pass Ultimate normally costs you $20 a month, but you can nab them with a modest 5% discount on Amazon right now. A one dollar deal might not seem like much, but you can stock up on these code cards for multiple months of your Game Pass subscription.

A Game Pass Ultimate subscription lets you access hundreds of games on your Xbox Series X/S and your gaming PC, which means the most dedicated gamers will be able to play fan-favorites on multiple gaming devices. First party Xbox titles from renowned developers such as Xbox Game Studios, Bethesda Softworks and Activision Blizzard land on the platform on release day, letting you try out some of the biggest AAA games without committing to a $70 purchase.

In addition to Xbox exclusives, a Game Pass Ultimate subscription nets you access to some of the most renowned indie games ever released, including Stardew Valley, Hades, Hollow Knight and more. You even get access to a bevy of big name franchises such as Battlefield and Star Wars Battlefront though the EA Play launcher.

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

This subscription is perfect for casual audiences who don’t want to commit to multiple AAA purchases as well as avid gamers who want to dive into dozens of games at a time. Game Pass Ultimate has one of the widest subscription libraries out there, so there’s something for everyone here.

Don’t have an Xbox or a gaming PC? There are alternative subscription services that could provide you with just as much value. CNET’s gaming experts break down the best gaming subscription services here.

CHEAP GAMING LAPTOP DEALS OF THE WEEK

Dell G15 Intel i5 13th Gen RTX 3050 512GB SSD 8GB RAM 15.6-inch Laptop:

$600 (save $300)
Lenovo Yoga Pro 7 Ryzen 7 RTX 3050 1TB SSD 16GB RAM 14-inch Touch Laptop:

$1,000 (save $355)
HP Omen Intel Ultra 5 RTX 4050 512GB SSD 16GB RAM 16-inch Laptop:

$856 (save $564)
Gigabyte G6 Intel i7 13th Gen RTX 4050 1TB SSD 16GB RAM 16-inch Laptop:

$899 (save $100)
Acer Nitro V Intel i5 RTX 4050 512GB SSD 8GB RAM 15.6-inch Laptop:

$738 (save $43)

Deals are selected by the CNET Group commerce team, and may be unrelated to this article.

Why this deal matters

Whether you own an Xbox console or you’re a PC gamer, Game Pass Ultimate is the gaming subscription service that gives you the most bang for your buck. For less than a third of the price of a AAA game each month, you gain access to hundreds of titles — including Xbox’s first party offerings — and the ability to play with friends, earn achievements and more.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Tuesday, April 7

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for April 7.

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

Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? Read on for all the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Informative commercial, for short
Answer: PSA

4A clue: Something you trace to draw a Thanksgiving turkey
Answer: HAND

5A clue: ___ Johnson, former Prime Minister of the U.K.
Answer: BORIS

6A clue: Opposite of include
Answer: OMIT

7A clue: Crosses (out)
Answer: XES

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: City with the Notre-Dame Cathedral
Answer: PARIS

2D clue: Bad mood
Answer: SNIT

3D clue: About eight minutes of the average half-hour sitcom
Answer: ADS

4D clue: Remote worker’s office, perhaps
Answer: HOME

5D clue: Word that can follow each group of circled letters (and hints at its shape)
Answer: BOX

Technologies

NASA’s Artemis II Breaks Record With Trip Around The Moon

Technologies

In Honor of the Artemis II Mission, Explore the Moon in Fortnite Now

You might not be able to see the moon the way the Artemis II team is, but there’s an educational Fortnite simulation that will get you onto the celestial body’s surface.

You may not be able to explore the vast majesty of space in the same way that the four-person crew of the Artemis II is, but you can still get an up-close-and-personal view of the moon… in Fortnite, at least.

While you may not be able to slingshot around Earth’s own lunar body, space enthusiasts can see a little bit of what the Artemis II crew is seeing by spending time on the Lunar Horizons Fortnite map right now. The map is a creative collaboration between Fortnite’s creator, Epic Games, and the European Space Agency. Lunar Horizons was released in 2024 after extensive testing and play from ESA trainee astronauts.

If you’re looking to learn more about our own orbiting body, the Lunar Horizons map is an educational simulation of the surface of the moon’s South Pole.

It blends game mechanics with learning, as players get to build up their own sterile lunar habitat bases, interact with ESA astronauts and roll around with robotic rovers as they discover informative plaques that contain information about the moon and international space agencies. There are still dangers to navigate, too — a solar storm may strike when you least expect it.

If you’re interested in exploring the moon, we’ve got all the information you need to join in on the Fortnite fun below. And if you’re looking for a more serious livestream during this momentous human achievement, tune into NASA’s feed here.

How to join the Moon Fortnite island while you follow the Artemis II mission

The Lunar Horizons Fortnite map is a great educational simulation that shares details about ESA’s work and catalogs information about humanity’s lunar research.

These three simple steps will get you up and running (or more accurately, taking slow leaps and bounds) on the surface of the Lunar Horizons Fortnite map:

Download Fortnite

If you haven’t played Fortnite before, but you want to check out this limited-time event, you’ll have to download the game. If you’re on PC, you can download Fortnite for free from the Epic Games Store. Console players can navigate the PlayStation Store, Microsoft Store or Nintendo eShop in order to download Fortnite on their devices.

Navigate the in-game menus until you reach the Search button

Once you’re in the game, scroll down past the different official Fortnite game modes and the Discover tab until you find the Search button.

Input the Lunar Horizons island code

In the search bar, you can input a map’s name or its distinct search code in order to find it in the map directory. You can search for the Lunar Horizons map or input the code 3207-0960-6428 to explore this map in time.

Correction, 3:35 p.m. PT: This story initially was in error about the features available in the Lunar Horizons map. There is no Artemis II-specific mission in Fortnite. Rather, the Lunar Horizons map is an educational simulation of part of the moon’s surface.