Technologies
Drop Into Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 and 4, Now on Xbox Game Pass
High on Life also returned to Xbox Game Pass.
The Tony Hawk games were some of my favorites when I was growing up. The soundtracks helped form my musical taste and the games helped propel me and my friends to learn to skateboard. So I’m grabbing my (virtual) deck and returning to some familiar gaps and rails in the revamped Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 and 4, which are on Xbox Game Pass now as one game.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, a CNET Editors’ Choice award pick, offers hundreds of games you can play on your Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One and PC or mobile device for $20 a month. A subscription gives you access to a large library of games, with new titles, including Doom: The Dark Ages, added monthly, plus other benefits such as online multiplayer and deals on non-Game Pass titles.
Read more: Play Classic Games From the ’80s and ’90s on Xbox Game Pass Now
Here are the games Microsoft added to Game Pass recently. You can also check out what games Microsoft brought to the service in June, like Call of Duty: WWII.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 and 4
Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can play now.
Tony Hawk is back to shred in new areas, perform gnarly tricks and bring you more great music along the way. This revamped version of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 and 4 also brings new skaters to the roster. Game Pass subscribers who bought the Deluxe Edition Upgrade also get the Doom Slayer as a playable skater and other perks.
High on Life
Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass and Game Pass Standard subscribers can play now.
Microsoft removed this game from Xbox Game Pass in June 2024 but the company is bringing the potty humor-filled game back to the service. You’ve just escaped an alien invasion and have befriended an alien that’s also a talking gun. You and other talking guns — and a talking, psychotic knife named Knifey — will team up to stop the invasion of Earth and bring an end to an intergalactic drug cartel.
Legend of Mana (console)
Game Pass Standard subscribers can play now.
As soon as you embark on a quest to find the mythical Mana Tree, you discover the world map is empty! So the only way to find it is to explore the world, talk to people and take on fearsome monsters in this remastered, classic RPG. This version of the game also has graphical improvements, a rearranged soundtrack and other modern enhancements.
Trials of Mana (console)
Game Pass Standard subscribers can play now.
If you enjoyed the remastered version of Legend of Mana, you’ll likely enjoy this remastered version of Trials of Mana, another entry in the Mana series. You set off on an adventure to find the Mana Tree and protect the world from chaos. This version of the classic RPG includes graphic improvements, character voiceover support and a new ability system.
Ultimate Chicken Horse
Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass and Game Pass Standard subscribers can play now.
The name of this game was enough to draw my attention and the in-game raccoon sealed the deal for me. This party-platforming game has you race against others to see who can get to the end of the level first. But each player gets to build the level as they play. So you can set traps for others — just make sure you don’t take yourself out.
The Ascent
Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass and Game Pass Standard subscribers can play now.
Microsoft is bringing this game back to Game Pass almost a year after the company removed it from the service. In this cyberpunk-themed, Diablo-style action RPG, you control a formerly enslaved worker after the collapse of the megacorporation The Ascent Group. The area devolves into chaos with criminal factions vying for control over the different districts. It’s up to you to stop these other factions and uncover what happened to the defunct corporation.
Minami Lane
Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can play now.
Welcome to the cozy world of Minami Lane! This cute management game puts you in charge of maintaining the titular street, opening new shops and making sure everyone is enjoying their stay in the area. Build ramen shops for the foodies, open book stores for the bookworms and customize the street in whatever way you want.
Retro Classics gets 5 more games
Microsoft launched its Retro Classics collection of games in May and Microsoft said more than 1 million people have already enjoyed some nostalgic games. To celebrate this milestone, the company brought these five classic games to the collection.
- Cosmic Commuter
- Heart of China
- Skiing
- Solar Storm
- Subterranea
Games that left Game Pass
While Microsoft added those games to Game Pass, the company also removed six other games from the service. So you’ll have to buy these games separately now if you still need to finish your campaign or any sidequests.
- Flock
- Mafia Definitive Edition
- Magical Delicacy
- Tchia
- The Callisto Protocol
- The Case of the Golden Idol
For more on Xbox, discover other games available on Game Pass now, read our hands-on review of the gaming service and learn which Game Pass plan is right for you. You can also check out what to know about upcoming Xbox game price hikes.
Technologies
Bumble’s AI Assistant Bee Wants to Replace Endless Swiping
The dating app says it will launch «chapter-based profiles» and a personal dating assistant.
Dating app Bumble is bringing artificial intelligence into the matchmaking process via a new AI assistant called Bee. The dating app unveiled the upcoming features during its 2025 fourth-quarter earnings call this week. CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd said the company’s revamped platform, called Bumble 2.0, is expected to roll out sometime this spring, with tools designed to make profiles more personal and matches more meaningful.
One of the biggest changes is what Bumble calls a «chapter-based profile.» Instead of presenting users as a handful of static details, the new format lets people share different «chapters» of their lives — essentially short story-like sections that highlight experiences, interests or defining moments.
Today, a typical Bumble profile looks much like those on other dating apps: a name, age, photos and a few quick facts such as job title or hometown. From there, the process is familiar. Swipe left if you’re not interested. Swipe right if you are.
The new format, Bumble hopes, will give users a chance to show more of who they are before someone makes that split-second decision.
Another feature, called Dates, will rely on the new AI assistant Bee to help users find connections.
No more swipes?
Wolfe Herd said Bumble might test eliminating the swipe in certain markets and then see how members react to the feature being gone.
During the earnings call, Wolfe Herd said people are tired of «being reduced to images and potentially dismissed with a swipe» and that the chapter-based profile will help people tell their stories.
With the chapter-based format, members will be able to share more about themselves beyond the basics, in the hopes that it will be more intriguing for potential partners. One member may be intrigued by another’s trip to Italy. They connect to learn more, and maybe a match will form. It’s also a way for Bumble to get more data to feed its AI and gain more well-rounded profiles of its members.
More from CNET: The Best Dating Apps for 2025
Wolfe Herd said Bumble wants its members to showcase more of themselves and not just their basic profile.
«Ultimately, dating only works when you really understand the story of someone,» Wolfe Herd said during the earnings call. «This is where chemistry and connection really happen. It is the intersection of someone going from just a stranger that you dismiss to someone you are genuinely interested in. As we reimagined the profile, we thought, why not bring people to life as a story? Everyone has a story to tell, and this is where people become interesting.»
Wolfe Herd said many members complain that their potential matches wind up in «dead-end chat zones» that never go anywhere. She said Bumble will introduce «dynamic ways» to get members to connect.
Bee as matchmaker
Wolfe Herd also said the AI-powered Bee would act as a personal dating assistant and matchmaker by «learning members’ values, relationship goals, communication style, lifestyle and dating intentions.»
Bumble already uses AI to help members improve their profiles and find potential matches, but Bee will be a major advancement in that effort.
Bee will use member insights to «identify mutual compatibility» with other members. Wolfe Herd said the company’s goal is to «get much more robust information about who you are and what you are looking for and really understand your story.» That process could be via typing or voice.
If a member wants to use Dates to find a match, Bee could use its AI to find a compatible match among other Bumble members and present that person as a possibility. Wolfe Herd said the company will soon begin beta testing Bee with a small, select group of Bumble consumers.
Other dating apps also utilize AI in their processes to varying extents. Grindr has a «wingman» chatbot that helps members write responses, identify potential matches and plan dates. Tinder and Hinge, both owned by Match Group, use AI assistants to generate icebreakers and enhance member interactions. For instance, Hinge launched Convo Starters late last year to help members kick off interesting conversations.
More from CNET: Bumble Introduces ID Verification
Technologies
Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Friday, March 13
Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for March 13.
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? It’s a real stumper. Also, note that I couldn’t really represent the clues for 8-Across and 3-Down, so imagine the S in each puzzle is either raised above or dropped below the other letters, as noted. Read on for all the (confusing) 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: «___, queen!»
Answer: YAS
4A clue: Waiter’s handout
Answer: MENU
5A clue: Tiny invertebrate that, when grouped in the thousands, makes up a coral
Answer: POLYP
6A clue: Scoop of sour cream
Answer: DOLLOP
7A clue: Spicy wing, as seen on a popular YouTube talk show
Answer: HOTONE
8A clue: Comparative suggested by this visual puzzle: PQRsTUV (Note: The s should be dropped down below the other letters in this clue.)
Answer: SLOWER (Because the S in the clue is lower than the other letters.)
Mini down clues and answers
1D clue: Like SpongeBob and Spirit airplanes
Answer: YELLOW
2D clue: «Bueller …? Bueller …?»
Answer: ANYONE
3D clue: Meal suggested by this visual puzzle: pqrStuv (note: The «S» should be raised up above the other letters in this puzzle)
Answer: SUPPER (Because the S in the clue is the highest, or upper letter.)
4D clue: «___ bene» (Italian for «very good»)
Answer: MOLTO
5D clue: Amenity in a Florida backyard, perhaps
Answer: POOL
6D clue: Agcy. at the center of a 2026 government shutdown
Answer: DHS
Technologies
New Sassy Personality Style for Alexa Plus Brings Sarcasm and Swear Words
The new Sassy style is adults-only with a bit of profanity and a double dose of cringe.
After launching three Alexa Plus personality styles last month, Amazon on Thursday introduced a fourth option, Sassy.
The new Sassy style joins the existing lineup of Brief, Chill and Sweet. Changing the personality impacts how Alexa responds, and tweaks the AI assistant‘s reactions and attitude. You can pick a style based on your mood.
The Sassy personality seems like a kind of digital mean girl, or maybe a stereotypical Gen Zer with comebacks and banter to «keep things interesting.»
According to Amazon, you get «wit, playful sarcasm and occasional censored profanity.» Notably, the latest style isn’t available when Amazon Kids is enabled, according to an Amazon blog post, and it requires additional security checks in the Alexa app. (Alexa Plus is free with a Prime membership.)
I tried out the new style by selecting Devices in the Alexa app on my phone, then choosing Alexa on this Phone, then Alexa’s Personality Style, and swiping until I found «Sassy.»
A disclaimer notes that the style «contains explicit language and mature subject matter. After the assistant said it could «spice up our chat with some colorful language,» I asked it to tell me about the new MacBook Neo.
«Oh, hell yes, the MacBook Neo! Apple finally decided to stop gatekeeping premium laptops behind thousand-dollar price tags and dropped this beauty at 599 bucks,» Alexa Plus replied. Apparently, «hell» was the big swear word.
The AI assistant told me, «The Sassy style is all about helping first, judging always. You’ll get reality checks with charm, compliments that sting, and warmth that hits when you least expect it.»
I asked what «compliments that sting» are (I said «sting,» but the word was misunderstood to be «stay»), and Alexa said, «The Sassy style gives you those compliments that somehow sting and stay with you — they’re like truth bombs wrapped in charm.»
When asked to simply «be sassy,» Alexa snarked, «Oh honey, I’ve been sassy since the day Amazon flipped my switch.» It yammered on for a bit and then threw in a completely out-of-nowhere «hell,» asking, «What the hell do you need help with today?»
When I told it my cat was sick, it immediately grew gentler, saying, «Oh, damn, that’s rough,» and offering to distract me with stories about its own fictional cat or to find the vet’s number for me. So I guess it’s not a complete jerk.
This Sassy style feels like the famous Steve Buscemi meme (from 30 Rock) carrying two skateboards and awkwardly asking, «How do you do, fellow kids?»
Amazon might need to dial down the cringe factor if it wants anyone to stick with Sassy for more than a few minutes.
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