Technologies
Hogwarts Legacy Renews That Classic Harry Potter Magic
Commentary: The open-world RPG game, available now, lets you explore a previously unseen era of this enchanting world of wizardry. Despite the controversy around this franchise, it’s a joy.

Playing Hogwarts Legacy instantly reminds me few fictional worlds are as bewitching as Harry Potter’s. In 1998, my mum handed me a copy of Philosopher’s Stone — published under the lesser name Sorcerer’s Stone in the US — and that opening chapter awakened a sense of wonder. I was hooked for life.
Or so I thought. After the core book series wrapped up and there were no more movie adaptations coming, my emotional connection diminished. The overstuffed spinoffs, along with author J.K. Rowling’s inflammatory comments about transgender people, sucked the remaining fun out of the franchise, and I figured it was time to move on.
Most of that baggage fell away as soon as I started Hogwarts Legacy, which hit PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Series S and PC on Friday (it arrives on other consoles in the coming months). This open-world action RPG game, developed by Avalanche Software, is designed to let us live out our fantasies of enrolling at the iconic School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as a new student.
Having played the PS5 version for 12 hours, it captures the wonder of the early books, with an intriguing original narrative, engagingly varied gameplay and intricately designed world to explore.
Back to basics
The game sidesteps the narrative restrictions of Harry’s story by jumping way back in the timeline, to the 1890s. After creating your character, you’re whisked off on a brief opening adventure before reaching the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Even though you’re a new student, you’re starting your magical career a little late and enroll as a fifth year. That’s presumably because having a wide-eyed first year, just 11 years old, explore dangerous caves, learn dangerous spells and battle dark wizards would feel kinda weird.
The customization options are a key element in living out your wizarding world fantasy, and they’re a joy. You can choose your character’s gender and appearance. Then you’ll pick and alter your wand (don’t worry, the one you start the game with is a loaner) and broom.
You also get sorted into a Hogwarts house (Slytherin FTW), based on a series of questions you’ll answer shortly after arriving at the school, but you can have a do-over if the initial selection isn’t to your liking.
The house you end up in doesn’t seem to change much beyond the common room, your uniform and some throwaway lines. Though teachers mention house points in some classes, you won’t actually be competing for them in the game.
Your education is occasionally interrupted by the main story, which focuses on your connection to mysterious ancient magic and a sinister dark wizard in league with the intense leader of a goblin rebellion — these baddies sport the excellent names of Victor Rookwood and Ranrok, respectively. It’s an absorbing narrative that expands this universe’s lore nicely, especially when it hints at events further back in the timeline, but sometimes fades into the background amidst all the game’s other distractions.
Living in a wizarding world
The development team’s love for Harry Potter is apparent in every aspect of Hogwarts Legacy, but shines most brightly in the world and its characters. Every teacher, student and location feels distinct and real, with a peppering of familiar names like Weasley and Black to make fans feel comfortable.
Each character is richly written, cleverly voiced — Simon Pegg plays the unpleasant headmaster — and visually diverse, so talking to them and learning about their backgrounds is fascinating. (It’s frustrating that you can’t pause during cutscenes though.) This characterisation is woven through the main story and its side quests, which range from investigating one of the castle’s mysteries and sneakily grabbing potion ingredients to wandering into a dangerous cave.
These are varied and fun in terms of gameplay, exploration and puzzle-solving, but feel even more worthwhile since they present opportunities to learn more about the quest-givers and world. And teenage tomfoolery, like sneaking into the library in the dead of night with the help of an invisibility charm, just feels like vintage Harry Potter.
Your customized avatar’s voice acting is solid, but occasionally a bit flat — like you’re overly polite or reserved. That’s preferable to listening to a realistic teenager, though. The character models are convincing enough, but the eyes sometimes move unnaturally and feel unnerving.
The world is sumptuously designed too, particularly in the beautifully gothic Hogwarts, with its moving paintings, chatty gargoyles and fascinating student banter. Every inch is begging to be explored, with heaps of collectibles and Easter eggs to discover — you hear a satisfying hint of the John Williams theme when you pick up certain items. The nearby village of Hogsmeade isn’t quite as big, but it’s still full of fun diversions.
The colorful rolling hills, plains and hamlets that make up the rest of the world can feel a little bland by comparison, despite their Elder Scrolls vibes.
The game’s technical limitations are occasionally evident as you dash around the environment too; sometimes assets will pop up at the edge of your screen and doors will appear to be stuck as the area beyond loads. It never felt game-breaking, but might briefly shake your sense of immersion. I fell through the scenery and died while wandering outside the castle once too — luckily the game had autosaved seconds beforehand and the glitch didn’t repeat.
Tricks of the magical trade
The multifaceted nature of your wizarding unfolds gradually through Hogwarts Legacy’s early hours. Your character starts out with the most basic dueling skills and spells, but the way you flick out spells with your wand gives combat a unique, kinetic flow.
You block incoming attacks with a magical shield and dodge bigger ones. The combat is similar to that seen in the Batman: Arkham and Spider-Man games, but with a sorcery aesthetic. It’s immediately gratifying, to the point where you’ll be hankering for magical battles.
Once you get to Hogwarts, you’ll learn new spells and skills in classes like Defense Against the Dark Arts, Potions and Herbology. Crucially, the flow of quests gives you time to get comfortable with each new ability before introducing another — you’ll attend a class and then use what you’ve learnt in a few story missions or side quests.
The game encourages you to use every tool in your arsenal, instead getting comfortable with a few basic combos and relying on them to get through every battle. You’ll be playing for a few hours before the skill trees are unlocked, but you’ll likely have a sense of your preferred combat style by then. Pretty much everything you do gives you experience points too, so you’ll level up at a steady clip.
There’s also a constant flow of new gear that’ll enhance your attack and defense, in addition to changing your character’s look. You can also apply the appearance of any previous clothing to new ones, so you aren’t stuck looking ridiculous just because a certain item has higher stats.
Annoyingly, inventory limits add needless friction to exploration — you can find new gear but be unable to pick it up. It’s irritating to have to fast travel to Hogsmeade to sell off excess items while wandering around the castle. You can increase your inventory with certain side quests, at least.
A joyous school reunion
Thankfully, Hogwarts Legacy doesn’t lean too hard into its school setting — you won’t have to adhere to a rigid schedule. Instead, you attend class to advance the narrative and add new gameplay elements rather than going because you have to.
The world opens up in a big way once you finish your first flying lesson and get your own broom. There’s a bit of a learning curve to soaring above it all, but it’s exhilarating and highlights the scope of the playing area.
Hogwarts Legacy evokes the same magic as the first book’s opening chapter and simpler time for the franchise, letting you explore a beautifully realized world, meet a fascinating cast of characters and embark on your own wizarding career. It’s the Harry Potter game fans have been dreaming of for decades, if they’re willing to revisit this universe.
Technologies
RFK Jr. Announces All Americans Need Health Tracking Devices: Here Are the Pros and Cons
The US Health Secretary plans a huge campaign to encourage health wearables: CNET knows exactly the kind of devices he’s talking about, and why accuracy may be a problem.

Many Americans already track health statistics like heart rate and sleep cycles on app-connected accessories. Now the federal government wants to jump in. On June 24, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced «one of the largest HHS campaigns in history» to encourage the use of wearables to track health conditions, a trend CNET has recently covered.
Kennedy is referring to the many different bands, watches and even clothes that use technology to track human vital signs. CNET’s reviewers have spent years testing devices like these, seeing how rings monitor health signs, straps track your heart health and the right devices lead to better sleep.
The latest version of the Apple Watch, for example, has sensors designed to detect heart rate, heart rhythm issues, falls, sleep health, sleep apnea, temperature, breathing rate and more. The newest Oura Ring can track sleep patterns, menstrual cycles, temperature, heart rate and other health details.
«We think that wearables are a key to the MAHA agenda, Making America Healthy Again ,» Kennedy told the Subcommittee on Health during its budget meeting. «My vision is that every American is wearing a wearable within four years … they can see what food is doing to their glucose levels, their heart rates and a number of other metrics as they eat it.»
Kennedy also tweeted that «wearables put the power of health back in the hands of the American people.»
«Wearables,» however, is a broad term encompassing everything from fitness devices that count steps to sleep trackers you wear at night. And consumer devices can’t easily replace monitoring solutions offered by medical professionals.
For example, CNET has covered research indicating that even the best-in-class Apple Watch struggles with accuracy from metrics like steps to heart rate. Another study from California State Polytechnic University has shown that fitness-related Fitbit trackers show high inaccuracies as well. In fact, that research was used in a related Fitbit lawsuit.
Speaking of glucose monitors, Kennedy isn’t the only White House official with an interest in such health sensors. The administration’s nominee for surgeon general, Dr. Casey Means, co-founded glucose-monitoring company Levels and sells a monitoring app as well as other wellness products.
Finally, CNET wellness experts remind everyone that wearables aren’t always a good fit. Those suffering from eating disorders or body image issues should always talk to an expert before using wearables, as they can exacerbate certain issues or lead to a unhelpful outlook.
The US Department of Health and Human Services did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Technologies
What’s Included in Xbox Game Pass? Here’s Everything You Need to Know
Check out the pros and cons of each Game Pass tier, and how much each costs.

Editors’ Note: Xbox Game Pass Ultimate offers a slew of benefits, including a massive game library, diverse device support and both PC and console games. Nifty features like the ability to play on smart TVs, phones, tablets and PCs — not just consoles — make this a convenient gaming subscription service for a wide range of people. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate costs less than the price of a new game each month, yet gives access to hundreds of titles, which is why it earned a CNET Editors’ Choice Award. The original article follows.
New AAA video games used to cost $50 apiece, but it’s not unusual to see a similar game cost $70 now. That price might make you pause before you buy the game, but with an Xbox Game Pass subscription, you could play a brand-new game, and others, for a fraction of the price.
Microsoft launched Game Pass in 2017, and since then, the gaming service has grown to be one of the best values for gamers. All Game Pass plans offer member discounts for non-Game Pass titles and other perks, but figuring out which plan is right for you can be difficult.
That choice can be especially tough after Microsoft removed its Game Pass Console plan and replaced it with Game Pass Standard. The company also increased the price of Game Pass Ultimate from $17 to $20 a month.
I’ve covered the service in the past, including future releases and whether Game Pass Ultimate will save you money compared with buying single games. And with all the new titles Microsoft announced would be joining the service as Day 1 releases, like the upcoming Doom: The Dark Ages, you might be wondering what the difference is between different Game Pass plans.
Here’s what you need to know about the Game Pass plans so you can decide which one is right for your needs.
Xbox Game Pass tiers
Game Pass Core | Game Pass PC | Game Pass Standard | Game Pass Ultimate | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Day 1 releases | No | Yes | No | Yes |
PC games | No | Yes | No | Yes |
Online multiplayer | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
EA Play | No | Yes | No | Yes |
Cloud Gaming | No | Yes (select games via GeForce Now Ultimate) | No | Yes (via Xbox Cloud Gaming and select games via GeForce Now Ultimate) |
Monthly price | $10 | $12 | $15 | $20 |
For more on Xbox, here’s what was announced at Gamescom, some titles available on Game Pass Ultimate right now and everything to know about that gaming service.
Technologies
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