Technology

Mario Tennis Fever review – serving up banana peel-laced multiplayer chaos

Nintendo Switch 2; NintendoThis ruthlessly competitive game will have everyone from your granny to semi-pros trying to set fire to their opponent’s side of the court with powered-up ‘fever rackets’...

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The best kettles in the UK to save energy and speed up your cuppa, tested

We boiled litres of water to find the best electric kettles, from hard-water heroes to vintage-style, repairable and wifi-connected models• The best air fryers, tried and tested for crisp and crunc...

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The Winter Olympics feel like a 90s snowboarding game, and I’m here for it

Milano Cortina has cutting‑edge replays, chase‑cam drones and exuberant commentary bringing a wave of unexpected nostalgia for anyone who grew up on 90s extreme‑sports games• Don’t get Pushing Bu...

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12-hour days, no weekends: the anxiety driving AI’s brutal work culture is a warning for all of us

San Francisco’s AI startups are pushing workers to grind endlessly, hinting at pressures soon hitting other sectorsNot long after the terms “996” and “grindcore” entered the popular lexicon, people...

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‘It’s the most urgent public health issue’: Dr Rangan Chatterjee on screen time, mental health – and banning social media until 18

The hit podcaster, author and former GP says a failure to regulate big tech is ‘failing a generation of children’. He explains why he quit the NHS and why he wants a ban on screen-based homeworkA 1...

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The best vacuum cleaners in the UK for hard floors, carpet and pet hair – tested

From handheld to corded, self-emptying to stick models, these are our resident cleaner’s favourite vacuums for a spotless home• The best cordless vacuum cleaners, tested• How to make your vacuum cl...

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Reanimal review – you will never turn your back on a pelican again as long as you live

PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox, Switch 2; Tarsier StudiosChildhood terrors come to wretched life in a grim fairytale of a puzzle-platformer that’s as beautifully macabre as it is hard to put down“I though...

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Is surprise box-office hit Iron Lung the future of ‘video game films’?

The YouTube gaming star’s weird and divisive adaptation of his obscure horror film is a game within a film about a game – and hints at new directions for storytelling• Don’t get Pushing Buttons del...

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The big AI job swap: why white-collar workers are ditching their careers

As AI job losses rise in the professional sector, many are switching to more traditional trades. But how do they feel about accepting lower pay – and, in some cases, giving up their vocation?Califo...

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Romeo Is a Dead Man review – a misfire from a storied gaming provocateur

PlayStation 5 (version tested), Xbox, PC; Grasshopper Manufacture/Marvelous Inc After some dumb fun hacking at zombies, legendary developer Suda51’s first original game in a decade sadly only deliv...

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I asked AI to name my wife. To the hopelessly incorrect people it cited, my deepest apologies | Martin Rowson

Authors, a newsreader, a lawyer and an esteemed colleague: they’re all great – but I’m not married to any of them. Can we really depend on this technology?Recently, the Rowsons accidentally invente...

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How a decades-old video game has helped me defeat the doomscroll

Trading social media for Pokémon battles and evolutions in Kanto on a Game Boy Advance has been surprisingly sereneCutting back on doomscrolling must be one of the hardest new year resolutions to k...

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‘Christian pastors declared Pikachu to be a demon’: how Pokémon went from moral panic to unifying global hit

Nintendo’s monster-collecting franchise was pilloried as a ‘pestilential Ponzi scheme’ in the 90s. But as its celebrates its 30th birthday, it now stands as a powerful example of video games’ abili...

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The best UK treadmills for your home: up your indoor miles with our runner-approved picks

Whether you’re chasing gym quality on a budget or a fancy folding model, accelerate your training with our expert’s pick of the best running machines• The best running shoes, tried and tested by ru...

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‘The right has won the family’: why are there so few lefty momfluencers?

The most popular mom content tends to be rightwing tradwife propaganda or just apolitical – pushing progressive creators out of the algorithmFor someone who doesn’t have a marble island in their ki...

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Gaming’s new coming-of-age genre embraces ‘millennial cringe’

Perfect Tides perfectly captures the older millennial college experience, and a time when nobody worried about being embarrassing online• Don’t get Pushing Buttons delivered to your inbox? Sign up ...

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The lithium boom: could a disused quarry bring riches to Cornwall?

Known as ‘white gold’, lithium is among the most important mined elements on the planet – ideal for the rechargeable batteries used in tech products. Can Europe’s largest deposit bring prosperity t...

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Disastrous start for US TikTok as users cry censorship

New US-owned app struggled with a storm and was accused of blocking content critical of Trump – can it recover?Hello, and welcome to TechScape. I’m Blake Montgomery, writing to you from Doha, where...

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How the left can win back the internet – and rise again | Robert Topinka

In the final part of this series, we look at how infighting has ripped the left apart online while the right has flourished – and how some progressives are turning the tideRobert Topinka is a reade...

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How the right won the internet | Robert Topinka

In the second part of our series on digital politics, we look at how online provocateurs have advanced extreme political ideas – and watched them seep into the mainstreamRobert Topinka is a reader ...

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Electric cars go mainstream as adoption surges across rich and developing nations

A wave of affordable Chinese-made EVs is accelerating the shift away from petrol cars, challenging long‑held assumptions about how transport decarbonisation unfolds• Don’t get Down to Earth deliver...

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