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• SentinelOne says it identified hundreds of fake personas applying for a job at the company
• At the same time, Chinese state-sponsored actors are targeting both the company and its clients
• The threat actors are also targeting government-aligned firms in South Asia

North Korean and Chinese state-sponsored threat actors have been targeting SentinelOne and its clients, the company claimed in a recent analysis.

SentinelOne is a cybersecurity company providing autonomous endpoint protection using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML).

Its clients include Fortune 10 and Global 2000 enterprises, government agencies, and managed service providers, across different industries. Some of the more notable names include Amazon, Samsung, and Bloomberg.

The Chinese are there, too

In a new article titled “Top Tier Target | What It Takes to Defend a Cybersecurity Company from Today’s Adversaries”, authors Tom Hegel, Aleksandar Milenkoski, and Jim Walter explained that in the last couple of months, cybercriminals from North Korea were persistently trying to get a job in the company. The company said it is now tracking some 360 fake personas and more than 1,000 job applications linked to DPRK IT worker operations applying for roles at SentinelOne and SentinelLabs Intelligence.

At the same time, Chinese actors were trying to conduct cyber-espionage, not just against SentinelOne, but its high-value clients, as well.

“One notable set of activity, occurring over the previous months, involved reconnaissance attempts against SentinelOne’s infrastructure and specific high value organizations we defend,” the authors said. “We first became aware of this threat cluster during a 2024 intrusion conducted against an organization previously providing hardware logistics services for SentinelOne employees.”

The researchers said the group running these attacks is called PurpleHaze, a threat actor that was also seen targeting a South Asian government-supporting entity in late 2024. In this attack, it used an operational relay box (ORB) network and the GoReShell Windows backdoor.

"The use of ORB networks is a growing trend among these threat groups, since they can be rapidly expanded to create a dynamic and evolving infrastructure that makes tracking cyberespionage operations and their attribution challenging," the researchers stressed.

Via The Hacker News

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• Microsoft issued a fix, but it's suspiciously still monitoring for further "optimization"
• Outlook has had its fair share of issues in recent months and years
• A further Outlook paste issue is also being addressed

Microsoft is addressing delays and failures in the search functionality for Outlook on the web and SharePoint online, with the issue reportedly traced to underperforming infrastructure components (via Bleeping Computer).

Logged under EX1063763, Microsoft promises to have deployed a fix, but the company continues to monitor system performance to ensure a full resolution.

First acknowledged at 05:21 UTC, an 08:22 UTC update confirmed that services had returned to normal, around three hours after the issue was first reported.

Microsoft experiencing Outlook Web and SharePoint Online bugs

Despite confirming that the service has returned to normal, the company noted: "We're validating and deploying a fix to improve performance parameters in the short term while conducting a period of monitoring."

"In parallel, we're continuing to review telemetry data to determine whether additional optimization actions may be required to fully remediate impact," Redmond added.

This isn't the first time that Microsoft's online services have experienced disruptions – in fact, it's becoming a bit of a trend. In March, Outlook on the web and the new Outlook client experienced an issue with search due to a code error. That was tracked under EX1035922.

In the same month, a global outage prevented access to Exchange Online mailboxes via Outlook on the web, and before that, Outlook.com search failed in July 2023, triggering 401 errors.

Today, though, it's not just search that was broken for Outlook. The 'paste special' shortcut is currently affecting classic Outlook.

"Starting with Current Channel (Version 2503 Build 18623.20156), when you use the shortcut Ctrl+Alt+V to paste special, nothing happens," Microsoft confirmed in a separate support page.

Redmond confirmed the issue is fixed, but users still have some waiting to do before they can see any improvements. Specifically, "early May" for the Beta Channel, "early June" for the Current Channel Preview and as late as "Late July" for the Current Channel.

Other now-resolved issues Microsoft has been attending to include CPU spikes when typing and drag-and-drop broken by the February 2025 Windows updates. All in all then, a pretty rocky ride.

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Uncertainty about the economy and looming tariffs may be spurring spending.

For a software vendor, telling the world about the latest security vulnerability is always a delicate balancing act. Customers need information quickly, starting with the flaw’s severity rating and whether it is severe enough to allow for remote exploitation. But they are not the only people listening, which is why care needs to be taken with the information disclosed. Criminals, too, pay close attention to public alerts, looking for any clue that might help them create a successful exploit for a vulnerability before it is patched.

This is cybersecurity’s quiet war, fought every day across dozens of vulnerability disclosures. Attackers want to understand and write exploits for flaws as quickly as possible while defenders want to prioritize, mitigate and patch them just as fast. If the attackers triumph every now and again, it remains the case that good patching routines and threat detection keep the bad guys out most of the time.

The dangers of local models

The bad news is that thanks to developments in AI this is changing. We’re still in the early days of offensive AI techniques and tools, but already it is having a disruptive effect across multiple threat types. Unfortunately, that includes using local or offline generative pre-trained transformer (GPT) models as a way of accelerating and automating exploit creation.

Since DeepSeek released its open and resource friendly, but very competitive and capable model, we are now standing at the advent of a potential open model boom. This movement brings new and evolving risks, where criminals can adapt open pre-trained models, easily downloadable across the Internet, and run them locally on modest PCs with GPUs.

Operating without the guardrails typically found in their commercial online counterparts, local spinoffs can then be created and fine-tuned using data collected from malicious software research and underground forums. What you end up with are specialized crime AI platforms that can be offered as a subscription service or the backend of AI agent system for automating attack campaigns. The weaponized platforms can be specifically designed to make writing malware – or creating exploits based on vulnerability disclosures – a more automated and therefore much faster process.

The modus operandi won’t succeed every time, but for criminals, success is always a percentages game. Across possibly hundreds of threat actors, successful exploits could be written on a scale that will dramatically increase the likelihood of eventually uncovering a working exploit.

The threat here isn’t theoretical. The proof of concept is that black hat AI models, such as FraudGPT and WolfGPT, have been around since 2023. Moreover, researchers demonstrated the ability of a single LLM agent backed by GPT-4 to exploit one-day vulnerabilities in April 2024. Today, an organization might still assume it has 24-48 hours to mitigate or patch a significant vulnerability before the risk of exploits in the wild begins to rise. The advent of local pre-trained models coupled to AI agents for automation are transforming this. Instead of days to patch, organizations are looking at minutes.

Fighting AI with AI

This much is certain: no organization can patch their systems in minutes, at least not using today’s processes based on manual decision making. But let’s not panic. Vulnerability exploits written by AI are just the latest incarnation of an unceasing threat evolution. The answer is the same as it always has been – the defenders must evolve, too.

Just as attackers can use AI agents to create exploits quickly, so defenders can deploy the same technology to process new vulnerability alerts in real time, rapidly implementing security mitigations that might be required. In many ways, this is the perfect example of how today’s defenses could soon become a battle of our AI versus their AI.

If attackers have the advantage of time and the volume, defenders have the benefit of knowledge. Agentic AI tuned to understand the environment it is defending will always know more about the network it is protecting than the AI probing it. Meanwhile, attacks targeting exploits are not necessarily getting more sophisticated, but merely faster and more frequent. It is the speed attackers can throw exploits at defenders that is dangerous, not the quality of those exploits. If defenders can match them on this metric, all is not lost.

What we shouldn’t do is become alarmed. The fact that attackers look for vulnerabilities is not new. AI is just the latest technology in a long line that can be put to malicious use. But this capability cuts both ways. Defending against AI-developed exploits will be challenging but developments such as agentic AI automation will also be our friend.

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This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro's Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 is probably landing soon, with claimed leaks and rumors suggesting we could see it as soon as July, and we’re also hearing that this could be a major upgrade on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6.

Rumored highlights include a new 200MP camera, a powerful new chipset, and bigger screens.

But that’s not all, so read on below for all the key rumored specs, along with educated guesses for aspects that haven’t yet been leaked.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 predicted specs

You can see the rumored and predicted Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 specs in the chart above, but the single biggest and most exciting upgrade we might get on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 is a new 200MP main camera.

This would replace the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6’s 50MP main camera, and is likely to be the same sensor as is found on the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.

We’ve heard this claim quite a few times now so there’s a good chance it will happen, and it would be a very desirable upgrade, given that the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4, 5, and 6 have all had 50MP main cameras.

Also on the camera front, it has been reported that the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 could have an upgraded under-display camera. The source doesn’t specify what those improvements will be, but the Galaxy Z Fold 6 just has a 4MP one, so perhaps there will be more megapixels.

However, according to one source, the Galaxy Z Fold 7’s other rear cameras won’t be upgraded, meaning we’d see a return of the Z Fold 6’s 12MP ultra-wide and 10MP telephoto (with 3x optical zoom).

Moving on to the screens, and these could be in for an upgrade – or at least an increase in size, with sources suggesting the Z Fold 7’s main display could be either 8 or 8.2 inches, and the cover screen could be 6.5 inches. That’s up from 7.6 and 6.3 inches respectively on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6.

There’s no word yet on the resolution, but we’d expect that will match or exceed the Z Fold 6’s, meaning a resolution of at least 1856 x 2160 for the foldable screen and at least 968 x 2376 for the cover screen. We’d also expect that both screens would have a 120Hz refresh rate, since that’s the case on the current model.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)

The other big upgrade we’re expecting on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 is its chipset, with reports suggesting the Snapdragon 8 Elite will be used.

That’s the chipset you’ll find in the Samsung Galaxy S25 series, and it’s exactly what we’d expect to see, since it’s the successor to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 used by the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6.

That new chipset could be joined by a larger vapor chamber, so performance may get a big boost. However, we’re not expecting an increase in RAM, with multiple sources pointing to 12GB again. Storage is also reportedly staying the same, with 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB models supposedly planned.

Finally, there’s the battery, and that sadly isn’t thought to be increasing in size either, with a 4,400mAh battery tipped for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7. However, the display is apparently more efficient, which could lead to improved battery life even if the battery itself isn’t any bigger this year.

We haven’t heard what speeds the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 might charge at, but the Galaxy Z Fold 6 supports 25W wired and 15W wireless charging, so we’d expect at least that.

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Businesses that handle large volumes of web traffic or multimedia files should be looking at a content delivery network (CDN) solution to lower costs and boost performance, however, there are many myths and misconceptions to address first.

CDNs play a vital role in the modern Internet, designed to improve the performance and reliability of websites and online services by distributing content closer to users. However, for many potential customers, there are several misconceptions which might put them off. Let’s explore some of the most common myths, reveal the truth and ask how to choose the best CDN solution for you.

1: CDNs are only for large enterprises

CDNs are actually suitable for companies of any size; it just depends on what type of content you want to share over the Internet and your particular business model. Essentially, a CDN ensures your users can access your website instantly, with no lag times, which is crucial because even waiting for just one second will negatively impact business and traffic. For startups and SMEs looking to expand their reach, CDNs ensure that their content is accessible and loads quickly for users around the world.

At the same time, CDNs often include security features, such as DDoS protection, which can help smaller businesses safeguard their websites without needing to invest in complex security solutions. They also usually scale in terms of pricing, making CDNs affordable without extensive infrastructure investment, which might be beyond the reach of smaller companies.

2: CDNs require lots of management

A managed CDN solution will take care of all the management stress, leaving the customer to focus solely on custom configuration. This means you don’t need a lot of resources to keep the CDN running smoothly. Features such as automatic content replication, load balancing, and caching, combined with intuitive, user-friendly interfaces, make running a CDN simple.

3: All CDNs are the same

There are multiple flavors of CDN, chiefly single CDNs and multi-CDNs. Single CDNs have one network with different points of presence (POPs) and a narrow geographic focus; multi-CDNs combine several CDN providers around the world into one single solution, offering better coverage.

Overall, specific features, geographic coverage, pricing, and use cases can vary widely. Some specialize in streaming media, others e-commerce or gaming. Pricing models might be Pay-as-you-go or subscription-based. Moreover, security features, management tools and other elements of the CDN ecosystem will differ. This means it’s important to look closely at your own requirements before selecting the right CDN partner.

4: Single CDNs are limited

It all comes down to the particular CDN provider, the number of POPs and the pricing. Single CDNs might sometimes be more expensive, depending on their geographic focus. If your customers are largely in one region, a single CDN might make sense but, bear in mind that a single CDN means a single point of failure, while multi-CDNs have failovers built-in in case of outage.

Typically, single CDNs offer simplified management, consistent pricing and streamlined integration. On the other hand, multi-CDNs provide increased reliability, optimized performance and flexible traffic management.

5: CDNs are a security risk

CDNs actually add another layer of protection to your data because they are designed to enhance security by providing various defensive measures. Features, such as DDoS protection, SSL/TLS encryption, web application firewalls and bot management, all combine to boost user safety and protect data.

CDNs work most effectively and securely when they are properly configured, regularly updated and consistently monitored. So, pick a CDN partner that offers best practices when it comes to security risks.

Choosing the right CDN

There are numerous factors to consider when finding the right CDN partner:

Performance: Evaluate the CDN's performance in terms of latency and load times. Many CDNs offer trial periods or performance monitoring tools to test their speed.

Geographic reach: Assess the geographic distribution of your user base. Ensure the CDN has a strong presence (POPs) in regions where your users are located.

Cost: Compare different pricing models, such as pay-as-you-go, subscription plans, or tiered pricing based on usage and choose a model that aligns with your budget and traffic patterns. Be aware of any potential hidden costs, such as charges for SSL certificates, custom configurations, or additional security features.

Reliability: Check the CDN's uptime guarantees and Service Level Agreements (SLAs). A higher SLA percentage can provide better reliability.

Support: Customer support is key – look for providers that offer 24/7 support and multiple support channels.

Integration: Ensure the CDN integrates seamlessly with your current infrastructure, including your Content Management System (CMS), e-commerce platform, or cloud services. Look for CDNs that offer robust APIs and developer tools for easy integration and management.

Once you have taken all these into account, you’ll be well placed to find the right CDN partner. Ultimately, for anyone handling any business online, CDNs offer a cost-effective way to ensure consistent availability and performance regardless of location.

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The Justice Department has charged Amit Forlit with conspiracy to commit computer hacking, among other crimes.

(Image credit: Alberto Pezzali/AP)

• The human eye perceives a 300-nit OLED the same as a brighter, 500-nit LED screen, Samsung Display claims
• Samsung's claim has been verified by UL Solutions, a global safety science company
• But OLEDs with higher actual light output are needed for more reasons than just 'perceived' brightness

Humans perceive a 300-nit OLED screen as having the same brightness as a 500-nit LED screen due to the great contrast ratio of OLED, according to Samsung Display.

Samsung Display made the claim regarding its own 300-nit QD-OLED panels. It also says its 500-nit QD-OLED panels were perceived the same as 767-nit LED screens, meaning a 1.5x perceived brightness increase on both panels, as reported by FlatpanelsHD.

It's worth noting that the quoted nit figure refers to fullscreen brightness, not peak brightness, which would be a much higher figure on both OLED and LED screens.

Samsung Display manufactures the QD-OLED panels used in some of the best OLED TVs and best gaming monitors, as well as RGB OLED screens for some of the best phones.

The firm has had the claim verified by UL Solutions, a global safety science company.

Perceived brightness can be quantified using the Perceptual Contrast Length (PCL) metric, which accounts for perceived contrast. When a bright pixel is next to a true black pixel, like in OLED, it appears brighter than a white pixel next to a similar pixel on an LED screen, which typically is more of a dark gray than black.

This perceived brightness claim could be seen as a win for OLED, especially after many years of being considered as falling behind LED screens when it comes to brightness in TVs. But while it's great for image quality, it doesn't help the real reason people like me have been hoping OLED TVs would become brighter.

The OLED brightness saga

A mid-range W-OLED TV (left) can't compete in brightness with a flagship mini-LED (right), despite similar pricing and specs. (Image credit: Future)

OLED has become one of the most popular display panel technologies in recent years, and is featured in some of the best TVs on the market thanks to its superb contrast and vibrant color display.

One area OLED has always lagged is brightness. Only a few years ago, the most elite OLED TV would struggle to hit 1,000 nits peak brightness, which would be a breeze for the best mini-LED TVs. That has changed in recent years, with flagship OLEDs such as the LG G5 now surpassing 2,000 nits peak brightness (we measured 2,268 nits in Filmmaker Mode on a 10% HDR white window pattern in our LG G5 review), putting them right in line with their mini-LED rivals.

However, fullscreen brightness remains an obstacle for entry-level and mid-range OLEDs. I measured the LG C5 at 195 nits in Filmmaker Mode on a fullscreen (100%) HDR white window pattern, which is easily beaten by entry-level mini-LEDs such as the Hisense U6N (measured at 580 nits in the same conditions).

The LG G5, alongside the Samsung S95D from 2024, both exceeded 300 nits when measured with the same fullscreen pattern in Filmmaker Mode, meaning these would fit Samsung's claims (although Samsung only made the claim in reference to its own panels).

While higher perceived brightness is a benefit to OLED screens, Samsung's claim is only relevant to picture quality, and that's not where fullscreen brightness matters. There's one thing that brighter, flagship OLEDs can do that mid-range OLEDs simply can't: reduce screen reflections.

Screen reflections: OLED's enemy

The LG G5 exhibits significantly higher full screen brightness, which is ideal for beating reflections (Image credit: Future)

Anyone who has used a typical OLED TV in even a mildly bright viewing environment will tell you just how reflective an OLED TV's screen can be.

Testing TVs day in-day-out, I can confirm just how troublesome OLEDs can be in this regard compared to LED screens.

Though there are ways of beating these mirror-like reflections – moving a light, for example – sometimes they can't be eliminated. TV manufacturers have made strides to combat reflections, however, such as Samsung with its excellent OLED Glare Free screen. But what would actually solve the issue is an OLED panel with higher fullscreen brightness.

Mini-LED and even some LED screens typically have fullscreen brightness much higher than OLED, and for that reason, don't suffer from reflections.

The LG G5, which uses LG's new 'four-stack' OLED panel, is one example of a brighter OLED, and it does a better job of limiting reflections compared to a standard W-OLED screen. But the LG C5, a step-down model from the G5, suffered from reflections during my testing, proving that a brighter panel can aid in beating reflections.

A brighter panel is also useful for watching sports in daytime conditions. It's no coincidence that a lot of our best TVs for sport are mini-LED! Sports benefits from a brighter image, so again a brighter panel is preferred.

So yes, while a confirmation of higher perceived brightness is good news for OLED picture quality, it's not the main reason I've hoped for OLEDs with higher actual brightness. That reason would be beating screen reflections in bright viewing environments.

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Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Connections puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Wednesday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Wednesday, April 30 (game #689).

Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need Connections hints.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #690) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• POCKET
• SHAKE
• PURSE
• PAN
• POT
• DOLLY
• FUN
• PRIZE
• TRAVEL
• BREAK
• BITE
• KICK
• ZOOM
• DROP
• REWARD
• TILT

NYT Connections today (game #690) - hint #1 - group hints

What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: What you get for being champ
• GREEN: Cut it out 
• BLUE: Film-making
• PURPLE: Miniature versions

Need more clues?

We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…

NYT Connections today (game #690) - hint #2 - group answers

What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: WINNINGS 
• GREEN: STOP, AS A HABIT 
• BLUE: MOVIE CAMERA VERBS
• PURPLE: WORDS THAT PRECEDE "-SIZE" TO MEAN SMALL

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Connections today (game #690) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #690, are…

• YELLOW: WINNINGS POT, PRIZE, PURSE, REWARD
• GREEN: STOP, AS A HABIT BREAK, DROP, KICK, SHAKE
• BLUE: MOVIE CAMERA VERBS DOLLY, PAN, TILT, ZOOM
• PURPLE: WORDS THAT PRECEDE "-SIZE" TO MEAN SMALL BITE, FUN, POCKET, TRAVEL

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 3 mistakes

All three of my mistakes came in the same group: MOVIE CAMERA VERBS.

My first hunch when I saw the grid of 16 words was that there was a group about photography, but I kept getting it wrong – at first thinking it was Photoshop tools, then something to do with special effects.

It wasn’t until I’d trimmed my options down to eight words that I realised DOLLY was a movie-making word, although I didn’t realise it was a type of shot; I thought the equipment was a dolly.

A frustrating round, then, even more so as I missed a purple group that I really should have got. Roll on tomorrow.

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Wednesday, April 30, game #689)

• YELLOW: PARTS OF A SHOE HEEL, SOLE, TONGUE, UPPER
• GREEN: ACCOMMODATION CAPACITY, CHAIRS, ROOM, SEATING
• BLUE: REPUTATION FACE, IMAGE, REGARD, STANDING
• PURPLE: ENDING WITH SYNONYMS FOR "YUCK" DYNASTY, ENGROSS, GIMMICK, MILDEW

What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.

On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final one, as you'll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.

It's a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.

It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Wednesday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Wednesday, April 30 (game #423).

Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.

Want more word-based fun? Then check out my NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games, and Marc's Wordle today page for the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Strands today (game #424) - hint #1 - today's theme What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… I get around

NYT Strands today (game #424) - hint #2 - clue words

Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.

• STEAR
• ROAST
• SORE
• DORK
• COAL
• SCORE

NYT Strands today (game #424) - hint #3 - spangram letters How many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 7 letters

NYT Strands today (game #424) - hint #4 - spangram position What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First side: left, 6th row

Last side: right, 6th row

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Strands today (game #424) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #424, are…

• SKATEBOARD
• BICYCLE
• ROLLERBLADES
• SCOOTER
• WAGON
• SPANGRAM: WHEELIE

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

I don’t think I will ever fail to be impressed by the sight of someone popping a WHEELIE.

Perhaps because I’ve never been able to do it myself, I view it as some kind of low-level super power – not that it would be much use in a crime-fighting scenario.

The other day I saw someone riding a BICYCLE with no hands while eating from a bag of chips. Less spectacular, but full marks from me. Yet exactly the kind of thing my dad would have told me off about and muttered something along the lines of “you’ll be laughing when you break both of your legs”.

Anyway, I digress away from one of Strands’ easier days, with little in the way of stunts or odd words to get the hump about. A freewheeling kind of day, in fact.

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Wednesday, April 30, game #423)

• EYES
• DRESSED
• SMILE
• COUPLE
• ATHLETE
• FRIENDS
• HAIR
• SPANGRAM: YEARBOOK

What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's not-so-new-any-more word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable that has been running for a year and which can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you're struggling to beat it each day.

Looking for a different day?

A new Quordle puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Wednesday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Wednesday, April 30 (game #1192).

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,100 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today – or scroll down further for the answers.

Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles, while Marc's Wordle today column covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

Quordle today (game #1193) - hint #1 - Vowels How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 4*.

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too).

Quordle today (game #1193) - hint #2 - repeated letters Do any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 3.

Quordle today (game #1193) - hint #3 - uncommon letters Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• Yes. One of Q, Z, X or J appears among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #1193) - hint #4 - starting letters (1) Do any of today's Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

• The number of today's Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 0.

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you're not ready yet then here's one more clue to make things a lot easier:

Quordle today (game #1193) - hint #5 - starting letters (2) What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• I

• E

• S

• D

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

Quordle today (game #1193) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1193, are…

• IDIOM
• EXILE
• SPOOF
• DRAPE

A very close call for me today after a long winning streak.

I got really unlucky with SPOOF; after deducing that there was a double-O, I guessed incorrectly three times, leaving me with no margin for error with the remaining word.

On such a tricky round I just knew that the Quordle gods were going to sneak in a rare letter, and so it proved.

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Daily Sequence today (game #1193) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1193, are…

• NEVER
• RULER
• COMMA
• SHIRE

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1192, Wednesday, 30 April: BATON, TORSO, ANNEX, DROWN
• Quordle #1191, Tuesday, 29 April: HOVER, HENCE, OCTAL, COPSE
• Quordle #1190, Monday, 28 April: JAUNT, ALLOW, FRUIT, BURNT
• Quordle #1189, Sunday, 27 April: PRIOR, YOUTH, CREDO, CHIDE
• Quordle #1188, Saturday, 26 April: LINGO, LOCUS, THROW, CLICK
• Quordle #1187, Friday, 25 April: SHALT, WRATH, MAMBO, HUMPH
• Quordle #1186, Thursday, 24 April: CHOKE, COLOR, FRAME, CAIRN
• Quordle #1185, Wednesday, 23 April: VALET, PUPAL, CREEP, DRIFT
• Quordle #1184, Tuesday, 22 April: POUTY, CHEST, BROOM, TEPEE
• Quordle #1183, Monday, 21 April: SHARD, PRINT, SUMAC, LEACH
• Quordle #1182, Sunday, 20 April: DINER, HORDE, SHONE, FUGUE
• Quordle #1181, Saturday, 19 April: GRADE, LAUGH, RAINY, EXULT
• Quordle #1180, Friday, 18 April: DEBUT, GLADE, BASTE, PESTO
• Quordle #1179, Thursday, 17 April: SPRAY, RAMEN, SHELF, COURT
• Quordle #1178, Wednesday 16 April: STUMP, GRAFT, CHORD, INPUT
• Quordle #1177, Tuesday 15 April: SLEET, MERIT, HARSH, FORAY
• Quordle #1176, Monday 14 April: DRAWL, CROOK, ACTOR, LANCE
• Quordle #1175, Sunday 13 April: SHALE, KINKY, SHORN, WHOOP
• Quordle #1174, Saturday 12 April: BLIND, OVOID, CACHE, THING
• Quordle #1173, Friday 11 April: FOLLY, PITHY, SCOWL, CURLY

• GreyNoise saw a significant increase in scanning activity
• IPs from Singapore are looking for exposed Git config files, also in Singapore
• The files could contain sensitive information such as login credentials and access tokens

Singaporean threat actors are on the hunt for organizations in the country that can be broken into and exploited, according to cybersecurity researchers GreyNoise, who recently observed a significant spike in reconnaissance activity.

In a new analysis, published earlier this week, GreyNoise said that on April 20-21, it witnessed a significant increase in IP addresses scanning for exposed Git configuration files. In that timeframe, it saw 4,800 unique IP addresses doing the scanning, which is a “substantial increase compared to typical levels”.

Most of the IPs originated in Singapore, although some were in the US, Germany, UK, and the Netherlands. They were mostly scanning through IPs in Singapore, as well, but also in the US, UK, Germany, and India.

Hunting for Git secrets

Git configuration files usually include sensitive information such as user email addresses, access tokens, authentication credentials, and remote repository URLs that embed usernames or tokens. As such, they are useful to cybercriminals in the reconnaissance and preparation stages of cyberattacks.

Software developers will sometimes forget to prevent public access to these files, exposing the secrets to anyone who knows where to look. As BleepingComputer reminds, this is exactly what happened in October 2024, when Sysdig reported a large-scale operation that scanned for exposed Git config files and grabbed 15,000 cloud account credentials from thousands of private repositories.

“In some cases, if the full .git directory is also exposed, attackers may be able to reconstruct the entire codebase — including commit history, which may contain confidential information, credentials, or sensitive logic,” GreyNoise explained.

To mitigate the risk, the researchers advise software devs make sure .git/ directories are not accessible via public web servers, and to block access to hidden files and folders in web server configurations. Furthermore, they suggest devs monitor logs for repeated requests to .git/config and similar paths, and to rotate any credentials exposed in version control history.

Via BleepingComputer

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• Trailers have been released for upcoming horror movies Fear Street: Prom Queen and Weapons
• The movies will be released on May 23 and August 8, respectively
• Fear Street: Prom Queen is a Netflix release, while Weapons is coming to theaters

We've got plenty of great new movies coming up this year, and after seeing the trailers for Weapons and Fear Street: Prom Queen, I've got quite the list to look forward to.

First up, Barbarian's director – Zach Creggor – is bringing us Weapons, which everyone is talking about due to that insane trailer and viral marketing website MaybookMissing.net, which features a fun reference to Barbarian.

We've also got the highly anticipated Fear Street: Prom Queen, following on from Netflix's excellent horror series of movies, based on the books by R. L. Stine, which also saw its trailer drop today.

I wasn't sure anything could top TechRdar's best horror movies of 2024, but it seems we're truly spoiled this year too. Let's take a closer look at these great trailers.

What do we know so far about Weapons?

Julia Garner is in her horror era lately, following on from her great performance in Leigh Whannell's Wolf Man. In Weapons, she plays a school teacher whose entire class disappears at the exact same time.

In the trailer, you can see CCTV footage showing the school kids running in disturbingly inhuman poses – it's like T-posing in video games, but worse.

Weapons has quickly shot to the top of my horror must-watches this year because all the teasers so far have me hooked. The trailer gives us flashes of disturbing imagery without spoiling the plot, I need to know what's going on.

Weapons is scheduled to be released on August 8, 2025, before eventually likely streaming on Warner Bros. Discovery's streaming service Max and hopefully becoming one of the best Max movies.

What do we know so far about Fear Street: Prom Queen?

You can thank Carrie for making prom night utterly disturbing. But before Mike Flanagan's TV adaptation of Stephen King's novel releases on Prime Video, Netflix is bringing us Fear Street: Prom Queen.

Much like Weapons, this movie is centered around a school and also has the potential to become one of the best Netflix movies. Just like the Fear Street trilogy of movies, there's trouble again at Shadyside High (and with a name like that, why wouldn't there be? Shady indeed).

As prom approaches, all the coolest girls are fighting for the crown, but they'll soon start fighting for their lives instead when all the candidates start to disappear. Someone out there is hoping it'll be a killer prom from all the wrong reasons.

Fear Street: Prom Queen will be available to stream on Netflix on May 23.

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The AI company acknowledges that an update to ChatGPT last week made it too informal and friendly, prompting it to pull its release.

Not all internet is created equal -- and for most folks in Richmond, you'll want to take advantage of fiber's symmetrical speeds.

• TSMC starts work on its third semiconductor manufacturing facility
• Easier permit acquisition and tariffs influenced the move, says US Commerce Secretary
• TSMC's quarterly revenue was up 41.6%, but it's still keeping an eye on tariff-induced worries

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has started construction of a third chip plant in Arizona according to South China Morning Post reporting, as the company continues to expand operations in the US.

The announcement coincided with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick's visit to the site, highlighting the political significance of TSMC's US investment amid the ongoing trade war.

Driven by Trump's push for domestic manufacturing, supported by hefty tariffs on imports from certain countries, the project marks the largest foreign investment in US history.

TSMC invests in more US chip manufacturing

Though TSMC flies under the radar among consumers, the Taiwanese company is a key supplier for Apple and Nvidia. Domesticating manufacturing within the US would certainly help the companies that rely on TSMC keep costs down amid fears that tariffs could impact sales.

In March 2025, the company announced plans to invest $100 billion in the US semiconductor manufacturing industry over the next four years, adding to its existing $65 billion investment in Arizona.

Speaking with CNBC, Lutnick criticized slow permit and regulation processes that previously hampered companies' efforts to move to the US. "And what you saw today is they needed a couple of permits. We got those permits super fast. And here we go. They’re building it. So that’s the idea," Lutnick said.

Reiterating that TSMC's plans mark the "largest foreign direct investment ever made in the United States of America," Lutnick stressed that domesticating manufacturing acts in the name of national security.

Besides upcoming efforts, TSMC's CEO CC Wei confirmed in this month's quarterly earnings call that its second plant is already ramping up operations. Its first plant has also entered high-volume production, with yield matching those in Taiwan.

TSMC confirmed earlier this month that its first-quarter revenue rose a staggering 41.6%. CFO Wendell Huang added: "While we have not seen any changes in our customers’ behavior so far, uncertainties and risks from the potential impact from tariff policies exist."

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• Geopolitical tensions are impacting US companies especially
• Expectations about AI are not realistic
• Networks need major upgrades

Nearly one in five US organizations have experienced security incidents as a result of their AI deployments according to new research commissioned by Expereo.

The report reveals how two in five (41%) organizations struggle to find and retain cybersecurity talent, yet cybersecurity is a close second when it comes to investment priorities at 38%, compared with networking and connectivity (43%).

More broadly, ongoing geopolitical tensions are also affecting how organizations go about deploying artificial intelligence, with 50% noting the impact of such events on their growth strategies.

Rushed AI deployments are becoming costly

Before it even gets to the point of a potential breach, the research reveals how one in three global CIOs believe boards have unrealistic expectations about AI's impact - and more than a quarter (27%) of US tech leaders feel similarly.

This is a trend that appears to be more of a concern abroad, with 28% of global technology executives saying AI expectations are growing faster than their ability to meet them – above the US average of 23%.

Over half (52% globally, 53% in the US) agree that their network connectivity is not ready for new technologies like AI, with more respondents concerned about network performance limitations than last year.

As if AI-induced cybersecurity concerns aren't enough, ongoing trade wars continue to add further complexity. One-third (34%) of global tech leaders have had to reassess their infrastructure due to geopolitical risks, with 37% noting the affect of such disruptions on their growth strategies – a figure that climbs considerably to 50% in the US.

"While the potential of AI is immense, its successful integration requires careful planning. Technology leaders must recognize the need for robust networks and connectivity infrastructure to support AI at scale, while also ensuring consistent performance across these networks," Expire CEO Ben Elms commented.

Looking ahead, cybersecurity isn't the only consideration for businesses when it comes to adopting AI tools. AI governance, the pace of change and inadequate capabilities are among the three biggest external hurdles, with employee resistance still affecting companies internally.

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SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro: One-minute review

The Arctis Nova Pro is yet another impressive headset from SteelSeries and absolutely one of the best wired gaming headsets money can buy right now. With a sleek design and the ability to plug it in and use it straight out of the box, there’s a lot to praise here.

If you’ve ever felt limited by the number of features on a standard wired gaming headset, like a single scroll wheel for volume, then the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro is a headset worth considering adding to your setup.

Even though the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro is by no means a budget-friendly headset, it’s well worth the money. Offering a comfortable listening experience alongside crystal clear audio, it’s hard to find a fault - even after hours upon hours of testing.

You can tailor your listening experience to your tastes through its desktop control panel, and the additional software available gives you the opportunity to take this further by opening the doors to adjusting your audio settings depending on which genre of game you're playing.

After using a wireless headset for some time (specifically the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro 7P), I was skeptical about going back to wireless. It took no time at all to adjust, and I felt like I had more control over my audio than ever before. I also appreciated not having to worry about battery life at any point. Everything was ready to go the second it was plugged in, so nothing could interrupt whatever I wanted to play.

(Image credit: Future/Kara Phillips) SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro: Price and availability

• $249.99 / £179.99 / AU$405
• A worthy upgrade if you’re willing to splash out
• Wired version only available in black

The SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro wired headset will set you back $249.99 / £249.99 / AU$405, which makes it far more expensive than even some of the best wired gaming headsets. But if you ask me, it justifies the price entirely through its performance and customization options.

If you’re in the market for an upgrade and you’re ready to invest in a product that won’t let you down and gives you the ability to alter your auditory experience entirely.

SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro: Specs

(Image credit: Future/Kara Phillips) SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro: Design and features

• Sleek, lightweight design
• One scroll wheel
• Control panel isn’t bulky

Straight out of the box, it’s easy to see and feel that the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro is a high-quality headset. Its sleek black design is lightweight, and there are few features on the earcups which keep things neat and tidy.

The microphone tucks into the left earcup, which is one of my favourite features, and there’s only one scroll wheel on the cup, which you use to adjust volume. In addition, the earcups are very padded, which guarantees no discomfort, no matter how long I used them for. The floating headband also helps make the entire experience as comfortable as possible.

You’ll also find a mute button for your microphone on the left cup, but apart from that, there’s no additional flourishes. So, nothing to fumble around with if you’re trying to adjust your settings. Most of your audio adjustments are made via the control panel, too, which matches this sleek aesthetic.

With a small LED screen and a dial to adjust the audio settings, the whole panel easily fits in the palm of your hand. Or more reasonably, anywhere on your desktop.

Inputs and outputs are clearly labelled on the back of the unit to make the setup even easier. When you have plugged everything in, this control panel will display instructions and details in white. Even when the screen dims after a period of no use, it’s still easy to read thanks to the font choice and color.

Having this control panel on my desk made me realise just how much I change my audio settings. If anything, I change them more so now I don’t have to fiddle around with scroll wheels to try and get the perfect sound.

When buttons and wheels are too close together on an ear cup, I always find myself changing the wrong one. So when all I have to do is turn the dial on the control panel, use voice chat, or even immersing myself in the game I’m playing has never been so easy.

(Image credit: Future/Kara Phillips) SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro: Performance

• Crystal clear audio
• Noise-cancelling microphone
• Easy to set up

When using the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro for gaming, it’s hard not to fully immerse yourself in whatever you’re playing, thanks to the stellar audio quality on display. It’s so clear, every single sound in a game is easily picked up.

From the gentlest footstep in the distance to feeling like a character is breathing down your neck in real time, there’s an impressive spectrum of sound on display at all times.

The microphone, which I already adore for tucking into the ear cup rather than folding against the cup and headband like the Turtle Beach Stealth 500, also offered impressive sound. It’s easy to adjust, so when I received feedback from a call saying my audio felt a bit harsh, it was easy to move the mic around to rectify this.

The headset also comes with a foam pop filter, which can be slipped over the mic, which I used on more than one occasion for gaming and general voice chats.

With that said, the control panel really feels like the star of the show here. I’m so used to relying on ear cup controls with gaming headsets, especially because so many of the products I’ve used in the past have been wireless, having the ability to adjust my audio settings in the palm of my hand definitely made me feel more in control.

You can have multiple USB connections to the panel, too, which is ideal for anyone constantly switching between platforms. This makes the transition between platforms seamless.

(Image credit: Future/Kara Phillips)

If I wanted to jump from PC to console, I could do so with the press of a button. There was no need to unplug wires, faff around a bit, and then plug them back in to my desired platform. It’s clear this feature has been designed with the player in mind, since the whole experience, from the audio capabilities to the ease of set up and seamless connection, just makes life easier.

The addition of SteelSeries GG is worth mentioning, too. I’m quick to overlook additional software when it comes to headsets since it never feels like a necessity, but the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro doesn’t give you a choice. The headset won’t play any audio if it needs a firmware update, and the only way you can fix that is through the app.

I was initially frustrated about that since you expect a headset built with convenience in mind to make this a little easier, but I ended up using the app a lot more than I thought I would.

Not only can you sort your updates out here, but you can take your audio slightly further by toggling on features like spatial surround sound. Having this app will also let your headset clip parts of your gameplay when you’ve had a particular reaction, ridding you of the pressure to capture you and your friends’ best bits. It’s basically like having your own compilation video ready and waiting at the end of a gaming session.

(Image credit: Future/Kara Phillips) Should you buy the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro? Buy it if...

You like having thorough control of your audio
You’re probably used to being able to control your audio through scroll wheels and buttons on the ear cups of a gaming headset. The control panel that comes with the Arctis Nova Pro is a breath of fresh air. You can alter volume, mic noise cancelling, and adjust your game audio vs mic audio from this single screen and dial.

You like a simpler design
SteelSeries no doubt knows how to make a sleek product. The Arctis Nova Pro is as simple as it comes in terms of design so you don’t have to worry about anything else bulking out the appearance.

Don't buy it if...

You appreciate the freedom of a wireless headset
If you’d rather not be tethered to your setup, be it a desk or a sofa, then a wired headset probably isn’t the best for you.

Also consider...

Still not sold on the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro wired gaming headset? Here’s how it stands against some similarly priced wired gaming headsets.

Razer Blackshark V2 Pro
The Razer Blackshark V2 Pro is a fantastic headset with a plethora of features on PC, but it’s taken a while for consoles to get the same treatment. If you want consistency across all platforms, then the Arctis Nova Pro takes the cake, but if you’re looking to spend less money than the Blackshark V2 Pro is still a worthy competitor to consider.

For more information, check out our full Razer Blackshark V2 Pro review

Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 3
A slightly more budget-friendly headset to consider, but with this price reduction, you’re also missing out on a lot of features. You won’t have such a customizable experience, and the audio quality isn’t as high, but you will be saving a significant amount of money.

For more information, check out our full Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 3 review

(Image credit: Future/Kara Phillips) How I tested the SteelSeries Arctis Arctis Nova Pro

• Test over multiple weeks
• Tried with both PC and console
• Explored the included software thoroughly

I spent two weeks with my Steelseries Arctis Nova Pro headset and spent hours upon hours each day using it for gaming, meetings, and music. Because of the wired setup, it was incredibly easy to plug in and use across platforms, but I predominantly used it with a gaming PC and Nintendo Switch.

To make the most out of its performance, I played a variety of games such as REPO and Content Warning to test the mic clarity within proximity chat, alongside Marvel Rivals and Overwatch 2 to test how large the spectrum of sound the headset picks up is.

For games where audio cues are so important, like The Outlast Trials and Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro never failed to impress. This was also massively helped by the ability to customize every note through the GameDac Gen 2 panel and the audio presets available through SteelSeries GG.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed April 2025.

Nacon Revolution X Unlimited controller: one-minute review

(Image credit: Future)

The Nacon Revolution X Unlimited is the latest premium Xbox controller from the gaming brand, and I think it’s the company’s best effort yet. Essentially an upgrade over the PS5-compatible Revolution 5 Pro (though sadly, there’s no PlayStation compatibility to be had with this new gamepad), the Unlimited offers a similar experience with some notable new features.

Your eyes will immediately be drawn to the Unlimited’s built-in LCD display. Typically, I’m not a fan of these on gamepads, as I feel they can often overcomplicate the play experience. On the Unlimited, though, the display is very intuitive. It trims the fat, strictly offering options for button mapping, connected gaming headsets, wireless pairing, and battery saving. As such, I find this to be a direct upgrade over the Revolution 5 Pro.

The Revolution X Unlimited does pack a premium price tag, but to sweeten the deal, Nacon has included a selection of swappable parts as well as a charging dock for quick and easy battery top-up. Throw in a pair of sublimely smooth Hall effect thumbsticks, tactile micro-switch face buttons, trigger locks, and a set of four remappable buttons, and you have a premium suite that’s worth the investment.

There are, sadly, some drawbacks that keep it outside of contention for the premium spot in our best Xbox controllers and best PC controllers guides. For one, it’s quite a bulky controller, and an over-reliance on plastic means that build quality isn’t quite what you’d expect from a luxury pad.

But overall, if you’re in the market for a high-end Xbox controller or PC controller with tons of features and intuitive on-the-fly customization for your favorite games, I still highly recommend considering the Revolution X Unlimited.

Nacon Revolution X Unlimited controller review: Price and availability

As a premium pad, the Revolution X Unlimited commands a price tag of $199.99 / £179.99. You can purchase one for yourself at Nacon’s own website as well as Amazon in the US and Argos in the UK. This is similar to the Revolution 5 Pro which retails at $199.99 / £199.99, albeit the X Unlimited is £20 cheaper in the UK.

That price puts the Unlimited in the ballpark of other premium Xbox controllers such as the Razer Wolverine V3 Pro ($199.99 / £179.99), the Thrustmaster eSwap X2 ($169.99 / £149.99), and the official Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 ($179.99 / £159.99).

All offer similar feature sets, including swappable stick and button modules, remappable keys, and controller layout profile creation.

I think the Revolution X Unlimited has the edge over the eSwap X2 and Elite Series 2, thanks to its inclusion of Hall effect sticks (they’re sold separately for Thrustmaster’s pad) and that built-in display that I found genuinely useful here. However, I do prefer the near-perfect build quality offered by the Razer Wolverine V3 Pro.

Nacon Revolution X Unlimited controller review: specs

(Image credit: Future) Nacon Revolution X Unlimited controller: design and features

Aside from the controller itself, you’re getting quite a lot of goodies in the Revolution X Unlimited box. The pad is housed in a tidy carry case, where you’ll also find a charging dock, 2.4GHz USB dongle for wireless connectivity, a 3m USB-C cable, a thin dust cloth, and a small box that stores swappable accessories.

Said accessories include two D-pads (a four-way and an eight-way with the latter on the controller by default), six thumbstick caps (two concave, four convex of varying sizes), two metal stick rings for placing around the thumbsticks, and a set of six weights (two 0.35oz / 10g, two 0.49oz / 14g, and two 0.56oz / 16g) which can be slotted into the controller’s grips for some additional heft if you need the pad to rest in your hands a little more firmly.

The Unlimited itself has that recognizable Xbox Wireless Controller-esque silhouette, but it is ever so slightly wider and taller than Microsoft’s gamepad. This results in the Unlimited being better suited to players with larger hands.

Meanwhile, overall build quality certainly isn’t terrible, but I’ve never been a fan of the use of cheap-feeling plastic on Nacon’s controllers that’s also present here. I did get used to it, but it definitely feels less robust in the hands than my go-to Razer Wolverine V3 Pro.

The standout feature this time is undoubtedly the built-in LCD display. As mentioned, I’m typically not keen to see these on controllers like the Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra or the Turtle Beach Stealth Pivot. They’re usually quite sluggish and aren’t particularly intuitive in a pinch.

Nacon has nailed it here, though. A quick press of a button found next to the left bumper activates the display’s menu. The UI is incredibly responsive and limits options to the essentials: audio for gaming headsets (including volume, mic monitoring, and a game/chat mixer), button mapping, and wireless pairing options.

(Image credit: Future) Nacon Revolution X Unlimited controller: performance

I’m seriously impressed with the Revolution X Unlimited when it comes to overall gaming performance and play experience. I’m glad that Nacon has opted for Hall effect sticks here, of course, but the sticks themselves are some of the smoothest in the business. If you’ve read my Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller impressions, it’s a similar story to that, where the sticks feel hyper-tuned for accuracy and responsiveness. Certainly, it’ll be a boon for the best FPS games where carefully-placed shots mean everything.

Micro-switch buttons are becoming increasingly common with contemporary gamepads, with even cheaper models like the GameSir T4 Kaleid offering them. They’re also present on the Revolution X Unlimited, and they’re satisfyingly tactile.

This is another element that positions the Unlimited as a competitive-focused controller. Don’t get me wrong, it’s wonderful for any kind of game, and I had a blast testing it with The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered on Xbox Series X as well as A Hat in Time and Final Fantasy 14 Online on PC. But it really comes alive with multiplayer-oriented games like Tekken 8 and Fortnite, thanks to those buttery smooth thumbsticks and rapid button actuation.

Battery life is a slight letdown as you’re only getting around 10 hours on a full charge. It does charge up fairly quickly in around two and a half hours with the included charging dock, but do expect to have to top up the controller regularly if you prefer wireless play.

(Image credit: Future) Should I buy the Nacon Revolution X Unlimited controller? Buy it if...

You want a full premium controller package
Additions like a charging dock, multiple thumbstick and D-pad configurations, and that built-in display all make for a comfortable and robust play experience.

You’re primarily an online multiplayer gamer
The Revolution X Unlimited’s slick performance - from its friction-free sticks to tactile micro-switch buttons and trigger locks - makes it an excellent choice for competitive players in fighting games or shooters.

Don't buy it if...

You’re on a budget
It may seem obvious, but the Unlimited is absolutely a ‘money no object’ purchase at $200 / £180. I can only really recommend it if you’ve got the cash to spend or if you’ve been saving for a pad like this.

You want more battery life
At around 10 hours, the Revolution X Unlimited’s battery life pales when compared to the likes of the Xbox Wireless Controller (around 20-30 hours) or similar built-in display pads like the Turtle Beach Stealth Pivot (22 hours).

Nacon Revolution X Unlimited controller review: Also consider

If the Revolution X Unlimited isn’t quite doing it for you, have a look at these Xbox and PC controller alternatives.

Razer Wolverine V3 Pro
Right now, the V3 Pro is the final say in premium Xbox and PC controllers, and has a price tag to match. But if you do take the plunge, you’ll find a gamepad that simply does not miss, with it featuring best-in-class build quality and Razer mouse-click tech allowing for speedy button actuation. An absolute stunner of a controller.

Read our Razer Wolverine V3 Pro review

Turtle Beach Stealth Pivot
One to consider if you’re looking for a feature-rich controller in a more mid-range-friendly price bracket. While certainly not as impressive as the Unlimited, it also features a built-in display, great build quality, and a novel module pivot feature that lets you swap button layouts on the controller itself.

Read our Turtle Beach Stealth Pivot review

How I tested the Nacon Revolution X Unlimited controller

• Tested for one week
• Tested across Xbox Series X Digital Edition and PC
• Compared directly to the Razer Wolverine V3 Pro

I tested the Revolution X Unlimited controller over the course of a week, playing both single and multiplayer games across Xbox and PC. On my Xbox Series X Digital Edition, I took the controller for a spin with The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered and Avowed. I went more multiplayer-focused on PC, with titles like Tekken 8, Final Fantasy 14 Online, and Street Fighter 6 filling up much of my playtime with the controller.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed April 2025