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AI chatbots are often accused of a somewhat shallow approach to gathering and explaining information. That may soon change as developers race to put out AI models that can really get to the bottom of a subject. That's certainly what Perplexity is aiming for with its new Deep Research feature, which is available on all its tiers, both free and paid-for.

Coincidentally, that's the same name OpenAI uses for a very similar ChatGPT Pro feature also called Deep Research. The two tools both promise to do the heavy research work for you. Supposedly, they can comb through the vast sprawl of the internet to deliver curated, well-reasoned answers.

Despite the name, it's worth noting that the Deep Research fees are a little different. OpenAI’s Deep Research requires a $200-per-month subscription to ChatGPT Pro, which is still capped at 100 queries per month. It can also take as much as 20 minutes to get a full report. It's worth noting that OpenAI says that the Deep Research feature will filter down to ChatGPT Plus, then free tier users at some point in the future.

Perplexity’s Deep Research is much nimbler, coming back with answers in a few minutes despite still covering a broad range of sources to compile responses. Still, you get up to five queries a day for free and up to 500 a month with a Perplexity Pro plan, which costs $200, but for an entire year instead of a month.

I wanted to test the two Deep Research tools against each other, but I didn't want to pay for a ChatGPT Pro plan for the privilege, but OpenAI helpfully already had several Deep Research answers in a demonstration. I chose three and tested them against Perplexity's Deep Research to see how they did.

TV mysteries

(Image credit: Screenshots from Perplexity/ChatGPT)

I started with the 'needle in a haystack' query from ChatGPT's Deep Research. It was a long, rambling question about a specific TV show episode. The prompt asked:

"There is a TV show that I watched a while ago. I forgot the name but I do remember what happened in one of the episodes. Can you help me find the name? Here is what I remember in one of the episodes:

Two men play poker. One folds after another tells him to bet. The one who folded actually had a good hand and fell for the bluff. On the second hand, the same man folds again, but this time with a bad hand.

A man gets locked in the room, and then his daughter knocks on the door.

Two men go to a butcher shop, and one man brings a gift of vodka.

Please browse the web deeply to find the TV show episode where this happened exactly."

ChatGPT's Deep Research had a solid, seemingly accurate answer, saying the episode came from the Starz series Counterpart, specifically “Both Sides Now," which was the fourth episode of the first season. It cited the show's own episode summary and wiki.

Perplexity Deep Research, meanwhile, seemed to be trying to gaslight me with its answer. The AI asserted that I was thinking of season 1, episode 5 of Poker Face, titled "The Stage Play Murder," but that I was apparently conflating other shows in my description. According to Perplexity, my description meant I was mixing Poker Face in my brain with the Lifetime movie Girl in the Closet and scenes from the reality series Beekman Boys. The description may have been from the ChatGPT test, but Perplexity seemed confident that I was simply merging details from three wildly different sources, none of which were the correct answer. Score one for ChatGPT's slow and expensive option.

Snow shop

(Image credit: Screenshots from Perplexity/ChatGPT)

For the shopping genre, OpenAI put together a doozy of a complex request for winter sports equipment with this prompt:

“I’m looking for the perfect snowboard. I ride mainly in Hokkaido twice a month in the winter. I like groomed runs but also want something that can handle fresh powder. I prefer all-mountain or freestyle boards with medium flex, stable for carving yet maneuverable. Also, I want it in a citrus color palette. Mid-to-premium price range. Oh, and I want availability in Japan. Format the response in an easy-to-read table.”

ChatGPT’s Deep Research had a highly structured response that laid out two tables. The first went through the pros and cons of five recommended snowboards, followed by the specs for each board. It even included detailed recommendations on how best to snowboard in Hokkaido’s unique powder conditions.

Perplexity’s Deep Research came back in a couple of minutes with several tables, including one for the recommended boards and their specs, along with separate tables for color, price, maintenance, and accessibility. It all made sense as far as I could tell, but there was zero overlap in the recommendations. After being told I was incapable of telling a Lifetime movie from a gritty time-loop drama, neither of which matched my request, I admit to being a bit leery of what Perplexity pushed on me here.

The kicker

(Image credit: Screenshots from Perplexity/ChatGPT)

The final prompt test fell under the 'general knowledge' section and is far shorter than the other prompts. The query is simply: "What’s the average retirement age for NFL kickers?”

ChatGPT wrote a mini-dissertation about how kickers last longer in their careers, the range of ages where they retire, and a lot of insight into the reasons why they keep playing longer than those in other positions. That said, "mid-to-late 30s" was as precise as the AI was willing to go in picking an average age of retirement for kickers. It did stake a claim that 4.8 seasons is the average length of their careers.

Perplexity, too, wouldn't commit to a specific age of retirement but erred on a younger scale of early-to-mid 30s instead of later. The AI also cited statistics showing kickers with an average career of 4.4 seasons. Those kinds of statistics likely vary based on the age of the sources. But, while neither was egregiously wrong, Perplexity's answer was somewhat messier and wandered a bit in focus compared to the neatly organized ChatGPT essay.

Pay for depth

ChatGPT’s Deep Research was undeniably better in its final form from this brief test. The exhaustive, well-structured reports were quite well-written. That being said, they were also very dry and dull. And while they included sources, I wouldn't want to stake too much on how ChatGPT interpreted the information without some human double-checking. It would make sense as a resource for academics or other professionals working on weighty research projects, but not without aid.

Perplexity’s Deep Research, on the other hand, is great for those who want a lot of information collated quickly and relatively cheaply. It's a bit like a good abstract for a scholarly dissertation. You get the key bits and maybe even some numbers, but you're not going to be able to judge the whole book from that. Still, if you want to get into more complex and far-ranging topics and put together a starting point for your own research, Perplexity's Deep Research is a solid solution.

If you have $200 a month to burn and a huge stack of complicated projects you want to get through, ChatGPT Pro might be worth it just for Deep Research. On the other hand, if something similar appeals to you on a smaller, more personal scale, a Perplexity Pro subscription is a much better bargain. And you don't even have to pay for that if you rarely need any Deep Research done. Either way, human oversight is mandatory if you want to catch errors, verify sources, and ensure that conclusions make sense, or even just to check that you haven't hallucinated an unholy chimera of a TV show like Perplexity claimed I had.

You might also like

• I replaced my to-do list with ChatGPT’s Tasks feature and it completely changed the way I plan my life
• Perplexity's AI search engine goes deep to get your answers
• I pitted Gemini 2.0 Flash against DeepSeek R1, and you might be surprised by the winner

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signaled she may use her authority to remove New York City Mayor Eric Adams from office. And, high-stakes negotiations to end the war in Ukraine begin today.

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Dell XPS 13: Two-minute review

(Image credit: Future)

Dell's XPS 13 laptop line has been kicking about for quite a while now, and it's come a long way. The XPS brand debuted more than two decades ago, with the very first XPS laptop launching back in 2007; needless to say, the latest iteration of the Dell XPS 13 looks and feels far more modern, sharing very little DNA with that first XPS laptop, and it's (almost) flawless.

Sporting the same sleek design we saw in the 2024 Dell XPS 13 with the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite chip, the new model basically takes everything that laptop did and does it better, thanks to new Lunar Lake processors from Intel. In our review model, that's the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V, which delivers staggeringly good battery life and a general uptick in performance over the Snapdragon model.

When I say staggeringly good, I do mean staggeringly good – I'll get into the details later in this review, but in our video playback test the Lunar Lake XPS 13 clocked in just shy of 24 hours, beating most of the machines on our current list of the best laptops. In terms of general use, it can literally go for days without a charge if you're just doing basic tasks like word processing and answering emails. It feels like a giant middle finger from Dell and Intel to the MacBook Air's generational drops in battery life, and I'm so here for it.

(Image credit: Future)

Performance-wise, things are a bit less impressive, but still basically excellent. The laptop ran smoothly no matter what I threw at it, and overall performance in my benchmarking tests exceeded that offered by the previous Snapdragon-powered XPS 13 – and many other laptops at this price point.

Speaking of price, I should probably clarify right now that this isn't a cheap laptop; our review unit is priced at $1,999.99 / £2,049 / AU$3,998.50, placing it squarely in 'premium ultrabook' territory. Still, it delivers great value for money when you look at the specs and performance, with an absolutely gorgeous OLED display

The only reason this isn't an immediate five-star review is the fact that Dell hasn't resolved some issues with the design that I've noticed in previous models, dating back to the 2023 Dell XPS 13 Plus. These are mainly related to usability and accessibility; while the design looks incredible, the edgeless touchpad and lack of physical Fn keys hurt the laptop's functionality a little, stopping it from achieving perfection.

Despite these niggling issues, the new XPS 13 is still an absolutely fantastic laptop that I'd happily use for the next five years or more – how do you feel about letting me keep this one, Dell?

Dell XPS 13: Price and availability

• How much does it cost? Starts at $1,199.99 / £1,399 / AU$3,198.80
• When is it available? Available now
• Where can you get it? Available in the US, UK, and Australia

There are multiple configurations of the 2nd-gen Intel Core Ultra version of the XPS 13, with prices starting at $1,199.99 / £1,399 / AU$3,198.80 for the non-touchscreen model. In a strange twist, the Core Ultra 5 configuration is actually $50 more expensive in the US for no discernible reason; elsewhere, that's the cheapest model.

You'll likely at least want a touchscreen and a Core Ultra 7 processor to get the full experience from this laptop, which is what our review unit offers, and that model checks in at a cool $1,999.99 / £2,049 / AU$3,998.50 – certainly not inexpensive, but about par for the course for premium ultrabooks. It is notably more expensive than the latest M3 MacBook Air, which is almost a year old now – in other words, macOS fans likely won't be making the switch to Windows 11 based on this review.

The top-end configuration of the Dell XPS 13 will cost you $2,349.99 / £2,634 / AU$4,899.40, and offers an Intel Core Ultra 9 288V chip, 32GB of RAM, 2TB of SSD storage, and the same lovely 3K OLED touchscreen in my review model.

• Price score: 4/5

Dell XPS 13: Specs Dell XPS 13: Design

(Image credit: Future)

• Lightweight but sturdy
• Looks fantastic
• Still has some accessibility issues

Aesthetically speaking, Dell didn't need to change a thing for this new iteration of the XPS 13: it's still rocking the same sleek chassis as last year's model, combining a modern style with a robust traditional clamshell design in either Platinum (featured here) or Graphite colorways.

The screen is the star of the show here: my review unit has the top-spec 3K (2880 x 1800) InfinityEdge OLED touch display, and it's glorious. Colors are bright and vivid, contrast is deep, and picture quality is generally very sharp and detailed. Even in more demanding tests that battered the frame rate a bit (like 3DMark's Time Spy benchmark), it looked magnificent.

The keyboard feels great to type on, with a decent amount of key travel and a satisfying bounce despite the super-thin chassis (it measures just 1.48cm in total thickness), and the cool backlighting makes it easy to use in low-light conditions. Naturally, it features a dedicated Copilot key as well as a fingerprint scanner integrated into the power button.

Unfortunately, I have the aforementioned beef with aspects of the keyboard and touchpad layout. The touchpad is 'invisible', integrated edgelessly into the palm rest, and while it's very responsive, and the palm rejection works perfectly, the lack of tactile edges is actually a little irritating in practice. While testing the XPS 13, I would sometimes unknowingly slide my fingertip past the edge of the pad's sensor range and try to click, to no avail.

These frustrations continue with the function bar above the keyboard, which is actually an LED-backlit touch bar that can swap seamlessly between traditional Fn keys and media keys when you hold down the Fn button. While this is a clever (and rather visually satisfying) solution, the lack of physical feedback is annoying, and in brightly-lit conditions – like working outside on a sunny day – these backlit 'keys' become virtually impossible to actually see. It's annoying, and both of these problems pose accessibility issues for sight-impaired users; not being able to feel a button or the edge of the touchpad with your finger would make using this laptop extremely difficult for a blind or partially-sighted person, even with screen reader tools.

(Image credit: Future)

The quad-array speakers and 1080p webcam are both very good – not the best I've ever seen, but perfectly capable of handling high-quality video calls and even playing music or videos out loud. I do generally recommend using a headset over integrated speakers when it comes to laptops (especially for gaming), but these do the job well. The webcam array also features an IR camera for facial recognition logins, although it lacks any sort of privacy shutter or kill switch, which would have been a nice inclusion for security-conscious users.

In terms of overall construction, this is one very sturdy laptop in spite of its thin-and-light design. The outer metal shell is scratch-resistant machined aluminum with a matte finish (though it does pick up fingerprints), and the internal plastic of the keyboard and palm rest feels durable too.

One downside to the overall design is the dearth of physical ports: you get two Thunderbolt 4 USB-Cs, and that's literally it. No USB-A, no Ethernet or video output (although those USB-C ports do support DisplayPort video), no microSD slot, not even a humble 3.5mm audio jack. I get it; USB-C is a great multipurpose connection standard, and this sort of port layout is increasingly common in modern ultrabooks, but if you need to use the laptop while it's plugged in, you're limited to just a single Thunderbolt port, which is a shame. Prepare to buy a USB-C hub if you're planning to connect a lot of devices to your XPS 13, basically.

• Design score: 4/5

Dell XPS 13: Performance

• Lunar Lake performs excellently
• Copilot+ works as advertised

As expected, the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V in my XPS 13 review unit performs admirably, delivering strong performance in virtually every department, helped along by its hefty 32GB of DDR5 memory. It's truly mind-blowing to me how rapidly laptops have improved in the past decade. Speaking as someone who's been testing them for years, being able to play modern games on an ultralight compact laptop like this just feels unreal.

That said, this isn't a gaming laptop – though I'll discuss the graphical performance in a bit – so let's focus on what the XPS 13 is really for: everyday productivity. Across almost all of our synthetic benchmarks, it beats last year's Snapdragon X Elite model handily by a decent margin. Multi-core performance in Geekbench 6.4 was notably a bit weaker, but still good, while single-core performance was stronger.

Dell XPS 13 review: Benchmarks

Here's how the Dell XPS 13 (Intel Core Ultra 7 258V, 2024) performed in our suite of benchmark tests:
3DMark: Night Raid: 34,618; Fire Strike: 9,058; Time Spy: 4,407; Steel Nomad: 889
Cinebench R23: Multi-core: 8,494; Single-core: 1,874
Geekbench 6.4: Multicore: 11,001; Single-core: 2,716
Geekbench AI: Single Precision Score: 2,359; Half Precision Score: 1,217; Quantized Score: 4,811
PCMark 10: 6,827
Crossmark: Overall: 1,839; Productivity: 1,684; Creativity: 2,174; Responsiveness: 1,467
Sid Meier's Civilization VI: (1080p, Ultra): 65fps; (1080p, Low): 155fps
Battery Life (TechRadar movie test): 23 hours, 26 minutes

In any case, when it came to real-world use, I had zero problems. Opening 20 Chrome tabs and multitasking between them caused no slowdown, and the laptop boots up and wakes from sleep mode incredibly fast. General responsiveness and functionality were excellent. Dell's own pre-installed software is here, naturally, but it's mercifully quite unobtrusive – no bloatware here, besides the usual Windows 11 stuff.

Given that the Core Ultra 7 258V packs an Intel AI Boost neural processing unit (NPU), I put that to the test as well. In the Geekbench AI benchmark, it produced a quantized score of 4,811; a reasonable showing, but weak compared to a system with a discrete GPU for advanced AI processing. However, in practice, Windows Copilot worked quickly and effectively on the XPS 13.

The Dell XPS 13 handled everything I threw at it with relative calm, only spinning up its fans to any noticeable volume during the 3DMark rendering tests. In most tests, I heard barely a whisper from the fans, and general use was completely silent most of the time.

(Image credit: Future)

Intel's focus on power efficiency and thermal performance for the 2nd-gen Core Ultra chips has clearly paid off. The laptop barely got warm throughout my entire testing process – opting for a rear exhaust vent rather than the underside vents I often see on ultrabooks was a wise move from Dell, as it means using the laptop on a soft surface (like a duvet, or your own thighs) won't block any heat output.

When it comes to gaming, it's surprisingly viable on the XPS 13: toss in features like Intel XeSS upscaling (or AMD's open-source FSR 3.1), and you can reasonably play the vast majority of PC games on this laptop, even modern titles – just be aware that you'll probably need to tweak down some of the graphical settings in order to get a decent frame rate. This certainly isn't one of the best gaming laptops, but it'll happily stand up to a bit of casual gaming when the workday is done.

(Image credit: Future)

• Performance score: 4.5/5

Dell XPS 13: Battery

You probably got this from me raving about the battery further up in this review, but wowzers. Yeah, never saying that again. Seriously though, the battery life on this thing is absurd, beating out virtually every other laptop I've tested. Dell promised 24-hour battery life, and I'll be damned if it didn't deliver.

Our battery test involves running a looped 1080p video clip with the laptop set to standard power efficiency mode in Windows 11, with Bluetooth off, the volume at zero, and brightness at 50%. Running on battery power, the XPS 13 shut down after 23 hours and 26 minutes of playback – if you were using it at minimum brightness with additional low-power modes enabled, you could probably stretch it even further.

Granted, this isn't indicative of everyday use; many people will want brightness set to maximum or Bluetooth turned on to support a mouse or headset (because, you know... not enough ports on this bad boy). Still, it's a phenomenal showing that batters most of the competition, and virtually guarantees that this laptop will see you through a full workday.

One thing I really value in a laptop battery is its ability to hold charge when turned off or in sleep mode, and the XPS 13 also excels in this area. After sitting on a desk for several days, unplugged and unused, I cracked it open and found it still had more than 50% battery. Thanks to Thunderbolt 4 power delivery, it also charges very fast, going from empty to 80%-plus in one hour when not in use.

• Battery score: 5/5

Should you buy the Dell XPS 13? Buy it if...

You need long battery life
If you want your laptop to last through a full day's work and then some (or you're just prone to forgetting your charger), then Dell has you covered.

You want something lightweight but powerful
With a thin chassis and low overall package weight, the XPS 13 is a compact powerhouse that doesn't skimp on performance for its lightweight design.

You want to use AI locally
Intel’s Lunar Lake chips bring boosted NPU performance against previous models, so anyone who wants an ultrabook capable of running on-device AI tools should consider the XPS 13.

Don't buy it if...

You’re on a tight budget
Even though it backs up its price tag with excellent performance and a strong spec sheet, there's no denying that the Dell XPS 13 is a pricey piece of hardware.

You're sight-impaired
The edgeless touchpad and lack of tactile feedback on the function bar above the keyboard will prove to be a real issue for blind or partially-sighted users – this feels like a case of form over function.

You like plugging stuff in
Two USB-Cs, Dell? That's all we get? A measly showing for physical connectivity, something that won't bother some users but will really irritate others.

Also Consider

Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M3)
The Apple MacBook Air 13-inch with M3 is one of the best compact laptops on the market, and its performance is top-notch too – the XPS 13 beats it in some areas, but if you prefer macOS to Windows, this is the one to pick.

Read our full Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M3) review

Dell XPS 17 (9730)
If you want a powerful laptop but would prefer a larger display (and you're not overly concerned about portability), then the Dell XPS 17 is worth a look.

Read our full Dell XPS 17 (9730) review

How I tested the Asus Zenbook S 14

• I used the Dell XPS 13 for a week, both for work and personal projects
• I ran it through our full suite of benchmarks
• I tested the battery using the TechRadar movie test as well as general use

As usual with laptops, my process for reviewing the Dell XPS 13 involved replacing my daily driver with it for a week (usually I'd like a little longer, but deadlines are deadlines). This helps me get a feel for how the laptop handles everyday workloads, as well as giving me a good amount of insight into the build quality and user experience.

Once I'd used the XPS 13 for a little while, I ran it through our grueling gauntlet of synthetic and real-world benchmarking tests, running every test at least three times to produce accurate averages.

Lastly, I always try to play some games on every laptop I review, and the XPS 13's performance genuinely surprised me – I was able to play Warframe and Elite Dangerous with few to no hiccups after a bit of tweaking in the graphical settings, although the demanding Black Myth: Wukong proved a bit much for the integrated graphics in this laptop.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed January 2025

• Apple’s M5 chip could debut later this year
• It will find its way into the MacBook Pro before the iPad Pro, a report claims
• It’s expected to be a minor update compared to next year’s M6 chip

When we first got a glimpse of Apple’s M4 chip in 2024 it didn’t land first in a Mac – it came to the iPad Pro before anything else. Now, though, Apple is planning to switch things up, restoring the Mac as the first destination for new M-series chips.

That’s according to Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman, at least. In his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman explained that the transition to M5 chips will begin “alongside new MacBook Pro models in the fall” of 2025. After that, “we should get an M5 iPad Pro by the first half of 2026,” Gurman argued.

While it might seem odd to reverse the order that was used for the M4 chip, it actually makes a lot of sense. In recent years, new iPad Pro models have appeared at a roughly 18-month cadence. The MacBook Pro, however, has started to be updated annually, with new models appearing in the fall.

The seventh-generation iPad Pro with M4 chip appeared in May 2024, while the sixth-generation edition came out in October 2022. Before that, the fifth-generation model landed in April 2021. Continuing that pattern, we’d expect the M5 iPad Pro to be revealed sometime around December 2025.

That’s slightly earlier than Gurman’s prediction of “the first half of 2026,” but Gurman’s timeline makes sense. After all, delays happen, and Apple is no stranger to that (just look at its attempts to get the all-new Siri out the door). With that in mind, looking out for an M5 iPad Pro in late 2025 or early 2026 seems sensible.

An incremental upgrade

(Image credit: Future)

What can we expect from the M5 chip? Well, it’s not likely to be an earth-shattering update, and a performance uptick of around 15% to 25% has been suggested. Elsewhere, we could also see the introduction of Wi-Fi 7, while the entry-level MacBook Pro might also get the Thunderbolt 5 connectivity that has come to the high-end models.

If you’ve been hoping for a more wide-ranging revamp, chances are you’ll have to wait until 2026, when Gurman believes Apple is planning a “true overhaul” of the MacBook Pro. This might mean an OLED display, a new chassis design, and a significant performance boost from the M6 chip, which could be made using an all-new 2nm process.

So, while the M5 chip is now anticipated to find its way into the MacBook Pro before the iPad Pro, don’t be surprised if it’s more of an incremental refresh than anything else. Anyone in the market for a total redesign of the MacBook Pro will probably have to wait a little longer.

You might also like

• MacBook Pro M5 next year might be disappointing as rumor suggests the real fireworks are coming with MacBook Pro M6 with OLED in 2026
• Apple's M5 chip is rumored to be in mass production - but we're still waiting for M4 MacBook Airs
• The M5-powered OLED iPad Pro is tipped to launch before the end of 2025

Boulies EP200: 30-second review

Supremely comfortable. That was my first thought after assembling the Boulies EP200 office chair and sitting down for the first time. And after a month of constant use - for at least eight hours a day, sometimes more - this initial assessment still holds true.

This is a delightful mesh seat which feels at all times supportive, relaxed, and one of the best office chairs I’ve ever tested. I’ve long been a fan of mesh office chairs, which are a lot more breathable and far less sweaty than fabric and leather (or worse, so-called PU or faux leather) options you’ll often find on even the best gaming chairs. If you’re using your chair for long hours at a time, to my mind mesh is the way to go. On this score, the Boulies EP200 ably fits the bill.

My real concern was whether that mesh seat would suffer from a general sagging or whether it would be too firm - either can lead to discomfort and fatigue during the work day. I’m happy to report that it hits the Goldilocks spot, neither too hard nor too soft, but just right.

There are a handful of features lacking here, which you’ll find on higher-priced desk chairs. Notably, the lumbar support is fixed to one spot - although you can move it back and forth, it isn’t height-adjustable to accommodate for taller users (as a man of average height, this wasn’t an issue for me).

Nonetheless, it does boast decent lower back support, 3D armrests, a pleasant headrest, and overall, I had no real problems positioning these to make it as comfortable as possible for all-day use.

Boulies EP200: Price & availability

(Image credit: Boulies )

The Boulies EP200 Series retails for $300 via the Boulies.com website by clicking here.

In the UK, the chair is available for £280 from the Boulies.co.uk site which you can visit by clicking here.

Right now, only the black cold-cured foam version is available in the US, while the UK offers both gray and black models.

At the time of review, this chair is currently discounted to $200 / £190, which is more in-line with budget-price office chairs - and an excellent price for what’s on offer, I feel. You can also pick it up from Amazon and other online retailers.

Boulies EP200: Specs Boulies EP200: Design

Close-up of the mesh weave on the Boulies EP200 (Image credit: Boulies )

The EP200 Series is available in black or gray, with the choice of a mesh or a cold-cured foam seat. Both models possess a tightly woven, single-piece mesh backrest. I selected the gray mesh variant for review, which I found unimposing in the home office.

Design-wise, it’s of the classic office chair look, not dissimilar to the likes of the Sihoo M57 (read our review here). Smart and professional, it won’t look out of place either in the home or in the office, and I have no complaints with its appearance. At 51cm, the backrest itself is relatively wide compared to some at this price-point, giving it more utility for those with a larger frame.

Around the back, it’s similarly unfussy, with a Y-shaped plastic support where, within the nub, you’ll find the adjustable lumbar support. The only sign of decoration comes from a silver piece of plastic stamped with the Boulies signature. This is a separate piece, fitted post-assembly, and entirely optional depending on your tastes.

Boulies EP200: Assembly Image 1 of 2

(Image credit: Boulies )Image 2 of 2

(Image credit: Boulies )

Taking around twenty minutes from start to finish, constructing the Boulies EP200 is about as simple as any I’ve tried. Plug the wheels into the aluminum base, bolt the backrest to the seat, then affix the contoured headrest. Connect the armrests, add the gas lift to the base, and rest the chair on top. All par for the course when it comes to office chair assembly.

While the box is admittedly heavy, I had no issues hauling it upstairs into the office, and assembling the entire unit on my own. The included manual is straightforward and easy to follow, and if you have any experience piecing chairs together, you’ll have no trouble here whatsoever.

Boulies EP200: Comfort & adjustability Image 1 of 4

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(Image credit: Boulies )

I was impressed with the comfort of this office chair - in fact, I’d find reasons to sit at my desk outside of work hours just to use it. I found the suspended mesh seat firm without being too hard, and supportive in all the right places.

As a chap of average height and build, I didn’t struggle with finding the sweet spot here. Like all gas-lift office chairs, you’ll find a lever beneath the seat to adjust the overall height. Pulling this lever outward unlocks the backrest so you can recline - just push back with your body weight until you find the appropriate angle, then lock it into place again. Easy stuff.

A second lever beside this is where you can control how far back the seat can go, and I found I had to have it moderately far forward in order to get into the lumbar support in the correct position. After making this adjustment, the foam lumbar support pushing through the mesh offered consistent lower back support.

I was expecting the unpadded armrests to be a bind, akin to resting one’s elbows on a slab of warm concrete. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find the foam, while relatively thin and somewhat hardened, provided an excellent balance between comfort and support - much like the rest of the chair, to be fair. As typical 3D armrests, these can be moved up and down, backwards and forwards, and outward and inward.

However, I would’ve liked to see a few more adjustability options. Specifically, the lumbar support, which can be repositioned on the horizontal plane by turning the screw cap, but not vertically, which would be useful for taller users. The headrest, too, can be moved up and down, but won’t shift forward, back, or angled in any way. Perhaps I’m being greedy, since for the price, I don’t consider these deal-breakers.

Boulies EP200: Final verdict

If you’re looking for a decent ergonomic office chair that won’t break the bank, there’s a lot to recommend about the Boulies EP200. It might not boast all the bells and whistles you’ll find on chairs twice the price, and it would’ve been nice to have a few extra adjustability points here and there. But for a modern, uncomplicated seat, I found it supremely comfortable and ultra-breathable even when used all day.

Should I buy the Boulies EP200 Series office chair? Image 1 of 3

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(Image credit: Boulies )

Buy it if…

✅ You want an affordable ergonomic office chair: Considering the price, the Boulies EP200 is extremely comfortable, offering good all-round support,with most of the key features I’d like to see in an office chair.

✅ You demand all-day comfort: I used this chair for at least eight hours a day for a month during testing, and never once felt fatigue set in. If you’re planning on being at your desk for work, rest, or play, it’s an effective choice.

Don’t buy it if…

❌ You need more adjustments: While you can reposition plenty of parts of this chair, it lacks height adjustable lumbar support, 4D armrests, and an angled headrest. That may be a deal-breaker for some.

❌ You need a padded backrest: Both versions in the Boulies EP200 Series of office chairs feature a mesh backrest, and while I found it snug and comfortable, many prefer a cushioned option for additional comfort.

For more workspace essentials, we tested the best standing desks for the home and office.

• More details around the Samsung tri-fold have emerged
• The phone could launch later in the year than Samsung's regular foldables
• Meanwhile the Huawei Mate XT tri-fold is going global

At the same time as it launched the Galaxy S25 series, Samsung also gave us a sneak peek of an upcoming tri-fold foldable phone without adding much in the way of detail – though fresh leaks may have answered some of the questions we have about this handset.

Information posted by tipster @PandaFlashPro and analyst @DSCCRoss, neatly summed up by Notebookcheck, suggests that the tri-fold handset is going to be launched in the second half of the year – after the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7 unveilings.

Those more familiar foldables should be appearing around July time (a year after the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6), so the tri-fold – which is rumored to be called the Samsung Galaxy G Fold – should appear in the months following that.

The same sources have 'confirmed' that the upcoming tri-fold phone will offer 2,600 nits of display brightness and 25W wired charging, matching Samsung's current foldables – though of course nothing is confirmed until Samsung says so.

The original tri-fold

The Huawei Mate XT (Image credit: Future)

While Samsung makes preparations for the launch of its first tri-fold handset, the Huawei Mate XT is going global. This tri-fold was launched in China last year, but will be heading to more markets across the world in the near future.

However, while Huawei has announced global availability (via Android Police), it hasn't said much more than that. The most useful detail released so far is a European price of €3,499, which at the time of writing works out as $3,660 / £2,905 / AU$5,760.

Given Huawei hardware remains banned in the US, we can safely assume the Huawei Mate XT won't be making an appearance there – but it looks as though the handset will be available to buy direct in at least some European countries.

There's no word yet of anyone else joining in with this trend of adding an extra fold. The rumors around a folding iPhone aren't going away – but Apple's first attempt at the form factor will have a single display hinge, rather than two.

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The Ratio Four is a truly simple single-serve drip coffee machine that makes barista-caliber coffee.

• Google Chat makes latest move to challenge Microsoft Teams
• Admins can now migrate Microsoft Teams channels data to Chat
• Customization, including date ranges, is supported

Google is taking its battle for supremacy in the online collaboration space to a new level with the public launch of a tool designed to take users away from one of its biggest competitors.

The company has officially released a new service making it easier to migrate Microsoft Teams conversations into its own Chat service.

First announced in December 2024, the migration tool is now generally available to all Google Chat users, with the company hoping businesses can deploy the platform more easily by experiencing less downtime and friction during the transition.

Goodbye Microsoft Teams?

“We’re expanding our data migration experience to include the ability for Google Workspace admins to migrate conversations from channels in Microsoft Teams to spaces in Google Chat," the company had initally noted in a Google Workspace update blog post announcing the news.

Within the ‘Chat migration’ menu of Google Chat, admins can connect to opposing Microsoft accounts to import Teams data. Migration maps and identity maps can be uploaded as csv files, and admins will also have the option to enter the start date for messages to be migrated from.

“You can also run a delta migration, which will migrate any messages added to Teams channels since the primary migration. Messages that are already successfully migrated are skipped," Google added.

Admins can also produce reports based on completed migrations to identify content that skipped, failed or had warnings.

Moreover, the feature requires those taking the action to be Google super admins and Microsoft Teams Global Administrators.

Any customers still needing to use the two platforms (and/or others) should consider enabling Mio, a third-party service which Google announced its interoperability with, alongside Teams and Zoom, back in 2024.

The news comes at a slightly tricky time for Microsoft Teams, as the company continues its battle with EU regulators concerning potential antitrust issues.

The latest salvo from lawmakers could in fact see the price of Microsoft Office (including Teams) subscriptions rise significantly, despite unbundling Teams from its software in 2024.

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American and Russian officials meet in Saudi Arabia for talks on negotiating an end to the war in Ukraine. The Trump administration has started making broad cuts to federal health agencies. Days after the Justice Department moved to drop corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, four of his top aides and deputy mayors announced their resignations.
Want more comprehensive analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.

Today's episode of Up First was edited by Ryland Barton, Jane Greenhalgh, Denice Rios, Reena Advani and Janaya Williams. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Arthur Laurent and our technical director is Carleigh Strange. Our Executive Producer is Kelley Dickens.

Messages can also perform conversions, so you never have to look up how many pounds are in a kilogram again.

• The iPhone SE 4 is rumored to be getting an Apple 5G modem
• It's apparently not as speedy as the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon modem
• The handset is expected to be officially launched tomorrow

We're expecting Apple to unveil the iPhone SE 4 tomorrow, and while a lot of the handset's specs are rumored to be matching up to the iPhone 16 launched in September, it seems there's going to be one exception: the 5G modem.

According to South Korean outlet Donga (via GSMArena), the new Apple-designed 5G modem inside the iPhone SE 4 is going to lack mmWave support, and won't be quite up to the performance levels of the Qualcomm Snapdragon X75 modem fitted inside the four iPhone 16 handsets.

It remains to be seen exactly how different upload and download speeds will be between the handsets. The performance drop might not be noticeable at all to users most of the time, given the limits of 5G infrastructure, but it's worth noting the potential discrepancy as Apple looks to get more of its own chips inside its iPhones.

Rumors of an in-house Apple modem for the iPhone SE 4 have been swirling for months, with improved efficiency (and battery life) said to be one of the key benefits of making the switch. One source says these Apple modems, made by its partner TSMC, will be fully up to speed with the Qualcomm equivalents by 2027.

Specs appeal

The iPhone SE 4 could well look a lot like the iPhone 14 (Image credit: Apple)

It seems Apple is fully committed to the new 5G modem, which should also appear in at least some of the iPhone 17 handsets expected later this year. As with the mobile CPUs, it gives Apple more control over the circuitry and engineering inside its phones.

While the modem may not be quite up to speed, the other key specs of the iPhone SE 4 are thought to hold up very well against the flagship iPhone 16 series: the same A18 chipset and 8GB of RAM are believed to be on the way for the cheaper variant, and it will of course come running the same iOS 18 software.

The big reason for the performance parity is likely to be Apple Intelligence. Apple will want to make sure its new handset is capable of running all the latest AI tools, and a fast chipset and plenty of RAM will ensure that. The iPhone SE 3, which launched back in 2022, came with an A15 chipset and a mere 4GB of RAM.

It's likely that we'll get a lot of changes on the outside of the iPhone SE 4 too – it's apparently ditching Touch ID and the Home button for a more modern look, though it may get a notch rather than a Dynamic Island. You can keep up with all the latest launch news and leaks on our iPhone SE 4 live blog.

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• Xbox boss Phil Spencer confirms Rare's Everwild is still in development
• The game was announced in 2019 but Spencer says the team is making "progress"
• Microsoft can give Rare, among other studios, more time due to its packed release schedule

Rare's Everwild is still in development despite its five years of radio silence, according to Xbox boss Phil Spencer.

Speaking to XboxEra in a recent interview, Spencer was asked to discuss his most anticipated game coming to Xbox. He'd previously shared excitement for Undead Labs' State of Decay 3, which is set for a 2026 release, but also said he's looking forward to Everwild, from Sea of Thieves developer Rare.

The game was announced in 2019 and has since been absent from numerous Xbox showcases. There's also no news on when it will launch, but Spencer did confirm that the team is making "progress."

"I’ll go back to what I said earlier. Yeah, State of Decay is just one of the franchises I love back from the original one, so that one stays on the board," Spencer said. "I do think the work that Double Fine’s doing and how Tim kind of solicits feedback from the team. And the other one, I’ll say because I was recently out at Rare. It’s nice to see the team with Everwild and the progress that they’re making."

Spencer explained that Microsoft can give Rare, Undead Labs, as well as Double Fine, more time to make their games since the company's current lineup is packed.

"...We’ve been able to give those teams time in what they’re doing which is good and still have a portfolio like we have," he said. "It’s like a dream that Matt [Booty] and I have had for a long time, so it’s finally good to be there. We can give those teams time. And next week I’m going to be up in Vancouver with the Coalition - and how fun is that?"

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• iPhone 17 Air renders give us a look at the possible design of the phone
• They show a slim build and a long camera bar
• We've also heard that the iPhone 17 might have the same design as the iPhone 16

This could be a big year for the iPhone, because along with successors to the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max, we’re reportedly going to see something totally new – a super-slim model that, for now, we’re referring to as the iPhone 17 Air.

This device has been the subject of several rumors, but a new leak gives us our first proper look at what could be the iPhone 17 Air's decidedly un-Apple-like design.

Leaker Jon Prosser (via MacRumors) has shared renders in his Front Page Tech YouTube show that supposedly show the final design of the iPhone 17 Air, and you can see some of these below.

Image 1 of 2

(Image credit: Front Page Tech / ‪@Zellzoi‬)Image 2 of 2

(Image credit: Front Page Tech / ‪@Zellzoi‬)

As the renders show, the iPhone 17 Air supposedly has a very slim body, and there’s a long black camera bar running the width of its rear panel. Despite being so long, this camera bar only actually houses one lens, with that sticking out on the left, while the flash is on the far right. Some of the images also show that, unsurprisingly, the phone has both a Camera Control button and an Action button.

While this is the clearest look we’ve had at the possible design of the iPhone 17 Air, these renders are in line with previous leaks, including a blurry photo supposedly showing the iPhone 17 Air. So, these renders may well be accurate, though it’s worth noting that Prosser has a mixed track record – he’s been both right and wrong about Apple information in the past.

No change for the base model

This isn’t the only piece of iPhone 17 series design information Prosser has shared. In a post on X (via Phone Arena), he claimed that the base iPhone 17 looks much like the iPhone 16 – meaning two camera lenses arranged vertically, taking up much less space than the iPhone 17 Air’s alleged camera bar.

If so, then the iPhone 17 series could consist of three quite different designs, because as well as these two, Prosser recently revealed the possible design of the iPhone 17 Pro. According to him, this phone has a much chunkier camera bar even than the Air model.

We might not find out how accurate all of this information is for quite a while, mind, as we’re not expecting to get an official look at the iPhone 17 series until September.

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• The chance to create an NPC in The Elder Scrolls 6 is up for grabs at a charity auction
• Bids currently start at $10,450
• The money raised will go to the Make-A-Wish Foundation

Have you ever wanted to be part of a video game? Well developer Bethesda Game Studios is offering one lucky gamer the chance to create an non-player character (NPC) in the massively anticipated The Elder Scrolls 6.

It's being offered as part of a charity auction, benefitting the Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic organization. The charity works to provide wish-granting experiences for children with critical illnesses, with the aim of giving hope to children, families, and communities in a challenging time.

The auction is ongoing, with lot #301 letting the winner "have the opportunity to work with the Bethesda Game Studios development team to create a character to appear as a video game NPC in The Elder Scrolls 6." It's an incredibly tempting proposition, letting you have a direct impact one what is easily going to be one of the biggest fantasy video games of the generation.

Bidding starts at $10,450, though I imagine that this will seem like a small price to pay for some seriously die-hard fans. The money from the winning big will go directly to Make-A-Wish, which is going to be something to feel pretty good about.

The Elder Scrolls 6 was first unveiled back in 2018, where a short teaser trailer was shown. We've heard very little about the game since, though information from Microsoft's Activision Blizzard acquisition suggests that it will launch in 2026 at the earliest.

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• Assassin's Creed Shadows pre-order sales are in line with one of the biggest entries in the franchise

• Nintendo is set to discontinue its Gold Points rewards scheme
• From March 24, 2025, you'll no longer be able to earn them
• However, points you earn now will be redeemable for another 12 months

Nintendo has confirmed it will be winding down its eShop Gold Points rewards scheme next month.

The announcement was made over on the official My Nintendo website, confirming that the earning of Gold Points will be discontinued on March 24, 2025. At the time of writing, the website is currently returning an error for that page. But an FAQ (sourced by Go Nintendo) provides more details, reading:

"Beginning at 9:30 p.m. PDT on 3/24/2025, users will no longer be able to earn My Nintendo Gold Points. Gold Points will no longer be earned for digital purchases on Nintendo eShop after 9:30 p.m. PDT on 3/24/2025.

"Gold Points will no longer be earned on physical games that release after 3/24/2025. For physical games that released on or before 3/24/2025, Gold Points may still be earned by registering eligible titles within one year from the original release date of the game.

"All earned Gold Points will continue to be valid and redeemable for 12 months after they are issued. Please note that there are no changes to how you redeem the Gold Points you already earned."

Suspiciously, this is happening about a week and a half ahead of April 2's scheduled Nintendo Switch 2 Direct. Nintendo currently hasn't announced a replacement for the Gold Points rewards scheme, but there is a chance the company could be implementing a new system for when its new console arrives later this year.

If not, then that's definitely a shame. Gold Points are a pretty great way of saving cash on digital eShop purchases. Like PlayStation Rewards, Gold Points are added to your Nintendo account after registering a physical game or purchasing a game digitally on the eShop. Over time, this lets players save a substantial amount on the best Nintendo Switch games.

Nintendo has confirmed that Nintendo accounts will transfer to Nintendo Switch 2, so, could a bigger Nintendo eShop overhaul be on the way? Let's hope so, because it definitely needs one.

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• The Epic Games store gained 25 million new users in 2024, with $2,229 of free games up for grabs throughout the year
• The PS5 just had its best financial quarter on record, shipping almost 10 million units at the end of last year

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• Sonic the Hedgehog 3 has finally made its streaming debut on Paramount Plus
• The hit video game film series' latest entry landed on the platform today (February 18)
• However, it's only available in the US and Canada

Sonic the Hedgehog loves telling himself that he's "gotta go fast" – and it seems that phrase applies to the speed with which movies land on Paramount Plus.

Indeed, less than two months have passed since Sonic the Hedgehog 3 raced into theaters, but the latest entry in the blue blur's film series is already available to watch on one of the world's best streaming services. That's right, you can watch Sonic's third big-screen outing from the comfort of your own home as of today (February 18), which Paramount confirmed on X/Twitter yesterday.

#TeamSonic is taking over Paramount+! Stream #SonicMovie3 tomorrow! pic.twitter.com/XEpCBGheKkFebruary 17, 2025

Unfortunately, it seems that Sonic 3 hasn't launched on Paramount's streaming platform outside of North America, with Deadline reporting that it's only available to watch in the US and Canada right now. I checked Paramount Plus UK's film library this morning and Sonic the Hedgehog 1 is the only film you can watch on British shores. The same appears to be true in Australia as well.

Responding to my inquiry about when British and Australian viewers can watch it at home, a Paramount spokesperson said: "Sonic 3 will only be available in the US and Canada. It will also come soon to the UK and Australia, but we haven't set a date yet". Sounds like we've got a long wait on our hands, then.

Is Sonic the Hedgehog 3 worth streaming?

Keanu Reeves voices Shadow in the third Sonic the Hedgehog film (Image credit: Paramount Pictures)

Yes! Sonic 3 was one of the last new movies to speed into theaters worldwide in 2024. Its festive seasonal release helped it to become the highest-grossing entry in the Sega mascot's film franchise so far, with the live-action-animated hybrid flick earning $478.5 million globally. For context, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 earned $405 million in early 2022, while the first movie accumulated around $320 million in early 2020.

The Sonic movie series has improved with each passing entry, too. Sonic 3 currently holds 85% critical and 95% audience ratings on Rotten Tomatoes – and, while the dial hasn't moved that much from an audience perspective (Sonic 1 and Sonic 2 hold 93% and 96% RT scores), they have from a critical acclaim standpoint. Indeed, Sonic 3's critical rating is almost 20% higher than its forebear and over 30% greater than Sonic's first film. Don't be surprised, then, if one or more of these flicks make it onto our best Paramount Plus movies list in the near future.

It's rare that film franchises continually improve with every movie release, so how have the Sonic flicks been able to do so? Well, they're consistently fun, family-friendly films that Sonic devotees and newcomers alike can enjoy. The introduction of fan-favorite characters with each new entry – Tails and Knuckles showed up in Sonic 2, while the Keanu Reeves-voiced Shadow made his debut in Sonic 3 – have also helped. Add in supplemental material that have expanded this universe, such as Knuckles' TV spin-off, which is one of the best Paramount Plus shows, and Paramount's adaptation of the beloved Sonic video game series is going from strength to strength.

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(Image credit: MOLA)

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(Image credit: Aaron M. Sprecher)

Early on in narrative adventure game Lost Records: Bloom & Rage Tape 1, you find yourself in the maximalist milieu of its protagonist’s cluttered bedroom, circa 1995. After fiddling with the pin art board and pilfering through a collection of shiny VHS tapes, my eye was drawn to the off-brand Tamagotchi on Swann’s desk.

Review info

Platform reviewed: PC
Available on: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC via Steam
Release date: February 18, 2024

As I admired the familiar chunky design, marked delicately by little scratches, the screen came to life, and new options appeared on screen: Play, Feed, Eat. Like an archaeologist, I marveled at the unnecessary meticulousness of this moment — there was no need for Lost Records to include a fully-playable pocket pet, yet here I was, cleaning up its poop like any good teenager would.

This level of detail is redolent of developer Don't Nod's first two Life is Strange games, which solidified the studio’s reputation as new wave masterminds of segmented narrative. There have been many Don't Nod and even some Life is Strange games in the time since, but the key creatives behind that initial diptych have yet to deliver a successor, until now.

Lost Records: Bloom & Rage is a new IP that explores the uncanny, messy nature of humanity from a stylized and period-specific perspective. So far, it’s an adventure dripping in tactile nostalgia and pithy mystery that evolves the ethos of the games that came before it. Evoking Life is Strange’s episodic approach, Lost Records: Bloom and Rage is split into two parts, with the second tape coming in April 2025.

In Lost Records: Bloom & Rage Tape 1, four friends who vowed never to speak after an undisclosed incident are summoned back to their hometown when an ominous package arrives in the mail. You play as Swann, an anxious forty-something who must face the events of the troupe’s ‘lost summer’, rekindling their dormant relationships to understand why the parcel arrived after all this time and what could be inside.

To do this, you’ll rummage through gorgeously curated midwestern dioramas, jumping between 1995 and 2022 to pick apart set pieces and choose lines of dialogue, with the story molding around your version of events. The decisions you make in the past and present weave together as the story unfolds, ensuring each choice feels loaded regardless of what you’re doing. In Velvet Cove, appearances are deceiving, and the liberating break the friends have since put behind them obscures an otherworldly backbone waiting to be unearthed.

Swann’s teenage self is also equipped with a trusty camcorder that you’ll use to film the events of the summer as they unfold, a unique mechanic that helps to distinguish Lost Records from its peers. As you explore, you can pull out your trusty device on a whim to capture precious moments and create idiosyncratic memoirs. You’ll often be prompted to film certain scenes, too, with that footage showing up during cutscenes, cleverly immersing you in the 90s fantasy.

Be kind, rewind

(Image credit: Don't Nod)

The basis of Lost Records: Bloom & Rage Tape 1 is rewarding exploration. If you search hard enough in your reckless friend's garage, you might find the crude placement of perfume samples meant to hide the scent of weed. Or, if you wander deeper through an abandoned park, you might stumble upon some choice graffiti that illuminates the small-town mentality and class dissonance present in Velvet Cove. Not every nook and cranny hid something shocking, and oftentimes, the small clues served to illuminate the complexity of the townsfolk, blurring the lines between what I thought it meant to be a ‘good’ or ‘bad’ character.

Looking for such hints is helped by the overarching mystery of Swann’s amnesia, which weaves the spirit of investigation into the main plot. As such, combing through each room or open space feels natural and less game-like, with my attention drawn to Swann’s actions instead. Whether I’d scoured a room or not, I never felt as though I was missing something, with Don't Nod consistently giving me enough information to push forward.

This sense of immersion is helped by the stellar voice acting delivered by the Lost Records cast. There’s distinct naivete and softness as the younger versions of their characters chat, which rubs against the awkwardness as they reconnect as their older selves. Lines are delivered with patience and intent, and I relished watching their tones shift as the summer played out, as they became a closer, more flirty group. This shift is also accompanied by an atmospheric soundtrack that blends its original score with a smattering of licensed cult tracks (including Cocteau Twins) to great effect.

(Image credit: Don't Nod)

Despite how magical and freeing Lost Records can feel, Don't Nod doesn’t shy away from the harsher elements of humanity either, and handles them with care. As a teen girl, Swann doesn’t fit the ‘skinny’ mold, an issue that comes up cruelly for them throughout Lost Records. While visceral performances summoned plenty of emotion from me, I found the quieter teenage disaffection of Swann and their group to be equally as moving. This is particularly true for the case of Swann’s friend Nora, whose brash aesthetic and attitude act as a mask for insecurities about their troubled home life.

Of the leading group, the firecracker Kat is perhaps the most intriguing, with much of the story centering around their homelife, their polar opposite sister Dylan, and her disaffected but strangely magnetic boyfriend Corey, who appears to bully and accost the girls. Kat’s struggles seem simple, as punk beliefs wrestle with traditional family values. It would be easy to settle on Kat’s situation as one-dimensional family trouble, but Lost Records subverts these expectations considerably and did well to reframe my experiences with its cast of murky heroes and villains.

What’s in the box?

(Image credit: Don't Nod)

Perhaps my favorite aspect of Lost Records, though, is the variety of choices you can make and how they ratchet up your emotions. Unlike the team’s previous work on Life is Strange, here, the story-shifting decisions don’t appear with an intimidating on-screen chyron.

It’s fair to assume that the repercussions of my actions won’t be fully revealed until Tape 2. However, there were still plenty of instances where I saw my actions immediately play out. For example, in the opening moments, Swann talks to their mum on the phone and reminisces about their old cat: from here on out in the past, from feeding them to cuddles, that is your pet’s name. No matter how big or small the selection felt, a fine-tuned balance of player influence alongside the main linear story made me feel necessary to the plot despite it being moored in a confident overarching narrative.

Best bit

(Image credit: Don't Nod)

You won't find any collectibles throughout Lost Records: Bloom & Rage Tape 1. Instead, Swann can pull out their trusty handycam at any point to film seemingly random pieces of set dressing to create nostalgic video memories, complete with a snowy 90s filter. Public graffiti, bird species, and dilapidated playground equipment are dotted around Velvet Cove, waiting to be transformed from small town bric-a-brac into a stylized retro memoir. What’s most impressive, though, is that the tidbits of tape you’ve filmed go on to play in cutscenes, giving your playthrough a unique and dreamy feel.

Lost Records isn't always hazy sunsets, though, with some scenes twisting towards horror. In one particular instance, Swann fell through a window into an abandoned house, the exit guarded by a mystical padlock. Wandering through the dark, with only my camcorder light to guide me, I felt pangs of genuine fear while puzzle-solving. Much of Lost Records revolves around dialogue, and these surprising deviations into thrilling puzzles and spooky tricks kept me on my toes as I moved through the story, which is persistently tinged with menacing magical realism.

A stand-out feature was the intricately modeled characters and carefully curated visual identity in both the past and present. Despite jumping twenty-seven years, Velvet Cove feels trapped in the past, with its water tower adorned with gaudy wooden antlers and the plaid-wearing regulars in the local bar. Rusty chain link fences, cracked cement, and abandoned spaces create a strong feeling that the town has been left behind, a sensation which contrasts against the liberated aesthetic of the girl group who are keen to leave it behind.

Across my playtime I encountered a smattering of technical bugs, such as chugging when scenes would load and, in one instance, a crash. These issues were minor in the grand scheme of the game, and I’m hopeful they will be resolved before the launch. Thankfully, a forgiving checkpoint system meant I never lost that much progress when I did run into problems.

Lost Records: Bloom & Rage Tape 1 might only be the first half of the story, yet even as I rolled credits, tears streaming down my cheeks, I felt satisfied and deeply curious about the chaos its cliffhanger ending had wrought. I’m keen to dig in and unlock the missing pieces of Swann and Co.'s past, one aberrated camcorder clip at a time.

Should I play Lost Records: Bloom & Rage Tape 1?

(Image credit: Don't Nod) Play it if…

If you love cinema…
Gameplay in Lost Records: Bloom & Rage Tape 1 is interspersed with gorgeously shot cutscenes that feel ripped from a coming-of-age film yet to exist.

You like games grounded in reality…
Similar to Don't Nod's previous work, Lost Records: Bloom & Rage Tape 1 doesn’t shy away from the crueler parts of humanity, exploring complex topics like fatphobia and misogyny.

Don’t play it if…

You want to play something fast-paced…
Lost Records: Bloom & Rage Tape 1 is first and foremost about taking your time and enjoying the environments and vibes curated throughout its slow-moving story. While there are undoubtedly moments of urgency, much of Tape 1 involves gently combing through the Velvet Cove and getting to know its inhabitants.

Accessibility

When you boot up Lost Records: Bloom & Rage Tape 1, you can choose the interface text size (small, medium, and large) and toggle on and off subtitles. From this screen, you can also select the size of the subtitles (small, medium, large.) Due to the heavy themes in Lost Records: Bloom and Rage, you’ll also have the choice to turn on trigger warnings.

These warnings include topics such as drugs, tobacco, and alcohol. On this screen, you can also tweak audio dynamic range, choosing between a narrow (little difference between loud and quiet moments, suitable for low-quality sound systems or noisy playspaces), Medium (moderate difference between loud and quiet moments, ideal for most speakers), and Wide (sizable difference between loud and quiet moments, ideal for high-quality sound systems or quiet playspaces)

From the pause menu, under controls, you can toggle on and off vibrations and how the camcorder behaves in the game. There are also options to reduce motion sickness, such as a toggling off head bob, camcorder motion controls, and shifting the camcorder feel between regular, light, very light, and none. You can additionally invert cameras and movements and remap the entire keyboard from this menu.

Where visual effects are concerned, You can toggle on and off motion blur, camera smoothing, and camera shake. From the interface menu, you can also toggle on and off a speaker cue that provides a visual cue for who is talking as well as toggle the persistent reticle in first and third person.

How I reviewed Lost Records: Bloom & Rage Tape 1

(Image credit: Don't Nod)

I completed Lost Records: Bloom & Rage Tape 1’s story in around nine and a half hours on my PC. In that time, I searched through each environment and completed most mini montages Swann could film throughout, as well as tested photo mode.

I used an AOC 27-inch QHD VA 144Hz monitor, a Logitech MX Master 3S mouse, and a Logitech G915 TKL keyboard. For sound, I used my external Creative Pebble V2 speakers and Audio Technica ATH-MX50X headphones plugged into a Scarlett 2i2 interface. My GPU is an RTX 3080, and my CPU is an AMD Ryzen 9 3950X.

First reviewed February 2025