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Netflix dropped a new clip from “Arcane” Season 2 showing Vi (Hailee Steinfeld) in a fighting ring. Watch.

Netflix dropped a new clip from “Arcane” Season 2 showing Vi (Hailee Steinfeld) in a fighting ring. Watch.

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Netflix has dropped its trailer for “DON’T MOVE”, a survival thriller produced by “The Evil Dead” director Sam Raimi.

Netflix has dropped its trailer for “DON’T MOVE”, a survival thriller produced by “The Evil Dead” director Sam Raimi.

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Netflix dropped a short clip to announce the arrival of Toph in “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” along with the casting of Miya Cech.

Netflix dropped a short clip to announce the arrival of Toph in “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” along with the casting of Miya Cech.

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Pocketpair, developer of “Pokémon with guns” game ‘Palworld,’ says it doesn’t know why Nintendo and The Pokémon Company are suing.

Nintendo and The Pokémon Company filed a lawsuit against “Pokémon with guns” game Palworld this week, officially kicking off a fight that’s been looming since January. Now Palworld developer Pocketpair has responded, claiming it has no idea why it’s being sued. This actually isn’t as absurd as it sounds.

In a statement released on Thursday, Pocketpair confirmed it had received notice of a patent infringement lawsuit and was investigating its claims, though refrained from specifically naming either Nintendo or The Pokémon Company.

Interestingly, Pocketpair also said it doesn’t yet know the details of exactly what it’s accused of.

“We have received notice of this lawsuit and will begin the appropriate legal proceedings and investigations into the claims of patent infringement,” Pocketpair wrote in its statement. “At this moment, we are unaware of the specific patents we are accused of infringing upon, and we have not been notified of such details.”

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Why is Nintendo suing Palworld?

Though Pocketpair’s claims of ignorance may initially seem ridiculous, they’re less surprising once you consider the nature of Nintendo and The Pokémon Company’s claims.

Palworld drew international attention during its January early access launch due to perceived similarities between its titular Pals and Pokémon designs. Some 3D modellers even directly compared character models, speculating that Pocketpair had stolen assets —  a theory the developer has consistently denied.

However, patents don’t cover such elements, which would more appropriately be handled by a copyright. Instead, a patent infringement lawsuit is more likely to deal with technical elements such as gameplay mechanics.

Palworld‘s gameplay does have undeniable gameplay similarities to the Pokémon franchise, with both allowing players to capture and battle teams of fantastical monsters. Even so, they’re far from the only monster-taming games out there, with games such as Dragon Quest V and Atlus’ Shin Megami Tensei series preceding both.

As such, the exact nature of Nintendo’s beef with Pocketpal isn’t immediately apparent.  

It seems reasonable to speculate that the lawsuit may involve Palworld‘s “Pal Spheres.” To capture a Pal in Palworld, players first fight their target to lower its health and increase the probability of a successful capture. They then throw a Pal Sphere at the Pal, trapping them inside it. 

As anyone familiar with Pokémon games will know, this mechanic operates very similarly to Pokéballs.

The theory that the lawsuit concerns Pal Spheres is further supported by several divisional patent applications Nintendo and The Pokémon Company jointly submitted after Palworld‘s launch. Some of the patents seem to concern mechanics such as aiming and throwing an item to capture a creature, as well as throwing an item to release a captured creature and start a battle.

Divisional patents essentially split a pre-existing patent into multiple separate ones, separating distinct inventions that were previously bundled together. Such split patents are still considered to have been in effect from the date of their parent patent, meaning they could feasibly form the basis of Nintendo and The Pokémon Company’s lawsuit against Pocketpair.

As noted by Japanese patent attorney Kiyoshi Kurihara in Yahoo Japan (via Automaton West), Nintendo and The Pokémon Company requested that processing for these divisional patent applications be fast-tracked.

Of course, all of this is mere speculation at present, with the exact details of the lawsuit yet to be confirmed. When previously reached for comment, The Pokémon Company told Mashable that it “refrain[s] from commenting on the matters related to the content of the lawsuit.”

Mashable has also reached out to Nintendo and Pocketpair for comment.

“It is truly unfortunate that we will be forced to allocate significant time to matters unrelated to game development due to this lawsuit,” Pocketpair said in its public statement. “However, we will do our utmost for our fans, and to ensure that indie game developers are not hindered or discouraged from pursuing their creative ideas.”

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Live stream Australia vs. New Zealand in the 2024 Rugby Championship online for free from anywhere in the world.

TL;DR: Live stream Australia vs. New Zealand in the 2024 Rugby Championship for free on NZR+. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The Rugby Championship has been typically explosive, with some massive performances and surprise results. Australia have not impressed in this year’s competition, and went down 67-27 in their last game against Argentina.

The Wallabies will need to improve against New Zealand, a team looking to bounce back after two defeats against South Africa. The All Blacks will be motivated to end the Rugby Championship on a high.

If you want to watch Australia vs. New Zealand in the 2024 Rugby Championship for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Australia vs. New Zealand?

Australia vs. New Zealand in the 2024 Rugby Championship kicks off at 1:45 a.m. ET on Sept. 21. This fixture takes place at Stadium Australia.

How to watch Australia vs. New Zealand for free

You can live stream the 2024 Rugby Championship for free on NZR+, including Australia vs. New Zealand.

The catch is that this free live stream is only available to fans in Albania, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Turkey, and Ukraine.

If you do not live in one of these countries, you can use a VPN to change your digital location and stream for free. VPNs can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to secure servers in other countries, meaning you can unblock free live streams of the Rugby Championship on NZR+ from anywhere in the world.

Access free live streams of the 2024 Rugby Championship by following these simple steps:

Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

Open up the app and connect to a server in one of the countries listed above

Visit NZR+

Live stream Australia vs. New Zealand for free from anywhere in the world

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but leading VPNs do tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can gain access to a free live stream of Australia vs. New Zealand without actually spending anything. This clearly isn’t a long-term solution, but it gives you enough time to watch the 2024 Rugby Championship before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for the Rugby Championship?

ExpressVPN is the best service for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live rugby on NZR+ for free, for a number of reasons:

Servers in 105 countries

Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

Strict no-logging policy so your data is always secure

Fast connection speeds

Up to eight simultaneous connections

30-day money-back guarantee

A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.

Live stream Australia vs. New Zealand in the 2024 Rugby Championship for free from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

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Hints and answers to today’s Hurdle all in one place.

If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.

There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it’ll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.

An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.

If you find yourself stuck at any step of today’s Hurdle, don’t worry! We have you covered.

Hurdle Word 1 hint

A spot or mark.

Hurdle Word 1 answer

FLECK

Hurdle Word 2 hint

A disease that affects animals’ coats.

Hurdle Word 2 Answer

MANGE

Hurdle Word 3 hint

Another word for mayhem.

Hurdle Word 3 answer

CHAOS

Hurdle Word 4 hint

The cyber ones are expensive.

Hurdle Word 4 answer

TRUCK

Final Hurdle hint

You’ll need to clean this up if you have one.

Hurdle Word 5 answer

SPILL

If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

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Answers to each clue for the September 20, 2024 edition of NYT’s The Mini crossword puzzle.

The Mini is a bite-sized version of The New York Times‘ revered daily crossword. While the crossword is a lengthier experience that requires both knowledge and patience to complete, The Mini is an entirely different vibe.

With only a handful of clues to answer, the daily puzzle doubles as a speed-running test for many who play it.

So, when a tricky clue disrupts a player’s flow, it can be frustrating! If you find yourself stumped playing The Mini — much like with Wordle and Connections — we have you covered.

Here are the clues and answers to NYT’s The Mini for Friday, September 20, 2024:

Across

See who can get there the fastest

The answer is Race.

Comic actor Sandler

The answer is Adam.

Acronym for a pro-housing movement

The answer is Yimby.

Fencing sword

The answer is Epee.

Org. that certifies foods as “Organic”

The answer is USDA.

Down

Beam of sunshine

The answer is Ray

French goodbye

The answer is Adieu.

Places where bug juice is served and color wars are waged

The answer is Camps.

Plant deep (within)

The answer is Embed.

Rooms with toilets, in European shorthand

The answer is Yea.

If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today’s Strands.

Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to yesterday’s Mini Crossword.

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The NYT Strands hints and answers you need to make the most of your puzzling experience.

If you’re reading this, you’re looking for a little help playing Strands, the New York Times‘ elevated word-search game.

Strands requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There’s always a theme linking every solution, along with the “spangram,” a special, word or phrase that sums up that day’s theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.

By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.

If you’re feeling stuck or just don’t have 10 or more minutes to figure out today’s puzzle, we’ve got all the NYT Strands hints for today’s puzzle you need to progress at your preferred pace.

NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: A way with words

These words are commonly heard in English classes.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

The answers are all related to literary terms.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today’s NYT Strands spangram is horizontal.

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today’s spangram is Poetry.

NYT Strands word list for September 20

Diction

Stanza

Verse

Poetry

Scansion

Rhyme

Meter

Syntax

Looking for other daily online games? Mashable’s Games page has more hints, and if you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now!

Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to yesterday’s Strands.

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Connections is a New York Times word game that’s all about finding the “common threads between words.” How to solve the puzzle.

Connections is the latest New York Times word game that’s captured the public’s attention. The game is all about finding the “common threads between words.” And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we’ve served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today’s puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for September 20’s Connections solution. But if you’d rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

What is Connections?

The NYT‘s latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications’ Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

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Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there’s only one correct answer. If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

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Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

Here’s a hint for today’s Connections categories

Want a hit about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

Yellow: Assuming

Green: A person

Blue: Star Wars

Purple: Phrases that could follow after “kitty”

Here are today’s Connections categories

Need a little extra help? Today’s connections fall into the following categories:

Yellow: Presume

Green: Somebody

Blue: Characters in The Empire Strikes Back, Familiarly

Purple: Words After “Kitty”

Looking for Wordle today? Here’s the answer to today’s Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today’s puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today’s Connections #466 is…

What is the answer to Connections today

Presume: FIGURE, IMAGINE, SUSPECT, THINK

Somebody: CHARACTER, INDIVIDUAL, PARTY, PERSON

Characters in The Empire Strikes Back, Familiarly: BOBA, CHEWY, EMPEROR, SOLO

Words After “Kitty”: CAT, CORNER, HAWK, LITTER

Don’t feel down if you didn’t manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we’ll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today’s Strands.

If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to yesterday’s Connections.

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Here’s the answer for “Wordle” #1189 on September 20, as well as a few hints, tips, and clues to help you solve it yourself.

Oh hey there! If you’re here, it must be time for Wordle. As always, we’re serving up our daily hints and tips to help you figure out today’s answer.

If you just want to be told today’s word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for September 20’s Wordle solution revealed. But if you’d rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

Where did Wordle come from?

Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once. 

Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.

What’s the best Wordle starting word?

The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.

What happened to the Wordle archive?

The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles used to be available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it. Unfortunately, it has since been taken down, with the website’s creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times.

Is Wordle getting harder?

It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn’t any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle‘s Hard Mode if you’re after more of a challenge, though.

Here’s a subtle hint for today’s Wordle answer:

To gently apply force to something.

Does today’s Wordle answer have a double letter?

There are no reoccurring letters.

Today’s Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with…

Today’s Wordle starts with the letter S.

The Wordle answer today is…

Get your last guesses in now, because it’s your final chance to solve today’s Wordle before we reveal the solution.

Drumroll please!

The solution to today’s Wordle is…

SMOKE.

Don’t feel down if you didn’t manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we’ll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today’s Strands.

Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.

If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to yesterday’s Wordle.

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