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Nintendo is in a giving state of mind this season, offering some holiday deals on games in the eShop, including a few recent Switch 2 titles. For instance, the Switch 2 version of Ball x Pit , which was one of our staff's favorite games of 2025 , is 20 percent off at $12. Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles is $40, down from the usual $50 on Switch 2, which is about as good a deal as youll get for a current-year game release. There are also a few older games that have gotten even steep

Anna's Archive, the open-source search engine for shadow libraries, says it scraped Spotify's entire library of music. The group acquired metadata for around 256 million tracks, with 86 million actual songs, and is just under 300TB in total size. A while ago, we discovered a way to scrape Spotify at scale. We saw a role for us here to build a music archive primarily aimed at preservation, the group said in a blog post . The pirated treasure trove of music represents over 15 million artists with

Game developer Vince Zampella, known for his work on many popular first-person shooter franchises, has died. According to Los Angeles news channel NBC4 , Zampella was killed in a single-vehicle car crash on Sunday along with one other unnamed person. He was 55. Zampella has helmed several well-known first-person shooter titles. He was a founder of Infinity Ward, where he was a creator of the Call of Duty series. Zampella remained at the company for the launch of the hugely popular franchise's fi

The Indie Game Awards has stripped Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 of two major awards, including Game of the Year and Debut Game. This is due to developer Sandfall Interactive's use of generative AI, as reported by Mashable . This looks to be fairly cut and dry. The awards ceremony clearly states in its FAQ that any game that uses generative AI in the development process would be strictly ineligible for nominations. It was recently revealed that Sandfall did indeed use generative AI while making Cl

An investigation by the New York Times into Uber's background checks and safety procedures for its drivers found a patchwork approach that opens the door for violent felons to drive for the ride-hailing platform. Uber outright rejects applicants convicted of murder, sexual assault, kidnapping and terrorism. However, in 22 states, the Times found Uber can approve applicants convicted of many other offenses including child abuse, assault and stalking, if the convictions are at least seven years ol

Paramount Skydance isn't giving up on obtaining Warner Bros. Discovery just yet. The company has amended its $108 billion offer to include Larry Ellison's irrevocable personal guarantee equaling $40.4 billion. Ellison is the founder or Oracle and a backer of Skydance, created by his son David Ellison, Paramount Skydance's CEO. On December 17, WBD formally recommended shareholders reject Paramount's offer . WBD had already accepted an $82.7 billion offer from Netflix , set to close some time next

Instacart has announced it will be ending price testing on its platform. This comes after a study published earlier this month revealed pricing experiments that led to some customers seeing higher prices than others and the FTC saying last week it would be investigating the grocery delivery app. Effective immediately, Instacart is ending all item price tests on our platform. Retailers will no longer be able to use Eversight technology to run item price tests on Instacart, an Instacart spokespers

Once upon a time, a board game meant Monopoly or Risk . Then several brave souls dared to ask the question: What if this was fun? Thirty years later, we're blessed with tabletop games that challenge our minds, immerse us in other worlds and conjure good times with those we love sometimes all three at once. For your gift-buying needs, we've put together a list of new favorites and returning classics that run the gamuts of genre and weight. If you're ready to push beyond Pictionary , read on. Bes

It might be hard to believe, but foldable phones have already been around for the better part of a decade. Granted, the first one I saw back in 2019 which actually predates Samsung's Galaxy Fold was a cobbled-together mess. But since then, phone makers have been steadily iterating and tweaking their designs, and this year, manufacturers have finally addressed all the major issues about foldable phones except one: price. Lets go back to the OG Fold. Even though it was chunky and heavy, had a ti

The Nintendo Switch 2 supports a wide range of controllers, from Nintendos own Pro Controller to many Bluetooth gamepads you might already have. Whether youre setting up your new console for the first time or adding extra controllers for multiplayer games, pairing them is simple as long as you know where to look. Heres how to connect the Switch 2 Pro Controller, how to sync additional Bluetooth controllers and what to do if something doesnt pair correctly. Before you start: What youll need To pa

Waymo has resumed its robo-taxi service in San Francisco after a power outage stranded vehicles around the city, CNBC reported. The blackout, caused by a Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) substation fire, caused traffic light disruptions that affected Waymo's automated driving systems. Yesterdays power outage was a widespread event that caused gridlock across San Francisco, with non-functioning traffic signals and transit disruptions, a Waymo spokesperson told CNBC in a statement. While the failure

A tight budget does not mean you have to settle for a slow or outdated laptop. Many affordable models today offer solid performance for work, classes and everyday browsing, and some even pack in extras like bright displays or long battery life. Whether you need something for school, travel or streaming, there are plenty of budget laptops that deliver more value than you might expect. Since the options can be overwhelming, we tested a wide range of devices to find the best budget laptops that off

Were almost out of time the holidays are just about here, and if youre still doing your holiday shopping, youre not alone. Between wrapping things up at work before some well-deserved time off and making sure you have everything you need to host family and friends, it can be hard to find the time to go shop for some gifts. And if youre going to physical stores right now, youre probably being met with half-empty shelves. But the internet remains an option, even this late in the game: you still h

OpenAI gave its AI chatbot a professional makeover with the latest GPT-5.2 release , and some users are already complaining about its tone. For anyone who's finding ChatGPT rude or sassy, OpenAI has some welcome news since it's letting users further customize its personality with extra warmth or enthusiasm. You can now adjust specific characteristics in ChatGPT, like warmth, enthusiasm, and emoji use. Now available in your Personalization settings. pic.twitter.com/7WSkOQVTKU OpenAI (@OpenAI) De

There may not be any reports of stick drift with the ROG Xbox Ally yet, but that doesn't mean there won't be. If you'd rather not end up with joysticks that have a mind of their own, GuliKit revealed its latest TMR Electromagnet Joystick Modules made specifically for your Xbox handheld. GuliKit said it worked directly with Asus to develop these joystick upgrades, which match the exact dimensions of the ROG Xbox Ally and Ally X's stock sticks. The aftermarket accessories company previously design

Several of Waymo's autonomous vehicles were seen stuck in the middle of San Francisco streets following a significant power outage that took out the city's traffic lights. Waymo responded to the power outage by suspending its ride-hailing services in the city, but images and videos on social media showed the self-driving taxis stopped at intersections with hazard lights on. We have temporarily suspended our ride-hailing services in the San Francisco Bay Area due to the widespread power outage, S

Subscription boxes are the rare gift that keeps its charm long after the wrapping paper is gone. You make the choice once, but the surprises keep landing on their doorstep for months after that. For anyone who loves the buzz of a delivery, these are gifts that extend the season well past December. Each box on this list combines a bit of discovery with something tangible, such as gadgets, books, collectibles, snacks or clever projects. Some appeal to hardcore hobbyists, others to the curious or t

So you want to give someone a gift but you dont have a ton of cash to spare. Dont fret because first, youre not alone, and second, there are tons of options to choose from. Especially if youre looking in the tech space, it can feel especially daunting to find a gadget thats affordable but also worth gifting in other words, not a piece of junk that will eventually take up residence at the bottom of a drawer. But you dont have to drain your wallet to get someone a cool gadget that will both be us

New York governor Kathy Hochul signed legislation on Friday aimed at holding large AI developers accountable for the safety of their models. The RAISE Act establishes rules for greater transparency, requiring these companies to publish information about their safety protocols and report any incidents within 72 hours of their occurrence. It comes a few months after California adopted similar legislation. But, the penalties aren't going to be nearly as steep as they were initially presented when t

Faraway road trips just got a lot easier, at least for the passengers. Sony Honda Mobility , the joint venture between the two Japanese conglomerates created to produce electric vehicles, announced that its Afeela EV will come with PS Remote Play. While playing video games in a car may be a niche feature, it means drivers will have something to do when parked, and passengers can chip away at their favorite RPGs during long drives. According to the announcement, the Afeela will be able to run you

Gamers who prefer physical copies of their favorite titles may be getting a major win with the Switch 2. In an unexpected announcement from retro video game publisher ININ Games, Nintendo reportedly has two new smaller cartridge sizes for its Switch 2 console. For ININ Games, these rumored game cartridges with smaller storage capacity allow the publisher to recalculate production costs and pursue a physical Switch 2 release of its upcoming R-Type Dimensions III. ININ Games later deleted its post

If you still haven't bought into the Steam Deck craze, it'll cost you a little extra to take the plunge now since Valve is only offering OLED models. Valve announced in a note on its Steam Deck page that it's no longer producing the Steam Deck LCD 256GB model, adding that once sold out, it will no longer be available. As of this article's publishing, the $399 Steam Deck with LCD and 256 GB of storage, which we ranked as the best gaming handheld for most, is out of stock. Even Valve's refurbished

If you have a white elephant gift exchange at work this year or with friends and family, theres a good chance youre scrambling right now to find a good gift or decipher what even makes a good white elephant gift. The possible origins of the term white elephant provide one way of looking at it: According to legend, the King of Siam would give a white elephant to courtiers who had upset them. It was a far more devious punishment than simply having them executed. The recipient had no choice but to

This time of year has a lot of merry and bright things to be excited about, but it can be stressful if youre stumped on what to get your mom, dad, best friend, coworker or kids teacher as a holiday gift. Whether you enjoy or dread buying gifts for people, its safe to say we all want to give our loved ones things they will enjoy and appreciate. But theres a lot of noise, junk and bad deals disguised as good deals to sift through as we get closer and closer to the holidays. Allow us at Engadget to

Most Apple products are pretty expensive, but some of the most affordable (and useful) ones are AirTags . The Bluetooth trackers are priced pretty reasonably even when not on sale, but they can be a steal if you can get them on a discount like right now. A four pack of AirTags is on sale for $65 at Amazon, which is only a few dollars more than the record-low price we saw during Black Friday this year. If you place an order quickly, the AirTags should arrive in time for Christmas, making this a

If you haven't yet upgraded to Apple's AirPods Pro 3 , you can pick up the company's latest model at a discount through a deal on Amazon right now. The AirPods Pro 3, which came out in September, are currently down to $199. That's $50 off and the best price we've seen. With the new AirPods Pro, Apple made some big improvements, including better battery life and sound quality, and introduced useful new features, such as Live Translation. The AirPods Pro 3 are the best AirPods available today, wit

Google wanted to remove Assistant from most Android phones by the end of 2025 and replace it with Gemini. But now the company has announced that it needs a bit more time to make its AI assistant the new default digital helper for most of its users. Google said that it's adjusting its previously announced timeline to make sure [it delivers] a seamless transition and that updates to convert Assistant to Gemini on Android devices will continue into the next year. The company also said that it's sha

Anthropic is finally letting more people use Claude in Google Chrome . The company's AI browser plugin is expanding beyond $200-per-month Max subscribers and is now available to anyone who pays for a Claude subscription. The Claude Chrome plugin allows for easy access to Anthropic's AI regardless of where you are on the web, but its real draw is how it lets Claude navigate and use websites on your behalf. Anthropic says that Claude can fill out forms, manage your calendar and email and complete

Netflix is acquiring Estonian startup Ready Player Me , a company creating cross-game avatar tech that allows players to bring their digital personas with them to different games, the company's CEO Timmu Tke shared in a LinkedIn post . The acquisition is part of Netflix's new games strategy, which puts an emphasis on approachable multiplayer titles and adaptations of the streaming service's IP. Ready Player Me's team of around 20 employees will be incorporated into Netflix's staff, TechCrunch wr

It looks like the holidays aren't a bad time to shop for a VPN subscription. ExpressVPN , Engadget's pick for the best premium provider , currently has a less premium price. This deal gives you two years of the Advanced plan (with a bonus of four free months) for only $101. When it isn't on sale, the same subscription would cost $392. Engadget's VPN guru, Sam Chapman, praised ExpressVPN's service. He described it as high-performing and having very few flaws. The service received high marks for i

The iPad, of course, isn't the only tablet computer out there it wasn't even the first but Apple's version redefined the category . In our opinion , it's the best tablet you can buy and these slates consistently earn high scores in our reviews . That doesn't mean you should have to pay full price for your next iPad. We are continually on the hunt for good deals on iPads (and other Apple gear while we're at it) and each week, we round them up right there. Current discounts include the iPad mini

Behold Mark Zuckerberg: man of principle. Witness the Meta CEO's dedication to the most high-minded of causes: currying favor with whoever's in charge. In 2013, when Barack Obama was president, Zuckerberg co-founded FWD.us , a pro-immigration advocacy group. For years, he vocally supported providing paths to citizenship for he most talented and hardest-working people, no matter where they were born. Now, in 2025, with Donald Trump back in power and pushing draconian immigration policies, Zucker

Amazon is selling Apple's USB-C Magic Mouse for $68 , which is a discount of 14 percent. This isn't a record-low price, but it's darned close. The mouse typically sells for $79, though today's sale only applies to the white model. It's rare for official Apple accessories to go on sale, and the USB-C Magic Mouse is pretty much a must-have for those working on desktop computers. It's also fairly handy when combined with a laptop, letting folks avoid the trackpad. As the name suggests, this mouse c

Secret Santa gift exchanges can be chaotic in the best way. One minute youre drawing a name from a hat, the next youre scrambling to figure out what theyd actually like. The trick is finding something thats thoughtful, gets a laugh or feels useful without going over budget. Luckily there are plenty of gifts that do exactly that, whether youre shopping for the office exchange, a family swap or a friend group tradition. From clever gadgets to playful desk toys and little luxuries, these ideas prov

TikTok has signed a deal to spin off its American business, according to reporting from Associated Press and others. This should keep the popular social media app available in the US for good, capping off years of drama. We now have some new data as to the specifics of the deal. Nearly 50 percent of assets will be split between three companies. Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX will each control around 15 percent of the newly-formed entity. It's worth noting that MGX isn't an American company at all,

If you have a resolution in the new year to get more acquainted with your finances, a good budgeting app can help with that. One of our favorites is a bit cheaper to sign up for right now: Monarch Money is offering 50 percent off annual subscriptions for new users. Use the code MONARCHVIP at checkout to get half off, so you'll pay just $50 for one year of access. Monarch Money was the runner-up in our guide to the best budgeting apps in 2025, and it was definitely a grower. Initially we found th

This week, Engadget Managing Editor Cherlynn Low joins us to look back at some of the highlights (and lowlights) of 2025. We dive into our favorite gadgets of the year, the many ways Big Tech bowed to Trump, the disappointment of AI PCs and the rise of smart glasses. We also learn way too much about our skincare routines. Subscribe! iTunes Spotify Pocket Casts Stitcher Google Podcasts Topics Our favorite gadgets of 2025: Kindle Scribe Colorsoft, Airpods Pro 3, bluetooth lav mics and more 2:26 F

If learning a new skill is one of your New Year's resolutions, then you might want to know that MasterClass subscriptions are currently 50 percent off. This brings the top-tier subscription with offline mode and use on up to six devices down from $240 annually to $120. The entry-level plan, which supports just one device and doesn't offer offline viewing, is marked down to $60 from $120. Over the past few years, MasterClass has grown to over 200 classes, sessions and original series. You can lea

Riot Games has confirmed that its working on a massive update for League of Legends after Bloomberg published a report saying that the company has plans to remake the game. Back in November, a Chinese esports insider also reported that a League of Legends 2 is in development and is coming as early as the second half of 2026. In a video announcement discussing Riots plans for League after 2026, executive producer Paul Belleza denied that the developer is working on League 2 like rumors have been

It was a big day in gaming history when Nintendo finally released its Switch sequel. But the Nintendo Switch 2 lacked many options for microSD Express cards. Samsung helped change that this fall, with the release of its P9 Express series of microSD Express cards, and now one of them is on sale. Currently, you can pick up the 256GB Samsung P9 Express microSD Express Card for $33, down from $55. The 40 percent discount brings the microSD down to a new all-time low price. That means your new Ninten

The best phone of 2025: The iPhone 17 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro? Perhaps the Galaxy Z Fold 7? All three rank as some of the best tech we reviewed in 2025. Engadget We have compiled all the best gear with our highest review scores in each category, after thousands of hours of testing. Weve got the Switch 2, AirPods Pro 3 and DJIs top drone for most of you. Anecdotally, Ankers Laptop Power Bank, with two built-in charging cables, has been the sleeper hit of the Engadget team, with four editors making it t

SpaceX said it experienced an anomaly with one if its Starlink satellites that was likely caused by a small explosion. The anomaly led to venting of the propulsion tank, a rapid decay in semi-major axis by about 4 km [2.5 miles] and the release of a small number of trackable low relatively velocity objects, Starlink wrote in a post on X . Orbital tracking company LeoLabs assessed that the issue was caused by an internal energetic source rather than a collision with space debris or another object

If you want to hear Apple Musics lossless catalog the way it was meant to sound, you will need a little extra hardware. iPhones and most wireless headphones still have limitations when it comes to high-resolution audio, which means a good DAC can make a real difference in clarity and detail. Whether you listen through wired earbuds, studio headphones or a home speaker setup, the right DAC can bring out far more texture in your music. Lossless audio can be confusing at first, especially with diff