Hardware News

New York State will require warning labels on social media platforms

The State of New York will now require social media platforms to display warning labels similar to those found on cigarettes. The bill was passed by the New York Legislature in June and signed into law by Gov. Kathy Hochul on Friday. It will apply to any platforms that feature infinite scrolling, auto-play, like counts or algorithmic feeds. The labels will caution those on the platform about potential harm to young users' mental health. Social media companies will be required to display these warning labels when a user first interacts with any of the features the state considers predatory. The warning will also be displayed periodically after that interaction. Keeping New Yorkers safe has been my top priority since taking office, and that includes protecting our kids from the potential harms of social media features that encourage excessive use, Gov. Hochul said in a statement . The law will apply when any of these platforms are being accessed from New York. Gov. Hochul also signed two bills into law last year aimed at protecting kids from social media. Concerns over the mental health effects of social media platforms on younger users have been mounting and government bodies have been increasingly taking action. A bill similar to the one in New York has been proposed in California . This year Australia became the first nation to ban social media for children, with Denmark soon to follow. Last year the US surgeon general said social media should come with warning labels and highlighted data associating social media use with increased anxiety and depression in youth. The risks of social media use on children's mental health are multifactorial and are still being studied . We've reached out to Meta, Snap and TikTok for comment and will update if we hear back. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/new-york-state-will-require-warning-labels-on-social-media-platforms-210306716.html?src=rss

What we listened to in 2025

If streaming services year-in-review campaigns have shown us anything, its that weve spent a staggering amount of time drowning out the hum of everyday life with music, podcasts and audio series. And with some incredible new releases this year, we were really eatin good. Here are some of the Engadget teams favorite things we listened to in 2025. Spiritbox - Tsunami Sea I became aware of Spiritbox in late 2024 shortly before the band dropped its latest album, Tsunami Sea. At the time, I was in a deep Sleep Token phase, and I dont remember how I stumbled upon Spiritbox, but Im sure glad I did. Not knowing anything about the band, I initially thought it had two singers: one for clean vocals and another for the harsh, guttural screams. Well, I was wrong. Vocalist Courtney LaPlante handles it all, and she is a force of nature. After learning of a new band, I do what any self-respecting music nerd does: I looked up live videos of them on YouTube. The way LaPlante seamlessly transitions from airy, ambient singing to some of the best growls youll hear in metal music is effortless. And after seeing Spiritbox live in person earlier in December, I can attest to her ability to consistently nail both vocal styles for the entirety of an hour-long set. My infatuation with Spiritbox isnt just with the vocalist though. Guitarist Mike Stringer, LaPlantes husband, also has a lot of unique abilities to offer. Stringers use of noise and whammy effects in his riffs create a signature style, not to mention his mix of nu-metal, djent and metalcore sensibilities. He also has some of the thickest guitar tones Ive ever heard live, and I was mesmerized for the full set. Stringers guitar work on Tsunami Sea is a prime example of a unique musician at the height of his powers. Tsunami Sea takes you on a ride. The first two tracks are all-out ragers, and after a slight respite in Perfect Soul and Keep Sweet, the albums best song comes fifth. Ive heard LaPlante dedicate it to all the people I love to fucking hate, and its clearly written about her enemies. Its also the perfect example of what this band is capable of. Its three minutes of LaPlantes screams interlaced with plenty of Stringers trademark guitar work. The rest of the album showcases the bands ability to blend dynamics, with No Loss, No Love and Ride The Wave providing the highlights on the back half of the record. The albums title track is a great vehicle for LaPlantes clean vocals, serving as the introduction to the albums second act. If youve been enamored with Sleep Token this year like I have, give Spiritbox a go you wont be sorry you did. Billy Steele, Deputy Editor, Reviews Bandsplain I didnt discover Bandsplain in 2025, but I definitely listened to it more than any other podcast in terms of total time spent. Sure, thats because most episodes are over three hours long, but I digress. Host Yasi Salek does a deep dive on cult bands and iconic artists to ahem, bandsplain why people love them. Theres a deep catalog of back episodes, so theres sure to be an in-depth analysis of a band youre familiar with. But even if you think you know an artist, Im willing to bet Salek will divulge parts of the story you werent aware of. Jimmy Eat Worlds Clarity is a top 5 all-timer for me, and Salek had plenty to offer about the narrative around that album I didnt know. Her grunge series from 2024 was a history lesson I wish Id had in middle school when I first discovered Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains and the rest of the lot. An older episode about Nine Inch Nails served as the primer for me seeing the band live for the first time in September. And thats the thing about the show: the back catalog holds up. If youre waiting for the next installment to drop, theres certainly something in the archives youll enjoy. No shade to Saleks colleagues at The Ringer, but the best episodes of Bandsplain are when the guest is a musician. Thursday front man Geoff Rickly was excellent on that Nine Inch Nails episode, and Death Cab for Cutie singer Ben Gibbard had me on the edge of my seat when he was on to discuss The Las a band Id never heard of before. Id also highly recommend the episodes on Oasis and the more recent one on Alanis Morissette. But, really, you cant go wrong starting from anywhere on the episode list. B.S. Lucy Dacus - Forever is a Feeling I remember being a teenager and hearing from an adult that they did not religiously seek out, research, evaluate and introduce new bands and songs into their lives as if all existence would cease without the life-sustaining energy of new music. I was confused, concerned and damn sure that wouldnt happen to me. You know where this story goes: Job. Kid. House. Spouse. Pets that will die if I dont feed, walk, play with and/or medicate them. I allow the algorithm to feed me new songs but rarely does something stick, so I end up listening to tracks I bonded with in my teens and twenties. This year, Blossom & Bones , a three-day music festival in Ghost Ranch, New Mexico, managed to push through the churn and lodge new music into my brain. Along with my kid and some friends, I camped among some of the most beautiful landscapes imaginable and ambled over to the stage each evening for performances by Santigold, Ani DiFranco and about a dozen more. Lucy Dacus, one third of the indie group Boygenius, did a one-hour set with plenty of songs from her latest album Forever is a Feeling . Hearing the songs for the first time, I felt like Id been listening to them for years. Lilting harmonies and layered strings create a lovely backdrop for Dacuss velvet voice, but theres a sharpness to her observations about relationships, rejection and sex. Ive been looping the album ever since. Amy Skorheim, Senior Reporter, Buying Advice Blanco White - So Certain (single) Early on the last concert of the day at that same festival, Blanco White took the stage. People were aimlessly milling about and the sun hadnt yet set. Kids were playing on the lawn and the smell from the food trucks was intense, but I was enrapt by the four people on stage. The sad violin and strummy guitars floated with the hand-beat drum out into the red hills. The music sounded like I felt: rooted and wrapped in the harsh beauty of the desert and I was really glad to take that home with me. A.S. Martian Revolution If you're as big a nerd as I am, you might know that Leo Tolstoy didn't consider War and Peace to be a novel. The story is what most people read for, but in the author's mind, all the drama was a parable to illustrate his grand theory of history. Over the last year, history podcaster Mike Duncan has accomplished a similar feat using a medium Tolstoy never imagined. Duncan's Revolutions podcast has covered ten different revolutionary upheavals across history, starting with the English Civil War and ending with the Russian Revolution. After wrapping up the Bolsheviks, Duncan took a few episodes to suggest a grand theory of how revolutions unfold. For a while, it seemed like that was all we'd get. Then, in the middle of 2024, he started posting original sci-fi without any indication that this tale, which followed future Martians revolting against their corporate overlords on Earth, was in any way different from the previous ten seasons. Part of what makes the Martian Revolution so excellent is Duncan's deadpan delivery. He never once breaks character. He rattles off lists of fictional sources, apologizes for inaccuracies in prior episodes, and introduces made-up historical figures with the same gravity he once used to mention George Washington or Simon Bolivar. If you're a fan of Revolutions, you'll have a blast recognizing character archetypes. (Mabel Dore is the Liberal Noble! Timothy Werner is the Man of Blood!) But the podcast is great even if you've never listened to an episode of Revolutions. It has an excellent grasp of character and a sense of inevitable tragedy, but with moments of joy leavened throughout. I certainly hope we don't wind up in the megacorp-ruled future of the podcast, but if we do, it'll be a great consolation if it eventually turns out the way Duncan imagines. Sam Chapman, Senior Writer Ron Gallo - Checkmate My favorite artists are ones that surprise me, and Ron Gallo is a master of reinvention. He's dabbled in absurdist punk, psychedelia, garage rock, Beatles-tinged pop and, now, stripped-down acoustic music. This is not a genre I am typically a fan of, Elliott Smith withstanding, but Checkmate is something special. His lyrical prowess is off the charts here, trading his usual wordplay for simple and emotionally-gutting truisms about life, love and, well, the end of the world. Of course, the lyrics wouldn't work if the songs weren't good. The songs are very good. The title track is just about the perfect love song, with a primary hook that gets lost in your head for weeks. Other tracks offer hints of Mac DeMarco, Dan Fogelberg, Kevin Morby and just about everyone else who has crafted great songs on an acoustic guitar. It's fitting that Gallo has found a home on the label Kill Rock Stars, which released so much of Elliott Smith's work back in the day. As an aside, Gallo regularly posts songs about current events on TikTok and other social media platforms, which are worth checking out if you like stuff like Jesse Welles. Lawrence Bonk, Contributing Reporter De La Soul - Cabin in the Sky There have been hip-hop albums that explored the finality and tragedy of death, but not many that truly tackled spirituality and long-term grief. De La Soul has done just that, following the passing of founding member Trugoy the Dove. This album serves as a final testament of sorts for Trugoy, as he's heavily featured throughout. In that way, Cabin in the Sky is reminiscent of A Tribe Called Quest's 2016 masterpiece We Got It from Here... Thank You 4 Your Service , which followed the death of rapper Phife Dawg. Like Tribe's modern classic, Cabin in the Sky is filled with absolute bangers. It features standout beats by DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Trugoy, Jake One and others. The rhymes are great and all three primary De La members are given time to shine. Guest rappers like Common and Nas got the memo, delivering some of their most memorable verses in years. Heck, even Giancarlo Esposito is on board as the narrator. Some reviewers have dinged this album for being too long but, come on, that's like complaining there's too much pizza. It's De La Soul. L.B. FKA twigs - Eusexua This was a really good year for new music IMO, so much that I've been finding it pretty difficult to think back and settle on my favorite releases. But, FKA twigs' Eusexua undeniably did some heavy lifting for me, pretty much carrying me through the first six or so months of the year without much competition, and I've circled right back to it as the year closes. It's an album that somehow seems to meet every vibe. It'll have you in club mode and ready for a night of sweaty, filthy dancing in under three minutes, or feeling bright and upbeat like a midday walk on the first day of spring yet it still hits when you're having a good ol' car cry. Girl Feels Good is for sure one of my most-played songs of the year, followed closely by Eusexua, Perfect Stranger, Keep It, Hold It and Striptease. If ever I can't decide what I'm in the mood to listen to, I throw this album on and it doesn't disappoint. Cheyenne MacDonald, Weekend Editor Faetooth - Labyrinthine Faetooth's sophomore album, Labyrinthine , is face-melting, melancholic perfection. The band describes its sound as fairy doom, but don't let that first word fool you into thinking it isn't heavy as hell. Labyrinthine goes unbelievably hard, and will have you feeling like you're eternally wandering a cursed bog, surrounded by the wailing of the unfortunate souls who came before you. Don't believe me? Put on White Noise. This is really an album that should be enjoyed in its entirety, though, and I can't individually name half the songs on it because I tend to just keep the whole thing playing on rotation. C.M. Orville Peck - Appaloosa This EP is truly a testament to my ability to run my obsessions into the ground, because it only came out in mid-November and somehow landed on my most-listened wrapup for the end of the year which was released some two weeks later. It's front-loaded with its strongest songs, a powerful and kind of haunting trio that just flows beautifully from one into the other: Dreaded Sundown, to Drift Away into Atchafalaya (ft. Noah Cyrus). As a fan of musicals, I also loved the inclusion of Maybe This Time, a cover from Cabaret , especially since I was pretty bummed to have missed Peck's stint as the Emcee in Cabaret on Broadway this summer. C.M. Case 63 I got into an audio series kick this year, and dove into shows like Unicorn Girl , Stalked! and more. But none of the dramatized fiction I listened to in 2025 had me hooked like Case 63 . Setting aside that its voice-acted by A-listers Julianne Moore and Oscar Isaac, which is a phenomenal pairing that won me over on star power alone. The best thing about Case 63 is its storytelling. Moore stars as a psychologist, meeting Isaac for the first time in a prison interview. Isaac has been claiming to be a traveler of sorts, and through recorded sessions and voice notes, we hear his side of the story, as well as her reactions and ultimate involvement in the adventures. Every step of the way, particularly in the beginning, there is clear explanation as to why the exchange is being recorded. It isnt necessary, but its helpful in my buying into the realism of the story. It isnt just the method and technical aspects of the storytelling, of course. Narratively, Case 63 is a gripping ride, and thanks to its short episodes, its easy to binge really quickly. There is certainly a generous use of cliffhangers to help speed things along, but I found myself eager to devour the entire series in one commute. The story continued to linger in my mind days after I finished both existing seasons, and Im hoping the new one drops soon. If youre looking for a quick and easy sci-fi audio series, do not miss Case 63 . Cherlynn Low, Managing Editor Secure Love I spent a lot of time this year trying to learn more about my attachment style and how it shows up in all the relationships in my life. Between Stephanie Riggs On Attachment podcast, the TV show Couples Therapy and all the books on the topic of attachment styles, trauma and more, Ive consumed them all. And while theyve all been helpful in different ways, one podcast stuck out to me this year. Its hosted by Julie Menanno, MA, LMFT, LCPC, creator of the @TheSecureRelationship account on Instagram and the author of Secure Love: Create a relationship that lasts a lifetime . You can probably tell from that introduction what Menannos work is all about. Relationships, from the lens of attachment styles. The Secure Love Podcast doesnt just re-deliver the same information weve seen published across various media and platforms, though. Each season of the podcast (its partway through the second as of this writing) sees Menanno work with one couple through their negative cycles, using somatic practices to help each partner understand their emotions, triggers and reactions. Because were listening to real people talk about real-life happenings, its not only easy to relate, but listeners often see themselves in these scenarios. At the start of each episode, too, Menanno reads out or plays notes from the audience, and you can see how fellow listeners have reacted. This season, for example, my friend and some other listeners seemed to really dislike Brian, the anxious male partner in this seasons pair. While Ive certainly found some of Brians ways of speaking borderline offensive, I had a lot more sympathy for him as I started seeing his traits in my loved ones. I also started to identify with his partner Bethany, who Menanno typed as having an avoidant attachment style. As I listened to Bethany and Brian describe the reasons they got into fights and explain where they were coming from, suddenly it felt like the world made sense. I saw similar patterns and reasonings in my own relationship, as well as those of my parents, relatives and friends. It is slightly voyeuristic to listen to something so intimate, of course, but Menanno makes it all educational rather than just entertaining. She gently interrupts parts of each episode to tell the audience why she asks certain questions or what shes attempting to achieve by asking Brian or Bethany to sit with their difficult feelings. I found her method familiar, as I recently started working with a somatic coach whose approach is similar to Menannos, which is rooted in emotion-focused therapy (EFT). Staying with uncomfortable feelings makes me want to jump out of my skin, but being able to endure them, question why they arise and then understand where they come from is crucial to helping uncover the thinking that causes them. Sometimes theyre the result of flawed logic, catastrophic thinking or a simple lack of context, but often theyre very reasonable reactions. If youre looking to understand yourself and your emotions a bit better, or just want to get an idea of what EFT or couples therapy sounds like, I cant recommend The Secure Love Podcast highly enough. C.L. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/music/what-we-listened-to-in-2025-201308584.html?src=rss

The best iPad accessories for 2026

The best iPad accessories can make an aging tablet feel like new again, or give you additional ways to use that new slab you just bought. Whether it's a slim folio case, an Apple Pencil, a docking station or a paper-like screen protector, there are so many iPad accessories out there that can transform how you use your tablet on a regular basis and make your iPad last longer, too. We've tested a plethora of accessories over the years, and these are the best iPad accessories you can get right now. Table of contents Which iPad generation do you own? iPad cases iPad stands and docks iPad keyboards and mice iPad stylus iPad chargers iPad screen protectors Which iPad generation do you own? Before you splurge on a bunch of accessories, you should double check which iPad generation you own. There are a couple of ways to do this: first, you can check the back of your tablet for its model number, which will start with an A and end with a series of numbers. You can also go into Settings on your iPad, then General and look up the model number in the top section. If you see a series of letters and numbers with a slash (/) in it, just tap that to reveal the iPads true model number. The most important iPad details to consider before buying accessories are the charging port, screen size and Apple Pencil compatibility. Most iPads now have USB-C charging, save for the now discontinued 9th-gen iPad that still requires a Lightning cable. Make sure to double check your iPads screen size before buying a folio for iPad or a screen protector especially if you have the new iPad Air 11-inch. As for the Apple Pencil, check out this guide to how to choose the right Apple Pencil (and even replacement pencil tips) to make sure you're getting the right one for the tablet you have. Best iPad accessories for 2026 iPad cases iPad stands and docks iPad keyboards and mice iPad stylus iPad chargers iPad screen protectors If youre a heavy user of the Apple Pencil or some other stylus, you should consider getting a screen protector for your new iPad. They pull double-duty: Not only do they act as a first line of defense if your iPad goes careening onto concrete, but they can also enhance the digital drawing and writing experience. Using a stylus on an iPad is strange at first because gliding the stylus nib over a glass surface feels nothing like normal writing. Matte screen protectors can get closer to replicating the pen-on-paper experience, and they also prevent the stylus nib from wearing down as quickly. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/accessories/best-ipad-accessories-130018595.html?src=rss

You may soon be able to change your Gmail address

A Google support page in Hindi says the ability to change your Gmail address is on the way. The feature would allow you to replace your current @ gmail.com address with another. Your old address would remain active as an alias on the account, and all your data would stick around, unaffected. The support page (translated) says that the ability to change your Google Account email address is gradually rolling out to all users. The change was first spotted on a Google Pixel forum on Telegram and was first reported in the press by 9to5Google . Google hasn't made a formal announcement about the change. The English version of the support page still says you usually can't change your @ gmail.com address. Up to this point, Google has only allowed address changes for non-gmail.com addresses. Engadget reached out to Google for confirmation. We'll update this story if we hear back. When the feature (presumably) rolls out broadly, you'll change it through your account settings. Sign in to your Google account, then go to Manage your Google account > Personal info > Google Account email . If you don't see the option to change it, then you'll have to wait. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/you-may-soon-be-able-to-change-your-gmail-address-165633905.html?src=rss

LG announces line of premium gaming monitors that offer 5K visuals

LG has revealed a new lineup of gaming monitors just ahead of CES . The UltraGear evo displays offer 5K visuals. Many incorporate on-device AI upscaling, taking some of the burden away from the GPU. LG says the tech will let consumers skip out on some card upgrades. This could end up being extremely beneficial because the AI boom has been impacting GPU prices . LG There are three displays in the lineup so far, with more to come down the line. There's a 39-inch OLED (39GX950B) that includes the aforementioned AI upscaling to 5K, but also algorithms for scene optimization and sound. The company says this will refine images and audio performance for a more immersive audiovisual experience. This monitor can easily switch from the standard resolution with a refresh rate of 165Hz to a much zippier WFHD resolution with a refresh rate of 330Hz. This is supported by a 0.03ms response time. It's curved with a 21:9 aspect ratio. LG There's also a 27-inch MiniLED (27GM950B) in the lineup. This display has been designed to dramatically improve blooming control, which is done by minimizing halo effects and stuffing in 2,304 local dimming zones. LG promises it preserves fine details across bright and dark scenes alike. This one features AI algorithms for upscaling to 5K, scene optimization and sound. It can also switch between 165Hz at 5K and 330Hz at QHD, with a 1ms response time. The screen boasts a peak brightness of 1,250 nits. LG Finally, there's the beastly 52-inch (52G930B) large-format gaming display. You didn't read that wrong. This is a 52-inch gaming monitor. This 5K display offers a speedy 240Hz refresh rate. The 1000R curvature wraps around the peripheral, which should be great for flying sims and stuff like that. LG hasn't released any information as to when we'll be able to get our mitts on these displays, or how much they will cost. With all the tech on offer, it's likely they'll cost a pretty penny. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/accessories/lg-announces-line-of-premium-gaming-monitors-that-offer-5k-visuals-165224945.html?src=rss

Our favorite books we read in 2025

This was the kind of year that felt 100 years long, so who could blame us for leaning into a bit of escapism? Some of us buried our noses in books in 2025, and thankfully, there were plenty of good reads to get lost in. Here are some of the Engadget teams top picks from the year. Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy Wild Dark Shore pulls off a magnificent balancing act of telling an intimate, personal story coupled with the backdrop of impending climate disaster. A father and two children are living on a remote island near Antarctica, taking care of a vast seed bank that was part of an abandoned research facility. Theyre literally trying to stay above water for a few months until they get bailed out from the island along with as much of the seed bank as they can save before it goes under when a woman named Rowan washes up on shore. She survives, is nursed back to health, and starts forming bonds with her rescuers and their mission but at the same time, she has some unexpected connections to the island and the former research team that lived there that she keeps to herself. The magic of this book is in the way Charlotte McConaghy builds tensions from many sources throughout the book; you feel a lingering sense of discomfort through, waiting for the other shoe to fall even as Rowan gets closer and closer to the family. Its a small-scale story at its heart, but with the backdrop of disaster looming the stakes feel extremely high. And McConaghy is a master at putting these feelings on the page in gorgeous prose. As she showed in her previous work Migrations , she has a real talent for realistically describing near-future climate disasters, but Wild Dark Shore raises the personal stakes in a visceral way. Nathan Ingraham, Deputy Editor Moonflow by Bitter Karella This book is a chaotic and deeply weird rollercoaster ride that repeatedly gave me whiplash, and I loved it. Fair warning, it's not for the weak-stomached. It is horrifying, hilarious, nauseating and somehow a very good time and a very bad time simultaneously. Moonflow is told through dual narratives, one following Sarah, a trans woman and mushroom dealer who has found herself in a desperate situation, and the other following the henchwomen of a deranged cult that's made its home in a cursed forest. After Sarah ventures into these woods in search of the King's Breakfast, a rare mushroom said to grant divine understanding to those who consume it, all hell breaks loose. Karella's writing is immersive, and this is the kind of book you can see, feel, hear and smell, for better and worse. Every person in this book is like a caricature of someone I've crossed paths with at some point in life, and the names of the cult members are just chef's kiss . Some of them had me howling. It is completely unpredictable except in those few moments where it seems the author wants you to know exactly where things are going just to make you dread the inevitable. Reading Moonflow was a visceral, unforgettable experience. Cheyenne MacDonald, Weekend Editor Simplicity by Mattie Lubchansky Another one about a cult, except this cult rules. I picked up Simplicity knowing nothing about it except that everyone cool on the internet seemed to be praising it, and was excited to discover that it's set near where I live in New York's Hudson Valley, in a future version of the Catskills. And here in the Hudson Valley, it often feels like I'm one or two innocuous decisions away from accidentally joining a cult, so there was an immediate connection. In Simplicity , it's the year 2081 and New York City is a high-tech dystopia run by a billionaire. North of the city, though, various communities have settled off-grid, including a group called The Spiritual Association of Peers. Lucius Pasternak, a trans man, is sent on an anthropological assignment from the mayor to SAP's compound, Simplicity, and it doesn't take long for their uninhibited way of life to start growing on him. But Lucius soon begins to have strange dreams, and a series of violent attacks shakes up the community. Through his mission to understand the people of SAP and later to find and stop the entity that's targeting them, a beautiful story about queerness and identity and belonging and fighting for what's important unfolds. This feels like the kind of book that should be passed around between friends who just get it , and I imagine many readers will feel incredibly seen by it like I did. C.M. The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones Or Stephen Graham Jones' Interview with the Vampire. The Buffalo Hunter Hunter blends historical fiction and horror to give us one of the most impactful vampire novels of our time one that serves as an uncomfortable but necessary reminder of the atrocities committed against indigenous people in the US by white settlers. It begins with the discovery of a crumbling journal that claims to contain the confession of a Blackfeet man-turned-vampire named Good Stab, as told to Lutheran pastor Arthur Beaucarne. What follows is a gutting chronicle of slaughter, heartbreak and revenge. It's a classic in the making. C.M. Isola by Allegra Goodman Historical fiction is how I trick my brain into possibly learning something. And because the endings are set, the author has to hook you into the drama with more than just the peril of an unknown outcome. I fell deep into Wolf Hall even though I knew which heads Henry VIII chopped off. I thought Isola might be similarly gratifying. It tells the story of Marguerite de la Rocque de Roberval, a young noblewoman from France who was intentionally marooned on an island off the coast of Canada in 1542. The story is based on historical records so you know the plot wont adhere to safe formulas , but mon dieu , I was not prepared for how rough things would be for Marguerite. Her troubles began long before she found herself fighting for survival on a wild uninhabited island with brutal winters. From birth, nearly every happiness was undercut by more dominant forces, yet the woman never stopped moving forward. Thankfully, Goodman draws Marguerites character not as some tired brand of plucky heroine with grit and a wink, but as a perceptive, pragmatic being who also gives in to impulse and doesnt have everything figured out. Isola is beautifully rendered, from the stone chateaus to creaking ships and rough abundance of the island. Despite being set over 400 years ago, nothing feels dated. Human versus universe is an unfair battle, but I rooted for Marguerite on every page and those pages turned quickly. Amy Skorheim, Senior Reporter, Buying Advice Old Soul by Susan Barker This was one of the first books I read this year, and it's really stuck with me. Old Soul travels through time and all over the world, across multiple storylines to trace the devastating impact of one mysterious woman who seems to defy the rules of mortality and always leave tragedy in her wake. Barker's writing in Old Soul pulls the reader in and doesn't let go. It's an unsettling slow burn that did a great job of getting under my skin. C.M. Meet Me at the Crossroads by Megan Giddings If a door appeared out of nowhere, would you go through it not knowing what lies beyond or if you'd be able to return? In Meet Me at the Crossroads , seven doors pop up one day around the world, and people are unsurprisingly captivated by them. Regular people tempt fate, the ultra-wealthy plan exclusive excursions through them, religions form around their mystique. Ayanna is a teenager who was brought up in one of these religions. She's also a twin, with a sister named Olivia who she's been separated from after their parents' split. When it comes time for Ayanna to go through one of the doors as part of a ceremony, Olivia makes a last-second decision to go with her. What follows is the aftermath of that decision. Meet Me at the Crossroads is a haunting and emotional journey. C.M. Woodworking by Emily St. James I am cisgender, white middle-aged man, so the experience of learning and accepting a different gender identity is something I will never fully understand. But Woodworking, the debut novel by Emily St. James, is a hilarious, tragic and ultimatley hopeful look at two trans women navigating different moments of acceptance in their lives. Erica is a mid-30s high school teacher who is recently divorced and just figuring out that shes trans, something no one else knows about her at the start. Her student, 17-year-old Abigail, is her opposite: proudly out about her identity in a way thats uncommon and dangerous in her small, conversative town in South Dakota. Their paths intersect, and Abigail ends up in the uncomfortable and somewhat unethical role of helping Erica find herself. After all shes confident and not afraid of who she is but shes also still a teenager, one dealing with massive trauma of her own. The dual look into these two protagonists, each with sections of the book narrated from their own points of view, gave me a vivid picture of the different challlenges, emotions and dangers trans people face. But the unexpected community that develops around both characters plainly shows the value of living as your true self in a way that (hopefully) anyone should be able to relate to. N.I. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/our-favorite-books-we-read-in-2025-160000704.html?src=rss

Apple will allow third-party app stores and payment processing in Brazil

Brazilian regulators have reached a settlement with Apple after a yearslong investigation into the company's App Store fee practices as well as its policies against third-party app stores. As first reported by Brazilian tech site tecnoblog , the nation's Administrative Council of Economic Defense (CADE) said it has accepted Apple's proposed agreement that will address claims of anticompetitive practices. The agreement will allow for third-party payment processing methods for in-app purchases and reins in Apple's anti-steering efforts by allowing links to external websites for transactions. The settlement requires that these payment options be shown next to Apple's own. Apple must also allow third-party app stores to be installed on its devices, though the company is allowed to display warnings to users if they are written in a neutral and objective way. A new fee structure has also been agreed to, with Apple applying no fee if users are directed to outside payment methods in a text-only way. The use of a clickable link or button for an external payment option will incur a 15 percent fee. Purchases made within Apple's App Store will still be subject to a 10 percent or 20 percent commission. Developers using Apples payment system would also be subject to a 5 percent transaction fee. Additionally a 5 percent Core Technology Fee would be levied against all app downloads from third-party app stores. This new structure bears similarities to policy and fee changes made after the EU passed its Digital Markets Act, with Apple allowing third-party app stores and external purchases subject to varying fees. Apple will have 105 days to comply under the new agreement and could face fines of up to $27 million for failure to implement the changes. The iPhone maker has been facing mounting pressure from regulators worldwide over its anti-steering practices and was recently handed a $587 million fine by the EU for violating its Digital Markets Act. Apple is appealing the fine. In the US, Apple has been embroiled in a court battle with Fortnite maker Epic Games over commissions on purchases that take place on third-party payment platforms. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/apple-will-allow-third-party-app-stores-and-payment-processing-in-brazil-135114824.html?src=rss

How to find lost AirPods

Losing AirPods happens to the best of us. Theyre small, they slide into couch cushions and they love disappearing into bags or pockets when you least expect it. Luckily, Apples Find My system makes it easy to track down misplaced AirPods, whether you dropped the case somewhere or cant find one of the individual earbuds. With the right settings enabled, your iPhone can show the last place they were connected, play a sound to help you hunt them down or even guide you with on-screen directions. Heres how to use Find My to locate lost AirPods and how to track down the left or right earbud if only one has gone missing. How to use Find My to locate AirPods If your AirPods are paired with an Apple device linked to your Apple ID, they automatically appear in the Find My app. You dont need to enable this manually, but you do need Bluetooth turned on during regular use so the system can refresh their location. Open the Find My app on your iPhone, iPad or Mac and go to the Devices tab. Your AirPods should appear in the list. If theyre online or recently connected to your device, Find My will show their current location on a map. If theyre offline, the app will show the last place they were detected, which can help narrow down where to start searching. For many people, this alone is enough to jog a memory. Find My might show your gym, a friends house or the bus stop where they slipped out of your pocket. If the location seems familiar, head there first and refresh the app once you arrive so it can update if the AirPods reconnect. If Find My says your AirPods are nearby but you still cant see them, you can make them play a locating sound. Tap Play Sound in the device menu and the earbuds will emit a rising chirp that gets louder over a few seconds. This is especially helpful for finding AirPods hiding under blankets, inside bags or behind furniture. Keep in mind that AirPods need enough battery to make noise, and the charging case itself cannot play sound unless you have AirPods 4 (ANC), AirPods Pro 2, or AirPods Pro 3 that support that feature . If nothing plays, try refreshing the app or checking the last location again. AirPods models, like the AirPods Pro (2nd gen) and AirPods Pro (3rd gen) with MagSafe charging cases support Precision Finding. This feature uses the U1 chip inside your iPhone to show a directional arrow, distance estimate and haptic feedback as you get closer. Not all models have this feature, but if yours do, the Find My app will display a Find Nearby button. Follow the on-screen prompts and slowly rotate your phone. The iPhone will show when youre walking in the right direction and tell you when youre close enough to start looking under cushions or inside drawers. How to locate individual AirPods AirPods have a habit of separating from each other, and losing only the left or right earbud may happen as frequently as misplacing the entire case. One of the most useful features in Find My is the ability to track each earbud individually. Heres how to do it: Locate your AirPods in the Find My app and select the option to locate the Left or Right earbud. Select the earbud thats missing. The map will update to show its location. If the missing bud has nearby location support, you can use Find Nearby to get directional guidance. If not, you can still use Play Sound , as long as it has enough battery. If Find My shows your lost earbud as Offline , youll still see its last known location. This can be enough to help you retrace your steps. Once you get within Bluetooth range again, the status may change to Online and let you use Play Sound . If you think the earbud is still somewhere in your home, try refreshing Find My while walking slowly from room to room. The device may reconnect once you get close enough. How to find a missing AirPods case Finding the AirPods case is a little trickier because only newer models have support for sound playback or Precision Finding. If your case supports Find My, youll see options similar to locating the earbuds themselves. If it doesnt, the app will only show the last place the case was connected. If your earbuds are in the case but the case is not supported by Find My, you may not be able to play sound until you open it or pull one of the earbuds out. Find My is a powerful tool for tracking down misplaced AirPods, and knowing how to use all of its features makes the search much easier. Whether youre trying to find the entire set, one stray earbud or a case that wandered off, the app can lead you back to them with sound alerts, location markers and even directional guidance on supported models. With a few minutes of searching, youll usually have your AirPods back in your ears and your music playing again. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/how-to-find-lost-airpods-120000144.html?src=rss

The best SSDs for PS5 in 2026

Storage fills up fast on a PS5, especially when a single game can take up as much space as an entire last-gen library. Adding moreSSD space is the easiest way to stop playing Tetris with your installs, and once it is set up, your console loads games just as quickly as it does from the built-in drive. It is a small upgrade that makes a big difference if you jump between several titles at once. The tricky part is knowing which SSDs actually work with the PS5. You need a drive that meets Sonys speed requirements and stays cool under long play sessions. Some models include a heatsink, while others let you use your own to save a little money. We tested the top options and picked the best SSDs for PS5 to help you upgrade without hassle. Read more: These are the best SSDs in 2026 Table of contents Best SSDs for PS5 in 2026 How we test PS5 SSDs PS5 SSD FAQs Best SSDs for PS5 in 2026 How we test PS5 SSDs Ive tested most of the SSDs recommended on this list, either for PS5 or computer use. I also bought and used our top pick in my own PS5. PS5 SSD FAQs How much PS5 storage do I need? The PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 Pro can accept internal drives with between 250GB and 8TB of storage capacity. If you already own a PS5, chances are you have a reasonable idea of how much storage you need for your game library. If youre buying an SSD with a new PS5 or PS5 Pro, or buying for someone else, its more difficult to tell what you might need for a high-performance experience. PS5 games are smaller on average than their PS4 equivalents, typically taking up between 30GB and 100GB, with some notable (and very popular) exceptions. If youre a fan of the Call of Duty series, installing Black Ops 6 and Warzone 2.0 can eat up to 240GB. In other words, a full Call of Duty install will take up more than one-third of the PS5s internal storage. If youre not a CoD fan, though, chances are youll be good to store between six to 10 games on a regular PS5 internally before running into problems. You also need to consider your internet speed. If you live in an area with slow broadband, the you can just download it again rationale doesnt really work. At my old home, a 100GB download took me around eight hours, during which time it was difficult to simultaneously watch Twitch or, say, publish articles about upgrading PS5 SSDs. Keeping games around on the off-chance youll want to play them at some point makes sense. Aaron Souppouris / Engadget Off the bat, there's basically no point in going for a 250GB PS5 SSD. Economically, 250GB drives arent that much cheaper than 500GB ones and practically, that really isnt a lot of space for modern games to live on. 500GB drives can be a decent option, but after years of declining prices, I think the sweet spot for most people is to opt for a high-capacity 1TB or 2TB drive, which should run you at most $200. The latter will more than double the PS5 Pros storage without breaking the bank. Unless youre rolling in cash and want to flex, 4TB and 8TB models should mostly be avoided, as youll end up paying more per gigabyte than you would with a 1TB or 2TB drive. While the 825GB PS5 only provides 667GB of storage, thats largely due to storage being reserved for the operating system and caching. If you install a 1TB PS5 SSD, you'll have, within a margin of error, 1TB of storage available for games. Out of the box, the PS5 Pro offers 1.86TB of storage for games, though you can eke out more if you delete the pre-installed Astros Playroom (gasp). Since neither the PS5 Slim nor PS5 Pro feature updated CPU architecture, all of our recommendations will work with whatever PS5 model you own. Can you play PS5 games on an external SSD? External hard drives tend to cost less than internal SSD counterparts (and theres a good chance you might own one already). Unfortunately, there are restrictions on what you can do with them. An external SSD connects to your PS5 via USB, and is only suitable for playing PlayStation 4 games, or storing PS5 titles. Thats useful if you have anything but the best high-speed internet its faster to move a PS5 game out of cold storage on an external drive than it is to re-download it or want to keep your PS4 library on hand. Due to the limitations here, you dont need the highest-performing model, although you should opt for SSDs over HDDs for improved transfer speeds and load times. Any basic portable drive from a reputable brand will do, with the Crucial X9 Pro and Samsung T7 being options weve tried and can recommend. Which SSD cards are compatible with the PS5? The official answer to this question is an M.2 Socket 3 (Key M) Gen4 x4 NVME SSD. But even within that seemingly specific description, there are additional factors to consider. The main requirements Sony has laid out for compatibility come down to speed, cooling and physical dimensions. For speed, Sony says drives should be able to handle sequential reads at 5,500MB/s. Early testing showed that the PS5 would accept drives as slow as 4,800MB/s, and that games that tap into the SSD regularly such as Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart would cause no issues. Pretty much the only thing the PS5 will outright reject is one that doesn't match the Gen4 x4 spec. In our opinion, though, using a drive slower than the specification is a risk that, if you dont already have that drive lying around, is not worth taking. Just because we havent found issues yet doesnt mean there wont be games that could be problematic in the future. The price difference between these marginally slower Gen4 drives and the ones that meet Sonys spec isnt huge, and you might as well cover all your bases. Slightly more complicated than speed is cooling and size. Most new SSDs are going to be just fine; the PS5 can fit 22mm-wide SSDs of virtually any length (30mm, 40mm, 60mm, 80mm or 110mm, to be precise). The vast majority of drives you find will be 22mm wide and 80mm long, so no problem there. It should be noted that the system can fit a 25mm-wide drive, but that width must include the cooling solution. Speaking of, Sony says SSDs require effective heat dissipation with a cooling structure, such as a heatsink. The maximum height supported by Sonys slot is 11.25mm, of which only 2.45mm can be below the drive. This previously meant some of the most popular heatsinked Gen4 SSDs, including Corsairs MP600 Pro LP, would not fit within the PS5s storage expansion slot. Since Engadget first published this guide in 2021, most NVMe makers, including Samsung, have come out with PlayStation-specific models that meet those requirements. That said, if you want to save some money, bare drives are often cheaper and its trivial to find a cooling solution that will work for the PS5. The only component in an NVMe SSD that really requires cooling is the controller, which without a heatsink will happily sear a (very small) steak. Most SSDs have chips on only one side, but even on double-sided SSDs, the controller is likely to be on top, as manufacturers know it needs to be positioned there to better dissipate heat. So, head to your PC component seller of choice and pick up basically anything that meets the recommended dimensions. A good search term is laptop NVME heatsink, as these will be designed to fit in the confines of gaming laptops, which are even more restrictive than a PS5. Theyre also typically cheaper than the ones labeled as PS5 heatsinks. One recommendation is this $6 copper heatsink , which attaches to the PS5 SSD with sticky thermal interface material. It works just fine, and in performing stress tests on a PC, we couldnt find anything metal that didnt keep temperatures under control. When youre searching, just make sure the solution you go for measures no more than 25mm wide or 8mm tall (including the thermal interface material) and has a simple method of installation thats not going to cause any headaches. One last thing: When shopping for a PS5 NVMe, theres no reason to buy a Gen5 model over a more affordable Gen4 model. As things stand, Sonys console cant take advantage of the new standard, and though Gen5 drives are backward compatible, theyre more expensive than their Gen4 counterparts. Just buy the fastest and highest-capacity Gen4 model you can afford. How to install an SSD into your PS5 If you need guidance on how to install your new NVMe into your PS5 or PS5 Pro, we have a separate guide detailing all the steps here. Installation is pretty straightforward, but our how-to can help you if you're stuck. Just make note: Before attempting to add more storage via a PS5 SSD, ensure that you have Sonys latest software installed . This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/best-ssd-for-ps5-130004175.html?src=rss

Xiaomi's 17 Ultra Leica Edition smartphone comes with a manual zoom ring

Xiaomi just launched its flagship 17 Ultra by Leica phone that may make you feel bad about your current device's cameras. Naturally it's a spec monster, with a 1-inch sensor 50MP f/1.67 main camera and 1/1.4-inch 200MP periscope telephoto camera. But it also offers an interesting new mechanical feature: a manual zoom ring that also activates the camera automatically when you rotate it. Both the regular Xiaomi 17 Ultra and Leica edition come with a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 SoC with up to 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 1TB of UFS 4.1 storage, along with a 6.9-inch 120Hz AMOLED display that can hit up to 3,500 nits of peak brightness. On top of the impressive main and telephoto lenses, they also offer a 50MP ultrawide and a 50MP selfie camera. And battery life shouldn't be an issue, thanks to the 6,800mAh silicon-carbon battery that supports 90 watt wired and 50 watt wireless charging. Xiaomi The 17 Ultra by Leica adds some very, well Leica touches. Those include a two-tone finish, red dot status symbol on front, textured edges and film simulations like Leica's Monopan 50 black and white. As for the zoom ring, Xiaomi says its rotation [eliminates] the need for tedious screen taps... and can detect displacements as small as 0.03mm. It can also be reprogrammed for functions like exposure compensation and manual focus. Other features unique to that model include a Leica Moments 3:2 aspect ratio, special encryption chip, and dual-satellite connection. And as befits a special edition, it comes in a custom box with a lens cap, lanyard, magnetic case and branded cleaning cloth. The one caveat is the price. Where phones for the Chinese market are often cheaper than North American models, Xiaomi's 17 Ultra by Leica and the regular 17 Ultra start at CNY 7,999 ($1,140) and CNY 6,999 ($995) respectively with 512GB or storage and 16GB of RAM right up there with the latest high-end Pixel 10 and Galaxy 25 models. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/xiaomis-17-ultra-leica-edition-smartphone-comes-with-a-manual-zoom-ring-093502893.html?src=rss

The best microSD cards for the Nintendo Switch 2

If you want to expand the storage of your Nintendo Switch 2 , youll need a microSD Express card. This is not the same as the more traditional microSD cards you may have bought for the original Switch or other gaming handhelds ; Express cards are newer, faster and significantly more expensive on average. But theyre your only choice , and given how much space certain Switch 2 games chew up, youll probably have no choice but to get one eventually. Which to buy, though? If youre looking for the best microSD card for the Switch 2 today, weve broken down what you should know before taking the plunge. The best microSD cards for the Switch 2 (aren't all that important) Jeff Dunn for Engadget The Switch 2 is the first mainstream device to require microSD Express for storage expansion, so there arent many options available to buy just yet. Of the handful of compatible models released thus far, weve now tested seven: the SanDisk microSD Express Card (aka the SanDisk GamePlay microSD Express Card at Walmart), the Lexar Play Pro , the Samsung microSD Card for Nintendo Switch 2 , the Samsung P9 Express , the PNY microSD Express Card , the GameStop Express microSD Card for Nintendo Switch 2 and the Onn microSD Express Card . The first five are made by genuine storage manufacturers, while the GameStop and Onn cards appear to be rebadged versions of other models. We used the 256GB version of every card except for Lexar Play Pro, which was 1TB. After timing these microSD Express cards across a range of Switch 2 games, our advice is simple: Get whichever one is in stock for the lowest price in the capacity you want. They arent identically fast, especially if you want to move a game to the card from the consoles internal storage (or vice versa). But the differences in load times and overall performance within actual games are tough to notice unless you have a stopwatch handy. All five cards loaded up the digital version of Mario Kart World , for instance, between 18 and 20 seconds. Each loaded the first Grand Prix race in about 6.5 seconds. Getting to the start screen of Cyberpunk 2077 took about 38 or 39 seconds in each case. Loading a save in a particularly asset-heavy area ( Jig-Jig Street ) then took between 26 and 29 seconds, depending on the card. (The one exception was with the Onn card, which averaged closer to 31 seconds with that particular task, though thats also the cheapest choice.) With Fast Fusion , a smaller native Switch 2 game, the initial load always took six to seven seconds, while each card loaded the first championship race in roughly 4 seconds. It was a similar situation with the Switch 2 upgrade for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (using a Switch 1 cartridge): Each card took just over six seconds to get to the start screen, between 19 and 20 seconds to load a save just before the final boss, about 16 seconds to fast travel between Kakariko Village and Korok Forest , and so on. We saw no significant issues with in-game loads when playing each game, either. The SanDisk microSD Express Card and Lexar Play Pro. Jeff Dunn for Engadget All of this suggests that the Switch 2 has a relatively specific target for these cards to hit, and that there may not be much room for one model to leap too far out in front of the others. Well also note that the consoles built-in storage was consistently faster than any external option: The gap wasnt always big, but no card truly outpaced it in any of our tests. Loading that demanding area in Cyberpunk , for example, took about 22.5 seconds on average. So if you want the absolute fastest load times, dont put your game on a card at all. If you need the mental comfort of knowing you technically have the best card available, get the SanDisk microSD Express Card . It had no outliers across our many game loading tests, and it was consistently right near the top when it came to moving games to and from system storage, which means it offers strong sequential read and write performance. Benchmark testing on PC with tools like CrystalDiskMark backed this up, as noted in our broader microSD card buying guide . Putting Mario Kart (a 21.9GB file) on that card took four minutes and 39 seconds on average, which was only second to the Lexar Play Pro by six seconds. It was the fastest to write Fast Fusion (3.5GB), taking an average of 27 seconds across three runs. Only PNYs card was faster to move games back to the consoles storage, but that one was far slower at writing games to the card getting Mario Kart on there took seven minutes and 11 seconds on average. Just note that the 128GB version of SanDisks card has slower sequential writes than the larger versions, including much slower sustained write speeds (100 MB/s vs 210-220 MB/s). So transferring a game to that particular model will take much longer. The Onn card was also slower to move games back to system storage, taking about 50 seconds more than the SanDisk with Mario Kart and nearly three minutes longer with Cyberpunk . Practically speaking, though, speed differences arent as important in this case as having lots of space to hold games at a price you can live with. To make things easy, weve listed every Express card weve seen at retailers at the time of writing below. Remember: You want microSD Express , not Extreme, like the branding SanDisk uses for some conventional microSD cards . A microSD Express card will have a big EX logo printed on it. 128GB SanDisk microSD Express Card ($64 MSRP) PNY microSD Express Card ($48 MSRP) 256GB Samsung microSD Express Card for Nintendo Switch 2 ($60 MSRP) Samsung P9 Express ($55 MSRP) SanDisk microSD Express Card ($78 MSRP) Lexar Play Pro ($60 MSRP) PNY microSD Express Card ($62 MSRP) GameStop Express microSD Card for Nintendo Switch 2 ($60 MSRP) Onn microSD Express Card ($47 MSRP) 512GB Samsung P9 Express ($100 MSRP) SanDisk microSD Express Card ($128 MSRP) Lexar Play Pro ($120 MSRP) PNY microSD Express Card ($124 MSRP) GameStop Express microSD Card for Nintendo Switch 2 ($100 MSRP) Onn microSD Express Card ($85 MSRP) 1TB Lexar Play Pro ($220 MSRP) GameStop Express microSD Card for Nintendo Switch 2 ($190 MSRP) All microSD Express cards will have this EX logo printed on them. Nintendo/Engadget As you can see, while the SanDisk card is fast, its also the most expensive of an already-pricey bunch. Is it worth an extra $10-20 to shave a couple seconds off certain loads in certain games, or a couple minutes when moving a game to external storage? Probably not for most people. But stock for all of these cards has been a bit patchy since the Switch 2 landed, particularly for the Walmart Onn model, which has typically been the cheapest choice. More recently, the GameStop-branded cards seem to have sold out too. If only one card is actually available by the time you read this and you must have it today its safe to just get it. You wont lose or gain all that much when it comes to real-world performance. Weve recommended holding off on buying a microSD Express card for as long as possible in previous updates to this guide, and ultimately each model above should still come down in price over time. We saw multiple Express card discounts during Black Friday and Cyber Monday, for instance. But between President Trumps tariff hikes and the ongoing AI-driven shortages for memory and high-capacity storage, youd be justified if you wanted to grab the largest card you can reasonably afford sooner rather than later. These things are still pricey compared to traditional microSD cards: The Samsung Pro Plus , for example, costs $17 for 128GB, $27 for 256GB, $50 for 512GB and $95 for 1TB as of this writing. And ideally, well see more high-capacity options down the road: Nintendo says the Switch 2 technically supports cards up to 2TB, but so far only a couple even go up to 1TB. You should still try to use all 256GB baked into the Switch 2 first, even if it means having to delete a game or two. But if you absolutely need more space right away, the cards above should be fine today. What are microSD Express cards? A microSD Express card like the one on the right has a second row of pins on the back. Jeff Dunn for Engadget Most microSD cards are based on a standard called Ultra High Speed (UHS), of which there are three versions: UHS-I, UHS-II and UHS-III. The vast majority of cards you may have bought in the past utilize UHS-I. These have one row of pins in the back and a theoretical maximum data transfer speed of 104 megabytes per second (MB/s). (Though many cards are able to surpass that limit with proprietary tech and card readers.) The original Switch has a UHS-I microSD slot, as do most other gaming handhelds like Valves Steam Deck . UHS-II cards add a second row of pins and can reach up to 312 MB/s. These are pricier and much less common than cards based on UHS-I, but theyre supported by some cameras and higher-power handhelds like the ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X . UHS-III, meanwhile, is twice as fast as UHS-II in theory (624 MB/s), but no microSD cards have actually used it. UHS-I cards have held on over the years because theyre cheap, widely supported and fast enough for the things most people need them to do: record 4K video, stash photos and so on. But with the Switch 2, Nintendo needs more . The new console is dramatically more powerful, which allows it to run demanding games that may have originally been built for stronger hardware like the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X or gaming PCs. The device also uses UFS 3.1 storage internally, which is much speedier than the eMMC storage used by the original Switch. (A custom file decompression engine helps improve load times as well.) So if the Switch 2 is going to accept microSD cards, it needs ones that wont bring a serious drop-off in performance and can hold up with modern games. The Nintendo Switch 2. Sam Rutherford for Engadget Hence, SD Express. This standard has technically been around since 2018 but mostly went nowhere until the Switch 2 came along. It also uses a second row of pins, but it lets microSD cards take advantage of the PCI Express (PCIe)/NVMe interface, which is the same underlying tech used by modern SSDs . As a result, it can produce considerably faster read and write speeds, with a current theoretical maximum of 985 MB/s. As noted above, real-world performance wont be quite that fast. Even if it was, the best microSD Express cards would still be much slower than the NVMe SSDs used by the PS5 and Xbox. ( Sony recommends SSDs with sequential read speeds of at least 5,500 MB/s.) And theyll fall well below their peak speeds under sustained loads: SanDisk, for instance, says sustained write speeds for its 128GB Express card can drop as low as 100 MB/s. But theyre still a marked improvement over old UHS-I cards, and in theory, they should be quicker than some older SATA-based SSDs when it comes loading game levels, asset streaming, retrieving saves or copying games to external storage. Whereas SanDisks microSD Express card can produce sequential read speeds around 900 MB/s, Lexars Professional Silver Plus the top UHS-I pick in our general microSD card guide topped out just over 200 MB/s, and thats with a proprietary reader. (On the first Switch, itd be closer to 100 MB/s.) Sequential writes and random speeds were three to four times better as well, and sometimes even more depending on the benchmark we used. It remains to be seen how well these Express cards will hold up with years of use, and theres no way to know exactly when their sky-high prices will drop. Non-Switch 2 devices that support microSD Express are still exceedingly rare, and the standard itself isnt backwards compatible with UHS-II, so youll be limited to UHS-I speeds if you want to use your card with another device (unless you buy a pricey external reader ). Still, while the increased costs and limited selection are annoying, the tech itself is worthy of a next-gen Switch. How we test microSD Express cards Jeff Dunn for Engadget We put our microSD Express cards through a series of tests meant to simulate how people would use each card on the Switch 2 in the real world. We mainly worked with four games: a mid-sized title in Mario Kart World , a small one in Fast Fusion , a relatively large one in Cyberpunk 2077 and a hybrid in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild , which ran off a Switch 1 cartridge but used a roughly 10GB Switch 2 upgrade pack that was downloaded and installed digitally. We first timed how long it took to move each game from the systems internal storage to the card in question, and vice versa. We then timed how long it took to load each game when installed to a given card. After that, we measured how quickly the cards could load certain in-game scenarios: the first Grand Prix race in Mario Kart ; the first championship race in Fast Fusion ; fast traveling between the Jig-Jig Street, Embers and Downtown Central areas in Cyberpunk and fast traveling between the Kakariko Village, Korok Forest and the Hyrule Castle Town Ruins areas in Zelda . (We chose those places in the latter two games because theyre more taxing than other regions.) With Cyberpunk and Zelda , we also timed how long it took to load up different save files in those locations. With each test, we completed three to five runs to account for any irregularities and marked down the average time taken between them. We did each test in airplane mode, with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth off, to minimize any performance drain that could arise from background downloads. Between each test, we also spent at least an hour playing the games off each card to ensure there were no significant drop-offs compared to the consoles built-in storage. Recent updates December 2025 : Weve tested Samsungs P9 Express card, though our general shopping advice for this market remains the same. November 2025 : Weve tested the 256GB version of Walmarts Onn microSD Express card and edited our guide accordingly. Its generally slower than most of the other options weve tried, especially when moving games to and from system storage, and in synthetic benchmark tests on a PC. But the performance drop-off isnt particularly noticeable in actual Switch 2 games, so if you see it in stock and just want to pay as little as possible, its a decent buy. September 2025: Weve taken another pass through this guide to confirm our advice is still accurate. Weve also noted a new 512GB version of PNYs microSD Express card and confirmed that a SanDisk GamePlay Express card sold at Walmart has the same performance as the standard SanDisk model we recommend above, just with a different name. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/best-microsd-cards-for-nintendo-switch-2-160052947.html?src=rss

The best PS5 accessories for 2026

Sony's latest console may be a few years old at this point, but it's still got plenty to offer including some of the best games of this generation. Whether you just got a new PS5 or PS5 Pro, or you've had yours for a little while, you may want to give it a refresh of sorts by investing in some new accessories. Luckily, there are tons to choose from. These are the best PS5 accessories we've come across, plus some of the best games you should try out if you haven't already. Best PS5 accessories This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/best-playstation-5-accessories-140018902.html?src=rss

How to set up a PS5 for a child

Setting up a PS5 for a child means you can offer an age-appropriate and safe platform for them to play. Sony made its parental control tools more comprehensive in recent years and they allow families to manage screen time, block unsuitable content, guide online interactions and approve purchases. The process is straightforward once the right menus are in view, but it helps to understand how each feature works before handing over the controller. The system uses individual accounts for each family member, and these accounts determine what a child can access. A parent or guardian assigns restrictions to the childs profile and the console enforces them more consistently than earlier PlayStation systems. The process begins with creating a child account, then linking it to the Family Management section of the adult account, and finally adjusting controls on the console itself. Create a child account through Family Management A child account is required before you can use any parental controls. This account is linked to the family managers PlayStation account and cannot be converted into an adult account until the child reaches the appropriate age under local regulations. From the PS5 Home screen, navigate to Settings , Family and Parental Controls then choose Family Management . The system will request the family managers password before any changes can be made. Select Add Family Member and choose Add a Child . The console generates a QR code that opens a secure PlayStation webpage on a phone or browser. This page guides the setup process and ties the new account to the family group. The form asks for the childs date of birth first. Sony uses this to assign default age restrictions and to determine which features are allowed. A small credit card charge may be requested to verify the adults identity. The next steps involve entering an email address for the child, creating a password and selecting basic settings for content access, communication and spending. The child account must then be verified through a link sent to the provided email address. This ensures the account can use PlayStation Network features including any future purchases through the PlayStation Store. Once complete, the new profile appears in the Family Management list on the PS5. This profile is now ready for fine-tuning. Manage parental controls on the console The PS5 keeps all parental controls in Family and Parental Controls within the main Settings menu. This section is organized into Playtime Settings, Content Restrictions, Communication and User-Generated Content and Spending controls. Each area can be adjusted separately for every child account in the family group. How to set limits on playtime Playtime controls help set boundaries for gaming sessions. Select the childs profile, then open Playtime Settings . Limits can be set by total daily hours or by specific time windows. The console can be configured to notify the child when time is nearly up, or to log them out automatically once the limit is reached. These settings apply across the childs account, so they remain active even if the child switches between PS5 consoles in the same household. Parents can choose how strictly the system enforces these rules. For example, the console can continue to display warnings without blocking gameplay or it can stop activity when the allotted time ends. Playtime reports can also be viewed through the family managers PlayStation account or the PS App. How to restrict content based on age ratings Sonys content filters are based on age ratings from the ESRB in the United States and equivalent regional boards in other countries. In Family Management , select the childs profile and then select Parental Controls . Here, parents can set an age level for games. Titles above this level will not launch without approval from the family manager. Blu-ray and DVD content can also be restricted and the system browser can be disabled entirely. If the family uses services that stream movies or TV shows through the console, those apps often apply their own content filters, but the PS5 can serve as a first line of control. Engadget How to manage communication and online interactions Online communication can be limited to prevent unwanted contact. In Parental Controls , select Communication and User-Generated Content . This area controls messaging, voice chat, profile sharing and the ability to see or share player-created media such as screenshots and video clips. Online play can also be adjusted. For younger kids, it may be helpful to block online multiplayer entirely until they better understand online etiquette and safety. For older children, communication can be limited to friends only. The PS5 respects these limits across all supported games. How to set spending limits for purchases A child account cannot use payment cards directly, but it can spend funds from the family managers wallet. Spending limits can be set in the childs profile under Family Management. Parents can choose a monthly spending cap or block purchases altogether. Any attempt to exceed the limit requires approval from the family manager. This feature covers games, add-ons, subscriptions and in-game currency. It ensures surprises on the credit card are less likely, especially in titles that promote quick digital purchases. How to sign your child into the PS5 Once controls are set, the child can be added as a user on the console. Return to the home screen and select the user icon to switch users. Choose Add User , then select Get Started . Sign in using the child accounts email address and password. The console guides the profile setup process and prompts for an online ID, avatar and privacy preferences. These steps help personalise the childs space on the PS5. The system may request a locally created passcode that prevents access to parental controls without the family managers approval. This passcode should be unique and not shared with the child. After setup is complete, the child will see a version of the PS5 tailored to the restrictions applied. Games that exceed the assigned age rating will appear with a lock icon and the console will block any actions that the family manager has limited. Use the PS App and PlayStations online tools for ongoing management Playtime and permissions can be managed remotely through Sonys PS App or the PlayStation website. This makes it easier to adjust rules without taking over the TV. The app also provides notifications when playtime is running low or when the child attempts to access restricted content. Sonys Family Management tools synchronise across devices. Changes made from a phone appear on the PS5 within seconds. This helps maintain consistent rules, especially in homes with more than one console. A child-ready PS5 is more than a restriction tool. It creates a safer environment for learning how to navigate digital spaces, interact with friends and handle screen time. Sonys updated controls take much of the pressure off parents by enforcing rules in predictable ways that are difficult to bypass. Once everything is configured, the child can enjoy the consoles library while staying within the boundaries that support healthy gaming habits. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/how-to-set-up-a-ps5-for-a-child-160039866.html?src=rss

How to transfer your games to the Nintendo Switch 2

Upgrading to the Switch 2 is a big step forward, thanks to the larger screen, new features and improved performance. But shifting to a new console naturally raises the question of what happens to all your games and save data on the one you already have. Thankfully, Nintendo has built a clear System Transfer process that lets you move your account, digital purchases, save files and other key data from your original Switch to the Switch 2. If you prepare ahead of time, you can be back to playing your favorite titles on new hardware in minutes. Well walk you through everything you need to know, including what transfers, how to start the process and what to check once youre set up. Before you transfer: A quick checklist Running through these steps first will save you time later: Charge your original Switch and your Switch 2, and keep them near each other. Connect to a stable Wi-Fi connection, as this is required to verify your Nintendo Account and manage redownloads. Update your original Switch by installing the latest system software so the transfer can run without interruptions. Confirm your Nintendo Account is linked, and each user you want to move is tied to a Nintendo Account. Most Switch titles work on Switch 2, but a few may have issues, so its worth checking Nintendos compatibility list ahead of time. Back up screenshots and videos if needed. These should transfer, but it never hurts to have your own copy. How to start the transfer of data from your old Switch to the Switch 2 With your original Nintendo Switch to hand, navigate to System Settings , select Users then select Transfer Your User & Save Data . Pick the user profile you want to move, confirm your Nintendo Account information and follow the on-screen prompts. Power on your Switch 2 and go through the initial setup. When the console asks if you want to transfer data from another system, select Start System Transfer . Make sure both consoles are connected to the same Wi-Fi network and remain powered on during the process. Once the Switch 2 detects your original console, it will guide you through pairing the systems for the transfer. After the connection is established the original Switch will begin sending your user information, save data and settings. When the transfer is complete, your new console will automatically log in using your Nintendo Account. Your digital games will appear in the Redownload section of the eShop so you can pull them onto your Switch 2 as needed. What to do after your transfer is complete Once everything has moved to the Switch 2, there are a few final steps that help round out the process. You can redownload your digital games from the eShop and start reinstalling your favorites. Any controllers, Joy-Con or Bluetooth accessories you used with your original console will need to be paired again (provided they are Switch 2-compatible accessories ), which only takes a minute. Its also a good time to update your games to their latest versions and restore any parental controls or family group settings you had before. When youre confident that all your data has transferred and everything is working as expected, you can then decide whether to keep your old console, hand it down or perform a factory reset if you plan to sell it. What data transfers to the Switch 2 Nintendos System Transfer moves everything tied to your Nintendo Account, including digital games youve purchased, save data, user profiles, parental controls, system settings and screenshots and video captures. Your Nintendo Switch Online membership moves as well, and youll be able to immediately re-download your digital games on the Switch 2 once the transfer completes. Physical Switch game cards also work on the new console, though some titles may require patches or updates for the best performance. Nintendo has noted that a small number of older games may have temporary compatibility issues, but these are being reviewed. What data doesnt transfer automatically A few settings wont carry over on their own, so you may need to handle them manually once your Switch 2 is set up. Bluetooth pairing for controllers or headphones will need to be reconnected, since those device links stay tied to the original console. Your Wi-Fi passwords also wont transfer, so youll have to sign in to your home network again. Some game-specific preferences, as well as language or region settings, may require another quick adjustment on the Switch 2, but these are simple to reconfigure and only take a few moments. Troubleshooting and other things to consider If you run into issues while getting settled, a few common scenarios are worth keeping in mind. Some older titles may have temporary compatibility problems on the new console, so if a game behaves unexpectedly, check Nintendos updated compatibility list for known issues. You may also notice slower download speeds as the Switch 2 queues up your full library after the transfer. It helps to prioritize the games you want to play first so they can download ahead of the rest. Storage can also play a role. If you use a microSD card, wait until the system transfer is complete before inserting it into the new console, since the Switch 2 may need to reformat the card. And finally, dont reset your old Switch right away. Keeping it powered on and accessible ensures you can confirm that all your saves and data made it across safely. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/how-to-transfer-your-games-to-the-nintendo-switch-2-130000702.html?src=rss

The best Nintendo Switch 2 games for 2026

One of the best things about the Switch 2 is how familiar it feels if you have used any previous Switch console. You can still move between handheld and TV play without thinking about it, and most of your favorite games come along for the ride. Nintendos compatibility page highlights the rare titles with quirks, while its transfer guide helps you bring over your data so you can pick up right where you left off. Once you are set up, the Switch 2s library opens up fast. From cozy indie adventures to sprawling open-world games and couch-co-op staples, the system has something for every kind of player. We pulled together the best Nintendo Switch 2 games to help you figure out what to play first, whether you are replaying old favorites or diving into something completely new. Best Nintendo Switch 2 games for 2026 Check out our entire Best Games series including the best Nintendo Switch games , the best PS5 games , the best Xbox games , the best PC games and the best free games you can play today. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/best-nintendo-switch-2-games-070007467.html?src=rss

The best microSD cards in 2026

Most microSD cards are fast enough for stashing photos, recording video and transferring files, but some will get you a little more bang for your buck than others. If youre looking to boost the storage of your Nintendo Switch 2 , Steam Deck , GoPro or any other device that still accepts microSD cards, we can help. Weve thoroughly researched the market and several cards through a suite of benchmark tests. Here are the best that weve tested, along with some general advice on what to look for when buying a new card. Table of contents Best microSD cards of 2026 Best microSD Express cards for the Nintendo Switch 2 Other notable microSD cards What to look for in a microSD card How we test microSD cards Recent updates Best microSD cards of 2026 Best microSD Express cards for the Nintendo Switch 2 Jeff Dunn for Engadget Read our full guide to the best microSD Express cards for the Nintendo Switch 2 Lets be clear about this: Unless you plan to own a Nintendo Switch 2 in the near future, you do not need a high-speed microSD Express card just yet. Nintendos gaming handheld is the only popular device that natively supports this standard right now, and microSD Express cards themselves are highly expensive compared to more traditional options. Still, if you do want to increase a Switch 2s storage, theyre your only choice. Fortunately, determining exactly which model to buy for the console is pretty straightforward: Get whichever one you can find in stock, in the capacity you want, at a price you can stomach. We benchmarked several microSD Express cards for a separate Switch 2 guide , and for the most part, the performance differences between them werent great enough to justify paying extra for any particular model. Loading times werent quite identical with every test we ran, but the cards were extremely close in most games and common scenarios. The few times when there was a notable gap fast-traveling to a particularly resource-heavy region in Cyberpunk 2077 , for instance the gulf between the slowest and fastest card was only ever about four or five seconds at most. Thats not nothing, but its also not something most people are likely to fret over unless they have a stopwatch handy. The SanDisk microSD Express Card and Lexar Play Pro. Jeff Dunn for Engadget The only time youd notice a major speed difference is if you transfer games to your Express card from the Switch 2s internal storage (and vice versa). In that case, the SanDisk microSD Express Card and Lexar Play Pro were generally the quickest, while PNYs microSD Express Flash Memory Card had particularly slow write speeds. Moving Mario Kart World to the SanDisk and Lexar models, for example, took around four minutes and 35 seconds on average; with the PNY card, it took a little over seven minutes. That said, the PNY model was the fastest when it came to moving games back to the system storage. Walmarts Onn microSD Express Card was significantly slower to move games from the card to system storage, but its also the most affordable card weve seen by a good distance. Either way, most people arent constantly shuffling their games back and forth like this. Performance in actual games is more important, and in that regard the results were consistently much tighter. What matters most is getting the most space for your budget. Unfortunately, stock for all microSD Express cards has been spotty since the Switch 2s launch. For your convenience, well list out all of the models weve tested thus far and their respective list prices below. Note that some lower-capacity versions the 128GB SanDisk card, for one advertise slower speeds than their more spacious counterparts. SanDisk microSD Express Card : 128GB ($64), 256GB ($78), 512GB ($128) Lexar Play Pro : 256GB ($60), 512GB ($120), 1TB ($220) PNY microSD Express Flash Memory Card : 128GB ($48), 256GB ($62), 512GB ($124) Samsung microSD Express Card for Nintendo Switch 2 : 256GB ($60) Samsung P9 Express : 256GB ($55), 512GB ($100) GameStop Express microSD Card for Nintendo Switch 2 : 256GB ($60), 512GB ($100), 1TB ($190) Walmart Onn microSDXC Express Card : 256GB ($47), 512GB ($85) The Lexar Play Pro on top of Lexar's RW540 microSD Express card reader. Jeff Dunn for Engadget Broadly speaking, we recommend getting at least 256GB of storage, as Switch 2 games tend to have much larger file sizes than games for Nintendos previous handheld. But we also recommend holding off upgrading for as long as you can, if only because all of these cards should (tariff shenanigans aside) come down in price as time goes on. Theres no point in buying a microSD Express card for anything besides the Switch 2, but we did run the models above through our usual PC benchmarks as well. Unsurprisingly, they are miles faster than any traditional card on the market. With the 256GB SanDisk card, for instance, sequential read speeds checked in just under 900 MB/s in CrystalDiskMark and ATTO, while sequential writes topped out around 650 MB/s. Sustained writes speeds were slower (around 210 MB/s), but that was still fast enough to move our 12GB test file to the card in 52 seconds on average. It took a mere 20 seconds to read the file back to our PC. The write test with our smaller 1.15GB test folder, meanwhile, averaged just 4.5 seconds. It all adds up to performance that's at least twice as fast as the best UHS-I models weve tested in terms of sequential reads and writes, with three or four times the speeds in some cases. The gulf in random reads and writes is similar, and in some benchmarks even greater. But you need a pricey SD card reader to even see those increases on a PC, so only those with a Switch 2 in hand or serious cash to burn should consider one of these things. Other notable microSD cards Samsung Pro Ultimate The Samsung Pro Ultimate was the closest competitor to the Lexar Professional Silver Plus across our benchmark tests, but it's tangibly worse in terms of sequential write speeds, typically costs more and doesnt offer a 1TB option. The Samsung Pro Plus is a bit slower for sequential reads, but its close enough otherwise and usually easier to find at a lower price. Lexar Professional Gold We haven't used it ourselves, but if youre willing to pay for a more powerful UHS-II card built for heavy-duty video recording, the Lexar Professional Gold has tested well elsewhere and should deliver significantly faster sequential write speeds than our UHS-I picks above. Its one of the few UHS-II cards we could actually find in stock, but its pricey, with a 128GB model normally priced in the $35 to $40 range. SanDisk Extreme The SanDisk Extreme effectively matched the Pro Plus in a few of our sequential tests, but that was partly due to us only being able to secure the 256GB model, which is higher-rated than the 128GB version. Its a fine choice if you see it on sale at a reputable seller, but its broadly slower than our top pick and often costs more. SanDisk GamePlay The SanDisk GamePlay performs similarly to the SanDisk Extreme but costs a good bit extra as of our latest update. We couldnt get it to reach its advertised speeds with the companys own Pro card reader or other third-party options, so it fell short of our top picks. SanDisk Pokmon The SanDisk Pokmon does outperform its advertised read and write speeds, but not by enough to outpace the Lexar Silver Plus or Samsung Pro Plus. It essentially charges extra for having a picture of Pikachu (or Gengar , or Snorlax ) on a product youll never look at. SanDisk Extreme Pro The SanDisk Extreme Pro is a close analog to the Samsung Pro Ultimate but, as of this writing, is either unavailable at most trusted retailers or priced too high by comparison. The Lexar Professional Silver Plus has faster sequential write speeds as well. PNY XLR8 Gaming The PNY XLR8 is an affordable card that comes with up to 512GB of space. Its sequential and random writes speeds checked in a little bit above those of Samsungs Evo Select, plus it comes with a lifetime warranty. But its sequential reads were much, much slower, putting it out of contention. PNY Elite-X The PNY Elite-X often goes for cheap and wasnt too far off the random read/write performance of Samsung's Pro Plus in CrystalDiskMark. Like the XLR8, its also slightly above the Evo Select in write speeds. But its sequential reads were too far behind all of our top picks, and it no longer appears to be available in capacities above 256GB. What to look for in a microSD card Capacity The first thing to figure out when buying a microSD card is how much storage space you need. Modern cards are commonly available in sizes ranging from 32GB to 512GB, with several models now available in 1TB or 1.5TB capacities as well. The first 2TB cards from major brands have started to arrive as well, which is exciting, but those are still fairly rare (and very expensive) by comparison. For many, a 128GB or 256GB model should be a sweet spot between price and storage space. But if you need more room say, for stashing a bunch of games on a Steam Deck a 512GB card or greater could make more sense and often provides a better cost-per-GB ratio. Pricing and stock levels are all over the place as of our most recent update thanks to ongoing AI-driven shortages , but you can typically still find a decent 128GB card for around $15, a good 256GB card for less than $30 and a solid 512GB card for around $40 (with faster models priced a little higher). Theres a starker increase when you go up to 1TB cards, which often cost closer to $100, though weve seen some fall into the $70 to $80 range over the last year. The first 2TB cards are a bigger leap: the 2TB SanDisk Extreme , for example, currently has a list price around $290, which is way up from what we saw in 2025. Note that a microSD cards performance may differ depending on what capacity you buy. SanDisk says its 128GB Extreme card delivers sequential write speeds up to 90 MB/s, for example, while the higher-capacity models in the same line offer up to 130 MB/s. When we talk about microSD cards today, we mostly refer to cards that use the microSDXC (eXtended Capacity) standard , which have a capacity between 32GB and 2TB. Your device needs to support this for it to work with a microSDXC card. This will almost never be an issue these days, but some older devices (a Nintendo 3DS , for instance) are only compatible with microSDHC (High Capacity) cards, which range from 2GB to 32GB. Read and write speeds MicroSD cards are primarily judged on their read and write speeds, which are usually measured in megabytes per second (MB/s). Generally, most microSD cards have faster read speeds than write speeds. These metrics can then be broken down into sequential and random performance. Sequential read and write speeds matter when youre trying to access (read) or save (write) long, constant streams of data, such as opening a large video or copying a big batch of files from a PC. If you want to use a microSD card for media storage, this is particularly important. Random performance, meanwhile, is about how quickly a card can read and write small files scattered throughout the device. Since random read/write speeds are much lower than sequential ones, storage device makers tend not to advertise them as loudly. But theyre important if you use a card with a gaming device or a single-board computer like the Raspberry Pi , where it often has to rapidly save and access small bits of data in random locations. Speed ratings If you look at a microSD card, youll see a buffet of numbers, letters and symbols. Most of these refer to the cards speed class and performance ratings, which are determined by the SD Association . A cards Video Speed Class, or V-rating, details its minimum sequential write speed, which is especially important when recording video from a camera. It ranges from V6 to V90. Most of the cards we tested had a V30 rating, so they have a sequential write speed of at least 30 MB/s. This should be enough to support up to 4K video at lower bitrates. Higher-rated V60 and V90 cards are usually better for capturing 8K, but they come at a much higher cost. The UHS Speed Class, or U-rating, also refers to a cards minimum sequential write speed. It comes in two varieties: U3, which mandates a minimum of 30 MB/s, and U1, which is rated for 10 MB/s. The older Speed Class rating overlaps with the other two systems. Its signified by a C symbol and goes from Class 2 to Class 10, with the number (again) indicating minimum sequential write speed. This rating is less relevant nowadays, but you may still see a C10 logo on some cards. The Application Performance spec, marked by an A symbol, is an indicator of random read/write speeds. This is measured in IOPS, or input/output operations per second, rather than MB/s. There are two categories here: A1 cards offer a minimum random read speed of 1,500 IOPS and a minimum random write speed of 500 IOPS, while A2 cards bump those up to 4,000 IOPS and 2,000 IOPS, respectively. Both ratings also guarantee sequential write speeds of at least 10 MB/s. To keep it simple, most people should look for a card with V30, U3 and A2 ratings. Its totally possible to get a solid card without those: A U1 card might be worth it if you just need a cheap, high-capacity option, for example. V60 and V90 cards are worth a look if youre serious about shooting high-resolution photos and video as well. But overall, cards with the certifications above should provide the best blend of price and performance today. Its important to emphasize that these ratings are baselines. Most V30 cards offer significantly higher write speeds than 30 MB/s, for instance, and some A1 cards can outperform some A2 models in practice. The speeds advertised by manufacturers arent always 100 percent accurate, either: Sometimes the card will be slower in real-world use, other times it may actually be a bit faster. Samsung UHS bus speeds The other spec to note is the cards bus interface. Most microSD cards available today are UHS-I, which has a theoretical maximum speed of 104 MB/s. There are also UHS-II cards, which have an extra row of pins on the back and can reach up to 312 MB/s. (A UHS-III standard technically exists as well but hasnt seen wide adoption.) These are labeled on the card with a Roman numeral I or II. UHS-II cards are typically the ones with those higher V60 or V90 ratings. If you shoot lots of 4K to 8K video or frequently use burst mode to capture ultra high-res photos, the performance gains of a good UHS-II card can save you time. However, these are typically much more expensive than UHS-I cards: This 128GB Lexar Professional Gold model, for instance, is a relative bargain at $35. While that's less than many UHS-II models weve seen in the past, it's still more than double the common street price of our top pick above. You need a device thats compatible with the UHS-II interface to see any benefits, too, and stock for UHS-II cards is often spottier. For now, the higher speeds arent worth the price premium for most people, so we stuck mostly to UHS-I cards with our recommendations. Unlike traditional UHS-I cards, a microSD Express card like the SanDisk model on the right comes with a second row of pins to enable its improved performance. Jeff Dunn for Engadget microSD Express and the Nintendo Switch 2 The absolute fastest microSD cards you can buy, however, are based on a different interface called SD Express . This has technically been around for several years and now includes its own subset of speed classes , but the gist is that it's much faster than UHS-I or UHS-II: SanDisks recently released microSD Express card , one of the first commercially available models, advertises sequential read speeds up to 880MB/s. Thats quicker than some older SSDs. Its a substantial upgrade that has largely held up in our testing, but very few popular devices natively support SD Express today. The first major exception is the Nintendo Switch 2 , which is only compatible with the newer standard, as its needed to keep up with the performance demands of new handheld games. Besides SanDisk, manufacturers like Samsung, Lexar and PNY have already launched microSD Express cards to go with the console. The presumption is that having such a popular device embrace the tech will only further its adoption and drive prices down. But its still early days, and right now all microSD Express cards cost much more than the best UHS-I or even UHS-II options. Beyond the Switch 2, its possible to take advantage of these cards superior speeds with a dedicated SD Express card reader, but that adds even more to the final cost. Its also worth noting that SD Express cards are not backwards compatible with UHS-II (or UHS-III), so if you try to plug one into a device with a UHS-II slot, itll be limited to UHS-I speeds. Still, theyre a must for Nintendo fans going forward, and the tech should have plenty of appeal if more gadgets that support the interface do arrive. For more on how the first wave of Express cards perform on the Switch 2, we've put together a dedicated buying guide just for Nintendo's console. A note on card readers and reaching advertised speeds While the UHS-I interface has a theoretical maximum of 104 MB/s, some UHS-I cards can exceed that speed through proprietary extensions. However, you need a compatible card reader and host device to take advantage of that extra performance. If you find a UHS-I card advertising speeds higher than 104 MB/s, this is whats going on. You can see these limits in action with an original Nintendo Switch or Steam Deck: Both of those gaming devices support the UHS-I interface but dont go beyond its official speed, flattening any sequential gains some cards may have elsewhere. (Differences in random read and write speeds can still matter, though.) The same thing will happen if you plug a more powerful UHS-II or SD Express card into a device that doesnt accept those interfaces. The takeaway: Your microSD card will only be as fast as the slowest link in your chain. Warranty Many microSD cards are designed to be durable, with protection from water, extreme temperatures, X-rays and drops. Still, in case of catastrophe, a long warranty is always good to have. Many manufacturers offer lifetime or 10-year limited warranties, though weve noticed that endurance cards marketed to withstand more hours of writing are usually covered for a shorter period of time. For example, Samsung's Pro Endurance , a model aimed at security cameras and other monitoring devices, comes with a five-year warranty. Avoiding counterfeits The memory card market has had a particular problem with scammers selling fake products. To guard against this, only buy from a known brand and a reputable retailer such as Best Buy, B&H Photo or Adorama. If you shop at Amazon, only buy if the shipper and seller is Amazon.com. (That said, a handful of users have reported receiving counterfeits even from Amazon directly in the past, so exercise caution.) Remember: If a price seems too good to be true, it probably is. Be wary of any retailer offering a significantly lower price than everyone else. Once you receive a card, check its packaging for any irregularities. You can run benchmark tests like CrystalDiskMark or BlackMagic Disk Speed Test to verify its speeds arent drastically lower than whats advertised (or possible, given its specs). You can also use software thats designed to verify the true capacity and performance of your card, such as H2testw and FakeFlashTest . A few of the microSD card readers we've used for testing. Jeff Dunn for Engadget How we test microSD cards We've put about 20 microSD cards through a series of tests to verify their sequential and random performance. These included benchmarks like CrystalDiskMark , BlackMagic Disk Speed Test , ATTO Disk Benchmark and AJA System Test , as well as a few real-world tests. We copied and pasted a small folder of photos about 1.15GB in size to and from each card, then did the same with a larger 12.2GB folder containing multiple file types and subfolders, timing the process each time. We also checked how each card performed on the Steam Deck, downloading games of varying sizes including Stardew Valley , Aperture Desk Job , Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance and Apex Legends then timing how long it took to launch each game and load save files. We do multiple runs of each test to verify our findings and account for potential outliers. Where applicable, we used a Kingston USB 3.2 UHS-II reader to test each card on both Windows 11 and macOS Sequoia. However, if a card could be bundled with (or is specifically advertised to use) a proprietary reader, we mainly tested with that, since we figure thats the one most interested buyers will end up using. For Windows testing, we used an Alienware gaming PC with an Intel Core i9-10900F, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 GPU, 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. For macOS, we used a 2021 16-inch MacBook Pro with an Apple M1 Pro chip, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. If a reader couldnt connect over USB-C, we used CalDigits TS4 dock to test the corresponding card on the MacBook. We tested the 128GB version of each card whenever we could, though we were only able to test higher-capacity models for a few options. We also reformatted each card before testing with the SD Associations Memory Card Formatter tool . For microSD Express cards, we ran each model through a series of tests specific to the Switch 2, since that is the only popular device that actually supports the tech. You can read more about that process in our separate buying guide linked above. Recent updates December 2025 : Weve tested the Samsung P9 Express microSD Express card and noted it in our Switch 2 section above. Weve also made a few edits to highlight recent price increases and stock shortages driven by the ongoing AI boom. November 2025 : Weve tested Walmarts Onn microSD Express Card and edited our notes on the best cards for the Nintendo Switch 2 accordingly. September 2025 : Weve fleshed out our advice on buying a microSD Express card for the Nintendo Switch 2. May 2025 : Weve updated this guide to ensure our advice is accurate and to reflect the new Nintendo Switch 2s use of microSD Express cards. Weve also added testing notes for the Lexar Play Pro microSD Express card and the more standard PNY XLR8. Weve removed mentions of a few cards that have seemingly been discontinued, including the original Kingston Canvas Go Plus, the Lexar Professional 1066x and the 2021 Samsung Evo Select. We plan to test more new microSD Express cards for a future update. February 2025 : Weve updated this guide with a new top pick: the Lexar Professional Silver Plus. The Samsung Pro Plus, our previous recommendation, stays as a runner-up. Weve also added SanDisks recently released microSD Express card as a pick for those who want the absolute fastest card possible, albeit with heavy caveats. This is one of the first microSD cards to use the SD Express bus interface, so weve included more details on what that entails in our what to look for in a microSD card section. Lastly, weve removed our write-up for SanDisks Apex Legends card , as it appears to have been discontinued, and included testing notes for a couple of the companys more recent releases. November 2024 : We've checked back with this guide to ensure our recommendations are still accurate and made light edits for clarity. August 2024 : Weve updated this guide to note the recently released 1TB models for three of our top picks: the Samsung Pro Plus, the Kingston Canvas Go Plus and the Samsung Evo Select. Weve also made sure all pricing details are as up to date as they can be. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/accessories/best-microsd-card-130038282.html?src=rss

2025 Christmas Day NFL games: How to watch, full streaming schedule and more

Christmas Day famously belongs to football. This Dec. 25, there are three NFL games to watch: the Dallas Cowboys vs. Washington Commanders, the Detroit Lions vs. the Minnesota Vikings, and the Denver Broncos vs. Kansas City Chiefs. Here's what you need to know about Thursday's football slate, and the rest of the Week 17 schedule. How to watch the NFL Christmas Day games: Date: Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025 Start times: 1 PM ET, 4:30 PM ET, 8:15 PM ET TV channels: N/A Streaming: Netflix, Prime Video 2025 Christmas Day NFL game slate: Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025 Cowboys vs. Commanders: 1 p.m. ( Netflix ) Lions vs. Vikings: 4:30 p.m. ( Netflix ) Broncos vs. Chiefs: 8:15 p.m. ( Prime Video ) Where to stream football this Christmas: NFL Week 17 schedule: All times Eastern. Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025 Cowboys vs. Commanders: 1 p.m. ( Netflix ) Lions vs. Vikings: 4:30 p.m. ( Netflix ) Broncos vs. Chiefs: 8:15 p.m. ( Prime Video ) Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025 Texans vs. Chargers: 4:30 p.m. ( NFL Net , NFL+ ) Ravens vs. Packers: 8:00 p.m. ( Peacock ) Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025 Steelers vs. Browns: 1:00 p.m. ( CBS ) Patriots vs. Jets: 1:00 p.m.( FOX ) Seahawks vs. Panthers: 1:00 p.m. ( CBS ) Cardinals vs. Bengals: 1:00 p.m. ( FOX ) Jaguars vs. Colts: 1:00 p.m. ( FOX ) Buccaneers vs. Dolphins: 1:00 p.m. ( FOX ) Saints vs. Titans: 1:00 p.m. ( CBS ) Eagles vs. Bills: 4:25 p.m. ( FOX ) Giants vs. Raiders: 4:05 p.m. ( CBS ) Bears vs. 49ers: 8:20 p.m. ( NBC ) Monday, Dec. 29, 2025 Rams vs. Falcons: 8:15 p.m. ( ESPN ) This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/2025-christmas-day-nfl-games-how-to-watch-full-streaming-schedule-and-more-233022362.html?src=rss

Steam and Valve's online games are partially down

Starting at around 1PM ET on December 24, Steam experienced an outage that impacted users ability to access the game store and play games online. Valve didnt acknowledge the outage publicly, but SteamDBs unofficial Steam Status page reported that the Steam Store, Steam Community, and Steam Web APIs were all offline. DownDetector received over 6,000 outage reports around 1:15PM ET, and Steam is also inaccessible from Valves mobile apps. The outage appears to be affecting APIs for Valves online games, like Team Fortress 2, Dota 2 and Counterstrike 2, as well. By around 4PM ET, Steam itself had begun to rebound, and as of 6PM ET, the platform had largely recovered, with the main PC, mobile and Mac clients broadly fully functional, but ocassionally erroring out. There are still parts of the service that are extremely sluggish and, according to SteamDB, many of Valves online games are down or only partially functional. Steams last major outage was in October, when the store and online services were unavailable for an hour. Earlier in September, the launch of Hollow Knight: Silksong temporarily took down Steam, the Xbox Store and Nintendos eShop due to how many people tried to download the game at the same time. Update, December 24, 6PM ET: This story has been updated to note which Valve offerings are currently functional and when they recovered. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/steam-and-valves-online-games-are-partially-down-191033988.html?src=rss

Steam and Valve's online games are down

Steam is experiencing an outage thats impacting users ability to access the game store and play games online. Valve hasnt acknowledged the outage publicly, but SteamDBs unofficial Steam Status page reports that the Steam Store, Steam Community, and Steam Web APIs are all offline. DownDetector received over 6,000 outage reports around 1:15PM ET, and Steam is also inaccessible from Valves mobile apps. The outage appears to be affecting APIs for Valves online games, like Team Fortress 2, Dota 2 and Counterstrike 2, as well. Steams last major outage was in October, when the store and online services were unavailable for an hour. Earlier in September, the launch of Hollow Knight: Silksong temporarily took down Steam, the Xbox Store and Nintendos eShop due to how many people tried to download the game at the same time. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/steam-and-valves-online-games-are-down-191033978.html?src=rss

Today's the last day to get $100 off the PS5 and PS5 Pro

Back in November, Sony started selling PS5 consoles at a $100 discount as part of a Black Friday/Cyber Monday promotion. The deal officially sunsets at 3AM ET, so now is a good time to bite the bullet on a gaming console given that prices aren't likely to go down anytime soon . You can pick up a regular disc-based PS5 for $450 and a digital model for $400 . The beefy PS5 Pro is available for $650 . All of these deals are active on Amazon, but also directly from Sony . If the costs here still sound a bit high, that's because Sony raised console prices by $50 back in August. In other words, these $100 discounts are pretty much $50 discounts when factoring in that recent increase. Still, cheaper is cheaper. This puts the digital PS5 at the same price as an Xbox Series S and the disc-based version at the same price as a Switch 2. Both standard PS5 configurations won't arrive until December 28. The PS5 Pro, however, is available for same-day shipping if you're jonesing for one last holiday gift. The PS5 has a fairly large stable of exclusive titles made by Sony-owned studios. These include games like Horizon Forbidden West , Astro Bot , Death Stranding 2 and Ghost of Yotei . This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/todays-the-last-day-to-get-100-off-the-ps5-and-ps5-pro-181454333.html?src=rss

The best live TV streaming services to cut cable in 2026

Price hikes , media consolidation and contract disputes that turn channels dark have made live TV streaming services feel a lot more like cable. But, for most people its still a better deal to cut the cord. For sports fans and news junkies, theres still no better option than one of the best live TV streaming services. We tried all the major players and currently recommend YouTube TV for most people. But we also spelled out just what you get from other providers (along with what we think about them) so you can decide for yourself. Editors note : YouTube TV will start offering genre-specific plans in early 2026. We dont have word on the pricing or specifics yet, but will update this guide when we do. Fans looking to watch Christmas football games will need access to Netflix as well as Prime Video. Weve detailed the schedule in the NFL streaming section below. Table of contents Best live TV streaming services for 2026 How to stream live NFL games Best free live TV streaming services for 2026 What to look for in a live TV streaming service How we tested Live TV Streaming FAQs Recent updates Best live TV streaming services for 2026 Back to top How to stream live NFL games The rights to air regular-season NFL games belong to a number of networks. Around 200 games are scheduled to appear Sundays on CBS/Paramount+ and Fox/Fox One . NBC/Peacock will host one Sunday night competition each week while Prime Video will air Thursday night contests (except for Thanksgiving week) and ABC/ESPN will show Monday night matchups. A few games will be exclusive to the NFL Network and Christmas-day games will air live on Netflix . YouTube aired a single week-one game. You can see the complete NFL schedule here (the airing network appears just below the game time on the list). On many Sundays, multiple games are scheduled to air at the same time by the same broadcaster. That means Fox and CBS will broadcast regional games through the associated local affiliate station. Select national games will air through Fox One and Paramount+. To see all Sunday (daytime) matchups, youll need the NFL Sunday Ticket thats now exclusive to YouTube TV and costs between $35 and $115 per month depending on the type of subscription you choose (YouTube recently announced monthly options for the Sunday Ticket). Note that the subscription doesnt include Sunday night games for that, youll need Peacock and/or local NBC station access through YouTube TV or elsewhere. Most of the paid live TV streaming services we recommend here include the stations youll need to see most of the games. YouTube TV, Fubo TV (including the new, cheaper Fubo Sports package ), Hulu + Live TV and DirecTV (Signature packages and MySports Genre packs) offer local Fox, CBS, ABC and NBC stations in most (but not all areas). They also carry sports-focused channels from those networks, like Fox Sports, CBS Sports and ESPN. Slings Orange plan includes access to a few local channels (varying by area), and also carries ESPN, but youll need the combined Orange and Blue plan to also get the Fox Sports channel but neither plan carries CBS Sports. How to watch Christmas pro football Viewers looking to watch games on Christmas day and the weekend after will need more than just a live TV streaming service. Two games on December 25 will air on Netflix. You can catch the Dallas Cowboys play the Washington Commanders at 1PM ET, followed by the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings at 4:30PM ET. The third game will air on Prime Video as part of its regular Thursday Night Football programming and will showcase the Denver Broncos versus the Kansas City Chiefs at 8:15PM ET. Friday is football-free, but the following Saturday, the Houston Texans and Los Angeles Chargers game will air on the NFL Network which is carried by YouTube TV, Hulu+ Live TV, Fubo, DirectTV and Sling Blue and Select. How can I stream NFL games for free? If you have a digital antenna hooked up to your TV, you can grab games that are broadcast over the airways for your region by tuning into your local CBS, Fox, NBC and ABC stations. You can buy a digital antenna for between $20 and $60. Of course, that wont get you the games that are exclusive to the NFL Network, Prime Video or Netflix, and you wont be able to watch games broadcast outside your area. Nearly all paid live TV streaming services are currently offering free trials ranging from a few days to a week. You could hop from service to service, catching a few games before cancelling and not pay anything, but with 18 weeks in the regular season, youll obviously not be able to watch all games for free. Alternatively, you can check out your local sports bar and watch a game for the price of a soda and maybe some nachos. As it turns out, bars and restaurants that provide those games to customers have to pay a ton of cash to do so, so you may as well take advantage of the opportunity. Does Paramount Plus stream live NFL games? Yes. Paramount owns CBS, which has historically held the rights to air many NFL games each season. This year, NFL on CBS includes more than 100 regular-season games, most of them Sunday matchups. You can see which NFL games will air on CBS/Paramount + here . Note that to watch your local CBS station you need Paramount+ Premium (formerly Paramount+ with Showtime) for $13 per month. Can you stream live football on YouTube? September 5, 2025 marked the first time YouTube was an official live NFL broadcaster when it aired a Friday night, week-one game of the 2025 NFL season from So Paulo, Brazil. It pit the Los Angeles Chargers against the Kansas City Chiefs (LA won 21-27) and aired worldwide on YouTube for free as well as for subscribers to YouTube TV. There are no other plans for YouTube to air live NFL games for the 2025 season for free, but paid YouTube TV customers will be able to watch many live matchups on their local CBS, Fox, NBC and ABC stations as part of their subscription. Both YouTube TV subscribers and anyone with the YouTube app can subscribe to the NFL Sunday Ticket add-on for $35 to $60 monthly, depending on promotions. Through the YouTube app, you can also purchase access to other Primetime Channels including Paramount+, but it costs the same as paying for those accounts directly. Back to top Best free live TV streaming services for 2026 There are loads of ways to get free TV these days. To start, many standard streaming apps have added live components to their lineups even Netflix . Peacock Premium Plus subscriptions include regional NBC stations. Paramount+ Premium subscribers can watch on-air CBS programming . The new Fox One service includes multiple live Fox stations. True, if youre already paying for a service its not technically free but at least the live content isnt extra. The smart TV operating system (OS) you use likely provides free live content too: Amazons Fire TV, Google/Android TV, Rokus built-in Roku Channel and Samsungs TV Plus all have hundreds of live channels and original programming. Some of the paid services we recommend above have a free version namely Sling Freestream , Fubo Free (available after you cancel) and DirecTVs MyFree . But if youre looking for more, here are the best free ad-supported TV (FAST) apps with live TV that we tried: Back to top What to look for in a live TV streaming service How to stream live TV Streaming live TV is a lot like using Netflix. You get access through apps on your phone, tablet, smart TV or streaming device and the signal arrives over the internet. A faster and more stable connection tends to give you a better experience. Most live TV apps require you to sign up and pay via a web browser. After that, you can activate the app on all of your devices. Monthly Price When I started testing these cord-cutting alternatives, I was struck by the price difference between live TV and a standard video streaming app . Where the latter cost between $5 and $20 per month, most live TV services hit the $80 mark and can go higher than $200 with additional perks, channel packages and premium extras. The higher starting price is mostly due to the cost of providing multiple networks particularly sports and local stations. And, in the past year or so, every service has raised base plan prices. Local channels Only two of the services I tried dont include full local channel coverage for subscribers and one of those makes no effort to carry sports at all. That would be Philo and, as you might guess, its the cheapest. The next most affordable option, Sling, only carries three local stations and only in larger markets but it still manages to include some of the top sports channels. When you sign up with any provider that handles local TV, youll enter your zip code, ensuring you get your areas broadcast affiliates for ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC. Of course, you can also get those stations for free. Nearly all modern television sets support a radio frequency (RF) connection, also known as the coaxial port, which means if you buy an HD antenna , youll receive locally broadcast stations like ABC, CBS, PBS, FOX and NBC. And since the signal is digital, reception is much improved over the staticky rabbit-ears era. But local channel access is another area where traditional streaming services, like Netflix, are bleeding into broadcast territory. For example, you can watch your local NBC station with a Peacock subscription and you can tune into your areas CBS station through your Paramount+ subscription. Netflix is even getting into the mix with a recently announced deal with one of Frances broadcast companies, TF1. The streaming service will now air TF1's live TV channels and on-demand content inside the Netflix app. No word if the concept will expand to other regions, but its an interesting move to anyone interested in the future of streaming. Live sports coverage One reality that spun my head was the sheer number and iterations of sports networks in existence. Trying to figure out which network will carry the match-up you want to see can be tricky. I found that Google makes it a little easier for sports fans by listing out upcoming games (just swap in NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL and so on in the search bar). When you click an event, the TV & streaming button will tell you which network is covering it. That just leaves figuring out if your chosen service carries the RSNs (regional sports networks) you want. Unfortunately, even with add-ons and extra packages, some providers simply dont have certain channels in their lineups. It would take a lawyer to understand the ins and outs of streaming rights negotiations , and networks leave and return to live TV carriers all the time. That said, most major sporting events in the US are covered by ESPN, Fox Sports, TNT, USA and local affiliates. I should also point out that traditional streaming services have started adding live sports to their lineups. Peacock carries live Premier League matches, Sunday Night Football games and aired the 2024 Olympic Games from Paris. Thursday Night Football as well as NBA and WNBA games are on Amazon Prime and Christmas Day Football airs on Netflix. HBO Max ( formerly , er, HBO Max) now airs select, regular season games from the NHL, MLB, NCAA and NBA with a $10-per-month add-on . You can watch MLS games with an add-on through the Apple TV app, and Apple TV+ (now just called Apple TV ) includes some MLB games . Roku users can watch the just-added free sports channel and those who subscribe to Paramount Plus can see many of the matches aired on CBS Sports, including live NFL games. In 2025, January's Super Bowl was live-streamed for free on Tubi . While all of these alternatives may not cover as much ground as live TV streamers, they could end up being cheaper avenues to the sports you want. And if sports is all youre after, there are sports-only plans that are a touch cheaper, too. The promised sports streaming service from ESPN, Fox and Warner Bros. called Venu was cancelled early this year. But on August 21, ESPN launched its own streaming service that includes all ESPN channels and costs $30 per month. Fubo Sports is $56 monthly and includes local broadcast stations from ABC, CBS and FOX plus a slew of sports networks (CBS Sport and FS1 among them) as well as all networks included with ESPN Unlimited . Fox launched its own standalone service in August as well and it includes Fox Sports and all other Fox properties (News, Business, Weather) for $20 monthly. DirecTV also has a $70-per-month , sports-only streaming package called MySports and Comcast has a sports and news bundle for that same price (as long as you're an Xfinity customer with auto-pay, otherwise it's more expensive). Traditional cable networks Dozens of linear programming networks were once only available with cable TV, like Bravo, BET, Food Network, HGTV, CNN, Lifetime, SYFY and MTV. If you only subscribe to, say, Netflix or Apple TV+, you wont have access to those. But as with sports, standard streamers are starting to incorporate this content into their offerings. After the Warner Bros. merger, Max incorporated some content from HGTV, Discovery and TLC. Peacock has Bravo and Hallmark shows, and Paramount+ has material from Nickelodeon, MTV and Comedy Central. Other entertainment channels like AMC+ have stand-alone apps. The Discovery+ app gives you 15 channels ad-free for $10 per month (or with ads for $6 monthly). And a service called Frndly TV starts at a mere $7 per month and streams A&E, Lifetime, Game Show Network, Outdoor Channel and about 35 others. Of course, most live TV streaming options will deliver more sizable lists of cable networks, but just note that you may already be paying for some of them and if all you need is a certain channel, you could get it cheaper by subscribing directly. On-demand streaming Most live TV subscriptions include access to a selection of video-on-demand (VOD) content, like you would get with a traditional streaming service. Much of this content is made up of the movies and TV series that have recently aired on your subscribed networks. This typically doesnt cover live events and news programming, but I was able to watch specific episodes of ongoing shows like Top Chef or BETs Diarra from Detroit. Just search the on-demand library for the program, pick an episode and hit play. Partnerships, like Hulus relationship with Disney, and add-ons, such as bundling Max with your YouTube TV subscription or Starz with your Sling plan, will let you watch even larger libraries of on-demand content. But again, if VOD is all youre after, paying for those networks directly instead of through a live TV plan will be far cheaper. Digital video recordings (DVR) limits Every option I tried offers some cloud DVR storage without needing a separate physical device. Youll either get unlimited storage for recordings that expires after nine months or a year, or youll get a set number of hours (between 50 and 1,000) that you can keep indefinitely. Typically, all you need to do is designate what ongoing TV series you want to record and the DVR component will do all the hard work of saving subsequent episodes for you to watch later. You can do the same thing with sports events. Aside from being able to watch whenever its most convenient, you can also fast-forward through commercials in recorded content. In contrast, you cant skip them on live TV or VOD. Simultaneous streams and profiles per account Each plan gives you a certain number of simultaneous streams, aka how many screens can play content at the same time. And while most providers will let you travel with your subscription, there are usually location restrictions that require you to sign in from your home IP address periodically. Stream allowances range from one at a time to unlimited screens (or as many as your ISPs bandwidth can handle). Some plans require add-ons to get more screens. Most services also let you set up a few profiles so I was able to give different people in my family the ability to build their own watch histories and libraries, set their favorite channels and get individual recommendations. Picture-in-picture mode and multiview Picture-in-picture (PiP) usually refers to shrinking a video window on a mobile device or computer browser so you can watch it while using other apps. Sling, YouTube TV, FuboTV, Philo, DirecTV Stream and Hulu + Live TV all have PiP modes on computers and mobile devices. Another feature, multiview, lets you view multiple (usually four) sports matches or other live content at once on your TV screen. YouTube TV, FuboTV and now DirecTV all let you do this. With YouTube TV, you can select up to four views from a few preset selection of streams. FuboTV offers the same feature, but only if you're using an Apple TV or Roku streaming device. DirecTV lets you do so through mixes which include sports, news, business and kids variants with a set four channels in each mix. 4K live streams Right now, just FuboTV, YouTube TV and DirecTV Stream offer 4K live streams but with caveats. YouTube TV requires a $20-per-month add-on , after which youll only be able to watch certain live content in 4K. DirecTV Stream has three channels that show live 4K content one with shows and original series, and two with occasional sporting events. You dont have to pay extra for these but you do need to have either DirecTVs Gemini receiver, or a device from Fire TV, Apple TV or Roku. Youll need those same streaming devices to watch the select 4K programming on Sling as well. FuboTV shows certain live events in 4K but access is limited to the Elite and Premier packages, not the base-level Pro plan. Of course, watching any 4K content also requires equipment that can handle it: a 4K smart TV or 4K streaming device paired with a cord and screen that can handle 4K resolution. Tiers, packages and add-ons Comparing price-to-offering ratios is a task for a spreadsheet. I made three. The base plans range from $28 to $85 per month. From there, you can add packages, which are usually groups of live TV channels bundled by themes like news, sports, entertainment or international content. Premium VOD extras like Max, AMC+ and Starz are also available. Add-ons cost an extra $5 to $20 each per month and simply show up in the guide where you find the rest of your live TV. This is where streaming can quickly get expensive, pushing an $80 subscription to $200 monthly, depending on what you choose. How to stream live TV for free I also downloaded and tried out a few apps that offer free ad-supported TV ( FAST ) including Freevee , Tubi , PlutoTV and Sling Freestream . These let you drop in and watch a more limited selection of live networks at zero cost. Most dont even require an email address, let alone a credit card. And if you have a Roku device, an Amazon Fire TV or Stick, a Samsung TV, a Chromecast device or a Google TV, you already have access to hundreds of live channels via the Roku Channel , the live tab in Fire TV, through the Samsung TV Plus app or through Google TV . Back to top How we tested live TV streaming services When I begin testing for a guide, I research the most popular and well-reviewed players in the category and narrow down which are worth trying. For the paid plans, just six services dominate so I tried them all. There are considerably more free live TV contenders so I tested the four most popular. After getting accounts set up using my laptop, I downloaded the apps on a Samsung smart TV running the latest version of Tizen OS. I counted the local stations and regional sports coverage, and noted how many of the top cable networks were available. I then weighed the prices, base packages and available add-ons. I then looked at how the programming was organized in each apps UI and judged how easy everything was to navigate, from the top navigation to the settings. To test the search function, I searched for the same few TV shows on BET, Food Network, HGTV and Comedy Central, since all six providers carry those channels. I noted how helpful the searches were and how quickly they got me to season 6, episode 13 of Home Town . I used DVR to record entire series and single movies and watched VOD shows, making sure to test the pause and scan functions. On each service with sports, I searched for the same four upcoming NHL, NBA, MLS and NCAA basketball matches and used the record option to save the games and play them back a day or two later. Finally, I noted any extra perks or irritating quirks. All live TV streaming services weve tested: Philo Sling YouTube TV Hulu + Live TV DirecTV Stream FuboTV Freevee Tubi PlutoTV Sling Freestream Plex Back to top Live TV Streaming FAQs What is live streaming? Streaming simply refers to video content that is delivered to your screen over the internet. Live streaming can be split into two categories: linear programming and simultaneous transmission. That first one is similar to what you get with cable or broadcast TV, with channels that play a constant flow of movies and shows (sort of what TV looked like before Netflix). Simultaneous streaming lets you watch live events (like a basketball game) or a program (like the evening news) as they happen. What is the difference between streaming and live streaming? Standard streaming, the most popular example being Netflix, lets you pick what you want to watch from a menu of choices. Its also referred to as video on demand. Live streaming refers to sports and news events that you can stream as they happen in real time. It also refers to channels that show a continuous, linear flow of programming. What streaming service is best for live TV? FuboTV does the best job of letting you organize live channels to help you find just what you want to watch. The interface is uncluttered and when you search for something, the UI clearly tells you whether something is live now or on-demand. YouTube TV also does a good job making that info clear. Both have just over 100 live channels on offer. What is the most cost effective TV streaming service? Free TV streaming services like PlutoTV, Plex, Tubi and FreeVee show plenty of ad-supported TV shows and movies without charging you anything. Of course, they wont have the same channels or content that more premium subscriptions have. Ultimately it depends on what you want to watch and finding the service that can supply that to you in the most streamlined form so youre not paying for stuff you dont need. Is it cheaper to have cable or streaming? A basic cable package used to be more expensive than the base-level live TV streaming service. But now that nearly all major providers have raised their prices to over $75 per month, thats no longer the case. And with add-ons and other premiums, you can easily pay over $200 a month for either cable or a live TV streaming service. But those who want to cut the cord will appreciate that streaming services don't have contracts. What streaming service has all the TV channels? No service that we tested had every available channel. Hulu + Live TV and DirecTV Stream carry the the highest number of the top rated channels, according to Neilsen . Hulus service also gets you Disney+ fare, which you cant get elsewhere. FuboTV has the most sports channels and YouTube TV gives you the widest selection of add-ons. What is the most popular live TV streaming platform? YouTube TV has the most paying customers. According to 2024's letter from the CEO, the service has over eight million subscribers. Disneys 2024 third quarter earnings put the Hulu + Live TV viewer count at 4.6 million. Slings customer count dipped from two million to about 1.9 million in 2024 and FuboTV grew its subscriber list to 1.6 million . How safe are free streaming services and websites? You may have heard certain sites that provide free content can be dangerous, leading to stolen info and/or exposing you to malware. Thats likely in reference to certain peer-to-peer (P2P) networks and file-sharing sites that let people download free movies and series which can come bundled with malicious code. But if youre talking about the free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) services listed here, from providers like PlutoTV, Tubi and Plex, they are just as safe as any other streaming service. Since you sometimes dont even have to provide your email address or credit card info, they can even be more anonymous for cord cutters than apps that require login credentials. Back to top Recent updates December 2025 : Included Fubo's channel and price adjustments. Confirmed pricing for all services. Back to top This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/best-live-tv-streaming-service-133000410.html?src=rss

The best VPN deals: Up to 88 percent off ProtonVPN, Surfshark, ExpressVPN, NordVPN and more

It's the night before Christmas, and holiday VPN deals are going strong. It's a great time to grab a last-minute subscription for yourself or a loved one. With access to a virtual private network (VPN) , you can stream TV shows and events from all over the world, protect your information from hackers and thwart online trackers. It might be cute that Santa sees you when you're sleeping and knows when you're awake, but Russian hacker collectives and the Amazon marketing department don't really share St. Nick's charm. Although we strongly recommend using a VPN , jumping on the first deal that comes along might get you stuck with a substandard app. Beyond that, even otherwise respectable VPNs sometimes frame their prices in misleading ways, with advertised deals not always as available as they seem to be. Even so, there are some great bargains on the table. For the holiday season, plenty of the best VPNs including our top pick, Proton VPN have end-of-year deals live that can save you anywhere from 67 to 88 percent on annual subscriptions. Most of these discounts only apply if you sign up for a year or more, but as long as you're comfortable with a service before you take the plunge, committing actually makes sense. You pay more at the start, but if you divide the cost by the months of subscription, it's much cheaper over time. Best VPN deals ExpressVPN Basic $97.72 for a two-year subscription with four months free (73 percent off): This is one of the best VPNs, especially for new users, who will find its apps and website headache-free on all platforms. In tests for my ExpressVPN review , it dropped my download speeds by less than 7 percent and successfully changed my virtual location 14 out of 15 times. In short, it's an all-around excellent service that only suffers from being a little overpriced which is why I'm so excited whenever I find it offering a decent deal. This discount, which gets you 28 months of ExpressVPN service, represents a 73 percent savings. Be aware, though, that it'll renew at the $99.95 per year price. ExpressVPN Advanced $125.72 for a two-year subscription with four months free (67 percent off): ExpressVPN recently split its pricing into multiple tiers , but they all still come with similar discounts for going long. In addition to top-tier VPN service, advanced users get two additional simultaneous connections (for a total of 12), the ExpressVPN Keys password manager, advanced ad and tracker blocking, ID protection features and a 50 percent discount on an AirCove router. As above, note that it renews at $119.95 annually. NordVPN Basic $80.73 for a two-year subscription with three months free (74 percent off): NordVPN gets the most important parts of a VPN right. It's fast, it doesn't leak any of your data and it's great at changing your virtual location. I noted in my NordVPN review that it always connects quickly and includes a support page that makes it easy to get live help. NordVPN includes a lot of cool features, like servers that instantly connect you to Tor. This holiday deal gives you 74 percent off the two-year plan, which also comes with three extra months. NordVPN Plus $105.03 for a two-year subscription with three months free (74 percent off): In another holiday discount, NordVPN has also taken 74 percent off its Plus subscription. For only a little more, you get a powerful ad and tracker blocker that can also catch malware downloads, plus access to the NordPass password manager. A Plus plan also adds a data breach scanner that checks the dark web for your sensitive information. Surfshark Starter $53.73 for a two-year subscription with three months free (87 percent off): This is the asic level of Surfshark , but it includes the entire VPN; everything on Surfshark One is an extra perk. With this subscription, you'll get some of the most envelope-pushing features in the VPN world right now. Surfshark can rotate your IP constantly to help you evade detection it even lets you choose your own entry and exit nodes for a double-hop connection. That all comes with a near-invisible impact on download speeds. With this year-round deal, you can save 87 percent on 27 months of Surfshark. Surfshark One $61.83 for a two-year subscription with three months free (88 percent off): A VPN is great, but it's not enough to protect your data all on its own. Surfshark One adds several apps that boost your security beyond just VPN service, including Surfshark Antivirus (scans devices and downloads for malware) and Surfshark Alert (alerts you whenever your sensitive information shows up in a data breach), plus Surfshark Search and Alternative ID from the tier below. This extra-low deal gives you 88 percent off all those features. If you bump up to Surfshark One+, you'll also get data removal through Incogni, but the price jumps enough that it's not quite worthwhile in my eyes. CyberGhost $56.94 for a two-year subscription with two months free (83 percent off): CyberGhost has some of the best automation you'll see on any VPN. With its Smart Rules system, you can determine how its apps respond to different types of Wi-Fi networks, with exceptions for specific networks you know by name. Typically, you can set it to auto-connect, disconnect or send you a message asking what to do. CyberGhost's other best feature is its streaming servers I've found both better video quality and more consistent unblocking when I use them on streaming sites. Currently, you can get 26 months of CyberGhost for 83 percent off the usual price. hide.me $69.95 for a two-year subscription with four months free (75 percent off): Hide.me is an excellent free VPN in fact, it's my favorite on the market, even with EventVPN and the free version of Proton VPN as competition. If you do want to upgrade to its paid plan, though, the two-year subscription offers great savings. Hide.me works well as a no-frills beginner VPN, with apps and a server network it should frankly be charging more for. Private Internet Access $79 for a three-year subscription with four months free (83 percent off): With this deal, you can get 40 months of Private Internet Access (PIA) for a little bit under $2 per month an 83 percent discount on its monthly price. Despite being so cheap, PIA has plenty of features, coming with its own DNS servers, a built-in ad blocker and automation powers to rival CyberGhost. However, internet speeds can fluctuate while you're connected. What makes a good VPN deal Practically every VPN heavily discounts its long-term subscriptions year-round, with even sharper discounts around occasions like the holidays. The only noteworthy exception is Mullvad, the Costco hot dog of VPNs (that's a compliment, to be clear). When there's constantly a huge discount going on, it can be hard to tell when you're actually getting a good deal. The best way to squeeze out more savings is to look for seasonal deals, student discounts or exclusive sales like Proton VPN's coupon for Engadget readers . One trick VPNs often use is to add extra months onto an introductory deal, pushing the average monthly price even lower. When it comes time to renew, you usually can't get these extra months again. You often can't even renew for the same basic period of time for example, you may only be able to renew a two-year subscription for one year. If you're planning to hold onto a VPN indefinitely, check the fine print to see how much it will cost per month after the first renewal, and ensure that fits into your budget. Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice . This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-best-vpn-deals-up-to-88-percent-off-protonvpn-surfshark-expressvpn-nordvpn-and-more-120056445.html?src=rss

Pro-Russian hacker group claims responsibility for DDoS attack on French postal service

A pro-Russian hacker group has come forward as the perpetrator of a DDoS attack on the French national postal service La Poste that took place on December 22, according to Reuters . The distributed denial-of-service attack took central computer systems at La Poste entirely offline and caused major disruptions in package deliveries just days before Christmas. Reuters reported that the cyberattack on La Poste was still not fully resolved as of Wednesday morning. While regular letters were not affected, postal workers were unable to track packages and online payments through La Banque Postale, the service's banking division, were also disrupted. The group, known as Noname057, has taken responsibility for or been accused of cyberattacks across the globe. Though attacks have occurred in over a dozen nations, the group has mostly targeted Ukraine as well as Ukraine-friendly nations. Europol, the EU's law enforcement agency, launched an extensive operation against the group this summer. The US Justice Department has also been involved in actions against the hacker group. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/pro-russian-hacker-group-claims-responsibility-for-ddos-attack-on-french-postal-service-140015323.html?src=rss

Toyota's Prius Prime saved me gas money but probably not the environment

Ive always wondered what it would be like to own a plug-in hybrid, and recently, fate handed me that opportunity. On a recent trip to Vancouver, I rented a 2024 Toyota Prius Prime for nearly two months the ideal scenario to try out North Americas most popular PHEV. My experience with the Prius Prime Previously, the words Prius and sexy were rarely used in the same sentence. However, I think the wedge-shaped Prius Prime introduced for 2023 is much sexier than its frumpy predecessors. The sleek shape also pierces the wind better to improve efficiency. Its lower to the ground than before, though, which can make entry tough for taller or older people. I was comfortable in the Prius Prime once seated, even though the materials and options arent quite as luxurious as other PHEVs sold in the US . On two 10-hour highway drives up to northern Canada I never felt sore (or cold) in the well-bolstered, heated seats. However, visibility wasnt the greatest due to the low seating position and thick front pillars that occasionally blocked my view of traffic. Steve Dent for Engadget With its wraparound dash and 8-inch touchscreen, the interior is reasonably high-tech but not to the standard of some EVs Ive tried recently. It came with wireless CarPlay and Android Auto support that gave me seamless streaming entertainment on long highway stretches. The driver safety features (lanekeeping, adaptive cruise, automatic braking and more) also boosted my confidence in Vancouvers gnarly traffic. The Prius Prime doesnt offer true one-pedal implementation , but it has a mode thats close to that. With a two-liter 150 HP gas motor and 161 HP electric motor (net 220 HP combined ), the 2024 (fifth generation) Prius Prime has a whopping 100 more horsepower than the previous model. The electric drivetrain is supplied by a 13.6kWh battery (10.9kWH usable) that takes four hours to charge at 240 volts, or double that with 120-volt household electricity. That means you can juice it fully overnight, but it doesnt have DC fast-charging for speedy power-ups on longer trips. The EPA electric range is 44 miles, 19 more than the fourth-gen Prius. It accelerated surprisingly well (from 0 to 60mph in 6.7 seconds) and was agile, but had a fair amount of body roll since its not designed for the race track. Still, considering the Priuss reputation as a staid hippie econobox, the new model was downright sporty. I enjoyed driving in the all-electric mode much more than the hybrid mode, though it was quieter and smoother, with lower noise levels and vibration. So, how far was I able to drive on that electric motor alone? On the highway at about 65 MPH, I eked out 30 miles and just over 40 miles in the city. On one trip, I drove from the city center to a suburb 30 miles away and made it there and partially back on a full charge. On another voyage, I was able to drive back and forth between the east- and west-most points of Vancouver (13 miles) a typical commute for many city-dwellers with about a quarter charge to spare. Steve Dent for Engadget With consistent charging, my fuel consumption over a two week period (averaging 25 miles per day) was about a quarter of a tank or around $7.50. In terms of electricity, I used nearly 70.5kWh during that time at $.085/kWh, for a total of $6. All told, I spent $13.50 for gas and electricity over 350 miles of mixed driving, so the Prius Prime was clearly cheap to operate. For longer trips, its still as inexpensive as it gets for a gasoline-powered vehicle, thanks to the efficient ICE motor and hybrid system thats among the best in the industry. With a full battery charge and tank, I set out on a 547-mile drive and travelled 470 miles before stopping for gas, with a quarter tank to spare. That fill-up cost around $25. The true savings and the problem with plug-in hybrids The timing for my test of this car was ideal. In October, I spotted a European study concluding that PHEVs arent as economical as expected over a large sample size. Engadgets article about that stirred up some passion among owners and potential buyers, so I wanted to compare my experience with points in the study. First, lets see if a PHEV is worth the extra money compared to a regular hybrid. My calculations are for the average US buyer and dont take state or federal clean air rebates into account. When I chose to rent a compact car, Avis assigned me a mid-range Prius Prime XSE a model that lists at $37,320 but typically sells for $34,590, according to Edmunds . That suited me well as it only lacked a few features of the high-end XSE Premium, notably the larger 13.2-inch infotainment display and solar roof option. A fully equipped 2026 XSE Premium model with those features costs $41,665. Steve Dent for Engadget Since Toyota also makes a regular hybrid Prius, that vehicle offers an ideal comparison. The equivalent Prius XTE model has a list price of $31,995 in a similar configuration, making it $5,325 cheaper than the Prius Prime XSE. The average US driver covers 13,662 miles per year and gasoline currently has a median $3 per gallon price. Over that distance, a non-PHEV Prius driver could expect to burn 273 gallons at 50 MPG (EPA combined) in a year, spending $819 on fuel. A Prius Prime driver, on the other hand, would use 70 to 85 percent less fuel by current EPA or WLPT estimates. If we generously take the high end of those numbers at 85 percent, that cuts fuel costs to $160. That would require using about 2,500 kWh of electricity, though, so at an average US price of $0.18/kWh, that amounts to $450, for a total of $610 (gas plus electricity). That means youd save just $209 in a year, or $2,090.00 over 10 years not enough to justify the extra price. (Fuel and electricity prices, usage and other factors vary by region and can have a big impact on those figures.) It could be even worse than that, according to a European automotive thinktank called Transport & Environment (T&E). After gathering real-world OBFCM data from 800,000 vehicles, they determined that PHEVs only run in all-electric mode 27 percent of the time, rather than 84 percent as estimated by Europes WLPT standard. As a result, plug-in hybrids in Europe emit five times more emissions and cost users 500 ($586) more per year than previously thought. Those figures are likely similar in the US. Steve Dent for Engadget How could regulators be so wrong about this key data? The first, obvious reason is that they underestimated how often people charge their vehicles. With their relatively short range, plug-in hybrids often need a full charge to get through the day in electric-only mode but many people arent doing that. Why? One reason may be a lack of easy charger access away from home. I found them to be difficult to find and use, often requiring a sign-up or app rather than just letting me tap a credit card (Im looking at you, ChargePoint, Flo and Switch Energy). It can also be more expensive than just buying gasoline, since many companies charge triple or more the market rate for electricity. Another factor is that drivers of company or fleet PHEVs charge their vehicles less often than private owners. There's one additional and especially pernicious reason: The ICE engine often kicks in when PHEVs are supposedly running in all-electric mode, particularly with heavier sedans or SUVs. Thats because the electric motors alone arent powerful enough for maneuvers like passing. Larger batteries can boost all-electric usage, but only to a point. Beyond 45 miles of range, emissions actually increase. The reason is simple: Long-range PHEVs are the heaviest in the dataset, averaging 28 percent more mass and 33 percent more engine power than the group just below, T&E wrote. Steve Dent for Engadget Overall, I enjoyed my time with the Prius Prime and found it to be fun, practical and cheap to drive. Its the most economical PHEV because it has excellent electric range and enough power that the ICE engine rarely needs to kick in. At the same time, it offers the highest EPA mileage rating of any non-EV sold in North America. If I were in the market for a new vehicle, the Prius Prime would be high on my list. However, I also learned that PHEVs arent reducing emissions or saving buyers as much as regulators and manufacturers have promised. Governments are to blame for much of that, as they overestimated all-electric use in PHEVs and failed to support the charging infrastructure needed to make them practical. Responsibility also falls to automakers and buyers. Consumers want SUVs, but manufacturers arent making the electric motors in PHEVs powerful enough to run all the time in EV mode or offering fast DC charging. At the same time, drivers are failing to charge their vehicles consistently. Until those issues are solved, in my experience plug-in hybrids are a poor substitute for EVs in terms of emissions and a less economical choice than regular hybrids. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/toyotas-prius-prime-saved-me-gas-money-but-probably-not-the-environment-133027378.html?src=rss

How to redeem game codes on the Nintendo Switch 2

Digital game codes remain one of the simplest ways to add new titles to a Nintendo library. The Nintendo Switch 2 handles code redemption in a familiar way, building on the same process used on the original Switch. You can redeem a download code directly from the eShop on the console, or through a browser on a phone or desktop. Both routes link the purchase to the same Nintendo Account so the redeemed title appears on any compatible device tied to that account. The process is quick once you know where to look. Here is how to redeem game codes on Switch 2 through the console and online. Things to know before you start A Nintendo Account is required and the Switch 2 must be connected to the internet for on-device redemption. Most codes contain sixteen characters made up of letters and numbers. The characters are displayed on a physical card, on a receipt or in a confirmation email from a retailer. The characters should be entered exactly as supplied. Each code can only be redeemed once and becomes linked to the Nintendo Account used during the process. How to redeem a game code on the Switch 2 via the eShop Redeeming a code through the Switch 2 itself is the most direct approach because the download begins as soon as the code is accepted. Start on the Switch 2 home screen and open the Nintendo eShop icon . The console will prompt you to choose the user profile that should receive the content. Each user profile has a separate eShop purchase history, so pick the correct one before moving on. Once the eShop loads, look for the Redeem Code option in the main menu. On the Switch 2, this appears in the left navigation panel alongside the stores standard browsing categories. Select Redeem Code to open a screen with an input field and the on-screen keyboard. Enter the sixteen-character code carefully. Codes may contain similar-looking characters particularly when numbers and letters appear in the same sequence. After entering the full set of characters select OK to move forward. The system checks the code and shows a confirmation page with the game or content tied to it. If the code is valid, select Redeem to finish the process. The game will appear on the home screen as soon as the redemption is complete. A progress bar shows the download status until the installation finishes. If the game includes a Switch and Switch 2 version, the system will prompt you to choose which version to download. If the game does not begin downloading head to the All Software view or the Download Management screen to confirm the status. The redeemed title should be visible with either a queued or active download. How to redeem a Switch 2 code online Nintendo also supports online redemption through its digital store, which is useful if you are away from the console or prefer to type the code on a full keyboard. The redeemed title will still appear in your accounts purchase history and can be downloaded later from the Switch 2. Open a browser on a phone, tablet or computer and go to the Nintendo Account login page . Sign in using the account linked to your Switch 2. Once logged in navigate to the code redemption page for the Nintendo eShop. This page contains a text box where you can paste or type the code. Enter the code exactly as provided and select Next . A confirmation screen appears with the game details. Select Redeem to finalize the action. The content is now tied to your account and ready to download on your console. If the console is in sleep mode and has auto downloads enabled, the game may start downloading immediately. Otherwise open the eShop on the Switch 2 later and check the Download Management section for your queued title. What to expect after redeeming a code Every redeemed game becomes part of your Nintendo Accounts digital library. This applies across devices tied to the same account, which means that games purchased on a Switch or a browser will still appear when you sign in on a Switch 2. If the game supports cloud backup through Nintendo Switch Online, save data will sync once the game is installed. Some games offer separate versions for the original Switch and Switch 2. When this applies, youll be asked to pick which version you want to download. The choice does not usually affect your ownership but it determines which software build is installed on the device. If a code fails, Nintendo advises checking that the characters are entered correctly and confirming that you are using a download code rather than a control number, which often appears on the same card. Codes for DLC downloads require the base game on the destination console. Region restrictions also apply so the code must match the region of your Nintendo Accounts eShop. Why Switch 2 uses the same redemption system as the original Switch The Switch 2 keeps the familiar eShop structure that users have relied on since the original console. Keeping this process consistent simplifies the transition for families with multiple consoles and reduces the friction of carrying existing purchases forward. Nintendo Accounts continue to serve as the backbone for digital ownership which makes it easy to claim a code on one device and access the game on another. The updated interface on the Switch 2 adds clarity to navigation but code redemption still works the same way on both platforms. This continuity ensures that retailers can distribute standard sixteen-character download codes and users can rely on simple steps to activate them. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/how-to-redeem-game-codes-on-the-nintendo-switch-2-130059847.html?src=rss

Samsung's latest Odyssey gaming monitor has a 32-inch 6K screen with glasses-free 3D

Ahead of CES 2026, Samsung has unveiled a number of impressive gaming monitors that flaunt 3D and very high refresh rates. The headliner is the 32-inch Odyssey 3D, the world's first 6K display with glasses free 3D, according to Samsung. Along with the high resolution, it offers a 165Hz refresh rate (boosted to 330Hz through Dual Mode), along with a 1ms GtG response time. Optimized 3D effects that enhance terrain, distance and object separation beyond 2D will work with featured games like Stellar Blade and The First Berserker: Khazan , according to Samsung. Another model, the 27-inch Odyssey G6, brings refresh rates to a new level. It's the world's first 1,040 Hz monitor through Dual Mode and offers native QHD support up to 600Hz to help players track targets and see fine details during high-speed movement, Samsung claims. It can provide instant performance boosts and is AMD FreeSync and NVIDIA G-Sync compatible. Samsung If it's OLED you want, Samsung has that covered as well with the 32-inch Odyssey OLED G8. It pairs a 4K QD-OLED panel with a 240Hz refresh rate, while offering glare-free viewing and VESA DisplayHDR True Black 500 certification, though brightness is limited to 300 nits. It's DisplayPort 2.1 and HDMI 2.1 compatible with up to 80Gbps bandwidth, while supporting both AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and NVIDIA G-Sync. Finally, Samsung introduced two other new high-resolution Odyssey G8 models as well. The first is the 32-inch G80HS model with 6K resolution at up to 165Hz and the other is the 5K, 27-inch Odyssey G8 with native support up to 180Hz and Dual Mode boosting that to 360Hz in QHD. There's no word on pricing yet for any of these models, but we'll likely learn that early next year. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/accessories/samsungs-latest-odyssey-gaming-monitor-has-a-32-inch-6k-screen-with-glasses-free-3d-130051748.html?src=rss

US bans former EU Commissioner and others over social media rules

The Trump administration has issued travel bans that prohibit five European tech researchers, including one former EU Commissioner, from entering the United States. For far too long, ideologues in Europe have led organized efforts to coerce American platforms to punish American viewpoints they oppose. The Trump Administration will no longer tolerate these egregious acts of extraterritorial censorship, said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. That official is Thierry Breton , the former European Commissioner for Internal Markets and Digital Services, who Sarah Rogers called the mastermind of the Digital Services Act. Rogers, the Under Secretary of State, said Breton threatened Elon Musk about ongoing formal proceedings for Xs noncompliance with illegal content and disinformation under the DSA just before his meeting with President Trump. The administration has also banned Imran Ahmed from the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), who apparently called for American anti-vaxxers to be deplatformed. One of those people is Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., whos now the US Secretary of Health. Clare Melford from the UK-based Global Disinformation Index has also been banned. Her group monitors online platforms for hate speech. Anna-Lena von Hodenberg and Josephine Ballon from German organization HateAid, have been banned, as well. HateAid flags hate speech online for the EU under DSA rules. As The New York Times notes, these travel bans emphasize the administrations close relationship with internet and tech companies, which would benefit from having DSA rules loosened or abolished. The Global Disinformation Index called the travel bans an authoritarian attack on free speech and an egregious act of government censorship. Meanwhile, von Hodenberg and Ballon said the bans mark a new escalation. The US government is clearly questioning European sovereignty, they said. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/us-bans-former-eu-commissioner-and-others-over-social-media-rules-121804097.html?src=rss

The best streaming deals: Get 50 percent off MasterClass subscriptions, plus save on Starz, Audible, Crunchyroll and others

If youve been shocked by how much you spend on streaming services lately, youre not alone. Companies like Netflix, Disney, HBO Max and others have been consistently raising prices to the point where you may question if streaming is even worth it anymore . We at Engadget still think it is, but we also think you should be smart with your money and thats where streaming deals come in. Yes, it is possible to get discounts on services like Peacock and Paramount+, even if those deals arent as common as a sale on AirPods. If youre looking to save money and still stream all of the content you want, Engadget can help by laying out the best streaming deals you can get right now, how you can save with bundles and everything you should know before paying for yet another streaming service. Best streaming deals True streaming deals can be hard to come by. Most often, theyll pop up during the Black Friday shopping period. On occasion, well see them sparingly throughout the year and they usually take the form of a discounted monthly or annual rate for a limited period of time. Also, true streaming deals are typically on the ad-supported versions of a service, but once in a while youll find a unicorn of a deal on a tier that has ad-free viewing. If youre able to wait for a deal before subscribing to a streaming service, we recommend doing so. Youll save money upfront and in the long run, and you also have the option to cancel your subscription before the price goes back up to the normal rate. ESPN Unlimited bundle $30/month with Disney+ and Hulu for free for one year: Sports fans can sign up for the new ESPB Unlimited bundle at the standard $30-per-month rate, but for a limited time, you can get Disney+ and Hulu (with ads) included in that price for free. The trio bundle would typically cost you $36 per month, so overall, you're saving $6 per month for one year, for a total of $72 in savings. Philo Core $25 for your first month ($8 off): Our pick for the best cheap live TV streaming service , Philo offers more than 70 channels in its Core tier, plus access to HBO Max (with ads), AMC+ and Discovery+. After your first month, the subscription will auto-renew at the standard $33-per-month rate. Audible three months for $3 : For literally $1 per month , you can get access to Audible's enormous library of published audiobooks, podcasts and Audible Originals (which can be anything from never-before-heard books to live performances). It's only three months, after which you'll have to cancel or renew at the regular price, but an audiobibliophile can cram a lot of listening into 90 days. Crunchyroll $67 for one year ($13 off): Anime fans can get one year of Crunchyroll access for less right now. The Fan tier is down to $67 for the year, while the Mega Fan tier is on sale for $100 for one year. Both tiers give you ad-free access to the streaming service, but you'll get offline access and up to four simultaneous streams with the Mega Fan option. Note that this deal does not include access to Crunchyroll Manga. Starz (one year) for $12 ($58 off): Pay upfront for one year and you can get more than $40 off a Stars annual subscription. There's a month-to-month option too, which costs $3 per month for the first three months if you don't want to commit to the full year. Either option gives you access to the entire Starz TV and movie library with offline viewing and no ads. Spotify Premium Individual four months for free ($48 off): This is our favorite music streaming service for podcasts and social features. The Premium Individual plan lets you listen ad-free and skip songs at will. You can also organize your listening queue and download content for offline listening. Just be aware, your subscription will auto-renew at the end of the trial period. So if you don't want to be on the hook for the $12 monthly fee, set a reminder to cancel and go back to the free version. Amazon Music Unlimited three months for free ($36 off): Amazon's own music streaming service is now free for three months, for new subscribers only. With it, you get access to 100 million songs with no ads, many podcasts and some audiobooks from Audible as well. Fubo Pro for $55/month for the first month ($30 off): Fubo has introductory discounts on most of its packages, and the Pro package is the least expensive plan currently listed. It offers access to 224 channels, unlimited cloud DVR and up to 10 simultaneous streams. It even includes regional sports content from the NHL, MLB and NBA. DirecTV starting at $50/month for one month (up to $40 off): All of DirecTV's signature packages are up to $45 off right now for your first month when you sign up. If you opt for the base Entertainment package, you'll spend $50 for the first month and get access to over 90 channels, including many local stations as well as ESPN, ESPN 2 and Fox Sports 1. You'll also be able to watch on the go with the DirecTV mobile app. Streaming bundle discounts Theres more consolidation happening now than ever before in the streaming space, and that means there are more streaming bundle options. These bundles offer you access to more content with one subscription price, but those prices are typically higher than paying for a single service by itself (obviously). It may be tempting to just get the bundle, but if only one of those services in the bundle speaks to you, youll spend less overall by just paying for the single service. Speaking of a deep love for a single streaming service: if all of your favorite shows are on Peacock or the latest releases on HBO Max consistently bring you joy, consider paying for one year upfront. Subscribing with an annual plan usually saves you money in the long term over paying on a monthly basis. Unfortunately, not all streaming services (looking at you, Netflix) have an annual subscription option. Disney+ If you feel like Charlie Kelly trying to figure out who Pepe Silvia is when you look at Disney's streaming prices chart , you're not alone. The confusion comes from the fact that Disney owns, or has a hand in, many streaming services including Hulu and ESPN. Throw in a partnership with HBO Max and you have a ton of options to consider and, probably, whiplash to match. Here's a quick overview of popular Disney+ bundle pricing. Disney+ and Hulu bundle (with ads) $13/month Disney+ and Hulu bundle (without ads) $20/month Disney+, Hulu and ESPN Select (with ads) $20/month Disney+, Hulu and ESPN Select (without ads on Disney+ and Hulu only) $30/month Disney+, Hulu and HBO Max (with ads) $20/month Disney+, Hulu and HBO Max (without ads) $33/month Peacock TV Peacock doesn't have any streaming bundles available all year round, but you can save if you pay for one year upfront. Peacock Select (with ads) $8/month or $80/year Peacock Premium (with ads) $11/month or $110/year Peacock Premium Plus (without ads) $17/month or $170/year Paramount+ Paramount+ used to bill its tier with Showtime as a sort of bundle, but it has since renamed its plans and focused the Showtime inclusion in its premium tier as just another bonus of paying for the higher priced plan. Paramount+ Essential (with ads) $8/month or $60/year Paramount Premium (without ads) $13/month or $120/year Student discounts on streaming services It pays to be a student sometimes, at least. A number of streaming services have student discounts you can take advantage of as long as you're actively studying. What that translates to most of the time is being able to verify your student status and signing up with your .edu email address. HBO Max student discount subscribe for $5/month (50 percent off): HBO Max offers their ad-supported tier to students for half off the usual rate. Youll just have to verify that youre a student through Unidays , and make note that this offer is only good for up to 12 months of service. Hulu student discount subscribe for $2/month (75 percent off): Those with a valid student ID can get Hulus ad-supported tier for 75 percent off the typical rate. Theyll keep the same sale price for as long as theyre a student as well. Spotify student discount Premium + Hulu with ads for $6/month (72 percent off): Spotifys student offer continues to be one of the best around, giving you access to the Premium tier of the music streamer and Hulus ad-supported plan for only $6 monthly. Purchased separately, youd pay $22 per month for both of the services. Plus, the first month is free when you sign up. NBA League Pass student discount one year for $120 (40 percent off) : Students can get one year of League Pass for only $10 per month, which includes access to NBA TV and the ability to watch classic and archive games on-demand. On the NBA League Pass website, look for the student discount banner at the top and follow the instructions to verify your student status. Read more streaming coverage The best live TV streaming services to cut cable The best streaming services: Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max and more The best streaming devices Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice . This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-best-streaming-deals-get-50-percent-off-masterclass-subscriptions-plus-save-on-starz-audible-crunchyroll-and-others-133028536.html?src=rss

The best streaming services in 2026

With so many streaming platforms out there, it is easy to feel like you are constantly sorting through menus instead of watching something you enjoy. Every service has its own vibe, whether it is big cinematic releases, long documentary deep dives or shows you put on in the background while you unwind. Some people even swap cable for live TV streaming . Here, we are looking at the on-demand services that deliver the most value for everyday use. Whether you are settling in for a weekend binge, watching with family or catching up on a favorite series during your commute, these are the best streaming services to keep in your rotation. Best streaming services for 2026 This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/best-streaming-services-154527042.html?src=rss

IO Interactive's 007 First Light has been delayed until May 27

IO Interactive's James Bond simulator 007 First Light has been delayed until May 27, 2026 . It was supposed to come out in March. The company says two-month delay is for polish and refinement, which is fine by me. I'd always rather wait a bit longer for a better end product. IO says the game is already fully playable from beginning to end but still needs a bit of attention to ensure the strongest possible version at launch. The developer promises to share more updates at the beginning of next year. For the uninitiated, 007 First Light is the first James Bond game in over a decade . The developer is the same organization behind the renowned Hitman franchise, so this could potentially be the best Bond game since Goldeneye . The gameplay looks fast-paced, frenetic and filled with spycraft. It features an original story that pulls from all over the decades-long franchise. We got a chance to speak to narrative director Martin Emborg and he noted that the game stars a young and inexperienced Bond, which seems to be the direction Amazon is taking with its upcoming film . The game also boasts a pretty stacked cast. Patrick Gibson, from The OA and Dexter: Original Sin , plays the famous lothario spy and Lenny Kravitz has been cast as the primary villain. Other cast members include Lennie James, Kiera Lester, Alastair Mackenzie and Priyanga Burford. Who knows when the next Bond film will actually come out, so this should be a nice little stopgap for fans. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/io-interactives-007-first-light-has-been-delayed-until-may-27-194809718.html?src=rss

Xbox cloud gaming comes to newer Amazon Fire TV models

Xbox has brought cloud gaming gaming to some Amazon Fire TV models . These include the Fire TV 4-Series and the Fire TV Omni QLED Series . This lets people play Xbox games directly on the television, without needing a bulky console or even something like a Fire TV stick. Gamers do need a couple of things. First and foremost, this service requires a subscription to Game Pass. Plans start at $10 a month and shoot all the way up to $30 per month. They'll also need a compatible wireless controller, though most Bluetooth-enabled gamepads should work. Amazon The feature works for every game on the Game Pass platform and will also stream many titles that people own outright via the stream your own game feature . This won't work with everything, but hundreds of titles are supported. Amazon says this is just the beginning and that more TV models will receive the functionality in the future. Xbox Game Pass became available on select Amazon streaming devices earlier this year. Today's move makes sense, given that Fire TVs and the company's streaming sticks use the same OS. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/xbox-cloud-gaming-comes-to-newer-amazon-fire-tv-models-163517432.html?src=rss

New York Times reporter files lawsuit against AI companies

Investigative reporter John Carreyrou of the New York Times filed a lawsuit against xAI, Anthropic, Google, OpenAI, Meta and Perplexity on Monday for allegedly training their AI models on copyrighted books without permission. Carreyrou is perhaps best known for exposing the Theranos fraudulent blood test scandal. According to Reuters , the lawsuit was filed alongside five other writers who all claim big tech companies have been violating their intellectual property rights in the name of building large language models. This comes after a banner year for IP lawsuits against AI companies brought by rights holders. Just about every type of entity that deals in protected content has gone to court against AI companies this year, from movie studios like Disney and Warner Bros. to papers like the New York Times and the Chicago Tribune . Some of these cases have led to settlements in the form of partnerships, such as the licensing deal between Disney and OpenAI. It's notable that this case is being brought by a small group of individuals instead of as a class action, something the authors involved say is no accident. LLM companies should not be able to so easily extinguish thousands upon thousands of high-value claims at bargain-basement rates, the complaint reads. This is also the first case of its kind to list xAI as a defendant. A spokesperson for Perplexity told Reuters that the company doesn't index books. Anthropic, for its part, is no stranger to lawsuits from book publishers, having recently settled a class-action lawsuit brought by half a million authors for $1.5 billion. Apple was also sued earlier this year amid similar allegations. This latest complaint mentions the Anthropic settlement specifically, saying that class members in that case will only receive a tiny fraction (just 2 percent) of the Copyright Acts statutory ceiling of $150,000. Engadget has reached out to xAI, Anthropic, Google, OpenAI, Meta and Perplexity for comment and will update with any response. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/new-york-times-reporter-files-lawsuit-against-ai-companies-161624268.html?src=rss

Apple's iOS 26.3 will introduce proximity pairing to third-party devices in the EU

Apple is making it a little easier to use third-party devices with iPhones in order to comply with Europe's Digital Market Act (DMA), MacRumors reported. For iOS 26.3, Apple's devices will support third-party proximity pairing and notifications in Europe only, according to the latest beta notes. That will make it a bit easier to connect devices like Sony headphones or receive notifications from an iPhone on Wear OS smartwatches provided manufacturers support the new feature. The DMA creates new opportunities for developers to bring to market innovative products and services in Europe, an EU spokesperson told The Wall Street Journal . This is another step towards a more inter-connected digital ecosystem to the benefit of all EU citizens. The EU Commission added that the functionality will be fully available in the bloc in 2026. The new capabilities are as follows: Proximity pairing - Devices like earbuds will be able to pair with an iOS device in an AirPods-like way by bringing the accessory close to an iPhone or iPad to initiate a simple, one-tap pairing process. Pairing third-party devices will no longer require multiple steps. Notifications - Third-party accessories like smart watches will be able to receive notifications from the iPhone. Users will be able to view and react to incoming notifications, which is functionality normally limited to the Apple Watch. Notifications can only be forwarded to one connected device at a time, and turning on notifications for a third-party device disables notifications to an Apple Watch. Proximity pairing is a relatively minor quality-of-life upgrade, allowing you to connect with a tap via NFC rather than diving into the Bluetooth settings. However, there's no indication that it will allow seamless switching between devices as you can do with Apple's iPods, for instance. Notifications, however, will finally make third-party watches feasible with iOS devices. Apple's DMA compliance efforts are interesting to watch, as it appears to be doing the bare minimum required, often for what it calls privacy reasons. In some cases, the company is removing features in Europe that are available elsewhere, like iPhone mirroring on Mac meaning it doesn't have to implement the same feature on Android devices or PCs. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/apples-ios-263-will-introduce-proximity-pairing-to-third-party-devices-in-the-eu-133037696.html?src=rss

The best gifts cards to give this holiday season: Amazon, Apple, Best Buy and others

This late in the game, its not possible to ship gifts to friends and family and have them arrive before the holidays. But thats ok because its never been easier to give a digital gift that will arrive basically whenever you want it to. If youre looking for more creative digital gift ideas , weve got you covered. But right now, you may just be looking for the best gift card ideas that you can buy online and digitally send to the people you love. Weve got you covered: these are the best gift cards to send as last-minute gifts this year. Best gift cards to give for the holidays Check out the rest of our gift ideas here. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-best-gifts-cards-to-give-this-holiday-season-amazon-apple-best-buy-and-others-110032592.html?src=rss

2025 was the year Xbox died

Want to see a dead body? I present to you the Xbox. After a subdued launch at the height of the COVID pandemic in 2020, the Xbox Series X quickly lost the fight against the PlayStation 5 . Microsoft simply couldn't deliver enough compelling games, despite some huge acquisitions , while Sony leaned on its goodwill from the PS4 era and a handful of desirable exclusives. As prices rose due to supply chain issues and the Trump administration's volatile tariff scheme, there was even less of a reason to get an Xbox (even the cheaper Series S). When I re-reviewed the Series X last year , it was clear that it never lived up to its potential. Anyone in their right mind would be better off buying a PlayStation 5. Xbox didn't enter 2025 in a great state, and it's leaving the year grasping for help, like an Arc Raider player desperate for a revival after being knocked out. Microsoft cancelled the Perfect Dark reboot and Everwild , two of the most interesting games in its weak upcoming slate. The company brought titles like Forza Horizon 5 over to the PlayStation 5 , which prompted Engadget Deputy Editor Nathan Ingraham to declare he no longer needed an Xbox . Xbox Series X controller Engadget Making things worse this year, Microsoft raised prices across the board , with the Xbox Series S starting at $400 and the cheapest Series X going for a whopping $600. And slow sales prompted Costco to stop selling Xbox consoles entirely. Microsoft didn't even try to push systems during Black Friday why go through the trouble of having sales if nobody is buying the hardware in the first place? Even Game Pass, which was once renowned as one of the best deals in gaming, almost doubled in price over the last year, reaching up to $30 a month (or $360 a year) for the Ultimate tier. Sure, Microsoft tried to add more value to its cheaper Game Pass tiers, and finally upgraded its cloud streaming platform , but the lack of consistent must-play exclusive titles has devalued the service (and Xbox as a whole). Avowed and South of Midnight were among the few exclusive highlights, but the latter will hit PS5 and Switch 2 next year . There's no word on Avowed reaching other consoles yet, but given Microsoft's current trajectory (and the fact that it's a genuinely great game), I wouldn't be surprised if it becomes available elsewhere. There was a chance for Microsoft to reinvigorate the Xbox brand with the ASUS ROG Xbox Ally and Ally X gaming handhelds, but the $600 and $1,000 launch prices placed them out of reach for most gamers. It also doesn't help that Windows still isn't well-optimized for portable devices with touchscreens, and those systems also aren't compatible with older Xbox titles like the consoles. At the very least, Microsoft now has a handheld foothold. But a future portable Xbox console would need to be significantly cheaper to compete with the likes of the Steam Deck , which starts at $400 (and is often on sale for much less). And speaking of Valve, the company's recently announced Steam Machine has also stolen a lot of potential thunder from Xbox. The Steam Machine is basically a tiny gaming desktop for your TV, running the Steam Deck's SteamOS. That platform is a Linux distribution optimized for emulating Windows titles. But unlike an Xbox console, it's not closed off in any way. You're free to install whatever you'd like on a Steam Machine even Windows! While we still haven't seen the Steam Machine in action, the Steam Deck's excellent performance and game compatibility makes me think its desktop sibling could be genuinely compelling to console players looking for something new. And it will likely directly compete with the next Xbox, which is rumored to arrive in 2027 as a PC in a TV-friendly case (according to Windows Central's Jez Corden ). Microsoft's recent partnership deal with AMD also hints at a more PC-like experience Xbox President Sarah Bond noted that the Xbox team is working closely with the Windows team to ensure that Windows is the number one platform for gaming. It's worth remembering that only a single generation of the Xbox the Xbox 360 was successful enough to truly compete with Sony's PlayStation. The original Xbox reportedly cost Microsoft $4 billion over the course of four years, leading the company to quickly jump ship and move to its successor. The Xbox 360 was genuinely innovative, thanks to Xbox Live and smarter online integration, and it had a healthy amount of third-party support. In comparison, Sony's PlayStation 3 was $100 to $200 more expensive than the Xbox 360 at launch, it had far worse online support and developers found it hard to program for. Xbox Series X Devindra Hardawar for Engadget Unfortunately, Microsoft squandered most of its good will with the Xbox One . That console was first announced as an always online device with restrictive DRM features that limited how you could share and sell games; it was bundled with a Kinect camera that could potentially surveil you; and at $499, it was $100 more than the PlayStation 4. Microsoft quickly reversed many of its DRM-heavy plans for the Xbox One, but by that point the damage was done. Sony ultimately sold more than twice as many PS4 units as the entirety of the Xbox One family (which included the cheaper One S and more powerful One X ), according to data from Ampere Research . Things are looking worse this generation: The Xbox Series S and X reportedly only sold around 33 million units as of July, according to Statista estimates , while Sony confirmed it sold 84.2 million PS5s as of November. If this trend continues (and it doesnt appear as if Xbox sales will be increasing any time soon), Sony could end up selling three times as many consoles this generation, compared to Microsoft. Xbox sales have been so slow that the family-focused Nex Playground managed to outsell it in November, according to data from Circana . Given Xbox's inability to compete with the PlayStation 5, it's no wonder Microsoft could be changing things up entirely for its next system. Its partnership with AMD could easily lead to new handhelds, and it also gives Microsoft a leg up in producing a compact and powerful Xbox PC. After all, why should the company keep trying to go toe-to-toe with Sony's closed PlayStation platform? Why shouldn't Microsoft embrace its PC roots to give us a gaming desktop under our TVs? The company has already committed to bringing new Xbox games to PCs immediately, so the line between the two is already blurring. It may be a risk, but evolving into a PC proves theres still life in the Xbox brand. And crucially, its also something Sony cant easily replicate. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/2025-was-the-year-xbox-died-130000467.html?src=rss

CES 2026: Everything we're expecting from tech's biggest conference in January

As we hurtle towards the end of the year, the shadow of CES hovers on the horizon. Techs biggest annual conference is starting in just under two weeks, and we already know some of the products and announcements that could be in store. The CES 2026 show floor is officially open from January 6 through 9, but the fun kicks off with events on Sunday January 4 and a host of press conferences on Monday. As always, product demos, announcements and networking will be happening at the Las Vegas Convention Center and other hotels all over the city. As usual, Engadget will be covering the event in-person and remotely, bringing you news and hands-ons straight from the show floor. More specific details and pre-announcements are already trickling out as CES approaches, and thanks to the CTAs schedule we also do know what companies will be hosting press conferences. Were also using our experience and expertise to predict what tech trends could rear their heads at the show. What we already know about Press conferences and show floor booths are the bread and butter of CES. The Consumer Technology Association has already published a searchable directory of who will have a presence at the show, along with a schedule of every official panel and presentation. On Sunday, January 4, Samsung will kick-off CES with The First Look, a presentation hosted by TM Roh, the CEO of Samsung's DX Division, on the company's vision for the DX (Device eXperience) Division in 2026, along with new AI-driven customer experiences. That'll be followed by multiple press conferences throughout Monday, January 5. LG is hosting its Innovation in Tune with You presentation to share its vision for elevating daily life through Affectionate Intelligence at the start of the day, Intel is launching its new Core Ultra Series 3 processors in the afternoon, Sony Honda Mobility is holding a press conference on its first car and AMD CEO Lisa Su will cover AMD's upcoming chip announcements at a keynote address that closes out the day. On the week of December 15, the CTA added a keynote by NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang to its schedule . The event will take place on January 5 at 1PM PT and, according to the website, will last about 90 minutes. Based on the description on the listing, the presentation will showcase the latest NVIDIA solutions driving innovation and productivity across industries. Finally, on Tuesday, January 6, Lenovo CEO Yuanqing Yang will host Lenovo's Tech World Conference at Sphere, using the large and decidedly curved screen to share the company's commitment to delivering smarter AI for all by constantly redefining how technology can engage, inspire, and empower. Its worth noting that Lenovo is the parent company of Motorola, which still makes phones and foldables that feature AI tools, so its possible those devices feature in the presentation as well. As they typically do, some companies have already gotten a headstart on the CES news by publicly sharing their announcements in the weeks leading up to January. LG, for example, has said it will debut its first Micro RGB television at CES . While details are scarce, the companys press release for the LG Micro RGB evo did confirm it has received certifications by Intertek for 100 percent color gamut coverage in DCI-P3 an Adobe RGB, and that it has more than a thousand dimming zones for brightness control. Not to be forgotten, Samsung also announced it will be launching a whole lineup of Micro RGB TVs at CES . The company already introduced its first Micro RGB TV at CES 2025 , which was a 115-inch model available for a cool $30,000. Next year, Samsung is expanding the range with 55-, 65-, 75-, 85-, 100- and 115-inch models that use the next evolution of the companys Micro RGB technology. Outside of the formal introduction of new products and initiatives, reading the tea leaves of what was announced last year and what companies are reportedly working on, we can make some educated guesses at what we could see at CES 2026. New chips from AMD, Intel and Qualcomm CES is frequently the start of a cascade of new chip announcements for a given year, and one of the first places new silicon appears in real consumer products. AMD will likely use its keynote to introduce new versions of its Ryzen chips, including the recently spotted Ryzen 7 9850X3D , which is expected to offer better single-threaded performance, and the Ryzen 9000G series, which could be built with AMD's Zen 5 architecture. The company might also use its CES stage to go over its new FSR Redstone AI upscaling tech. Intel has already publicly announced that it'll launch its Panther Lake chips at CES 2026. The officially titled Intel Core Ultra Series 3 chips fit into Intel's overall AI PC push, but are specifically meant for premium laptops. Based on a preview from October 2025, Intel says the first chip made with its 2-nanometer 18A process will offer 50 percent more processing performance than previous generations and for the chip's Arc GPU, a 50 percent performance bump from last generation. Qualcomm is also rumored to be targeting laptops at the show, building on the work it's done moving its Snapdragon chips out of phones and tablets and into other types of computers. The company's Snapdragon X2 Elite and X2 Elite Premium chips should start appearing in laptops at CES 2026, offering a look at the improved speed and AI performance the company promised in 2025. Brighter, ruer screens Sony announced a collection of new Bravia TVs in April 2025, replacing the company's flagship, filling in its midrange options and adding a new budget model to the mix. The star of this updated Bravia lineup is the Bravia 9, which features a QD-OLED panel, but Sony appears to be prepping entirely new display tech for 2026. In March 2025, Sony introduced a new RGB LED panel that uses individual Mini LED backlights colored in red, green and blue to produce even brighter, more accurate colors. In contrast to a QD-OLED, which filters a layer of blue organic light emitting diodes through quantum dots that change color, Sony's General RGB LED Backlight Technology can get as bright as a Mini LED panel without needing an extra filter layer or worrying about OLED's problems with burn-in. The company has already trademarked the name True RGB, which could end up being what Sony calls this new flavor of display if it decides to show them off at CES. It seems entirely likely, because CES is nothing if not a TV show its a sure bet that well see new TVs from the likes of LG and Samsung in addition to Sony. If the company doesn't introduce new display tech for its TVs, it does have a new 240Hz PlayStation monitor coming in 2026 that it could show off at CES instead. Sony isn't the only company hyped on bright screens. Samsung is reportedly pushing an updated version of the HDR10 and HDR10+ standards that could be ready to demo at CES 2026. The new HDR10+ Advanced standard would be Samsung's answer to Dolby Vision 2 , which includes support for things bi-directional tone mapping and intelligent features that automatically adapt sports and gaming content. Samsung's take will reportedly offer improved brightness, genre-based tone mapping and intelligent motion smoothing options, among other improvements. Ballie Watch 2026 The ball-shaped yellow robot lovingly known as Ballie has been announced twice, first in 2020 and then again in 2024 with a projector in tow. Samsung said Ballie would go on sale in 2025 at CES last year and then shared in April 2025 that Ballie would ship this summer with Google's Gemini onboard. But it's nearly 2026, and Ballie is nowhere to be seen. It's possible Samsung could make a third attempt at announcing its robot at CES 2026, but whether or not it does, robotics will still be a big part of the show. Robot vacuums and mops were a major highlight of CES 2025, and it's safe to expect notable improvements from the new models that are announced at CES 2026. Not every company will adopt the retractable arm of the Roborock Saros Z70 , but robot vacuums with legs for rising over small ledges like the Dreame X50 seem like they could become the norm. Roborock could also show off its new Roborock Qrevo Curv 2 Flow , the first of its robot vacuums to feature a retractable roller mop. Beyond just traversing spaces more efficiently, improving robots' navigation could also be a major concern at the show. Prominent members of the AI industry are turning their attention from large language models to world models , which aim to give AI a deep understanding of physical space. Those world models could be the key to making robots, bipedal or otherwise, competent at navigating homes and workplaces, and will likely be a significant talking point at CES 2026. Well be updating this article throughout the month as more rumors surface and new products are confirmed stay tuned for future updates! Update, December 11 2025, 11:03AM ET: This story has been updated to include detail on Lenovo being Motorolas parent company and how the latter might have a part in the Tuesday presentation. Update, December 16 2025, 1:33PM ET: This story has been updated to include the NVIDIA press conference, which was added to the CTA schedule within the last two days. Update, December 23 2025, 7:28AM ET: This story has been updated to include LG and Samsungs Micro RGB TV announcements, which were made public in the past seven days. The intro was also tweaked to reflect how soon CES is at this point. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/ces-2026-everything-were-expecting-from-techs-biggest-conference-in-january-120000106.html?src=rss

The Morning After: The best games of 2025

As many of us hunker down for the holidays, you might want to tackle some of the best games weve seen this year : the long-time-coming Silksong , the critically acclaimed (and sumptuous) Expedition 33 and the bizarre world of Baby Steps. Engadget Not to mention the Switch 2, which is slowly building out its own exclusive library with Metroid Prime 4 and Donkey Kong Bananza. Rare for me, this year, Ive played many of the new games weve picked. Brag. Id recommend both Dispatch and Blue Prince I still havent completed the latter, but, yes, Ive unlocked the secret elevator. And if you dont have access to your usual PC or console setup, there are some smartphone games worth your time, including Spooky Express, Is This Seat Taken and, well , Umamusume: Pretty Derby , a reimagined world of horse racing where the horses are anime girls with horse ears. Try explaining that to your uncle over dinner. Mat Smith The other big stories (and deals) this morning Paramount has an updated Warner Bros. Discovery bid The 12 best last-minute Christmas gifts for 2025 that will arrive by December 24 Nintendo has huge discounts on Switch 2 games in its holiday sale US bans new foreign-made drones and components Previously sold drones will not be affected. Engadget The Federal Communications Commission has assigned foreign-made drones and their critical components as prohibited to import into the US. The FCC said several national security agencies have determined that unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and their critical components produced in foreign countries pose an unacceptable risk to the United States national security. FCC Chair Brendan Carr clarified on X the ban does not affect old drones. People can continue using the devices theyve already purchased, and retailers can keep selling models already approved by the agency. One of the most well-known brands affected by the ban is Chinese company DJI, which told Engadget it was disappointed by the agencys decision. While DJI was not singled out, no information has been released regarding what information was used by the Executive Branch in reaching its determination, a spokesperson said. Continue reading. Pirate group Annas Archive says it has scraped Spotify in its entirety The group says it has over 86 million tracks. Annas Archive, the open-source search engine for shadow libraries, claims to have scraped Spotifys entire music library. The group acquired metadata for approximately 256 million tracks, including 86 million songs, and the total size is just under 300 TB. 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. In response, the streamer said: Spotify has identified and disabled the nefarious user accounts that engaged in unlawful scraping. Weve implemented new safeguards for these types of anti-copyright attacks and are actively monitoring for suspicious behavior. Continue reading. Foldable phone makers have solved every issue except one The only issue is price. Engadget Google and Samsung have iterated their big foldables year on year for, well, years. But in 2025, they both delivered big phones that addressed prior flaws and issues. With the Galaxy Z Fold 7, Samsung achieved what may be an even bigger accomplishment by creating a foldable phone of essentially the same size and weight as its own S25 Ultra. The one thing the makers of big foldables havent figured out is how to make them affordable. OnePlus came close in 2023 with the Open, which cost $1,500 after rebates. But things are actually going backwards. The launch price of the Z Fold 7 ($2,000) is $200 higher than the Z Fold 5s debut price. Continue reading. Everything you need to know about Amazons newest Echo feature: Alexa Home Theater Spatial surround is here. Amazons Alexa Home Theater feature has gradually become a legitimate surround sound option. You can link up to five Echo speakers and a subwoofer for a wireless cinematic experience. While the automatic room calibration and easy setup are great, the high price tag of a full Echo Studio array and limited EQ controls mean its best for people already juggling multiple Amazon speakers. Continue reading. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-engadget-newsletter-121545111.html?src=rss

How to set up an Apple Watch for a child

Giving a child an Apple Watch can offer extra peace of mind and tools that promote independence in a controlled way. Apples Family Setup feature makes it possible for a kid to use an Apple Watch without owning an iPhone, and the feature set has expanded thanks to recent watchOS updates. It supports communication controls, location tools, Schooltime limits and privacy protections that allow a parent or guardian to manage how the device is used throughout the day. The setup process begins with creating or signing in with a childs Apple ID. It continues with adding them to your Family Sharing group on an iPhone and pairing a compatible Apple Watch through the Apple Watch app. Once the watch is linked, you can adjust a range of parental controls that shape how the watch works at home, at school and when the child is out and about. Confirm device compatibility Family Setup requires a cellular-capable Apple Watch such as the Apple Watch SE or Series 6 or later. A cellular connection allows the watch to operate independently without an iPhone nearby. The watch must be running a recent version of watchOS and the iPhone used for setup must be running the latest iOS version. If the watch is not new, it needs to be erased before it can pair with a new user. This can be done directly on the watch through the Settings menu by choosing the general reset option. Once the device is reset it can be paired again from the Apple Watch app. Create or prepare your child's Apple ID Family Setup relies on each child having their own Apple ID. This allows their data, messages, activity goals and device settings to remain separate from other people in the household. If your kid already has an Apple ID, it can be used during setup. If they do not have one, the Apple Watch app will prompt you to create one as you go through the pairing process. A childs Apple ID is linked to Family Sharing, which lets the organizer manage permissions from a single iPhone. A parent or guardian can approve contacts, handle screen time requests and view location updates without needing to touch the watch itself. Setting this up first ensures that the watch can be paired smoothly later. Add the child to Family Sharing Family Sharing is the foundation for managing the watch, and its all controlled through the Settings app on your iPhone. Once Family Sharing is open you can tap the option to add a family member then follow the prompts to link the childs Apple ID to the group. This also makes you the family organizer, which gives you control of purchase approvals, communication limits and other shared features. Once the child is added to Family Sharing their information becomes available when you begin pairing the Apple Watch. This makes the process faster since the watch can immediately associate itself with the correct Apple ID. Pair the watch using Family Setup Turn on the Apple Watch and place it near your iPhone. A prompt should appear directing you to use your iPhone for setup. If the prompt does not appear, you can open the Apple Watch app, go to All Watches and choose Add Watch. The app will then ask if the device is being set up for you or for a family member. Choose the family member option and continue. The camera on your iPhone is used to pair the devices. Align the Apple Watch face inside the frame on your screen until the pairing animation is recognized. Once the connection is made the app will ask which family member the watch is for. Select the childs profile to continue through the remaining steps. The app will guide you through choosing which wrist the watch will be worn on, setting a passcode, signing in with the childs Apple ID and enabling services such as Siri and location tracking. You can also set up activity goals tailored to the childs age and fitness level. Manage the watch from your iPhone Once the Apple Watch is paired, the Watch app becomes the main place to manage how it works. The Family Setup interface is designed to give parents and guardians control without needing to handle the watch directly. Most adjustments can be made at any time from the iPhone used for setup. Screen Time controls allow you to set limits for communication and app use. You can restrict access to certain features during specific times of day, create downtime schedules and manage content restrictions for websites and apps. These settings mirror the Screen Time system used on other Apple devices which makes it easier to keep rules consistent across the household. Approved contacts can be managed through the communication limits menu. This ensures that the child can send messages and make calls only with approved people. If you add or remove contacts, they are updated instantly on the watch. Location sharing is handled through the Find My app. You can view the childs location and set notifications that alert you when they arrive at or leave a particular place. This is useful for school pickups or after-school activities. The watch uses on-device processing for location and messages which helps maintain privacy. Configure Schooltime and Focus modes School time is one of the most important parental controls for younger users. It limits interaction with the watch during school hours by locking access to most apps and features. Only the time and a simple yellow icon appear on the screen while Schooltime is active. You can schedule Schooltime from the Apple Watch app so that it automatically turns on and off at the right times each day. Focus modes offer another layer of control. These modes can reduce distractions during homework, bedtime or other family routines. Each Focus mode can limit notifications and activity alerts so the child is not interrupted when they need to concentrate. Set up safety features Emergency SOS is enabled during setup and can be managed afterward in the Apple Watch app. It allows the child to contact emergency services by holding the side button. You can also assign an emergency contact who will receive a notification if SOS is triggered. The Medical ID should include relevant details such as allergies or medical conditions. This information can be accessed by emergency responders if needed. Adjust privacy and communication settings The watch uses on-device processing for messages, location and Siri requests which helps protect your childs data. Location sharing can be turned on or off at any time and you can manage which apps are allowed to use location services. Communication permissions can also be updated as the childs needs change. Apps installed on the watch can be controlled from the Apple Watch app. You can remove apps, restrict access or hide notifications at any time to maintain a balanced experience. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/how-to-set-up-an-apple-watch-for-a-child-120051230.html?src=rss

The best Nintendo Switch 2 accessories for 2026

Whether you just got a Switch 2 or you've had yours for a while, you may want to grab some key accessories to make it fit your gaming style even more than it already does. Not only can the right accessories make it easier and more fun to play all of the games you love, but they can also make your gaming experience better in different environments, be it on the couch, in an airplane or in the car. We've got to try out some of the latest Switch 2 accessories, and some of our old favorites are also compatible with the new console. These are our current favorite Nintendo Switch 2 accessories, and we'll add to this list over time as we test out new gear. Best Nintendo Switch 2 accessories More Nintendo Switch 2 accessories Nintendo announced a bunch of new accessories when it revealed the Switch 2 earlier this year. Key among them are a new Switch 2 Pro controller, Switch 2 camera, an all-in-one carrying case and more. Our staff will be testing out a bunch of these accessories, and we'll keep our favorites list up to date as we do so. If you're interested in picking any of those new Switch 2 accessories up, you can find them at a variety of retailers: Joy-Con 2 bundle Nintendo Walmart GameStop Best Buy Target Amazon Hori Nintendo Switch 2 Piranha Plant Camera Best Buy Target Amazon Joy-Con 2 Charging Grip Nintendo Walmart GameStop Best Buy Target Amazon Joy-Con 2 Wheels (set of 2) Nintendo Walmart GameStop Best Buy Target Amazon Switch 2 All-in-One Carrying Case Nintendo Walmart GameStop Best Buy Target Amazon Switch 2 Carrying Case and Screen Protector Nintendo Walmart GameStop Best Buy Target Amazon This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/best-nintendo-switch-2-accessories-070011952.html?src=rss

US bans new foreign-made drones and components

The Federal Communications Commission has added foreign-made drones and their critical components to the agencys Covered List , making them prohibited to import into the US. In a public notice published by the FCC, it said several national security agencies have determined that umanned aircraft systems (UAS) and their critical components produced in foreign countries pose an unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States. UAS and UAS critical components must be produced in the United States, the agency said. UAS are inherently dual-use: they are both commercial platforms and potentially military or paramilitary sensors and weapons. UAS and UAS critical components, including data transmission devices, communications systems, flight controllers, ground control stations, controllers, navigation systems, batteries, smart batteries, and motors produced in a foreign country could enable persistent surveillance, data exfiltration, and destructive operations over U.S. territory, including over World Cup and Olympic venues and other mass gathering events. FCC Chair Brendan Carr clarified on X that the ban does not affect old drones. People can continue using the devices theyve already purchased, and retailers can keep selling models that have already been approved by the agency. The new rule only applies to upcoming models. He also said that the Department of War or the Department of Homeland Security can allow specific new models, a certain class of drones or particular components to be sold in the US. Today, based on an Executive Branch national security determination, the FCC has added foreign-produced UAS (drones) and foreign-produced UAS critical component parts to the FCCs Covered List on a going forward basis. President Trump has been clear that his Administration will pic.twitter.com/tVLlsBeOfw Brendan Carr (@BrendanCarrFCC) December 22, 2025 The FCC didnt name any manufacturers in particular, but one of the most well-known brands that will be affected by the ban is Chinese company DJI, which told Engadget that it was disappointed by the agencys decision. While DJI was not singled out, no information has been released regarding what information was used by the Executive Branch in reaching its determination, a spokesperson said.DJI has long been in the US governments crosshairs and has been trying to prove that its products arent a national security threat. DJI products are among the safest and most secure on the market, supported by years of reviews conducted by US government agencies and independent third parties, they added. Concerns about DJIs data security have not been grounded in evidence and instead reflect protectionism, contrary to the principles of an open market. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/us-bans-new-foreign-made-drones-and-components-053201854.html?src=rss