Are you really making the most out of your Amazon Prime subscription? Sure, you’ve got paper towels and cat litter coming in like clockwork. But if you’re not regularly combing through the service’s streaming catalog, then you’re missing out on hundreds of hours of killer TV. Read More

Razer announced its lightest gaming mouse today, the Viper Mini Signature Edition. It only weighs 49g, making it 16 percent lighter than the company’s Viper V2 Pro and one of the most lightweight mice we’ve seen from a large company. The mouse uses a magnesium alloy exoskeleton with a semi-hollow interior (bearing a slight resemblance to the SteelSeries Aerox 3 Wireless). “We wanted to push beyond the traditional honeycomb design, and this required a material with an outstanding strength-to-weight ratio,” said Razer’s Head of Industrial Design, Charlie Bolton. “After evaluating plastics, carbon fiber and even titanium, we ultimately chose magnesium alloy for its exceptional properties.”Razer Razer says the mouse uses its fastest wireless tech and will be among its best-performing wireless mice. It includes the Razer Focus Pro 30K Optical Sensor, Optical Mouse Switches Gen-3 and HyperPolling Wireless with 4000Hz polling rates. Additionally, Razer says the mouse’s battery lasts up to 60 hours and can fully charge via USB-C in less than 90 minutes. It ships with a pre-paired USB dongle. The $280 mouse will be available exclusively on Razer’s website starting February 11th. Read More

Ella Balinska, voice actress of Frey in Forspoken, has seen the discourse surrounding the game and, unlike her character who would probably tell some of y’all to fuck off, she’s very gracious. In my interview with her, she told me she understands gamers are a passionate lot and that she appreciates that about them. “I love the gaming community for how committed they are to really getting in depth for each game that they play,” Balinska said over Zoom. She also understands that folks’ reaction to Frey — sometimes calling her mean and shitty — stems from the fact that Frey isn’t like other video game protagonists. “This is such an extraordinary game that has come out with this amazing protagonist who’s so bold, so unapologetic, so reluctant in the best way possible,” she said. “I think audiences might not be so used to seeing that.” Read More

Guy Ritchie has a very particular sense of style he likes to bring to his films, which are generally full of quippy, bombastic action that typically centers on very Bri’ish gangsters or cops or detectives shooting people and blowing stuff up. Read More

After saying that it could come to PlayStation 5 in early 2022, Discord chat has finally arrived in the latest beta, Sony announced. PS5 Testers in the US, Canada and Japan will be able to join Discord calls, some months after Microsoft introduced the feature on Xbox. PS5 is also gaining Variable Refresh Rate support for 1440p, along with dashboard UX improvements and more.  Discord integration is a bit clunky, much like it was on Xbox at first. Here's how to set it up and use it, according to Discord's blog. First, you need to link your PlayStation Network (PSN) account to Discord, then select Discord under "Linked Services." After that, you can complete the integration using either a QR code or the PS5's integrated browser.  Each time you want to use Discord chat on console, though, you'll need to use your mobile device to transfer your conversation, which isn't ideal. Back in November, Microsoft made it possible to join Discord chats directly from the console, so hopefully Sony will eventually do the same. Sony Other new social features include a new way to share screens, party chats in the dashboard and "friends who play" that shows which of your friends are playing a game right now. Sony also introduced Variable Refresh Rate support for 1440p gaming, so HDMI 2.1 displays should exhibit smoother performance at that resolution with less tearing. Sony launched PS5 VRR in April last year and 1440p support shortly afterwards, but the two features have yet to work together.  Gamers will also find new tools to access PS4 saved data on a PS5, along with the ability to move games from one PS5 console to another over WiFi or ethernet. The new beta is rolling out to certified testers today, and should be available to everyone else over the next few months. Read More

The blue and green Paperwhite models are both down to $109.99. Image: Amazon Getting bored staying indoors because it’s too cold to venture outside? We feel you, which is why we found some good deals today that’ll keep you entertained while inside. First up, Amazon is discounting the new green and blue versions of its latest Kindle Paperwhite.Both are on sale with ads and 16GB of storage for $109.99 ($40 off), or you can buy them without ads for $129.99 ($40 off). The new color configurations were announced just yesterday, yet today’s discount is only $10 shy of the Paperwhite’s lowest price to date. This is the same Paperwhite we reviewed (and loved) upon its debut in late 2021 — just a little more colorful. Read More

If you’re like most Americans, you only really watch the Super Bowl these days so that you can tell people you only watch it for the commercials; if so (and you’re in the mood for blockbuster filmage), you’re in for good news this month, as there are apparently going to be some pretty major trailers rolled out at... Read More

With the third season of Overwatch 2 slated to start on February 7th, Blizzard is stepping up its efforts to combat cheating. In a blog post published Wednesday, the studio said it would begin identifying players who regularly play with known cheaters. Blizzard says the owners of those accounts will face repercussions, even if they’re not cheating themselves. It warns of “severe suspensions” and, in some cases, outright bans. Next season, Blizzard will also introduce a system for moderating custom game modes. The company says the new technology will automatically remove games with inappropriate titles or content and sanction the accounts that create and post those modes. The system comes after the original Overwatch’s “sexual harassment simulator” custom mode made a brief reappearance last month. The mode tasked players with impregnating the game’s female heroes while playing as Cole Cassidy, the hero Blizzard renamed after allegations about its “frat boy” workplace culture came to light in 2021. After the mode appeared in Overwatch 2’s most popular list, Blizzard took action but didn’t say how it would prevent a similar incident from happening again. Lastly, Blizzard says it’s taking action against a practice known as stream sniping. If you’ve ever watched a popular streamer play a multiplayer game like Overwatch 2 or Valorant, you know how frustrating it is for content creators when someone tries to queue into the same match and uses a stream to give themselves a competitive edge. Starting with season three, players will have the option to prevent their BattleTag, and the tags of anyone else in their match, from appearing in their game client. Blizzard will also allow players to hide or delay their queue time. The studio says those measures should prevent someone watching a stream from figuring out if they’re in the same lobby as a streamer. You’ll find the toggles to enable those features within Overwatch 2’s social settings. Read More

Discord integration for PS5. Image: Sony Beta testers will be able to join Discord voice calls on a PS5 console in the US, Canada, Japan, and UK starting today. The integration allows PS5 owners to join Discord calls by linking accounts and then using the Discord mobile app to transfer calls to the PS5. Sony is also adding Variable Refresh Rate support for 1440p, alongside various dashboard improvements. The Discord voice integration on PS5 appears seems similar to how Microsoft initially launched Discord support on the Xbox. Read More

Shockingly, the extremely ill-advised Netflix reality game show based on the Netflix scripted series about a game show where the powerful exploit the poor through a series of extremely dangerous challenges is, wait for it, exploitative, dangerous, and now allegedly scripted as well. Whoever could have guessed! Read More

EA didn't just kill Apex Legends Mobile and Battlefield Mobile, apparently. Bloombergsources claim the publisher canceled an unannounced single-player game set in the Titanfall and Apex Legends universe. While details of the project aren't available, veteran developer Mohammad Alavi (who also worked on the Call of Duty series) was reportedly helming the project until he left Respawn in early 2022. EA is said to be finding places for the affected 50 team members when possible. EA declines to comment. Respawn says it's shutting down Apex Legends Mobile as its content roadmap is starting to "fall short" of expectations. The studio also delayed Star Wars Jedi: Survivor by six weeks over quality concerns. The reported cancelation doesn't come as a shock. The global economy is slowing, and game publishers are among those scaling back to help endure financial turmoil. Ubisoft recently canceled three games amid a gloomy outlook, and Halo developer 343 Industries is dealing with the consequences of Microsoft's layoffs. Decisions like this theoretically help EA and Respawn concentrate on known money-makers like Apex Legends, which has earned over $2 billion so far. The rumor is likely to be disappointing to fans if true. The Titanfall games are well-reviewed, but Titanfall 2 arrived seven years ago. A third title in the series eventually transformed into Apex Legends as the battle royale trend took hold. Now, players may have to wait even longer for a new story-driven game in the franchise — if it happens at all. Read More

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge Sony wasn’t lying when it said the PlayStation 5 shortage was over earlier this month. Its latest earnings release has revealed that the console just had its strongest quarter yet, with 7.1 million PS5s shipped in the three months leading up to December 31st, 2022. That’s almost double the 3.9 million it sold in the same quarter the previous year. According to Sony’s earnings releases, the company has now shipped 32.1 million units of its latest generation console, which is in line with the 30 million lifetime sales figure it revealed at the beginning of January. Read More

Nearly a year after Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Academy Awards, Serena Williams offers a graceful reflection on the incident. Although she says the altercation “overshadowed” the honors received by not one, but two films, Williams ultimately sides with compassion over judgment. Read More

Don't worry if you missed out on Nintendo's bargain game vouchers from 2019 — they're back. The company is once again offering a pair of vouchers for $100 to Switch Online subscribers. If you buy two eligible $60 games, this could save you $10 on each. Needless to say, this could help you score a deal for a a blockbuster like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom even when it's brand new. There are conditions beyond the limited catalog. You have to use the vouchers within a year, so you can't save them for perpetuity. You also can't hold more than eight at a time. You do get My Nintendo Gold Points equivalent to five percent of what you pay, though. Nintendo doesn't say if or when the vouchers will. There's no secret behind the strategy for the vouchers. Nintendo clearly hopes you'll not only join Switch Online, but commit to buying multiple games where you might have otherwise bought just one. Still, it's difficult to ignore the value. Even one set of vouchers can recoup the cost of Switch Online if you were already planning to buy games. In theory, you could quickly build a collection of major titles while saving a significant amount of money. Read More

The wait for a new single-player Titanfall game continues. Image: EA EA has canceled an unannounced single-player game set in the same universe as Titanfall and Apex Legends, according to Bloomberg. The news comes on the heels of EA’s most recent earnings report on Tuesday, where it announced that it would be shutting down Apex Legends Mobile, halting development on a planned Battlefield mobile game, and delaying the release of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor by six weeks. Apex Legends, a battle royale live service shooter from Respawn Entertainment that was born out of a plan to make a new Titanfall, has become one of EA’s marquee titles. Read More

Is that a knife in our back, or did The Traitors just get renewed for a second season? Peacock’s buzzy murder mystery reality competition series, hosted by the inimitable Alan Cumming, has secured a new set of episodes. Read More

All good things must come to an end. Since September 2020, Sony has offered the PlayStation Plus Collection to PlayStation 5 owners with an active PS Plus membership. That bundle comes with some of the PlayStation 4’s best games, including Bloodborne, God of War, The Last of Us Remastered, Batman: Arkham Knight, Fallout 4 and Resident Evil 7: Biohazard. Come May 9th, however, Sony will no offer the PlayStation Plus Collection, the company announced today. If you haven’t claimed any of the 19 titles included in the bundle, you have until May 9th to do so. Once those games are associated with your account, you’ll continue to have access to them as long as you maintain an active PlayStation Plus subscription. Sony says it plans to focus its efforts on growing the PS Plus library of monthly games and its Games Catalog, which PlayStation owners can access by subscribing to either PlayStation Plus Extra or Premium. On that note, the company also revealed February’s slate of PlayStation Plus games. This month’s lineup features Evil Dead: The Game, OlliOlliWorld, Destiny 2:Beyond Light and Mafia: The Definitive Edition. You can download all four games starting on February 7th, and they’ll be available until March 6th. Of the titles on offer, you should definitely give OlliOlliWorld a try. It was one of Engadget’s favorite games of 2022. Read More

For nearly a decade, Lego has welcomed your ideas for what might become official Lego sets — but not ones based on The Legend of Zelda. Since 2014, it has rejected eight Zelda sets that gathered the required 10,000 votes for consideration, even as Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Bowser, and the original NES console have all come to Lego. In 2022, the company even straight-up banned Zelda submissions due to a “license conflict,” making the community think some other toymaker locked down the IP. But according to Promobricks, one of the foremost Lego leakers, a Legend of Zelda set appears to finally be in development. If true, perhaps it might release alongside the Breath of the Wild sequel this May? Read More

Ok Titanic fans, YouTube video essayists, and “Let’s debate this topic” Hinge prompt users everywhere: it’s time to put this one to rest once and for all. From the mouth of James Cameron himself, Jack could have maybe, possibly survived his watery grave at the end of Titanic. Read More

Along with delaying Star Wars Jedi: Survivorby six weeks, Electronic Arts says it's shutting down Apex Legends Mobile less than a year after releasing the game on iOS and Android. The company is also abandoning Battlefield Mobile and closing Industrial Toys, the studio behind that game. "At Respawn, we aim to provide players with games that are consistently outstanding," Respawn Entertainment said in a statement. "Following a strong start, the content pipeline for Apex Legends Mobile has begun to fall short of that bar for quality, quantity, and cadence. It is for this reason, after months of working with our development partner, that we have made the mutual decision to sunset our mobile game." Tencent and Lightspeed had been working on the mobile version. EA has already delisted Apex Mobile (which Apple named the iPhone game of the year for 2022) from app stores and halted all in-app purchases with real money. The game will still be playable for a few more months until the servers are switched off on May 1st at 7PM ET. EA says it won't refund real money purchases but suggests that users can request refunds from the App Store or Play Store. As for Battlefield Mobile, that game hadn't been fully rolled out. EA started testing it in select markets in the fall of 2021. EA says it's still focused on helping the Battlefield series reach its potential (it has ambitious plans for the franchise) and supporting Battlefield 2042, but a mobile version is no longer on the cards for the time being. Meanwhile, around the same time EA announced the end of Apex Legends Mobile, it emerged that the Epic Games-published Rumbleverse, a pro wrestling-themed battle royale, will shut down at the end of this month. While big players like Fortnite, PUBG: Battlegrounds, the PC and console version of Apex Legends and Fall Guys seem to be doing just fine for now, these closures suggest the battle royale bubble is starting to burst. Read More

Only the Ryzen 9s will be coming in February. Image: AMD AMD has announced the pricing for its flagship 7000X3D chips as well as when you’ll be able to get them. The Ryzen 9 7950X3D will cost $699, with the 7900X3D coming in at $599. Both chips will be available on February 28th. The Ryzen 7 7800X3D, meanwhile, has seemingly been delayed a bit and will be released on April 6th for $449. When AMD announced the chips last month, it was exciting to see that the company was bringing 3D V-Cache technology to even more chips in its lineup. The Ryzen 7 5800X3D was the previous standard-bearer for the tech, and that chip received a lot of praise — what would chips with up to double the number of cores be capable of? You asked. Here it is! Read More

Murder In Big Horn sheds light on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) in the greater Bighorn County area of Montana, a stretch that includes Billings as well as the Crow and Northern Cheyenne Reservations. Read More

The Federal Trade Commission has suffered a setback in its attempt to prevent Meta from buying Supernatural developer Within Unlimited. According to Bloomberg, a federal court this week denied the agency’s request for a preliminary injunction to block the purchase. The deal reportedly won’t close for at least another week yet, as the court also issued a temporary restraining order to give the FTC time to decide whether to appeal the ruling. Engadget could not confirm Bloomberg’s reporting because the court documents announcing the decision are sealed. Meta did not immediately respond to a comment request. The FTC sued the company last July, arguing Meta’s acquisition of Within would reduce competition in the emerging virtual reality market. Within is the creator of Supernatural, one of the most popular VR exercise apps on the Oculus Quest Store. An eight-day trial in December saw Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Chief Technology Officer Andrew “Boz” Bosworth testify. During the hearing, Bosworth said Meta could abandon the acquisition if it did not “close in a timely manner.” With Wednesday’s decision, the FTC must decide whether to move forward with its antitrust case against Meta. The agency has a hearing scheduled for February 13th with its administrative judge. If the FTC chooses to let the order stand, it will mark an early defeat for agency head Lina Khan. President Biden appointed Khan to the FTC for her expertise in antitrust law. The Meta decision could impact the FTC’s effort to block Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, a case where the agency already faces an uphill battle due to the vertical nature of the proposed merger. Read More

Image: CDE Entertainment Lara Croft is back in a new roguelike Tomb Raider mobile game for iOS and Android. The game, Tomb Raider Reloaded, launches in just a couple weeks on February 14th, and Netflix subscribers will be able to play version of Reloaded with no ads or in-app purchases. A roguelike Tomb Raider does seem like a promising idea — potentially infinite tombs to raid! If you want a better idea of what to expect, here’s the official synopsis for the game from Reloaded’s Google Play page: Travel through the golden arch-shaped doors of the treacherous underground tombs, across hazardous mountain caves, flourishing jungles and lush waterfalls. Read More

Doctor Who is taking some big swings for its next season ahead of its 60th anniversary, bringing back not only original (reboot) showrunner Russell T. Davies, but fan-favorite stars David Tennant and Catherine Tate as well—and if you want to get into the weeds of it, Tennant is also playing a new incarnation of... Read More

For a few years now, gaming laptops have been some of the most intriguing PCs around. They’ve gotten thinner and lighter, naturally — but they’ve also become vastly more powerful and efficient, making them suitable for both work and play. They’ve adopted some bold innovations, like rotating hinges and near desktop-like customizability. Gaming laptops are where PC makers can get adventurous. If you’re a professional in the market for a beefy new computer, and you like to play a few rounds of Apex Legends on occasion, it may make more sense to go for a gaming notebook instead of a MacBook Pro-like workstation. You’ll still get plenty of power for video encoding and 3D rendering, plus you may end up paying less. We'll help you figure out which is the best gaming laptop for you, from budget options like the Dell G15 to premium notebooks like the Razer Blade 15 and everything in between.Devindra Hardawar/Engadget What's your budget?  Your laptop buying journey starts and ends with the amount of money you're willing to spend. No surprise there. The good news: There are plenty of options for gamers of every budget. In particular, we're seeing some great PC gaming choices under $1,000, like Dell's G15 lineup. A cheap gaming laptop in this price range will definitely feel a bit flimsier than pricier models, and they'll likely skimp on RAM, storage and overall power. But they should be able to handle most games in 1080p at 60 frames per second, which is the bare minimum you'd want from any system. Things get interesting when you start looking at the best gaming laptops in the mid-range space, with prices at $1,000 and higher. At that point, you'll start finding PCs like the ASUS Zephyrus ROG G14, one of our favorite gaming notebooks. In general, you can look forward to far better build quality than budget laptops (metal cases!), improved graphics power and enough RAM and storage space to handle the most demanding games. These are the notebooks we'd recommend for most people, as they'll keep you gaming and working for years before you need to worry about an upgrade. If you're willing to spend around $1,800 or more, you can start considering more premium options like Razer's Blade. Expect impeccably polished cases, the fastest hardware on the market, and ridiculously thin designs. The sky's the limit here: Alienware's uber customizable Area 51m is an enormous beast that can cost up to $4,700. Few people need a machine that pricey, but if you're a gamer with extra cash to burn, it may be worth taking a close look at some of these pricier systems. What kind of CPU and GPU do you want? The answer to this question used to be relatively simple: Just get an Intel chip with an NVIDIA GPU. But over the last few years, AMD came out swinging with its Ryzen notebook processors, which are better suited for juggling multiple tasks at once (like streaming to Twitch while blasting fools in Fortnite). Intel responded with its impressive 12th-gen chips, but it’s nice to have decent Ryzen AMD alternatives available, especially since they’re often cheaper than comparable Intel models. When it comes to video cards, though, AMD is still catching up. Its Radeon RX 6000M GPU has been a fantastic performer in notebooks like ASUS’s ROG Strix G15, but it still lags behind NVIDIA when it comes to newer features like ray tracing. But at least a Radeon-powered notebook can approach the general gaming performance of NVIDIA’s RTX 3070 and 3080 GPUs. If you want to future-proof your purchase, or you’re just eager to see how much better ray tracing can make your games look, you’re probably better off with an NVIDIA video card. They’re in far more systems, and it’s clear that they have better optimized ray tracing technology. NVIDIA GeForce RTX GPUs also feature the company’s DLSS technology, which uses AI to upscale games to higher resolutions. That’ll let you play a game like Destiny 2 in 4K with faster frame rates. That’s useful if you’re trying to take advantage of a high refresh rate monitor. NVIDIA’s RTX 3050 is a decent entry point, but we think you’d be better off with at least an RTX 3060 for solid 1080p and 1440p performance. The RTX 3070, meanwhile, is the best balance of price and gaming performance. It’ll be able to run many games in 4K with the help of DLSS, and it can even tackle demanding titles like Control. NVIDIA’s RTX 3080 and 3080 Ti are the king of the hill; you’ll pay a premium for any machine that includes them. It’s worth noting that NVIDIA’s mobile GPUs aren’t directly comparable to its more powerful desktop hardware. PC makers can also tweak voltages to make it perform better in a thinner case. Basically, don’t be surprised if you see notebooks that perform very differently, even if they’re all equipped with the same GPU. What kind of screen do you want? Screen size is a good place to start when judging gaming notebooks. In general, 15-inch laptops will be the best balance of immersion and portability, while larger 17-inch models are heftier, but naturally give you more screen real estate. There are some 13-inch gaming notebooks, like the Razer Blade Stealth, but paradoxically you'll often end up paying more for those than slightly larger 15-inch options. We’re also seeing plenty of 14-inch options, like the Zephyrus G14 and Blade 14, which are generally beefier than 13-inch laptops while still being relatively portable. But these days, there is plenty to consider beyond screen size. For one: refresh rates. Most monitors refresh their screens vertically 60 times per second, or at 60Hz. That's a standard in use since black and white NTSC TVs. But over the past few years, displays have evolved considerably. Now, 120Hz 1080p screens are the bare minimum you'd want in any gaming notebook — and there are faster 144Hz, 240Hz and even 360Hz panels. All of this is in the service of one thing: making everything on your display look as smooth as possible.Steve Dent/Engadget For games, higher refresh rates also help eliminate screen tearing and other artifacts that could get in the way of your frag fest. And for everything else, it just leads to a better viewing experience. Even scrolling a web page on a 120Hz or faster monitor is starkly different from a 60Hz screen. Instead of seeing a jittery wall of text and pictures, everything moves seamlessly, as if you're unwinding a glossy paper magazine. Going beyond 120Hz makes gameplay look even more responsive, which to some players gives them a slight advantage. Not to make things more complicated, but you should also keep an eye out for NVIDIA's G-SYNC and AMD's FreeSync. They're both adaptive sync technologies that can match your screen's refresh rate with the framerate of your game. That also helps to reduce screen tearing and make gameplay smoother. Consider them nice bonuses on top of a high refresh rate monitor; they're not necessary, but they can still offer a slight visual improvement. One more thing: Most of these suggestions are related to LCD screens, not OLEDs. While OLED makes a phenomenal choice for TVs, it's a bit more complicated when it comes to gaming laptops. They're mostly limited to 60Hz, though some models offer 90Hz. Still, you won’t see the smoothness of a 120Hz or 144Hz screen. OLEDs also typically come as 4K or 3.5K panels – you'll need a ton of GPU power to run games natively at that resolution. They look incredible, with the best black levels and contrast on the market, but we think most gamers would be better off with an LCD.Devindra Hardawar/Engadget A few other takeaways: Get at least 16GB of RAM. And if you're planning to do a ton of multitasking while streaming, 32GB is worth considering. Storage is still a huge concern. These days, I'd recommend aiming for a 1TB M.2 SSD, which should be enough space to juggle a few large titles like Destiny 2. Some laptops also have room for standard SATA drives, which are far cheaper than M.2's and can hold more data. Normally we'd recommend getting your hands on a system before you buy, but that's tough as we're in the midst of a pandemic. I'd recommend snagging your preferred system from a retailer with a simple return policy, like Amazon or Best Buy. If you don't like it, you can always ship it back easily. Don't forget about accessories! You'll need a good mouse, keyboard and headphones. Best overall: ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 If you can't tell by now, we really like the Zephyrus G14. It's shockingly compact, at just 3.5 pounds, and features AMD's new Ryzen chips paired together with its Radeon 6000M graphics (we’d recommend the Ryzen 9 model with an RX 6700M for $1,400). While its 14-inch screen is a bit smaller than our other recommendations, it looks great and features a fast 144Hz refresh rate. We also like its retro-future design (some configurations have tiny LEDs on its rear panel for extra flair). While the G14 has jumped in price since it debuted, it’s still one of the best gaming notebooks around, especially since ASUS has finally added a built-in webcam.Best budget: Dell G15 We've been fans of Dell's G5 line ever since it first appeared a few years ago. Now dubbed the G15, it starts at under $1,000 and features all of the latest hardware, like Intel's 12th-generation CPUs and NVIDIA's RTX 30-series cards. (You can also find AMD Ryzen chips in some models.) This budget gaming laptop is a bit heavy, weighing over five pounds, but it's a solid notebook otherwise. And you can even bring it into mid-range gaming territory if you spec up to the RTX 3060.Best premium gaming laptop: Razer Blade 15 Razer continues to do a stellar job of delivering bleeding-edge hardware in a sleek package that would make Mac users jealous. The Blade 15 has just about everything you'd want, including NVIDIA's fastest mobile GPU, the RTX 3080 Ti, as well as Intel's 12th-gen CPUs and speedy quad-HD screens. Our recommendation? Consider the model with a Quad HD 165Hz screen and an RTX 3070 GPU for $2,050. You can easily save some cash by going for a cheaper notebook, but they won't feel nearly as polished as the Blade.Another good option: Acer Predator Triton 500 SE While we've seen some wilder concepts from Acer, like its 360-degree hinge-equipped Triton 900, the Triton 500 is a more affordable bread and butter option. This year, it’s bumped up to a 16-inch display, giving you more of an immersive gaming experience. It’s relatively thin, weighs just over five pounds, and it can be equipped with Intel's 11th-gen CPUs and NVIDIA's RTX 30-series GPUs. Acer's build quality is as sturdy as ever, and it has most of the standard features you’d need in a gaming notebook.Best large gaming laptop: Razer Blade 17 Take everything we loved about the Razer Blade 15, scale it up to a larger 17-inch screen, and you’re pretty much in gamer paradise. If you can live with its six-pound weight, the Blade 17 will deliver the most desktop-like gaming experience you can find in a notebook. It’s relatively slim, and it’s perfect for binging Netflix in bed. The Blade 17 is also a smart choice if you’re editing media, as its larger screen space makes it perfect for diving into larger timelines. It’s not for everyone, but sometimes you just have to go big or go home, right?Best with a dual screen: ASUS ROG Zephyrus Duo 16 You know if you actually need a dual-screen laptop: Maybe a single 17-inch screen isn’t enough, or you want a mobile setup that’s closer to a multi-monitor desktop. If that’s the case, the Zephyrus Duo 16 is made for you. It’s powerful, and its extra 14-inch screen can easily let you multitask while gaming dutifully working. It also has all of the latest hardware you’d want, like AMD’s new Ryzen chips and NVIDIA’s RTX 3000 GPUs. Sure, it’s nowhere near portable, but a true multitasker won’t mind. Read More

If you want those classic PS4 games, you should claim them while you can. Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge Sony will stop offering the PlayStation Plus Collection, which gave PS5 players who subscribed to PlayStation Plus access to more than a dozen classic PS4 titles, on May 9th, the company announced on Wednesday. The PlayStation Plus Collection was a great perk for PS5 owners who were Plus subscribers early in the console’s life, but now that perk will be going away. If you haven’t claimed the games yet, you’ll have until May 9th to do so. Once you’ve claimed the games, you can still access them after May 9th as long as you are subscribed to PlayStation Plus. The PlayStation Plus Collection includes some fantastic games, including God of War, The Last of Us Remastered, and Persona 5. Read More

Sure, The Crown is already expected to end after its sixth season, but according to former cast member Helena Bonham Carter, that’s not a minute too soon. Read More

Star Wars fans will need to wait an extra month and a half to play the next chapter of Cal Kestis' story. On Tuesday afternoon, Electronic Arts and Respawn Entertainment announced the delay of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor to April 28th. The game was previously slated to arrive on March 17th.  "In order for the team to hit the Respawn quality bar, provide the team the time they need, and achieve the level of polish our fans deserve, we have added six crucial weeks to our release schedule — Star Wars Jedi: Survivor will now launch globally on April 28th," Respawn posted on Twitter. The studio said it would use the extra time to fix bugs and polish the game to improve performance, stability and the player experience. The delay means Star Wars Jedi: Survivor will arrive on the same day as Dead Island 2, provided that title doesn't suffer a last-minute delay.    Star Wars Jedi: Survivor picks up five years after the events of Fallen Order, and features an older, harder Cal Kestis. Respawn has promised the game will feature new worlds in the Star Wars galaxy for players to explore. Cal, now a Jedi Knight, also has new skills and weapons in his arsenal to take on the Galactic Empire.    Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Now Arrives April 28th pic.twitter.com/PNtsL6kmER.— EA Star Wars (@EAStarWars) January 31, 2023 Read More

The iPad Air from 2022 is a great buy unless you really prefer a bigger screen or the Face ID found on the Pro models. Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge It’s February, folks. For many of us, that means a month of dreary weather and seasonal depression, but today, we can cheer ourselves up with coverage of Samsung’s impending Unpacked event and some sick tech deals. Starting us off, Apple’s latest iPad Air is on sale in its base 64GB configuration for $499.99 ($100 off) at Best Buy and Amazon — or $649.99 ($100 off) for 256GB at Best Buy and Amazon if you prefer more storage. This return to its lowest prices makes this iPad one of the best values across the whole range of Apple’s tablets, in part because it’s the cheapest way to get the speedy M1 processor. Read More

If Pogues versus Kooks was the driving conflict in Outer Banks’ first season, its third season’s first trailer cements just how far our central band of sandy, sunkissed teens straight out of a novel Sarah Dessen might write after an especially affecting screening of National Treasure. Read More

343 Industries and Halo may be here to stay despite Microsoft's mass layoffs, but that doesn't mean it's business as usual for the franchise. Bloombergsources claim 343 is effectively restarting Halo development between multiple changes that include the loss of "at least" 95 jobs, including directors and key contractors. Notably, the studio is reportedly switching to Epic's Unreal Engine after both a leadership shuffle and struggling with its aging in-house platform (Slipspace) — it's even breaking from its familiar story-driven gameplay, according to the tipsters. The 343 team is understood to be using Unreal for an unannounced game, nicknamed "Tatanka," developed with the help of long-time ally Certain Affinity. It was originally built as a battle royale title but might "evolve" into other forms, the sources say. While some at 343 are supposedly worried Unreal might affect how Halo feels to play, Slipspace's glitches and hard-to-use tech have apparently held back multiplayer features in Halo Infinite that include past favorites like Assault and Extraction. Many of the laid off workers were crafting game prototypes in Unreal rather than producing new missions for Halo Infinite, Bloomberg says. 343 had considered switching engines for the past decade, the insiders claim, but it wasn't until studio lead Bonnie Ross and engine overseer David Berger left in late 2022 that the company committed to the change. Pierre Hintze, who replaced Ross, is said to have focused the company on "greenlighting" new tech while expanding Infinite. Microsoft has declined to comment. A revamped strategy wouldn't be surprising even without layoffs. While Infinite was well-received on launch, delayed modes, seasons and even a cancelled split-screen mode haven't helped its reputation. 343 has also played a role in some of the Halo series' less-than-stellar projects, including the problematic Halo: Master Chief Collection and offshoots like Halo Wars 2. A fresh start isn't guaranteed to reinvigorate the sci-fi shooter, but it may address lingering concerns. Read More

Image: Nothing, Forever / Twitch I’ve made a terrible mistake. I introduced my colleagues to a channel on Twitch that streams AI-generated episodes of Seinfeld, and now they’re all distracted watching what feels like a gruesome but funny car crash in which no human was hurt or even involved. The show’s called Nothing, Forever and runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week, using OpenAI’s GPT-3. Here’s the channel description: Nothing, Forever is a show about nothing, that happens forever. Kinda like popular sitcoms of the past, except that it never stops. Nothing, Forever is always-on, runs 365 days of the year, and delivers new content every minute. Read More

Within the Taylor Swift cinematic universe, there are two main categories of supporting players: her long list of ex-lovers and her (possibly longer?) list of enemies. Read More

Rode only dipped into headphones last year, but now it's ready to unveil its first headset — and this time it's courting gamers in addition to creatives. The NTH-100M takes the familiar design of the NTH-100 but adds a detachable condenser microphone. It's too early to say if the hardware is truly "broadcast-grade," as Rode claims, but the company's reputation for mics bodes well if you want quality audio when you're chatting with teammates or hosting a livestream. You can even buy the boom mic separately (as the NTH-Mic) if you already have the headphones. The design will otherwise seem familiar. Rode claims the 40mm dynamic drivers are designed for accurate frequency response with minimal distortion. The NTH-100M might be your pick if you want a neutral sound for editing podcasts and videos. You won't get perks like noise cancellation or Bluetooth, but the headset will be surprisingly comfortable. When we tried the NTH-100, we found the cooling gel and other design touches to help for extended listening sessions. The NTH-100M will retail for $189 which is $50 more than the headphones it's based on. If you already have the NTH-100, you can snag the NTH-Mic separetely for $69. This means if you were holding out and can make use of the mic, the combo deal represents a $20 saving. Or, for that matter, you could always buy the base 100 for listening and upgrade when you're ready to create content. The NTH-100M is also a unique product in Rode's lineup. While it's not part of the company's Rode X gaming brand, it's clearly aimed as much at gamers and Twitch streamers as it is musicians and podcasters. In that sense, it straddles the line between consumer and creative in a way that even the headphones didn't quite manage. Read More

A screenshot from Half-Life 2, which is included in The Orange Box. Image: Valve Microsoft will be removing a bunch of beloved games from the Xbox 360 Marketplace on February 7th, according to a support page on the Xbox website (via Wario64), meaning you won’t be able to buy them after that date. It’s not all bad news. If you’ve already bought a game that’s getting pulled, you can still download it after February 7th. Games being removed that are available on Xbox One and Xbox Series X / S stores will remain purchasable on those platforms. But that does mean digital games only available on the Xbox 360 Marketplace will be unavailable for purchase in just a week. Read More

We are truly saddened to be the bearers of bad news, but the iconic 2005 Disney Channel Original Movie Sky High is not actually coming back as a Netflix series, despite what this headline (and our wildest hopes and dreams) might suggest. Read More

Xbox head Phil Spencer says Microsoft remains committed to the Halo franchise and developer 343 Industries. In an interview following this week’s Xbox and Bethesda Developer Direct showcase, Spencer told IGN “the heart and soul of Halo is with 343 and the team’s that there, and I have the utmost confidence in the team that's there and leading and the plan that they have going forward.” Spencer’s comments come after 343 was reportedly “hit hard” by Microsoft’s recently announced company-wide layoffs. The number of employees Microsoft let go at the studio is unknown, but according to Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, Halo Infinite’s campaign team saw significant cuts. The news prompted 343 to publish a brief statement on the layoffs last weekend. “Halo and Master Chief are here to stay,” studio head Pierre Hintze said. “343 Industries will continue to developer Halo now and in the future, including epic stories, multiplayer, and more of what makes Halo great.” According to Spencer, the layoffs were an effort by Microsoft to position 343 for the future. “What we're doing now is we want to make sure that leadership team is set up with the flexibility to build the plan that they need to go build,” he said. “Halo will remain critically important to what Xbox is doing, and 343 is critically important to the success of Halo.” Frustratingly, Spencer wouldn’t discuss the franchise's future beyond the broad strokes he offered. He declined to comment on whether Microsoft still has a 10-year support plan in place for Halo Infinite. “I'm going to let 343 talk about the plans that they have right now,” Spencer said when asked about the subject. However, he did offer reassurances for Halo fans left worrying about what comes next for Master Chief. “I expect that we'll be continuing to support and grow Halo for as long as the Xbox is a platform for people to play.” The rest of the interview is well worth reading if you're an Xbox fan. The piece covers a lot of ground, including the console’s lackluster 2022. Read More

We’ve called it a cross between the Battle School from Ender’s Game and ultimate frisbee. We’ve called it Final Fantasy X blitzball meets VR. It made two of our Best VR Games lists — three, if you count the one I did for CNET before returning to The Verge. It convincingly sticks you into a robot body inhabiting a zero-G arena, where you have to use your wrist jets, obstacles, teammates, and even foes to catapult yourself to victory. It even became its own esport. But now, Echo VR (née Echo Arena) is getting killed off by Meta (née Facebook). Facebook purchased its developer Ready At Dawn in 2020, after making Echo VR one of the flagship games for the Meta Quest (née Oculus Quest) and Rift S launch. Read More

The past several hundred years have made it abundantly clear that America isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be, but this violently selfish, racist, and sexist dump is occasionally good at stuff. People seem to like our superhero movies, for one thing, and nobody can take that away from us! Read More

Hollywood may be taking another stab at a Tomb Raider production, but this time for the small screen. The Hollywood Reportersources say Amazon is creating a Tomb Raider TV series for Prime Video, with Phoebe Waller-Bridge (of Fleabag fame) set to be an executive producer and write the script. It's not certain who would star, but we wouldn't count on movie stars Angelina Jolie or Alicia Vikander reprising the role of Lara Croft. The show is reportedly still in the development stage. We've asked Amazon for comment. A collaboration like this wouldn't be surprising, at least. Amazon is publishing the next Tomb Raider game, and Waller-Bridge previously struck a three-year deal with Amazon that includes projects like the novel adaptation Sign Here. Sources for The Reporter claim Amazon was "aggressive" in pursuing a deal renewal late last year. The rumor comes as game-based TV shows have their moment in the spotlight. HBO's The Last of Us has already been successful enough to get a second season. Sony, meanwhile, is prepping God of War, Gran Turismo and Horizon titles for Netflix and Prime Video. A Tomb Raider series would bolster Amazon's game-themed catalog and help it compete against rivals like Netflix, which already has hits like the League of Legends offshoot Arcane. Amazon also hasn't been shy about chasing after potential blockbusters. The company reportedly spent $1 billion on The Lord of Rings: The Rings of Power, for instance. While a Tomb Raider show isn't likely to be as lavish, Waller-Bridge's involvement suggests Amazon is eager for a hit. Amazon struggled to breach the top streaming charts last year — this might give it better ammunition against Netflix successes like Stranger Things. Read More

Image: Blizzard Entertainment To coincide with the release of season 3, Overwatch 2 is reintroducing Overwatch credits, giving players ways to earn those credits via battle pass progression, and adding Overwatch’s epic and legendary skins to its shop at reduced prices. Altogether, this currency overhaul is meant to address the long-standing complaint that the new cash shop placed one of Overwatch’s most unique and desirable features — its well-designed skins — behind a paywall that was just too expensive. As Overwatch season 2 nears its end, the developers published a blog highlighting their takeaways from the season. Read More

After thirty-eight seasons, MTV’s competition reality show The Challenge has run the gamut of extreme, well, challenges that beget bumps and bruises. But during part 1 of Wednesday’s two-part finale episode, contestant Olivia Kaiser pushed the show’s physical toll to a new limit, suffering a serious injury that left her hospitalized. Each season of The Challeng e takes structural cues from its subtitle, and this season, Ride Or Dies, places past contestants from other reality series into duos or teams. Kaiser (who reality TV die-hards may remember from Love Island USA) and her partner Horacio Gutiérrez Jr. was the only rookie pair to survive all the way to The Challenge’s 100-hour finale in Argentina this season. Read More

Get ready for more clickers, quips from Ellie and perhaps a trip to a decaying Seattle: HBO has renewed The Last of Us for a second season. That's not exactly a surprise, as the adaptation of Naughty Dog's games is already a huge hit for the network. Some 22 million people have now watched the first episode, five times the number of people who tuned in on the premiere night 12 days ago. The show also saw the largest second-week jump in audience figures of any original HBO drama series. If you haven't caught The Last of Us yet and are curious what all the hullabaloo is about, there's some good news. You can now watch the first episode for free on HBO Max. The streaming service often offers free tasters of certain shows in the hopes of getting viewers hooked and prompting them to subscribe. The first episode of Game of Thrones spin-off House of the Dragon, another major success for the platform, is free to watch on both HBO Max and YouTube. For the uninitiated, The Last of Us is based on a PlayStation 3 (and PS4 and PS5) game of the same name. It's often held up as one of the finest examples of storytelling in video games. It tales the tale of a smuggler who reluctantly escorts a teenage girl across the US after the world has been ravaged by a fungus that turns people into terrifying, mutated creatures. So far, HBO's terrific adaptation has largely followed the same story with some smart deviations and changes. Critics have hailed the third episode, which airs this Sunday, as the best installment of the season. It focuses on a side story that's primarily told through a note players find in the game. Read More

A screenshot from Apex Legends Mobile. Image: EA Apex Legends developer Respawn Entertainment announced the game’s mobile version will shut down in all regions on May 1st, just a few weeks shy of its one-year anniversary. As if that wasn’t enough bad news for players, it also said that once the game is gone, so are any items or extras they purchased in Apex Legends Mobile. EA shared the news about the change as part of its Q3 FY203 earnings results. A news post from the company described the shutdown as a “mutual decision” reached with its “development partner”; Apex Legends Mobile was developed by Respawn and Tencent’s Lightspeed & Quantum Studios, which also handles the mobile port of PUBG. Read More

Seth Rogen has good reason to be cocky about his place in Hollywood. He got his start on one of the most beloved high school television series of all time (Freaks And Geeks) and then co-wrote one of the most beloved high school movies of all time (Superbad). Read More

When I look back, many of my favorite games supply a distinct sense of movement, a kind of reworked physics that directly connects my hands to the physicality of the thing I’m controlling onscreen. This thrill is the main reason I particularly enjoy driving games. In a good racing game like Gran Turismo, for instance, each car tells a different story with each track, whether I’m threading a luxury sports car through the curves of the Nurburgring or lugging a Sambabus down the Tokyo Expressway. That said, exactly how much detail the digital cars in these games can convey can feel limited by a standard gamepad. But with a good racing wheel and pedals, those finer sensations – bumping over a curb, transitioning from concrete to dirt, fighting through a tight corner as your car resists – are more intimate. The way a wheel forces me to put my whole body into steering the car only makes me more connected and engaged. And in competitive games, its granularity can be a great benefit. Recently, I’ve been reminded of these pleasures after picking up Thrustmaster’s T300RS GT Edition. This is not my first wheel. Previously, I used Logitech’s G29, a popular entry-level model. It helped my lap times for many years, and I’d still consider it a decent buy if you can find it, or its mildly upgraded successor, the G923, on deep discount. But as I continued to sink more time into different kinds of simulators and racing games, I felt I could do better. Logitech’s brake pedal could feel stiff and inconsistent – even preventing me from braking 100 percent in a sim like Assetto Corsa unless I effectively stood on it – and its gear-driven force feedback could come off a bit clunky and imprecise. After spending several hours combing through reviews and game forums, I settled on the belt-driven T300RS GT as my upgrade. It’s a clear step behind the direct drive wheels that exist at the top end of this market, but I’m more of an enthusiast than a high-level sim racer. And at $450, it’s about as much as I can consciously invest in a game controller, especially a niche one. After roughly six months of use, however, I can confidently recommend it to others upgrading from an entry-level wheel, or those who are looking to buy their first wheel and know they’ll make use of the extra investment.Jeff Dunn / Engadget The T300RS gives a favorable impression out of the box. Though the wheel is coated in rubber (rather than the G29’s leather), it’s grippy, sturdy and pleasingly smooth. The three metal pedals feel cool and solid, and their base stays in place regardless of how much force I put down. The full set of gamepad buttons built into the wheel are easy enough to reach, and the metallic paddle shifters on the back of the wheel have a tight click when changing gears. The wheel is also completely detachable from its base, on the off chance I ever want to pop on a different one instead. This is a Gran Turismo-branded wheel, and since Gran Turismo is a PlayStation franchise, all the buttons follow PlayStation’s iconography. Thrustmaster launched this wheel back in 2016, so it’s plug-and-play with the PS5, PS4 and PS3 (which I appreciate as someone who enjoys revisiting older games). The device also works on PC, but, unsurprisingly, Xbox and Nintendo consoles aren’t supported. The wheel’s multi-piece mounting setup requires more work to attach to a desk than the Logitech wheel’s built-in clamps, but it’s not arduous enough to be a serious hindrance. The wheelbase is on the heavy side, though and, as with any wheel, you’ll want to have ample space to hook everything up. Once it’s locked in, the T300RS GT Edition gives me little to complain about. The point of a racing wheel is to effectively communicate what your virtual car is doing. This does that. When I start to lose grip after taking a corner too hot, I feel it, and I can tell what subtle corrections I need to make to regain control. It’s not as true-to-life as a direct drive wheel, but its belt-driven force feedback is powerful and strikingly smooth, unlike the stepped sensation I’d get with the G29. It’s also noticeably less noisy than the Logitech wheel, which is great when I want to get in a few races later at night. Likewise, it didn’t take me long to get used to the pedals, and within a few races I had a good sense of how much force was needed to properly feather the accelerator or fully brake. In general, the pedals don’t require significant pressure, which I like. Still, you can adjust the pedal sensitivity, among other bits, through the wheel’s settings on a PC. One consequence of this motorized setup is that it needs internal fans and heatsinks to keep itself cool. When you’re pushing it, a fan at the top of the wheelbase will blow out hot air. It’s quiet, but you can sometimes smell it. Cranking the feedback effects isn’t the wisest idea for this kind of wheel’s long-term durability, either, so it’s worth keeping the force feedback at a moderate level more generally. The GT Edition here is a variant of Thrustmaster’s standard T300RS, which is usually $50 or so cheaper. (Both wheels look to be having stock issues as of this writing.) The main difference, besides the GT branding, is that the former has a nicer-feeling three-pedal set with a built-in clutch pedal. The latter just has gas and brake pedals. The GT Edition also includes a spongy “conical brake mod” that you can stick behind the brake to provide a more realistic sense of resistance, though I prefer the looser feel of driving without it. The pedal upgrade of the GT Edition was worth the extra change for me, but, to be clear, the two wheels are otherwise the same, and it’s always possible to upgrade either model’s pedals down the line. You should view all of my praise here on a curve. Hardcore racers who only play sims like iRacing or rFactor 2 can do better, and they already know that. A racing wheel isn’t some magic cheat code, either: A gamepad user will be faster than wheel user if they’ve spent more time perfecting their lines and braking points on a given track. If anything, using a wheel for the first time can feel like learning to drive again. Still, the T300RS GT Edition should be an ideal performer for new converts and moderate enthusiasts looking to upgrade. Even if it’s been around for a while, there still aren’t that many belt-driven alternatives that are truly competing with it in its price range. Read More

Image: Second Dinner Marvel Snap’s Battle Mode update is now live, and my biggest problem right now is that no one wants to play. Is it because my handful of Marvel Snap friends and colleagues are afraid of the awesome power of my decks? Perhaps. Is it because it’s 2:30PM ET on a workday? Also very possible. But I’ve been waiting for this update since the developers told me about it months ago, and after the tiny taste of it I’ve gotten so far, I hunger for more. For starters, do not do what I do and try to conscript your Marvel Snap agnostic boss or partner into playing against you. Snap won’t allow you to play in Battle Mode unless you’ve completed the game’s tutorial and reached rank 10. Read More

Part of the job description of a rising Hollywood star, the kind of person who tops a “Who’s Next” list, is being busy. So it’s no surprise that Kelvin Harrison Jr. had to squeeze The A.V. Read More

Handheld PCs have been around for years, but the arrival of the Steam Deck brought renewed interest and demand to the category — much like what the Nintendo Switch did for consoles back in 2017. And while the amount of engineering and tech that went into the Steam Deck is certainly impressive, Valve's mission to make a portable and affordable PC for gaming on the go means there's plenty of room in the handheld space for something with a bit more giddyup — which brings us to the Ayaneo 2.Design: Like a Steam Deck, but fancier While the Ayaneo 2 doesn’t deviate too much from the Steam Deck's basic blueprint, right from the get-go it's also apparent that this thing isn't some cheap knock-off either. It features a big 7-inch 1920 x 1200 LCD display with strong brightness (just under 400 nits in our testing) that's flanked by an Xbox-style controller layout. There are also handy buttons on each side for opening menus or functioning as shortcuts, along with some more customizable controls crammed in on top that by default serve as left and right mouse clicks. Even the power button has a built-in fingerprint sensor, which is a welcome bonus not available on the Steam Deck. One of the things that impresses me the most is Ayaneo's attention to detail. The whole setup feels well-built. The PC's case is smooth and sturdy and has a very reassuring heft. In front, there's a single sheet of glass that goes across the face of the system (with cutouts for the joysticks and buttons), which gives it a slick, streamlined appearance. The company even went out of its way to ensure that there aren't any visible screws. Though if you do want to get inside, there's an included pick you can use to pry off the little covers on each side. Just be careful so you don't mess up the finish like I did. Among other premium upgrades compared to the Steam Deck, the Ayaneo 2 sports magnetic hall sensor joysticks and shoulder triggers that feel crisp and snappy. There’s basically no dead zone, unlike what you get with Valve’s handheld. But my favorite thing about the Ayaneo 2’s design is that its touchscreen doesn't have any bezels, and almost looks elegant. Finally, while I don't think either machine is truly pocketable, the Ayaneo 2 is definitely the more compact of the two. The Steam Deck measures nearly a foot across (11.7-inches) versus a more manageable 10.4-inches for the Ayaneo 2.Ports and accessories: So many optionsSam Rutherford/Engadget Another quality that elevates the Ayaneo above its rivals is a wealth of ports. Not only do you have a 3.5mm audio jack and a microSD card slot for expandable storage, you also get three USB-C ports, two of which can be used for charging. That flexibility came in handy more often than I expected, because it gave me the freedom to plug in a power cable to either the top or bottom, which makes it easier to keep the cord out of the way no matter how you're holding the system. On top of that, while Ayaneo makes a dock for its handhelds, because there are three USB-C ports along with two USB-A adapters in the box, you don't really need to buy one at all. Even without any additional dongles or hubs, you still have enough connectivity to plug in a mouse, keyboard and an external display, so it's really easy to use this thing as a standard PC in a pinch. And if that wasn't enough, Ayaneo even includes a charging brick, a couple of international power adapters, a USB-C cable and an extra set of screw covers.Performance: Zen3 makes a big differenceSam Rutherford/Engadget The other major advantage the Ayaneo 2 holds over the Steam Deck is raw performance. While Valve worked with AMD to create a custom chip based on the company's Zen2 architecture, the Ayaneo 2 sports a newer Ryzen 7 6800U chip built on the Zen3+ platform. That's a jump in processing power that you can really feel. In benchmarks, the Ayaneo 2 scored 4,282 on 3DMark's Wild Life Extreme test, which is comparable or slightly better than what we've seen from similarly-priced laptops like the Surface Laptop 5 (3,848) or the XPS 13 Plus (3,505). And when gaming, the Ayaneo 2 is between 25% to 40% faster than the Steam Deck depending on the title. In Shadow of the Tomb Raider on high settings at 800p, the Ayaneo 2 averaged 54 fps versus 40 fps for the Steam Deck. And when I increased the game’s resolution to take advantage of the Ayaneo 2's full HD+ screen, it still managed to pump out a playable 35 fps at 1920 x 1200 ( in SotTR), despite pushing nearly twice as many pixels. It's a similar story in Elden Ring, where the Ayaneo 2 hovered around 55 fps in 800p at medium settings, compared to 48 fps for the Steam Deck, or at 40 fps at 1200p.In use: A more luxurious way to game on the goSam Rutherford/Engadget Ok ok, enough about the design and specs, what is this thing actually like to use? Well, in short, the Ayaneo 2 addresses some of my biggest complaints about the Steam Deck, but in a smaller, more compact and better-performing chassis. Its screen is way brighter, more colorful and higher-res making everything look sharper too. And thanks to its Ryzen 7 6800U CPU, you can get similar framerates with the Ayaneo 2 at 1920 x 1200 versus 800p for the Steam Deck. I should also mention that, while the Valve's portable PC tops out with just 512GB of onboard storage, the Ayaneo 2 can be specced with up to a 2TB SSD, while still having a microsD card slot (with a neat protective cover) for extra room if you want it. The Ayaneo 2's control setup is excellent too. That's because even without built-in touchpads, like you get on the Steam Deck, you can still easily navigate Windows 11 using the left stick, which doubles as a way to move your mouse cursor. Sure, that means you're probably not going to want to play Civilization 6 or an RTS on the Ayaneo 2, but even with more optimized controls, those games still feel clunky on the Steam Deck. Ayaneo's magnetic hall sensors in the analog sticks and shoulder triggers also deliver an incredibly responsive experience. And while I wouldn't call it a quiet system, when its fans spin up the whir isn't nearly as loud or annoying as what I get from my Steam Deck. (Note: For what it's worth, my Deck has the slightly whinier sounding Huaying fan.)Sam Rutherford/Engadget That said, there are still more than a few awkward aspects about the Ayaneo 2. The first is that Windows 11 is kind of annoying to use with touch controls, though simply booting into Steam's Big Picture mode lets you sidestep much of that. Second, while I appreciate the included Ayaspace app, which serves as the company's consolidated game launcher and performance monitoring tool, the user experience feels a bit unpolished. Changing the system's resolution from the AyaQuickTool window was often hit-or-miss. On top of that, when I installed an update to the AyaSpace app, its language setting reverted back to Chinese. That’s not a huge pain to fix, but I'd rather be playing games than diving through menus repairing something that shouldn't have changed. Then there are other little quirks like its weak rumble motors and not knowing what makes the lights underneath the joysticks change colors. That’s because aside from a couple of short quick-start manuals, Ayaneo doesn’t provide much documentation for the device, so you’re kind of on your own when it comes to figuring out the system’s more hidden features. (There’s a link to a FAQ doc in the AyaSpace app, but the whole thing is in Chinese, so it's not much help for many of us in the west.)Sam Rutherford/Engadget Now I should note that the company says it’s already working on a second version of the AyaSpace app, and in the month I've had the system, there have been multiple patches, so it's clear the company is committed to improving the situation. Still, while the Ayaneo 2's specs are top-notch, some of its software still feels like a work in progress. However, a lot of the Ayaneo 2's weak points are made up for by the fact that it runs Windows, which means almost every game just kind of works. Don't get me wrong, I have a huge appreciation for what Valve is trying to do with SteamOS and for Linux gaming as a whole, but even with thousands of games that have been verified to run on the Steam Deck, there are thousands more that aren't (and in some cases, may never run right). With the Ayaneo 2, you simply have a lot more confidence that the next game you buy won't have issues when you boot it up. And now let me turn things over to my colleague James, who has been testing out the Ayaneo 2’s emulation capabilities.James' retro cornerJames Trew It would be decadent to recommend buying something like the Ayaneo 2 as an emulation-first device. But, it's worth talking about its performance here as it really does expand the potential library of games. Of course, if you want to rip ROMs from games you already own, you'll need to figure that side out yourself. Obviously, with the power to run some fairly demanding PC games, the Ayaneo 2 will be more than capable of running everything up to the 5th or 6th generation of consoles without too much trouble. You'll be able to go beyond this, but with mixed results. Skate 3 on the PS3, for example, runs on the Ayaneo 2 at 60fps with almost no special configuration. The Last of Us, on the other hand, was only able to muster between 13-23fps, with the odd flicker above and below that.Sam Rutherford/Engadget Theoretically, you can almost come right up to the present day, with some industrious YouTubers getting Nintendo Switch games to run with varying levels of success. Of course, for now at least, this is the limit but if you had a library of old games and were hoping they might have a second life on the Ayaneo 2, the answer is that, unsurprisingly, it's a very capable emulator that benefits from built-in controls (which saves a surprising amount of meddling around).Battery life: Could be better One of the few shortcomings of the Ayaneo 2 is its battery life. That's because when compared to the Steam Deck which typically lasts three to four hours on a charge (depending on the title), the Ayaneo 2's longevity is closer to two or three. That said, you can adjust the power draw of the system if you want to improve energy efficiency, but in the end, this is the price you pay for increased performance.Wrap-upSam Rutherford/Engadget As I look back, I still think the Steam Deck was one of the most important gadgets of 2022. Putting premium laptop specs with great controls and surprisingly good battery life in a handheld PC that starts at just $400 is an unbeatable deal. But for people who want something a bit more premium, the Ayaneo 2 has a lot to like. It's got a cleaner, more compact design with a way better screen. Its joysticks and buttons also feel tighter and more luxurious. And on the inside, it's got a significantly more powerful chip that not only delivers solid performance at FHD+, [the decision to go] with Windows instead of Steam OS also means much wider game compatibility. Unfortunately, with the cheapest version of the Ayaneo 2 starting at around $850, you're also paying a premium for all those fancy upgrades. But if you've been searching for something that is essentially a Steam Deck Pro, the Ayaneo 2 is it. Read More