Best Buy restricted sales of several NVIDIA RTX 3000-series GPUs, including the RTX 3080 and 3090 models, to members of its $199 per year subscription program, PC Mag has reported. It made the graphics cards available for an "Exclusive Access Event," but anyone attempting to buy one was greeted with a popup saying that access was limited to Totaltech members.
The retailer launched Totaltech into beta last April with the promise of perks like free shipping, unlimited Geek Squad tech support, two-year warranty protection and free installation on most products. Another listed perk was "exclusive member sale pricing" on products, but yesterday's restock was reportedly the first time it was needed to purchase GPUs, stock checker @CameranRitz told PC Mag.
As usual, Best Buy had a limited number of cards, so even being a member was no guarantee of getting one. However, the sale reportedly last several hours before they were gone, which is longer than usual when NVIDIA cards get restocked.
Best Buy isn't the first retailer to put high-demand items behind a paywall, with Walmart and others also requiring memberships to buy certain items. However, Best Buy forces you to pay the $200 annual membership in one shot, where Walmart Plus is $15 per month and can be cancelled at any time.
Best Buy is also the exclusive retailer of NVIDIA Founder's Edition cards in the US, which it does usually sell at MSRP. So even with the Totaltech membership, purchasing one may still be cheaper compared to the outrageous markups from scalpers or other retailers. At the same time, the membership also blocks any bots. Still, the situation upset some potential buyers. "Disappointed but not surprised," said Twitter user @Michael_gg_Inc.
In addition to a bunch of great deals on TVs ahead of the big game, a handful of new tech deals cropped up on the web this week. Roku's Streambar Pro is $30 off and down to $150 right now (and the smaller Streambar has also been discounted) while the latest Apple TV 4K remains on sale for $160. Fitbit's Charge 5 fitness tracker is 34 percent off and down to an all-time low, plus you can still save on a bunch of Eero 6 WiFi systems. Here are the best deals from this week that you can still get today.
2021 Apple TV 4K
Devindra Hardawar/Engadget
The latest Apple TV 4K is on sale for $160, or $20 off its normal price. While the 2021 version isn't drastically different from the previous model, its new Siri remote is a big selling point. We gave it a score of 90 for its speedy performance, HomeKit integration and the easy of use that comes with the improved Siri remote.
A bunch of Apple Watch Series 7 models are on sale at Amazon right now. The 45mm GPS Series 7 in midnight is down to a record low of $370, or $60 off, while a few colors of the 41mm GPS Series 7 are down to $350, which is only $10 more than the all-time-low price. Finally, the 41mm GPS + Cellular Watch is $50 off and down to $449.
A few colors of the high-end AirPods Max are $100 less than usual, bringing them down to $449. These cans earned a score of 84 for their excellent, balanced sound, strong ANC and good battery life.
Roku's Streambar Pro is on sale for $150, or $30 off its normal price. The regular Streambar is also on sale for $99. The Pro model includes all of the features that the standard soundbar does, plus four 2.5-inch full range drivers, support for private listening and a lost remote finder in the companion mobile app.
Hisense's 55-inch Quantum Dot 4K TV is 30 percent off and down to just under $600. It packs a lot of value into a relatively affordable TV — the set supports a 120Hz native refresh rate, Dolby Vision and Atmos, 1,000 nits of peak brightness and Game Mode Pro, the latter of which makes use of HDMI 2.1, low latency mode, variable refresh rates and more.
Samsung's 65-inch Frame set is down to a record low fo $1,500, which is $500 off its normal price. In addition to 4K support and Quantum Dot technology, the Frame TVs have Art Mode, which lets you show pieces of art on the screen when you're not using it. The 55-inch model is also back on sale for an all-time low of $1,000.
The Samsung T7 Touch SSD in 1TB is down to a record low of $140 right now. That's even better than the price it was during the holiday shopping season last year. We like the drive's compact design, fast speeds and built-in fingerprint reader for extra security.
Fitbit's Charge 5 is on sale for a record low of $120 right now. We gave the fitness tracker a score of 82 for its large, full-color display, built-in GPS, standard Fitbit Pay and long battery life. The Fitbit Sense smartwatch is also on sale for $100 less than usual, bringing the price down to $200.
Microsoft's Elite Wireless Series 2 controller for Xbox remains on sale for $140, or $40 less than usual. If you want to treat yourself (or someone else) to a fancy gaming accessory, this is a good option. It comes with six thumbsticks, four paddles, two D-pads, a charging dock, a carrying case and a USB-C cable, and its battery can last up to 40 hours on a single charge.
Samsung's latest smartphone, the Galaxy S21 FE, is officially available and starting to ship and Amazon throws in a $100 gift card if you order the handset through the online retailer. We gave the phone a score of 77 for its bright 120Hz display, hi-res selfie cam and long battery life.
All Eero 6 WiFi packs are on sale right now, so you can one for as low as $90. The three-pack of routers is down to $244 while the three-pack with one router and two extenders has been discounted to $195. This system supports WiFi 6, up to 5,000 square feet of coverage and it has a built-in Zigbee smart home hub.
Arturia has discounted a number of its software instruments and effects through February 17. Arguably the highlight of the sale is Pigments, which is 50 percent off and down to $99.
Crucial's MX500 internal SSD in 1TB is on sale for $90 — not the lowest price ever, but close to it. We like this drive for its decent read and write speeds, AES 256-bit hardware-based encryption and integrated power loss immunity.
This Logitech webcam is down to $80, which is 20 percent off its normal price. Its 1080p/30fps recording quality will be great for both Zoom meetings and game streams, plus it has built-in autofocus and two mics to capture your voice in stereo audio.
Garmin's Forerunner 45s running watch is 30 percent off right now and down to $140. The "s" means the case is on the smaller side, making it better for people who don't want a chunky smartwatch. It has a built-in GPS to track and map outdoor runs and it monitors pace, distance, intervals and more.
I’ve never been a fan of Valentine’s Day. Or rather, I’m not a fan of the traditional gifts given on Valentine’s Day, like chocolates and flowers. Flowers die, and you may get sick of yet another box of so-so candy from Russell Stover or Whitman’s. And I’m not alone; lots of people would prefer a PlayStation 5 to a parcel of purple pansies. If your loved one is a gamer, why not show them your affection with something that actually makes their hobby more enjoyable (and won’t need to be watered)?
8BitDo Pro 2
Mat Smith, Engadget
Maybe you love playing games together on a Nintendo Switch, but you’re far less fond about having to split the teeny tiny Joy-Con controllers. Why not upgrade the experience with 8BitDo’s Pro 2 controller, shaped to fit comfortably in most hands, highly customizable and available in a few colors to fit a few gamer styles. It also works with PC, macOS and even the Raspberry Pi if your gamer likes to tinker.
When you really want to pamper your Xbox player, why not upgrade them from the standard gamepad to the Elite Controller? This premium accessory looks classy and feels great in the hand, thanks to its rubberized grips and interchangeable thumbsticks. The paddles on the back add yet another control scheme for your player to take advantage of, and the dual triggers are even adjustable for the type of game being played.
If you’re not a fan of the paddle style of the Elite Controller, know that the Scuf Instinct Pro offers a lot of the same features with a different twist. The back features two horizontal paddles that fit nicely under the fingers, and the hex pattern on the grips is great at wicking away sweat. Pro gamers will especially love the Instant Triggers, which can switch to a mouse-like click at the flip of a switch.
Wireless headsets are a dime a dozen these days, but one that can work seamlessly with the Nintendo Switch and Android phones are still somewhat rare. Of those, the SteelSeries Arctis 1 is probably still the best. It’s sleek, comfortable and highly portable, connecting to devices via the easy USB-C dongle. Even if your loved one already has a wireless gaming headset in their arsenal, this is one that’s made to travel and makes a great buy.
Not every gamer accessory has to be intimidating and hardcore. Razer makes a great line of products aimed at gamers who don’t want all-black everything – or those that really like pink – and they don’t compromise on quality. The Kraken Kitty is famous for its kawaii design that looks great and feels great, making it ideal for long hours streaming on Twitch or YouTube. If you’re not into the cotton candy look, the headset is also available in black for a grimmer style.
Streaming is the hot thing for a lot of players right now, whether they do it for fun or profit. But it can take a bit of an investment to get started, so gifting them some of that gear is a great idea. Sure, a camera is an obvious necessity, but good lighting is also key and Logitech’s new Litra Glow will create bright, even light that’s easy to hook up thanks to the company’s expertise and software.
If your gamer is in the market for a new webcam, preferably one that can stream for both PC and mobile, the Logitech StreamCam is right up their alley. It’s easy to use, sure, but the real appeal is that it can film in either landscape or portrait mode, making it ideal to create content for not just YouTube and Twitch, but also TikTok and Instagram.
Beyond a webcam and a mic, one tool that’s becoming increasingly common for streamers is an Elgato Stream Deck. The sheer amount of customization options might seem a bit intimidating at first, but the company makes a smaller “mini” version with six buttons for triggering various actions, set up via the incredibly easy software. If your gamer is already streaming with ease, you can step up to the larger and more expensive Stream Deck MK.2 instead, which features more buttons and a customizable faceplate.
Not every gamer gift has to be one used to play games with — some can just be an expression of style, like this adorable Animal Crossing Collector’s Box. For only $40, your player gets an adorable winter-themed tote bag, a heat-reactive mug and coasters for their favorite hot drink and, of course, a fuzzy blanket for curling up on the couch.
Forget the expensive jewelry, give your gamer a bit of Zelda bling this Valentine’s Day with this new Zelda-themed wallet from Danielle Nicole. The bag features 12 card slots, a coin purse and plenty of room for cash as well. Best of all is how subtle it is in gold and white, so your player can get their geek on even at the fanciest functions.
It wouldn’t be CES season without at least a couple of offbeat robots showing up. Yukai Engineering, the maker of the Qoobo robotic cat tail pillow, has revealed a soft robot that nibbles on a user’s fingertip. The company hopes the "somewhat pleasing sensation" will brighten up your day.
Amagami Ham Ham has an algorithm called a “Hamgorithm” that selects one of two dozen nibbling patterns, so you’ll never be sure exactly what you’ll feel when you shove your digit into the robot’s maw. Yukai designed the patterns — which include Tasting Ham, Massaging Ham and Suction Ham — to replicate the feeling of a baby or pet nibbling on one’s finger.
Yukai Corporation
“Amagami” means “soft biting” and “ham” means “bite” in Japanese. Yukai based the look of the robot on a character from Liv Heart Corporation’s Nemu Nemu stuffed animal series. There’ll be a couple of finger-munching models to choose from: Yuzu (Calico Cat) and Kotaro (Shiba Inu).
“Most people like the nibbling sensation but know they need to teach their children or pets to stop it, because kids and animals will otherwise bite them with full force eventually," said Yukai Engineering CMO Tsubasa Tominaga, who invented the robot at a hackathon earlier this year. "Amagami Ham Ham is a robot that frees humankind from the conundrum of whether ‘to pursue or not to pursue’ the forbidden pleasure.”
Pricing hasn't been determined, but Yukai and Liv Heart plan to run a crowdfunding campaign in the spring. In the meantime, those braving CES can check out Amagami Ham Ham at the show, and perhaps leave Yukai's booth with a slightly more tender finger.
Among the other devices Yukai will show off at CES is Bocco Emo. The company has updated the original Bocco robot to act as a smart medical device. Yukai says hospitals in Japan are using it to monitor patients' vitals (via connected sensors like pulse oximeters and thermometers) and notify nurses about a patient's condition.
During a pilot period, Bocco Emo was used to inform patients' families about how they're doing. It can also communicate with patients using sound effects, facial expressions and gestures while they wait for a nurse to arrive.
Lego isn't quite done mining your video game nostalgia. After nearly a year of work, the company has revealed that its Sonic the Hedgehog Green Hill Zone set will be available online and in Lego stores on January 1st, 2022 for $70 (£60). The brick-based recreation of the game's best-known area includes minifigs for Sonic, Dr. Eggman (aka Dr. Robotnik), two critters and the Phantom Ruby. Sonic won't dart around loops, unfortunately, but there is a Technic lever to launch him (or any other characters) along with the rings and powerups you'd expect.
The set is the finished adaptation of Sonic fan Viv Grannell's submission to the Lego Ideas platform. Their concept set racked up the 10,000 votes necessary to be considered for a real set. Lego officially began work in February.
You probably won't see too many more video game-themed Lego sets in the near future. Sonic and Mario are two of the best-known franchises — other game-related Lego Ideas for Legend of Zelda, Metroid and other classics haven't come close to passing the 10,000-vote threshold. This does illustrate the power of crowdsourcing, though, and it's good news for kids who grew up with a Genesis (or Mega Drive) in the living room.
As it does every year around this time, Samsung has unveiled its C-Lab incubator projects for CES 2022, with the aim to gauge customer response and further advance the most promising ideas. The star of the show this year is ZamStar, a guitar and app combo designed to make collaboration and learning easier. Other notable projects include an AI solution to help kids develop good smartphone habits and a nursery mobile that can allow for early detection of infant strabismus (eye crossing).
ZamStar consists of an app and a custom guitar called ZamString. The idea is that you can play a part on the guitar, add effects and then sync it up with other musicians around the world. It's clearly a riff on the COVID-19 TikTok trend of musical collaborations (remember all those sea shanties early this year), with the idea of making it easy to sync up your music. Meanwhile, the ZamString guitar has a fretboard that lights via input from a song, making it easy to figure out where to put your fingers. It's not a new concept, but perhaps the first to marry both the learning and collaboration aspects.
Piloto, meanwhile, is what Samsung calls an "AI solution that helps children develop proper smartphone usage habits." The aim is to teach kids "self-regulation skills" on smart devices to help them make good choices. Finally, Innovision is "a daily life eye-care system with a nursery mobile to catch suspicious symptoms of the strabismus and monitor visual ability development status for babies." That seems like a smart idea, since babies gaze natural towards mobiles.
Along with its inside incubators, Samsung's C-Lab Outside is backing nine startups, including an AI-based biometric recognition solution for pets called Petnow. All of these projects will be on display with their own booths at CES 2022. So far, Samsung still appears to be planning to attend the event and has not followed the lead of other exhibitors (Google, Lenovo, Intel, Amazon, Meta, T-Mobile) by cancelling.
LG is best known for productivity-oriented laptops and particularly, its lightweight Gram 17 — but not any serious gaming models. Now the company has revealed what it calls its "first gaming laptop" with some high-end specs. The 17-inch UltraGear 17G90Q model packs an 11th-generation Intel Tiger Lake H CPU, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Max-Q graphics, up to 32GB of RAM and 1TB of storage.
It also comes with a 300 Hz 1080p IPS display, and should have pretty decent endurance for gaming or content creation with the 93Wh battery. There's a good selection of ports, including a USB 4 Gen 3x2 (Type C) with Thunderbolt 4, another USB-C 3.2 2x1, two USB 3.2 Gen 2x1, HDMI, microSD, headphone jack and RJ45. Other features include a power button fingerprint sensor and 1080p webcam.
LG
It's got an aluminum case with an attractive grey/purple color scheme and is fairly slim for a 17-inch gaming laptop (21.4mm). It's decently lightweight at 5.82 pounds, though a bit heavy compared to MSI's 17-inch GS76 Stealth laptop, which is 5.4 pounds and has a bigger battery.
LG didn't reveal the key pricing, but it could be a good option for folks who like the LG brand and appreciate the understated styling. It's set to arrive in the US and South Korea starting in early 2022, and LG will reveal more details at CES 2022 on January 4th.
When I tested out the Fender Acoustasonic Jazzmaster earlier this year, I was admittedly skeptical. One of the biggest reasons was the price. I just couldn’t justify $2,000 for something so niche. But I said if the price ever fell below $1,000 I’d consider it. Well, the new Acoustasonic Player Telecaster doesn’t quite hit that benchmark, but at $1,200 it is a lot more affordable.
Obviously, something had to give for the company to shave $800 off the price, but from a pure build quality perspective it doesn’t seem like you’re losing much. The made-in-Mexico Player Acoustasonic is nearly indistinguishable from the made-in-America models. The body and neck have a similar satin finish on a combination of mahogany and spruce. And the components, from the tuners to the knobs, are exactly the same. This certainly doesn’t feel like an entry-level guitar.
Terrence O'Brien / Engadget
There are some physical differences, though. The most notable being the fretboard, which was ebony on the original, but is made of rosewood here. Even so, I wouldn’t say ebony is better; it’s just a slightly different experience. The rosewood fretboard, combined with the lower action out of the box, makes the new Acoustasonic Telecaster play more like an electric than an acoustic – a stark contrast to the Jazzmaster version, in my experience.
The biggest differences here are in the electronics. Where the pricier Acoustasonics have three pickups and a five-way switch for a total of 10 different guitar sounds, the Player model has just two pickups and a three-way switch with six sound options.
The Player Acoustasonic also loses the rechargeable battery and replaces it with a standard 9V. I’ll say this: The guitar chews through 9V batteries surprisingly fast, but being able to just swap in a new one (rather than wait for it to charge) is a nice convenience.
Terrence O'Brien / Engadget
Just like the other entries in the Acoustasonic series, the main controls are basic, but a little different than your typical guitar. There’s a volume knob, but the selector doesn’t just switch pickups (though, it does that too); it switches between pairs of “voices”, while the second knob blends between the two.
Moving from back to front, the voice pairs found on the three-way switch here are Noiseless Tele and Fat Noiseless Tele, Lo-Fi Clean and Lo-Fi Crunch, Mahogany Small Body Short Scale and Rosewood Dreadnought. What’s immediately noticeable is that there are a lot fewer acoustic simulations than on the other Acoustasonics. The two models here, the Rosewood Dreadnought and Mahogany Small Body, cover a decent amount of ground. It’s very satisfying to play a simple chord loop on the Rosewood and turn the blend knob forward to the Mahogany to play leads over it.
The two acoustic voices here are good but not as convincing as they are on the Jazzmaster Acoustasonic. I attribute that to the missing third pickup: Fishman’s Acoustasonic Enhancer. The two pickups here – Fender’s Acoustasonic Noiseless and Fishman’s Under-Saddle Transducer – do an admirable job delivering electric and piezo acoustic sounds, but they’re not quite as good at delivering the variety and nuance of the Enhancer system it seems.
Terrence O'Brien / Engadget
That being said, I actually prefer the electric sounds on the Telecaster to the Jazzmaster. It sounds a bit more like the guitar that inspired it to my ears, and plays better with pedals. The “Fat” Tele sound has just the right amount of bite for my taste. The “lo-fi” voices are basically just the same piezo sounds you’d find in your average acoustic / electric. That’s not a bad thing, to be clear. I love the crunch of a slightly overdriven piezo pickup. If you’re banging out Neutral Milk Hotel covers or playing along with Nirvana’s Unplugged, this is the setting for you.
The dreadnought and small body voices are still more convincingly acoustic than what you’d get on your average acoustic / electric. They have depth and character that your average piezo alone can’t quite match. But those two voices alone aren’t necessarily worth the premium you’re paying here.
In fact, price remains the biggest obstacle for the Acoustasonic line. $1,200 isn’t exactly cheap for a guitar. Sure, it’s better than $2,000, but even many avid players will live their entire lives never spending more than $1,000 on a guitar. A standard made-in-Mexico Player Telecaster will set you back $800, and you can pick up a decent acoustic / electric from Fender for about $400 – and arguably those two as separate instruments are more versatile than the hybrid Acoustasonic. And the value gets even muddier when you consider that the American-made Acoustasonic Telecaster is currently on sale for $1,600.
The Acoustasonic Player Telecaster remains an almost perfect couch guitar and it’s exciting to see Fender bringing its hybrid guitar tech down to a more affordable instrument. But it’s still too expensive for most.
Sample and mastering site LANDR has unveiled a new subscription-based DAW app called Chromatic that makes it easy to piece together artist-created loops into all-new creations, the company announced. The company has partnered with artists, session players and others who created "inspiring playable instrument loops, vocal hooks, one-shots, and soundscapes," along with a story behind the sounds. You can then use those samples in any way you like to create your own tracks.
Chromatic is as much about the interface as the capability, according to LANDR. It gives users access to content across genres of music through color-coded mood boards, so you can "quickly audition or earmark individual sound sets" and incorporate them into your workflow. At the same time, they're matched to the tempo and key of any project.
"As an instrument, Chromatic lets you explore, play, and manipulate original sounds created by artists and producers, making them your own," says LANDR CEO Pascal Pilon in a statement. "We've developed Chromatic to bring the human element back into your virtual studio, a unique way to collaborate and engage with the creators of your favorite tracks and musical styles."
Artists who contribute the loops will receive royalties for when they're used. However, for certain specific artists and labels, LANDR will support splits on works created with their sound sets. "With this unique arrangement, Chromatic will serve as a foundation for emerging producers to collaborate with featured artists, resulting in a split release and promotion of a new work made with their Chromatic content." This presumably means that Chromatic users would share royalties on commercial releases with select, high-profile loop creators.
Chromatic is LANDR's first instrument, and a move towards a trend of subscriptions toward virtual instruments. A recent example is Output, which recently unveiled a similar subscription-based product called Arcade. Auto-Tune also offers a subscription, and Splice recently launched two vocal VST plugins that are behind subscription walls, as well.
Chromatic is now available as a free download with access to the full library of royalty-free sound sets at $10 per month. It's also offering an "All Access Pass" at $10 per month for six months and $15 per month thereafter, with royalty-free access to the sample library, AI-assisted mastering, music distribution on sites like Spotify, Sessions collaboration and more.
The holiday shopping season is one of the best times of year to look for a new vacuum — robotic or not. We've seen numerous models go on sale before and during Black Friday, and now a new Cyber Monday sale has knocked iRobot devices down to new record lows. Key among them are the new poop-detecting j7 duo of robot vacuums, both of which are $200 off. The Roomba j7 has dropped to $449 while the j7+, which comes with a clean base, is down to $649. Those prices are being matched at Best Buy and Wellbots, too.
"Poop-detecting" might sound gimmicky, but these robot vacuums have new AI-driven computer vision technology that helps them detect obstacles as they clean so they can move around them. That means, instead of bumping into chair legs and tables, these machines will do a better job of cleaning around those permanent fixtures in your home — and they'll more easily avoid surprise hazards like pet poop. And if your new robo-vac doesn't avoid your pet's latest mess, iRobot's Pet Owner Official Promise (yes, P.O.O.P.) ensures that you'll get a new vacuum if such a disaster happens within your first year of ownership.
Otherwise, the j7 devices are higher-end Roombas, so they have features like dual multi-surface rubber brushes and Imprint Smart Mapping, which lets you control which rooms the robot cleans. The biggest difference between the j7 and the j7+ is the inclusion of the clean base on the latter. When it returns home to charge, the j7+ will automatically empty its bin into the clean base and you'll only have to empty the base about once every two months.
A number of more affordable Roombas are included in the sale, too, like the Roomba 694, which remains on sale for $179. This is one of our favorite budget robot vacuums thanks to its good cleaning abilities and easy to use mobile app. You can also get the top-of-the-line Roomba, the s9+, with the Braava Jet mopping robot for over $450 off, bringing it down to $1,299.
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