Amazon has kicked off a new Fire tablet sale ahead of its Prime Big Deal Days event later this month. The discounts include the Fire HD 8 down to $60, the Fire HD 8 Plus for $70, the Fire Max 11 for $150, the previous-generation Fire HD 10 for $75 and the Fire 7 for $40, among others. All of those deals either match or come within a few dollars of the lowest prices we've seen, and unlike most of the offers that'll be available during the Big Deal Days sale, they aren't limited to Amazon Prime subscribers.

All Fire tablets still come with the usual caveats: They aren't nearly as fast or premium-feeling as a good iPad or Galaxy Tab, their displays aren't as vivid and their app selection is more limited. They lack official access to the Google Play Store, so there's no Google apps like Gmail or YouTube. (It's possible to install the Play Store with a workaround, though that's a bit of a pain.) They also display ads on the lock screen unless you pay an extra fee or use a Kids model. 

All that said, they play well with Amazon services like Alexa and Prime Video (natch), they support most of the other major streaming apps and the better models are just quick enough for the basics. Ultimately, though, it's all about price. If you just want a large screen for streaming video, reading ebooks and browsing the web, most Fire slates let you do so for dirt cheap, so they're better buys when they're on sale.

Of the models discounted now, the 8-inch Fire HD 8 and Fire HD 8 Plus may be the best values for most. Each is saddled with a 1,280 x 800 resolution display, so text and images won't be especially sharp, but they can get decently bright, and the hardware as a whole is lightweight and fairly durable. Both devices can last more than 10 hours on a charge, and while they only come with 32GB of storage, you can expand that up to 1TB with a microSD card. Between the two, the Fire HD 8 Plus comes with an extra gigabyte of RAM (3GB total), so it'll be a little smoother to navigate Amazon's Fire OS if you can afford the extra $10. Neither tablet is outright fast, though, so don't expect to do more than the essentials. At these prices, both slates are only $5 more than their respective all-time lows.

You can opt for the Fire 7 if you want a second screen for as little as possible, but it's slower and lower-res than the Fire HD 8, so we recommend paying for the latter if possible. The last-gen Fire HD 10 is still faster than either of those and packs a 10.1-inch 1080p display, so it's a decent value at $75, but Amazon recently launched an updated model, so it's technically out of date. (The new Fire HD 10 isn't included in the sale.)

 The 11-inch Fire Max 11, meanwhile, is the most premium tablet in Amazon's lineup, with a beefier processor and an aluminum chassis; it's an easier sell at $150, which matches its all-time low, though it has all the same software limitations as the lower-end options. 

Finally, the Kids versions of various Fire tablets are also discounted. As a reminder, those have the same hardware as the standard models, but add large protective cases, a more kid-friendly default UI, two-year warranties and one-year subscriptions to Amazon's Kids+ content service.

Your October Prime Day Shopping Guide: See all of our Prime Day coverage. Shop the best Prime Day deals on Yahoo Life. Follow Engadget for Prime Day tech deals. Learn about Prime Day trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Fall Prime Day deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Prime Day sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

Apple's iOS 17 brought a host of new features, including the option to leave video messages on FaceTime. While younger generations typically dread hearing their phones ring and seeing that someone has left a voicemail, Apple's new video version might be a hit. Now, when you call someone on FaceTime, if there's no answer you'll have the option to record and send a video message. Please note: Both you and your recipient must be running iOS 17 or iPadOS 17 to send and receive FaceTime video messages.

Step by step: How to send a FaceTime video message

Step 1: Go to the FaceTime app

Leaving a video message via FaceTime is pretty simple. All you have to do is initiate a FaceTime call like you normally would. This can be done in a few ways but the easiest way would be to go to the FaceTime app.

Step 2: Initiate the FaceTime call

Once in the app, tap the New FaceTime button, select the contact you're trying to reach then tap FaceTime at the bottom. If no picks up, you'll see "[Contact] is Unavailable" and you'll be presented with two options. You can either call them again or hit Record Video to do just that. 

CNET

Step 3: Tap the Record Video option

Select Record Video and get ready to shoot your shot. You'll see an onscreen countdown and then you can record your message. 

Step 4: Send your video message

After you're done saying what you need to say, you can send it by tapping Send, which looks like a white button circle with a green arrow inside, or you can select Retake.

Apple

Apple has also included a Save option, which means you can save the video message you just recorded directly to your Camera Roll. Or if you'd prefer not to send the message at all, you can simply hit Cancel.

But if you do go through with sending your video message, the recipient will be able to view it in the missed call log within their FaceTime app. Once there, they'll have the option to return your call, watch the video message or save it to their Camera Roll.

The federal government will conduct a nationwide alert test on Wednesday, October 4. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will send notifications to cell phones (as well as radios and TVs) to test the National Wireless Emergency Alert System and ensure the system (including the public’s familiarity with it) is ready for a real crisis.

The cellphone portion of the test will assess Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs) nationwide. If you live near a decent-sized metro area, there’s a solid chance you’ve received AMBER alerts through this system before; it can also broadcast signals for imminent threats, public safety and presidential notices in a national emergency. The test’s WEA portion will use FEMA’s Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS), a centralized internet-based system that can broadcast emergency notifications through various communications networks.

If your cell phone is set to English, you’ll receive a message at around 2:20PM ET reading, “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.” Those with phones set to Spanish as their primary language will see, “ESTA ES UNA PRUEBA del Sistema Nacional de Alerta de Emergencia. No se necesita acción.”

Of course, the messages will be accompanied by a “unique tone and vibration.” Based on past tests we’ve received, that could easily be described as “a jarring and obnoxious alarm that will immediately make you stop what you’re doing, utter select obscenities and pick up your phone to make it stop.”

Using the Emergency Alert System (EAS), the television and radio portion of the assessment is scheduled to happen simultaneously. This will be the seventh nationwide EAS test.

The cell phone part of the test is scheduled to last for about 30 minutes, but you should be able to dismiss the notification and shut up your phone as soon as you see and hear it. And in the (extremely unlikely) event of an actual emergency on Wednesday, the test will take place a week later on the backup date of October 11.

Amazon's second Prime-related event for 2023 is officially called Prime Big Deal Days and will happen October 10 and 11. This is the second year in a row for a fall-based, site-wide Amazon sale and we're already seeing discounts pop up. You'll need a Prime membership to access many of the deals, though a few are available to everyone. This week, there are early Prime Day deals on the AirPods Pro, Blink's Video Doorbell and Outdoor cameras, Amazon Music Unlimited, Eero 6 mesh Wi-Fi systems and Amazon Fire Omni smart TVs. We're also seeing lower-than-usual prices on Bluetooth speakers, microSD cards, gaming mice and other wireless headphones we recommend in various buying guides. Here are the best early October Prime Day deals you can get right now. 

Apple AirPods Pro

Amazon has the Lightning model of Apple's AirPods Pro on sale for $199, while Best Buy has the new variant with a USB-C charging case down to $200. Each is roughly $50 off Apple's list price. For reference, the updated model adds improved dust resistance and lossless audio support with the upcoming Vision Pro headset alongside the new charging port, though the two pairs are otherwise identical. In any event, we consider the AirPods Pros the best wireless earphones for those who use an iPhone or lots of Apple devices. They still deliver excellent noise cancelation, a pleasingly warm sound profile and a variety of Apple-specific features such as hands-free Siri access, Find My device tracking and quick pairing and switching between iPhones, iPads and MacBooks. With a recent update, they've also gained a useful "Adaptive Audio" mode that blends the pair's ANC and transparency modes dynamically based on your surroundings.

Blink Video Doorbell + Outdoor cameras

Prime members can grab a Blink Video Doorbell and two third-generation Blink Outdoor cameras for $100, which is an all-time low. In recent months, this bundle has gone for $240, though Blink recently released a fourth-gen Outdoor camera with improved video quality, a wider field of view and person detection alerts (with a Blink subscription plan).

Still, if price is your main concern, the last-gen model should suffice, as should the Video Doorbell. Both Blink devices provide serviceable 1080p video during the day, night vision, two-way audio, motion detection alerts and Alexa support. They're relatively simple to install, and each is rated for up to two years of battery life off a pair of AA batteries. Amazon says the bundle also includes Blink's Sync Module 2, which is required for local storage and access to on-demand live feeds. The two are relatively basic in terms of features — there's no direct support for Google Assistant or Apple HomeKit, for instance — and there are better options for video quality, especially at night. But if you just need the basics, this is a decent value. We highlight the Blink Outdoor in our smart home gadgets buying guide.

Amazon Music Unlimited

If you've never subscribed to Amazon Music Unlimited, you can now get three months of the music streaming service for free. If you're an Amazon Prime member who has never subscribed, that jumps to four months. Music Unlimited usually comes with a one-month free trial and goes for $11 a month — or $10 if you use Prime — so this deal saves you either $22 or $30. We highlight Music Unlimited in our guide to the best music streaming services: Its UI and music discovery features aren't as robust as Apple Music or Spotify, but it offers a large library in CD streaming quality and a wide podcast selection. Naturally, it also works well with Echo speakers and other Amazon devices. Note that your subscription will be set to auto-renew by default, so you'll have to manually cancel if you're just looking to snag a few months of music streaming at no cost.

Kasa Smart Bulbs

Smart lightbulbs like these not only adjust to whatever color you want, you can also control them with the app or just your voice (and a compatible smart speaker). Kasa's KL125 bulbs made the cut as the budget pick in our guide to smart bulbs because they are easy to install, easy to use and pack a ton of features. Right now a four-pack is down to $26 with an on-page coupon, which is a 35 percent discount off this bundle's list price.

Eero Pro 6E mesh Wi-Fi system

Amazon has discounted most of its Eero 6 Wi-Fi systems as an early Prime Day deal, including the most powerful of the bunch, the Eero Pro 6E. You can pick up one router for $180, or spring for a three-pack for $400, both of which are down to record-low prices. Devices with support for Wi-Fi 6E can connect directly to the Eero’s 6 GHz radio band, and if you get the three-pack, you’ll get up to 6,000 square feet of coverage — more than enough for most homes. These Eeros have a built-in smart home hub as well, so you don’t need to have an extra device if you want to build out an IoT ecosystem in your house.

Tribit StormBox Micro 2

The Tribit StormBox Micro 2 is down to $46 at Amazon when you clip the 5 percent on-page coupon. That's about $14 below its usual price. We recommend the StormBox Micro 2 as an compact, budget-friendly option in our guide to the best portable Bluetooth speakers. Its small size means it's not the loudest or fullest-sounding thing, but it plays well for what it is, and it's easy to take on the road. It has a built-in strap for attaching to things like backpacks or bike handlebars, plus it can double as a power bank for your smartphone in a pinch. It's also IP67-rated, so it's dustproof and water-resistant enough to survive a shower or drop in the pool.

EarFun Air Pro 3

Amazon has the EarFun Air Pro 3 on sale for $56, which is within a few dollars of the price we saw during July's Prime Day event. Normally, these noise-cancelling true wireless earphones retail for $80. The Air Pro 3s are the runner up pick in our guide to the best budget wireless earbuds, as they offer effective ANC, IPX5-rated water resistance, wireless charging, multi-device pairing, a relatively stable design and battery life in the six- to seven-hour range. The sound goes hard on the bass and treble by default, which can be fun for hip-hop and pop music, though you can rein it in slightly with a graphic EQ in EarFun's companion app.

Samsung Pro Plus

If you need more storage for your Nintendo Switch, GoPro or anything else that accepts microSD cards, the 256GB version of the Samsung Pro Plus with Samsung's USB reader is on sale for $22. We've seen the card alone fall as low as $20, but this matches the all-time low for the bundle with the reader, which helps the card get closer to its advertised read and write speeds — up to 180 MB/s and 130 MB/s for reading and writing, respectively — on devices that allow them. Normally, this SKU retails for $25. The Pro Plus is the top recommendation in our guide to the best microSD cards, as it delivered the fastest sequential write speeds and random performance of any card we tested and comes with a 10-year warranty.

Crucial X6 portable SSD

Amazon has knocked up to 55 percent off Crucial external and internal SSDs, including the 2TB Crucial X6 portable SSD for $90. That’s 55 percent off and only $10 more than it was during Prime Day in July. This drive has read speeds up to 800 MB/s and works with a variety of devices including Mac and Windows laptops, iPads and even some game consoles. It’s also quite small, so it will fit into nearly any bag when you need to take it on the go.

Apple Watch Ultra (1st gen)

The second generation of the Apple Watch Ultra is now available — but the new version isn't significantly discounted. First-gen Apple Watch Ultras, however, has been discounted by $100 on Amazon, bringing them to $699 instead of $799. The discount only applies to the watch with the orange Alpine Loop in small. The medium and large bands are about a dollar more, and watches with different colored bands aren't discounted. We gave the first Apple Watch Ultra an 85 in our review, praising its long battery life, bright display and useful fitness and health features. It doesn't have the Ultra 2's double-tap navigation system and S9 SiP (system-in-package) processor for on-board Siri requests, but if all you need is a rugged watch with lots of hiking, running and other activity features, now's your chance to save.

Apple iPhone 15 FineWoven cases

In addition to announcing the iPhone 15 earlier this month, Apple also spent lots of time talking up the company's environmental initiatives. One change eliminates all leather from Apple's product lineup — and a new material called FineWoven will take its place on accessories like iPhone cases. Right now, Amazon is discounting those new FineWoven cases for the iPhone 15 by five percent. It's a small discount, but if you've just dropped a grand on the new iPhone 15 Pro, even a little savings may help. 

Logitech G203 Lightsync

The black version of the Logitech G203 Lightsync is down to $20.49 at Amazon with a $5 on-page coupon. While this isn't an all-time low, the device typically retails closer to $30. We recommend the G203 in our gaming mouse buying guide to those who want to pay as little as possible for something competent. It might be too small for those with large hands, its sensor isn't the most advanced thing around, and its scroll wheel feels somewhat mushy, but it's hard to do better at this price. The sturdy, ambidextrous shape should play well with those who use a fingertip or claw grip, it tracks accurately enough and, at 85g, it's not crazy heavy.

Amazon Fire Omni QLED TVs

All sizes of Amazon’s Fire TV Omni QLED Series are on sale ahead of October's sale. The 43-, 50-, 55- and 65-inch models are down to $380, $400, $440 and $600, respectively. Those match or beat the prices we saw for July's Prime Day. The Fire TV Omni QLED sets are best for people who like Amazon’s Fire interface, which is easy enough to figure out, though the OS tends to push you towards Amazon's own content. Beyond that Fire TVs do a good job of integrating Alexa's helpfulness with a useful voice remote, and hands-free smart home support. And if you don't feel like having Alexa listening in, you can turn off the mics with a built-in switch.

Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2

The Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2 is on sale for $249 in select colors, which is about $120 below its average street price and tied for the best deal we've seen. The Px7 S2s are the runner up in our wireless headphone buying guide, and we gave them a review score of 85 last year. Its design is both comfortable and stylish, and its punchy sound should particularly appeal to bass lovers. While its ANC isn't as effective as the best offerings from Sony or Bose, it's strong enough to be useful. Call quality is just OK though. This deal comes after Bowers & Wilkins announced a revised model, the Px7 S2e, though at this price the older pair is still worth considering.

Samsung Galaxy S23 phones

All models of Samsung's flagship S23 smartphones are on sale right now, including our pick for the best Android smartphone you can buy, the Galaxy S23 Ultra. The 256GB base model is down to $999 after a 17 percent, or $200, discount. The phone has been hitting that low regularly over the past few months, so if you've been thinking about getting one, it's probably best to make your move when its at this price. The other two phones in the S23 lineup are also on sale, with the base model of the standard Galaxy S23 going for $700 and the S23+ going for $800, both of which are $100 discounts.

OnePlus 11 5G

The OnePlus 11 5G is currently $100 off at Amazon. The Android handset has dropped to this price a few times before, but this deal matches its all-time low. This is the latest flagship phone from OnePlus, which earned an 83 in our review. It packs a powerful processor, a vivid screen and has a long-lasting battery that also happens to charge blazingly fast. 

Motorola razr+

Motorola just released its new razr+ foldable flip phone a few months ago, but it's already seeing a $100 discount at Amazon. We gave it a score of 85 in our review, noting that it was giving Samsung a little competition in the flip foldable category. It's also the runner up flip option in our guide to foldable smartphones in part because its exterior display is a little easier to use than Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip 5. Just keep in mind that its water resistance isn't as substantial. 

Your Fall Prime Day Shopping Guide: See all of our Prime Day coverage. Shop the best Prime Day deals on Yahoo Life. Follow Engadget for Prime Day tech deals. Learn about Prime Day trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s car experts on must-shop auto-related Prime Day deals and find Prime Day sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

Google is sending Jamboard on its way to the company's ever-growing graveyard full of products and services that didn't quite work out. It will wind down the Jamboard whiteboarding app sometime in late 2024, it has revealed in a Workspace post, and will switch to working more closely with third-party partners. Jamboard is the tech giant's home-grown whiteboarding solution that provides people the ability to collaborate in real time. Anything drawn or edited on its website or app, for instance, gets reflected on the Jamboard hardware, and vice versa. 

To continue giving teams that use its tools access to a collaborative digital whiteboard, Google is integrating FigJam, Lucidspark and Miro across its Workspace. It also promised to provide a "retention and migration path" so that users don't lose any collaborative work they've created within an organization. In its post, Google said it received feedback from customers that the advanced features offered by the aforementioned third-party partners helped their teams work better together. Based on that feedback, the company has decided to "leverage [its] partner ecosystem for whiteboarding in Workspace and focus [its] efforts on core content collaboration across Docs, Sheets, and Slides."

In addition to killing the Jamboard app, Google is also winding down support for the $5,000 Jamboard device. The 4K digital whiteboard, which originally went on sale in 2017, will stop receiving auto-updates on September 30, 2024.

As expected, Apple is making a last-ditch effort to get the Supreme Court to reverse a ruling that would force it to open up its App Store to third-party payments. The iPhone maker filed a petition with the Court Thursday, arguing that the lower court injunction was “breathtakingly broad” and “unconstitutional.”

It’s the latest beat in a long-simmering feud between Cupertino and the Fortnite developer that’s seen both sides ask the Supreme Court to reverse parts of a lower court ruling. But Apple's latest petition could have far-reaching consequences for all developers, should the Supreme Court decide to take up the case.

That’s because Apple is asking the Supreme Court to reverse an injunction that would require the company to allow app developers to offer payments that circumvent its App Store, and the fees associated with it. Such a move would be a major blow to the App Store’s business, which has used the rule to maintain strict control over in-app payments.

The rule, often referred to as an “anti-steering” policy, has long been controversial and a major gripe for developers. It not only prohibits app makers from providing links to web-based payments, it bars them from even telling their customers that a cheaper rate was available somewhere else.

Fortnite developer Epic made the issue a central part of its antitrust lawsuit against Apple in 2020, and the judge in the case ruled in Epic’s favor on the issue in 2021. Apple has spent the last two years fighting that part of the ruling.

Separately, Epic has also asked the Supreme Court to reconsider part of the lower court’s ruling in its bid to keep its antitrust claims against Apple alive.

Users will be able to edit, share and receive feedback on their Photoshop projects from anywhere on the web, Adobe announced Wednesday, regardless of whether an Adobe product is installed on their PC or tablet. The company is bringing its Photoshop on the web service out of beta and incorporating a few handy new AI features as well.

Adobe first introduced a feature-svelt online version of the popular Photoshop app in December, 2021. Originally, users could share their psd files but only if the recipient had a copy of Photoshop or Illustrator on their computer too. That changed with the introduction of Creative Cloud, which allowed for sharing without the need for a local install. The beta version of Photoshop on the web took that concept a step further by incorporating basic editing tools into the web UI geared towards "minor tweaks and quick edits" — the easy sort of stuff that took less time to fix than the program took to boot. The production version released Wednesday does all that and more.

"With this release we are starting with a focus on the needs of creators who are new to Photoshop with a streamlined user experience," Adobe VP Pam Clark wrote in a blog post. "We have brought the majority of the most commonly used Photoshop tools to the web and have streamlined the user experience, to make it easier for newer users to navigate the app."

Users will also be able to experiment with two new AI-driven tools, generative fill and generative expand. As their names' imply, these will "allow you to add, expand, or remove content from your images non-destructively, while magically matching perspective, lighting, and style of your image," Clark wrote. The features were first released as part of Firefly for the desktop edition of Photoshop. 

The Contextual Taskbar is also migrating over from the desktop. This on-screen menu will observe your workflow and suggest relevant next steps. But for all the new features to play with, a number of existing tools have yet to make the jump to the web, including the patch and pen tools, smart object support and the polygonal lasso, the the company insists that they will be added with future updates.  

Footage captured by a food delivery robot in Los Angeles was used to arrest and convict two people after a failed attempt to steal it off the street earlier this year, according to 404 Media. Serve Robotics, which works with Uber Eats for last-mile deliveries in the area, shared videos of the incident with the Los Angeles Police Department both proactively and after a subpoena. Serve previously met with LAPD to “open a line of communication” between the two ahead of any potential troubles, emails obtained by 404 also show.

It comes at a time when public wariness around the technology is already high, with concerns about just how much the robots are recording and where that footage ultimately goes. Serve Robotics CEO Ali Kashani boasted about the resulting convictions on social media, tweeting, “Some genius once tried to steal one of our robots… It didn’t end well (for them).” In a follow-up blog post, Kashani takes a softer stance, attempting to explain how the company balances its approach to involving law enforcement with its responsibility to the public and fostering trust.

The company’s principles, according to Kashani, include “not using robots for surveillance or other purposes that violate the public’s sense of privacy,” and not putting unnecessary strain on public resources by calling in the police “to address every minor incident of robot vandalism.” In this case, in which the police were immediately notified and arrests were made, the robot got away on its own and was, as Kashani describes it, “unharmed.” The company turned in all relevant footage before deleting it.

It remains unclear how long Serve keeps its robots’ recordings under normal circumstances, and its vagueness around the videos' potential use doesn’t inspire much confidence. In a statement to 404 Media, Serve’s head of communications, Aduke Thelwell, said it is the company’s policy to “regularly delete camera feed unless otherwise required, and to comply with subpoena requests.”

Beyerdynamic is no stranger to the gaming community, as the company’s wired headsets are regularly seen at professional esports events and the like. However, it’s never released a wireless gaming headset, until now. The company just revealed the Beyerdynamic MMX 200 and this headset’s packed with modern features, all without frustrating wires to get in the way.

The company says the MMX 200 offers the “same competitive advantage” of its wired cousins, thanks to 40mm high-performance drivers that provide expanded detail across the entire frequency range. There’s also an integrated digital signal processor (DSP) that promises to add more oomph to the sound, helping to create the “ultimate gaming experience.”

Gaming is more than just listening, however, especially when you’re playing with friends. You also have to trash talk. The MMX 200 features a detachable boom mic with an integrated 9mm condenser capsule that Beyerdynamic says will make listeners think your voice is coming from a podcast studio. That’s quite a lofty promise, as the microphones that typically accompany gaming headsets are, in a word, trash.

Being a wireless headset, connectivity options are extremely important. To that end, the MMX 200 integrates with a wide variety of audio codecs and features Bluetooth 5.3, along with a low-latency wireless adapter. There’s even an interesting hybrid mode that allows the headphones to connect via an analog wired connection and Bluetooth at the same time.

The advertised battery life is certainly impressive, allowing for 35 to 50 hours of use per charge. This metric doesn’t even include idle periods, so the real-world battery life could creep even higher. You can also charge the headset during use, which is always a nice time-saver and a feature more companies should implement. As with most gaming headsets intended for prolonged use, there are some comfort-forward features here, like memory foam padding on the earpads and a light clamping force that shouldn’t squeeze your head like a grape.

All of the components have been designed for self-repair, with replacement parts available. Additionally, Beyerdynamic doesn’t really trade in gimmicks, so there’s no RGB lights or anything like that. The MMX 200 headphones are available today for $250 straight from the company or via Amazon.

While this is Beyerdynamic’s first wireless gaming headset, it’s not the company’s first foray into wireless audio. It released a pair of wireless earbuds last year, called Free Byrd.

The Xbox Series X is once again on sale for $450 at Dell. That's $50 off its usual going rate. We've seen this deal pop up before, but discounts on Microsoft's highest-end game console have generally been rare since it arrived in late 2020, so this is another good opportunity to save.

Compared to the $300 Xbox Series S, Microsoft's other current-gen Xbox, the Series X packs a stronger GPU and 6GB more RAM, which lets it more consistently play demanding games at higher frame rates and resolutions. It also has a disc drive and twice as much storage by default at 1TB. You can still play every Xbox game on either console, but the gulf in power between the two devices is starting to become more evident; the hit RPG Baldur's Gate III, for instance, recently arrived on the Series S without split-screen co-op — something that is available on the Series X — after developer Larian Studios had issues achieving feature parity with the less powerful machine. Broadly speaking, the Series X is built to play games in 4K at 60fps (or higher), while the Series S is more for 1440p or 1080p displays. 

As for the games themselves, Microsoft has had some struggles producing first-party hits — we were lukewarm on its most recent blockbuster, the space RPG Starfield — but the Xbox library still has tons of titles we like, from blockbusters like Forza Horizon 5 and Halo Infinite to smaller gems like Hi-Fi Rush and Pentiment. If you like to sample a variety of games, an Xbox Game Pass subscription is still a decent value as well, though a recent price hike has made it a little less of a must-have.

The caveat to any Xbox deal right now is the trove of documents that accidentally leaked earlier this month as part of the FTC v. Microsoft court battle. That leak included details of an apparent Xbox Series X refresh that could arrive next year with a cylindrical design and 2TB of storage but no disc drive, which could make the current model more appealing for those who don't want to go all-digital. As that info stems from older internal documents, however, it's possible that those plans have changed over time. 

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