An artificial intelligence agent recently flew a Lockheed Martin VISTA X-62A training aircraft for over 17 hours. VISTA (which stands for Variable In-flight Simulation Test Aircraft) normally uses software to simulate the performance characteristics of other aircraft. On this flight during a testing period in December, however, it mimicked a human pilot. US Air Force Test Pilot School (USAF TPS) Director of Research Dr. M. Christopher Cotting said in a statement, "VISTA will allow us to parallelize the development and test of cutting-edge artificial intelligence techniques with new uncrewed vehicle designs."
This is the first time AI has been engaged in such a way on a tactical aircraft, Lockheed says. It’s like they’ve never seen the 2005 box-office bomb, Stealth…
– Mat Smith
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Bigscreen is best known for its namesake virtual social platform – which I’ve never heard of either – but it's now getting into VR headsets. The Beyond is a PC-only wearable it claims is both the "world's smallest" VR headset and extremely light at just under six ounces with a strap. Despite that weight, it includes two 5K (5,120 x 2,560) 90Hz OLED displays and six-degrees-of-freedom tracking. But some difficult choices have been made, too: You have to scan your face using an iPhone app (sorry, Android fans) to produce a custom-fitted design and buy custom prescription lenses if you normally wear glasses. Built-in headphones are only available with an optional "audio strap," all to keep the headset as compact as possible.
Jeff Bezos' spaceflight company revealed it can produce solar cells and transmission wire using simulated Moon regolith. Blue Origin’s Blue Alchemist technique uses molten electrolysis to separate the lunar soil's aluminum, iron and silicon from oxygen to build solar cells, cover glass and aluminum wire using only sunlight and the reactor's silicon. While the concept of using regolith to build outposts isn't new, it’s normally focused on large-scale habitat materials rather than power supply solutions.
After far too many delays to count, Dead Island 2 has a new release date once more. This time, however, publisher Deep Silver is pushing the game up by a week. Instead of arriving on April 28th as previously planned, the game will now hit consoles and PC on April 21st. “You asked for it, you got it. Dead Island 2 went gold and it’s coming out a week early,” the company announced.
A revamped Creator Fund could also boost pay for influencers.
A report from The Information suggests TikTok is developing a paywall feature so producers can charge $1 (or a price of their choice) for video access. While it's unclear exactly how the system would work, this would help influencers profit directly from their hottest clips. The social network is also considering a revamp of its Creator Fund amid complaints about low payouts. TikTok may require a much larger follower count (100,000 versus 10,000) but could pay eligible creators more as a result.
Picks for your FPS, MMO and general playing needs.
A good mouse will give you greater control over your cursor; add a few more buttons and you can customize it to make your clicking and pointing more comfortable. In competitive games, the best gaming mouse won’t magically make you unstoppable, but faster response time and extra inputs should make for a more pleasurable and responsive experience.
Samsung has announced that its Galaxy Watch 5 temperature sensor will finally be put to use. The company has teamed up with the fertility app Natural Cycles to bring its temperature-based period tracking algorithm to a smartwatch for the first time. The feature will be available in 32 countries across Europe, North America and Asia.
Galaxy Watch 5 users will get access to "advanced cycle tracking through the Cycle Tracking feature," recently approved by Korea's equivalent to the FDA, Samsung said. Much like Apple's Watch Series 8, it will provide retrospective ovulation estimates and help people better understand their cycles, the company told The Verge.
Since 2018, Natural Cycles has allowed women to track their temperature and menstrual cycle to check fertility, and the company has said it's 93 percent effective at preventing unwanted pregnancies. The app has already been approved by the FDA and European regulators to be used on wearables. The company tested it with Oura rings, but the algorithm apparently hasn't been used on a smartwatch until now.
Temperature readings are key for those trying to achieve or avoid pregnancy, as basal body temperature tends to increase slightly two to three days after peak fertility. With Oura's temperature sensors, Natural Cycles was able to cut out the need to take readings from a thermometer, and it will presumably do the same with the Galaxy Watch 5.
The feature will be integrated into Samsung's Health app, so you won't require a separate app to use it. It'll arrive to Galaxy Watch 5 and Watch 5 Pro users "within the second quarter" in 32 markets, including most of Europe, Korea, the UK and the US.
You might not have to pay much to bolster your smart home's security. Amazon is selling Blink devices for up to 43 percent off, including a Video Doorbell plus Sync Module for $60 (normally $85) — that's near an all-time low, You can also get the doorbell by itself for just $40 if you already have sync hardware. Most camera kits are also on sale, starting at $70 (normally $100) for the weather-ready Blink Outdoor.
Blink is effectively the budget counterpart to Amazon's Ring brand, but that's not necessarily a bad thing — you're getting a lot of functionality at a lower price. The Video Doorbell supports both wired and wireless connections, offers two-way audio, captures infrared footage at night and gives you the choice of either storing clips locally (on a USB drive) or in the cloud with a subscription plan. It ties into Alexa devices, too, so it may be your ideal doorbell you have an Echo Show.
The Blink Indoor and Outdoor models, meanwhile, remain our top picks for wireless security cameras. You get much of the same flexibility as with the doorbell, including a peak two years of battery life. Again, you'll have to invest in the Alexa ecosystem to make the most of these products. If you can live with that, though, you might not have many complaints.
Bigscreen is best known for its namesake virtual social platform, but it's now getting into VR headsets — and it thinks it has a way to stand out in a crowd of powerful but bulky rivals. The company has introduced the Beyond, a PC-only wearable it claims is both the "world's smallest" VR headset and extremely light at just under 6oz with a strap. For context, even a simple competitor like the HTC Vive Flow weighs 6.6oz. This isn't a stripped-down device, either, as it includes two 5K (5,120 x 2,560) 90Hz OLED displays, six-degrees-of-freedom tracking and three-element pancake optics that reportedly eliminate the screen door effect (where you can see the gaps between pixels) while reducing bulk and providing a decent 93-degree horizontal field of view.
The company isn't relying on a marvellous new technology to achieve the size reduction. Rather, it's making a number of strategic sacrifices. Instead of adjusting knobs and other controls to get an ideal fit, Bigscreen asks you to scan your face using an iPhone app (sorry, Android fans) to produce a custom-fitted Beyond design. You even need to buy custom prescription lenses if you normally wear glasses. The six-degree tracking relies on external SteamVR Base Stations rather than built-in cameras, and built-in headphones are only available with an optional "Audio Strap." You plug into a PC through a link box that supplies both video and power.
Bigscreen
The Beyond supports the SteamVR platform and will work with any compatible controllers (including the Vive and Valve's Index) and full-body trackers. You'll need that compatibility, too, as Bigscreen doesn't ship controllers in the box. You'll need a reasonable powerful computer, too, with at least a quad-core processor and GeForce RTX 2070- or Radeon RX 5700 XT-class graphics.
The Beyond is available to pre-order today for $999, and will ship to the US in the third quarter of the year (read: summer). Canada and Europe will get their units in the fourth quarter, while Australia, New Zealand and Japan will have to wait until the very end of the year. Other countries are coming in 2024, Bigscreen says. The company chalks up the lengthy rollout to the longer manufacturing times needed for customized headsets.
Whether or not the Beyond is a good value may depend on your uses and expectations. It's less expensive than clunkier, lower-resolution alternatives like the $1,500 Meta Quest Pro and $1,099 HTC Vive XR Elite, but those are also standalone headsets that include controllers and, crucially, can be shared with other users. You're also out of luck if you use games and apps that don't use SteamVR. If you meet all the criteria, though, this may be one of the few high-end headsets you can comfortably wear for extended periods.
If you regularly play games on a PC, a good mouse will give you greater control over your cursor, add a few more buttons you can customize to your liking and generally make your downtime more comfortable. In competitive games, the best gaming mouse won’t magically make you unstoppable, but its faster response time and extra inputs should make for a more pleasurable and responsive experience as you continue practicing.
Exactly which gaming mouse will work best for you is a matter of preference – how well its shape fits your hand and how well its feature set suits your particular gaming needs. Over the past three months, though, we set out to find a few options that might fit the bill, be they for FPSes, MMOs or anything in between. After researching dozens of mice, testing around 20, and playing countless hours of Overwatch, CS: GO, Halo Infinite and Final Fantasy XIV (among others), here’s what we’ve found, with some general buying advice on top.
What to look for in a gaming mouse
Wired vs. wireless
Buying a wireless gaming mouse used to mean sacrificing a certain level of responsiveness, but thankfully, that’s no longer the case. Over the last few years, wireless tech has improved to the point where the difference in latency between a good wireless gaming mouse and a tried-and-true wired model is barely perceptible.
Note, however, that we’re strictly talking about mice that use a 2.4GHz connection (over a USB dongle), not Bluetooth. Many wireless models support both connection options, which is great for travel, but Bluetooth’s latency is generally too high to be reliable for gaming.
Going wireless still has other trade-offs, too. Battery life is improving all the time, but with their higher performance demands and, oftentimes RGB lighting, wireless gaming mice tend not to last as long as traditional wireless models. You shouldn’t expect more than a few days of power from a rechargeable mouse you use regularly. Beyond that, good wireless gaming mice usually come at a much higher cost than their wired counterparts.
That’s not to say the premium isn’t worth it: Who wants yet another cable on their desk? Plus, you may need a wireless model if you hate the feel of “cable drag” or if your gaming PC is located in an awkward spot. Many wireless gaming mice come with a cable you can hook up in a pinch as well. But if price is any sort of concern, a good wired mouse is usually a better value.
Comfort and grip types
Everyone’s hands are different, so at the end of the day, calling one mouse “more comfortable” than another is mostly subjective. Ensuring your comfort is the most essential step when buying any mouse, though, so we’ve done our best to consider how each device we tested works with large, average-sized and small hands alike.
We also considered how each device accommodates the three grip styles most people use while holding a mouse: palm, fingertip and claw. As a refresher, a palm grip is when your whole hand rests on the mouse, with your fingers resting flat on the main buttons. A fingertip grip is when you steer the mouse solely with the tips of your fingers, with your palm not in contact with the device at all. A claw grip is when your palm only touches the back edge of the mouse, with your fingers arched in a claw-like shape toward the buttons.
In general, most people use a palm grip, which tends to offer the greatest sense of control – though, depending on the size of your hand, you may need your mouse to be a specific length to use it comfortably. A fingertip grip can allow for more rapid movements, while a claw grip is something of a balance between the two. Switch and Click has a good breakdown if you’d like a bit more detail, but we’ll note below if a mouse isn’t well-suited for a particular grip style. For what it’s worth, yours truly is a claw gripper most of the time.
Build quality and design
A good gaming mouse feels sturdy and won’t flex or creak when used strenuously. We also valued mice without any overly sharp angles or grooves that could be awkward for most people to hold. And while most gaming mice have plastic exteriors, not all plastic is created equal, so we looked for finishes that were smooth, not too slick and capable of withstanding the sweaty palms that often come with competitive gaming sessions.
The gaming mouse market is mostly split between two design styles: ergonomic and ambidextrous. Ergonomic gaming mice are almost always made with right-handed users in mind and often feature dedicated thumb rests. Ambidextrous mice are more symmetrical and designed to be used with either hand (though they may not have extra buttons on both sides). Which shape works best for you is largely a matter of personal preference.
A gaming mouse’s feet, meanwhile, should provide a consistent glide and reduce the friction between your mouse and the surface beneath it as much as possible. For the best performance, look for feet made from PTFE (aka Teflon). All feet will eventually wear down, but many mice come with spares, and most manufacturers sell replacements if needed.
As for flashy RGB lighting, it’s a nice bonus, but little more than that. Still, if you’ve already kitted out your setup with RGB, having a mouse with adjustable lighting effects can add to the fun (and more consumer tech could stand to do things for pleasure’s sake). More practically, some mice let you assign custom lighting settings to separate profiles, which can make it easier to see which one you’re currently using.
Weight
Gaming mice have gotten lighter and lighter in recent years, with some models we tested weighing as little as 45 grams. Your mouse doesn’t need to be that light – anything under 80g is still fairly low, and it’s not like a 100g mouse feels like an anchor. Regardless, a low weight makes it easier to pull off repeated fast movements, with less inertia. That said, some players still enjoy a little bit of bulk in their gaming mouse (relatively speaking), especially with games that aren’t as reliant on twitchy reactions.
To reach those lower weights, some manufacturers have released gaming mice with “honeycomb”-style designs, which come with several cutouts in the outer shell. These mice can still perform great, but having a bunch of holes that expose the internal circuit board to possible sweat, dust and detritus isn’t the best for long-term durability. We generally avoid recommending models with this design as a result.
Switches, buttons and scroll wheel
A growing number of gaming mice use optical switches instead of mechanical ones. Since these involve fewer bits making physical contact, they should generally be more durable and less prone to unwanted “double-clicks” over time. Mice with mechanical switches still have plenty of merit, but they carry a little more long-term risk in a vacuum.
Since most people will use their gaming mouse as their mouse-mouse, we valued models whose main buttons have a softer feel when pressed, with enough travel to make inadvertent actuations less frequent. But even this is a matter of preference: You may want lighter buttons if you play games that call for constant clicking. Also, we looked to testing from sites like Rtings to ensure each mouse we recommend has a sufficiently low click latency, meaning your clicks will register with minimal lag.
Beyond the standard click panels, a good gaming mouse should also have customizable buttons for quick macros or shortcuts. For most games, shoot for at least two extra buttons on the thumb side that are easy to reach and difficult to press by accident. Lots of mice have more buttons, which can be a plus, but not if they force you to contort your fingers to avoid hitting them. For MMO mice, having at least 12 side buttons is preferable in order to access as many hotbar commands as possible.
As for the scroll wheel, it should have distinct, ratcheted “steps” that aren’t too resistant but make it clear when you’ve actually scrolled. Its texture should be grippy, and it shouldn't make any distracting amount of noise when used. The wheel should also be clickable, giving you another input to customize for certain games (e.g., to control the zoom on a sniper rifle).
Sensors and performance
Some are more proficient than others, but generally speaking, the optical sensors built into most modern gaming mice are more than fast and accurate enough for most people’s needs.
While shopping for gaming mice, you’ll see a number of terms related to sensor performance. To be clear, a gaming mouse’s responsiveness doesn’t come down to just one spec. But for clarity’s sake, here’s a rundown of the more noteworthy jargon:
DPI, or dots per inch, is a measure of a mouse’s sensitivity. The higher the DPI setting, the more your cursor will move with every inch you move the mouse itself. Many gaming mice advertise extremely high DPIs that top out above 20,000 or 30,000, but that’s largely marketing fluff: Few people play above 3,000, with 800 a common sweet spot. This concept is also referred to as CPI (counts per inch), which is probably the more accurate term, though DPI is used more often.
IPS, or inches per second, refers to the maximum velocity a mouse sensor supports. The higher the IPS, the faster you can move the mouse before it becomes incapable of tracking motions correctly.
Acceleration goes with IPS. In this context, it refers to how many Gs a mouse can withstand before it starts to track inaccurately.
Polling rate is a measure of how often a mouse tells a computer where it is. In general, the more frequently your mouse reports information to your PC, the more predictable its response time should be. Anything at 500Hz or above is fine for gaming. The current standard, and likely the sweet spot for most, is 1,000Hz.
Lift-off distance is the height at which a mouse’s sensor stops tracking the surface below it. Many competitive players like this to be as low as possible in order to avoid unintended cursor movements while repositioning their mouse.
Software and onboard memory
It doesn’t take long to find horror stories about bugs and other niggling issues caused by gaming mouse software, so the ideal app is one that doesn’t force you to use it all the time. It should let you adjust as many of the aspects above as possible, ideally to several distinct profiles. Preferably, you can save your settings directly to the mouse itself, letting you pick your customizations back up on another device without having to redownload any software. All this is most important on Windows, but Mac compatibility is always good to have, too.
Warranty and customer support
Most major gaming mice brands offer warranties between one and three years. The longer and more extensive a manufacturer’s program is, the better. This is the case with most consumer tech, but we note it here because the gaming mouse market is particularly flush with products from less-than-household names, many of which you may see hyped up on YouTube, Reddit or elsewhere around the web. A bunch of these more obscure mice are genuinely great, but if you ever buy from a more niche brand, it’s worth checking that some level of customer support is in place. We’ve made sure our picks aren’t riddled with an abnormal amount of poor user reviews.
Best for most: Razer Basilisk V3
Of the gaming mice we tested, the Razer Basilisk V3 offers the most complete blend of price, performance, build quality and wide-ranging comfort. It’s typically available between $50 and $70, and for that price it provides a sturdy body with a pleasingly textured matte finish and a shape that should be comfortable for each grip type and all but the smallest of hands. It uses durable optical switches, and its main buttons are large, relatively quiet and not fatiguing to press repeatedly.
The Basilisk V3 has a total of 11 customizable buttons, including two side buttons that are easy to reach but difficult to press by accident. There’s a dedicated “sensitivity clutch” on the side as well, which lets you temporarily switch to a lower DPI for more precise aiming (though it's the one button that may be harder for smaller hands to reach without effort). Beneath those buttons is a well-sized thumb rest. The thumb wheel on top is loud and a bit clunky, but it can tilt left and right, and a built-in toggle lets it switch from ratcheted scrolling to a free-spin mode. That’s great for navigating unwieldy documents.
Jeff Dunn / Engadget
At roughly 100 grams, the Basilisk V3 is on the heavier side for twitch shooters, but its PTFE feet let it glide with ease, and Razer’s Focus+ sensor helps it track accurately. The weight shouldn’t be a major hindrance unless you really take competitive FPS play seriously. (And if that's the case, see our premium recommendations below.) Either way, the included cable is impressively flexible, and the mouse’s RGB lighting is fun without being garish. Razer’s Synapse software is Windows-only and can be naggy with updates but makes it easy enough to set profiles and adjust DPI, polling rate, macros and RGB effects. You can also save up to five profiles to the mouse itself, though your lighting customizations won’t carry over.
The Basilisk V3 is an ergonomic mouse designed for right-handed use. If you want an ambidextrous model with similar performance in the same price range, try Razer’s Viper 8KHz. It ditches the multi-mode scroll wheel, and its ludicrously high max polling rate of 8,000Hz has little real-world benefit for most, but it’s much lighter at 70g, and it has two customizable buttons on both its left and right sides. We’ll also note Logitech’s G502 X, which has a similar shape, lower weight (84g), and more side buttons, but also louder main buttons, a worse cable, no RGB and a slightly more awkward fit for most hands.
Best premium: Razer DeathAdder V3 Pro
If money is no object, the best gaming mouse we tested is the Razer DeathAdder V3 Pro. It’s pricey at $150, but its superlight (63g) wireless design and top-notch sensor make it exceptionally responsive. While smaller-handed folks may find it a bit too tall, most should find its gently curved shape to be comfortable over long gaming sessions, regardless of their grip type. Its two side buttons are largely easy to reach and nothing about its body creaks or flexes. The scroll wheel is soft and quiet, while the main buttons feel satisfying but not overly sensitive. It also uses optical switches.
Battery life is rated at a decent 90 hours per charge, and you can connect an included (and highly flexible) USB-C cable in a pinch. Razer also sells a “HyperPolling” dongle that increases the mouse’s max polling rate to 4,000Hz, but few need that, and the company says using it can drop the mouse’s battery life down to just 24 hours.
Despite its higher cost, the DeathAdder V3 Pro does forgo some of the Basilisk V3’s extras: There’s no RGB lighting, no Bluetooth, support for just one onboard profile and no free-spinning or side-tilting on the scroll wheel. The DPI switcher is inconveniently located on the bottom of the mouse, and there's no built-in storage compartment for the USB dongle.
Jeff Dunn / Engadget
Much of that helps the mouse trim the weight, however, and the whole point of the DeathAdder V3 Pro is to excel at the essentials – which it does. Razer’s Focus Pro 30K sensor is complete overkill in terms of its maximum specs, but combined with the mouse’s PTFE feet, low click latency and easy-to-flick design, it makes fast movements feel as “one-to-one” as any mouse we tested. If you’re a competitive player who spends most of their time in twitchy FPS games, the DeathAdder V3 Pro should feel tailor-made to your priorities. That’s really the main market here, though; most people don't need to drop $150 on this kind of device.
While its contours aren’t as pronounced as the Basilisk V3, the DeathAdder V3 Pro is still designed for righties. For an ambidextrous model, Razer’s Viper V2 Pro is really the “1B” option here, providing the same excellent performance in a flatter design that should play nicer with small hands and lefties. The Basilisk V3 Ultimate, meanwhile, is essentially a wireless version of our “best for most” pick with the DeathAdder V3 Pro’s upgraded sensor, though it’s the heaviest option of this bunch at 112g.
If you don’t like the Razer aesthetic, Logitech’s G Pro Superlight is a close runner-up whose praises we’ve sung in the past. If you see it for less than the Razer models or just want a high-performing mouse for Mac, it's one to keep an eye on, but note that it has a lower battery life rating (70 hrs) and charges over microUSB instead of USB-C.
Best budget: Logitech G203 Lightsync
If you just want a competent gaming mouse for as little money as possible, go with the Logitech G203 Lightsync. Its design is likely too small and flat for palm-grippers with large hands, its scroll wheel feels somewhat mushy, and its rubbery cable isn’t ideal. It uses mechanical switches, too. But the rest of it is smooth, reasonably light (85g) and sturdily built for the money, plus its shape plays well with fingertip or claw grips. It’s also available in snazzy lilac and blue finishes alongside the usual black or white.
There are two customizable buttons on the right side – plus a DPI cycle button on top – but the G203’s design is otherwise ambidextrous. The RGB lighting around the bottom of the device is tasteful, and Logitech’s G Hub software makes it simple enough to tweak settings on both Windows and macOS. There's no onboard memory, however.
Jeff Dunn / Engadget
While the Logitech Mercury sensor within the G203 is a few years old and technically lacking compared to most newer alternatives, it’s consistent and responsive enough to yield few complaints. The set of PTFE feet help, too. You wouldn’t go out of your way to get the G203 to win competitive games of Counter-Strike, but it’s perfectly fine for most games.
If you’d rather get a wireless mouse on the cheap, Logitech’s G305 Lightspeed has more or less the same shape and build quality, but adds a more advanced sensor. Logitech says it can get up to 250 hours of battery life, but it requires a AA battery to work, which in turn pushes its weight to just over 100g.
Best for MMOs: Logitech G600
If you want a mouse specifically designed for MMO games, get the Logitech G600. It’s ancient, having launched way back in 2012, and as such it uses mechanical switches and a laser sensor (the Avago S9808) that can be less precise than a more modern optical sensor. It’s hefty at 133g, and it has a wide body that’s not ideal for small hands or fingertip grips. Plus, its cable isn’t particularly flexible, and its scroll wheel and main buttons are just OK.
Hear us out, though. The G600 is far from the only mouse in this style to be on the larger side, and any performance shortcomings it may have will be difficult to notice in an MMO. Outside of faster action games, it tracks fine. For large and average hands, particularly those that use a palm grip, the G600’s sloped shape should be comfortable. Plus, the scroll wheel can tilt left and right.
Jeff Dunn / Engadget
The most important thing an MMO mouse can do is let you access several in-game commands with minimal effort. The G600 does that, supplying 12 customizable side buttons that are angled in a way that distinguishes them without constantly forcing you to look down. Few MMO mice make these buttons “easy to reach,” but the G600 does about as well as one can.
The mouse’s killer feature, however, is a third click button, which sits under your ring finger and brings up an entire second set of commands when pressed. This means you can access up to 24 different inputs with just one hand, which is a godsend in MMOs that ask you to juggle multiple hotbars’ worth of commands. Being able to get through your “rotations” in a game like Final Fantasy XIV without having to contort your fingers around the keyboard is hugely convenient. This feature isn’t exclusive to the G600, but it’s not commonplace either. Best of all, this mouse is affordable, typically retailing around $35. There are certainly nicer MMO mice available, but the G600’s functionality is enough to make it the best value in its market.
Other honorable mentions
Jeff Dunn / Engadget
Corsair Scimitar RGB Elite is a better-built alternative to the G600 with a more modern optical sensor. It lacks the G600’s third main button, but it’s a good buy if you don’t need that and see it on sale.
The Ninjutso Sora comes from a lesser-known brand and is harder to actually purchase as of this writing, but it looks and performs like a G Pro X Superlight for smaller hands. Its main buttons are fairly stiff, but it’s incredibly light at 45g, so it plays great for FPS games.
The Lamzu Atlantis is another fine choice for FPSes with snappy performance and a symmetrical, ultralight (55g) build that's particularly well-suited to claw grips. Its bottom plate has a semi-open design, however, so it's at least somewhat more susceptible to damage from dust and debris than our picks above.
The Asus ROG Gladius III doesn’t stand out from our main recommendations in terms of design or performance, and its software can be buggy, but it’s unusually easy to repair. That is admirable and should make the mouse a good long-term investment for DIY types.
Many people in Japan have been outraged by a recent trend dubbed "sushi terrorism." Videos across social media show people carrying out all kinds of unhygienic acts, like licking the spoon for a container of green tea powder. Another video, which has more than 98 million views on Twitter, showed a person licking the top of a soy sauce bottle and a teacup's rim before putting them back at a branch of the Sushiro chain. The company said it has replaced all the soy sauce bottles and cleaned every cup at the affected restaurant.
To combat this gross trend, one chain, Kura Sushi, said it would use artificial intelligence to look for "suspicious opening and closing of sushi plate covers," Nikkei Asia reported. The company plans to upgrade existing cameras, used to track the dishes customers take from conveyor belts to determine their bill, by early March. If the system detects suspicious behavior, it will alert employees.
– Mat Smith
The Morning After isn’t just a newsletter – it’s also a daily podcast. Get our daily audio briefings, Monday through Friday, by subscribing right here.
The original HomePod was notoriously difficult to repair – cutting tools were sometimes necessary. The second-gen model, however, isn’t as bad. iFixit has torn down the new smart speaker and discovered the large amounts of glue are gone – you can get inside using little more than a screwdriver, and the internal components are similarly accessible. Combine this with the detachable power cord and it should be feasible to fix some parts yourself. However, Apple hasn’t yet added its newest HomePod to its Self Service Repair program, but at least it would now be a more realistic addition.
Hogwarts Legacy arrives with all the controversy of a Harry Potter project and a lot of anticipation. For many, this is, finally, a game that does justice to the magic and spectacle of the pop-culture phenomenon, with an open-world design, side quests, customizable characters and more. There’s a solid game, here, with an entertaining combat system and plenty of mysteries to solve.
Sony’s full-frame A7R IV was one of the best mirrorless cameras Engadget’s Steve Dent ever reviewed, so there was a lot of pressure on its successor. Fortunately, this fifth-generation model is improved in pretty much every way. It’s a technological tour de force, featuring most of the company’s industry-leading tech. It has the best articulating screen on the market, the best autofocus system and much-improved video at up to 8K internally. The only real drawback is the rolling shutter effect that can mar video or photos taken in electronic shutter mode.
A busy week of news from OnePlus, Nintendo, Samsung and more.
It was a busy week. Microsoft and Google both unveiled their AI products for the masses, with Microsoft holding an entire event this week to show off the new Edge and Bing. Google also had an event in Paris and unveiled the first Android 14 developer preview, while OnePlus launched its first-ever tablet alongside a new flagship phone. Cherlynn is joined this week by guest co-host Sam Rutherford to tear into the week’s onslaught of news and see how we feel about Samsung’s Galaxy S23 Ultra while reviewing it.
If you primarily game on PC, there’s a good chance you own more than one component with RGB lighting. You may have even made the mistake of buying RGB parts from different manufacturers. If you just nodded your head, I know your pain. Getting all the lighting in your PC to sync is a nightmare. In a best-case scenario, you sourced all your RGB parts from one company and only need a single, likely buggy app to control them. At worst, you’re forced to use multiple third-party programs in a futile attempt to make everything play nice. And while apps like SignalRGB promise to wrangle all your RGB parts, in my experience, they don’t work as great as advertised. All of that makes the news that Microsoft could be working on a native Windows 11 solution for controlling RGB lighting exciting.
New settings for device lighting make an appearance in build 25295. Is this the beginning of the end for low quality RGB gamer gear apps? 🎮 The spec for this is from 2018 and references to the feature have been around for years. Not cancelled after all 🥳https://t.co/oG4JbKsoeBpic.twitter.com/bMtxCH8REo
This week, software developer Albacore noticed that the latest Insider build of Windows 11 includes a hidden feature for controlling RGB components. As you can see from the screenshots Albacore shared (via Bleeping Computer), Microsoft has added lighting controls to the personalization menu inside the Windows 11 Settings app. The interface provides an overview of all your RGB components, including external peripherals. Clicking on a part allows you to adjust the brightness and color of its lighting. You can also choose between a handful of different effects and the speed at which they repeat. Microsoft has even included an option to match your computer’s lighting with your Windows accent color.
Microsoft hasn’t officially announced the menu Albacore found as a feature of Windows 11 build 25295. Additionally, Albacore notes, “the spec for this is from 2018 and references to the feature have been around for years.” They suggest that means Microsoft is working on the feature again. For now, don’t get your hopes too high.
Microsoft reportedly plans to introduce upgraded Office apps with AI features in the coming weeks. According to The Verge, the tech giant is preparing to show what its Prometheus AI technology and OpenAI's language AI can do for Word, PowerPoint, Outlook and other Microsoft 365 apps as soon as this March. Microsoft recently launched a reimagined Bing that can generate conversational responses to search queries, thanks to the Prometheus model, which was built with the help of OpenAI.
Additionally, the company introduced a new Edge with a built-in "AI copilot" that's also powered by Prometheus. A button on the top-right corner gives users quick access to Bing's new chat feature, and as we mentioned in our hands-on, it's like having ChatGPT right in your browser. The Verge says Microsoft wants its AI technology to be able to generate graphs and graphics for use in PowerPoint or Excel. According to a previous report published by The Information, the company also wants its AI model to be able to generate text using simple prompts within its Office apps.
That Microsoft seems to be in a hurry to launch new AI-powered features for its products comes as no surprise. The company likely intends to move fast to get as many people as possible to start using its products before Google can launch its ChatGPT rival. Apparently, Microsoft was originally supposed to introduce the new Bing in late February, but it moved up the launch and scheduled it before Google's Bard announcement. The company is also bound to keep expanding its AI-powered feature list, seeing as it recently signed a "multi-billion dollar" investment in OpenAI last month.
We've been keeping tabs on the best TV deals ahead of this weekend's Super Bowl, but there are plenty of noteworthy tech deals going on for those who aren't looking to overhaul their living room. Apple's AirPods Pro, for instance, are back down to an all-time low of $199, while Amazon is running a sweeping sale on its Kindle e-readers. Sonos is still taking up to $100 off a handful of its soundbars and smart speakers, and both Google and Amazon have discounted their best 4K streaming dongles. Gear we like from Anker, Beats, Microsoft and SanDisk is also on sale. Here are the best tech deals from this week that you can still get today.
Apple AirPods Pro
Apple's AirPods Pro are back down to $199 at Amazon and Walmart, which matches the lowest price we've tracked and comes in about $30 below the noise-canceling earphones' average street price in recent months. We gave the latest AirPods Pro a review score of 88 last September, and we currently recommend them as the "best for iOS" pick in our guide to the best wireless earbuds. Their call quality and six-hour battery life are just OK, but their sound quality, ANC and transparency mode all impress, and they continue to sport a host of features that make them easy to use with other Apple devices.
Beats Fit Pro
A sportier alternative to the AirPods Pro, the Beats Fit Pro are currently on sale for $150 at Amazon and Walmart. Outside of a brief drop to $145 at Woot last November, this matches the lowest price we've seen. For reference, the earphones have usually retailed closer to $175 over the last few months. The Fit Pro are the "best for workouts" pick in our best wireless earbuds guide, and we gave them a review score of 87 back in late 2021. They pack many of the features you'd get with a set of AirPods, including fast pairing, hands-free Siri and Find My device tracking, but their wing-tipped design should provide a more stable fit while you're on the move. Their rich sound should please those who like a little more bass, too, and they play nicer with Android devices. The ANC is a step behind what you'd get with the AirPods Pro, however, and the built-in controls are more prone to accidental presses.
Sonos speaker sale
Sonos has discounted a handful of its home audio devices ahead of this weekend's Super Bowl. The deals include the Sonos One smart speaker for $179, the compact Beam soundbar for $399, the Sub subwoofer for $649, and the top-end Arc soundbar for $799. Depending on the product, that's anywhere from $40 to $100 off. While these are not the lowest prices we've seen, we don't see discounts on Sonos gear often, so this is still a good opportunity to save if you've been looking to build out a whole-home audio system using the company's gear.
We previously gave the One, Beam, and Arc review scores of 90, 88, and 85, respectively. There are plenty other smart speakers and soundbars that don't lock you into one ecosystem, but each of the Sonos devices here deliver an impressively clean and balanced sound, and if you are willing to buy in, they all work (relatively) harmoniously with one another. Do note, though, that Sonos may roll out new smart speakers in the coming months, according to a recent report from The Verge. If you don't need a new Sonos One right away, it may be worth waiting.
Google Chromecast with Google TV
Google's Chromecast with Google TV is back on sale for $40. This isn't an all-time low, and we've seen this deal several times since the 4K media player launched in late 2020. Still, at $10 off, it remains a good value for anyone in need of an affordable way to get all their streaming apps in one place.
The 4K Chromecast is the runner up pick in our guide to the best streaming devices, and our review gave it a score of 86 at launch. We generally think Roku's Streaming Stick 4K — which is also available for $40, though it's regularly at that price — is simpler for most people to navigate, but Google's stick is a strong alternative if you'd prefer a more personalized interface that proactively recommends shows you might like, as well as more robust voice search. The device supports all the major apps and HDR formats, too, plus Dolby Atmos. It doesn't work with Apple AirPlay, however, unlike Roku's streamers.
If you're buying for an older 1080p TV, note that the non-4K version of the Chromecast is also on sale for $20, which only $2 more than that device's all-time low.
Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max
Amazon's Fire TV Stick 4K Max, meanwhile, might be a better choice if you're already committed to Alexa, Prime Video or other Amazon services. It's down to $35 this week, which is another discount we've seen in the past, but here matches the lowest price we've tracked. This is the fastest streaming stick Amazon makes, and it supports all the same apps and HDR formats as the Google and Roku models noted above. Its voice search is more comprehensive than Roku's as well. The big downside is that Amazon's UI goes heavier on the ads and tends to prioritize the company's own content and services. But if you can live with that — or if you want a streamer that lets you sideload apps — you can save a few bucks here. For 1080p TVs, the Fire TV Stick Lite is slower but more affordable at $20.
Anker 622 Magnetic Battery
We've previously highlighted the Anker 622 Magnetic Battery as a strong option for those who want a MagSafe-compatible wireless battery pack for iPhones. Currently, the device is on sale for $45, which is about $10 off its usual street price and only $5 more than its all-time low. To be clear, no wireless charger like this can offer the speeds or capacity of a traditional power bank, but the 622 can still fill an iPhone 14 to about 80 percent on a charge. It snaps easily onto the back of any MagSafe-compatible iPhone, so you can still use it while you're out and about, and it has a handy kickstand built right into its back. If you don't mind trading some thinness for a little extra juice, Anker's 633 Magnetic Battery is a fine alternative with twice the capacity (10,000mAh), though it's pricier at $80.
Amazon Kindle sale
Amazon has discounted a number of its Kindle e-readers this week. The entry-level Kindle, for one, is down to a new low of $75, which is a $25 discount. The upgraded Kindle Paperwhite is down to $105, which is $10 more than its all-time low but still roughly $25 off the device's usual street price. The Kids versions of these e-readers are also on sale, bringing the Kindle Kids to $85 and the Kindle Paperwhite Kids to $110. The former matches an all-time low, while the latter is only $5 more than its best price.
Amazon refreshed the base Kindle last year, bringing it closer to parity with the Paperwhite by bumping its 6-inch display's pixel density to the same 300ppi and adding a USB-C port. Its also starts with twice as much storage at 16GB. If you want the most affordable Kindle possible, it should be a good buy. That said, the Paperwhite remains the better device, as it has a larger 6.8-inch display that's easier on the eyes out of the box, a waterproof design, and a more adjustable front light. We gave the Paperwhite's "Signature Edition" a review score of 97 in late 2021 — that one is on sale for $140, though its upgrades, while nice, probably aren't worth the extra cost for most people.
In any event, getting a Kids variant may result in the most value. While these models are marketed toward younger readers, they offer the same hardware as the standard models, only with an included cover, a longer warranty (two years instead of one) and no lock screen ads by default. They also come with a year of Amazon's Kids+ content service, if you're buying for an actual child.
Apple iPad deals
A handful of iPads are either at or near their all-time lows this week, including the iPad Air for $500, the 10th-gen iPad for $400 and the 10.2-inch iPad for $250. For the 10th-gen and 10.2-inch iPads, those prices match the lowest we've seen. The iPad Air is $20 higher than its best-ever price, but it's still roughly $40 below its typical street price and $100 off Apple's MSRP.
You can check out our iPad buying guide for a full breakdown, but we think the iPad Air remains the best mix of price and performance for most, as it offers an elegant and comfortable design with a powerful M1 chip and full support for Apple's best accessories. The 10th-gen iPad is a decent middle ground, but its display is a little more compromised by comparison, and it doesn't work with the latest Apple Pencil. The 10.2-inch iPad has a smaller display and a distinctly more dated build than those two, but at this price it's still an excellent value for media consumption. If you want a compact iPad, meanwhile, the iPad mini is also on sale for $400, though we've seen it hover around that price fairly often.
Apple Pencil (2nd gen)
The latest Apple Pencil is back down to $90, which is within a dollar of the lowest price we've tracked and $39 below Apple's MSRP. That's not cheap, but for digital artists and heavy note-takers, we still think the second-gen Pencil is the best iPad stylus you can buy. It still offers system-wide pressure sensitivity across iPadOS, and unlike the original model, it can attach and charge against the edge of your tablet magnetically. If you're interested, just make sure your iPad is compatible first.
Apple Watch SE
The 40mm Apple Watch SE is down to $220 at Target and Best Buy. We've seen it drop as low as $210 before, but this discount is still about $25 less than the device's usual street price as of late. We gave the Watch SE a review score of 89 last September and consider it the best value for most first-time smartwatch buyers, as it offers most of the core features of Apple's more expensive smartwatches at a lower price.
If you can afford a step up, the flagship Apple Watch Series 8 adds a larger, always-on display, a blood oxygen sensor, an ECG monitor and a temperature sensor. That one is down to a new low of $329.
Amazon Fire HD 8
Amazon's Fire HD 8 is a worth considering if all you want is a competent tablet for casual streaming and web browsing for as little money as possible. It's neither as fast nor as sharp as the bigger Fire HD 10 — and no Fire tablet comes close to the quality of an iPad — but it's light, it lasts more than 10 hours on a charge, and it works if you stick to the basics. This week, the latest iteration of Amazon's 8-inch tablet is back on sale for $60, which is only $5 more than the all-time low we saw around Black Friday. Just remember that, like all Fire tablets, you'll see ads on the lock screen unless you pay extra, and you won't get (official) access to the Google Play Store and Google apps.
SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD
The 1TB version of SanDisk's Extreme Portable SSD is on sale for $93, which is only about $10 off its typical going rate but still comes within a few dollars of the lowest price we've tracked. If you often need to move files between devices, this is a worthwhile choice: Its USB 3.2 Gen 2 port is fast to transfer, it comes with a five-year warranty, and its rugged design has an IP55 water-resistance rating. Like all SSDs, it has no moving parts inside, so it should last much longer than a traditional hard disk drive. Competing drives like the Samsung T7 and WD My Passport SSD perform about as well, so the best choice is usually whichever one is cheapest at the time. As of this writing, that's the SanDisk, but note that this deal is only scheduled to run through Friday, according to Best Buy's product listing.
Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2
A configuration of Microsoft's Surface Laptop Go 2 with a Core i5-1135G7 processor, 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD is back down to $600, matching the lowest price we've seen. This is roughly $175 below the config's usual street price and $200 off Microsoft's MSRP. We gave the 12.4-inch notebook a review score of 86 last June, and we note it in our guide to the best cheap Windows laptops. You can get a sharper display and more performance for the money, and the lack of keyboard backlighting is annoying. But the Surface Laptop Go 2's lightweight build has an unusually premium feel for a laptop in this price range, and the whole thing is still fast and long-lasting enough for casual work on the go.
It offers 1080p video and improved battery life over previous models, Amazon claims. You can run the Video Doorbell 4 wirelessly or hook it up to existing doorbell wiring. It can connect to 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz WiFi networks and it has interchangeable face plates. There are color video previews for all detected motion events. Moreover, a quick replies function allows you to set common responses that trigger when someone comes to your door. For instance, it might ask a delivery person to place a package in a certain spot and invite them to leave a voice message for you.
Several other Ring devices have dropped to record low prices as part of this sale, including the battery-powered Spotlight Cam Plus. It's currently available for $130, or 35 percent off the usual price of $200. The 1080p camera offers color night vision and a way to access a live feed at any time. You can set up customizable motion zones, so you'll only be notified about activity that's, say, close to your door or windows. There are two motion-activated LED spotlights, a built-in security siren and a two-way talk function.
The battery-powered Stick Up Cam is on sale as well, as it's down from $100 to $70. This can be perched on a flat indoor surface or mounted outside. It offers 1080p video, two-way talk and real-time notifications. As with the Video Doorbell 4 and Spotlight Cam Plus, the battery pack has a quick-release function.
You can also save on the more compact Ring Indoor Cam, which has dropped by $10 to $50. This has similar functions to the Stick Up Cam, but it's designed for indoor use and has to be plugged into a power outlet. Like the other products, it works with Alexa, and you can use an Echo Show, Echo Spot or the Ring app to see what the camera is capturing.
