A lot of games have been released for the Playdate since it launched in 2022, as a quick browse of itch.io or the Catalog shop will attest. But still, there's something unique about the handheld's seasonal format, which just kicked off its second iteration. When it first launched, the Playdate came with 24 games from notable indie developers that were steadily released on a weekly cadence, making a perfect introduction to the little yellow device and its crank. Now, a few years later, we finally have season 2, and it's off to a solid start - and it even includes a bizarre mystery.The new season runs for the next six weeks and totals a dozen games, two of which will drop each week. The entire collection will run you $39. To start, we have a pair of very different games. Fulcrum Defender, from FTL: Faster Than Light developer Subset Games, is sort of like a modern take on Asteroids. You control a little ship in the middle and fire guns at little squares flying toward you. The twist is that you use the crank to rotate the ship around and aim your shots. There's also something of a roguelike element, where you steadily unlock random upgrades like new weapons or a larger spread for y …Read the full story at The Verge.

With the Switch 2 launch days away, analysts and consumers are watching to see how well Nintendo can follow-up the best selling home console in its history. Judging from the pain of trying to secure a Switch 2 pre-order, it seems like Nintendo has nothing to worry about - at least at launch.Down the line, however, concerns about tariffs, a steadily rising cost of living, and a saturated market might cast a shadow on the Switch 2. The Verge talked to analysts, journalists, and normal video game playing people to put the Switch 2 launch in perspective. The key takeaway? While the console will assuredly have another blockbuster debut, its future looks much less certain.The Wii U gets brought up a lot in the conversation surrounding the Switch 2, as it's the most famous example of a Nintendo failure. "The Wii U, with its confusing controller-screen gimmick, sluggish user interface, and lack of a great Custom Robo game, was one of Nintendo's worst flops," GameFile author Stephen Totilo explained in an email to The Verge. It sold less than 14 million units, a dramatic drop from the Wii, which sold over 100 million. And while Nintendo expects to sell one million more Switch 2 units …Read the full story at The Verge.

Windows 11 is a powerful operating system, but like its predecessors, it requires awareness of privacy and security. There are features you should disable and stop using if you are concerned about privacy. Data on Windows can be shared or harvested in several ways, but you can prevent these actions from happening. Unless you want to create a local account (which becomes more difficult with each update), you can improve your Windows privacy by avoiding these features.

SpaceX lost contact with Starship after its launch on March 6, 2025. | Image: AFP via Getty ImagesWith yet another failed Starship test this week, in which the ambitious heavy rocket exploded once again, you might reasonably suspect that luck has finally run out for SpaceX. But this degree of failure during a development process isn't actually unusual, according to Wendy Whitman Cobb, a space policy expert with the School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, especially when you're testing new space technology as complex as a large rocket. However, the Starship tests are meaningfully different from the slow, steady pace of development that we've come to expect from the space sector."The reason a lot of people perceive this to be unusual is that this is not the typical way that we have historically tested rockets," Whitman Cobb says.Historically speaking, space agencies like NASA or legacy aerospace companies like United Launch Alliance (ULA) have taken their time with rocket development and have not tested until they were confident in a successful outcome. That's still the case today with major NASA projects like the development of the Space Launch System (SLS), which has now dragged on for over a decade. "They will take as long as they need to to make sure that the rocket …Read the full story at The Verge.

For as customizable as the Steam Deck is, it's surprisingly light on UI customization options. You can pick up different start-up animations and change the color of your keyboard — given you've bought designs through the Steam rewards program — but not much beyond that. Thankfully, the community has pushed things further. I've been using the CSS Loader plugin for the better part of two years on my Steam Deck OLED, and it gives me unfettered access to poke, prod, and break the Steam Deck's user interface in any way I see fit.

Every home video game console generation introduces new features that players can take advantage of when they play. Whether it's new ways to render games or how people play them, everyone loves to see the new things that consoles bring with them when they are released on the market. However, there are a few standout game consoles that managed to go a step further in what was possible when they came out. They managed to accomplish something that was unique, interesting, and unlike anything anyone had seen up to that point. Those types of game consoles are a step ahead of their own time.

Sony might have just recently introduced a new low price on the PlayStation 5 Pro with its latest Days of Play sale, but that’s not the only deal worth your attention. Sony is also offering a range of accessories at a discount, including the high-end DualSense Edge. Regularly $199.99, the customizable controller is available from Amazon, Best Buy, and Sony for an all-time low of $169 through June 11th. If you’re looking for a highly customizable controller, the Edge is a great option that offers excellent software integration with the PS5. The premium gamepad lets you effortlessly switch between up to four personalized profiles, each of which lets you customize things like stick sensitivity and rear button controls. It’s just as easy to swap out stick modules, too, allowing you to quickly replace the stick tops should they ever wear out. What’s more, the rear triggers feature adjustable stops, so you can control how far they can be pressed and fine-tune your response time in shooters and other competitive games.Additionally, the Edge offers the same haptics and adaptive triggers found on Sony’s standard DualSense controller, along with two styles of rear paddles, each suited to a different grip preference. Its charging cable also features a handy locking mechanism to ensure it won’t get yanked out while gaming; however, the Edge is limited to approximately eight hours of battery life when used wirelessly, meaning it doesn’t last quite as long as the OG DualSense. I guess that’s the price you pay for souped-up components and software, at least with Sony.Read our full DualSense Edge review.More ways to save this weekendNow through tomorrow, June 1st, you can grab the last-gen Oura Ring Generation 3 at Wellbots in the Heritage configuration for $195 ($104 off) or the Horizon config for $210 ($90 off) when using coupon code OURAVERGE25. They’re functionally the same smart ring even if the design is slightly different, meaning you’ll be able to track your sleeping habits and other health metrics — including your heart rate, SpO2 levels, and menstrual cycle — no matter which size or model you decide to go with. Read our review.We might be alone in thinking this, but we’d argue that Govee’s new Gaming Pixel Light was one of the coolest gizmos to come out of CES 2025. And right now, it’s available directly from Govee for an all-time low of $95.99 ($24 off) or at Amazon starting at $101.99 ($18 off). The Alexa-compatible grid can display art, animations, and live data, letting you view pixelated details on everything from the weather to the latest NBA scores. It also has an AI component, like everything else, if you’re not much of an artist yourself.Both Amazon and Anker have dropped the price of Anker’s MagGo Wireless Charging Station to $63.99 ($26 off) for the next couple of days, though you’ll need to punch in offer code WS7DV29E602L at the latter retailer. The adjustable 3-in-1 stand is yet another solid option if you want to top off a pair of AirPods and an Apple Watch alongside your phone, especially since the Qi2 dock can supply up to 15W of power to MagSafe-ready iPhone models.

Writing about PC hardware every day, some things can slip through the cracks when it comes to implementing them on my own PC. One of these is storage, or more specifically, how to protect your data from an SSD that's going bad (or was a poor choice in the first place). Recently, I had an old SSD fail overnight, taking all the data of my secondary PC with it. Unfortunately, I didn't pay attention to the warning signs, nor did I have any backups. Suffice it to say that you should learn from my mistakes instead of making your own.

A solid-state drive (SSD) is fast, reliable, and has no moving parts, making it the perfect replacement for the mechanical hard disk drive (HDD). The only problem is that SSDs are incredibly expensive, are available in limited capacities, and are only outright better than mechanical drives if used through NVMe slots. One way of improving the performance of HDDs inside network-attached storage (NAS) is through data caching using speedier NVMe drives, and while this seems like a no-brainer, I wouldn't recommend you do the same.

Storage drives don't last forever, even if we wish they would. Hard drives and SSDs can last a long time if used carefully, but they'll eventually wear out and fail. Unlike hard drives, which give audible warning signs, solid-state drives can fail without any visible or audible warning signs, but sometimes you get lucky and notice issues before the drive dies.

Alright, we get it. Y'all are excited about Slate. We thought the little Slate Truck was cool, but based on the number of clicks and comments on our Slate Auto articles so far, you'd like to know more. Many of you wrote in with questions and more than a few people raised some doubts. So, we wanted to address as many of those as we could. Here's your one-stop shop for Slate answers based on your questions - plus a few of our own.What are the Slate's full specs, and how does it compare to a Ford Maverick or F-150?The Slate is clearly a vehicle built for everyday utility, and while it'll make for a handy machine for hauling a lot of things, big towing and heavy cargo were clearly not a top priority. Here are the key specs, compared against the four-wheel drive hybrid Ford Maverick with the 2.5-liter engine and a Ford F-150 4×2 with a 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6.Slate TruckFord MaverickFord F-150Horsepower (hp)201191325Curb weight (lbs)3,6023,6744,171Max payload (lbs)1,4331,5001,775Max towing (lbs)1,0002,0008,400Bed length (ft)54.55.5, 6.5, or 8Bed width (max / min, in)50 / 54.942.6 / 53.350.6 / 66.9Seats255It's worth noting that these Ford numbers vary widely based on configurati …Read the full story at The Verge.

I've used a wide range of PC monitors over the years, from early monochrome CRTs to high-speed 480Hz OLEDs, utilizing a diverse array of connectors during that time. However, ever since the digital switchover from VGA and DVI, I've used a single display cable standard exclusively for my desktop PCs and laptops. That's DisplayPort, whether over a full-size GPU port or DisplayPort Alt Mode via USB-C.