Let’s be honest, it’s time to move on from TeamViewer for remote access. Once dominant, it’s showing its age while the open-source contenders have caught up fast. These modern alternatives are faster, more flexible, and customizable. Additionally, you won’t feel the pinch in your wallet with subscriptions and restrictive licensing terms.

Ayaneo is best known for its retro gaming handhelds, but the company has now confirmed its first phone will be coming soon. Ayaneo briefly teased that it was working on a phone back in August during the event where it unveiled the dual-screen Pocket DS. Of course, many of the company’s gaming handhelds run a custom take on Android, so putting a cellular modem in one isn’t much of a stretch.We don’t know much about the handheld. The video offers a quick glimpse at a pretty standard-looking rectangle. There are dual cameras in the top-left corner, and you can make out what appear to be shoulder buttons. Android Central has suggested that the Ayaneo phone could have a sliding design similar to the Sony Xperia Play, where the controls are hidden beneath the screen, but it’s impossible to tell from the video. Ayaneo wouldn’t be the only company on the market with a gaming-focused phone, but modern versions typically eschew physical controls. They tend to be phones first and foremost, but with high-end chips and cooling to help them handle demanding games. Physical controls are usually reserved for accessories, but maybe the Ayaneo phone will buck that trend. Of course, we don’t even know if the Ayaneo phone will be coming to the US or not, so don’t get too excited just yet.

Google’s last-gen Pixel Watch 3 is on sale for $199.99 ($100 off) for a limited time. There are plenty of good smartwatches out there, and Google’s last-gen Pixel Watch 3 is one of them. Right now, the 45mm / Wi-Fi model is available at Amazon, Walmart, and Target for $199.99 ($100 off), which is a new low price and $150 less than the Pixel Watch 4. In her review, our own Victoria Song noted how impressed she was by the larger size’s lengthy battery life, as well as how versatile a companion it was to Android phones, particularly Pixel devices. For example, you can use the watch as a remote for your Google TV, download offline Google Maps navigation routes, and create voice recordings that automatically sync and are transcribed on a Pixel phone. Google Pixel Watch 3 (Wi-Fi)Where to Buy: $299.99 $199.99 at Amazon (45mm) $299.99 $199.99 at Walmart (45mm) $299.99 $199.99 at Target (45mm)The Pixel Watch 3 recently received an overhaul, too, as Google rolled out an update to Wear OS 6, which introduced a refreshed design and Gemini AI to the watch (our initial tests show that it still has a long way to go before becoming vital). On the fitness and wellness side, the Pixel Watch 3 can track your activity, sleep, blood oxygen level, and heart rate. You can also use it to take an EKG from your wrist, if you feel the need. Anker 140W 2-in-1 USB-C to USB-C CableWhere to Buy: $22.99 $16.99 at Amazon (black; with Prime) $22.99 $16.99 at Amazon (white; with Prime) $22.99 $16.99 at Anker (with code WSPDV22SVFBJ)If you need to charge more than one device at a time, Anker’s 2-in-1 USB-C cable will let you do that. It’s a practical, inexpensive gadget we think you’ll enjoy, and it’s nearly matching its best-ever price at $16.99 ($9 off) at Amazon (with Prime) and Anker’s online storefront (with code WSPDV22SVFBJ). One end of the cable plugs into the power adapter, while the other splits into two USB-C cables that can be plugged into different devices. You can use any USB-C power adapter with this cable, but you’ll take full advantage of its peak power throughput with a 140W adapter — such as Apple’s 140W USB-C Power Adapter, which is also on sale for $74.99 ($25 off) at Amazon. The cable will automatically allocate how much power to send to both devices, but if you plug in two laptops, the first one that’s plugged in gets priority. Xbox Wireless ControllerWhere to Buy: $64.99 $39.99 at Amazon $64.99 $39.99 at Target $64.99 $39.99 at Best BuyMicrosoft’s official Xbox Wireless Controller has held the top spot in our guide to the best Xbox controllers for years, and now the black and white versions are selling for a new low of $39.99 ($25 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target. The wireless gamepad is comfortable to hold, and its buttons, triggers, joysticks, and D-pad feel satisfying to use. I’ve used the one that came with my Xbox Series X for nearly five years, and it still feels new, with no dropped inputs or other signs of wear.It runs on a pair of AA batteries, which you can easily swap out. You can also purchase a rechargeable battery pack for the controller if you prefer, but be mindful that it’ll lose its charging capacity over time. Xbox’s wireless controller costs as much on sale as many of our wired recommendations, and its wire-free design means you won’t feel tied down when you use it.A few more deal standoutsSteelSeries’ Arctis Pro Wireless is probably the only headset under $200 right now that offers swappable batteries, and right now it’s down to $149.99 ($130 off) at Best Buy. It comes with a pair of batteries, so you can always keep one freshly charged to pop in when needed. Another unique feature at this price point is its wireless base station, which lets you connect and manage audio from two different inputs. Additionally, it lets you control the headset’s EQ, as well as the audio mix of your game and chat. Verge senior editor Sean Hollister uses SteelSeries’ headset every day, and has for years. If you’ve been curious about trying a foldable phone, let us direct you toward the Motorola Razr (2024), which is down to just $349.99 ($350 off) at Best Buy as part of the retailer’s latest Black Friday promo. The phone features a 120Hz 6.9-inch 2640 x 1080 OLED display when unfolded, along with a 90Hz 3.6-inch OLED display on the outside. It comes with 256GB of storage, 8GB of RAM, and a dual rear-camera system comprising a 50-megapixel main lens and a 13-megapixel ultrawide. The phone comes unlocked, but you can snag it for just $249.99 if you activate it on AT&T or Verizon through Best Buy.The Logitech Lift may look unusual at first, but not only is it comfortable to use, it’s available for an all-time low of $49.99 ($30 off) at Amazon in white or black. The ergonomic mouse is designed for individuals who experience discomfort with standard mice; its vertically oriented design places your hand in a more handshake-like position, which should alleviate some wrist pain. It also features multiple programmable buttons, including a pair located near the elevated thumb rest and a clickable scroll wheel, which can be customized via the Logi Options Plus app. A circular DPI-switching button on the top, meanwhile, lets you quickly adjust the pointer speed. 

HP's OmniBook 7 Aero is an ultra-light, 13-inch laptop that weighs under 2.2 pounds depending on your configuration. It's a laptop light enough that you might think it's just a display sample if you pick it up, and yet it's a fully functional PC. The OmniBook 7 Aero's lightweight recycled aluminum chassis contains the power of an AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 APU, and thus meets the Copilot+ requirements for enhanced AI features.

The Find X9 Pro features a large battery, but it’s still a pretty slender device. Whenever I review a phone, one of the first things I do after setting it up is charge it to full and then just… let it run, using it as my only phone for as long as I can, resisting every urge to charge it along the way. The Oppo Find X9 Pro lasted for three full days. 74 and a half hours, to be a little more exact. I couldn't quite believe it either, so I ran it again. This time I turned on the power-hungry always-on display, and the phone ran for 50-odd hours before the battery hit low single digits. This is the best battery life of any phone I've tested in years, and by far the best of any flagship. The only real problem for Oppo is …Read the full story at The Verge.

When life gives you a new handheld gaming PC, you'll eventually want to connect it to a monitor and use it as a desktop. Sure, you might primarily use your handheld as the gods intended, and game on the go, but what about when you're at home? Sure, you can still use it in handheld mode, but it's a full PC — why not use it for more than just playing Hades II on your commute to work?

We're living in a wonderful period for puzzle games. Seemingly everyone, from The New York Times to Linkedin, has fun puzzles to play, so every morning I have plenty of options to accompany my first coffee of the day. Lately, though, much of my daily puzzle time has come from an unlikely source: the Playdate.Panic's little yellow handheld is best known for being home to oddball indie games you can't find anywhere else, many of which utilize a crank to play. But it has also amassed a library of excellent puzzle games that are playable in quick bursts. It makes it easy to stick a Playdate in your pocket and grab it when you need to kill a fe …Read the full story at The Verge.

Gaming laptops comprise a pretty decent subset of the laptop market, and while they do work out of the box as complete gaming PCs, laptop keyboards often get hot while gaming. Which makes a wired or wireless controller a must for most owners of gaming laptops.

Best Buy’s latest doorbuster deal nets you a cool $770 off the regular price. | Image: The Verge Best Buy’s early Black Friday deals are already live, with discounts to be had on everything from smartphones and gaming PCs to wireless headphones. If you’re in the market for a new 4K TV, Best Buy is also offering an exclusive doorbuster deal on LG’s 48-inch B5 OLED, bringing the price of the 4K TV down to just $529.99 ($770 off) for a limited time. You can also grab the 55-inch model from Amazon, Best Buy, and LG for around $896 ($604 off), an all-time low.LG B5 OLED TVWhere to Buy: $1299.99 $529.99 at Best Buy (48-inch) $1499.99 $896.99 at Amazon (55-inch) $1499.99 $899.99 at Best Buy (55-inch)LG’s entry-level B Series offers one of the most affordable ways to jump into the world of OLED technology. Although the B5 can’t match the brightness of comparably priced LED TVs, it delivers far better black level performance and contrast, as well as excellent viewing angles. As far as we can tell, the B5 closely matches the display performance of LG’s flagship C3 from a few years ago.In addition to 4K resolution, the B5 features four HDMI 2.1 ports — all of which support up to 4K at 120Hz with variable refresh rate for gaming — along with support for premium formats such as Dolby Vision and HDR10. It supports Filmmaker Mode, too, which aims to present movies as directors intended by disabling certain settings, such as motion smoothing and image sharpening. The B5 also runs on LG’s speedy Alpha 8 AI Processor Gen 2, so swiping through LG’s webOS interface isn’t a slog. Meanwhile, support for Apple AirPlay 2 and Google Cast makes it easy to stream content from a compatible device, including your phone or tablet.As great as the B5 is, the set offers middling peak brightness and struggles with handling reflections, according to the folks over at RTings. That said, it’s a great option for gaming, and if you can place it in a room without a lot of ambient light, it’s a nice upgrade for movie night. My 10-year-old Phillips TV broke at the beginning of summer, and I think I finally found a suitable replacement.

Extraction shooters are in the middle of a wild, wild evolution right now, and I couldn't be more excited. All those years ago, these games started as a niche subgenre defined by tension, high stakes, and gear loss. Now, it has exploded into one of the most exciting spaces in gaming, with one Arc Raiders currently leading the charge. With its gorgeous retro-futuristic aesthetic and brilliant handling of PvPvE systems, Arc Raiders is inarguably the new gold standard for the masses' looter shooters.

Home Assistant and other platforms can provide control over an array of smart devices, including plugs, lights, sensors, and more. However, automating these tasks with various triggers and actions can be quite cumbersome, even within Home Assistant itself. This is why I needed to automate the entire home lab with a self-hosted workflow engine, to help make my life considerably easier while allowing me to create some truly awesome results. YAML can get complicated fast, especially when filling files with lines of code.

My Linux journey started many years ago, and it got off to a really rocky start. I was just beginning to learn how computer hardware went together, and in the process of reviving an old rig that had belonged to my dad, I installed Ubuntu on it. I had no idea what I was doing outside of the GUI, so naturally, I made a ton of mistakes, eventually got frustrated, and proceeded not to touch it again for years.