When it comes to putting a spare Raspberry Pi to good use, there's always the option of turning it into a retro console. It's quick, it's easy, and once you're done, you can play your fave classics as a reward. In fact, we've seen so many of them that we wrote an article specifically listing Raspberry Pi projects that aren't consoles.

A prototype BrickBoy, in my hands. | Photo by Sean Hollister / The Verge If you're one of the nearly 3,500 Kickstarter backers paying to give your Lego Game Boy an actual screen and buttons, I have a question: did you expect those buttons to have physical switches underneath?Because the BrickBoy - not to be confused with Natalie the Nerd's Build A Boy - is not currently going with physical clicks. Instead, it glues rare earth magnets inside Lego bricks, for what will hopefully be a magical experience. This came as a surprise to me, because the BrickBoy Kickstarter, ending in three days, barely mentions magnets at all. Every one of the startup's promo image shows domed switches underneath the buttons, and star …Read the full story at The Verge.

For the longest time, Adobe's software dominated the creative space. And it still kind of does - few options come close in terms of power and industry adoption. But many users, including myself, have become frustrated with the high subscription fees (and the sneaky cancellation terms). I’ve tried dozens of free graphics alternatives at this point; a select few come close and even surpass Adobe’s offerings in some areas. But, if we’re being real, paid apps usually win on polish, stability, and long-term development support. That’s why Affinity Photo used to be a top Photoshop competitor.

I've spent the better part of my online existence searching for and jumping between note-taking apps. From Evernote to OneNote, SimpleNote, Notion, and finally Obsidian. A large part of that decision was the portability of files. Obsidian's Markdown-first approach makes it much easier to switch applications, which is very important to me. It's comforting knowing that my second brain isn't locked in, and I can move my folder of text files whenever I want, open them with anything from Notepad to any other plain text editor. It's as future-proof as software goes. But there's always been one friction point in this approach — accessibility.

Well, it's begun, guys. Arc Raiders is slowly but surely becoming a more PvP-prone, trigger-happy place, and it was only inevitable. After all, people's loot stashes are getting packed, their weapons are becoming stronger, and not everyone opted for the wipe. Still, while it isn't a complete battlefield out there (pun intended), you must have definitely noticed how you've been getting into more fights with raiders recently.

Hey, I got my SIM card. Where's the Trump Phone? We're going to keep talking about it every week. We've reached out, as usual, to ask about the Trump Phone's whereabouts. As usual, we're still waiting for a response. In the meantime, we're testing the service on Trump Mobile's MVNO. Here's how that went.As I sat down at the bookstore cafe with a cortado and an oat bar, I panicked just a little bit when I turned on my phone's hotspot. What if my hotspot network gave me away? Would it say ALLISON'S TRUMP PHONE? Would someone smart sitting next to me, sipping matcha, catch sight of it? What would they think of me?That's not what happened, of course. The default ne …Read the full story at The Verge.

If you like developing for the ESP32, then you've probably already set up ESPHome, Arduino IDE, or PlatformIO for building and testing your own projects. However, what if I told you that you could develop, build, and flash to your ESP32 without needing to install any software on your computer? That's where FlashESP comes in, as it essentially puts the Arduino IDE in your browser, making it easy for you to build, flash, and monitor, all from the one window.

NotebookLM is easily my most used app out of my entire productivity stack. It’s easy to use, filled with practical features I genuinely find myself relying on, and it helps speed up a lot of tasks I used to spend hours doing. And while it is an AI tool, it doesn’t feel like AI for the sake of AI, which is exactly why I love it.

If you’ve gone looking for a memory upgrade lately, you’ve probably noticed that RAM prices have shot up, seemingly overnight. What was once the most affordable part of any PC build has become a weird luxury item, allegedly thanks to AI data centers hoovering up an unprecedented share of global DRAM supply.

I've been trying to unify my smart home over the last year, which hasn't been the most straightforward task, since the devices in my household include a mix of Google Home, HomeKit, and Alexa, with a few smaller ecosystems along the way. That isn't how the smart home was sold to me all those years ago, and it never sat right with me that I needed either careful purchasing or multiple apps to make things work.

Everyone loves to play a good superhero video game, especially any that are based on the Marvel Universe. While games like Marvel Cosmic Invasion are set to release on consoles and PC, games based on Marvel Comics have always been a big part of video gamer releases. Some of the most iconic arcade games and console releases were related to major Marvel superhero team-ups between Marvel heroes and villains. But one massive crossover that includes tons of characters from throughout the Marvel universe was something that everyone took for granted 19 years ago.

With all the fantastic Black Friday deals available, it’s easy to overlook Sony’s ongoing PlayStation 5 sale, which is why we’re flagging it again. In case you missed it, all three PS5 models are steeply discounted until December 18th. The PS5 Digital Edition (slim) is still available from GameStop and Sony for around $399 ($100 off) — its lowest price of the year — while the standard PS5 (slim) is going for around $449 ($100 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart. And if you want a more powerful console, the PS5 Pro is now available at Amazon, Target, and Walmart for around $649 ($100 off), matching its best price to date. PlayStation 5 Digital Edition (slim)Where to Buy: $499 $399 at PlayStation Direct $499 $399.99 at GameStopPlayStation 5 (slim)Where to Buy: $549.99 $449.99 at Amazon $549.99 $449 at Walmart $549.99 $449.99 at Best BuyIf you’re wondering what the main differences are, the standard PS5 features a built-in disc drive, which the cheaper PS5 Digital Edition lacks. That means you can play physical games or Blu-rays without needing to spend an extra $79.99 on Sony’s external disc drive. Other than that, though, they’re pretty similar, with each offering 1TB of internal storage, which you can expand with a heatsink-equipped drive.PlayStation 5 ProWhere to Buy: $749 $648.99 at Amazon $749 $649 at Walmart $749 $649.99 at TargetThe PS5 Pro, meanwhile, is for those who want the best console experience available. It steps things up with twice the storage (2TB), though, like the PS5 Digital Edition, it lacks an internal disc drive. Its most significant features are under the hood: a 62 percent faster GPU, improved ray tracing, Wi-Fi 7 support, and AI-powered upscaling. These all allow some games to run at higher frame rates so visuals look even better, particularly on “PS5 Pro Enhanced” titles. That said, the difference isn’t always dramatic in real-world play. Our reviewer only noticed real improvements when sitting within 10 feet of his TV, and only some games — Final Fantasy VII Rebirth in particular — ended up looking exceptionally crisp and defined.Read our PS5 Pro and PS5 slim reviews.Other PlayStation Black Friday dealsIn addition to consoles, Sony’s Black Friday sale also includes a range of great accessories, from the PlayStation Portal to the DualSense Edge controller. We’ve highlighted some of our favorites below.PlayStation PortalThe PlayStation Portal is a handheld that allows you to stream games from your PS5 over the same network, or the cloud for certain titles if you have a PS Premium Plus subscription. The Portal has an 8-inch 1080p display with a 60Hz refresh rate, serviceable speakers, and a long-lasting battery. It also supports DualSense features, including haptic feedback and motion sensing. Read our review. Where to Buy: $199.99 $178.99 at Amazon $199.99 $179 at Walmart $199.99 $179.99 at Best BuyPlayStation DualSense ControllerSony’s wireless PS5 controller has roughly the same button and joystick layout as the PS2’s gamepad, but with haptic sensors, a built-in speaker, gyroscope, accelerometer, and touchpad for an even more immersive gameplay experience. The controller is also compatible with MacOS and Windows, so you can use the wireless controller to play computer games. Read our review.Where to Buy: $74.99 $54.99 at Amazon $74.99 $54.99 at Best Buy $74.99 $54 at WalmartSony DualSense EdgeSony’s pro-style controller, the DualSense Edge, might suffer from shorter battery life than the standard DualSense model, but it features great software integration with the PlayStation 5 and plenty of customizable components. Read our review.Where to Buy: $199.99 $159.99 at Amazon $199.99 $169.99 at Best Buy $199.99 $169.99 at PlayStation DirectPulse Explore Wireless EarbudsThe Pulse Explore Wireless Earbuds provide lossless, ultra-low-latency audio when connected to a PS5, and sounded very clear in our tests. They also support Sony’s 3D audio technology for a more immersive experience. When you’re done playing games, you can pair them to your phone or other devices over Bluetooth. Read our hands on.Where to Buy: $199.99 $169 at Amazon $199.99 $169.99 at Best Buy $199.99 $169 at WalmartPlayStation Pulse EliteSony’s PlayStation Pulse Elite is an over-ear headset with a retractable boom mic. It’s designed to filter out background noise, deliver low latency and lossless audio, and work with the PlayStation Portal or the PlayStation 5, PC, and Mac via the PlayStation Link USB adapter. Where to Buy: $149.99 $129 at Amazon $149.99 $129 at Walmart $149.99 $129.99 at GameStopPlayStation VR2 Horizon Call of The Mountain BundleThe PSVR 2 offers PC-quality VR on a console, and it’s currently bundled with one of its best games: Horizon: Call of the Mountain. The headset can run at up to 120Hz with a resolution of 2000 x 2040 per eye, and has a pair of built-in headphones — though you can plug your own into its 3.5mm audio jack, or connect wireless headphones by plugging wireless dongle into the PS5. Read our review.Where to Buy: $399.99 $299 at Amazon $399.99 $299.99 at Best BuyPDP Riffmaster for PlayStation 5PDP’s Riffmaster is a wireless guitar accessory compatible with Rock Band 4 and Fortnite: Festival. It has two sets of color-coded buttons you can press to hit notes as they appear on the screen, a built-in 3.5mm audio jack for connecting headphones, and an analog stick to help you easily navigate through each game’s menus. Where to Buy: $149.99 $109.99 at Amazon $149.99 $109.99 at Best Buy $149.99 $109.99 at GameStopSony DualSense Wireless ControllerThe DualSense is the first-party controller Sony designed for the PlayStation 5. It features adaptive triggers, a built-in microphone, and haptic feedback technologies. Read our review.Where to Buy: $74.99 $54.99 at Amazon $74.99 $54.99 at Best Buy $74.99 $54.99 at Target