When I first got the RTX 4090 in 2022, I paired it with a 4K/160Hz IPS monitor because I knew it was powerful enough to handle almost any game I threw at it. Moreover, at that resolution, the GPU is usually the limiting factor, so I didn't have to worry about any other bottlenecks in my build. A couple of years later, though, I wanted a faster monitor purely for competitive gaming, so I got the Alienware AW2725DF 360Hz OLED.

Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 127, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you're new here, welcome, my Scorpion challenges your Sub-Zero to a duel, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.) This week, I've been reading about Hasan Piker and lines and David Sacks and sleep learning, catching up on Andor (for me) and Young Jedi Adventures (for my toddler), poring over thousands of new Artemis II photos, listening to many hours of possibly the longest YouTube video ever, taking more walks thanks to Pedometer++ 8.0, losing my mind during every second of every Arsenal match, and spendi …Read the full story at The Verge.

And just like that, Mother’s Day is tomorrow, May 10th, which is too soon for most online purchases to arrive in time. That said, you aren’t alone if you waited too long to pick up a gift this year, and you definitely aren’t alone in feeling guilty for considering digital gifts instead of something your mom can unwrap. But here’s the thing: digital gifts can still unlock memorable experiences, be it movies, games, or music. They can also let your mom choose exactly what she wants, making them both convenient and versatile.Below, we’ve curated a list of some of the best digital goodies that folks at The Verge have used or gifted. The list is curated by interests, too, so you can find the perfect present whether your mom is into the arts, exercise, or something else entirely. That way, you’ll at least be able to gift something more thoughtful than an Amazon or Walmart gift card — even if those are still totally viable options in our book.Gifts for film and TV buffsWhether your mom is a movie buff or an avid sports fan, there are a number of subscriptions that’ll grant her access to a wide range of content. Below are some of the most popular, as well as a few catered toward anime diehards, horror lovers, and those looking for something more niche.Disney Plus gift cardYou can buy Disney Plus gift cards in increments of $25 up to $500. They’re usable toward Disney Plus subscriptions and bundles that include access to Disney Plus and Hulu, which start at $12.99 a month. That way, the family can stream everything from Andor and Paradise to The Bear and Percy Jackson.Where to Buy: $25 at Disney StoreA gift card to a major streaming service like Netflix (Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart), Peacock (Peacock), or Paramount Plus (Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart) is a good gift that’ll cater to all kinds of passions. With a Netflix account, your mom can binge Stranger Things and Bridgerton, while Peacock provides access to shows like The Paper, Parks and Recreation, and Downton Abbey. A Paramount Plus subscription, meanwhile, lets her dive into Survivor 50, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, and the entire Taylor Sheridan universe — including newer series like Landman and The Madison.A Criterion Channel gift card grants access to more than a thousand classic and contemporary Hollywood, international, arthouse, and independent films. It also features programming that spotlights directors, stars, genres, and themes, including a “15-minute-a-month film school.”For the anime lovers in your life, a Crunchyroll gift card provides access to hundreds of anime shows and films shortly after they air in Japan, including Jujutsu Kaisen, Blue Lock, and Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury. They can even use the gift to purchase Crunchyroll’s extensive collection of anime figures, vinyl records, and clothes.Gifts for the gamersIf you’re not sure which type of games your mom prefers, you can gift her an Xbox, PlayStation, or Nintendo subscription. Not only will these memberships grant them access to free digital games, but they also include perks such as online multiplayer and cloud saves, among other incentives.Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (three-month subscription)Giving the gift of Game Pass unlocks hundreds of great games to play, whether your recipient is a console or PC gamer. If you’re gaming on an Xbox, it also allows for online multiplayer.Where to Buy: $68.99 at Amazon $68.99 at Best Buy $68.99 at GameStopIf your mom owns a PlayStation 5, a PlayStation Plus membership grants them access to free titles and discounts every month, lets her play games online, and allows her to access cloud-based backups. PlayStation Plus memberships start at $9.99 a month, and you can subscribe directly via PlayStation or buy a subscription with a PlayStation Plus gift card, which is available at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target in denominations starting at $10 and going up to $250.Nintendo Switch or Switch 2 lovers, meanwhile, might enjoy an annual subscription to Nintendo Switch Online, which starts at $19.99 a year (Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop). The membership lets your mom play more than 150 retro games released during the NES, SNES, and original Game Boy eras. She can also play online with friends, access cloud saves for games, and listen to her favorite Nintendo tunes via the Nintendo Music mobile app.If you’re willing to fork out extra money, you can also buy an annual Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscription. In addition to offering all the same benefits as the Switch Online membership, it also grants access to Game Boy Advance, Sega Genesis, and Nintendo 64 games, as well as DLC content for select titles. One of the latest additions is that the Switch 2 Editions of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom are included as free downloads for members. Individual annual plans cost $49.99 (Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart), while a family plan — which allows for up to eight accounts — is available via gift card at Amazon, Target, and Best Buy for $79.98.Alternatively, you could buy a gift card to a store like GameStop (GameStop), which is helpful if you don’t know which console your mom prefers, or if you want to give her the option of buying accessories and games.Gifts for the adventurers and globe-trottersIs your mom in dire need of a screen break? Fortunately, the internet is filled with travel-oriented gifts, ranging from the obvious — like airline gift cards — to national park passes.America the Beautiful National Park PassThe America the Beautiful pass grants entry to all 63 national parks, from the Grand Canyon to Yosemite, along with over 2,000 recreation sites across the country.Where to Buy: $80 at US Park PassA GetYourGuide gift card provides an easy way to take advantage of guided tours and fun tourist attractions at various destinations around the world, allowing your mom to swim with sharks in Cape Verde or explore volcanoes like Italy’s Mount Etna (when it’s not erupting).For aspiring polyglots, a Rosetta Stone membership makes it easy to learn French, Arabic, Japanese, and other languages from the comfort of home. In addition to lessons, memberships come with helpful extras, including speech recognition tech to get the accent just right.Finally, a gift card to a rideshare service like Lyft (Amazon, Best Buy, Target) or Uber (Amazon, Best Buy, Target) — the latter of which is also good toward Uber Eats — will come in handy if she ever needs a ride to the airport and you’re (gasp!) unavailable to take her.Gifts for health and wellness fansFor health and wellness enthusiasts, many services offer a wealth of streamable fitness classes to help them get fit at home. Other gifts can help your giftee practice self-care and lighten their load with meditation or massage. Below, we’ve listed out a range of options that’ll help your mom take care of both her body and mind.Peloton gift cardPeloton’s monthly subscription offers thousands of streamable fitness classes revolving around a variety of different workouts, ranging from strength training to stretching. It’s a service that’s available to everybody, so you don’t need to own a Peloton device to use it.Where to Buy: $12.99 at Peloton (App One)A gift card for Headspace, a popular mindfulness app, offers members access to hundreds of expert-taught meditations, each designed to help her relax, sleep better, and improve her mental health. A gift subscription will run you $38.99 for three months, or you can save by getting 12 months for $68.99.If your mom prefers in-person classes to virtual ones, a gift card toward a ClassPass subscription will let her try thousands of gyms and fitness studios in her local area, not to mention nearby salons and spas.If your mom is too busy to prepare healthy meals every day, a gift card to Blue Apron, HelloFresh, or any meal prep service that offers a healthy selection of meal kits will be very welcome.Gifts for foodiesWhether mom is a diehard foodie, a wine connoisseur, or a caffeine addict, the internet is filled with subscriptions and gift cards for all types. Below are just a few of our favorites.Eater Wine ClubWith a subscription to Eater’s Wine Club, your giftee will automatically receive either two, four, or six bottles of wine carefully chosen by an Eater expert every month. Past boxes have showcased wines from all over the world. Where to Buy: $90 at Eater (two bottles) $140 at Eater (four bottles) $165 at Eater (six bottles)A Sur La Table gift card (Sur La Table, Kroger, Staples) is a great gift for the beloved chef in your life. Your mom can use it to buy whatever she needs for the kitchen, as well as to take online cooking classes in which live instructors help students make everything from chicken piccata to tiramisu. Classes start at $39 per household and last 90 to 120 minutes.If your mom has a sweet tooth, Goldbelly’s monthly ice cream subscription allows her to enjoy up to six pints of ice cream or 24 ice cream sandwiches a month, all of which are sourced from small creameries all over the country. It’s a pricey subscription, however, with a three-month plan going for an eye-watering $298.95. You can explore other subscription types, too, from BBQ to New York City staples, or get a gift card so your mom can order whatever she’d like.Counter Culture roasts delicious bags of coffee sourced from all around the globe. If you’re lucky enough to find them in local stores, well, lucky you! For coffee lovers looking to try their next great bag of beans, grab a gift card that can pay for a one-off order, or enroll in the company’s subscription service that sends coffee to you as frequently as you’d like. Sometimes, it’s better to leave the cooking to somebody else. If your mom is a foodie, a gift card to a food delivery service like DoorDash (Amazon, Best Buy, Target) lets her nab some crab rangoons from her favorite Chinese restaurant without leaving home.Gifts for music loversWhether your mom is a musician or just loves to unwind with music, there are plenty of digital gifts catered toward her interests. We all know about Spotify gift cards (Best Buy), but there are also other streaming services that you can gift as a subscription, some of which we’ve highlighted below.Apple MusicApple Music is a great gift for casual listeners, offering more than 100 million ad-free songs alongside support for spatial audio and Dolby Atmos. There’s no designated gift card for Apple Music, so you’ll have to buy a regular Apple gift card, but that’s not a bad thing, as it means they can also use the card to buy the latest set of AirPods.Where to Buy: $25 at Amazon $25 at Apple $25 at Best BuyIf you think that your mom might want to learn how to play the guitar, a Fender Play subscription can help them do so thanks to a continuously updated catalog of hundreds of instructor-led video lessons. You can gift them six months for $49.99 or 12 months for $149.99.Lastly, a Ticketmaster or StubHub (Amazon, Best Buy, Staples) gift card is a present that lets your mom buy a ticket to see her favorite musicians perform live.Gifts for the bookwormsObviously, you could just gift a bibliophile a book, and they’d probably be happy. But what if you want to give them more than one option? In that case, a gift card to her favorite bookstore or a subscription to something like Kindle Unlimited — which grants members access to millions of ebooks and select audiobooks — is a good idea. That said, we’ve rounded up some of our favorite alternatives below.Audible Premium Plus (one-month subscription)An Audible Premium Plus subscription grants instant access to thousands of audiobooks and podcasts, as well as one premium audiobook a month. Where to Buy: $15 at AmazonFor fans of Marvel and DC comics, as well as manga like Fairy Tale, a Comixology Unlimited subscription is perfect. For $5.99 a month, your mom will be able to enjoy over 45,000 comics and graphic novels, not to mention more than 2,400 manga titles from her phone or tablet. Subscribers also get discounts on select digital books.You can also gift your mom a Book of the Month membership, which currently starts at $59.99 for a three-book plan. The company curates a small selection of five to seven bestsellers and classics for members every month, making it easy to choose something to read quickly.If your mom prefers to pick up books from a brick-and-mortar bookstore, a gift card to Barnes & Noble (Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Best Buy) might be a good idea. For those who want to support local bookstores, there’s also a gift card for Bookshop.org.For those who prefer traditional newspapers and magazines, you can gift a subscription to The New York Times or The Washington Post, or publications catered to specific interests, like Cosmopolitan and National Geographic.Gifts for the creativesMovie buffs and bibliophiles are easy to shop for, but what do you get the creative mom? It’s actually not that hard — just buy her something to help her create, whether that’s an online course or access to a new tool. Below are a few subscriptions and gift cards that creators will love, all of which you can buy at the last minute.Skillshare subscriptionA subscription to Skillshare grants subscribers access to over 34,000 online classes related to graphic design, painting, photography, film, music, coding, and more.Where to Buy: $69 at Skillshare (three months) $99 at Skillshare (six months) $159 at Skillshare (12 months)A MasterClass membership — which normally starts at $10 a month but is currently 50 percent off for all tiers — provides access to classes taught by world leaders and other subject matter experts, including screenwriters, musicians, and business experts. Going for a Masterclass Plus or Premium subscription allows concurrent viewing on two or six devices, respectively, and also unlocks offline viewing.An Adobe Creative Cloud subscription ($69.99 a month) is a great gift for aspiring and experienced creative professionals alike, one that provides access to popular tools such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere Pro, and InDesign. Adobe doesn’t support gifting subscriptions, so you’ll need to create a new account or log in to an existing account your mom may have. You can also purchase digitally redeemable Creative Cloud subscription codes from partner retailers like Best Buy, which is currently selling a 12-month plan for $406.99 (about $373 off) right now.If you think your mom might be interested in coding, a subscription to the coding educational platform Codecademy ($29.99 a month) can help her build her portfolio with online courses, a community, fun events, cheat sheets, and other resources. There’s even a $39.99-a-month plan for those looking to change career paths, which offers all the above, plus technical interview help.For giftees into arts and crafts, a Craftsy membership (normally $123 a year) grants access to more than 2,000 live and on-demand classes led by experts covering everything from baking and cake decorating to woodworking and painting. Members also get to connect with other crafters in the Craftsy community and attend live events.Gift cards for pretty much anyoneAmazon gift cardAmazon gift cards start at $25 and can be used toward purchases across a variety of departments. They’re also good for various Amazon services, including Amazon Prime Video, Audible, and Amazon Music Unlimited.Where to Buy: $25 at Amazon $25 at Best Buy $25 at KrogerSometimes the best gift card is one that’ll give your mom a ton of options, especially if you’re having a hard time figuring out what she wants. Gift cards from major retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, and Target are perfect in these situations, namely because they’ll let your mom choose whatever she likes from a wide range of departments.

The 360 Vis Nav impressed us with its exceptionally powerful carpet-cleaning performance. | Photo: Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge. If you’re tired of running your vacuum multiple times just to get the dirt and debris out of the carpets in your living room, Dyson’s 360 Vis Nav is worth a look. It’s one of the more powerful robot vacuums currently available, and now through May 11th (or while supplies last), it’s on sale at Woot for an all-time low of $279.99 ($919 off) with a full two-year warranty.Dyson 360 Vis Nav robot vacuum cleanerWhere to Buy: $1199 $279.99 at WootThe last-gen 360 Vis Nav offers a whopping 65 air watts of suction, allowing it to pull dirt, dust, and pet hair from carpets impressively well. In her brief time testing the robovac, my colleague Jennifer Pattison Tuohy said the Dyson “demolished a pile of dry oatmeal in seconds,” adding that she briefly worried it might even suck up the tassels on her large rug (it didn’t). By comparison, many robot vacuums — including Dyson’s new $1,200 Spot + Scrub AI — require multiple passes to fully eradicate the same kind of mess on your floor. What’s more, the robovac’s small, D-shaped design and the location of its ultra-fluffy brush allow it to dig into edges and corners more effectively than many of the more roundish robot vacuums, while its lower profile lets it easily get under most beds and sofas. The roomy 500ml dustbin also means you likely won’t need to empty it too often, while Dyson’s built-in handle and terrific quick-release button make removing said bin a relatively simple task when it’s time to do so.While it is undeniably powerful, it’s worth noting that the 360 Vis Nav lacks a few features found on some of its more modern rivals. Although its navigation worked well enough during our testing, it lacks AI-powered obstacle avoidance and doesn’t come with a self-emptying dock. Battery life is also relatively short at around 65 minutes per charge. Nonetheless, if your top priority is quickly removing dust, dirt, and pet hair from carpets without multiple passes, the Dyson remains an option worth considering, especially at this discounted price.Read our Dyson 360 Vis Nav impressions.Other robot vacuum dealsSwitchbot K11 PlusThe Matter-compatible SwitchBot K11 Plus is ideal for small apartments, bedrooms, and home offices. It can easily navigate around chair and desk legs, and into tight spaces that most other bots miss. It also features a commendable 6,000Pa of suction power — which is great for this price point — and works well on both hardwood and carpet.Where to Buy: $399.99 $189.99 at Amazon (black) $399.99 $200 at SwitchBot (with code FORHER50) $399.99 $189.99 at Amazon (white)Shark PowerDetect UV RevealSharkNinja’s latest robovac / mop uses an onboard RGB camera and a UV light to detect stains that aren’t visible under normal lighting. It can adapt its route and methods to clean them, too, resulting in a more targeted — and genuinely effective — approach to mopping.Where to Buy: $1299.99 $849.99 at Amazon $1299.99 $849.99 at Best Buy $1299 $849.99 at SharkNinja

Claude is often covered in the context of coding, and also perhaps productivity, but there's a third crowd of loyal users that don't get as much spotlight, and those are the designers, or rather, people who use Claude for design. When I first created an account, I immediately gravitated to its Artifacts feature for helping me practice design through rendered code, even back when I was still on the free plan. Once I got the Pro plan for extended usage, Claude has pretty much become my go-to chatbot beyond design too. It's now where most of my research and synthesis and brainstorming happens, my all-in-one AI. So when Anthropic released Claude Design last month, I didn't need any convincing to try it.

RGB LED technology might be everyone’s focus for TV tech in 2026, but quantum-dot TVs still might be the better choice. | Photo by John Higgins / The Verge At the Los Angeles Convention Center, two 85-inch TVs sat side by side inside the Nanosys meeting room at Display Week - a yearly business-to-business convention focusing on the technology that goes into displays of all types. One TV was a mini-LED panel with super quantum dots, and the other was an RGB LED - this year's hottest TV trend. Both TVs were showing the same content at the same time to highlight the differences between the two technologies - or more specifically, to show the potential failings of RGB LED backlights when compared to super quantum dot (SQD), which uses blue LEDs for the backlight.I should probably mention that Nan …Read the full story at The Verge.

If you've spent any time in home lab or self-hosting circles, you'll have heard one piece of universal advice: ditch your ISP's router. It's treated as gospel, as it's typically the case that anything your broadband provider hands you is going to be a locked-down, poorly-featured paperweight that's only fit for bridge mode, if even that. To be fair, most of the time, they're right. The Technicolors, Sagemcoms, and rebranded Netgears that show up at your door are usually stripped-down appliances with limited firmware support, no bridge mode, and web interfaces that look like they were designed in 2003.

If you use Windows 11 on a laptop, the Touchpad gestures can be a lifesaver. With just a swipe of a finger (or two, or three), you can perform tasks that would otherwise require a mouse to use. They're great for power users who want to get more done faster.

I've been using AI tools like Claude, ChatGPT, and Gemini for tasks from coding to organizing my messy file folders, but I realized I haven't done any fundamental testing of how they behave when given the same tasks. Sure, I've given them similar tasks to handle, but not the exact same ones, to see how the output matches up.

It’s no secret that VS Code has been the undisputed king of my dock. It’s a reliable, extension-heavy powerhouse that handles everything from quick edits to full-scale projects. But thanks to its major 1.0 release, Zed has officially transitioned from a promising experiment to my primary development environment.

Installing two major Linux releases on the same machine is one of the fastest ways to remind yourself that “Linux desktop” is not one single thing. Ubuntu 26.04 and Fedora 44 may both sit comfortably in the mainstream Linux world, but they don’t greet you the same way after a fresh install. That first hour matters more than people sometimes admit. It’s where a distro either feels ready for your daily routine or quietly hands you a to-do list.

Water gets all the credit. When gaming companies want to show off new graphics technology, things tend to get wet; splashing waves that are only possible with the latest physics engine, or puddles that can reflect the world around them thanks to ray tracing. But there's something special about snow. It might not be as technically impressive as water, but when it comes to creating a mood in a game, snow can be very powerful. And two recent releases - Moomintroll: Winter's Warmth and Froggy Hates Snow - really capture just what snow is capable of.Let's start with the Moomins. Winter's Warmth is the second game based on the iconic Finnish fai …Read the full story at The Verge.