Who doesn't love a good bout of multiplayer gaming with friends? Trading stories and taunts over K/D ratios sure is enjoyable, but it's the single-player experiences that really show us what this platform is capable of when it comes to storytelling. And from those stories, we develop bonds with some unforgettable few characters, but what's surprising is that a lot of times, they're antagonists, too.

If you've read my past articles on Microsoft's Settings-related patches, you'd have noticed that I described the Redmond giant's progress of moving everything over from the Control Panel as "slow." But can you blame me? It has essentially been one whole year since Microsoft confirmed that the Control Panel's days were numbered, and since then, we've seen a little trickle here, a little tweak there. It hasn't really been very quick.

Google is set to reveal its new flagship Pixel hardware at a Made by Google event today at 1PM ET / 10AM PT, when we’ll find out exactly what the company has in store with its expected Pixel 10 phones, Pixel Watch 4, and Pixel Buds 2A.Will they include Qi2 magnetic charging? Is the 10 Pro Fold going to be the first IP68-rated foldable phone? And why on Earth has Google seemingly changed the Pixel Watch 4 to charge on its side?I’ve already run through everything we expect Google to launch at the event, along with a deep dive on the most convincing leaks and rumors about the Pixel 10 phones. My colleague Allison has argued that Google has to convince us to actually care about all the AI appearing on our phones. All that’s left is to watch the show.Thanks to a recent ad, we know the event will feature appearances from celebrity guests, including Jimmy Fallon, Steph Curry, Lando Norris, and the Jonas Brothers, so it sounds like Google won’t just be rattling through hardware specs the whole time.We’ve embedded the stream right at the top of the page, though you can always watch it directly on YouTube. Google is also providing official streams in German, Spanish, and American Sign Language.

Linux has a reputation for being complex, but not all distributions require you to be a power user. In fact, the difference between many Linux distributions is like night and day. Some are designed with beginners in mind, focusing on stability, user-friendliness, and a smooth out-of-the-box experience. If you are new to Linux and looking for a distro that feels comfortable yet powerful, here are five beginner-friendly options that just work.

In case you didn't notice, the 2020s have been tough for the PC community. The GPU pricing crisis that started in 2020 gave rise to the permanent inflation we suffer from today. PC hardware companies forgot the budget segment existed, resorted to shady tactics to offer less for more money, and got in bed with AI instead of working on real generational gains. The era of paper launches and fake MSRPs became all too real, and components across the board started coming out unfinished. There was legitimate outrage, but I feel we let all of this slide way easier than we should have.

You can certainly use this for other things besides meatballs too, but it does present them beautifully. Ikea is teaming up with a Swedish designer for its latest collection, and the first product being teased is a dedicated plate for Ikea’s greatest product: meatballs. The 12-piece Gustaf Westman collection that’s launching on September 9th includes a chunky blue serving dish that is shaped to fit exactly 11 of the delicious morsels “in a celebratory row.”“I love designing objects for a specific function – it brings a touch of humor and makes them instantly easy to grasp. In Sweden, meatballs mean Christmas, and this plate is my way of honoring that tradition,” says Westman. “The design is simple, lining up the meatballs so each one is visible, like they’re sitting on little thrones. And while it was created with meatballs in mind, it works just as well for many other dishes.”I’m already a big fan of Westman’s signature playful style, and I think it pairs beautifully with Ikea’s brand aesthetic. Even the five-step instruction manual for this meatball plate is equal parts amusing and charming. I’m going to try (and likely fail) to convince myself that I don’t need a dish for displaying meatballs at whatever price tag it gets upon release.

Earlier, like many, I relied on the convenience of browser-based password managers. They were easy, but the thought of trusting a third party with the keys to my entire digital life soon became a major concern. The more I wrote about technology, the more I realized the importance of safeguarding my passwords with a solution I could fully control. That’s when I made the complete move to a self-hosted password manager.

When I find a free graphics editing app, I have to try it, and unfortunately, most of them don’t last long. They either feel too stripped down to be useful or too clunky to replace the paid tools they’re mimicking. But every now and then, one of these apps stands out.

Things just keep going wrong for Analogue’s take on the Nintendo 64. The company announced today that the shipping date for its next console, the Analogue 3D, has been delayed until sometime in Q4 of this year. The announcement comes a little over a month after the console’s previous delay, which would’ve seen it ship at the end of August.While the July announcement cited the ongoing mess around tariffs as the reason for that delay, the cause for the current delay is less clear.“Analogue has been moving at maximum pace, processing shipping to everyone who has been patiently waiting,” the company wrote in a statement. “Unexpected, uncommon issues are rare. Especially in a negligible degree under esoteric circumstances. We’re ensuring every detail meets our standard.” The statement added that the launch is “at 99% percent. Hardware, system, packaging — the full kit — been set for months. The last one percent is where we’re focused.”The company also says that the currently vague Q4 timing is “intentionally set conservatively,” presumably to avoid having to announce another delay. Full refunds are available for those who pre-ordered.The Analogue 3D was first announced in 2023 with plans to launch the following year, and was delayed multiple times since then. The 3D — which promises to render N64 games in 4K and boasts 100 percent compatibility with the console’s library — is the latest project from the company, which has previously made high-end versions of the NES, SNES, Sega Genesis, and Game Boy.

At this rate, nothing announced at Google’s Pixel event will be a suprise. More prices have leaked for Google’s new lineup of Pixel phones and watches, this time joined by prices for the new accessories and Pixel Buds 2A. Prices posted by leaker Evan Blass on X for the Pixel 10 family — including the 10, 10 Pro, 10 Pro XL, and 10 Pro Fold — line up with previous pricing rumors that were shared last month, as do those for the new Watch 4 models.This leak also gives us a $129 price for the Pixel Buds 2A, up a little from the original $99 Buds A-Series, but those launched four years ago. There are some product names and prices for various charging accessories too, including the “PixelSnap” wireless charging line that’s speculated to be Google’s Qi2 alternative to Apple’s MagSafe. You can see the full pricing leaks and product names below, ahead of everything being officially announced at Google’s Pixel event today.Pixel 10128GB: $799256GB: $899Pixel 10 Pro128GB: $999256GB: $1,099512GB: $1,2191TB: $1,449Pixel 10 Pro XL256GB: $1,199512GB: $1,3191TB: $1,549Pixel 10 Pro Fold256GB: $1,799512GB: $1,9191TB: $2,149Pixel Watch 441mm Wi-Fi: $34941mm LTE: $44945mm Wi-Fi: $39945mm LTE: $499Pixel Buds 2A: $129Pixelsnap Ring Stand: $29.99Pixelsnap Charger: $39.99Pixel Flex 67W Charger: $59.99Pixelsnap Charger with Stand: $69.99

What do you think of when you hear the term "undervolting"? We commonly associate squelching voltage with lowering clock speeds, higher efficiency, and power savings, not necessarily better performance. In reality, the last few hardware generations have pushed undervolting into the mainstream for just that: better performance. Tuning down the voltage of your components allows them to maintain the same level of performance with the same clock speed. In theory, (and sometimes in practice) this also allows them to boost higher, increasing performance.

Over the past decade, AMD GPUs have earned a reputation as the alternative choice for PC gamers who wanted more bang for their buck, provided they were willing to accept some compromises. For years, PC enthusiasts repeated the same lines about poor driver support, subpar upscaling implementation, and just falling short in performance compared to Nvidia's offerings. Sure, AMD may not have a GPU to compete against the likes of the RTX 4090 and 5090, but that doesn't mean the entire Radeon lineup has fallen behind.