Meta Quest 3S Xbox Edition

It’s finally here for $399, a year after it was announced. For $100 more, you get a back-and-green theme, a pre-paired Xbox controller, the Xbox Cloud Gaming app pre-installed, an Elite Strap and three months of Game Pass Ultimate. Specs match the regular $299 3S, so think of it as a collector’s item.

I found your next favorite gadgets

🧠 Upgrading your tech game shouldn’t melt your brain (or your wallet).

  • 🔌 Running out of ports? Plug in a five-in-one USB-C hub (50% off). Whoa, 4.6 stars and 185,000+ reviews!
  • 🖼️ Memories on a loop: Printing pics? Send ’em straight to this digital photo frame (14% off).
  • 🐶 Fetch this steal: Keep tabs on your doggo 24/7 and fling treats with a 360° dog camera (56% off).
  • 📱 Hands-free & wireless: This phone stand & speaker combo (25% off) is perfect for video calls with the family.
  • 🎧 No quits: Play all the time with this wireless gaming headset (15% off). Up to 100 hours of battery life.

⚡ More power-ups: Tap this secret link for more tech deals. My Amazon storefront is packed with the best sales.

❌ Marks the spot: When you don’t have a gaming buddy, challenge ChatGPT (or any bot). Start simple with, “Let’s play Tic-Tac-Toe. I’ll be X and you’ll be O. You can make the first move.” Let me know who wins the most rounds!

DJI drone takes out firefighting aircraft

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A 9-ounce drone grounded a firefighting aircraft during wildfires. The pilot? A former gaming executive who should have known better.

🐭 MrBeast wants to be the next Disney: Hard to believe his first YouTube video, a Minecraft trick, went up on Feb. 20, 2012, when he was only 13. Now? He’s raising hundreds of millions to build an empire of animation, gaming, toys, comics, merch, you name it. At this point, his thumbnails deserve their own Emmy.

$14.5 billion

Biggest crypto theft ever. In 2020, a hacker cracked one of the world’s largest Bitcoin mining pools using a laughably weak 32-bit security system you could brute-force with a gaming PC. They drained 127,000 Bitcoins (worth $3.5B then, $14.5B now) from over 5,000 wallets and then just left the stash untouched for five years. 

💻 Buying a new computer? Know the specs you need. For basic browsing and streaming, look for at least a dual-core 2.0 GHz processor, 4-8 GB of RAM and an SSD for quick loading. For heavier stuff like gaming or video editing, get a recent multi-core 3.0 GHz+ CPU, a dedicated graphics card and 16 GB+ RAM. Click here for 20 laptop and desktops I trust. You’re welcome.

GTA 6 surprise trailer

It dropped out of nowhere and yeah, it looks pretty realistic. We’re talking Miami vibes, chaos everywhere and so many butts it might as well be a beach club. ICYMI: The game’s been delayed another six months to May 2026, so this trailer is Rockstar’s way of keeping the hype alive. You have to see it.

Let the games begin

🎉 Here’s what you need to keep the good times rolling.

🧸 Catch ’em all: Toss your kid’s stuffed animals into a hanging net ($29) for later.

🎮 Check your kid’s gaming console: You can save electricity (and money) by changing the power-saving settings. On PS5, go to Settings > System > Power Saving. On Xbox Series X/S or One, go to Profile & system > Settings > General > Power options and select Shutdown (energy saver).

🪑 Pick the right chair: Look for adjustable seat height, tilt and lumbar support to keep your posture in check. That helps maintain the natural curve of your spine. And those pricey “gaming” chairs? Totally overrated. A good ergonomic model will last longer. Here’s one I like that’s 15% off.

$38 billion

That’s how much Saudi Arabia is pouring into gaming. Basically the Thanos of gaming via Savvy Games Group, the kingdom controls 40% of the global esports industry and big chunks of ESL, Scopely, Nintendo, EA and more. When your gaming strategy includes Red Bull partnerships and a sovereign wealth fund, you’re not playing games when it comes to games. 

🧠 Google’s AI just learned Minecraft: They dropped it into the game with zero training on how to play and told it to find a diamond. After nine days of learning from scratch, “Dreamer” figured it out and was mining diamonds within 30 minutes (like an expert player). Folks, this isn’t just about gaming. It’s about teaching AI to think, adapt and act on its own. Slightly scary.

Hate YouTube ads? There’s a cheaper fix. YouTube is rolling out Premium Lite for $7.99/month, cutting down on “most” ads. News, fashion and gaming videos will be ad-free, but if you want music without ads, you’ll still need the $13.99/month standard Premium plan. That one also includes offline downloads.

It’s everywhere: Hackers uploaded a free survival game to Steam. PirateFi was live for a week on the super-popular gaming site, spreading malware. Today’s cybercriminals have too many tricks up their sleeves. You need real-time protection that’s smarter than they are. My pick, TotalAV, is $19 for the first year and works with Windows PCs, Macs, iPhones and Androids.

No fires, please: Power strips rock, but they’re not for everything. Stay safe and never, ever use one for a fridge, freezer, microwave or other small appliance, space heater, heating pad, hair dryer, or gaming console. They all draw too much power, and power strips aren’t built for that.

🦁 This cheetah isn’t lion: Professional blackjack and poker players say tech is powering cheating schemes in casinos. People pass info via tiny cameras hidden in their shirts at card level, then get feedback through earbuds from card counters outside. Two players won $220,000. Speaking of … Never play poker with a toilet — too many flushes.

Careful what you read: There’s a lot of fake news circulating about former President Donald Trump’s would-be assassin, Thomas Matthew Crooks, including a message posted to gaming platform Steam that appears to be phony. What researchers have found are Crooks’ laptop searches in July for President Biden, Trump and the DNC convention. No definitive word yet on his political views or motive.

Nvidia's big bet on AI

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A Silicon Valley success story no one saw coming — Nvidia’s now the world’s top company, worth $3.42 trillion, thanks to its AI chips. They power everything from gaming to your car. Plus, employees sue over returning to work, iPhone 16 changes, and catching creepy Airbnb hosts.

How to cut back on gaming

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It’s easy for kids to get glued to their screens. Here’s a simple step to help cut back on that.