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10 Best Retro Game Consoles (2024): Evercade, Polymega, Analogue Pocket, and Controllers

14Apr

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10 Best Retro Game Consoles (2024): Evercade, Polymega, Analogue Pocket, and Controllers

It’s a shame that two of the best retro gaming consoles in recent years, the NES Classic Mini and the SNES Classic Mini, have been discontinued. Both feature great designs with a miniaturized look that’s true to the originals, silky performance, and strong game lineups of Nintendo’s greatest hits. You can still buy them online (usually from third-party resellers), but prices are seriously inflated. The SNES Classic Mini, for example, was $80 at launch, but a reseller has it for more than $300 on Amazon right now. You might have better luck buying one used.Nintendo fans keen on some classic gaming action might be better served by snagging a Switch and buying a Nintendo Switch Online membership ($20 for a year) to access more than 100 NES and SNES titles (here’s the full list). Add the Expa...

24 Mother’s Day Gifts We’ve Tried and Love (2023)

13Apr

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24 Mother’s Day Gifts We’ve Tried and Love (2023)

SPEAKING AS A mom myself, I know that the best gift you can give your mother is you. Whether you plug in your hybrid or hop on a cheap electric bike, you should see her if you can (we get it if you think air travel is scary, though). If you think you'd like to bring her a gift, now is the time to start thinking about it, because Mother's Day is approaching on May 12. Scrambling for ideas? We've got a bunch of gift recommendations below.Your mom may be the person who loves you the most in the world, but she's probably got a lot of other things going on, like traveling for work, working out, or hanging out with friends. I consulted other WIRED parents for their favorite picks. These are our top gift ideas to help moms work from home, annotate their books, or dip into the world of gaming in ...

The Best Cat Toys, Litter Boxes, and Other Supplies for Your Furry Friend (2024)

11Apr

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The Best Cat Toys, Litter Boxes, and Other Supplies for Your Furry Friend (2024)

Cats are beautiful, interesting, weird creatures. If you're lucky enough to be loved by one, it's your God-given responsibility to give them a comfortable and fun home. Cats require a specific environment to play, scratch, and relax. Based on years of testing with our pets, these are our favorite cat toys, litter boxes, and other feline supplies. Even if our cats rejected a particular product, we still examined overall construction, design, and value to determine whether it may be useful for other kitties. They can be finicky, so you may have to consider a few to find the right fit.Check out our related guides like Our Favorite Fancy Cat Furniture. More of a dog person? We've got you covered! See our Best Accessories and Tech Essentials for Your Dog guide.Updated April 2024: We've added n...

6 Best MagSafe Power Banks for iPhones (2024): High Capacity, Slim, Kickstands

8Apr

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6 Best MagSafe Power Banks for iPhones (2024): High Capacity, Slim, Kickstands

Here’s the low-down on the MagSafe standard and MagSafe power banks.What is MagSafe?MagSafe is the name of Apple’s accessory system that’s integrated into the iPhone 12, iPhone 13, iPhone 14, and iPhone 15 range. A ring of magnets on the back of the phone (and in MagSafe-enabled cases) lets you attach various magnetic accessories, like a battery pack that recharges the iPhone wirelessly, so you don’t need to hold it or carry a cable.Does MagSafe reduce battery life?There isn’t much evidence that MagSafe charging negatively impacts battery health, but it is less efficient than wired charging and can sometimes generate heat, which may degrade your battery faster. But other factors are more important, if you want to preserve battery health (such as never fully draining your battery).What rat...

13 Best Mobile Game Controllers (2024): iPhone or Android

7Apr

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13 Best Mobile Game Controllers (2024): iPhone or Android

There are several other mobile controllers we tested that just missed out on a place above or failed to make the grade, plus a few that we are keen to test soon.Turtle Beach Atom Controller for $80: With a clever two-piece design, this controller folds away neatly, but feels insecure without a back. The clamps on each side are awkward, particularly with phones sporting large camera modules. I had trouble connecting, and dislike that the right side has to be turned on separately (press B and menu buttons). The right side connects wirelessly (2.4 GHz), but the controller connects to your phone via Bluetooth. It mostly worked fine for me, but when I played Jydge, the movement was inverted on the left stick. You get around 20 hours of battery life. It takes about two hours to charge. If porta...

7 Best Water Leak Detectors (2024): Smart Water, Temperature, and Humidity Sensors

7Apr

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7 Best Water Leak Detectors (2024): Smart Water, Temperature, and Humidity Sensors

Here's what you need to think about when you shop for smart leak detectors and install them in your home.How do water leak detectors work?Water leak detectors can detect water pooling, and some can also detect water dripping or even humidity rising. Premium water leak detectors monitor the flow of water in your pipes. All connect to a hub or directly to your Wi-Fi network to send alerts when they detect a problem.What kinds of water leak detectors are there?Some water leak detectors have cables with sensors on the end, some have water-sensing cords, and others are self-contained with sensors on the top or bottom or both. You have the option of extension nodes with some detectors. At the premium end of the market, you can get water leak detectors that must be fitted to your pipework to mea...

14 Best PlayStation VR2 Games to Play Right Now (2024)

6Apr

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14 Best PlayStation VR2 Games to Play Right Now (2024)

Six years after Sony released its first virtual reality headset, we finally got our hands on the PS VR2. If you can wrap your head around spending more for an accessory than for the console itself, the headset is worth the wait. Sony got rid of the external processor boxes, upped the resolution, and added features like HDR support and advanced eye tracking. It’s also really, really comfortable—almost comfortable enough to make you forget that it’s still wired.Now that you have the headset, what do you play? We’ve spent months working our way through some of the newest titles. Here are our top picks. Don’t see anything you like? We’re continuing to test games, and don’t forget to check out our guide to the Best PlayStation Accessories and the Best PlayStation Plus Games.Special offer for G...

31Dec

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Trackers, Watches, GPS, Health | WIRED

There was a time not too long ago when Fitbit was essentially the only wearable in town, the most popular way to brag about step counts and the rest. While its status has waned in the face of ever-growing competition, Fitbit is still making easy-to-use fitness trackers and watches.Now under the ownership of Google, Fitbit is continuing to refresh its trackers and smartwatches. So if you’ve not yet been lured in by an Apple Watch or can’t afford to spend big, you still have good Fitbit options for tracking fitness, sleep, and other health metrics, with a nice variety of designs and features.Updated December 2023: We added the Fitbit Charge 6 in place of the Charge 5.For more WIRED fitness guides, check out the Best Fitness Trackers, the Best Smartwatches, the Best Garmin Watches and the Be...

30Dec

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Chest Straps, EKG, Watches | WIRED

Those days of getting a heart rate reading only when you visit your physician are truly a thing of the past. You don’t even have to spend big money or leave your home to get a sense of your heart rate during exercise or at rest.The rise of optical and EKG (electrocardiogram) sensors that can now reliably deliver that information from your wrist, chest, or arm means you can better understand how hard you hit it in that boot camp class and get a window into the most stressful periods of your day.Updated December 2023: We've added the Coros and Viiiiva heart rate monitors, plus the Fitbit Charge 6 tracker.For more sports and fitness guides, check out the Best Fitbits, Best Fitness Trackers and Watches, Best Running Gear, and the Best Wireless Earbuds for Working Out.Special offer for Gear re...

Best Slow Cookers (2023) for Soups, Stews and Casseroles

28Dec

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Best Slow Cookers (2023) for Soups, Stews and Casseroles

Slow, low-heat cooking is perfect for delicious one-pot dishes and getting the best flavor from cheaper cuts of meat such as lamb shoulder or chicken thighs. With intuitive control panels, the best appliances allow you to throw all the ingredients into the pot, turn it on, and get on with your day while your food simmers along nicely. Prep your recipe in the morning and the keep-warm setting will ensure you have a home-cooked evening meal that’s piping hot and ready to serve come nightfall. Then all you need to do is dish up praise for your efforts from everyone at the dinner table.In our edit of the latest and greatest slow cookers, we’ve picked out designs that not only look attractive but have convenient and clever functionality. We’ve included appliances to suit both classic and moder...