News

Now that October is on the way out, all of the Black Friday ads are beginning to drop, and today we’re getting a look at what retailer Belk has in store this holiday shopping season. With discounts on everything from tech to home goods and more, Belk is also rolling out same-day delivery and curbside pickup perks this holiday season. Head below for a closer look at what to expect and our highlights.

It’s been a busy day for the Black Friday ad leaks with Best Buy and Target each showing their hands. Now, Staples is stepping up to the plate. Tonight we’re getting a sneak peek at what the office supplier has planned for Thanksgiving week and beyond. As always, Staples will have an interesting mix of tech across the board. While we expect to see a full Black Friday ad later in November, this preview provides a few details we didn’t previously know. Hit the jump for more.

SteelSeries has been my go-to peripheral manufacturer for some time, and today, the company announced its first ultralight gaming mouse: the Aerox 3 and Aerox 3 Wireless. Packing TrueMove Air and Core sensors, a USB-C cable, IP54 water and dust resistance, a holey design, and many other killer features, these mice are sure to step up your game. Pricing starts at $60 and both mice will be available on November 10.

Adding quality light to your photos or video is the best way to make them look better. Sandmarc, which is more well known for its iPhone filters, recently released its Prolight Bi-Color and Prolight RGB portable lights that are a perfect addition to the mobile photography kit or a YouTube studio, like mine. Head below to watch the video and see them in action. 

While our minds are on Black Friday here at 9to5Toys today with all of the news leading up to the massive shopping event, The Pokémon Company is turning its attention to the holiday season with a lineup of new ugly sweaters, themed baking utensils, plush, and much more. Head below for a closer look at all of the highlights from the new Pokémon holiday collection.

With Xbox Series S/X console releases just around the corner, it’s important to have a top-tier television to play on. To help aid this, a limited edition Samsung QLED Cyberpunk TV giveaway has launched. Not only will this unit feature a standout Cyberpunk 2077 design, it will also be able to display 4K content at 120Hz. A “low millisecond response time” takes things even further. Continue reading to learn how you may be able to participate in the giveaway.

You’re reading Tested with 9to5Toys, where we explore everyday tech essentials that make life a bit easier. Browse through our entire guide for all of the latest reviews, and sound off in the comments below if there’s something you’d like to see featured.

Last month, Satechi unveiled its latest creation for iPhone and Apple Watch: the Quatro Wireless Charger. With a premium build, wireless charging, and integrated Apple Watch support, this battery differs from many of the other alternatives we feature on 9to5Toys with a heavy focus on materials. Satechi has long been known as one of the standard bearers in the Apple accessory ecosystem, but at $100, it’s asking a lot of consumers that have already shelled out $1,000 or more for an iPhone. So is the Quatro worth the high price tag? More below in the latest Tested with 9to5Toys.

Update: After quickly selling out on Amazon, LEGO themselves are now offering the limited-edition Black Widow Taskmaster set for its $39.99 retail price. Get this one while you can before it sells out.

Today, LEGO launched its latest kit that was initially intended to be an SDCC 2020 exclusive. The new LEGO Black Widow Taskmaster Ambush set is now available exclusively from Amazon and launches with 230 pieces, three minifigures, and comic book-inspired box art. Head below for a closer look at the LEGO Black Widow Taskmaster set.

The Lululemon Holiday Gift Guide is now live with gift ideas for the go-getter in your family. This gift guide is set up into four sections with gift ideas for him or her, small ideas, and best-selling items. Get ahead of the holiday shopping this year with this guide that has all budgets in mind. Inside this guide, you will find workout wear, including leggings, pants, jackets, accessories, and more. Better yet, Lululemon offers free delivery. Head below the jump to find all of our top picks from Luluelmon’s Holiday Gift Guide and also be sure to check out our latest guide to Columbia’s Holiday Gift Guide too.

We got our first look at Final Fantasy XVI last month as part of the PlayStation 5 game’s showcase. The lengthy “Awakening” trailer Sony showcased gave us a good look at the game’s characters, setting, cutscenes, and enemies, but details on the experience were thin at best. Since then, Square Enix has updated the official site with a host of new details on the game world and characters just before the game’s producer, Naoki Yoshida, took to the official PlayStation Blog to offer even more information on the protagonists, summons, and more. Head below for more details. 

While the folks at Arcade1Up routinely steal the retro gaming spotlight, New Wave Toys has long been a 9to5 favorite in the space. Today, the company is out with its latest miniature arcade cabinet, bringing the fan-favorite title Dragon’s Lair to its RepliCade lineup. Complete with plenty of vintage graphics, a 3.5-inch display, and a fully-playable build, you’ll want to head below for a closer look.

Listen to a recap of the best deals and news from 9to5Toys each day at noon. 9to5Toys Daily is available on iTunes and Apple Podcasts, Google Play, or through our dedicated RSS feed.
New episodes of 9to5Toys Daily are recorded every weekday. Subscribe to our podcast in iTunes/Apple Podcast or your favorite podcast player to guarantee new episodes are delivered as soon as they’re available.

Following the release of Best Buy and Costco’s ads for Black Friday 2020, another major domino on the deal scene has fallen this morning. Target is now detailing its plans for this year’s biggest holiday shopping event with a rotating cast of deals coming in throughout the month of November. Like many other retailers we’ve detailed so far, Target will be rolling out select offers over the coming weeks in the lead up to Black Friday proper. While this isn’t technically the complete Target Black Friday ad, it’s the most thorough picture we’ve seen so far. Head below for all the details on everything we know at this point along with access to early Black Friday deals.

One of the biggest Black Friday 2020 ads has now arrived as Best Buy is showing off its plans for this year’s big shopping event. A number of deals are already available through November 1 and then Best Buy will be rolling out various other promotions throughout the month of November in the lead up to Black Friday proper. My Best Buy members will be privy to special offers throughout the month, as per usual, as the brick and mortar retailer offers up discounts on TVs, Apple products, and much more. Head below for all of our top picks from this year’s Best Buy Black Friday ad, details on store hours, and more.

From the moment that the Xbox Series X hit the scene, Microsoft’s latest console was being compared to a refrigerator rather than a state-of-the-art gaming machine. Now, Microsoft is getting in on the joke by debuting a fridge that looks exactly like the Xbox Series X. And you could even win it for your very own game room. Head below for a closer look and all of the details.

If you’ve ever wanted to draw in 3D, you now have yet another way to do it. With 3Doodler PRO+, creators are able to use materials including such as wood, bronze, copper, PLA, ABS, and more. Inclusion of metal like bronze and copper in that list really makes 3Doodler PRO+ stand out, as full-blown 3D printers are often limited to using PLA and ABS materials. These capabilities are placed in the palm of your hand, arguably taking creativity to a new level. Continue reading to learn more.

Hunter just released its Holiday Gift Guide with ideas for the entire family, so make a splash this holiday season with gifts they can wear year-round. The Hunter Holiday gift guide has hundreds of styles including boots, accessories, socks, jackets, backpacks, and more. They’re also divided into sections with the best-selling items, gifts for her or him, and budget-friendly options. Head below the jump to find all of our top picks.

LEGO is all about encouraging builders to create their own models, and a new Build Your Own City set is taking that to a new level. With the ability to choose from a selection of buildings, vehicles, and minifigures, you’ll be able to design a customized City creation complete with unique box art. Head below for all of the details.

Earlier this month, we got our first look at AMD’s next-generation Zen 3 Ryzen processor lineup. Today, AMD unveiled its RDNA 2 graphics cards with some killer specs and prices that are absolutely fantastic for what you get. You’ll find the AMD Radeon RX 6800 at $579, 6800XT at $649, and 6900XT for $999. All GPUs released feature 16GB of GDDR6 memory, ray-tracing, and many other great features, so let’s dive into what all you’ll get with AMD RDNA 2 below.

Listen to a recap of the best deals and news from 9to5Toys each day at noon. 9to5Toys Daily is available on iTunes and Apple Podcasts, Google Play, or through our dedicated RSS feed.
New episodes of 9to5Toys Daily are recorded every weekday. Subscribe to our podcast in iTunes/Apple Podcast or your favorite podcast player to guarantee new episodes are delivered as soon as they’re available.

After getting our first look at the brand’s new MacBook stand last week, today Grovemade is introducing its new Wood iPad Stand. Pulling the design sensibilities from the aforementioned MacBook variant, Grovemade’s latest iPad holder features the brand’s usual penchant for premium materials alongside a minimalist design, and best of all, introductory pricing. Head below for a closer look and more details. 

The first major Black Friday 2020 ads has now dropped. We’re getting our first look at what Costco plans to serve up through November and during Thanksgiving week. Each year, Costco is typically one of the first big names to showcase its Black Friday plans, and 2020 appears to be following suit. Costco will begin offering up holiday savings deals on November 5, with refreshes coming every week until Thanksgiving when the real notable deals start in earnest. We have full details on this year’s Costco Black Friday ad down below.

Bungie has been hard at work delivering new content to Destiny 2 year after year. Last year, we saw New Light, and the year before that we got Forsaken. This time around, the team at Bungie is going a different route, and exploring the opposite of New Light…with Beyond Light. Yeah, the title is a bit cliche, but Destiny 2 Beyond Light will take you to places where no Guardian ever thought they’d travel. You’ll be heading into the darkness because that’s the only way to defeat it.

Today we are taking a closer look at LUMI — ROLI’s new connected light-up keyboard controller for learning how to play piano. ROLI began taking orders after a successful Kickstarter put the new iOS-based learning platform on the map, and we have since had a chance to go hands-on with the Guitar Hero meets MIDI keyboard controller learning system. Head below for more details. 

To entice shoppers ahead of the holiday season and the usually more appealing discounts that follow, LEGO has detailed its latest promotion today ahead of launching next month. Just earlier in October, we saw a double VIP points offer go live alongside a chance to win a pair of the limited-edition LEGO adidas kicks. But now, Star Wars fans will have a pair of promotional offerings to get their hands on. Head below for all of the details on the upcoming LEGO Han Solo keychain and other promotional offerings.

The power bank market feels quite saturated these days. This arguably makes it more important than ever for new releases to find new and exciting ways to set themselves apart. The all-new mophie juice pack connect attempts to do this with versatile design that’s ready to slide on and wirelessly charge all major smartphones. USB-C is also onboard, and wireless charging support can also be found along the back, allowing users to top off the battery while it charges a device. Continue reading to learn more.

For their third birthday, Wyze is giving everyone a gift with the release of their newest camera, the Wyze Cam V3. Sticking with the same $20 starting point, the new updated camera has a better lens, color night vision, and IP65 weather resistance for indoor or outdoor use. Head below to watch the video and see more about the latest from Wyze.  

With November on the horizon, retailers are ramping up their efforts to prepare shoppers for the holiday season. We’ve already seen quite a few Black Friday ads for the year drop, but today, we’re turning our attention to what Target has in store for us in the toy department for 2020. With all of the usual brands spread through its 88 pages, you’ll definitely want to head below for all of the highlights from the Target Toy Book 2020.

Listen to a recap of the best deals and news from 9to5Toys each day at noon. 9to5Toys Daily is available on iTunes and Apple Podcasts, Google Play, or through our dedicated RSS feed.
New episodes of 9to5Toys Daily are recorded every weekday. Subscribe to our podcast in iTunes/Apple Podcast or your favorite podcast player to guarantee new episodes are delivered as soon as they’re available.

Ubisoft’s film and television department have been busy over the last few years bringing the company’s IP to the big screen and it now looks like a Netflix Assassin’s Creed slate of content is on the way. A brief video for the new partnership hit the official Netflix Twitter account today to tease what sounds like a lineup of upcoming shows/series spanning live-action and animated products. Head below for more details.

Black Friday 2020 ads are starting to leak in this year already, but today we’re getting a look at one of our favorite annual toy books. Walmart has now unveiled its America’s Best Toy Shop book with an in-depth guide to all of this year’s hottest gifts for the kids. This time around, Walmart is releasing 56 pages of content covering toys for every age group, from babies on up. If you’ve started making up your lists but aren’t sure which toys are going to be sure hits this year, head below for all of our top picks the annual Walmart Toy Book.

Earlier this year, it was announced that Apex Legends would be coming to Steam and Nintendo Switch, with cross-play also being released. Well, earlier this month, cross-play was indeed released, but the Steam and Switch ports were nowhere in sight. That all changes today…well, for Steam users, that is. Switch gamers, we’re sorry, but it looks like you’ll have to wait till next year. However, Season 7 and Steam support for Apex Legends will be available on November 4, so keep reading to find out all the details on when we can expect the Switch port, and what’s to come in Season 7.

With the second season of The Mandalorian premiering at the end of the week, today we’re getting a look at the latest collection of figures, sneakers, apparel, and other merchandise from the Disney+ series. With The Child, aka Baby Yoda, taking center stage, you’ll find plenty of new ways for both fans young and old to show off their fandom. Head below for all of the details and a closer look at some of our favorite unveils.

Shortly following the release of Samsung’s Premiere Smart Projector lineup, Epson has taken the wraps off a new offering of its own. The all-new Epson Smart Laser Projector is dubbed EpiqVision Mini EF12 and is ready to create a 150-inch screen while on the go. While many portable projectors tend to have a low resolution, Epson’s solution ratchets up the competition with a full-HD 1080p picture. It measures under 7 inches in every direction and weighs in at 4.7 pounds. Continue reading to learn more.

Find the perfect gift for everyone on your list with Banana Republic’s Holiday Gift Guide. Inside the newly released guide, you will find hundreds of stylish options for both men and women. With prices for every budget in mind, Banana Republic is offering rates at just $6. So whether you’re looking for a stocking stuffer or to splurge on someone you love, head below the jump to find all of our top picks from Banana Republic’s Holiday Gift Guide. You will also want to check out the J.Crew Holiday Gift Guide here.

Microsoft took to YouTube today with an official next-generation Xbox Series X walkthrough. The lengthy video highlights “faster load times, higher frame rates, and more dynamic game worlds,” with the main focus being on the user experience of booting up an Xbox Series X or S on launch day. While this isn’t a full-on teardown video like we got from Sony recently, today’s presentation showcases the Xbox Series X and Series S redesigned user interface, sharing features, quick resume access, and more. Head below for more details and to see it for yourself. 

PowerA is continuing the 35th Mario anniversary celebration by launching a new collection of Nintendo Switch controllers. With three new styles on the way, PowerA is bringing Mushroom Kingdom stylings to your setup with its refreshed Enhanced Wireless Controller as well as a wired offering and new GameCube gamepad. Head below for a closer look and all of the details on locking in your pre-order.

Listen to a recap of the best deals and news from 9to5Toys each day at noon. 9to5Toys Daily is available on iTunes and Apple Podcasts, Google Play, or through our dedicated RSS feed.
New episodes of 9to5Toys Daily are recorded every weekday. Subscribe to our podcast in iTunes/Apple Podcast or your favorite podcast player to guarantee new episodes are delivered as soon as they’re available.

After seeing some early plans from Home Depot, Walmart, and others, we now have the 2020 Macy’s Black Friday ad. The 26-page ad is filled with notable deals on kitchenware and other home goods as well as some fitness tech deals and loads of apparel. We are also getting some light details on both the online and in-store events. Head below for a closer look at this year’s 2020 Macy’s Black Friday ad.

Home Depot is known for killer sales during Black Friday, but this year is a bit different. Overall, 2020 has been a year to remember for many reasons, but Black Friday sales are also among those to take on a different look this time around. Home Depot is launching its first-ever “Black Friday Improved” sale starting November 6 both in-store and online, while those who use the Home Depot mobile app can start saving as early as today.

Well, it’s iPhone day today. That’s right, Apple’s latest-and-greatest iPhone 12 lineup began delivering to customers today, and with it, MagSafe is a thing once again. Well, ESR, a well-known accessory manufacturer, just announced the “world’s first” MagSafe compatible wireless car charger mount. As part of the company’s HaloLock system, this accessory “works seamlessly” with MagSafe, making charging your iPhone 12 while on-the-go “as easy as tapping it to the mount.”

Working or gaming on the go is usually more difficult than a home setup. There are plenty of great powerful gaming laptops, but playing on a small screen sitting flat on a table can be difficult and they don’t always boast the latest specs. Enter the ASUS ROG Strix XG17. With a crazy 240hz refresh rate, this 17.3-inch panel can run for about 3.5 hours at max speed on its internal battery and is easy to pack along thanks to its .4-inch thickness. Head below to watch the video and see it in action. 

With LEGO Ideas becoming more and more popular for builds in the community to have their own creations turned into official kits, it’s no doubt been harder than ever to stand out, thanks to all the competition. A recently launched site called Build A MOC is looking to step into the gap where LEGO themselves haven’t been able to meet, offering fans the chance to design and sell their very own kits. Head below for all the details.

About two months ago, Samsung unveiled not one but two new 4K smart projectors. Both fall under The Premiere moniker and look very similar to one another. While many details were shared at that time, pricing and a release date were not among them. Surprisingly, the Samsung Premiere Smart Projector lineup is suddenly now available for order, and the cost for the high-end model is about as high as one would expect, with the base offering clocking in at a lower and much more reasonable price. Continue reading to learn more.

You’re reading Tested with 9to5Toys, where we explore everyday tech essentials that make life a bit easier. Browse through our entire guide for all of the latest reviews, and sound off in the comments below if there’s something you’d like to see featured.

Herman Miller is one of the most iconic furniture brands in United States manufacturing history. They are known for employing some of the 20th century’s most well-regarded designers, such as Ray and Charles Eames, Alexander Girard, and George Nelson. When Herman Miller announced that it was pairing up with Logitech back at the start of the year, it struck me as a surprise given how tightly the iconic brand has guarded its designs over the years. Flash forward to this summer, and the new Herman Miller Logitech Embody Gaming Chair came to market with an impressive response from hardcore gamers looking for a new home at their battlestation. I’ve been able to spend some time with this new partnership’s first creation, using it as a daily driver during my work here at 9to5Toys. Head below for an unboxing and overview of how Herman Miller and Logitech are shaking up this stale product category.

Over the past week, we’ve been covering a few top brand holiday gift guides, including The North Face and Carhartt. Today, J.Crew has released its Holiday Gift Guide, and we’re rounding up our top picks for everyone in your family. J.Crew’s Holiday Gift Guide offers budget-friendly options under $25 or splurge items increasing to over $250. There will be something for almost anyone on your list, and J.Crew is known for its timeless styles. Plus, if you sign up for a J.Crew Rewards Membership (free to sign up), you will receive complimentary delivery. So be sure to head below the jump to get your holiday shopping done early this year.

Today, Nintendo announced that it’ll be permanently lowering the price on its replacement Joy-Con controllers. The company had been charging a premium to replace a broken or defective part of its unique Switch controllers, but now, pricing is being dropped to $40 from the original $50. Head below for all of the details on the new Nintendo Joy-Con replacement pricing.

The first custom PS5 plates to alter the PlayStation 5 color scheme have surfaced. PlayStation 5 will launch next month in one colorway with stark white panels or wings surrounding the black innards. These panels can pop-off to reveal the inner workings of the console — allowing owners to access the PS5 expandable storage — but also to customize the look of the new Sony flagship gaming console. Head below for a closer look.