Amazon Prime Day is always a great time to consider a TV upgrade (aside from Black Friday, of course). While the prices for big screen TVs have fallen quite a bit over the years, even for coveted tech like OLED, there’s always room for additional discounts.

July Prime Day may be over now, but we’re still seeing prices slashed on Samsung, Sony and LG sets, in addition to several other manufacturers. And as usual, we’ve also collected a few solid deals on streaming devices and soundbars to upgrade your setup even more. Who needs to shell out for the cinema when you can get an enormous screen and bombastic sound at a huge discount? These are the best Prime Day TV deals you can still get today.

Prime Day TV deals still available

Hisense QD6 (55-inch) for $240 (down from $380): Hisense is on a roll delivering tons of TV features at a very low cost, and the QD6 line is a prime example of that. It has Amazon's Fire TV and Alexa support built in, and it also supports Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. It can even handle a bit of fast gaming with a 120Hz refresh rate.

TCL QM6K (55-inch) for $448 (down from $600): TCL's mid-range sets finally fall below $500 for Prime Day, and that makes the QM6K one of the higher quality options in this price range. It features a bright Mini LED panel, a 144Hz refresh rate for gaming and it even includes an Onkyo speaker setup built-in. While it's technically a budget set at this price, it certainly won't look like a low-grade TV.

Roku Smart TV (65-inch) for $348 (down from $450): Roku's basic smart TVs offer most of what you need: A decent 4K screen, a large selection of apps on Roku's platform and a Roku Voice Remote for easy browsing. These sets are ideal as secondary (or tertiary) TVs in rooms where you don't demand the best quality. (There are also some great deals on larger Roku Smart TVs: the 85-inch model is just $800, and the 75-inch version is $700.)

LG OLED Evo C5 (65-inch) for $1,797 (down from $2,700): LG has steadily improved its C-series over the years, and the C5 Evo is its best model yet. In addition to the usual benefits of OLED, it also sports a brightness booster that can help it work well in bright rooms, as well as LG’s own “Perfect Color” technology. The C5 Evo also has a fast 144Hz refresh rate for gaming, as well as support for NVIDIA’s G-SYNC and AMD FreeSync variable refresh rate technology. (If you’re looking for something larger, the 77-inch model has also been discounted to $2,800.)

Sony Bravia 8 II (65”) QD OLED for $2,998 (down from $3,500): Sony’s top of the line set has everything you’d want in a high-end TV, like quantum dots for improved color and brightness, as well as the inky dark blacks and infinite contrast of a modern OLED panel. You’ll always pay a bit of a premium for Sony TVs, but partially that’s due to their world-class image processing – in this case, that’s handled by Sony’s XR chip. (You can also snag the 55-inch model for $2,500.)

TCL QM6K (98-inch) QD Mini LED for $1,800 (down from $3,000 MSRP): The QM6K is one of the best deals we’ve seen on a 98-inch TV under $2,000, and best of all, it's not just a bargain bin screen. It has a bright Mini LED display with quantum dots for enhanced color, and it sports a fast 144Hz refresh rate for gaming. (If you don’t have the wall space for a nearly 100-inch set, the 65-inch model is similarly great and is down to $550, nearly half off its $1,000 MSRP and $100 off its lowest price. The 75-inch model is also a great deal at $800.)

TCL QM8K (65-inch) QD Mini LED for $998 (down from $1,800): TCL's QM8 sets feature the company's best and brightest Mini LED screens with Quantum Dots. It has an ultra-thin bezel, 144Hz refresh rate for fast gaming and one of the best contrast ratios you'll see outside of an OLED screen. Basically, it's one of the best screens you'll find that's not an OLED. While we think the 65-inch model is a great deal for most rooms, you can also step up to the 75-inch for $1,500, the 85-inch for $2,199 and the massive 98-inch set for $3,000. 

Sony Bravia 5 (85-inch) Mini LED for $2,298 (down from $2,800): The Bravia 5 pairs a super bright Mini LED panel with Sony’s XR image processing chip. It won’t reach the deep dark black levels of OLED, but Mini LED achieves something close, and it can also get much brighter than OLED panels. That makes this model, as well as any Mini LED TV, an excellent option for bright rooms. (You can also scale down to the 65-inch and 75-inch Bravia 5 for $1,300 and $1,800, respectively. And there’s also the truly massive 98-inch model, which is now $1,000 off at $5,000.)

Samsung The Frame Pro (65-inch) for $1,948 (down from $2,200): New for 2025, Samsung's Frame Pro sets offer brighter and higher-quality Mini LED panels for a superior TV watching experience. The 65-inch Frame Pro is a great option for most living rooms since it's large enough to deliver an immersive viewing experience, and it also comes with Samsung's wireless One Connect box for less cable clutter.

Hisense S7N CanvasTV (65-inch) for $898 (down from $1,300): Hisense's spin on Samsung's Frame sets, the CanvasTV, comes in much cheaper and with a boatload of features. The S7N sports an anti-glare display and art mode, as you'd expect, but there's also 144Hz support for a bit of gaming. It also comes with a slim wall mount so you can hang it on your wall like a genuine work of art. (The 55-inch model is also a great deal at $689, and the 77-inch is down to $1,399.)   

Best Prime Day home entertainment deals still available

Sony Bravia Theater Bar 9 for $998 (down from $1,400): The Bravia Theater Bar 9 is Sony’s most capable self-contained soundbar, with 13 speakers and support for virtualized surround sound with Dolby Atmos, DTS:X and Sony’s own 360 Spatial Sound Mapping technology. It’s the best option if you want to enjoy your favorite movies and music loud, but also don’t want to see speakers all over your living room. (The Bravia Theater 8 is also discounted to $698 and very well-equipped, with 11 speakers and the same surround sound support. )

Sony Bravia Theater Quad for $2,000 (down from $2,500): Leave it up to Sony to do something different in the world of home entertainment. The Bravia Theater Quad are a set of four flat modules, containing a total of sixteen speakers, which deliver truly enveloping surround sound. They’re the ideal solution for anyone who wants a theatrical experience, but doesn’t want to see gigantic tower or bookshelf speakers in their space. They support Sony’s 360 Spatial Sound Mapping, as well as Dolby Atmos and DTS:X.

Roku Ultra for $69 (down from $100): Roku's ultimate set-top box is the best streamer for home theater enthusiasts who want to avoid the more expensive Apple TV. It handles every video and audio format you'd want — including Dolby Vision, Atmos and HDR 10+ — and it also comes with Roku's rechargeable Voice Remote Pro. The Roku Ultra is the fastest device from the company, so you can expect to zip around Roku's interface and apps far quicker than the cheaper streaming sticks.

Roku Streaming Stick+ for $30 (down from $40): The Roku Streaming Stick+ is the easiest way to bring Roku's robust app selection to any 4K TV. It's a great option for first-generation 4K sets that either had no streaming apps, or are way too slow by now. And it's a great gadgets to bring on trips to maintain access to all of your favorite streaming services.  

Roku Streaming Stick HD For $20 (down from $30): The basic HD Roku Streaming stick is a solid option for bringing streaming apps to older TVs, which likely don't support 4K or any fancy HDR standards. Sure, it's as no frills as you can get, but for $20 it's worth having a backup streaming device. (or one you won't mind losing during a trip). And if you have an older TV that's still working, it's definitely worth investing a bit to get modern apps.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-best-amazon-prime-day-tv-deals-from-sony-lg-samsung-and-others-still-available-today-084705105.html?src=rss

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Choosing the best VR headset for you is the first step into some of the most immersive gaming, entertainment and virtual work experiences available today. Whether you’re exploring new worlds, working out in virtual gyms or collaborating in 3D environments, a great headset can make all the difference. The latest models offer high-resolution displays, improved FOV (field of view) and ergonomic head strap designs that keep things comfortable during extended sessions. Many also support Bluetooth for connecting external accessories like controllers or earbuds.

As the tech has matured, you’ll now find headsets that balance performance with portability, and some even offer a wider field of view to enhance your sense of presence in virtual spaces. From beginner-friendly options to high-end devices built for enthusiasts, there's a VR headset out there for every type of user — and this guide will help you find the one that fits your needs best.

Table of contents

• Best VR headsets for 2025

• How we test VR headsets

• Other VR headsets we've tested

• VR headset FAQs

• Recent updates

Best VR headsets for 2025

How we test VR headsets

I tend to judge candidates for the best VR headset on a few basic criteria: Ergonomics, immersion and controls. It's not that hard to shove a mobile display into a plastic headset and strap some cheap elastic headbands onto it. But it takes real design skill to craft something that's well balanced, includes a supportive headstrap, and doesn't feel uncomfortable after 30 minutes.

My test for ergonomics is fairly simple: How long can I wear a headset until I start to feel discomfort? For the most ergonomic devices, like the Quest 3, that could easily be an hour or two. But heavier PC hardware often feels cumbersome after just 15 minutes — you won’t find those kinds of devices in our list of the best VR headsets.

Immersion, meanwhile, comes from having high resolution screens with fast refresh rates, like a 120Hz refresh rate, so everything looks sharp and smooth. Field of view is also a major element, as it describes how well VR screens can cover what you see. A narrow FOV makes it feel like you're peering through a pair of binoculars, which limits your sense of “presence.” The best VR headsets aim for a wider field of view, helping virtual environments feel more natural and fully surround you.

A wide field of view, on the other hand, can make it seem like you’re actually flying over the globe in Google Earth. We look at a few popular video games, like Superhot, Beat Saber and Pistol Whip, on every headset to judge how immersed we feel and how enjoyable the gaming experience is overall.

The best controllers fit naturally in your hands and offer accurate tracking. The industry has basically adopted the design of Meta’s excellent touch controllers, but we're also seeing intriguing leaps forward like Valve's finger tracking gamepads. We judge controllers based on how easy they are to hold, how they hold up to sweaty gameplay sessions and how easily headsets can track their position in space.

However, it’s important to look at a virtual reality headset’s specs as a whole. Depending on what you’re looking for in yourVR headset, you’ll want to consider factors like your PC’s CPU and graphics card if you plan to use the headset to play the best VR games. You might not need a super powerful PC, but you should check the minimum requirements for the headset you’re looking to purchase. If you’re not looking to invest in a VR headset solely for gaming, features like head tracking allow you to explore your environment just by simply moving your head in the simulator. This often results in a more immersive and realistic experience.

Other VR headsets we’ve tested

HTC Vive Focus Vision

The Vive Focus Vision is a sleek premium standalone VR headset that can also deliver solid PC VR. But it’s also running aging hardware, it’s riddled with software issues and it’s expensive compared to the Meta Quest 3.

Meta Quest Pro

As great as the Meta Quest 3 is, the Quest 2 is still a very good entry-level VR headset, and it’s worth considering if it’s on sale below its current $250 list price. The Meta Quest Pro, on the the hand, is an expensive boondoggle best ignored.

HTC Vive Pro 2

Outside of Meta’s hardware, the HTC Vive Pro 2 remains a fantastic PC headset, but it’s far more expensive than the Valve Index, which is more comfortable and offers better audio.

VR headset FAQs

How do VR headsets work?

At the most basic level, a VR headset is simply a high quality screen that you’re holding up to your face. For a wired headset, the actual work of rendering a game is done on either a PC or game console. For completely wireless devices, like the Meta Quest 3, that work is handled right on the headset. They rely on either external sensors, or sensors built into the headsets, to map your physical space. While you can use a traditional gamepad or keyboard and mouse in VR, they typically use motion tracking controllers to immerse you in their 3D environments.

What VR headset is best for full body tracking?

While we’re still waiting for a truly great haptic VR bodysuit to arrive, you can still achieve accurate body tracking with most Steam VR-compatible PC headsets. The Valve Index and HTC Vive Pro 2 both rely on room-tracking sensors that can map your body more effectively than the built-in sensors on competitors. You can also add HTC Vive Trackers to wrist and leg straps, as well as belts, for even better coverage. The Meta Quest 3 doesn’t have any easy body tracking solutions, but you can add Vive trackers when it’s plugged into your PC to mimic a Steam VR headset.

Only a few experiences, like VRChat, take advantage of full body tracking at the moment. Currently there aren’t any body tracking solutions for the PlayStation VR and VR2, but we’re intrigued by the company’s Mocopi body trackers, which were really announced in Japan.

What VR headsets are better than Oculus?

Oculus is the previous name for Meta’s VR hardware. Currently, Meta only supports the Quest 3, Quest 3S and Quest Pro, all of which are wireless headsets. As we explain above, PC VR headsets can generally achieve better quality virtual reality, since they rely on more powerful graphics hardware.

What VR headsets work with Xbox?

Currently, Microsoft’s Xbox consoles don’t support any VR headsets.

Recent updates

April 2025: Updated to include review scores for our top picks, where applicable.

November 2024: Added the HTC Vive Focus Vision to the "others we tested" section.

October 2024: Updated our "best cheap VR headset" top pick to be the Meta Quest 3S.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ar-vr/best-vr-headsets-140012529.html?src=rss

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One of the trickiest parts of any new computer build or upgrade is finding the right video card. In a gaming PC, the GPU is easily the most important component, and you can hamstring your experience by buying the wrong model. The buying process can be frustrating, with many manufacturers selling their models above their suggested retail price. In this guide, we'll help you navigate the market and find the right GPU for your needs.

It's all about the games

The first question to ask yourself is what kind of games do you want to play. Competitive shooters like Valorant, Overwatch and Marvel Rivals were designed to run on older hardware. As such, even entry-level GPUs like the GeForce RTX 5060 can push those games at 120 frames per second and above at 1080p (more on why that's important in a moment).

By contrast, if you want to play modern, single-player games with ray tracing and other graphical extras, you'll need a more powerful GPU. Just how much more powerful will depend on the resolution of your monitor.

A 1440p monitor has 78 percent more pixels than a 1080p screen, and a 4K display has more than twice as many pixels as a QHD panel. In short, running a game at 4K, especially at anything above 60 frames per second, is demanding, and most GPUs will need to use upscaling techniques like NVIDIA's Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) and AMD's FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) to push new games at high refresh rates.

While we're on the subject of resolution, it doesn't make sense to spend a lot of money on a 4K monitor only to pair it with an inexpensive GPU. That's a recipe for a bad experience. As you're shopping for a new video card, you should think about the resolution and frame rate you want to play your games. If you're in the market for both a GPU and display, be sure to check out our guide to the best gaming monitors.

If your budget allows, a good bet is to buy a midrange card that can comfortably render all but the most demanding games at 1440p and at least 144 frames per second. Put another way, you want a GPU that can saturate a monitor at its native resolution and refresh rate in as many games as possible. That will give you the smoothest possible experience in terms of motion clarity, and allow you to dabble in both competitive shooters and the latest single-player games as the mood strikes you.

NVIDIA vs AMD and Intel

Photo by Devindra Hardawar/Engadget

One of the confusing aspects of the GPU industry are all the players involved. What you need to know is that there are three main players: AMD, Intel and NVIDIA. They design the cards you can buy, but delegate the manufacturing of them to so-called add-in board (AIB) partners like ASUS, XFX, Gigabyte and others.

As you can probably imagine, this creates some headaches. The most annoying of which is that AMD, Intel and NVIDIA will often set recommended prices for their graphic cards, only for their partners to sell their versions of those GPUs above the manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP). For example, NVIDIA's website lists the RTX 5070 with a starting price of $549. On Newegg, there are no 5070s listed at that price. The only models anywhere close to $549 are open box specials. If you want one that comes sealed, that will cost you at least $600.

As for what company you should buy your new GPU from, before 2025, NVIDIA was the undisputed king of the market. Specific GeForce cards may have not offered the best rasterization performance in their price range, but between their performance in games with ray tracing and the fact NVIDIA was ahead on features like DLSS, an RTX GPU was a safe bet.

However, with this year's RTX 50 series release, other than models like the RTX 5080 and 5090 where there's no competition, it's safe to say NVIDIA missed the mark this generation. If you're in the market for an entry- or mid-level GPU, AMD and Intel offer better value, with cards that come with enough VRAM for now and into the future. That said, there are still a few reasons you might consider an NVIDIA GPU, starting with ray tracing.

Ray tracing

For decades, developers have used rasterization techniques to approximate how light behaves in the real world, and the results have been commendable. But if you know what to look for, it's easy to see where the illusion falls apart. For that reason, real-time ray tracing has been a goal of industry for years, and in 2018 it became a reality with NVIDIA's first RTX cards.

In some games, effects like ray-traced reflections and global illumination are transformational. Unfortunately, those features are expensive to run, often coming at a significant frame-rate drop without upscaling. Since ray tracing was optional in many games before 2025, you could save money by buying an AMD GPU. For example, even if the RX 7800 XT was worse at ray tracing than the RTX 4070, the former was often cheaper to buy, had more onboard VRAM and was as good or better rasterization performance in many games.

However, you can't ignore ray tracing performance anymore. We're starting to see releases like Doom: The Dark Ages where the tech is an integral part of a game's rendering pipeline, and more are likely to follow in the future. Thankfully, AMD's newest cards are much better in that regard, though you'll still get an edge running an NVIDIA model. For that reason, if ray tracing is important to you, NVIDIA cards are still the way to go.

Refresh rates and frame rates

If you're new to the world of PC gaming, it can be tricky to wrap your head around refresh rates. In short, the higher the refresh rate of a monitor, the more times it can update the image it displays on screen every second, thereby producing a smoother moving picture.

For example, moving elements on a monitor with a 240Hz refresh rate will look better than on one with a 120Hz refresh rate. However, that's all contingent on your GPU being able to consistently render a game at the appropriate frame rates. In the case of a 120Hz monitor, you want a GPU with enough headroom to drive most games at 120 fps. Realistically, most video cards won't be able to achieve that in every game, but it's a good baseline to aim for when shopping for a new GPU.

Upscaling and latency

I've mentioned DLSS a few times already. Alongside FSR and Intel XeSS, DLSS is an example of what's known as an image reconstruction technology. More and more, native rendering is going out of fashion in game design. With ray tracing and other modern effects enabled, even the most powerful GPUs can struggle to render a game at 1440p or 4K and a playable framerate. That’s why many developers will turn to DLSS, FSR or XeSS to eke out additional performance by upscaling a lower resolution image to QHD or UHD.

Upscaling in games is nothing new. For example, the PS4 Pro used a checkerboard technique to output games in 4K. What is different now is how modern GPUs go about it. With DLSS, NVIDIA pioneered an approach that uses machine learning to recreate an image at a higher resolution, and in the process, addressed some of the pitfalls of past upscaling methods. If you're sensitive to these sorts of things, there's still blur and shimmer with DLSS, FSR and XeSS, but it's much less pronounced and can lead to significant performance gains.

To DLSS, NVIDIA later added single and multi-frame generation. DLSS is only available on NVIDIA cards, and following the recent release of DLSS 4, widely considered to offer the best image quality. That's another reason why you might choose an NVIDIA card over one of its competitors. However, if you decide to go with an AMD GPU, don't feel like you're missing out. The company recently released FSR 4. While it's not quite on par with DLSS 4 in terms of support and image quality, it's a major leap over FSR 3 and FSR 2.

While on the subject of DLSS, I'll also mention NVIDIA Reflex. It's a latency-reducing technology NVIDIA introduced in 2020. AMD has its own version called Radeon Anti-Lag, but here again Team Green has a slight edge thanks to the recent release of Reflex 2. If you're serious about competitive games, Reflex 2 can significantly reduce input lag, which will make it easier to nail your shots in Counter-Strike 2, Valorant and other shooters.

Driver support

Previously, one of the reasons to pick an NVIDIA GPU over the competition was the company's solid track record of driver support. With one of the company's video cards, you were less likely to run into stability issues and games failing to launch. In 2025, NVIDIA's drivers have been abysmal, with people reporting frequent issues and bugs. So if you care about stability, AMD has a slight edge right now.

VRAM

As you're comparing different GPUs, especially those in the same tier, pay close attention to the amount of VRAM they offer. Modern games will eat up as much VRAM as a GPU can offer, and if your card has a low amount, such as 8GB, you're likely to run into a performance bottleneck.

If your budget allows for it, always go for the model with more VRAM. Consider, for instance, the difference between the $299 RTX 5060 and $429 RTX 5060 Ti. I know spending an extra $130 — close to 50 percent more — on the 5060 Ti is going to be a lot for some people, but it's the difference between a card that is barely adequate for any recent release and one that will last you for a few years, and it all comes down to the amount of VRAM offered in each. Simply put, more is better.

A slight caveat to this is when comparing models that have different memory bandwidths. A GPU that can access more of its memory faster can outperform one with more memory, even if it has less of it outright. Here, you'll want to read reviews of the models you're comparing to see how they perform in different games.

Size and power draw

Modern GPUs are big. Most new cards will take up at least two PCI slots on the back of your motherboard. They can also vary dramatically in length, depending on the number of fans the AIB has added to cool the PCB. To be safe, be sure to check the length of the card you want to buy against the maximum clearance listed by your case manufacturer. If you have a radiator at the front of your case, you will also need to factor the size of that in your measurements. The last thing you want is to buy a card that doesn't fit in your case.

Lastly, be sure to check the recommended power supply for the card you want. As a rule of thumb, unless you know what you're doing, it's best to just stick with the manufacturer's recommendation. For instance, NVIDIA suggests pairing the RTX 5070 with a 750 watt PSU. So if you're currently running a 650 watt unit, you'll need to factor in the price of a PSU upgrade with your new GPU.

Should you buy a used GPU?

Devindra Hardawar for Engadget

It depends. If you can find a deal on an old RTX 40 series GPU, then yes. NVIDIA's RTX 50 series don't offer greatly improved performance over their predecessors, and with most models selling for more than their suggested retail price, it's not a great time to buy a new NVIDIA card.

That said, I suspect finding a good deal on a used GPU will be difficult. Most people will know the value of what they have, and considering the current market, will probably try to get as much as they can for their old card.

You may find better deals on older AMD and Intel GPUs, but I think you're better off spending more now on a new model from one of those companies since the generational gains offered by their latest cards are much more impressive. Simply put, the 9070 XT and B580 are two of the best cards you can buy right now.

Anything older than a card from NVIDIA's 40 series or AMD's RX 6000 family is not worth considering. Unless your budget is extremely tight or you mostly play older games, you're much better off spending more to buy a new card that will last you longer.

When is a good time to buy a new GPU?

If you've read up to this point, you're probably wondering if it's even worth buying a GPU right now. The answer is (unsurprisingly) complicated. There are a handful of great cards like the Intel B580 and Radeon 9070 XT that are absolutely worth buying. The problem is finding any GPU at prices approaching those set by AMD, Intel or NVIDIA is really tough. To make things worse, uncertainty around President Trump's tariff policies is likely to push prices even higher. If you own a relatively recent GPU, you're probably best off trying to hold onto your current card until things settle down.

However, if your GPU isn't cutting it anymore, you face a difficult decision: overpay now, or wait and potentially pay even more later. As much as I'm reluctant to recommend a prebuilt PC, if you're already planning to build a new computer, it's worth exploring your options there since you might end up saving money on a video card when it's bundled together with all the other components you need.

The best GPUs for 2025: Engadget recommendations

Entry-level (1080p) GPUs

As we mentioned above, if you're only aiming to play basic competitive shooters like Valorant and Overwatch 2 in 1080p, an entry-level GPU may be all you need. While 1080p isn't an ideal resolution when it comes to sharpness, many gamers prefer it since it's easier to reach higher framerates. And it also helps that 1080p gaming monitors, like the AOC 24G15N 24-inch we recommend, tend to offer speedy refresh rates for between $100 and $200. When you're zipping through matches, you likely won't have time to take a breath and appreciate the detail from higher resolutions.

Here are our recommendations for entry-level video cards.

Midrange (1440p) GPUs

While entry-level cards can dabble with 1440p gaming, it's worth stepping up to something a bit more powerful if you actually want to achieve higher refresh rates. For most gamers, 1440p is the best balance between sharpness and high framerates. It looks noticeably better than 1080p, and doesn't require the horsepower overhead of 4K. (And there's a good chance you won't really see a visual difference with the jump to 4K.)

Here are our recommendations for midrange GPUs.

High-end (4K) GPUs

If you want the most of what modern PC games have to offer, including 4K and all of the benefits of ray tracing, then be ready to spend big bucks on a high-end GPU. If you're going this route, though, be sure you're also gaming on a high-end monitor that befits these powerful GPUs.

Here are our recommendations for premium GPUs.

Super high-end/Money isn't real GPUs

Listen, there's only one choice here and it's NVIDIA's enormously powerful and fantastically expensive RTX 5090. It's an absolute beast, with 32GB of VRAM and the most hardware NVIDIA has ever stuffed into a consumer GeForce GPU. The RTX 5090 doesn't make sense for 99 percent of gamers — especially since it's now going for $3,000, up from its $2,000 launch price — but if you have the cash to spare, it'll certainly earn you bragging rights. (Check out our NVIDIA RTX 5090 review.)

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/how-to-buy-a-gpu-160100017.html?src=rss

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© Devindra Hardawar for Engadget

This week, I chat with Sam Chapman, Engadget’s new security reporter who’s been reviewing VPNs and related products. He dives into what led him to security, the VPNs he likes the most and his thoughts on potential cyberattacks. Additionally, we discuss Microsoft’s latest news around the Windows 10 Extended Security Update, and Devindra explains why M3GAN 2.0 absolutely rules.

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Credits 

Host: Devindra Hardawar
Guests: Sam Chapman
Producer: Ben Ellman
Music: Dale North and Terrence O'Brien

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/engadget-podcast-reviewing-our-favorite-vpns-and-m3gan-20-190657030.html?src=rss

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As we edge closer to Windows 10's end-of-support on October 14, 2025, Microsoft is throwing its more stubborn users another bone. The company previously announced that, for the first time, consumers would be able to purchase one year of Windows 10 Extended Security Updates (ESUs) for $30. Today, Microsoft revealed that you'll also be able to use 1,000 reward points to snap up an ESU. That could be helpful if, like me, you've been slowly amassing Microsoft Rewards and completely forgot they existed. (You can earn points by searching on Bing, shopping on the Microsoft store and playing Xbox games.)

To recap, the Windows 10 ESU will get users bug fixes, security updates and technical support until October 13, 2026. If you don't pay for the ESU, you can still keep using Windows 10, you just won't get any major updates. At the very least, though, Microsoft will continue to deliver MS 365 app security updates, as well as Windows Defender antivirus intelligence updates, until October 2028. I'd also wager you'll start to see plenty of notifications nagging you to update to Windows 11 after this October.

Microsoft says Windows 10 users will be able to enroll in its ESU through notifications and Windows Settings. The enrollment wizard is currently available to Windows Insider testers, and the company plans to start rolling it out to general users in July, with wide availability in mid-August.

I can understand why Windows 10 users would be reluctant to move. It was a rock solid upgrade after the fiasco of Windows 8, and it's simply annoying to readjust your entire workflow for a whole new OS. But I also liked Windows 11 when it debuted in 2021, since it offered a more refined Windows experience. Microsoft has also addressed most of my concerns with Windows 11 by now — for example, you can finally see app names on the task bar again, instead of having them hidden for the sake of aesthetics.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/windows-10-users-can-get-extended-security-updates-for-1000-microsoft-rewards-points-170023129.html?src=rss

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© Devindra Hardawar for Engadget

The first thing in F1 the Movie, before a single word of dialog is uttered, is a pair of AirPods Max. They're so comfortable, Brad Pitt's lovable loser protagonist Sonny Hayes is able to sleep with them all night, then hop up and begin his day of driving fancy race cars. If you paid $550 for the AirPods Max, you too could be like Brad Pitt!

It's hard to ignore the blatant commercialism of F1 the Movie; you might as well call it a $300 million ad for Formula One everything Apple. The film is produced by Pitt and F1 darling Lewis Hamilton, and it's Apple's first stab at producing a big budget summer blockbuster for theaters. In the hands of Joseph Kosinski, the director behind the thematically similar Top Gun: Maverick, F1 the Movie is undoubtedly thrilling, delivering an unparalleled sense of speed that more than rises to the occasion of "big, dumb, fun summer flick." As a connoisseur of action films and just about anything that features wildly fast cars, I'd go as far to say that F1 is one of the best racing films ever made.

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Sure, you've seen this movie before — one where absurdly beautiful people devote their lives to their sport, all for the love of the game. In many ways, Kosinski and writer Ehren Kreuger are just repeating what they did for the Top Gun sequel. F1 the Movie swaps Tom Cruise with Brad Pitt as a talented-but-washed up lead (who is always right about everything, of course), and replaces fighter jets with Formula One racers. Kosinski even replicates part of the magic of that previous film by placing cameras within the cars (powered by iPhone sensors and Apple's A-series chips, Wired reports, as well as unreleased Sony 6K cameras) to accurately capture the experience of driving at speeds of 200 miles per hour.

If you can get past the generic characters and formulaic nature of the film — Pitt's Sonny Hayes is a fallen racing star recruited by an old friend (Javier Bardem) to save his struggling F1 team, all the while butting heads with a young publicity-obsessed teammate (Damson Idris) — F1 the Movie's sheer technical prowess makes it a must-watch Summer blockbuster on the biggest screen you can find. On IMAX screens, it'll be presented in that format's extra-tall 1.90:1 aspect ratio for its entire duration, instead of switching between aspect ratios like other IMAX films. (I saw it on a local theater chain's premium screen and it looked great, but I also plan to get a full IMAX viewing soon.)

While Apple would probably want us to focus on the novelty of using iPhone cameras in Formula One cars, it's the Sony cameras that truly make F1 more than your typical racing film. As you can see in behind the scenes footage, those cameras can rotate quickly in the middle of the race. That helps Kosinski capture the hectic nature of driving at incredibly fast speeds — we instantly go from seeing the point of view of the road to the driver's struggle to keep pace with the action. They're reacting to extreme G-force and struggling to hold onto the wheel,and we're right there with them.

F1 is one of those films where you might find yourself unconsciously holding your breath during its most extreme set pieces. But it’s also one of those movies where you’ll probably have to turn off your brain a bit to truly enjoy it. Ignore the uncritical adoration for Formula One racing, the fact that Pitt’s character is almost a total cipher or the stereotypical romance. 

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The riskiest thing F1 does is place Sonny Hayes’ AirPods Max – which aren’t waterproof or water resistant in any way – perilously close to his ice bath after a brutal race. (I could easily see Apple executives giving Kosinski a note to make sure the AirPods Max never touches water. We wouldn’t want to have unrealistic expectations for Apple products, after all.)

Some sports films are transcendent explorations of the nature of human endurance (Chariots of Fire), or character dramas where winning isn’t really the point at all (Rocky.) And sometimes car go fast. That’s still perfectly enjoyable.

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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/f1-the-movie-review-a-shameless-apple-ad-that-will-blow-your-socks-off-144808364.html?src=rss

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