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Sonos isselling a bunch of its speakersat a discount onits own siteand Amazon. This includes the well-regarded Era 300 smart speaker,which is down to just $359. That's 20 percent off and notable because this particular speaker rarely goes on sale. It's a Sonos miracle!

The deal applies to both the black and white colorways. The Era 300 is a highly capable device that we praisedin our official review, saying that it "sounds excellent." We went on to say that it offers a premium experience that far surpasses other products in the company's lineup, like the Era 100. This is also true when compared to rival speakers likeApple's HomePod.

This deal is available in both white or black, and it's also available fromSonos direct.

It's simple to set up and offers the company's proprietary Trueplay tuning system. This feature optimizes the sound of the speaker to the unique acoustics of a room by leveraging an internal microphone. It measures how sound reflects off surfaces and adjusts the EQ to match. It's pretty nifty.

As for connectivity, it can pair with another Era 300 speaker for a true stereo experience. It also includes a Bluetooth receiver and line-in options. Of course, the speaker integrates with just about every streaming music service. The built-in mic also allows for voice assistant control, but only with Siri and Alexa. Google Assistant is left out of the party.

This speaker goes all-in on spatial audio, and the results are mixed. Sometimes it's sublime and sometimes it's kind of eh. This is more of a dig on the technology itself. It has serious potential but is still experiencing growing pains. The only real downside of this speaker is the exorbitant asking price, which has been slightly alleviated by this sale.

As previously mentioned, other Sonos products are available at a discount. This includes the Sonos Beam Gen 2 soundbar,which is 26 percent off at $369, and theEra 100, which is down to $179. These deals are also available via Sonos itself. There's also an ongoing sale on portable speakers that includes theMove 2and theRoam 2.

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It's been a big week or so in the video game realm between the arrival of the Nintendo Switch 2 (our review is now live) andSummer Game Fest. During the Xbox Games Showcase on Sunday, Microsoftannounced handheld gaming PCsthat will have deep Xbox integration as well as support for storefronts such as Battle.net. Steam, GOG and Ubisoft Connect. If Microsoft and its partner ASUS stick the landing, the Xbox Ally systems could be a strong option for powering through your backlog of games, big and small. As it happens, you might be about to add more to your wishlist thanks to our latest indie games roundup.

The latest Steam Next Fest also started this week. Part of the fun of the event, which runs until June 16, is diving into demos for games you'd never heard of until now, so go forth and play some! You never know if you might be one of the first people to play the nextBalatro, for instance. A quick word of advice: if you'd prefer to avoid titles with generative AI, remember that Valve requires developers that use such material in their games or marketing to disclose that on their Steam store page.

The Altersis the latest project fromFrostpunkandThis War is Minestudio 11 Bit Studios, which self-published this game. As the sole survivor of a space expedition, Jan Dolski has to keep a large mobile base moving across the surface of a planet to avoid the deadly radiation of the sun. To help him solve problems along the way, Jan must create and rely on clones of himself. These alternate versions (or "alters") are based on divergences from pivotal life choices Jan made in his past. They each have their own specialist roles, skill sets and personalities, with needs that have to be fulfilled.

The Altershas an interesting premise. Once you factor in elements like traditional survival gameplay and base building, there should be plenty of variety here. Reviews have been positive for this one. I'm interested in trying it out, though it seems like the kind of thing that may prompt one to reflect on their own life choices.The Altersis out now onSteam, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. It's on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.

Dune: Awakeningis another major indie game that arrived on Steam this week (well, June 5 for those who bought pricier editions)following a delay. It will hit consoles at a later date. The open-world survival MMO from developer Funcom takes inspiration from Frank Herbert's novels and Denis Villeneuve's films. It still takes place on Arrakis but is set in an alternate timeline.

You'll want to beextracareful when it comes to sandworms. You'll keep most of your gear if you die by the hands of other players or other computer-controlled enemies, though you'll drop some resources that you can pick up again if you perish in PvP combat. If a sandworm devours you, though,you'll lose absolutely everything you're carrying.

Oh dear, where to start withMindsEye?It is fair to say this is a video game that became available to buy this week on Steam, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. It is also fair to say that the debut of this action-adventure title from former GTA producer Leslie Benzies' studioBuild A Rocket Boyhas been less than smooth.

It was already pretty ominous that two executivesleftBuild a Rocket Boy just days before the arrival ofMindsEye. After the game's release, Sony reportedlyissued refundsto some players as clipsshowingglitches, bugs, performance issues and clunky gameplay spread. There isn't even an in-game world map.

The studioclaimedthis week it was "working around the clock" to improveMindsEye. Perhaps Build A Rocket Boy will surprise everyone and turn things around in a similar fashion toCyberpunk 2077andNo Man's Sky.That seems like a tall order, to say the least.

Indie games aren't all survival and action, of course. They can also be about things like arranging photos in chronological order to discover a family story.

Such is the case withInstantsfrom developer Endflame, which debuted onSteamduring last Saturday's Wholesome Direct showcase. It's a charming-looking puzzle game in which you can decorate your photo album and, if you need it, get some help from a furry friend.

I've been itching to get my hands onBaby Stepsfor ages, so after we gota September 8 release datefor the game on Steam and PS5, I was very happy that a Steam demo arrived last weekend. This is a walking simulator in the truest sense of the term from Bennett Foddy (QWOP, Getting Over It), Gabe Cuzzillo, Maxi Boch (both of whom worked with Foddy on the enjoyableApe Out) and publisher Devolver Digital. You use controller triggers or mouse buttons to lift main character Nate's feet one at a time and place them on the ground after using directional buttons or a thumbstick to position them.

Nate, "an unemployed failson" who seems very unfamiliar with the skill of walking, will fall over and over and over again as you hike up mountains. Sometimes he'll fall down a muddy ravine, sending him tumbling down the side of a peak.

You might want to quit or uninstall the demo after an unfortunate tumble. I understand. I did too. But the early evidence suggestsBaby Stepsis shaping up to be a uniquely hilarious, frustrating and hopefully rewarding experience. And so we march on.

One of the more compelling reveals for me at the Xbox Games Showcase was a sequel toPlanet of Lana,which I enjoyed very much. The follow-up to that story-driven puzzle platformer isPlanet of Lana II: Children of the Leaf.

Developer Wishfully and Thunderful Publishing are bringing this installment, which looks just as beautiful as the first game, toSteam, Xbox and PlayStation in 2026. It'll be available on Game Pass on day one. Looking forward to it.

I've hadGecko Godsfrom developer Inresin and publisher Super Rare Originalson my radarfor a few years now. As a little gecko trying to save their friend, you'll be able to climb on anything while exploring an island.

After some delays, this puzzle platformer is set to arrive onSteam, Switch and PlayStation this fall. A demo dropped as part of Steam Next Fest too.

During the various showcases over the last week or so, we saw not one, but two farming/life sims that are squarely in the horror genre. I am excited for them both. First up isFractured Bloomsfrom Serenity Forge (Doki Doki Literature Club Plus).

Your character, Angie, is stuck in a time loop and you'll have to manage her food and stamina. You'll tend to her garden and prepare meals before completing evening chores in your home, though you may not be the only entity that resides there.

As if I weren't looking forward to this one enough already, Serenity Forgesaysthe seminal TV showLostwas one of its inspirations forFractured Blooms. There's no release window as yet, but you can wishlist it onSteamif you're interested.

The other horror-inflected farming sim that caught my eye this week isGrave Seasons, from Perfect Garbage and publisher Blumhouse Games. Sure, you'll harvest crops, go fishing and get to know your neighbors. You might also break and enter into their homes.

While the mountain town of Ashenridge might seem idyllic on the surface, beware: there's a supernatural serial killer on the prowl.Grave Seasonsis coming toPCand consoles in 2026.

OneSteam Next Fest demoI'll certainly be checking out this weekend is for a game calledDispatch,which wasannounced at The Game Awards in December. This comedic narrative game is about a hero (Aaron Paul) who has run into difficult times after losing his mech suit. He starts working as a superhero dispatcher. You'll "manage a dysfunctional team of misfit heroes and strategize who to send to emergencies around the city, all while balancing office politics, personal relationships and your own quest to become a hero."

Dispatchhas a stellar cast that also includes Laura Bailey, Matthew Mercer and Academy Award nominee Jeffrey Wright. Given thatDispatchis being made by former Telltale developers at AdHoc Studio, it's maybe not too much of a surprise that dialogue choices are a key part of the gameplay, which has some strategic elements as well.Dispatchis coming toPCand consoles later this year.

Engadget has been testing and reviewing consumer tech since 2004. Our stories may include affiliate links; if you buy something through a link, we may earn a commission.Read more about how we evaluate products.

If you're stumped on what to get your dad for Father's Day, consider a digital gift like a Nintendo Switch Online membership or asubscription to MasterClass. The latter has appeared in many of our gift guides in the past, including ourfavorite gifts for teachers, but it's a great gift option at the moment because you can save up to 50 percent on annual subscriptions.

Currently, you can gift dad a one-year membership for up to half off. Take the MasterClass Plus subscription, which is down to $96 from $180 annually. It offers unlimited classes and access on two devices. Opt for a Premium membership for $120 for the year and dad can watch on up to six devices. Both of those tiers allow for offline viewing as well.

Give your dad a 12-month MasterClass subscription for up to half off.

Then there's the Premium tier, which allows unlimited access across six devices. The sale brings this option down to $120 from $240 for the year. The cheapest option is the Standard subscription, which is also discounted, and it offers one class every three months on one device.

Follow@EngadgetDealson X for the latesttech dealsandbuying advice.

We're officially halfway through Playdate Season Two, and so far there have been no flops. Last week brought usa balanced serving of doom, gloom and delight, but this week is all about keeping things light and silly. That's not to say the latest two games are a walk in the park, though. The third drop of Season Two featuresLong PuppyandOtto's Galactic Groove!!, and as playful as they are, you're still in for a challenge. But when you need a break, there's alwaysmoreBlippo+.

I'm convinced that Playdate developers are a different breed. This console has led me to some of the oddest games I've played in a while, andLong Puppyis yet another ridiculous but charming entry to the canon. It is essentially a game of fetch. You play as a dachshund on an outing with your owner, and all you have to do is retrieve the ball they've thrown. Simple enough, right? Normal, even? Of course not.

Each level is a complex obstacle course — platforms, underground chambers, rooms with doors that can only be opened from one side, etc. And you're working against the clock. After a certain amount of time passes, you'll no longer be chasing the ball alone. A ghost dog with razer-sharp chompers will show up to steal the ball from you and try to bite your head off. But none of that's the weird stuff. The weird stuff is in how you move and how you're scored.

The dachshund you play as isn't anyregulardachshund. Its head can rotate a full 360 degrees, and whichever way you point it (using the crank) determines which direction you'll travel in. It doesn't just walk, either, but rather stretches forward and contracts like some sort of extreme Slinky-worm. There's food scattered throughout each level, and eating will make the dog's body grow longer and longer so it can cross greater gaps. The result is what looks like an alien wearing a dachshund suit and trying really hard to behave inconspicuously but failing. As you explore and collect food, you may also find some interesting pee to sniff. Yep, pee, and there's a pee journal that serves as a record of all the different types of urine you've encountered. Clown pee? Check! Loafing Cat pee? Check!

It's all incredibly silly. At the end of each level, once you've successfully brought the ball back to your owner, you'll have to make the dog take a massive poop using the crank, and the height of this dump (in feet) will tell you whether you finished with 100 percent completeness or not. Absurdity aside, the mechanics of this game are really interesting and make for a unique playing experience. It all seems at first like it's going to be a chill puzzle platformer of sorts, and then the ghost dog shows up to unleash chaos on everything. It's pretty fun. I am, as they say, a big fan of whatever the hell this is.

Otto's Galactic Groove!!has been both a great and terrible thing for me. It's great in that it is a really cool take on the rhythm game formula, with a cute story and some fun tunes to jam out to. It's terrible in that it triggers my perfectionism in the exact way games likeGuitar Heroused to, trapping me in a loop of replaying each song until I've hit every note to achieve a perfect final score. There's a lot of screaming involved. I may not be a strict completionist in some games, but rhythm games just do something to me, and I cannot rest until I see that 100 percent at the end of it all.

InOtto's Galactic Groove!!, a space version of those adorable "sea bunny" sea slugs named Otto has been sent on a mission to explore the galaxy and find inspiration for the alien music producer Tomie. Otto stops at several different planets to chat with eccentric characters and hear their songs, and you play along with them.

Now, there are three difficulty settings for this game, but if I'm being honest, none of them are particularly easy. Casual is the lowest and it's said to be a "gentle introduction," but it didn't feel so gentle in my first two or three attempts to keep up with even the tutorial song. I cannot even fathom what playing on Extreme would be like. This rhythm game doesn't just entail hitting a button at the exact right time as the note crosses a designated threshold — the threshold here is a moving, oval-shaped slider that you control using the crank. So you need to get the oval into the right placeandhit the note at the precise time when it makes contact. Finding the sweet spot was tricky, too. I first assumed the notes would need to be in the dead center of the oval, but the target is actually somewhere right before that. Apatchthat's since been released seems to fix this, though, making the timing more intuitive.

The songs made for this game are fun and span different genres, so you won't feel like you're just listening to the same thing over and over again (unless you are, in fact, playing the same songs over and over again, like me in my futile quest for perfection). Early on, you'll encounter a fish with a case of the blues (his "girl-fish" broke up with him), and I quite liked his heartbreak anthems. Under the Jukebox tab in the menu, you can also find songs from other Playdate games likeResonant TaleandBloom, which is a really nice touch.

This is another Playdate game in which the central story is told through a comic that you scroll using the crank, and I remain a fan of that approach. While it might not look like it from an outsider's perspective (my partner checked in on me multiple times RE: all the screaming to make sure everything was okay, especially after the game crashed and I lost all of my initial progress) I'm enjoyingOtto's Galactic Groove!!a lot… just in a way that feels kind of masochistic.

If you have a new-ish Mac mini that has recently conked out, you are not alone. Apple has just launched a worldwideservice programfor the 2023 Mac mini with M2 chips, because "a very small percentage" of them are having power issues and may no longer turn on. The company didn't say what was causing those power issues. While Mac minis powered by M2 chips werefirst released in 2023, the affected units were made between June 16, 2024 to November 23, 2024. Some of those computers may be nearing the end of their one-year warranty, depending on when they were purchased.

With this service program, Apple will still repair the units even if they're already past their warranty, up to three years after their first sale. To check if yours is eligible either because you need it now or in case you'll need it later, you can type in your Mac mini's serial number onthe program page. Both Apple and its authorized service providers will fix your computer free of charge. Keep in mind if you've moved countries, however, that Apple may restrict or limit free repairs to the device's original country or region of purchase.

Thelatest Mac minis, which aren't included in the repair program, are powered by Apple's M4 and M4 Pro chips and were released last year. They're half the size of previous versions, come with 16GB of RAM, several USB-C ports, a headphone jack, a full-sized HDMI connection (supporting up to 8K 60Hz or 4K 240Hz), as well as an Ethernet port.

Instead of digging through all the top search results, you can now ask Google Search to give you a comprehensive AI-generated summary with its Audio Overviews feature. The AI feature uses Google Gemini models to create a short audio clip that sounds like a conversational podcast with two hosts.

It's not ideal for your basic search queries like finding out when Father's Day is, but it's helpful if you want an in-depth and hands-free response to the history and significance of Flag Day. The Audio Overviews option pulls from the front page Google Search results and compiles them into an audio summary where two voices bounce off each other for a more engaging answer. You can also adjust the volume and playback speed between 0.25x and 2x. Audio Overviews even includes the webpages it pulls the info from, letting you continue down the Google Search rabbit hole.

It's not the first time Google has offered its Audio Overviews tool, but it was previously reserved for itsNotebookLM tool. Google expanded on this feature by makingAudio Overviewswithin NotebookLM more interactive, allowing you to ask the AI hosts questions in real-time, and added a "Deep Dive" option to get the AI to focus on a specific topic. To test out the Audio Overviews as part of Google Search, you have to opt into the Google Labs feature onits website.

We're another step closer to getting PlayStation 3 games to run smoothly on an Android smartphone. A little-known developer has releasedaPS3e, a PS3 emulator that can natively run on Android, onto the Google Play Store. Independent developers have beencreating ways to emulateour favorite nostalgic hits on PS3, but offering a direct way to do it on an Android device is a major step in the emulation world.

Before you dive in, it's worth noting that aPS3e suffers the same issues as other emulators, meaning it doesn't offer the same smooth experience as playing on your old PS3. Even the Play Store page warns that the app is "still under active development and may not work with all your favorite games."Early reportsfrom users claim that the app is prone to crashing, still has several bugs, and doesn't offer reliable frame-rate performance. The app is geared towards higher-end Android devices with the latest processors and recommends around 12 GB of RAM for a decent gameplay experience. The app has built-in on-screen controls, but the website claims it has support for some Bluetooth controllers.

This latest app isn't the only way to emulate PS3 games on an Android device, but it's the first to be listed on the Play Store. There has been a lot of criticism that the developer pulled code from other PS3 emulation projects, but the project has since been made open-source on itsGithub page. Currently, aPS3e is available for free without ads, but there's a premium version for $5 that's meant to support the developer. The Android emulator has already landed more than 10,000 downloads.

Engadget has been testing and reviewing consumer tech since 2004. Our stories may include affiliate links; if you buy something through a link, we may earn a commission.Read more about how we evaluate products.

These are some recently released titles we think are worthadding to your reading list. This week, we readHungerstone, a retelling of Sheridan Le Fanu'sCarmilla,and EC Comics' first serialized miniseries,Blood Type.

I was pretty late in getting to this one, as it's been on my list for a good while now, but I really can't think of a better time to have finally picked up this retelling of the original sapphic vampire story,Carmilla, than during Pride Month. And what a treat it is.Hungerstoneis a gothic novel that follows Lenore, a woman who has been uprooted from London and moved to the British moorlands by her husband, Henry, to fulfill his career ambitions. Henry is… not the best, and Lenore could definitely do with some companionship. Then, in walks Carmilla. Cue the yearning and craving.

Carmilla is actually brought in after a carriage accident to recover and overstays her welcome, making everyone in the house uncomfortable with her strange behaviors (wandering at night, forgoing food at mealtimes, etc). From the moment she arrives, Lenore can't stop thinking about her. Lenore is also having strange dreams, and girls in a nearby village soon begin catching a strange illness. This is all pretty familiar. There are some big differences betweenHungerstoneand the novella it's based on, though.Hungerstonefurther explores industrialization and the expectations and treatment of women in this time period. It delivers feminine rage and some really satisfying moments.

Blood Type, by Corinna Bechko and Andrea Sorrentino, is the first serialized miniseries from EC Comics, an imprint known for its anthologies that made its comeback to publishing last summer after a decades-long hiatus. We first met the series' bloodthirsty vampiress Ada in the third issue of EC'sEpitaphs of the Abyss,but she now has her own dedicated spinoff.Blood Type#1 is kind of the perfect start-of-summer horror read: a vampire who has been at sea feasting on sailors makes a stop on a vacation island and finds some other evil has already taken root there. It's bloody, the tone strikes the right balance of dark and humorous and it's overall a pretty good time. Well, not for everyoneinthe story (except Ada), but I'm certainly having fun.

This is a spoiler-free preview of the first five episodes of season three.

Star Trek: Strange New Worldsended its second season with arguably the single strongest run of any streaming-era Trek. The show was made with such confidence in all departments that if there were flaws, you weren’t interested in looking for them. Since then, it’s gone from being thebestmodern Trek, to being theonlymodern Trek. Unfortunately, at the moment it needs to be the standard bearer for the show, it’s become noticeably weaker and less consistent.

As usual, I’ve seen the first five episodes, but can’t reveal specifics about what I’ve seen. I can say plenty of the things that madeStrange New Worldsthe best modern-day live-action Trek remain in place. It’s a show that’s happy for you to spend time with its characters as they hang out, and almost all of them are deeply charming. This is, after all, a show that uses as motif the image of the crew in Pike’s quarters as the captain cooks for his crew.

Its format, with standalone adventures blended with serialized character drama, means it can offer something new every week. Think back to the first season, when “Memento Mori,” a tense action thriller with the Gorn, was immediately followed by “Spock Amock,” a goofy, starbase-set body-swap romantic comedy of manners centered around Spock.Strange New Worldsis the first Trek in a long while to realize audiences don’t just want a ceaseless slog of stern-faced, angry grimdark. And if they want that, they can go watchPicardandSection 31.

But, as much as those things areSNW’sgreatest strength, it’s a delicate balance to ensure the series doesn’t lurch too far either way. And, it pains me to say this, the show spends the first five episodes of its third season going too far in both directions (although, mercifully, not at the same time). No specifics, but one episode I’m sure was on the same writers room whiteboard wishlist as last season’s musical episode. What was clearly intended as a chance for everyone to get out of their usual roles and have fun falls flat. Because the episode can never get past the sense it’s too delighted in its own silliness to properly function.

At the other end of the scale, we get sprints toward the eye-gouging grimdark that blighted those other series. Sure, the series has gone to dark places before, but previously with more of a sense of deftness, rather than just going for the viscerally-upsetting gore. A cynic might suggest that, as Paramount’s other Trek projects ended, franchise-overseer Alex Kurtzman — who has pushed the franchise into “grittier” territory whenever he can — had more time to spend in theSNWwriters’ room.

Much as I’ve enjoyed the series’ soapier elements, the continuing plotlines take up an ever bigger part of each episode’s runtime so far. Consequently, the story of the week gets less service, making them feel weaker and less coherent. One episode pivots two thirds of the way in to act as a low-key sequel to an episode from season two. But since we’ve only got ten minutes left, it feels thrown in as an afterthought, or to resolve a thread the creative team felt they were obliged to deal with (they didn’t).

In fact, this and the recently-finished run ofDoctor Whosuffered from the same problem that blights so many streaming-era shows, which is the limited episode order. Rather than producing TV on the scale broadcast networks were able to — yearly runs of 22-, 24- or 26 episodes, a lot of (expensive) genre shows get less than half that. The result is that each episode has to be More Important Than The Last One in a way that’s exhausting for a viewer.

ButStrange New Worldscan’t solve all the economic issues with the streaming model on its own. My hope is that, much like in its first season, the weaker episodes are all in its front half to soften us up for the moments of quality that followed toward its conclusion.

ASIDE: Shortly before publication, Paramount announcedStrange New Worldswould end in its fifth season, which would be cut from ten episodes to six.It's not surprising — given the equally-brilliant Lower Decks was also axed after passing the same milestone — but it is disappointing. My only hope is that the series doesn't spend that final run awkwardly killing off the series' young ensemble one by one in order to replace them with the entire original series' roster as to make it "line up." Please, let them be their own things.

It turns out that region-locking your games makes it harder to sell more copies. First discovered byWario64, Sony has lifted regional restrictions for several of its titles that are available to play on PC through Steam. Sony hasn't officially announced the removal of these region locks, nor the reason why, butGod of War Ragnarok, The Last of Us Part II Remastered,Spider-Man 2, and the hit co-op shooterHelldivers 2can be purchased once again in 177 countries that were previously prohibited, as seen in database changelogs.

To understand why Sony decided to limit sales of its games in certain countries, we have to revisit when the video game publisher announced it would requireHelldivers 2PC players to link their Steam accounts to the PlayStation Network. This controversial decision prohibited players in countries that didn't have access to the PSN, so Sony also removedHelldivers 2from being on sale in those locations. The publisherquickly backtrackedon that move, even laterremoving the PSN requirementsfor other titles likeSpider-Man 2.

More recently, the PC release ofStellar Bladeon June 11 resurfaced Sony's PSN login requirement debacle. The game's developer, Shift Up, was able to work with Sony to loosen restrictions and make a PSN login optional, allowing for an explosive launch where the game saw a peak of nearly 200,000 players in its opening week. Now, PC gamers across the world can playStellar BladeandHelldivers 2without needing a PSN account. However, there are still some Sony titles on Steam that are heavily restricted, likeGhost of TsushimaandUntil Dawn.