Holy smokes! Dolly Parton stole the show at the Dallas Cowboys game when she performed during halftime wearing a sexy Dallas Cowboys cheerleading outfit.
Holy smokes! Dolly Parton stole the show at the Dallas Cowboys game when she performed during halftime wearing a sexy Dallas Cowboys cheerleading outfit.
Solo Stove’s gas-powered Pi Prime pizza oven is on sale for $300 for Black Friday, which is a discount of $50. You also get a free stainless steel pizza peel with this deal, for those times when you don’t want your bare hands anywhere near a contained flame that reaches 950 degrees Fahrenheit. That should be all of the times.
The Pi Prime is the company’s second pizza oven and, unlike the original Pi, is completely self-contained, with a built-in gas burner. This makes it a great option for those new to the world of pizza slinging, as there are fewer pieces to fiddle with. As mentioned above, the temperature maxes out at 950 degrees Fahrenheit, but the front-facing control dial lets you quickly lower this temperature when needed. It’s a thin line, after all, between a pleasantly charred crust and something resembling the surface of Mercury.
The round shape recalls the company’s well-regarded fire pits and there’s plenty of room to maneuver and cook a 12-inch pizza, in addition to other items. Inside, there’s a two-piece cordierite pizza stone that can be easily removed for cleaning and transport. There’s also nothing stopping you from using the pizza stone in your home oven during the colder months (like now.)
Speaking of those colder months, the Pi Prime ships with a cover, so you don’t have to haul it inside at the first sign of snow. So what’s the downside? As previously mentioned, this is a gas-only stove, and propane costs money. This isn’t a huge deal if you only make pizzas once in a while, but could get frustrating if you’re working diligently to perfect recipes.
Your Black Friday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo’s Black Friday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Black Friday tech deals. Learn about Black Friday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Black Friday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Black Friday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/solo-stoves-pi-prime-pizza-oven-is-50-off-for-black-friday-130041838.html?src=rss
Tim Burton’s hit Halloween-holiday classic celebrated its 30th anniversary, and the filmmaker explained why the movie is ‘very important’ to him.
Tim Burton’s hit Halloween-holiday classic celebrated its 30th anniversary, and the filmmaker explained why the movie is ‘very important’ to him.
The home chef or budding cook in your life may appreciate some new tech to smarten up their kitchens. You might even be looking for kitchen gadgets that will make it easier to prepare a holiday feast — and make next year’s meal prep simpler too. Whether for gifts or for yourself, Black Friday is an ideal time to save on kitchen tech and smart appliances. Many of our tested and recommended cookers, air fryers, pizza ovens and other tools are on sale right now, and many are dropping to the best prices we’ve seen all year.
The Instant Pot Duo is 47 percent off and down to $70 at Amazon. which beats its previous all-time low from Prime Day in July. It’s $10 more directly from Instant Brands. This is our favorite multi-cooker (and we’re not alone) with the ability to make everything from yogurt to rice to full dinners and desserts. The Duo model is simple to get the hang of and has plenty of quick cooking modes for a range of dishes — eggs and grains included — and even has a sous vide mode. If you know someone who doesn’t have an Instant Pot yet, this will make a great gift.
The Vitamix E310 is on sale for $289 at Amazon, Target and directly from Vitamix, and while that’s not an all-time low, it’s still a $60 discount on a particularly powerful blender. It’s our favorite blender from our guide to kitchen tech because it goes beyond smoothie duty to create salsas, sauces, dips and even soups (which the blender can heat to steaming in the container due to shear friction). Anyone coming from a standard blender will be impressed with the way it renders even the hardest, chunkiest ingredients silky smooth.
The company that makes our favorite multi-cooker also makes our favorite air fryer. The Instant Vortex Plus air fryer is down to $80 at Amazon, which matches its lowest price ever, from back in October for Amazon’s Prime Day. This is a good pick even for air frying newbies as the controls are intuitive and the basket is easy to clean. This new model adds a viewing window to peek in on your food and an odor-removing filter. While it didn’t completely eliminate the odors in our tests, it definitely smelled less smokey than other units we tried.
KitchenAid’s Artisan series stand mixer is $100 off the $450 MSRP. It’s one of our favorite pieces of kitchen gear because it’s durable, powerful and it comes with a beater, dough hook and wire whisk attachments. KitchenAid mixers are also compatible with a variety of accessories and attachments that can turn the machine into an ice cream maker, a meat grinder or even a pasta machine, which will quickly expand your cooking repertoire.
Anova Precision Sous Vide machine is down to $145 after a 27 percent discount at Amazon and Target. That’s not an all time low, but still the lowest price it’s sold for in the past few months. This is our top sous vide pick in our kitchen tech guide thanks to the helpful app with hundreds of recipes and the option for remote control. If you or your giftee are more hands-on chefs, there are manual controls too. This newer generation includes digital touch controls and a longer cord than last time, as well as Wi-Fi connectivity.
The Breville Pizzaiolo is 20 percent off at Amazon, Williams Sonoma and directly from Breville, bringing the pricey $1,000 machine down to $800 — a price it has hit during previous shopping holidays. That’s still not cheap, but if you’re looking for a dedicated pizza oven that cooks 12-inch pies remarkably well, this is a solid pick. It’s one of the indoor options from our guide to the best ‘za cookers and offers different presets, including a “wood fired” setting. The heating elements adjust and adapt thanks to the smarts inside, creating an ideal environment for whatever style you’ve selected. For real pros, the Pizzaiolo also includes a manual mode that lets you dial in your temps for the upper and lower elements.
If we extend the concept of the kitchen to include anywhere food is made, outdoor pizza ovens most definitely belong on this list. The You might know Solo Stove for its fire pits, but we found them to make some pretty great pizza ovens too. Solo stove is having a sitewide sale for Black Friday, which includes discounts on the wood only or dual fuel Solo Stove Pi Pizza Oven and the gas-only Pi Prime, which is $50 off and currently offered with a 20 percent off promo for Amazon Prime members.
We like KitchenAid’s Cordless Variable Speed Blender because its easy to use and has an 180-watt motor that you can adjust just by how much you squeeze the trigger. It also comes with a dishwasher-safe blending jar and an optional pan guard so you don’t scratch your cookware. The built-in safety switch makes it harder to start up the blade by accident for extra peace of mind as you cook. Right now it’s $20 off at Amazon and directly from KitchenAid.
OXO’s Precision Scale is on sale for $45, which is 15 percent off the list price and about $7 cheaper than it’s been selling for these past few months. It’s an ideal gift for a baker, as measuring by weight tends to produce far better results than volumetric measurements. It supports both metric and imperial weights in precise, 0.1-gram increments and even has a timer built-in, because you just can’t have too many of those in the kitchen. Plus the minimalist design looks good on any countertop.
The SodaStream Terra is already the company’s most affordable soda maker, and for Black Friday at Amazon and at SodaStream, it’s down to $60 — a price it hasn’t hit since last year’s holiday sales. The kit includes a reusable one liter bottle, a bottle of Bubbly Drop lemon lime flavor, and a CO2 cylinder, along with the device itself. It doesn’t need to be plugged in, just attach the cartridge, fill the bottle with water and hit the button to make the bubbles. Then you can mix and match whichever flavors you want, while feeling good about saving money, packaging and transportation waste from traditional sodas.
Our biggest concern when we tried out the Tally Pro scale was the price. Now Black Friday is making the $185 gadget a little easier to take, with a 20 percent discount that brings it down to $148, which looks to be its lowest price yet. It’s perfect for anyone who’s really into brewing the perfect cup of coffee. The scale calculates the amount of water you need and tells you how much water to add throughout the brewing time for the best extraction.
Fellow’s Stagg EKG Pro Electric Kettle is also on sale, with a 20 percent discount bringing it down to $204 instead of $255. It’s a fully featured pour-over kettle that lets you pick preset temperatures for different brews of coffee and tea. There’s also a manual mode for the more experienced. You can set your altitude, schedule the pot to start warming up at a specific time and use the hold mode to maintain the temp for up to an hour.
With a good scale and good kettle, you may also want a good grinder. Fellow’s Opus Conical Burr Grinder and the Ode Brew Grinder Gen 2 are both 20 percent off as well, bringinght them down to $156 and $276, respectively. The Opus has more than 40 precision settings and 40mm conical burrs with a burr speed of 350 RPM. The Ode Gen 2 has 31 grind settings and is built to run a little quieter. It has an auto-stop function, along with anti-static tech that’s said to reduce grind mess.
The Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro is beastly enough to replace your oven, and might even be overkill for some. It’s our favorite multi-purpose air fryer because it can bake, dehydrate, slow cook and convect in addition to making things crispy with its air frying capabilities. Right now Amazon, Best Buy and Breville’s storefront are selling the unit for $320, and though that’s not an all-time low, it’s still about $80 less than it typically sells for and $130 off the list price.
The Thermapen One is our favorite thermometer because it gives accurate readings nearly instantly and has an auto-rotating screen that’s easy to read. It’s on sale from Thermoworks for $71 instead of the list price of $109 and even cheaper than the $99 it often sells for.
Your Black Friday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo’s Black Friday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Black Friday tech deals. Learn about Black Friday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Black Friday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Black Friday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/black-friday-kitchen-deals-for-2023-save-up-to-60-on-a-vitamix-explorian-blender-160008016.html?src=rss
Ooni has the Fyra 12 wood pellet pizza oven on sale for 30 percent off this Black Friday. Usually $349, you can pick up the acclaimed outdoor pizza maker for $244. This model is one of Engadget’s favorite pizza ovens, and the Black Friday deal returns its price to an all-time low.
The Ooni Fyra 12 uses “sustainably sourced hardwood pellets,” reaching 950 degrees Fahrenheit in 15 minutes — making stone-baked pizzas in as little as a minute. The oven’s gravity-fed hopper automatically refills its pellet tray, keeping your pizzas baking without constant equipment checkups.
The oven makes 12-inch pizzas so everyone with you can tailor their pies to their liking. It weighs a mere 22 lbs, and most people can easily transport it from home to backyard, campground, tailgates or other outdoor get-togethers.
Also discounted among Ooni’s Black Friday deals is the Pizza Steel 13. This slab slides into indoor stoves to make those pizzas taste like they came from dedicated pizza ovens. Its stainless steel surface heats rapidly and retains warmth as you bake away. An excellent choice for those who spend less time outdoors (or want to keep their budget tighter), the Pizza Steel 13 is on sale for $70 for Black Friday (typically $100).
Your Black Friday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo’s Black Friday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Black Friday tech deals. Learn about Black Friday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Black Friday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Black Friday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-ooni-fyra-12-pizza-oven-is-30-percent-off-for-black-friday-130032284.html?src=rss
Intellivision’s long-delayed Amico retro gaming system isn’t going to arrive anytime soon. The company says it doesn’t have enough money to build the console in volume. Intellivision unveiled the Amico in 2018, said it would arrive two years later and raised millions from folks who put down a (refundable) $100 deposit.
Since then, Intellivision has faced disaster after disaster and there’s still no indication of when the Amico will be available. To make the console finally happen, though, the company needs money.
Intellivision revealed its latest plan to help it raise funds earlier this year, an app that’s said to ape the experience of the Amico on Android and iOS devices. The Amico Home app debuted in beta on Android this week and it’s bizarre to say the least.
To use Amico Home, you’ll likely need at least two Android phones or tablets, or one of each. One displays the game and you use the other as a controller (alternatively, you can use a “real Amico controller”). If you can hook the former up to your TV via HDMI, you can play the games on a big screen.
There are only two games available on Amico Home at the minute, Missile Command from 1980 and Astrosmash from 1981. Both are original Intellivision titles. Despite how old those games are and the fact Amico Home is in beta, Intellivision somehow reckons it’s just fine to charge $15 for them while calling the app “an affordable way to enjoy family gaming entertainment.”
Those who pre-ordered the console can get Amico Home download codes for certain games, but that’s not exactly going to help Intellivision’s bottom line. It seems highly unlikely that Amico Home would get even close to generating enough revenue for Intellivision to make the Amico a reality. Kotaku tried out Amico Home and called it “one janky piece of crap.” Still, Intellivision hopes the app will at least be successful enough for it to secure investment for the console.
“Our ability to begin manufacturing Amico consoles in volume requires securing additional investment,” Intellivision said in a statement. “The release of Amico Home puts us on a better footing to attract such investment or to eventually fund manufacturing from the proceeds of Amico Home game sales. We remain dedicated to moving Intellivision forward, step by step, until we can deliver on the full vision of Amico, including the consoles.”
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/intellivision-cant-afford-to-make-its-long-delayed-amico-retro-console-160952928.html?src=rss
One of the big selling points for air fryers is they can do far more than just make french fries crispy. Heating up leftovers is one big plus; the fact that they don’t overheat your entire kitchen is another. They’ve surged in popularity over the past few years, but if you or someone on your gift list somehow doesn’t have one yet, Black Friday is a great time to snag a deal on an air fryer — and three of our top picks are currently on sale. These are the best Black Friday deals on air fryers we’ve tested and recommend.
Your Black Friday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo’s Black Friday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Black Friday tech deals. Learn about Black Friday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Black Friday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Black Friday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-best-black-friday-air-fryer-deals-for-2023-163026083.html?src=rss
All of the Victoria’s Secret angels wear this robe and you can too for $50 off!
All of the Victoria’s Secret angels wear this robe and you can too for $50 off!
Janet Holden has filed for divorce from ‘Will & Grace’ star Eric McCormack after 26 years of marriage.
Janet Holden has filed for divorce from ‘Will & Grace’ star Eric McCormack after 26 years of marriage.
Black Friday is typically a good time to restock on gaming gear at a discount, and that’s the case again this year, whether you’re partial to PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch or PC. If you’re not sure what’s worth grabbing, we’ve sorted through the many, many sales happening around the web and curated a roundup of the best Black Friday gaming deals below. The selection includes a few noteworthy bundles for the PS5, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch; recommended storage upgrades and controllers; several top picks from our guides to the best gaming mice, gaming headsets and gaming handhelds and, of course, a whole bunch of actual games.
The PlayStation 5 is $50 off and down to $450 at Amazon and GameStop. This offer only applies to the older version of the PS5, not the smaller “slim” version that was announced last month. But discounts of any kind for Sony’s console have been extremely rare since the device arrived in 2020, and there’s no performance difference between the two models, so this is a great opportunity to save.
If stock for that deal runs out, Sony is selling a couple of new bundles that do include the latest version of the console: one that comes with Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, and one that includes Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III. You should go with the former while both are in stock: We called Spider-Man 2 a “perfectly balanced game” in our review, while Modern Warfare 3 has been roundly criticized as one of the most undercooked CoD entries in recent memory. Both games cost $70 on their own, so that’s what you’re saving here. As of this writing, the Spider-Man bundle is further discounted by an extra $20 at BJ’s, bringing it down to $480.
As a refresher, Sony says the slim PS5 takes up 30 percent less volume than the original models and weighs up to three pounds less. It also has two USB-C ports instead of one. If the slim Spider-Man 2 bundle runs out of stock, Sony is running a similar deal with the older “fat” PS5 as well. The bundles are available at several retailers, including Amazon, Walmart, Target, Best Buy, GameStop and PlayStation Direct.
Nintendo’s main Switch deal for Black Friday is a bundle that pairs the $350 Switch OLED with a digital copy of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and a three-month individual subscription to Nintendo Switch Online for no extra cost. Smash Bros. arrived back in 2018, but it still tends to retail between $50 and $60 on its own, while the Switch Online sub normally goes for $8. This version of the console also comes with Smash Bros.-themed controllers.
We’ve seen the Switch OLED go for less in the past, so we’d have liked a more substantial discount — especially with a follow-up console reportedly on the horizon. But if you’re jumping on the Switch bandwagon late, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate remains one of the device’s best games, so there’s still value here. This bundle is available at Walmart, Target, GameStop, Best Buy and Nintendo.com.
Nintendo is selling a pair of holiday bundles for the $300 Switch and $200 Switch Lite as well: The former is available with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and the same three-month Switch Online sub as above, while the latter now comes with Animal Crossing: New Horizons. It’s really worth stepping up to the Switch OLED’s larger and more vivid display if you can swing it, but both of those games usually cost between $40 and $50 individually. Both make our roundup of the best Switch games as well.
Unlike the Nintendo Switch, both Xbox consoles are genuinely discounted for Black Friday. The Xbox Series X, for one, is on sale for $440 at Walmart and Microsoft as part of a bundle that also includes the (divisive) action-RPG Diablo IV. That’s a rare $60 drop for the console itself, while the game goes for $70 (though it’s currently on sale for $42). Target may have a better deal, though: It’s selling the same bundle for $450 but throwing in a $75 Target gift card on top. Other stores like GameStop, Best Buy, Newegg and Amazon have had the bundle for $450 without any extra coupons or gift cards.
If stock of the bundle runs out, the console alone is also available for that same $50 off. You can get that with a $75 gift card at Target or a $50 gift card at Best Buy; for the latter, you can take an extra $50 off and bring the machine down to an all-time low of $400 — but only if you’re My Best Buy Plus or Total member.
As for the Xbox Series S, a “Starter Bundle” that packs the digital-only console with a three-month Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription is on sale for $240 at Microsoft, Amazon and Target. Other retailers like Walmart, Best Buy and GameStop have it for $10 more. If stock for the bundle runs out, Microsoft and Target have the console alone available for $60 off as well. Neither deal represents an all-time low, but this is still $50 or $60 off the console’s list price, while the subscription normally costs $51 on its own. In general, discounts on the console remain fairly uncommon. Note that these offers apply to the older Series S with 512GB of storage, not the updated 1TB model that Microsoft released earlier this year.
Several different gift cards for the three major console platforms are 10 percent off at Amazon, Walmart and Target. Increments ranging from $10 to $100 are on sale, so you could get a $50 gift card for PlayStation’s, Xbox’s and Nintendo’s respective online stores for $45 apiece. If you’re looking to pad your backlog or top up a subscription anyway, it’s hard to complain about a bit of (effectively) free money.
A metric ton of video games are discounted across various stores for Black Friday. There are frankly too many deals for us to recap them all here, but we’ll run through some of the highlights below.
Starting with PlayStation exclusives, the blockbuster action game God of War Ragnarök is down to a new low of $35, while the PS4 version of the gorgeous open-world game Horizon Forbidden West (which includes a free upgrade to the PS5 version) is on sale for a low of $20. The dramatic action-RPG Final Fantasy XVI is also down to $35, the PS5 remake of The Last of Us is down to $40 and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales is available for $20. (We aren’t seeing deals on Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, though.) Other recommended games like Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, Returnal, Demon’s Souls, and Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut are each available for $30. Not all of these are all-time lows, but each is at least a little lower than usual. Many of the titles on sale make our list of the best PS5 games.
Among multiplatform games, notables include the turn-based RPG Octopath Traveler II for $30, the recent Dead Space remake for $35, the recent Resident Evil 4 remake for $40 and Assassin’s Creed Mirage for $40 as well. Sports games EA Sports FC 24, Madden NFL 24, and NBA 2K24 are each $30 too. You can peruse through the PlayStation Store’s Black Friday sale for more offers.
Over on the Switch, the 2D platformer Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is down to a new low of $30, and the cutesy adventure game Luigi’s Mansion 3 is about $10 off at $40. Super Mario Odyssey and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild are each $30 at Walmart, while Kirby and the Forgotten Land is available for a new low of $39. All of those are included in our lists of the best Switch games or best couch co-op games.
Elsewhere, the strategy game Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope is on sale for $15 and the well-reviewed RPG Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is down to $40. The Nintendo eShop’s “Cyber Deals” sale has several other discounts of note, including the Portal Companion Collection for a new low of $6.79. However, because Nintendo is still Nintendo, we aren’t seeing significant deals on newer hits like Super Mario Bros. Wonder and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom as of this writing.
For Xbox owners, Microsoft’s Black Friday sale has discounted a handful of titles from our guide to the best Xbox games. The rhythm-action game Hi-Fi Rush, for instance, is back at a low of $22.49, while the open-world racer Forza Horizon 5 is down to $29. The wonderfully written murder mystery Pentiment is about $7 off at $13.39, the Halo: Master Chief Collection is back down to $10 and the third-person shooter Gears 5 is available for $12. Older gems like The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and Prey are available for $3 each. And while our review wasn’t huge on Starfield, the Bethesda space RPG is now down to $55 (or $56 digitally), a $15 discount for those who’ve been curious. Many of the multiplatform titles noted above are also on sale; just keep in mind that several of these games are also available with an Xbox Game Pass subscription.
PC gamers have plenty of deals to shop through as well. Steam is running its annual Autumn Sale through November 28, while the Epic Games Store’s Black Friday sale includes a recurring coupon that takes 33 percent off eligible games when your cart totals $15 or more. Humble and GOG have kicked off storewide promos as well.
These stores have literal decades of games on sale between them, so it’s worth browsing the sales for yourself. One highlight, though, brings the trippy survival horror game Alan Wake 2 down to a new low of $33.49 when you use the aforementioned coupon at Epic. Beyond that, the action-RPG/management sim hybrid Dave the Diver is back at a low of $16, while the madcap platformer Pizza Tower is at a low of $15.
Game of the Year contender Baldur’s Gate 3 isn’t discounted, sadly, but several picks from our list of the best PC games are at lower-than-usual prices. Those include the roguelike Hades for $12.49, the VR-only Half-Life: Alyx for $20, the thoughtful RPG Disco Elysium for $10, the driving sim Euro Truck Simulator 2 for $5 and Stray (aka the cat game) for $20. The 27-game Valve Complete Pack is another standout at $9.
If you need a spare controller for your PlayStation 5, Sony’s DualSense wireless pad is down to $49 in various colors at Amazon, Walmart, Target, PlayStation Direct and others. While not an absolute all-time low, that’s a nice $20 or $25 off Sony’s list price depending on which finish you choose.
If you’re after a new Xbox gamepad, official Xbox Series X/S controllers are on sale for $40 at Microsoft, Target and Best Buy. Other stores like Amazon, Walmart and GameStop have them for $5 more. Again, the discounts apply to several different finishes. We typically see the gamepad retail between $50 and $60 depending on the color. The big caveat with the Xbox controller is that it requires a pair of AA batteries for power; we recommend grabbing a rechargeable set like the Panasonic Eneloops to mitigate that annoyance. That said, if you want a new controller for gaming on the PC, the Xbox pad is generally easier to set up and use with most Windows clients than the DualSense.
Apart from the Switch console bundles, Nintendo is selling a bundle that pairs a red and blue set of Joy-Con controllers with a digital copy of Super Mario Party for $100. A pair of Joy-Cons usually goes for $80, while the game alone typically retails in the $50 range these days, so you’re saving about $30 by getting the two together. Note that this isn’t the latest Mario Party game, though — that would be Mario Party Superstars, which was released in 2021. Still, if you’re looking to play a few new Mario Party boards and need a new set of Joy-Cons anyway, it might be worth the extra cost.
The 8BitDo Ultimate Bluetooth Controller is on sale for $60 at Amazon and Best Buy, a $10 discount that’s only a few bucks higher than the lowest price we’ve seen. This is a comfortable and deeply customizable wireless gamepad for Switch and PC. We’ve highlighted it in the past. The big advantage it has over most official controllers is its Hall effect joysticks, which use magnets to read inputs instead of contact-based potentiometers. This means it should be less susceptible to wear over time and avoid the dreaded “stick drift” we often see with more traditional gamepads. A pair of customizable back buttons, an accurate d-pad and an included charging dock are all nice to have as well.
The ASUS ROG Ally is down to $620 at Best Buy, which is $80 off the handheld gaming PC’s normal price and a rare discount. If you’re a My Best Buy Plus or Total subscriber, you can get it for $600. The ROG Ally is the “best Windows alternative” pick in our guide to the best gaming handhelds. As that title suggests, the ROG Ally runs Windows, which isn’t nearly as straightforward to use on a seven-inch display as the Steam Deck’s Steam OS but makes it easier to play games from other clients such as Epic, Xbox, GOG and Itch.io. The ROG Ally is physically smaller than Valve’s handheld, too, and the AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme chip in this config gives it stronger overall performance. It also has a sharper 1080p display with a faster 120Hz refresh rate.
We’d still recommend the Steam Deck (which isn’t discounted) to most, especially after the launch of the new Steam Deck OLED. Apart from being less prone to software quirks, that machine usually lasts longer on a charge, and the new model’s OLED panel is more vivid. The ROG Ally has also had issues with malfunctioning microSD card readers, so you’ll want to stick to its built-in SSD storage (which is thankfully replaceable). But if you’re willing to brave Windows and want the wider game support, the ROG Ally does enough right to be a solid alternative to traditional gaming laptops.
It’s worth noting that the entry-level version of the ROG Ally with a less powerful AMD Ryzen Z1 chip is also on sale for $450, which is a $150 discount. That’s a decent price if you’ll stick to less-demanding games, but the Z1 Extreme model is significantly faster, so it’s worth the extra cash if you can afford it.
Meta’s Quest 2 VR headset is down to $249 and comes with a $50 store gift card or credit at Amazon, GameStop, Target and Newegg. (For Amazon, use the code META50 at checkout to see the complete offer.) Other retailers like Walmart, Best Buy and B&H have the same $50 discount without a gift card. It’s tougher to recommend the Quest 2 after the release of the comprehensively superior Quest 3 last month; that newer model isn’t on sale as of this writing, but it’s worth the extra cash if you can stretch your budget. If you can’t, though, the Quest 2 still offers a relatively polished VR experience. While it’s designed to be used cordless, it’s still perfectly usable when tethered to a gaming PC as well. We name the Quest 2 the top headset for those on a budget in our VR headset buying guide.
The Backbone One mobile game controller is down to $70 at Amazon, Target, Backbone’s online store and other retailers. That’s a $30 discount. Both the USB-C and Lightning models are on sale; the latter is compatible with Apple’s iPhone 15 series as well as numerous Android phones. We gave the Backbone a positive review last year, and we note it in our gaming handhelds guide: It’s more cramped than a traditional gamepad, naturally, but it has all the requisite buttons to play modern games, it’s extremely easy to set up and it works well for remote streaming from your console or PC. If nothing else, it’s a much better value than the PlayStation Portal.
Unlike the PS5 or Switch, the Xbox Series X/S requires you to use a proprietary expansion card if you want to add storage space for current-gen games. If your Xbox is running out of room, WD’s Black C50 is one of those cards, and its 1TB model is now on sale for an all-time low of $125 at Amazon, WD, Walmart and Best Buy. That’s much more expensive than a typical SSD with the same capacity, but it’s at least $25 off WD’s usual price. If you need more storage, the 2TB version of Seagate’s Storage Expansion Card is $50 off at $230, which again matches the lowest price we’ve tracked. Both cards perform just about identically.
If you’re looking to upgrade a PlayStation 5’s storage, the Corsair MP600 Pro LPX is the top pick in our guide to the best PS5 SSDs, and it’s now down to $110 at Amazon and Best Buy for a 2TB model. That takes about $15 off the device’s average street price and ties its all-time low. The 4TB variant is also on sale for $260, which is another low and $20 less than the drive’s price over the last month. Either way, this PCIe 4.0 SSD checks all of the PS5’s requisite performance boxes and comes with a heatsink pre-installed to keep from overheating. It’s also backed by a five-year warranty.
The top pick in our microSD card buying guide, the Samsung Pro Plus, is also on sale for Black Friday. You can grab a 128GB unit for $11, a 256GB unit for $18 and a 512GB unit for $32; the first two of those represent the lowest prices we’ve seen, while the third is within $3 of its all-time low. Despite its relatively affordable price, the Pro Plus was among the fastest cards we tested in both sequential and random performance, so it’s a dependable option if you need to add space to a Switch or Steam Deck.
Elsewhere, Samsung’s Evo Select card is down to $15 for a 256GB unit. That one was a fair bit slower in testing, but the differences aren’t hugely noticeable when it comes to load times on Nintendo’s and Valve’s handhelds, so it should do the job if you want to save a few bucks. Both cards come with 10-year warranties.
The Razer Basilisk V3 is the top overall recommendation in our guide to the best gaming mice, and it’s dropped to $40 for Black Friday at Amazon, Walmart, Target and Best Buy. That’s an all-time low and $10 off the device’s usual street price. The Basilisk V3 isn’t the lightest mouse around at 100 grams, but its sturdy shape should be comfortable for users of each grip type and all but the smallest of hands. It has no major issues with latency or tracking accuracy, either, plus it comes with 11 customizable buttons, including a “sensitivity clutch” for moments where more precise aiming is required. Beyond that, its scroll wheel supports both left-right tilt and a faster free-spin mode — both helpful for navigating large documents — though it is on the noisy side.
The Corsair Scimitar RGB Elite is the “best for MMOs” pick in our gaming mouse guide, and it’s now down to $50 at Amazon, Newegg, Best Buy and Corsair’s own store. That’s $2 more than the lowest price we’ve tracked but still $10 below the mouse’s typical going rate. Like most MMO mice, the Scimitar RGB Elite is fairly bulky, but that’s because it has 12 easy-to-distinguish side buttons that you can use to access commands in games like Final Fantasy XIV or Baldur’s Gate 3. Its rounded, gently sloped shape should be comfortable to palm- and claw-grippers of most hand sizes. And while its sensor is fairly old, it’s accurate enough. Just note that its cable is somewhat stiff, and that you probably won’t want to spend much time in Corsair’s messy companion software.
Sticking with gaming mice, the Logitech G203 Lightsync is on sale for $20 at Amazon, Walmart, B&H and Best Buy. That’s about $8 off its usual going rate. The G203 is the budget pick in our gaming mouse buying guide: It’s small, its scroll wheel is a bit mushy and its rubber cable isn’t especially flexible, but it tracks accurately, it’s built well and its light (85g) shape should suit righties and lefties. For less than $20, it’s hard to do better. If you’d rather go wireless, the Logitech G305 Lightspeed puts a newer sensor in more or less the same shape, and it’s currently discounted to $30.
Beyerdynamic’s DT 900 Pro X headphones are down to $249 at Amazon and Target from a trusted third-party seller. That’s only $20 off their usual going rate, but we haven’t seen many larger discounts over the past few months. The DT 900 Pro X is a wired pair of open-back headphones designed for critical listening at home. It’s currently the top pick in our guide to the best headphones for gaming, as its wonderfully spacious sound does well to envelop you in the fine details of any given game. Like most open-back cans, it can’t produce truly deep sub-bass, but it delivers enough low-end to give in-game explosions a powerful sense of impact. A set of soft velour earpads keep the whole thing comfortable, though it can’t fold up, and the open design means it won’t block much external noise when you’re outside of the house.
Our favorite dedicated gaming headset for most people, the Astro A40 TR, is down to $100 at Amazon. That’s a $30 discount. This deal bundles the headset with Astro’s MixAmp M80, an optional amp that connects to Xbox controllers and provides various audio controls. Even without the accessory, we like the open-back A40 for providing a wider soundstage than most gaming headsets. It’s not as open or detailed as the Beyerdynamic DT 900 Pro X, and it misses more detail in the treble range, but it’s immersive, with a slight bass boost gives in-game effects a little extra boom. The headset as a whole looks “gamer-y,” but it’s comfortable. And while its built-in mic isn’t the clearest we’ve tested, it’s at least serviceable for basic chat.
If all you want is a decent gaming headset for as little as possible, the HyperX Cloud Stinger 2 is worth considering at $35. That’s only $5 below its usual going rate, but it matches the lowest price we’ve seen. The Cloud Stinger 2 is the budget pick in our gaming headset guide: It sounds narrower and less balanced than the Astro A40, but its built-in mic is great for the money and its bass-heavy profile at least makes action scenes feel a little more exciting. It’s all comfy, too, though it’s largely made of plastic.
HyperX’s Cloud Alpha headset is also on sale for $50. The wired Cloud Alpha has been around since 2018 but continues to offer great comfort and a solid detachable mic. It doesn’t sound bad either, though it can’t provide the same sense of width as the Astro A40 and its underemphasized treble keeps it from delivering pristine detail. Nevertheless, this is a nice step-up over the Cloud Stinger 2 if you’re willing to pay a little bit extra. We highlight the Cloud Alpha as an honorable mention in our gaming headsets guide.
The Logitech G535 is another honorable mention in our gaming headsets guide, one that should specifically appeal to those who want a wireless option for less than $100. If that’s you, good news: It’s available for just under $80 at Amazon, B&H and Best Buy, which is about $25 off its usual street price. The G535’s noticeably light frame, relatively balanced sound and Bluetooth support all impress for the price; just note that it doesn’t work with Xbox, and that its mic sounds a bit thinner than the wired headsets highlighted above. Its battery life clocks in at 30 to 35 hours per charge, which is decent but not great.
If you’re after a new keyboard for gaming purposes, the Razer Huntsman V2 TKL is worth a look at its Black Friday price of $80, a record low. We recommend the Huntsman V2 TKL in our guide to the best gaming keyboards due to its sturdy tenkeyless frame, crisp PBT keycaps, clean RGB lighting and steady performance. Its keystrokes are quiet, plus it comes with a wrist rest, all for a relatively attainable price. We’re specifically talking about the model with Razer’s linear optical switches here; a variant with clicky switches is on sale for $80 as well, but we found typing on that model to be distractingly noisy in testing.
The SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Wireless is back down to $175 for Black Friday, a $75 drop that comes within a dollar of the best price we’ve seen. This is the top wireless pick in our gaming keyboards guide. It uses SteelSeries’ magnetic OmniPoint switches, which enable a range of helpful gaming features: You can raise or lower the actuation point of individual keys — setting a high point to make typing more comfortable or a low point to make presses faster for games — or use a rapid trigger mode that lets you repeat critical inputs faster. The rest of the keyboard is solid too, though you’d buy it for that gaming flexibility more than its raw typing experience. The Wooting 60HE, our top overall pick, is a better value if you don’t mind going wired, but it’s not discounted as of this writing. If you really want to reduce clutter on your desk, this is a good alternative.
The ASUS ROG Strix Scope II 96 Wireless is down to a new low of $145 at Amazon and Newegg, which is a $35 discount. This was a close second to the Apex Pro TKL in our testing when it came to wireless gaming keyboards. Its pre-lubed ROG NX switches, superb sound dampening and PBT-coated keycaps make it a pleasure to type on, it’s hot-swappable, plus it lasts longer than SteelSeries’ model on a charge. It just lacks the custom actuation tricks we found so useful on the Apex Pro. Still, if you care about a premium typing feel more than gaming-friendly features, this is a good buy.
The ASUS ROG Azoth, meanwhile, is down to $200 at Amazon, Newegg and B&H. That matches the lowest price we’ve seen and marks a roughly $25 drop from the wireless keyboard’s average street price. The Azoth is like a smaller version of the Strix Scope II 96 Wireless with a few more enthusiast touches, including a gasket-mounted design (which gives presses a softer feel), a programmable OLED display and a toolkit for lubing switches in the box. It’s exceptionally well-made, but it probably goes without saying that it’s meant for enthusiasts only, even with this discount.
The Razer Huntsman Mini is down to $70 at Target for a model with linear optical switches. If stock there runs out, Amazon and Best Buy have it for $10 more. Normally, we see this keyboard retail between $90 and $100. The Huntsman Mini is another honorable mention in our gaming keyboards guide. It’s a 60 percent keyboard, so it omits dedicated arrow and function keys but takes up very little space on a desk — providing more room to move a mouse around in turn. Its textured PBT keycaps and aluminum top plate keep it from feeling cheap, while its linear switches are quick, responsive and not terribly loud. Another version of the Huntsman Mini with analog switches is also on sale for $80: We haven’t tested that model, but it lets you customize each key’s travel in a manner similar to the Apex Pro TKL Wireless above.
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 is available for $1,200 at Best Buy for a configuration with a Ryzen 9 7940HS processor, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD and a GeForce RTX 4060 GPU. That matches the lowest price we’ve seen and takes $400 off ASUS’ list price. This model also has a 14-inch 1440p display with a 165Hz refresh rate. The ROG Zephyrus G14 is the top overall recommendation in our guide to the best gaming laptops. It’s a compact notebook that’s plenty capable for triple-A gaming but doesn’t totally sacrifice the “laptop” part of the phrase “gaming laptop.” It’s relatively light and portable at 3.6 pounds, and its keyboard and trackpad both work well. Its 720p webcam could stand to be sharper, though.
A version of Dell’s G15 5530 Gaming Laptop with a Ryzen 7 7840HS processor, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD, an RTX 4060 GPU and a 15.6-inch, 1080p, 165Hz display is down to $900 at Amazon. That’s a 22 percent discount and the lowest price we’ve tracked. Another model with a more powerful Core i7-13650HX chip and 1TB of RAM is available for $1,160, which is about $190 below its average street price. This is the most recent version of the “best budget” pick in our gaming laptops buying guide. It’s big, heavy (6.2 pounds) and not especially premium feeling, but it’s strong enough to play many games at high-ish settings, and its memory and storage are user-upgradeable.
Your Black Friday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo’s Black Friday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Black Friday tech deals. Learn about Black Friday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Black Friday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Black Friday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/black-friday-gaming-deals-for-2023-save-on-consoles-games-and-gear-for-your-ps5-xbox-nintendo-switch-or-pc-150044151.html?src=rss
