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Not everyone ones (or needs) to speed a boatload of money on a new laptop. Depending on how you use your notebook — if you’re a student, creative professional or anything in between — it may not be necessary for you to drop thousands on the latest model with top-of-the-line specs. Budget laptops do exist, even if they don’t get as much attention as their flagship counterparts. If you’re looking to spend only what you absolutely must on your next laptop, we’ve got a number of top picks for you to consider, plus some shopping advice that can help you choose the best budget laptop for you.

What to look for in a budget laptop

First, we at Engadget consider anything under $1,000 to be “budget” in the laptop space. The reason for this is twofold: even the most affordable flagship laptops typically start at $1,000 or more, and if you go dramatically lower than that (say, $500 or less), that’s where you’ll really start to see compromises in performance. You’ll typically find the best balance of power and price in the $500 to $1,000 range. But in this guide, we’ll cover top picks at a wide range of prices — there are a number of options on the low and high end of the budget spectrum.

Arguably the biggest thing to look for in a budget laptop is a decent spec sheet. You might be able to find options with the latest generation CPU chipsets, or you may have to go for one that has a slightly older processor. We recommend trying to find a notebook with the most up-to-date internals as possible, but know that if you pick a machine with a CPU that’s one generation behind, it probably will not significantly affect performance.

Along with processors, you should also consider the amount of memory and storage you need in a daily driver. For the former, we recommend laptops with at least 8GB of RAM; anything with less than that will have a hard time multitasking and managing all those browser tabs. The latter is a bit more personal: how much onboard storage you need really depends on how many apps, files, photos, documents and more you will save locally. As a general rule of thumb, try to go for a laptop that has at least a 256GB SSD (this only goes for macOS and Windows machines, as Chromebooks are a bit different). That should give you enough space for programs and files, plus room for future operating system updates.

After determining the best performance you can get while sticking to your budget, it’s also worth examining a few different design aspects. We recommend picking a machine with a mostly metal body, a screen that has at least a 1080p resolution and a keyboard and trackpad area that’s relatively spacious. Any laptop worth purchasing will have a built-in webcam, but most of them top out at 720p. A few of the latest models have 1080p webcams, but you may want to consider a standalone peripheral if you spend a ton of time on Zoom meetings.

Be sure to check out the port situation as well. Many laptops closer to $1,000 will have fewer ports than their more affordable counterparts (as counterintuitive as that may seem). You’ll find at least one or two USB-C ports on the newest machines, which means you may need a separate dongle if you frequently have to connect to SD cards.

A note about refurbished laptops

Refurbished laptops are another option to consider if you need a new machine and don’t want to spend a ton of money. Buying refurbished tech can be tricky if you’re unfamiliar with a brand’s or merchant’s policies surrounding what they classify as “refurbished.” But it’s not impossible — for laptops, we recommend going directly to the manufacturer for refurbished devices. Apple, Dell and Microsoft all have official refurbishment processes that their devices go through before they’re put back on the market that verifies the machines work properly and are in good condition. Third-party retailers like Amazon and Walmart also have their own refurbishment programs for laptops and other gadgets as well.

The best budget laptops

Best overall: MacBook Air M1

There’s a reason Apple kept the MacBook Air M1 in its lineup even after coming out with the 13-inch and 15-inch Air M2 laptops. The first machine with Apple’s custom system-on-a-chip, the Air M1 was released at the end of 2020 and proved that the company didn’t need Intel to power its notebooks anymore. The M1 processor gave the Air blazing fast performance, with a responsiveness akin to that of an iPad Pro. That hasn’t changed even after the launch of the M2 chipset and the latest Air powered by it. You’re still going to get impressive performance from the MacBook Air M1 that will be just right for most people as a daily driver.

The Air M1 has the classic wedge design we’ve seen in this family of notebooks for years, which some will appreciate. It may not be the refined profile that the M2 machine has, but it’s still thin and light, and since it lacks a fan, it’ll be super quiet as well. The 13.3-inch Retina display is lovely, and it’s accompanied by a comfortable keyboard (sans TouchBar) and a spacious trackpad. Battery life clocked in at nearly 16.5 hours in our testing, which will be more than enough for a full day’s work. It may be at the top end of our budget price range, starting at $999, but it will be money well spent. Also, we’ve frequently seen the MacBook Air M1 drop to $800 or $900 when it goes on sale at Amazon and other retailers.

Read our full review of the Apple MacBook Air M1

Best budget Windows laptop: HP Pavilion Aero 13

If you like the general aesthetics of machines like Dell’s XPS 13 but don’t want to pay $1,000 or more, the HP Pavilion Aero is your best bet. We gave it a score of 87 in our review and compared it to Dell’s flagship laptop. It’s certainly not as sleek as that machine, but it comes pretty close with its angled profile, 2.2-pound weight and its anti-glare 13.3-inch display. Despite its keyboard being a little cramped, it’s a solid typing machine and we appreciate all of its connectivity options: one USB-C port, two USB-A ports, an HDMI connector and a headphone jack. You can currently pick an Aero 13 up for as low as $800, but they have gone on sale for even less. All of the prebuilt models available from HP directly come with Ryzen 5 processors, and you can customize the laptop to have up to a Ryzen 7 CPU, 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD.

Read our full review of the HP Pavilion Aero 13

Best Chromebook: Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i

It’s been a couple of years since we named Lenovo’s IdeaPad Flex 5i our favorite Chromebook and it remains our top pick today. That’s because it still has the best mix of specs and features that will suit most Chrome OS lovers. It runs on an 11th-generation Core i3 processor, has 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. Plus its bright 13.3-inch 1080p display is great for working in Google Docs and streaming on Netflix.

While not a standout in the design department, this convertible is relatively lightweight and we appreciate that it comes with a backlit keyboard — something you don’t often see in laptops at this price point. It should also last around eight hours on a single charge, or long enough to get you through a typical work day. You’re getting a solid port collection here, too: two USB-Cs, one USB-A, a microSD card slot and a headphone jack. All of that keeps the Flex 5i ahead of the Chromebook pack, and its affordable price tag makes it even better.

Read our full review of the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i

Best under $500: Acer Aspire 5

Acer’s Aspire 5 family is a solid Windows option if you have less than $500 to spend on a new laptop. The most recent models hit a good middle ground for most people, running on Intel 11th-gen CPUs and supporting up to 16GB of RAM and up to 512GB of storage. Of course, the higher specs you get, the more expensive the machine will be — not all Aspire 5 laptops come in at under $500. But you can currently pick up a model with a 15.6-inch 1080p display, Core i3 processor, 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage for about $380 (or less if it’s on sale). Design is pretty basic here, but you do get a handy number pad and a variety of ports, including one USB-C connector, three USB-A ports and an Ethernet port. We also appreciate that the latest Aspire 5s support WiFi 6, and Acer upped the estimated battery life to 10 hours.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/best-budget-laptop-150038435.html?src=rss 

Another day, another regulatory action against a major cryptocurrency company. The Securities and Exchange Commission has sued Coinbase, the biggest crypto asset trading platform in the US. It claims that Coinbase operated as an unregistered national securities exchange, broker and clearing agency. The SEC notes that brokers, exchanges and clearing agencies are usually separated in traditional securities markets, but said Coinbase “intertwines” their services.

The agency claimed that by failing to register as a broker, national securities exchange or clearing agency, Coinbase has prevented investors from having certain protections. Those include SEC inspections, safeguards against conflicts of interest and recordkeeping requirements. The agency argued that Coinbase doesn’t qualify for any applicable exemptions from registration for any of the three functions. It accused the company of having made billions of dollars from the likes of transaction fees by “unlawfully facilitating the buying and selling of crypto asset securities” since at least 2019.

“You simply can’t ignore the rules because you don’t like them or because you’d prefer different ones: the consequences for the investing public are far too great,” Gurbir S. Grewal, the director of the SEC’s Division of Enforcement, said in a statement. “As alleged in our complaint, Coinbase was fully aware of the applicability of the federal securities laws to its business activities, but deliberately refused to follow them. While Coinbase’s calculated decisions may have allowed it to earn billions, it’s done so at the expense of investors by depriving them of the protections to which they are entitled.”

It was reported last July that the SEC was investigating Coinbase as to whether the company illegally sold unregistered securities. As The New York Times notes, news of the agency’s complaint comes on the same day that Coinbase’s chief legal officer, Paul Grewal, is set to testify before a congressional committee in relation to a new draft bill that aims to bring in some crypto regulations.

In March, Coinbase said it received a notice from the SEC that agency staff had found potential securities law violations, but it was not provided with much detail. The company also claimed it “provided multiple proposals to the SEC about registration over the course of months, all of which the SEC ultimately refused to respond to.”

On Monday, the SEC filed 13 charges against Binance and its CEO Changpeng Zhao. The agency claimed Binance skirted its own compliance measures and lied to investors and regulators. The SEC also claimed that Coinbase mishandled customer funds. In addition, the agency is involved in the government’s case against FTX founder and former CEO Sam Bankman-Fried.

Meanwhile, Coinbase is facing regulatory action at the state level. A task force comprising state regulators from Alabama, California, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey, South Carolina, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin resulted in a Show Cause Order being issued against the exchange. In a statement spotted by Cointelegraph, the Alabama Securities Commission accused the company of violating “the securities law by offering its staking rewards program accounts to Alabama residents without a registration to offer or sell these securities.” It gave the company 28 days to show cause why it shouldn’t be ordered to cease and desist from selling unregistered securities in the state.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/sec-sues-coinbase-over-alleged-violations-of-securities-laws-151500450.html?src=rss 

Nearly seven months after it began publishing machine-generated stories without disclosing their true authorship (or lack thereof) to readers, CNET has finally, publicly changed its policy on the use of AI in its journalistic endeavors. In short, stories written by its in-house artificial intelligence — which it calls Responsible AI Machine Partner (RAMP) — are no more, but the specter of AI in its newsroom is far from exorcised. 

The site indicates, however, that there are still two broad categories of pursuits where RAMP will be deployed. The first, which it calls “Organizing large amounts of information” provides an example that seems more authorial than that umbrella descriptor lets on. “RAMP will help us sort things like pricing and availability data and present it in ways that tailor information to certain audiences. Without an AI assist, this volume of work wouldn’t be possible.” 

The other (“Speeding up certain research and administrative portions of our workflow.”) is more troubling. “CNET editors could use AI to help automate some portions of our work so we can focus on the parts that add the most unique value,” the guidelines state.”RAMP may also generate content such as explanatory material (based on trusted sources) that a human could fact-check and edit. [emphasis ours]” You’d be forgiven if that sounds nearly identical to what got CNET into trouble in the first place.

The venerable tech site first posted an innocuously titled explainer (“What Is a Credit Card Charge-Off?“) on November 11, 2022, under the byline “CNET Money Staff” with no further explanation as to its provenance, and continued posting dozens more small finance stories under that byline through mid-January. It was around that time that Futurismdiscovered two important details: CNET Money Staff stories were AI-generated, and much of that work was wildly inaccurate. CNET issued corrections on over half of those stories and had, by all appearances, stopped using these sorts of tools in response to the deserved criticisms they created.

In the interim, the remaining CNET staff publicly announced their intention to unionize with the Writer’s Guide of America, East. Among the more typical areas of concern for a shrinking newsroom during these trying times in the media industry (retention, severance, editorial independence, et cetera), the bargaining unit also specifically pushed back against the site’s intention to keep deploying AI. 

Other than these new guidelines on AI, the union has not received any official update from management on its demands over the past three weeks, a staffer told Engadget. And based on the union’s response on Twitter, the guidelines fall well short of the kinds of protections CNET‘s workers were hoping for. “Before the tool rolls out, our union looks forward to negotiating,” they wrote. “How & what data is retrieved; a regular role in testing/reevaluating tool; right to opt out & remove bylines; a voice to ensure editorial integrity.

Granted, CNET claims it will never deploy RAMP to write full stories, though it also denies it ever did so. However, the new guidelines leave the door open for that possibility, as well as the eventuality that it uses AI to generate images or videos, promising only that where “text that originated from our AI tool, we’ll include that information in a disclosure.” CNET’s apparent bullishness on AI (and its staff’s wariness) also arrive against a backdrop of news organizations broadly looking to survive the technology’s potential ill-effects. The New York Times and other media groups began preliminary talks this week to discuss AI’s role in disinformation and plagiarism, as well as how to ensure fair compensation when authorship becomes murky.

The prior CNET Money Staff articles have since been updated to reflect the new editorial guidelines. Each is credited to “CNET Money” and also lists the name of a human editor; a disclosure appears at the beginning and end of the stories, reading “This article was assisted by an AI engine and reviewed, fact-checked and edited by our editorial staff.” 

This sort of basic disclosure is neither difficult nor unusual. Including the provenance of information has been one of the core tenants of journalism since well before AI became advanced enough to get a credit on the masthead, and The Associated Press has been including such disclosures in its cut-and-paste-level financial beat stories for the better part of a decade. On the one hand much of the embarrassment around CNET‘s gaffe could have been avoided if it had simply warned readers where the text of these stories had come from at the outset. But the larger concern remains that, unlike AP’s use of these tools, CNET seems poised to allow RAMP more freedom to do more substantive work, the bounds of which are not meaningfully changed by these guidelines.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cnets-new-guidelines-for-ai-journalism-met-with-union-pushback-152311269.html?src=rss 

If you’re looking to buy a new smartwatch, the Apple Watch SE remains one of the better values on the market, and right now its 40mm model is back on sale for $219 at Amazon and Best Buy. Target, meanwhile, has it for a dollar more. We’ve seen the watch fall to this price a number of times over the past few months, but it’s still about $15 below the device’s average street price and $30 below Apple’s MSRP. If you want the larger 44mm model, that watch is also $30 off Apple’s list price at $249. Note that these offers apply to the watch’s Midnight, Starlight and Silver finishes.

While neither of these deals are all-time lows — we’ve seen the 40mm model very briefly fall to $200 once before — they’re still strong prices for what you’re getting. We gave the second-gen Apple Watch SE a review score of 89 when it arrived last September, and we note it as the best option for first-time buyers in our guide to the best smartwatches. It’s essentially a stripped-down version of the Apple Watch Series 8, our top overall pick. The big sacrifice is its lack of an always-on display mode, so you’ll have to physically lift up your wrist to check the time or notifications. Beyond that, its display is slightly smaller, it doesn’t support fast charging and it lacks more advanced health-tracking features like a skin temperature sensor, ECG monitor and blood oxygen sensor. 

Those won’t be massive omissions for many people, though, and the SE keeps the rest of the Apple Watch experience largely intact. It runs on the same chipset as the Series 8, it’s still water resistant and it gets you access to standard features like heart-rate monitoring and fall detection. This fall, it’ll also receive the same watchOS 10 update that Apple announced at WWDC on Monday. We still think the Series 8 (which is currently available for $329) is the most well-rounded wearable for iPhone owners, and Apple will invariably launch a new Series 9 watch by the end of the year. But for first-time buyers or those looking to upgrade from an older Apple Watch on a budget, this should be a good deal. 

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-apple-watch-se-is-back-on-sale-for-219-153046166.html?src=rss 

Apple’s iOS 17 makes it easier to share content, but it also has new safeguards to prevent abuses of that newfound power. The company has revealed that its upcoming software will add a Sensitive Content Warning feature that helps adults avoid unsolicited nude photos and videos. If you receive something potentially concerning, you can either decline it, agree to see it or learn about ways to get help.

Communication Safety also protects kids beyond the Messages app. The feature will use machine learning to detect and blur sexually explicit material sent and received through AirDrop, Contact Posters, FaceTime messages and the Photos picker. The technology can now recognize videos in addition to still shots. If this content arrives, children can message trusted adults for help or find useful resources.

Both Sensitive Content Warning and Communication Safety process media on-device. Apple also says it doesn’t have access to the material. Communication Safety requires that you enable Family Sharing and mark certain accounts as belonging to children.

Apple unveiled its plans to curb unsolicited nudes in 2021 alongside a plan to flag photos uploaded to iCloud when they contained known child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The company scrapped this plan at the end of 2022 amid concerns governments could pressure it to scan for other image types, not to mention risks of false positives. Communication Safety and Sensitive Content Warning don’t have those issues — they’re only meant to prevent creeps from traumatizing others.

Legislators have aimed to criminalize unwanted nudes, and individual services have their own anti-nude detection tools. In that light, Apple is mainly filling gaps in the deterrence system. In theory, shady characters won’t have much success blasting iPhone users with rude texts and calls.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apples-ios-17-expands-protection-against-unsolicited-nudes-142425558.html?src=rss 

The makers of an app called Sleep Reset claim it can help you get more (and better) sleep without the use of drugs — and they have the study to prove it. A group of researchers from the University of Arizona’s Sleep and Health Research Program, some of whom also serve as the company’s medical advisors, have just published a paper in peer-reviewed journal Frontiers in Sleep. The paper details the results of a 12-week program that used Sleep Reset, which apparently increased the average participant’s sleep time by 44 minutes.

Those who were getting less than six hours of sleep a night increased their sleep time by 85 minutes. Some of them likely improved their time because they were able to fall asleep much earlier: The paper says participants who typically lie awake for 30 minutes before dozing off managed to reduce that time by 53 percent. And those who usually spend an hour trying to fall asleep were able to reduce their time awake by 41 percent. Meanwhile, those’d wake up more than three times overnight found themselves experiencing two fewer nightly awakenings. The researchers also said that nearly half of the participants stopped using sleep aids after completing the program.

The study involved 564 participants (65 percent of whom were female) aged 30 to 60 years old who followed a standardized curriculum for three months. They used Sleep Reset in the way it’s meant to be used in that its sleep coaches gave them personalized recommendations and feedback via text messages within the app. They also used the app’s sleep diary, mindfulness exercises and trackers to monitor their progress. To use Sleep Reset, a user needs to answer a series of questions on what kind of sleep they’re getting and what they’re having trouble with. They’re also asked to state what their goals are, such as whether they’re looking to feel more well-rested or to look more youthful.

I tried the sleep assessment test and was told repeatedly throughout that Sleep Reset is effective because it “uses the same scientifically proven methods that are used by top tier Sleep Clinics like Stanford and Mayo Clinic.” It also said that Sleep Reset uses “scientific strategies,” such as techniques based on cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, and coaches users about behavioral scheduling, light exposure and relaxation. I only got so far as the page charging me for a seven-day trial period, which users could get for as little as $9 to as much as $29. The most expensive option, the company said, will help it support those who could only afford to pay the minimum amount.

That said, the participants’ curriculum gives us a good look at how Sleep Reset can help support its users. Every week, they received different types of coaching tips. During week three, for instance, they got napping strategies and tips on caffeine intake, while they received information on how nutrition and physical movement affect sleep quality during week six. While there was a theme for each week, the participants presumably received information that’s tailored for each of them. 

Dr. Michael Grandner, Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Arizona College of Medicine and Sleep Reset’s Lead Scientific advisor said: “Many popular sleep solutions like Trazadone, Benadryl and Melatonin don’t even have the clinical evidence to increase total sleep time much at all. Ambien and Lunesta are known to increase sleep time by around 30 minutes, but that’s much less than what we’ve seen from Sleep Reset. What’s even better is that Sleep Reset is a non-medication intervention, thus non-habit forming and devoid of troubling side effects.”

You can watch Dr. Grandner talk about their study below:

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/study-finds-sleep-coaching-app-can-help-recover-an-extra-hour-of-rest-130003393.html?src=rss 

Father’s Day is, ideally, a day for dad to have some fun and few things are more fun than a good game. If your father figure likes to spend his free time in other worlds, there are several gifts you could buy to make his play time more enjoyable. Below, we’ve rounded up a selection of our favorite gaming-related gear, from consoles and controllers, to artwork and coffee table books.

8BitDo Ultimate Bluetooth Controller

The 8BitDo Ultimate Bluetooth Controller is a versatile alternative to Nintendo’s Switch Pro Controller that also works easily on PC. It connects over Bluetooth, a wireless dongle, or a USB cable and notably uses magnetic Hall effect sensors in its joysticks, which means it’s much less susceptible to developing the dreaded “stick drift” than traditional controllers. While it might feel a little cramped for those with particularly large hands, its shape doesn’t have any weird curves or quirks, and all its inputs are appropriately crisp to press. Battery life is solid at 20-ish hours, too, and the whole thing comes with a slick charging dock. If dad wants to get hardcore, 8BitDo’s companion app offers a wealth of customization options, such as adjusting the sensitivity of the triggers or assigning macros to certain buttons. 8BitDo sells a few cheaper variants of this controller as well, but those sacrifice the Hall effect sticks, among other features. — Jeff Dunn, Senior Commerce Writer

Grid Studio artwork

If dad has a soft spot for classic gaming hardware, a frame from Grid Studio might be a nice way to spruce up his space. This is a company that deconstructs classic gadgets and neatly showcases their individual components in a piece of wall art. Each part is labeled for good measure. For gaming specifically, the selection includes consoles like the original Game Boy and PSP and controllers like the Wiimote and Sega Dreamcast pad. (Several non-gaming gadgets are available, too.) These don’t come cheap, and they might make dad cringe if he fancies himself a preservationist, but Grid’s artwork generally strikes the right balance between a nerdy nostalgia trip and tasteful decor. — J.D.

Steam Deck

Busy dads, especially one with younger kids, probably don’t have much time to sit in front of a gaming PC. That’s where the Steam Deck comes in handy. Valve’s portable gaming system puts a ton of games into their hands, and it has enough power to play most indie titles and some AAA ones. Mostly, though, we found it to be a great way to clear out a PC gaming backlog — perhaps as they’re holding a little one who will only nap in their arms.

With the Steam Deck, they can carve out slices of gaming time when they have time to breathe. I’ve personally found it very useful in that wonderful period right after putting the kids down to sleep. They can play PC games in bed without moving a muscle! And if they already have a PC, they can also stream demanding games directly from it. While there are a few Steam Deck competitors on the horizon – we’re particularly intrigued by the ASUS ROG Ally – there’s something to be said about the simplicity of Valve’s experience. It’s the most console-like way to enjoy PC games so far. (If handhelds aren’t their thing, take a look at our gaming console guide too!) — Devindra Hardawar, Senior Reporter

The Game Console 2.0: A Photographic History from Atari to Xbox

The Game Console 2.0 is a good coffee-table book for any dad who enjoys looking back on gaming’s history. It’s a visual tour of more than 100 different consoles, from the Magnavox Odyssey to the PlayStation 5 to less-remembered fare like the Tapwave Zodiac. The author, Evan Amos, is best known for taking many of the stock photos of gaming hardware you’d find on Wikipedia (and beyond), so it shouldn’t be a surprise to hear that the shots in his book are consistently clean and sharp. Each console has some light yet interesting background detail, and Amos neatly organizes the systems he documents by console generation. It’s not the deepest dive into the industry’s past, but it should be a pleasure for any gaming enthusiast to flip through every now and then. — J.D.

Game Pass Ultimate

Microsoft’s pitch with Game Pass Ultimate is hard to pass up. For $15 a month, you get access to a large library of Xbox and PC titles, including day-one releases from Microsoft studios. Now that new game prices have crept up to $70, Game Pass Ultimate seems like a better deal than ever. It’s a useful way to dive into new and older games, and it’s also helpful for keeping kids busy once they turn into little gamers. If they end up liking a particular title, there are discounts if dad wants to permanently add something to their library.

Game Pass Ultimate also unlocks Xbox cloud streaming, which I’ve found to be useful on the road (all you need is a laptop and an Xbox controller to get some playtime!). It’s also helpful for previewing a game quickly, without waiting for it to be downloaded and installed. Progress is also stored on Microsoft’s servers, so dad can also pick up and keep playing if they choose to download a cloud title eventually. — D.H.

Metroid Prime Remastered

There are a million different games worth gifting for Father’s Day, but if dad never got around to playing Metroid Prime back in the GameCube days, getting him the recent Switch remaster is a fantastic way to rectify that. This new version sharpens up the original’s already stunning art direction and includes a more modern dual-stick control scheme. The first-person adventure at the heart of it all remains one of the most entrancing games ever made. It channels the isolation and wonder of the series’ NES roots, and manages to be thrilling even as it encourages you to slow down and take in the world’s details. While it has its share of action, it’s not a first-person shooter so much as a first-person exploration game. Some 20 years after Prime’s initial release, few titles have made encountering an alien world through someone else’s eyes feel more authentic. — J.D.

Scuf Instinct Pro

There’s no shortage of customizable gift ideas you’ll find for Father’s Day, but if your dad likes to spend time gaming, a custom pillow, frame or plaque may not be as useful as a customized controller. Scuf makes a number of controllers, and you can personalize almost every part of them, down to the color of the thumbsticks. The wireless Instinct Pro works with Xbox, PC, Mac and mobile OSes, and we like its remappable paddles and its adjustable instant triggers, which remove pull down and make it feel more like a mouse click. It’s a more than capable controller that any gamer would love to receive, but the cherry on top will be customizing it with their favorite colors and hues. — Valentina Palladino, Senior Commerce Editor

SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless

SteelSeeries’ previous high-end gaming headphones, the Arctis Pro, were some of the best we’ve ever heard. The company’s new Nova Pro headsets improve on that design with better sound quality, and a plethora of new adjustment options. They also support 360-degree spatial audio on Windows PCs and the PlayStation 5. We’re recommending the $350 wireless model since it allows for more freedom – useful for parents who may also need to rush off to console a crying child at night – but if they don’t mind a cable the $250 wired model sounds just as good. And if dad would prefer a headset he can use in more ways than one, our best gaming headsets guide has a ton of all-purpose options. — D.H.

Razer Basilisk V3

The Razer Basilisk V3 is a comfortable and responsive mouse for any dad who does a lot of PC gaming. The top pick in our best gaming mouse guide has a sturdy frame that should fit all but the smallest of hands and well-sized buttons that are satisfying to press. While it’s not the lightest mouse, and won’t be the absolute fastest for twitchy shooting games, it tracks smoothly and accurately. And outside of games, the fact that its scroll wheel can tilt side-to-side and swap to a free-spinning mode makes it a handy option for navigating large documents and Excel sheets. Just note that, like many gaming mice, it’s made for righties first. — J.D.

Satisfye ZenGrip

The Switch is a wonderful device, but it’s not the most ergonomic thing out there. If dad has complained about this before, a Satisfye ZenGrip can help him stave off sore wrists and tingly fingers while running around Tears of the Kingdom or Super Mario Odyssey. This is a molded, hard plastic grip that slots around a Switch and makes it feel more like you’re holding a very wide Xbox or PlayStation controller instead of a flat rectangle. It won’t make the buttons feel any better, and it certainly adds a bit of bulk, but it’s solidly constructed and sized for medium or large hands. Unlike many other Switch grips, the design won’t scuff the console when removed, plus it leaves enough room for the Switch’s fans. Satisfye sells grips for all three Switch models in various colors as well as bundles that pair the accessory with a specially designed case. — J.D.

Backbone One

If dad likes to game on his phone, the Backbone One will give him a more natural way to play. This is a mobile gamepad that attaches directly to a phone’s Lightning or USB-C port and works with any game that supports controllers. It has all the inputs needed to play modern games, and while its buttons won’t feel as luxurious as a full-size pad, they’re still responsive and properly spaced given the size constraints. The contoured grips are comfy to hold over time, plus there’s a built-in headphone jack and charging port for your phone. For beefy mobile games or streaming PS5 and Xbox games, it’ll be much less fiddly than touch controls. — J.D.

My Arcade Micro Player mini arcade cabinets

It’s best viewed as a show piece on a shelf rather than something dad would play seriously, but one of My Arcade’s Micro Player mini arcade cabinets is an adorable way for him to display a retro favorite. While there are certainly cheaper and more convenient ways to play old games, these 6.75-inch cabinets don’t feel flimsy and generally convey the spirit of each game well. (Just note that the artwork is usually “inspired by” the game in question, not a replica of its original cabinet.) Their buttons are surprisingly responsive and, while the 2.75-inch screen looks washed out from an angle, it’s bright and colorful enough to be usable. There’s a speaker and headphone jack built in, plus each joystick is removable if dad would rather use the mini d-pad instead. The line includes several classics, including Pac-Man, Galaga, Street Fighter II and Space Invaders, among many others. — J.D.

Panic Playdate

Panic’s Playdate won’t ever compete with the Nintendo Switch, or even the PlayStation Vita, when it comes to graphics or the depth of its library. But it’s undoubtedly one of the most intriguing pieces of gaming we’ve seen recently. Imagine a super-slim version of the Game Boy with a sharp screen and a cute crank on the side, and you’ve got the Playdate.

While it only has two buttons and a directional pad, most games are built to use the crank, perhaps to steer a surf board as you’re trying to catch some waves, or to direct a bumbling robot as he tries (and fails) to reach his date on time. It’s a limited system (it doesn’t even have a backlight!), but those limitations have led to some truly unique gaming experiences. — D.H.

Wingspan

If dad wants to get more into tabletop games and doesn’t mind going beyond the usual high-fantasy fare, Wingspan is worth a look. This is a popular, award-winning “engine builder” that casts up to five players as bird lovers trying to attract feathered friends to their wildlife preserve. The rules are straightforward enough to appeal to newbies, but there are numerous strategies you can take to win, so the game is easily replayable. Plus, the whole thing is gorgeous, with 170 illustrated bird cards, pastel egg pieces and a faux-birdhouse for dice rolls. It’s also possible to play the game solo. — J.D.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/best-gaming-gifts-for-dads-133016759.html?src=rss