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The Switch 2 Pro Controller Makes a Comfortable Upgrade, but Still Falls a Bit Short

The Switch 2 Pro Controller is a standalone controller that pairs with the new Switch 2 and provides a more comfortable gaming experience than the standard Joy-Cons. While it might look similar to the old model, the second-gen controller has a number of new features to help it earn that "Pro" title. The 2 Pro retails for $85 -- a pretty significant jump over the original's $70. The good news is that, if you want to save some money, the Switch 1 Pro Controllers do work on the Switch 2. Since it'

Why Pay for a DualSense When This Luna Controller Costs Half the Price for Early Prime Day?

Amazon may not be the first name that comes to mind for gaming, but it’s definitely a major player in the industry. With Twitch at the heart of streaming and its own cloud gaming service, Luna, Amazon is everywhere for gamers. The company has also designed a controller specifically for Luna but it’s far more than just a cloud gaming accessory. In fact, most people use the Luna Controller as a universal gamepad for a wide range of devices—PCs, Sony PlayStation, Xbox, and more. Right now, the Lu

This Mobile Controller Is Better Than Backbone for the Same Price

The difference between an average mobile gaming experience and a legendary mobile gaming experience often comes down to the hardware you're using. Thankfully, we've seen a whole slew of dedicated mobile gaming controllers hit the market in the past few years. Elo is a new gaming hardware manufacturer founded by a former e-sports player, and he set out to create a pro-level mobile controller accessible to everyone. The Vagabond is the result of nearly two years of work and has easily swept in to

The rise of the surveillance state in three book reviews

Means of Control: How the Hidden Alliance of Tech and Government Is Creating a New American Surveillance State Byron Tau CROWN, 2024 Midway through his book, Tau, an investigative journalist, recalls meeting with a disgruntled former employee of a data broker—a shady company that collects, bundles, and sells your personal data to other (often shadier) third parties, including the government. This ex-employee had managed to make off with several gigabytes of location data representing the preci

Sweating Like Crazy? This Powerful Black+Decker Portable Air Conditioner Is on Sale and Selling Out Fast

The heatwave gripping the United States has pushed temperatures well past 100 degrees Fahrenheit in many regions, and make life indoors a challenge for those without air conditioning. If you’re looking for a way to keep your cool and avoid sweltering in your own home, a portable air conditioner is the answer—especially when compared to those ineffective little fans that only move hot air around. Black+Decker smart portable air conditioner is in town to change everything and it is equipped with

watchOS 26 makes Control Center more powerful than ever on Apple Watch

watchOS 26 is the next major software update for Apple Watch, bringing Apple Notes to your wrist, updates to the Workout app, and more. Another big watchOS 26 highlight: upgrades to Control Center. Here’s what’s coming. Third-party controls and more coming to watchOS 26’s Control Center Last year, Apple upgraded Control Center on iPhone and iPad to make it more powerful and customizable than ever. Third-party controls debuted, and Apple even continued adding its own new controls through softwa

8BitDo’s controllers will work with the Switch 2 after a firmware update

is a senior reporter who’s been covering and reviewing the latest gadgets and tech since 2006, but has loved all things electronic since he was a kid. 8BitDo announced that eight of its flagship controllers are now compatible with the Nintendo Switch 2 following a firmware update. Although some companies had early access to the Switch 2’s specs to build accessories like cases and screen protectors, many had to wait until launch day to ensure their devices were compatible with the new console.

Apple heard your complaints about the Liquid Glass Control Center

is a news editor covering technology, gaming, and more. He joined The Verge in 2019 after nearly two years at Techmeme. My biggest complaint with Liquid Glass in the first iOS 26 developer beta was that it sometimes made Control Center nearly unreadable, but Apple has seemingly fixed that with the second beta, which is out now. In the first beta, the glassiness of everything meant that you could still see a fair amount of what was under Control Center, making it all look really cluttered. With

Apple read your mean tweets about Liquid Glass and Finder

The more things change, the more they stay the same. After unveiling some new visual elements to the next generation of its operating systems during WWDC 2025, Apple has already walked back some of the proposed design revisions. 9to5Mac noticed that the most recent developer betas included changes to the new Liquid Glass operating system appearance and to the Finder app icon. Liquid Glass was divisive from the start . The idea of layering transparency in the user interface appealed to some, whi

Nintendo’s GameCube controller for the Switch 2 is available once again

If you missed the chance to pick up Nintendo’s new GameCube Controller for the Switch 2, your time has come. It’s back in stock for $64.99 at the My Nintendo Store. To add one to your collection, you’ll need to have a Nintendo Switch Online subscription, which starts at $19.99 a year for individuals. Once signed up, you can place an order by signing into your Nintendo Account and adding the gamepad to your cart, though you’re still limited to one controller per account. Nintendo GameCube Contro

Apple’s Liquid Glass interface improves with release of iOS 26 Beta 2

With Monday’s release of iOS 26 Beta 2, Apple has fixed one of the more glaring issues with Liquid Glass, its divisive new user interface design for the iPhone, iPad, and other Apple devices, announced earlier this month at its WWDC 2025. The refreshed user interface modernizes the operating system’s look and feel with a design system inspired by the optical qualities of glass, including the way it refracts light and its translucency. However, early iOS 26 testers, somewhat unfairly, were quic

Apple tweaks Control Center visibility in iOS 26 beta 2

Apple was quick to address what was by far one of the biggest complaints from the first iOS 26 developer beta: Control Center contrast. With beta 2, released earlier today, Apple seems to have tweaked it for better visibility. When Apple introduced the new Control Center UI at WWDC25, the overall design direction looked promising, thanks to the broader Liquid Glass UI overhaul. But there was one glaring usability issue: contrast. In beta 1, many noted that opening Control Center would often le

Book review: Surveillance & privacy

Means of Control: How the Hidden Alliance of Tech and Government Is Creating a New American Surveillance State Byron Tau CROWN, 2024 Midway through his book, Tau, an investigative journalist, recalls meeting with a disgruntled former employee of a data broker—a shady company that collects, bundles, and sells your personal data to other (often shadier) third parties, including the government. This ex-employee had managed to make off with several gigabytes of location data representing the preci

FBC: Firebreak is missing Control’s weird charm

With FBC: Firebreak, Remedy Entertainment has entered the world of the first-person co-op shooter. Set in its Control universe — specifically the site of the first game, the brutalist nightmare office called the Oldest House — players control a member of the titular three-person team of the Federal Bureau of Control (FBC), tasked with addressing various containment breaches. Unfortunately, all the aspects that make Remedy’s worlds so intriguing are completely absent in this bare-bones co-op shoo

Nintendo’s Revitalized GameCube Controller for Switch 2 Is Somehow Better Than the Original

2025 Nostalgia should not be enough to give any tech a passing grade. But let me come clean. I wouldn’t have dropped $65 on the revitalized GameCube controller for Switch 2 if I hadn’t spent my preteen years beholden to Nintendo’s boxy console. With improved buttons, the new version is better than anything from 2001. After so many years, I’ve come to see the gamepad as a unique device that’s enhanced by its limitations. Instead, it’s constrained by Nintendo’s own restrictions on where and how y

Video: Here’s a first look at using Apple Vision Pro with PlayStation VR controllers

At its big software event last week, Apple officially announced that support for Sony PlayStationVR2 controllers was coming to the Apple Vision Pro headset, along with other six-degrees-of-freedom spatial controller accessories. This is in addition to the Vision Pro’s primary input methods of eye and hand tracking. While interest in support for PSVR2 will no doubt center on gaming possibilities, Nathie on YouTube has given us a great first look at how interacting with visionOS works with PSVR2

Taiwan joins chip war escalation, blocks exports to Huawei and SMIC

What just happened? Taiwan has imposed sweeping new export controls on two of China's most critical technology firms, Huawei Technologies and SMIC, thereby escalating a high-stakes battle over the future of advanced semiconductors and artificial intelligence. The move, announced by Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs and approved by the International Trade Administration, places both companies on the strategic high-tech commodities entity list, a roster that includes organizations such as the

FBC: Firebreak: 6 Fun Nods to Control

FBC: Firebreak is studio Remedy Entertainment's first multiplayer romp. As a Left 4 Dead-esque objective-based horde shooter taking place in the Oldest House (the headquarters for the Federal Bureau of Control), the game is heavy on action and light on story. That doesn't mean that the game is completely divorced from the shared Remedyverse that bridges the events of Control and the Alan Wake series. Firebreak takes place six years after the events of Control, and dimension-hopping Hiss invader

The GameSir Cyclone 2 Has One Thing That Keeps It From Being a Great Nintendo Switch Controller

GameSir has made a name for itself over the past few years by building solid gaming controllers with top-notch features, often at lower prices than the competition. One of its latest controllers, the Cyclone 2, offers a lot of great things including support for multiple platforms, several connectivity options and solid triggers and joysticks. But the lackluster buttons and janky software make it hard to recommend when there are dozens of other great controllers for around the same price. What I

The Switch 2 Is My Favorite Way to Play Cyberpunk 2077, and It’s Not Just Mouse Controls

2025 I’ve tested Cyberpunk 2077 on so many different systems, handhelds, and PCs, you would assume the word “choom” would send me into a state of cyberpsychosis. But I’m midway through yet another playthrough of the game on Switch 2, and I can already tell this will be the first system I use to finally complete the game since I last played it in 2020. The version of Cyberpunk 2025 tuned for Nintendo’s new handheld is the most seamless and comfortable edition that still showcases the game’s beau

The best Nintendo Switch 2 accessories for 2025

The Switch 2 Pro controller is the best controller Nintendo has ever made – and that’s saying something. It’s incredibly comfortable to hold, its joysticks are buttery smooth, and all of its buttons are wonderfully responsive. Nintendo even made it customizable this time with rear buttons that can easily be mapped inside of any game. The only downside? The Switch 2 Pro Controller costs $85, which seems a bit egregious when you can get an excellent controller like 8BitDo’s Ultimate 2 wireless ga

11 Best Mobile Game Controllers (2025): iPhone or Android

Other Game Controllers We've Tested There are several other mobile controllers we tested that just missed out on a place above or failed to make the grade. Photograph: Simon Hill Acer Nitro Mobile Gaming Controller for £70: The compact design is great for portability, and Acer’s controller even folds in half to slide into your pocket or bag. You can plug in devices up to 8.3 inches in size via USB-C, and the controller has standard offset joysticks, four standard face buttons, and four should

If You Have a PS5, the PlayStation DualSense Controller Costs Peanuts on Amazon

If you own a PS5, having multiple controllers is almost a necessity as there’s nothing better than sharing your favorite PlayStation games with friends or family in the same room. While it’s always wise to have a spare controller ready for multi-player sessions or simply as a backup for you, genuine discounts on the PlayStation DualSense wireless controller are rare. Even during Black Friday, major promotions were hard to find which makes this moment the perfect opportunity to add another contr

A year after testing, these Nothing earbuds are still my all-time favorites

Nina Raemont/ZDNET The Nothing Ear (a) are $20 off right now, taking the price of my favorite earbuds down to $89, compared to their original price of $109. ZDNET's key takeaways For $109, the new Nothing Ear (a) earbuds Their affordability, comfort, and long battery life make them a great option for budget-conscious shoppers. They're so great that I've taken them practically everywhere: on flights, to work in the office, and to run my first half marathon. Unfortunately, its middling noise-

Switch 2 Pro Controller review: Nintendo's best gamepad simply costs too much

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 . For as long as I can remember, Nintendo's gamepads have been a core part of my life. The NES's original rectangular controller was awfully unergonomic, but I still loved it, and it set me down the path of being a lifelong gaming and gadget geek. The SNES's rounded gamepad practically d

OxCaml - a set of extensions to the OCaml programming language.

Let’s talk about what this means! OxCaml’s extensions are meant to make OCaml a great language for performance engineering. Performance engineering requires control, and we want that control to be: Safe. Safety is a critical feature for making programmers more productive, and for shipping correct code. Languages that are pervasively unsafe are too hard to use correctly. Convenient. We want to provide control without bewildering programmers, or drowning them in endless annotations. To achieve

Razer Knows You Sickos Always Wanted an iPad Mobile Controller

Everybody who’s ever held a phone controller secretly, in their heart of hearts, wanted to know what it would be like if one could stretch so large you could attach it to your favorite tablet instead of your phone. The previous Razer Kishi Ultra was already big enough that it could fit the 8.3-inch screen of an iPad mini. For the next rendition, Razer said, “screw it” and created a mobile controller that can extend so large it could fit your 13-inch iPad Air, becoming the most excessive way you

Razer's new Kishi V3 controllers can fit up to a 13-inch iPad

Razer has announced its latest lineup of Kishi mobile gaming controllers, capable of housing your phone, small tablet and, in the most comically extreme case, a full-size iPad. The Kishi V3 Pro XL is seemingly designed for people who like to play games on the largest possible mobile canvas, but don’t want to rely on touch controls or just pair a wireless pad. The two sides of the controller stretch out so wide that the V3 Pro XL is able to accommodate a 13-inch iPad Air or Pro, or compatible An

Nintendo’s GameCube controller for the Switch 2 is once again available for purchase

writes about tech news, reviews gadgets, and helps readers save money by highlighting deals and product recommendations for The Verge. If you’ve been waiting for a chance to get your hands on Nintendo’s GameCube Controller for the Switch 2, now’s your moment. It’s back in stock for $64.99 from the My Nintendo Store website. As before, it’s only available to Nintendo Switch Online members, and it’s made to play GameCube titles available through the Switch Online Expansion Pack, like The Legend

8BitDo’s Ultimate 2C controller drops to $25

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 looking for a versatile new wireless controller that isn’t exclusive to a particular platform, 8BitDo’s various pads are always worth considering. And Amazon’s current deal on the brand’s Ultimate 2C Wireless Controller is nearly the cheapest we’ve seen. Right now, if you pic