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Tech News
A weekend Apple deals roundup lists AirPods Pro 3 at $179 (down from $249), a $200 discount on the M5 MacBook Air, and a $500 price cut on a 2TB M5 Pro MacBook Pro. The roundup also covers AirTag 2 pricing on Amazon, Apple Watch Ultra 3 clearance, and early fall Prime Day discounts on HomeKit brands like ecobee and Eve, plus chargers from Anker, UGREEN, Baseus and Belkin.
Many wireless peripherals, such as USB dongles for mice and keyboards, operate on the 2.4GHz radio frequency, a congested band also used by microwave ovens and older Wi-Fi gear. This overcrowding can interfere with Wi-Fi signals and slow down networks, especially for routers that are not running exclusively on the less crowded 5GHz or 6GHz bands used by Wi-Fi 6E and 7.
Alinea Analytics estimates Steam generated $1.7 billion in September, up 13% year-over-year, and $5.5 billion in the third quarter, up 12%. Through nine months of 2026 the platform has taken in roughly $16.5 billion, leaving it needing about $3.5 billion in the final quarter to surpass $20 billion for the year for the first time.
DVI-D and DVI-I cables can connect to HDMI ports using a passive adapter because both standards share the same digital video protocol, requiring no conversion chip or external power. DVI-A, an analog variant, is incompatible without active conversion, but it was rarely used. HDMI and DisplayPort remain the preferred modern standards, with HDMI 2.2 supporting resolutions up to 16K and DisplayPort 2.1b enabling daisy-chained multi-monitor setups.
Hobbyist researchers have extracted and published firmware images from the SPC970, the original MechaCon security chip used in the earliest PlayStation 2 models (2000-2003). Unlike the later Dragon-based MechaCon, which was cracked by the MechaPwn exploit shortly after 2021's firmware leak, the SPC970's code had never been readable until now, leaving roughly 20 early PS2 model numbers without a chip-level unlock.
A gaming writer continues a critique of city-builder aesthetics, focusing specifically on Cities: Skylines 2's flat, overly clean surfaces where sidewalks, buildings, and grass meet without natural transitions. The author contrasts in-game screenshots with more organic real-world or modded examples, arguing the base game looks lifeless without extensive manual decoration.
Skydance, which is in the process of merging with Paramount, has reportedly expressed interest in producing a sequel to 'Barbie,' the 2023 blockbuster from Warner Bros. The move comes even as Skydance's corporate restructuring is still being finalized.
Analytics firm Alinea Analytics estimates Steam generated a record $1.7 billion in September 2026, up 13% from the prior September record, marking its best third quarter ever at $5.5 billion. Year-to-date revenue through nine months reached an estimated $16.5 billion, up from $14.5 billion over the same period in 2025, with new releases like Wardogs and Onimusha: Way of the Sword among the top earners.
Retailers are discounting several Apple and Apple-adjacent products ahead of the fall Prime Day sale, including a $500 cut on a 2TB M5 Pro MacBook Pro (now $2,699), markdowns on AirTag 2, an 80%-off Beats 360 Cushion Kit, and a new low on a 2026 Mac Studio with M5 Max. HomeKit brands ecobee and Eve are also running official discounts on smart plugs, switches and outlets, while Belkin's 25W MagSafe charging stations and various third-party chargers from Anker, UGREEN and Baseus are on sale.
Refurbished Nintendo 3DS units are now selling for around $250 at retailers like GameStop, up from roughly $100 previously, with XL models costing even more. The price rise follows Nintendo's 2023 eShop shutdown and 2024 closure of the 3DS's online servers, which eliminated digital purchases and multiplayer features, though StreetPass still functions locally.
Nintendo has revealed a special-edition Nintendo Switch 2 console themed around the 40th anniversary of 'The Legend of Zelda' franchise. The hardware features Zelda-inspired visual design elements marking four decades since the series debuted.
iOS 27.2 updates Apple Podcasts by replacing the single Up Next queue with two separate sections: New Episodes, showing the latest episode for each followed show, and Continue Playing, which tracks episodes a listener has started but not finished. The redesign directly targets long-standing complaints about episodes getting buried or lost in the old combined queue.