Gear News and Events

The latest news and updates on gear, gadgets, and consumer tech. Plus, dispatches from the events that shape your world.

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Why the Hottest New Wearables Want to Be Ignored

Burnt out on wrist buzzes and notification overload? A new crop of minimalist wearables promises to collect your health data without demanding your attention.

Andrew Williams

Request Denied

I Asked 100 Companies for My Data. I Got Deletion Notices Instead

Reece Rogers

Vice City

6 Takeaways From the GTA VI Extended Look

Boone Ashworth

News and Events

Netflix Failed at Video Games. Now It’s Trying to Promote Them

Netflix has walked back plans to put AAA games on its streaming platform. Instead, it's pivoting to marketing highly anticipated titles like Grand Theft Auto VI.

Boone Ashworth

Stop Touching Your Keyboard. Use This AI-Powered Microphone Instead

The Relay Q, due next year, is the latest attempt to reposition voice as the most seamless method for human-computer interaction.

Julian Chokkattu

How Ikea Turned a Controller Thumbstick Into the Star of Its Xbox Gaming Range

Xbox and Ikea collab alert! This unique nine-piece collection for gamers arrives this fall and has a slew of Easter eggs.

Jeremy White

Apple Refreshes the Mac Mini and Mac Studio, Both With New AI-Ready Chips

Apple’s Mac Mini and Mac Studio have been tough to buy for months, but updated versions have arrived. Both include new chips optimized for AI, with the M6 Mac Mini getting a $200 price bump.

Luke Larsen

Trends

Influencers and Resellers Are Turning Empty Boxes Into Big Cash

As the appetite for “authenticity” grows online, content creators are buying up empty boxes for luxury goods—and resellers are cashing in for “crazy prices.”

Sophie Charara

I Wore an Electrical Muscle Stimulation Body Suit to Zap Myself Into Fitness

Can electrifying your workout offer a shortcut to a stronger, fitter you? I sweated in a skintight EMS suit for two months to find out.

Christopher Null

The AI Slop Backlash Is Actually Having an Impact

Platforms are finally recognizing that people don’t want to consume AI slop. A growing number of sites and apps now have tools and policies to flag, label, and ban AI-generated content.

Reece Rogers

Is This Poker Player Bluffing? The AI Thinks So

ESPN unveiled an “AI tells detection” tool during broadcasts of the 2026 World Series of Poker. Is it a neat computer-powered party trick, or a real threat to poker’s future?

Ben Dowsett