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You don’t need a massive desktop PC for a powerful gaming or home office setup these days. Mini PCs have come a long way — and if you don’t need the portability of a laptop, a mini PC can provide much better performance at a given price. For instance, this Acemagic AD08 mini PC that’s on sale for $303 on Amazon is astonishingly good for the price, especially now that it’s knocked down from its $449 MSRP. There’s nothing miniature about this mini PC’s performance. Under the hood, it sports an Intel Core i7-11700B processor, a solid 16GB of DDR4 RAM, and a 512GB SSD. All of that amounts to a fast machine with ample storage for all your games, movies, and photos. What’s really great about this Acemagic mini PC is that if you want to upgrade your specs at any time, you can do so easily. It has a magnetic design that provides no-screw access to both RAM and storage, and it supports up to 64GB of RAM and 2TB of storage. And it has another winning point for serious workstations: it has two HDMI 2.0 ports that each support 4K@60Hz output and a full-featured USB-C 3.2 port that supports 4K@60Hz output and a maximum data transfer speed of 10Gbps. That’s potential for a triple 4K setup, plus an extra four USB-A ports for all your other peripherals. All in all, this is a phenomenal mini PC for just $303 at Amazon that can handle both productivity and gaming, plus will continue to grow with you as your needs expand. This powerful mini PC is currently 33% offBuy now on Amazon Read...

Ergonomics are important, but standing desks and comfortable office chairs can feel like expensive luxuries. Fortunately, Amazon’s Prime Big Deals Days event is just around the corner, and like during the July Prime Day sales, you can score solid discounts on popular desks and chairs.  You can even start snagging deals now, in advance of the October 8 and 9 deals bonanza. So while you can wait to see which bargains hit in a few weeks, you don’t have to. Our list takes into account user reviews, technical specs, price trends over the last year, and our own experiences. PCWorld’s editors have spent years using home office setups, as well as corporate-grade gear. We know what corners you can cut to save some cash, and which ones are must-haves. The best models are often sold direct by their manufacturers, which is why you’ll see links to sites other than Amazon on this list. Read on for all the current best deals on standing desks and office chairs, and check out our Prime Big Deal Days 2024 hub for fantastic bargains in other tech categories. Early Prime Big Deal Days 2024 deals on office chairs Staples Cartwright Task Chair, Black – $50 (58% off at Staples) Flexispot OC2 Wide Seat Office Chair, Black – $100 (33% off after coupon) Staples Hyken Mesh Swivel Task Chair, Black – $100 (66% off at Staples) Hon Ignition 2.0 Reactiv Office Chair – $370 (20% off at Costco) Staples makes some very fine desk chairs—and both its ultra-popular Hyken model and lighter-use Cartright Task Chair are very close to their all-time low prices right now. (Tip for that Cartright chair: Having a second person on hand helps assembly go smoothly.) Looking for a slightly more luxe chair, but that’s not astronomically expensive? Check out the Hon Ignition 2.0 Reactiv, which currently sports one of its biggest discounts since its release. Early Prime Big Deal Days 2024 deals on standing desks Dekhaoxe 31×15 Adjustable Height Mobile Computer Desk, White – $48 (21% off) Flexispot 48×24 sit-stand desk, Black – $120 (29% off) ErGear 48×24 standing desk, Black – $130 (18% off) The deals on standing desks still have room to heat up, but a small handful of discounts are available. Flexispot is a popular brand on Amazon, and for good reason—their standing desks start at much lower prices than competitors. You’ll get nicer finishes for tabletop materials through more expensive rivals like Uplift and Vari, but if all you need is a basic surface, they get the job done. More great Prime Big Deal Days 2024 tech sales PCWorld’s editors have curated tons of great deals across other tech categories. Check’em out! Best Prime Day 2024 PC computer deals Best Prime Day 2024 laptop deals Best Prime Day 2024 USB flash drive deals Best Prime Day 2024 Thunderbolt dock and USB-C hub deals Best Prime Day 2024 Chromebook deals Best Prime Day 2024 battery charger deals Best Prime Day 2024 SSD and storage deals Standing desks and office chairs FAQ 1. What features should I look for in a standing desk? We like dual motor standing desks with programmable controls—they’re a little more expensive, but moving the desk up and down is smoother. Their frames usually have a better build overall, too, making for less wobble during height adjustments and while in use. Programmable controls means you can go back and forth between two or even three height positions with a single button press, which makes for much better quality of life. No need to wait and monitor the adjustment as it’s happening. (That might sound like not such a big deal, but if you do it multiple times a day over the course of the year, those seconds feel tedious. Trust me on this one.) 2. What makes for a good office chair? This question can be tricky to answer, since what’s comfortable is a little different for everyone. Generally, you want enough support for your back so it doesn’t take on a hunched position, but not so much you can’t feel relaxed while sitting. You also ideally want to keep pressure off your lower back if you’ll be sitting for long periods—office chairs usually have seats shaped for this, rather than the flatter surfaces of kitchen and casual desk chairs.  Arm rests, head supports, and mesh fabric can also play a role in comfort, but you may want to try out those features on a sample chair that a friend owns or in a store to see if you need those features. The mesh is particularly good if you sweat or get warm. Wheeled models are also useful for easily moving the chair—and you can upgrade the casters, as Reddit recommends for an even smoother experience. 3. How do I know if I’m getting a good deal on standing desks or office chairs during Prime Day? The deals we select are chosen not just for the product, but because their prices are among the lowest we’ve seen, especially given the pricing history over the last year.  If you’re striking out on your own, be sure to look at reviews, as well as Amazon’s AI summaries of user reviews—avoid anything with high return rates, or a known flaw. Also look for brands with not just high user reviews, but independent reviews online. Many standing desks are just rebranded models, and so too for cheaper desk chairs. Read...

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Loot boxes in video games and mobile games have become less of a flashpoint for controversy, but a few years ago they were a major target of ire for both gamers and regulators. The wheels of justice (or at least of legislation) turn slowly, but they do turn, and Australia is making a big move in this sector. Starting this Sunday, any game sold in Australia with loot boxes will be rated either M (Mature) or R 18+ (Restricted). For the uninitiated, loot boxes are essentially digital blind boxes. Gamers buy a loot box (or several) in the hopes of finding rare items, weapons, or character outfits. But actually getting what you want is pure chance… and chance that’s artificially slimmed down to an incredible longshot for the most rare and desirable items. In games like Overwatch and Genshin Impact, the odds of finding a skin of “epic” or “legendary” rarity might be one in several thousand, driven down further by “seasons” and limited-time events that are designed to get players playing… and spending. Though loot boxes and similar chance-driven reward systems can be trickled out for playing the game itself, the only way to get them quickly in abundance (to up your chances of finding those rare and valuable items) is to buy them directly with real money. In many games, the contents of loot boxes are cosmetic only, meaning they have zero impact on gameplay. But then you also have examples like EA’s competitive sports games, which put digital versions of real-life sports stars in loot boxes, tying your ability to win to your ability to acquire these expensive loot boxes. EA EA EA Battlefront 2 tried a similar loot crate system tied to items that gave players of the online shooter distinct and powerful advantages over their opponents. Accusations of a “pay to win” setup came quick and loud. If all of this sounds like gambling to you, you aren’t alone. According to the Australian government’s announcement (PDF), these updated guidelines for computer game classification are intended to label “gambling-like content in video games”: Any game with a randomized loot box system offered for purchase with real money will be given an M (Mature) rating at the very least, with retailers being discouraged from selling such games to anyone under the age of 15. Any game with “simulated gambling” — including casino games — will get a far more heavy restriction: an R 18+ rating, making them illegal to sell to anyone under 18. The summary of the new system (spotted by Tech Radar) makes it clear that games can still use randomized or chance-based reward systems without getting an M rating as long as those systems aren’t tied in with a real-world purchase. Furthermore, games can still include thematic or visual elements that evoke gambling — say, Sonic 2‘s Casino Night Zone — without automatically being rated R 18+ as long as they don’t actually include the games in question with a gambling element. Australia is known for having a heavy hand in video game classification, even more so than countries like the United States. Many high-profile games with horror, narcotic, or sexual elements get Refused Classification, effectively making them illegal to sell in the country. It’s a sore subject for Australian gamers, but these new M/R 18+ guidelines are taking direct aim in the pursuit of keeping kids away from loot boxes and addictive elements tied to real-world spending.After years of pushback from both regulators and gamers, loot boxes have seen a distinct downturn lately. Publishers watched the Netherlands effectively ban loot boxes in 2018, cutting off a small but potentially lucrative market. Now the focus seems to be on the similar but far less randomized “battle pass” design, wherein gamers pay a flat rate to progressively unlock rewards through playing.Even so, randomized loot box setups are still around in games like Genshin Impact and Hearthstone. Games released and classified before the September 22 update to Australia’s system will be grandfathered in… but new content releases may spur a reclassification of existing titles. Read...

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