One of the easiest ways to enhance your PC experience is to get a better monitor. It doesn’t require any upgrades for your desktop or laptop, and it shines up the primary way you interact with almost everything: the visuals. Prime Day is upon us again, but even before it lands on July 8th-11th, there are early deals to be found. (Here’s how to get Amazon Prime for free so you can get in on the extravaganza.) With U.S. tariffs affecting prices, to say nothing of general consumer trends, it might not be the smorgasborde of discounts we saw in previous years. But there are still savings to be had, on OLED monitors, gaming monitors, and standard office designs — and I’ve hunted down the best monitor deals in the list below. Even though it’s Prime Day, some of the best discounts juiciest can be found elsewhere on the web, so I’ve included those in the list as well. Best early Prime Day 2025 deals on OLED monitors ASRock 27-inch 1440p 240Hz OLED gaming monitor — $479.99 ($166 off at Newegg) Alienware 27-inch 1440p 360Hz OLED gaming monitor — $619.99 ($280 off at Dell) Sony 27-inch 1440p 480Hz OLED gaming monitor — $714.99 ($385 off at Amazon) Gigabyte 34-inch 1440p 240Hz ultrawide OLED gaming monitor — $679.99 ($390 off at Newegg) Gigabyte refurbished 49-inch 1440p ultrawide OLED gaming monitor $729.99 — ($120 off at Amazon) Alienware 32-inch 4K 240Hz OLED gaming monitor — $849.99 ($350 off at Dell) OLED monitors are the cream of the crop for gamers, thanks to incredible color vibrance and contrast, even if they’re not the absolute fastest on the market right now. But if you do need ludicrous speed, Sony is offering a 27-inch, 1440p panel with 480Hz (about double the current standard at this size) for hundreds less than the alternatives. For my money, Gigabyte has the best deal at the moment…but then I’m an ultrawide fanboy. If you’re looking for an OLED upgrade at the lowest price, ASRock is leading the pack with a rare 27-inch pick under the $500 mark. There will probably be a few more offerings like that on Prime Day, but I’d bet you won’t find a name brand for much lower. Best early Prime Day 2025 deals on gaming monitors KTC 24-inch 1080p 165Hz gaming monitor — $93.99 ($46 off at Newegg) ASRock 27-inch 1080p 240Hz gaming monitor — $104.77 ($85 off at Newegg) Alienware 34-inch ultrawide 1440p 180Hz gaming monitor — $329 ($70 off at Dell) Gigabyte 28-inch IPS 4K 144Hz gaming monitor — $399.99 ($200 off at Newegg) Samsung 32-inch 3K 240Hz gaming monitor — $499.99 ($700 off at BuyDig, use coupon code YFF23) For more affordable options for gamers, ASRock once again delivers with a 27-inch, 1080p display at just a hair over a hundred bucks. But I’d say that Gigabyte is giving the best bang for your buck with its 28-inch 4K option. Not only is it using an IPS panel for greater color accuracy, it’s packing a USB-C port for flexible video. It’s a great, affordable centerpiece to a setup that works for both, well, work and gaming. Pre-Prime Day 2025 deals on office monitors Acer 27-inch 1080p IPS 120Hz monitor — $109.99 ($40 off at Best Buy) Asus 24-inch 1080p IPS monitor — $119.00 (regular price at Amazon) Dell 27-inch 1440p IPS monitor — $179.99 ($40 off at Dell) Samsung 34-inch 1440p ultrawide monitor — $219.99 ($110 off at Amazon) MNN 15-inch portable USB-C monitor — $59.97 ($30 off at Amazon) I can personally recomend Dell’s 27-inch, 1440p IPS monitors, because I’ve been using them for years on either side of my ultrawide center display. It’s a perfect way to expand your desk space, but unless you need some gaming-grade speed, it works great as a primary display too. For laptop users, there’s no easier way to expand your mobile capabilities than with a USB monitor (especially since they now include power and video). And there are a bunch of affordable options now, too. FAQ 1. What size of monitor should I buy? Monitor size depends on personal preference and location.  A 24-inch monitor is fine for a desk that is around 24 inches deep, or less. Its small size will still be sufficient because the monitor is closer to you. Most people, however, will want to go with a 27-inch monitor. The added size will make the monitor easy to see. This also opens up a wider range of 4K monitor options, as 4K is very rare on a 24-inch monitor. Larger monitors, such as a 32-inch widescreen or 34-inch ultrawide, are great for deep desks and people who want an immersive experience. Monitors this large can serve as a TV replacement in a small room.  Displays of even larger size, such as 42-inch or 48-inch HDTVs, are best for home theater setups or an unusually large office. You’ll want to sit four to six feet away from a display of this size. 2. What display input is best? (HDMI vs. DisplayPort vs. USB-C) USB-C is the best display input for most people. It works by bundling DisplayPort into USB-C, so offers all the same features as DisplayPort. Yet it retains the features of USB-C including optional support for Power Delivery to charge external devices. This is why we recommend a USB-C monitor for most people. DisplayPort is generally second-best. It supports higher resolutions and refresh rates than HDMI. This input is particularly common on desktop computers.  HDMI comes in third due to lower resolution and refresh rate support. This is improved by HDMI 2.1, but this feature remains hard to find and often adds to a monitor’s price. All three of the options above handle 1080p at 60Hz, which is the most common resolution and refresh rate available today. It’s also important to buy a monitor that has an input compatible with your PC. 3. Are all monitors compatible with Windows and MacOS? Modern monitors are compatible with all recent versions of Windows and MacOS. They’re plug-and-play, which means the monitor should display an image without the need to install driver software or mess with Windows or MacOS settings. 4. Are tariffs affecting monitor prices? Yes. Deals for monitors around this sale aren’t as good as they were during Amazon’s last big sale in October, particularly for the largest, most expensive models. That said, we have managed to avoid the complete shutdown of imported stock that seemed likely during the most tumultuous back-and-forth tariff negotiations…so that’s something. Prices are unlikely to improve later in the year, so if you find a delectable deal on a monitor you’re interested in, Prime Day may be one of your best bets of the year. Especially if you buy on day one of the event — President Trump says additional reciprocal tariffs will return on July 9, the second day of Prime Week, and could plunge prices into chaos. Read...

If you’ve ever tried to buy a used car in America, you know about Carfax. It’s a service that gives you a breakdown of a specific vehicle’s history, including important stuff like confirmed mileage, services, and any accidents. HP wants to make something similar for used computers. It’s calling it PCFax. No points for originality. In a report from the IEEE (via Tom’s Hardware), HP lays out a plan for a system that can analyze a used computer’s hardware and spit out a history and health report based on telemetry collected by the firmware. The necessary data is saved on the SSD and unable to be altered by the user (at least in theory). The report includes crucial data like the computer’s model, hardware stats, manufacturing date, warranty info, a history of both software and hardware service, and ownership history. Of course, a lot of that info relies on human input and documentation—which is where the other shoe in this story drops. PCFax is a proprietary system relying on HP hardware and software, and at least at the moment it’s only being made available to HP’s enterprise and industrial clients. So, unlike the Carfax system that HP invoked in its description, it’s not exactly universal information. You can’t just say “show me the PCFax” if you’re buying a laptop on eBay or Facebook Marketplace. HP Still, there’s indication that HP is planning to bring this system to more than just the button-down brigade after it launches in 2026. “For enterprises and consumers purchasing second-life PCs, it provides detailed visibility into the complete service and support history of each system, including any repairs, upgrades, or performance issues encountered during its initial deployment.” It would be nice if HP opened up this system to other manufacturers with a more standardized approach. Ifs and buts, candy and nuts, etc. But cynicism aside, it’s nice to see a corporation committed to squeezing some more life out of its hardware and opening up more economical options to reduce e-waste. Read...

Apple gets a lot of flak for not adding touchscreens to their MacBook laptops, but the reason for this decision is pretty darn sound even if it annoys some people. Windows laptops with touchscreens get dirty at the drop of a hat and add weight to the notebook itself. I think Apple’s actually on the right track here. Because I know I’m probably in the minority, but touchscreen laptops suck. Why Apple’s making the right call Sometimes the best feature is the one that’s left out, and I fully stand by that statement. I believe the reason behind MacBooks ignore touchscreens comes down to ergonomics and costly redesigns. I mean, let’s be real, it gets physically uncomfortable to lift your arm and tap the screen, especially if you’ve been repeating the same motion for hours. It’s an unnatural movement. A trackpad or mouse is much more ergonomic. As for costly redesigns, well that’s a whole other thing. If Apple were to start adding touchscreen displays to their MacBooks, they’d likely be thicker and heavier because you’d now need new internal bits for the touch input. You’ve got to put more engineering time in it now, which ups both the cost and the weight. This kind of rails against MacBooks and what they’re known for, which are their sleek and portable designs. It misses the point entirely. Eugen Wegmann I don’t believe Apple’s decision is one that stems from a place of stubbornness (or a desire to avoid cannibalizing iPad sales), it’s about prioritizing making a better laptop. Honestly? I totally get it. Not every company needs to jump on the next big trend just because everyone else is doing it. Sometimes, less really is more. Touchscreen laptops might seem premium on paper, but they’re overhyped Laptop makers really love to hype up touch displays as a tech-forward, premium feature, especially on 2-in-1 models that flip around to function like a tablet. The thing is, most people don’t need a touchscreen. The only exceptions are digital artists or note-takers who use it as a canvas or digital notebook. For everyone else, you end up with a smudgy screen, a heavier laptop, and shorter battery life. Nothing sets me off faster than visible fingerprints. Whether they’re on my glasses or laptop screen, they make me want to tear my hair out–especially if I’m in the middle of something important and have to stop what I’m doing to hunt down a microfiber cloth. (Those dang things seem to vanish the second you need them.)  Like every other smudge-prone human on the planet Earth, I leave fingerprints on just about everything, and it’s a daily frustration. If my laptop screen shows any smudges while I’m watching anime with my husband (a nightly tradition in this household), some inner compulsion kicks in–I’ll pause the show just to wipe them off. The funniest part of this story is that I don’t even use the touchscreen all that much. I naturally default to either the trackpad or an external mouse. check out pcworld`s top ultraportable pick Microsoft Surface Pro 2025 Read our review Best Prices Today: $769.99 at Amazon Touchscreens drain the battery and add bulk Beyond the annoyance of fingerprints, touchscreens come with other trade-offs. First off, they’re just heavier laptops. The glass layer inside needs to be durable and thick enough to withstand all the prodding, which adds weight to the laptop. The sensor grid (the part that detects your finger) also adds heft since it’s another electronic component that gets sandwiched in there. Finally, these laptops require stronger hinges (reinforced = more material) to prevent the screen from wobbling when it’s in tent or clamshell mode.  Touchscreens do a number on the battery life, too. Even when you’re not using the touchscreen, the sensor grid goes into standby mode as it waits for touch input. This mode continues to draw power and quietly sip the battery life. Touchscreen laptops also have glossy displays, so you’ll need to crank up the brightness if you’re using it in a room with a lot of sunlight. The reflective glare from glossy displays can be a real pain in the neck. All of this really impacts the battery. Mark Hachman / IDG It’s the worst when you accidentally brush the screen. This seems to always happen when my husband and I are kicking back after a long day. Sometimes I get passionate about some weird topic and start throwing my hands around, which ends up with me whacking the display. Suddenly, I’m on some random page or YouTube video and I’m totally thrown off. While it only takes me a few seconds to remedy the situation, it still makes my eye twitch with slight frustration. Who actually needs a touchscreen? check out pcworld`s top pick for content creation Asus ProArt P16 Read our review Best Prices Today: $2,269 at Amazon I’m pretty anti-touchscreen, that’s true, but I also have to recognize the other side of this and that’s the people who benefit from them. Digital artists and educators need them for sketching, taking notes, or scrolling through presentation slides. They’re also great for accessibility users that need the extra flexibility and control they uniquely offer. This is all totally valid and if a touchscreen works for you, then who am I to tell you not to use them? You do you, stylus and all. Apple’s missing feature is its biggest win Apple’s refusal to add touchscreens to MacBooks might frustrate some folks, but I see it as a smart and thoughtful choice. The best designers are often the ones that know when to pull back, and I think that’s the case here. Keep touchscreens away from my computers. I’d rather have a lightweight laptop than a chunkier laptop covered in the natural oil from my fingertips. Read...

I don’t know how your tech drawers look, but mine are filled with wires I’ll likely never use again because technology has advanced quite a bit. Thankfully, USB-C seems to be here to stay since there is no wrong way to plug these things in. It’s not just smartphones, tablets, and laptops that use these, however, but also a long list of gadgets. We’ve scoured the market for hidden gems: gadgets that will make you think “Wow, I didn’t know I needed that, but it will make my life so much easier!” So, let’s dive in and see what cool devices you’ll be able to use your type-C cables and ports with. Wowstick 1F+ mini electric screwdriver Wowstick If you often have to fiddle around with your computer or other gadgets, this Wowstick mini electric screwdriver may be just what you need. This pen-shaped screwdriver features three LED lights so it’s easier to see what you’re working on and rotates 200 times per minute so you can finish the job faster. The screwdriver has a stylish base so you can hold it on your desk, and a whole collection of 56 aluminum alloy bits. The screwdriver can be charged via USB-C and it can last for hours. This super fun electric screwdriver usually goes for $41. Anker Nano Power Bank Anker One thing you need to have in you bag/pocket/backpack is a power bank because you never really know when your phone will fail you and cry for a recharge. Well, the Anker Nano power bank is tiny enough to fit just about anywhere. It comes with a foldable USB-C connector and a port on the side so you can charge two devices at once if you need to. The 5,000mAh capacity is just about enough for a full phone recharge, so it will be great in a pinch. It’s also only $30, but we’ve seen it as low as $16. Endoscope camera with light Ennovor Although it’s not something you’ll use every day, this Ennover endoscope camera can definitely come in handy. You just plug it in your phone, install and app, and see everything your camera does. Our team swears by it, using it for finding whatever they dropped behind the desk, while working on the car, or looking for pipe leaks. Since it has an IP67 rating, you can even plop it in your aquarium. The camera comes with a 16.4ft semi-rigid cable and several accessories, including a hook, magnet, and a mirror. You can get this one for $23 right now. Blukar flashlight Blukar I don’t care who you are—you need a flashlight. The smaller, the better, because you get to shove it into any pocket. This model from Blukar comes with a built-in 1800mAh battery that you’ll recharge with one of those many type-C cables you have in that tech drawer we were talking about. It can work for up to 16 hours on a single charge, which is pretty decent. There are four different lightning modes to cycle through, including one that will help you signal for help. Plus, one of these is only $10, so no excuse to pass on this one. Heat It insect bite healer Anyone plagued by mosquitoes in the summer will be particularly pleased with this ingenious gadget. This tiny device, which can be easily connected to your smartphone via USB-C, can significantly reduce the itching of bites and stings with targeted heat. You simply charge the small Heat It bite healer via the app and then hold it on the bite. The heat then does the rest, breaking down the proteins in the mosquito bite that cause the area to swell, itch, and hurt. A true must-have for summer, and it costs only $20. A tiny air pump Also perfect for summer is this small air pump from Cycplus, which fits in any bag while on the go. Not only can it inflate a bicycle tire in two minutes at the touch of a button, but it’s also USB-charged. According to the manufacturer, it’s suitable for mountain bikes, road bikes, motorcycles, and even cars! In addition to being an air pump, this practical gadget can also be used as a flashlight or power bank for on-the-go use — all things that come in very handy on a bike ride. And at just $57, it’s highly recommended if you need quick help with a flat tire. USB-C mini fan These little fans are also pretty ingenious; you can easily carry them in your pocket in the summer and quickly use them whenever you need them. Anyone who’s ever sat on a crowded subway train in 30-degree heat and wished for at least a little fresh air will love this gadget. The mini fan, which costs just $20, has a USB-C port and can be easily powered by power banks, computers, laptops, or USB chargers. There are even smaller and cheaper fans available that can be connected directly to your phone, costing under $10 each. But these also provide less powerful airflow, so we recommend the standalone version. Reading light with a book clamp Anyone who enjoys reading a lot, sometimes late into the night, will appreciate this little gadget: a reading lamp that you can simply clip onto your book. It may not be groundbreaking, but with a total of three color temperatures and five different light modes, you can individually adjust how much light you need for reading. The Gritin reading lamp costs just $15 on Amazon and features a 1200 mAh battery that lasts up to 80 hours depending on usage. Afterward, you can easily recharge it via USB. You can swivel the neck of the lamp back and forth as desired, and there’s even a small charging indicator. What more could you want? Samsung flash drive Samsung The vast majority of flash drives have a USB-A connector, but this one from Samsung has a Type-C connector. With transfer speeds of up to 400MB/s, you’ll move files around in no time. The beauty of this thumb drive is that you can even pop it in your smartphone to record 4K vids directly on it. The Samsung Type-C flash drive comes in multiple storage options, starting at 64GB and up to 512GB and they start at $14. The 256GB version, for instance, is $27 at the time of writing. Editor’s note: This article was originally published on May 16, but was updated to include additional devices. Read...

In summer of last year, we saw several laptops with new Arm-based Snapdragon X Elite processors from Qualcomm released. Many users were impressed by them, as Snapdragon laptops aren’t just fast but also power-efficient, offering much longer battery life and requiring virtually no fan. PCWorld’s Mark Hachman was personally impressed by his Snapdragon laptop while on a business trip. Plus, with the integrated NPU (neural processing unit), these laptops also have local AI capabilities with lots of future processing potential. But for some, there’s been one big problem with these Snapdragon laptops: they could only run Windows 11. No Linux distribution was able to support them well due to numerous technical problems, and that was despite the existence of Arm editions of Linux. Qualcomm had even originally announced its intention to actively support Linux with them. Tuxedo presented this prototype in the summer of 2024, but is still unable to show a finished operating system.IDG That said, one of the first Linux providers to come out of the woodwork early on was the Augsburg-based company Tuxedo. In June 2024, the manufacturer presented a prototype with a Snapdragon X Elite processor at Computex in Taiwan. Tuxedo announced its own Linux implementation as the operating system. In July 2024, however, a spokesperson for the company admitted that the hardware was already ready, but that there was “still a lot to do” on the software side. After that, the project went quiet. A Snapdragon breakthrough at Canonical Ubuntu is already a big step further. Canonical announced its breakthrough at the end of March 2025. After initial trials with the ARM64 architecture, which started in 2023, and a concept image for developers published last year, the first standard distribution to support Snapdragon X Elite laptops “out of the box” was released in April with Ubuntu 25.04 (Plucky Puffin). The company has come a long way, from early ARM64 support for a single device (the Lenovo ThinkPad X13s), to the later concept image with support for more laptops, to the current release. Canonical made a breakthrough with a concept image, which was able to run on numerous Snapdragon X laptops. But it was primarily aimed at developers.IDG The first success came with the concept image for Snapdragon X Elite laptops. It’s based on Ubuntu 24.10 and, according to Canonical, is already running on a large number of Snapdragon X Elite laptops. The company named models including the Acer Swift 14 AI, Asus Vivobook S 15, Dell XPS 13 9345, HP OmniBook X 14, Lenovo Thinkpad T14s Gen6, Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x, as well as Microsoft’s Surface Laptop 7. Nevertheless, the concept image was initially only aimed at developers and brave end users who were keen to try out Linux on their Snapdragon X Elite computers. It was not yet intended for productive use. According to Canonical, supporting the ARM64 ecosystem is a greater challenge than the more traditional x86 processors used by PCs. One reason for this is that it’s less standardized. According to Canonical, different devices use different levels of UEFI firmware support or utilize different device-specific drivers and custom power management features. The Ubuntu development team has therefore had to invest a lot of work to fix these problems and address the issues. In future, Canonical wants to support ARM64 versions in the same way it supports x86 releases. Both versions should contain the same software and the same functions, but run equally well on their respective architectures. Canonincal also intends to release official updates and security patches at the same time. In this way, Canonical wants to set itself apart from community images for the ARM64 platform and offshoots of other distributions, which may not be able to provide “security patches in good time.” Tuxedo isn’t dead just yet In spring, work also continued at Tuxedo. At the beginning of March, a developer reported on the current status of the Elite 14 Gen1 model on the Linux kernel mailing list LKML. Some things such as the touchpad, keyboard, embedded display port, NVMe and USB Type-C port are now working. However, other parts—like the graphics card, USB Type-A port, energy saving mode, audio, camera, and fingerprint sensor—weren’t working. Shortly afterwards, the company added in a blog post that development had been “somewhat slow” over the past few months. On the one hand, the developers were needed elsewhere. On the other hand, it was also due to the fact that the preparatory work on which they depended had not made much progress. At the beginning of March, Tuxedo once again reported on the current development status of its Linux-on-Arm implementation at the LKML.IDG However, Tuxedo now says it has a first version of the device tree ready. This tree structure is required by the kernel on ARM64 architectures in order to manage and access hardware. It also tells the CPU which devices are connected to which ports and how they are to be controlled. According to Tuxedo, the main focus at the moment is on integrating further hardware components into the device tree. Testing drivers is also still in planning. Unfortunately, the fact that the intended collaboration with Qualcomm—the manufacturer of Snapdragon X Elite processors—hasn’t materialized has made things more difficult. Instead, the company is now working with Linaro, a specialist for Linux-on-Arm. However, it’s not yet possible to say when the first Snapdragon X Elite laptop with Tuxedo OS on board will be ready for the market. The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x is one of the handful of Snapdragon X Elite laptops on which Canonical has had initial success with its concept image.IDG When asked, Tuxedo also stated that they see the biggest advantage of the Snapdragon X Elite laptops in the “longer runtimes with high performance and very low noise levels.” Initial benchmarks for performance and runtime have looked promising, but specific figures haven’t yet been published. When asked about the integrated NPU, Tuxedo stated no current plans for it. “Too much is still missing for that at the moment,” says Tuxedo. In principle, however, the company sees “great potential” in Arm-based Linux laptops, “otherwise we wouldn’t have started working on it.” How will this all develop? It’s hard to say just yet. But if Tuxedo has its way, this could well be the future standard. Only time will tell. Read...

For seven years I’ve been collecting the best PC games every year that don’t need a graphics card, tracking down games for those of us with older computers or laptops. And I love doing it so much (and there are just so many freakin’ games out there) that I decided ten new games a year just isn’t enough. This is now a biannual feature — you’re welcome, five people who asked for it. These games can run on a toaster, so long as that toaster runs Windows. They’re also great picks for a Steam Deck or pretty much any other handheld PC. Oh, and it sure doesn’t hurt that all of these games are under $20 at full price, and many come with demos. And would you look at that, this roundup just happens to be running at the same time as the Steam Summer Sale, which starts today. Here are my picks, in no particular order. Want even more? Then check out the same article from 2024, 2023, 2022, and 2021. 9 Kings I’ve been addicted to 9 Kings for a few weeks. It’s nominally a base-builder, wherein you lay down buildings and units on a very small number of tiles and create an army from the result. But the randomized nature of your enemies, and the cards you get from them to power up your units and structures, feels a lot like carving out a run in Balatro. The interplay of the buildings and tiles, and how the different ones you can collect from the different opponent kings, are crucial. Discovering all the beneficial combinations and creating your own strategy to maximize them is how you go from 10 damage in a “year” to 10 million, and the process makes this an incredibly satisfying, bite-sized strategy game. 9 Kings is in early access, currently $15 on Steam. Pipstrello and the Cursed Yoyo Y’all youngsters might not know this, but the Game Boy Advance might be the best 2D console of all time. And this game is a love letter to some of its best. Pipstrello and the Cursed Yoyo lloks like a colorful take on ye olde top-down Zelda, but where all the weapons and traversal powers revolve around the titular yoyo. But the colorful world and great tunes (provided by famed game composer Yoko Shimomura) make me think more of an old Cartoon Network production. It can’t be overstated how hard this game goes on the yoyo schtick, showing off an incredible amount of charm and creativity. Real-time combat and puzzles will challenge your reflexes and timing, but there’s an interestingly sarcastic undertone to all of this that works well with the anthropic mafioso baddies. Completionists will have a fun time with the surprisingly broad and deep world, too. Pipstrello and the Cursed Yoyo is $20 on Steam. It’s also available on Epic, PlayStation, Xbox, and Switch. So to Speak The phrase “edu-tainment” might make you cringe if you remember Mavis Beacon, but gamified language learning is about as good as it gets if you don’t have access to full immersion. Enter So to Speak, a puzzle game that teaches you the basics of Japanese vocabulary in an interface that makes Dulingo look positively pedestrian. It’s a big help if, like me, you’re helpless when it comes to kanji characters. Progressing through the game will let you move from basic words to phrases and full sentences, with a focus on visitors and travel. But you’ll also get a nice taste of some Japanese culture if that’s what you’re looking for. The setup here is brilliant — well, at least I think so — and I’m excited to see if the developer can expand it into other languages. So to Speak is $18 on Steam. The Roottrees are Dead Who would have guessed that clerical games would be a thing after the success of Papers Please? In The Roottrees are Dead, you’re an investigator trying to piece together the aftermath of a small plane crash that took out a family of billionaires. Using a mountain of evidence and exploring a fictional, late-90s version of the internet, you’ll discover the dark secrets hiding just beneath the veneer of wealth and power. This is an incredibly unique setup, a sort of genealogical whodunnit that will tickle the drama fancies of anyone who’s ever gasped at a soap opera parentage reveal. Originally released as a free browser game, this full version gets remastered visuals and audios, plus full voice acting when you discover relevant tapes and other evidence, plus some bonus mysteries. The Roottrees are Dead is $20 on Steam. Cast N Chill I don’t think I’ve ever seen pixel art this gorgeous…and I say that as someone who’s so freakin’ tired of pixel art as shorhthand for indie. Cast N Chill does what it says on the box, offering an intriguing mix of basic 2D fishing that wouldn’t be out of place on the NES with some incredible atmosphere. If you have no actual interest in fishing, you might not get a lot out of the mechanics, unless the upgrade grind gets its hooks into you. No, I’m not apologizing for that pun. You can catch and document 50 different kinds of fish, 13 of which are legendary. But I suspect a certain kind of player will miss a lot of them, just watching the designated boat dog. Cast N Chill is $15 on Steam. Wizordum Magical DOOM. That’s it, that’s the game. While Wizordum isn’t the first game to adapt fast first-person shooter mechanics to slinging spells instead of blasting bullets, it’s benefiting from a lot of recent work in the boomer shooter niche. 2.5D graphics mean a lot of pixel art on display, even as goblins and skeletons are wizzing past your head at about 40 miles an hour. I’m digging the epic fantasy tunes, too. This is very much a single-player affair, but speedrunners can post their times to an online leaderboard. The real lasting impact of the game might be its built-in level editor, which lets you make and share challenges in a very Minecraft sort of way. I bet it’ll appeal to you if you’re tired of rolling for initiative and just want to blast some baddies. Wizordum is $20 on Steam. Glass Cannon A “glass cannon” is a term for someone or something that can dish out a lot of damage, but not take much in return. This little physics puzzler takes things a little more literally. It’s a mix of puzzle and action with a physics-based setup and a roguelike progression system. And if that sounds too technical, just go by this: shoot all the bad guys (or bad shapes) with as few bullets as possible. Carefully choosing your angle to take advantage of bounces and maximizing your upgrades for damage and spread are the keys to victory. The randomized levels and relatively low variety of enemies might seem limiting at first, but it’s the combination of upgrades that’ll keep you coming back for an optimal run. Glass Cannon is $5 on Steam. Urban Myth Dissolution Center Imagine if Control came out in the 80s and was more interested in Japanese horror than online copypasta, and you’ve got Urban Myth Dissolution Center. You play a psychic ghostbuster in training who’s part of the titular organization, tracking down clues to solve spooky cases and interacting with a rich collection of characters. This one’s definitely on the creepy side of things, with a direct appeal to fans of both retro games and anime. Fans of Doki Doki Literature Club might feel right at home with all the hidden intrigue and deep characterization, but if you can’t handle the psychedelic pixel art cinematics, I couldn’t blame you. Urban Myth Dissolution Center is $18 on Steam. It’s also available on PlayStation and Switch. Chronicles of the Wolf Do you like the mechanics of Castlevania, but you’re more of a Team Jacob sorta gamer? Then Chronicles of the Wolf is what you’ve been waiting for. This side-scrolling action game is set on the backdrop of the legendary (and at least nominally real) Beast of Gévaudan attacks in 18th-century France. Oh, and just in case the fact that a wolf hunter is running around a medieval castle instead of the woods didn’t clue you in, there’s a few cameos from some famous players in the genre, too. The whole game is shamelessly riffing on Symphony of the Night, and that’s not at all a bad thing. There’s a bit more polish in play than you might expect from the setup, with some gorgeous art and voice-over as well as some tunes that’ll make you wonder where you left your PS1 memory card. Chronicles of the Wolf is $20 on Steam. It’s also available on PlayStation, Switch, and Xbox. Desktop Survivors 98 Okay, I know some of you weirdos are gonna be into this one. Vampire Survivors has inspired a whole demonic hoard of similar “walk around, avoid attacks, upgrade your stuff” games, but I bet you’ve never seen it play out with the infamous Clippy as a main character. The game mechanics are familiar, but the visuals — a certain blissful green hill and a lot of grey windows — are even more so. But don’t think this game is nothing but a nostalgia play (though it certainly is). Little hooks into other “programs” from ye olde Windows will add in goofy game elements you’re not expecting. If you’ve ever lost hours to customizing your Windows theme, you’ll find something to love here. Desktop Survivors 98 is $5 on Steam. Read...

Microsoft is keen to see as many users as possible upgrade to Windows 11, something we’ve highlighted before. But even though Microsoft just extended Windows 10 security updates for another year, the company still wants you to upgrade to Windows 11 sooner than later. In a Windows Experience blog post from earlier this week, Yusuf Mehdi—Executive Vice President and Consumer Chief Marketing Officer at Microsoft—wrote that “Windows 11 PCs are up to 2.3x faster than Windows 10 PCs.” The claim is based on benchmarking results from the Geekbench 6 Multi-Core measurement tool, which could be seen as misleading as it doesn’t entirely reflect real-world usage. For example, it’s been shown that Windows 10 has better gaming performance than Windows 11, which is a common argument for sticking with the older operating system. Meanwhile, the blog post also argues in favor of upgrading to Windows 11 by highlighting increased security due to solutions like TPM 2.0 and Smart App Control. Microsoft claims a 62 percent reduction in security incidents with Windows 11, but that’s comparing new computers running Windows 11 to older computers running Windows 10. Further reading: Upgrading Windows 10 to 11: All you need to know Read...

Computers aren’t really known for smelling like…anything. Maybe a whiff of new device plastic, or a bit of burning dust if you don’t have good cleaning habits. But at Computex 2025, we’re finally getting scented thermal paste. Adam already checked it out with a hands-on (nose-on?) investigation, but now we’re getting input from Steve of Gamers Nexus. So apparently the idea is that scented thermal paste won’t just smell when you apply it to the CPU. It’ll off-gas (oof, what an unappealing term) when the PC heats up. So the more you’re pushing it, the more it’ll smell…in a good way. That’s the theory, anyway. But it’s not just for CPUs anymore — Yeston, of the anime waifu graphics card designs, apparently makes a Radeon RX 9070 XT with an “ocean-themed fragrance module.” I suppose it could have been worse. Hyte is thinking about doing something similar for packaging, apparently. Adam’s all for this. But however you feel about scents in your PC parts, it’s not going to be free — the extra hardware and engineering in this stuff will cost extra. Should you pay for it? Steve says no. Adam says he wants a scratch-and-sniff PC case. Well okay then. For hot, smelly takes like that, be sure to subscribe to PCWorld on YouTube and watch our weekly podcast The Full Nerd. Read...

Vibe coding is programming by gut feel. You have an idea for a tool, a website, or a repetitive task you want to automate… but instead of enrolling in a coding boot camp or slogging through YouTube tutorials, you fire up an AI chatbot and have it write the code for you. This AI-driven approach to creative coding has exploded in popularity over the past year or two—chiefly because it works. People are building genuinely useful stuff without even knowing what a variable is. I’ve been vibe coding my own apps with AI and I’m absolutely loving it, despite being a relative newbie to coding. But most advice about AI-assisted programming still assumes you want to become a “real” programmer eventually. Because of that, the advice tends to steer you towards professional tools that are overkill for simple projects. You need a different—easier—approach. PROMOTIONLaunch in minutes by vibe coding Turn your ideas into reality with Hostinger Horizons. Build web apps, websites, and custom tools by chatting with the AI – no coding required. Get everything you need to launch and grow including web hosting, domain management and email. Start now Here’s what you really need to start vibe coding your own stuff right now, without any of the BS that only complicates matters. Use an AI chatbot, not an AI-assisted IDE Your first instinct might be to use an AI-assisted integrated development environment (IDE), one that you’ve heard is good for vibe coding, like Windsurf, Cursor, or even Claude Code (which technically isn’t an IDE, but that’s besides the point). All of these tools are built for AI coding, so they’re the best place to start, right? Well… no. These tools are designed to make highly productive programmers even more productive, and that means they assume a level of knowledge that amateur coders—like you and me—lack. Diving into these programs straight away is likely to leave you confused and discouraged. An AI-driven code editor can be powerful, but it’s overkill for an amateur vibe coder. This one starts at $15 per month after a two-week trial.Windsurf Not to mention that AI-powered IDEs are pretty darn expensive, too. While most offer a bit of free use, it’s easy for even uber-casual vibe coders to find themselves in need of a paid plan. Many such IDEs charge based on usage instead of a flat monthly rate, too. As an amateur vibe coder, you’re better off using an AI chatbot. The downside here is that you’ll need to copy-paste code back and forth between the chatbot and your code editor. It’s a bit of a nuisance, but it’s not too bad if your project is small. Choose your AI chatbot carefully When it comes to AI chatbots with programming proficiency, there are several you can choose from. All of the popular ones are good enough to get started, but even so, I have a couple recommendations. Don’t want to spend a dime? Try Google’s AI Studio. This chronically under-appreciated AI tool provides free and effectively unlimited access to Google’s latest Gemini Pro models, which many consider the best in the business without paying a cent. Google AI Studio does have a few downsides. Google will train on your data (most paid services promise they don’t), the interface isn’t the best, and there’s no desktop or mobile version. None of these are serious obstacles for amateur vibe coding, though. A screenshot of a quick data visualization tool I created using Claude.Matt Smith / Foundry But if you’re willing to pay a bit and want an attractive interface with desktop and mobile apps, I recommend Anthropic’s Claude Opus. I like Claude’s Artifacts feature, which breaks code out in a separate interface pane. It can even execute some code (like HTML or JavaScript) to provide a preview in Claude itself, and you can download code to your PC from this pane. Competitors have emulated it with similar features, but I think Anthropic’s implementation remains the best. Stick to popular programming languages Choosing a programming language is a major obstacle for both amateur and experienced programmers. There are hundreds to choose from, dozens of them are mature, and promoters of each tend to have strong opinions, so it’s easy to fall into analysis paralysis. When it comes to vibe coding, though, I recommend that you stick with languages that are both popular and forgiving. That means the usual suspects of JavaScript/TypeScript, Python, HTML, and perhaps C# if you’re feeling saucy. AI does best with these languages because AI models are trained on data from across the web. The more popular the language, the more examples there are to train on—and the more source data to work with, the better the generative results. As for how forgiving a particular language is, it’s an important aspect to consider because you’ll be quicker to get a program up and running even when it has bugs. Some languages, like Rust and C++, have strict syntax and architectural demands that can be a nightmare to debug. Veteran coders are likely to recoil at the idea of willingly accepting bugs in a program, but for beginners, it’s better to have a buggy-yet-functional program than a program that was abandoned because it never worked. Alternatively, you could let the AI choose your language for you. Describe the program you want to create and ask the chatbot to make it in whatever language seems most appropriate. Choose a simple code editor Once you have a chatbot and coding language picked, you’ll need to choose the software you use to edit code. You may feel pushed towards a full-blown programming IDE like Visual Studio, which is admittedly powerful but, again, designed for people who have some knowledge of programming. For casual vibe coding, I recommend a simpler code editor like Notepad++, Sublime Text, or UltraEdit. (My bias is towards Notepad++.) A screenshot of my vibe coded personal website in Notepad++.Matt Smith / Foundry Code editors lack the comprehensive terminal, debugging, and remote development features found in many IDEs. However, code editors still provide a fast, functional, and approachable interface that looks more like the barebones text editors you’ve likely used (e.g., Notepad), and they still provide handy features like code auto-completion. Think small (and reinvent the wheel) Scope creep is a common problem that all programmers face, and it can stop you cold. Big projects are more difficult than small projects, and vibe coding grows more difficult as the size of a project increases. So while it might be tempting to try vibe coding your way to a full-blown 3D game or world-class accounting software, you might want to hold your horses and start small. Very small.  A screenshot of me asking Claude about some enhancements to my tabletop game web app, which is relatively simple and small in scope.Matt Smith / Foundry Here are some great entry-level project examples for vibe coding: Python scripts that automate specific tasks, like scraping web pages for data or filtering documents by various criteria. A single-page personal website or app in HTML and JavaScript. A single-feature app programmed in Python or C#. My first vibe-coded project was a dice-rolling tool with text-to-speech capability for the tabletop strategy game Battletech. It can roll dice and announce the results of a roll, speeding up play. I also vibe-coded my own personal website, a single page of HTML with some JavaScript. Use AI to troubleshoot issues, answer questions, and generate documentation You might be surprised by how quickly AI can help you vibe code basic tools and programs. It’s so easy to pop out a quick Python script, you may find yourself doing it several times a day at one point. However, heavy reliance on vibe-coded projects can lead to another problem: losing track of how each script and program works, and becoming confused by dependencies. For example, Python programs typically don’t work right out of the box. You’ll need to install Python as well as the various libraries that are used to accomplish different things in a script. Not only do you have to figure that out, but if you ever move to another computer, you’ll also have to set up Python and those dependencies on that computer as well. Fortunately, AI is great at solving this problem. Just ask and it’ll provide you with instructions on how to install a new programming language and any related libraries on your computer. This will typically involve a handful of command-line prompts. I also recommend ending every vibe coding session by asking the AI to create documentation that teaches new users how to use the generated program. And when you use AI to modify existing scripts or programs, it’s a good idea to ask for a changelog of everything it does. Documentation will help you remember how your program works and help you get it working when you switch computers. Pick up Arduino and/or Raspberry Pi Python scripts and web pages can be useful, but they lack pizzazz… and that can be discouraging for any new vibe coder. If you want to try programming something that feels more tangible and exciting, then I recommend picking up an Arduino and/or Raspberry Pi. Going this route is likely to increase your starting costs and will make your vibe coding journey more complicated. You’ll need to buy some hardware and most likely a soldering iron. You’re also going to need to pick up some skills that AI can’t help with, like soldering. A Raspberry Pi Pico 2 W hooked up and ready to tinker with.Raspberry Pi While you can use AI to suggest Arduino and/or Raspberry Pi projects, I recommend picking a tutorial that already exists, like this Raspberry Pi Pico W weather station by ExplainingComputers. The tutorial explains the basics, of course, but the AI chatbot can further explain concepts that you don’t quite understand and handle edge cases. For example, I had a different temperature sensor than the one in the tutorial, so I had to wire it differently than how it was shown and make changes to the code to identify my sensor. With the help of AI, I was able to make the required changes in just 15 minutes. Further reading: Practical Raspberry Pi projects anyone can do PROMOTIONLaunch in minutes by vibe coding Turn your ideas into reality with Hostinger Horizons. Build web apps, websites, and custom tools by chatting with the AI – no coding required. Get everything you need to launch and grow including web hosting, domain management and email. Start now Read...

If you’re running Windows 10 or 11, you’re probably familiar with Night Light, the system feature that reduces the amount of blue light in the screen display. The idea is that by filtering blue light, you might be able to sleep better and ease on eye strain. However, if you have one of those newer computers with Snapdragon chips, you won’t be able to run Night Light on an external display. Why? It’s due to hardware limitations in Arm-based chips. Specifically, it’s “a limitation of the Qualcomm Oryon chipset” as confirmed by Dell. Fortunately, according to Windows Latest, these limitations will disappear in the next-generation Arm-based chip to be unveiled in September. For now, if you want a blue light filter on an external display while using a Windows 11 PC with a Snapdragon chip, use a third-party app. That’s just one reason for growing anticipation over the Snapdragon X Elite 2, the powerful chip from Qualcomm that’s expected to end up in new computers from Dell starting next year. Further reading: How to work on a laptop with a migraine Read...