Technology

Not all SSDs are the same. And depending on the brand, this might even be true for different SSD units sold on the same retail listing.

Wearable cameras have become a practical option for creators capturing daily life, travel moments, and POV footage without holding a phone or carrying a full-size camera. When filming is part of the experience rather than the focus, hands-free recording can make content feel more natural and less staged.

Wearable cameras have become a practical option for creators capturing daily life, travel moments, and POV footage without holding a phone or carrying a full-size camera. When filming is part of the experience rather than the focus, hands-free recording can make content feel more natural and less staged.

They just don’t make them how they used to. Older phones had microSD card slots, removable batteries, and were actually designed to fit in a human hand. Even as companies started to do away with all of that, phones were still exciting. They were innovating, and it wasn’t yet settled how smartphones would end up. Yet no matter how fondly we think back to some of our favorite phones from yesterday—they were not as good as we tell ourselves.

Consider it impeccable timing: just days after Alex Honnold pulled off another completely unhinged free-solo climbing feat, a video game arrives for anyone who watched that and thought, "I want to do that too, but preferably without the risk of death." That game is Cairn, and instead of a skyscraper, it gives you a mountain.

Cairn is the latest release from French developer The Game Bakers, and it may be the first survival climbing game of its kind. Rather than treating climbing as a fun co-op game or a quick gimmick, Cairn commits fully to the act itself, presenting a simulation-style ascent of the fictional Mount Kami, a peak no climber has ever successfully summited. That distinction doesn’t deter the game’s protagonist Aava, an experienced and well-known climber who takes on the mountain while also running from unresolved problems in her life.

If you’ve played Peak, the recent co-op climbing game built around chaotic teamwork and shared problem-solving, Cairn feels like its solitary opposite. Where Peak turns climbing into a social exercise defined by coordination, communication, and the occasional disastrous misstep, Cairn strips all of that away, leaving you alone with the rock, your stamina, and the consequences of every decision. It’s a quieter, more deliberate take on climbing.

For now, the narrative framing is secondary. What matters is the climb, and Cairn delivers one of the most compelling gameplay experiences I’ve had this year. Yes, it’s still January, but the highs I hit while playing Cairn on PlayStation 5 will be difficult to top in the months ahead.

To the top Credit: The Game Bakers

As mentioned at the beginning, Cairn is a survival climbing game where players control Aava one limb at a time as she ascends various cliff faces and rock walls on her way to the summit of Mount Kami. The mountain carries a grim reputation, littered with the remains of dead climbers and haunted by a mysterious population of mountain folk who were forced to abandon their homes and pursue life on the ground, or as they call it, the "horizontal world."

Beyond the meticulous climbing mechanics, Cairn also asks players to manage Aava’s basic survival needs, including thirst, hunger, and warmth. This means cooking and eating meals cobbled together from materials found on the mountain, sometimes scavenged from the gear left behind by less fortunate climbers, and drinking water sourced from springs, caves, and other pockets scattered across a centuries-old peak. This is the survival side of Cairn’s survival climbing, and it weaves directly into the climb itself.

While climbing is the clear focus, Cairn does have a story, albeit a sparse one. Aava spends most of the game alone, accompanied only by a climbing robot she’s had since childhood and stubbornly refuses to name. Along the way, she encounters a handful of other characters, the most notable being Marco, a younger and often mouthy climber who clearly idolizes Aava, a well-known figure in the climbing world.

Climbing Mount Kami is no small feat, and the game allows players to approach it in two primary ways. The first is free solo climbing, while the second is a more assisted method that makes use of ropes, pitons, and bolts. For the most part, you’ll end up using a mix of both approaches, largely because you have a limited number of pitons available for you to jam into cracks to create a secure handhold as you climb each face.

Credit: The Game Bakers

Players can climb almost anything, but the game subtly guides you through the cracks, crevices, and narrow ledges etched into the rock. You can place Aava’s hands and feet almost anywhere along a wall, but those cracks and small outcroppings offer the most reliable grip. A stamina system governs how long she can hold a position, as shown by the visible shaking of her arms and legs when she’s placed in a poor grip or an awkward body position. At the press of a button, Aava can take a brief rest to recover stamina, but you’re limited to doing this only twice per climb. Let any of her limbs tremble for too long and she’ll lose her grip and fall.

Depending on how you routed the ascent, that fall might stop at a piton with Aava dangling from a rope, or send her all the way back down to where you started, which can easily mean death. If you don't want to belay, safely securing Avaa to a piton with rope, stamina can be regained by situating her in chill, optimal positions and then waiting for her to calm back down. This is where I want to credit the sound design of the game, as you can tell when Avaa is better rested by the lack of deep breathes she takes before taking a deep sigh to signify she's ready to go again.

I fell 18 times in this one spot. Credit: The Game Bakers

When planning a route, you can press L1 on PlayStation 5 or Tab on PC to bring up a climb overview, giving you a sense of the potential paths upward. Pitons can be placed directly into the rock through a quick-time event that feels similar to hitting a perfect reload in Gears of War. Time it perfectly and the piton locks in securely. Miss the mark and it can break outright. Land somewhere in between and it becomes twisted in the rock. I didn’t see the full consequences of a poorly placed piton too often, but given how frequently you’ll fall, it’s clear you want those anchors as solid as possible.

This system creates a straightforward risk-reward equation: how much of the route can you realistically free solo before burning a piton. Early on, playing it safe feels like the obvious choice, but the higher you climb, the more apparent it becomes that the pitons you brought with you are all you’re getting. After completing climbs, Aava’s robot companion can recover pitons for reuse, but only if you’ve managed your route well enough to survive the ascent in the first place. Broken pitons recovered by the climbing bot can be used to create a new one — it's two broken pitons for one new piton, so it isn't a lose one, get one back situation. You start the game with six; after my eight hours in the game, I had four to use.

There are also some rock faces that are too dense to insert a piton, and for that, you need to use Troglodyte pitons, which are indestructible and can be planted on any rock. After placing a piton you can belay off them, which you can do to recover stamina, rope down to certain points, or even access your backpack if you need a quick bite or drink.

Resting up Dinner time. Credit: The Game Bakers

Cairn also features a day-and-night cycle, along with harsh weather conditions that can dramatically affect a climb. Heavy winds can knock Aava off balance mid-ascent, while rain reduces grip and makes even familiar routes more dangerous. These effects can be mitigated through food and drink that temporarily fortify Aava, preventing her meters from depleting, or by using chalk to improve hand grip. Chalk is thankfully abundant, as it can be replenished by recycling trash generated from consumed items or found scattered across the mountain. You hand that trash to Aava’s climbing robot, and after a short amount of in-game time, the chalk is ready to use.

After a long climb, resting becomes essential. Players can pitch a tent at designated save points scattered throughout the mountain. These camps let you cook food, craft new pitons, organize your backpack, and, most importantly, heal Aava’s fingers. Finger condition plays a crucial role in maintaining grip, and as you progress, her fingers will develop cracks and cuts that need to be bandaged individually.

Healing is a surprisingly mundane process, requiring you to slowly wrap each finger one at a time by rotating the right stick on your PlayStation controller. It’s tedious, sometimes frustratingly so, but it aligns with the game’s broader themes of sacrifice and endurance. Healing items are scarce, forcing hard choices. You can fully bandage every finger, or focus only on the worst injuries and push forward. It’s a neat system, even if it occasionally feels unnecessary.

Credit: The Game Bakers

Cooking, by contrast, is simple and intuitive. Aava uses a small pot, which first needs to be filled with water and heated before ingredients can be added. Flowers can be brewed into teas that provide various fortifications, while fish and other ingredients can be cooked into full meals. Each option restores thirst or hunger respectively, with the exception of soups which do both. Any water not stored in your flask can be carried in bottles in your backpack, which can be found throughout the map. Both bottles and flasks can be refilled at springs, ponds, and fountains scattered across the mountain as you work your way toward the summit.

When everything is set, you can continue to climb or take a break, which will fast-forward time to whenever you feel comfortable going again. I try my absolute best not to climb at night unless necessary, as it's hard to see, even with Avaa's staff light, and sleeping helps Avaa recover. If none of this appeals to you, though, there's a casual mode that makes the survival elements an afterthought. This mode turns off Cairn's survival elements such as hunger, gives Aava infinite climbing gear, and lets you rewind and try again after falling.

The climbing in Cairn is genuinely fun, a feeling that’s only amplified by how striking the game looks. Cairn’s art style sits somewhere between a graphic novel and a minimalist animated film. Characters and environments are rendered with clean lines, flattened shapes, and painterly textures, giving the world a hand-drawn, almost storybook quality. The color palette leans muted and earthy, with soft gradients and atmospheric lighting that emphasize altitude, cold, and isolation rather than raw spectacle.

The UI follows that same philosophy. Menus and overlays are deliberately stylized to feel tactile and diegetic, with rough-edged frames and sketched iconography that blend naturally into the world. Overall, the game’s visual identity reinforces its themes of solitude and endurance. The art never distracts from the climb; instead, it lends every moment a quiet, contemplative weight that builds as the journey continues.

Credit: The Game Bakers

That said, Cairn isn’t without technical rough edges, and some of its performance issues can pull you out of the experience, especially during climbs. There are moments where you fall into a genuine rhythm, carefully placing each limb and steadily working your way upward. The game automatically selects which of Aava’s four limbs to move, though you can override it manually. That system occasionally breaks immersion, with limbs awkwardly morphing through one another and creating strange, almost rubbery animations. As you get closer to the summit, things can get even messier, with environmental objects briefly glitching or wobbling in ways that feel unintentional. The game never crashed during my playthrough, but there were times it felt perilously close.

Beyond the main ascent, Cairn offers several side objectives discovered through letters and maps Aava finds along the way. These usually send you off to climb different sections of the mountain in search of toys, trinkets, or rare items, including specialized pitons. According to the developers, a typical run should take around 15 hours, closer to 18 if you’re aiming to see everything, and upwards of 30 hours if you tackle the hardcore free solo mode. I powered through the game in just over eight hours, which left me wondering what corners I may have cut to finish so much faster than intended.

There’s a subtle Metroidvania-like structure to how progression works. Instead of traditional upgrades or leveling systems, you unlock better gear organically as you climb, including indestructible pitons, expanded chalk capacity, and tools like a pinwheel that warns you of incoming wind. It’s a smart approach that makes progression feel earned through exploration rather than menu management, and it fits neatly into Cairn’s broader philosophy of learning the mountain as you ascend it.

Is Cairn worth it? Credit: The Game Bakers

The game’s title is a fitting reflection of its themes. A cairn, in the real world, is a stack of stones placed to mark a trail, commemorate the dead, or signal that someone has passed through before. In Cairn, the mountain is littered with similar reminders of those who attempted the climb and never returned, from abandoned gear to the stories left behind in notes and letters. Like a real cairn, these traces don’t offer comfort so much as context. They are quiet acknowledgments of effort, failure, and persistence, reinforcing the idea that every ascent is built on the attempts of those who came before, even if the summit remains unconquered.

Despite some rough edges, Cairn is absolutely worth playing if you’re drawn to games that value systems, atmosphere, and mechanical tension over constant spectacle. Its climbing mechanics are unlike anything else out right now, demanding patience, planning, and a willingness to accept failure as part of the experience. When everything clicks, Cairn delivers some of the most meditative and rewarding moments I’ve had in a game in years.

That said, this is not a game for everyone. The deliberate pacing, occasional technical hiccups, and hands-on survival mechanics will likely frustrate players looking for fast feedback loops or constant narrative momentum. The finger-bandaging, limited resources, and frequent falls can feel punishing, especially early on.

But for players willing to meet it on its own terms, Cairn offers a game that trusts you to learn through repetition and consequence, and one that finds beauty in exhaustion, solitude, and persistence. It’s imperfect, sometimes awkward, and occasionally janky, but it’s also thoughtful, ambitious, and deeply memorable.

Cairn is available today on PlayStation 5 and PC.

Excel handles numbers beautifully, but it's frustratingly picky about text. When you treat cells like a Word doc, like manually typing units or ignoring hidden spaces, you're onto a loser. Here's how to handle text in Excel without ruining your spreadsheet's logic.

Have you recently switched to Linux? Or are you one of the hardcore, anti-terminal users? I've seen plenty of loathing for the terminal these past few years, but I think it comes from a place of misunderstanding. New users view it as an insurmountable mountain of commands, but it's far simpler than that. If you're keen on moving forward, I have four key steps to guide you.

How often have you reacted to recent Windows feature updates with "who asked for this?" It seems like every time we learn about new and upcoming features for Windows, AI-based or not, that's a question we have to ask because it's far from obvious. It's something I've been thinking about recently, and I have some glimmer of a theory.

Privacy seems elusive in today's world, especially pertaining to our most sensitive information. If you watch porn, you probably want to shield yourself from prying eyes of advertisers, your internet service provider — or even your government.

As of November 2025, around half of the United States and several countries, including the UK and France, have enacted age-verification laws. Typically, these laws require visitors to sites containing explicit content to input personal data (like a government ID or facial scan) to access that material. To get around these laws, many people are using VPNs — if spikes in searches for them in areas that passed these laws are to be believed.

A VPN, or virtual private network,  masks your current location, and there are plenty available, free or paid, as apps or browser extensions. 

These networks are easy to use, but should you use a VPN to watch porn? The answer is complicated. 

SEE ALSO: The impact of age verification: VPN use doubles, porn traffic plummets

VPNs aren't "an anonymity cloak," said Yael Grauer, investigative tech reporter at Consumer Reports, despite what their marketing may say. The reality is, some scenarios are best suited for other web security tools — and it's actually possible that a VPN can weaken your safety.

How do VPNs work?

Rindala Alajaji, a legislative activist at the digital civil liberties nonprofit, Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), compares VPNs to a P.O. box. If you send a letter and put a P.O. box as the returning address, the recipient won't know exactly where it came from. Similarly, if you visit a website using a VPN, that website won't know exactly where you are.

VPNs are a privacy and security tool that protects you in three key ways according to Haych Li, former vice president at ExpressVPN. 

One is that VPNs encrypt your internet traffic and data. When this information is unencrypted, anyone in the chain between you and the destination (say, a porn site) can potentially see it. An example is the owner of a WiFi hotspot you use at a coffee shop. With a VPN, however, your traffic can't be seen by that intermediary. 

Secondly, VPNs encrypt DNS (Domain Name System) requests. Li compared DNS to a phonebook. A DNS request is like looking up a number in the phonebook — you're asking your computer to find something, like a website.

SEE ALSO: Tech-savvy travelers will geek out over this VPN router

The third tactic is that VPNs mask your IP address, which is a unique number connected to your device and linked to your location. Computers need IP addresses in order to communicate with each other and know "where" to send information. When using a VPN, you replace your actual IP address with the VPN's address.

"A VPN concentrates on hiding your real IP address," explained Chris Hauk, consumer privacy champion at online privacy blog Pixel Privacy, "while also encrypting your internet connection so third-parties can't easily track you simply by monitoring your connection.”

Is VPN safe for private browsing?

Know that any VPN won't make you totally anonymous. Sites can track you in ways besides your IP address. For example, a site's cookies (a file on your computer that tracks your activity) or other trackers will still be there even if you use a VPN, said Jon Callas, former director of technology projects at EFF.

Further, some VPN companies have reported to log their user traffic, a cybersecurity expert focused on data privacy for high-profile executives told Mashable. This is typically done by "free" VPNs that generate revenue by selling traffic data to targeted media companies. "Most higher-end, paid VPNs are safe and have a 'no logging' policy, which is vetted by third parties in some cases," the expert said.

Browser fingerprinting is yet another way you can be followed online. This method logs data like your browser, operating system, screen resolution, and language. 

Further, your browsing history will still exist if you use a VPN, Callas explained. If you paid for anything, the site has your payment information as well.

When choosing whether to use a VPN, ask yourself what you want to protect yourself from, said Grauer. This is to discern whether a VPN is actually the best option.

Here are two instances Grauer said they could be useful for porn viewing: 

• To bypass a firewall (say, on hotel WiFi that blocks porn sites)

• If you're worried about your ISP (internet service provider) seeing and potentially selling your data, as VPNs hide your info from your ISP

Grauer herself isn't concerned with the latter point. "There's a lot of people that look at porn," she said, "so personally, I don't feel the need to hide that I look at it…from my internet service provider."

What about snooping family or roommates? Clearing your browser history may be your best bet — or even investing in a screen filter so no one physically around you can see what you're browsing. Using an Incognito window, which doesn't log history, may help too, but keep in mind that sites can still track you.

If loved ones or your building management have access to your WiFi and are savvy enough, however, they can potentially access your data. In that case, a VPN could help, Li explained, as it reroutes your traffic. 

Callas agreed. "If the threat is 'I don't want my apartment building to know what porn I watch,' a VPN works," he said.

VPNs enable free speech in some areas as well, said Li. Should you live in a country where queer sex and thus queer porn is illegal, a VPN could mask your IP from the government. Grauer wouldn't rely on one in these severe instances, however, as VPNs can fail. She recommended people in these circumstances instead contact human rights organizations to figure out what security steps to take, as technology, laws, and government practices are ever-changing.

If the specific VPN you use doesn't have a "kill switch," which shuts off your internet connection if it's not working, then authorities — or whomever else — could potentially see your traffic. Check if your VPN has a kill switch either in the features rundown on the company's website, or in the VPN settings.

Is using a VPN illegal in the U.S.?

No, VPNs are legal in the U.S. and many other countries. This isn't the case everywhere, though. ExpressVPN has a list of countries where VPN use is illegal.

In Wisconsin and Michigan, however, bills have been introduced to ban VPNs. The children's commissioner for England said that VPNs were a "loophole" to the area's age-verification law that "needs closing."

In an EFF blog post about VPN bans, Alajaji wrote about Wisconsin's proposed demand to "block VPN users" from the state — and how that's technically impossible.

"The technology just doesn't work that way," she wrote. "Websites subject to this proposed law are left with this choice: either cease operation in Wisconsin, or block all VPN users, everywhere, just to avoid legal liability in the state."

Due to age-verification laws, Pornhub has ceased operation in 22 states as of this publication. Should VPNs become banned in Wisconsin or elsewhere, a similar domino effect could take place.

VPNs and age-verification laws

Different experts offer varying advice on whether to use VPNs when in a location with age-verification laws that require submitting personal data to view complying porn sites. (And none of this is legal advice.)

"As a cybersecurity professional, I will not help anyone, including a client, bypass the law," founder and CEO of Solace Truly Personal Cybersecurity, Paul Pioselli, told Mashable. "From a privacy perspective, however, I do encourage clients to understand the risks they face when visiting sensitive websites, including the trail of data that their Internet Service Provider, ad networks, and data brokers can collect about them."

"While using a VPN can help obscure an individual's location and improve privacy, no tool, including a VPN is a magic shield against the law," Pioselli continued. 

Data privacy expert and CEO of Privacy Bee, Harry Maugans, however, told Mashable that using a VPN is an option. In his view, the internet is supposed to be a free domain for people to go wherever they want and use it how they want to use it — and that these laws shouldn't exist.

"If people need to use a VPN to bypass a law that probably shouldn't be legal in the first place, I think more power to them," Maugans said. "They absolutely should."

Not all VPNs are made equal 

"Some [VPNs] are more trustworthy than others," said Grauer, who tested 16 VPNs along with her team in 2021. In its evaluation, Consumer Reports focused on characteristics like whether a VPN company conducted third-party security audits, and whether the company itself held customer information — as opposed to ease of use and cost. This takes into account what security experts look for in a platform.

Grauer found that most VPN companies fell short in terms of exorbitant ad claims (like that they provide "military-grade encryption," which isn't a real term or standard of protection) and poor privacy practices such as selling user data. A few, however, had truthful marketing and better policies like security checks by outside companies: IVPN, Mozilla VPN, and Mullvad VPN.

Hauk doesn't recommend free VPNs as they sometimes sell data, or even insert their own tracking cookies into a user's browser settings. If your goal is to stop your ISP from seeing and selling your data, a free VPN could do exactly what you're trying to prevent.

Each VPN is different, so when looking for one, check if and how they collect user data. 

What should you not use a VPN for?

"VPNs can be used as a security tool, a privacy tool, or in some niche cases such as an investigative report, obfuscating digital signature," the anonymous cybersecurity expert explained.

Here are some examples where a VPN isn't necessary, according to the expert:

• If an employer has a corporate VPN for individual use, a secondary VPN isn't needed.

• In your own home. "Some experts might disagree with this, but if the home has a secure network with no unknown devices, the VPN has little use as a security tool," the expert said. "However, if there are privacy concerns regarding what websites can see your IP address and general location, then using a VPN has [a] benefit."

Helpful privacy measures besides VPN

A VPN isn't the end-all of security; other tools could better help with various issues. 

If you're worried about advertising trackers on porn sites following you throughout the web, Grauer recommends a tracker blocker like Privacy Badger, created by EFF, or uBlock Origin.

Should you be concerned about malware, try one of the many malware removal and protection services on the market.

Another tool is a privacy-focused browser. Brave is Hauk's favorite, as it blocks third-party tracking cookies and ads by default and randomizes your fingerprint, along with similar protections.

Additionally, Hauk singled out the latest versions of Apple's Safari as it offers privacy and anti-tracking features alongside the introduction of macOS Monterey, like tracker blocking.

Opera also has excellent protections, said Hauk, like its own VPN. "Users should keep in mind though that the Opera VPN only protects the user's in-browser activity," he noted. "The rest of your online activity, such as from apps like P2P torrenting apps, is still left out in the open."

Grauer mentioned Google Chrome, as Google has a robust security team, though you need to specifically opt out of Google tracking your data.

So, should you use a VPN to watch porn?

Are you concerned about your internet service provider, housemates, or building manager accessing your data? Then yes — a VPN would help. Furthermore, if you're in a hotel or somewhere that has a firewall up for porn sites, a VPN can also circumvent that.

Remember, however, that not all VPNs are the same. Take a look at their fine print to see if they're going to collect or sell your data. If a privacy policy doesn't explicitly state that the company won't sell your data, that could be a red flag.

Read specific porn sites' terms of service and privacy policies to see how exactly they'll track you, too, Grauer said. According to Pornhub's privacy policy, for example, the site tracks IP addresses and sets cookies, which have the potential to collect information about your site usage. If your VPN works properly, your IP address will be hidden — but you'll need another tool to take care of the cookies.

Ultimately, a VPN won't make you invisible to porn sites nor others. There are, however, additional services like tracker blockers that can make your experience that much more private.

The best VPNs for watching porn: Best for most people ExpressVPN $3.85 per month Shop Now Best for value CyberGhost VPN $2.50 per month Shop Now Best for power users NordVPN $3.58 per month Shop Now

Learn more about the best VPNs for staying anonymous on the web.

Update: This article was originally published in 2022 and updated in November, 2025, amid the enaction of age-verification laws in the U.S. and other countries. It contains interviews from 2022 as well as 2025.

Alexander Skarsgård is hosting SNL this week, and according to the skit above the cast and crew love having the Pillion star around for one specific reason.

"He tall," says Kam Patterson, after Skarsgård helps him retrieve a football from the top of a camera. While the rest of the cast are enjoying shoulder rides, the also-tall Ben Marshall comes in to the room to offer his assistance — but is met with a very different response.

"Get lost, beanstalk!" screams Jeremy Culhane from atop Skarsgård's shoulders.

Maybe it helps to be tall and Alexander Skarsgård.

TL;DR: The Razer Orochi V2 wireless gaming mouse is down to just $32.99 at Amazon. That's 53% off its usual $69.99 list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Razer Razer Orochi V2 Mobile Wireless Gaming Mouse $32.99 at Razer
$69.99 Save $37.00 Get Deal

Razer’s long been a reliable go-to for gamers, and you can now grab a solid Razer gaming mouse for less than half price. 

As of Jan. 29, Amazon has dropped the price of the Razer Orochi V2 down to just $32.99. That's a steep 53% off its usual $69.99 list price. That’s not just a good deal; it’s one of the lowest prices we’ve seen on this sleek and gaming-ready peripheral (according to price tracker camelcamelcamel).

Mashable Deals Be the first to know! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Loading... Sign Me Up By signing up, you agree to receive recurring automated SMS marketing messages from Mashable Deals at the number provided. Msg and data rates may apply. Up to 2 messages/day. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help. Consent is not a condition of purchase. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Thanks for signing up!

Available in classic black, quartz pink, or white, the Orochi V2 offers an experience built for gamers who want flexibility without compromise. Weighing in at under 60 grams (excluding the battery), it’s ultra-lightweight and compact enough to toss into a backpack, making it a solid pick for laptop gamers or anyone who plays on the go. 

Despite the small size, its specs show that it packs serious performance thanks to Razer’s 5G Advanced 18K DPI optical sensor, which delivers fast, pixel-precise tracking for competitive play — making it perfect for shooters and MOBA games like Valorant, World of Warcraft, Counter-Strike 2, and League of Legends. 

That goes well with one of the Orochi V2’s other standout features: the battery life. This mouse lasts up to 950 hours with Bluetooth or up to 425 hours using Razer HyperSpeed Wireless. That means months of use on a single AA or AAA battery — no charging cable required. It also includes 2nd-gen Razer mechanical mouse switches, rated for up to 60 million clicks, so it’s designed to hold up over the long haul.

To complete your gaming setup with more Razer upgrades, the BlackShark V2 Pro wireless gaming headset is also down to its lowest-ever price on Amazon. If you’re willing to spend more on a high-quality pair of all-around headphones, the Sony XM6s are down to their lowest-ever price at Amazon.

Relax, I’m not saying The Pitt is unworthy in any way or that you should avoid it completely. I’m saying it makes for a more impactful, obsessive, and heightened watch if you let the season build so you can binge it. You want that full 15-hour effect—trust me.

Donald Trump is launching something called Trump Accounts, which will essentially gift $1,000 to babies born between 2025 and 2028, investing the money in tax free accounts that are only accessible when the children turn 18 — and The Daily Show has thoughts.

"I didn't expect this from Donald Trump," says host Desi Lydic in the clip above. "Mostly the part about where he says you can't touch something until it turns 18."

Lydic goes on to recap the launch event, which featured Nicki Minaj as a celebrity guest, admitting the accounts "aren't the worst idea that either Trump or Nicki has endorsed" before introducing a gameshow-style parody ad that makes "the bigger picture much more clear."

TL;DR: The Magic The Gathering Lorwyn Eclipsed Play Booster Box is down to $129.98 at Amazon. That's over $34 off its usual $164.70 list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Magic: The Gathering Magic: The Gathering Lorwyn Eclipsed Play Booster Box $128.98 at Amazon
$164.70 Save $35.72 Get Deal

Locking down a strong price on a brand new Magic: The Gathering release doesn't usually come easy, but that’s exactly what’s happening with Lorwyn Eclipsed. As of Jan. 29, Amazon has already dropped the Lorwyn Eclipsed Play Booster Box to $129.98, slashing more than $34 off its $164.70 list price and undercutting the original preorder deal by a wide margin.

Lorwyn Eclipsed revisits the iconic world of Lorwyn and Shadowmoor in a dual-aspect form, blending radiant high-fantasy aesthetics with darker, more chaotic magic. It’s both a nostalgic return for longtime players and a visually striking entry point for newer fans.

Mashable Deals Be the first to know! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Loading... Sign Me Up By signing up, you agree to receive recurring automated SMS marketing messages from Mashable Deals at the number provided. Msg and data rates may apply. Up to 2 messages/day. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help. Consent is not a condition of purchase. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Thanks for signing up!

Each Play Booster Box includes 30 Play Boosters, the ideal trading card packs for both Limited formats and casual openings. Every booster contains a guaranteed foil, with a chance at multiple rares per pack and a slim shot at premium borderless foil mythics for collectors chasing standout pulls.

This kind of structure makes these boxes great for Draft nights, Sealed play, or simply cracking packs with friends.

For Magic: The Gathering players curious about the Avatar The Last Airbender expansion, you can buy the Beginner Box for $24.99. If you’re catching up on some of the other expansions that have come out lately, the Final Fantasy crossover booster packs are on sale for $8.99 each.

In my role as a writer and editor, I work with images, screenshots, and screen recordings every single workday. They’re not an occasional task or something I fire up once a month. They’re part of how I research, explain, and communicate ideas. When capture tools slow me down or add friction, it shows up immediately in my workflow.

Wondering how to watch college basketball this season? Here are your best options: Best for regular season FuboTV 7-day trial, then $84.99/month Get Deal Best for affordability Sling TV Orange + Blue $23/month for your first month, then $45.99/month Get Deal Best for top weekend games Paramount+ with Showtime $13.99/month or $139.99/year Get Deal Best for Big Ten games Peacock Premium $10.99/month Get Deal Best for small school fans ESPN+ $29.99/month Get Deal

The 2025-26 men’s college basketball season is now well underway. The season's action began last November and will run until March, after which we get a 68-team single elimination tournament to determine the NCAA Division I national champion. That tournament culminates in the 2026 Final Four, the semi finals and championship games, held at Lucas Oil Stadium on April 4 and 6 in Indianapolis.

In other words, that's a whole lotta college basketball. More than 5,000 games are played per season — in fact, it's closer to 6,000 — with each team playing 31 games in the regular season. And that number is set to increase in 2026-27.

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The University of Florida is the defending men’s college basketball national champion. The Florida Gators won the title in last year's San Antonio Final Four, clinching their third title overall and beating off competition from the Houston Cougars. Current favorites to win the 2026 national title include Michigan, Arizona, and UConn.

All of which means there's a near-endless amount of college basketball to watch this season. You just need to know how and where to watch your favorite teams.

Can I watch college basketball games without cable?

Yes, you can watch college basketball games without cable. For many games, if you can’t be there in person, the only way to watch is via online live streaming services. 

Some of the exclusive streaming services are ACC Network Extra, B1G+, ESPN+, FloHoops, Peacock, and SEC Network+. Even for those games on traditional TV channels, there are plenty of options to watch without cable or satellite TV. 

There are two main alternatives to cable or satellite TV. One option is cable replacement, such as FuboTV or Sling. They offer a variety of channels, but they will cost you. Another option is to get a streaming service connected to a specific TV network. Those are cheaper, but they also have fewer channels.

What channels are college basketball games on?

Knowing what channels broadcast your favorite team will help you decide what streaming services to select. Broadcast contracts are based on the home team, so we've put together a list of the TV networks with contracts connected to each conference. 

Here is a list of each conference and the channels and streaming services that will air games for each conference in 2025-26:

• America East — ESPN+

• American Athletic Conference (AAC) — CBS, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN+

• Atlantic 10 (A10) — CBS Sports Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, ESPN+, MASN, USA Network

• Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) — ACC Network, ACC Network Extra, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, ESPN+, The CW

• Atlantic Sun — ESPN+

• Big 12 — CBS, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN+, Fox, FS1, Longhorn Network

• Big East — CBS, CBS Sports Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, Fox, FS1, FS2

• Big Sky — CBS Sports Network, ESPNU, ESPN+, 

• Big Ten — Big Ten Network, B1G+, CBS, Fox, FS1, Peacock

• Big West — ESPN+, Spectrum Sports

• Colonial Athletic (CAA) — CBS Sports Network, FloHoops, MSG, NBC Sports Philadelphia, SNY

• Conference USA (CUSA) — CBS Sports Network, ESPNU, ESPN+

• Horizon — ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN+

• Ivy League — ESPN+ 

• Metro Atlantic Athletic (MAAC) — ESPNU, ESPN+ 

• Mid-American Conference (MAC) — CBS Sports Network, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN+

• Mid-Eastern (MEAC) — No intra-conference national TV games

• Missouri Valley — CBS Sports Network, ESPN+

• Mountain West (MW) — CBS, CBS Sports Network, Fox, FS1, NBC Sports Bay Area

• Northeast (NEC) — YES 

• Ohio Valley (OVC) — ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN+ 

• Pac-12 Conference — CBS, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN+, Fox, FS1, Pac-12 Network

• Patriot League — CBS Sports Network, ESPN+

• Southeastern Conference (SEC) — CBS, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN+, SEC Network, SECN+

• Southern (SoCon) — ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN+ 

• Southland — ESPN+

• Southwestern Athletic (SWAC) — ESPNU, ESPN+

• Summit League — CBS Sports Network 

• Sun Belt Conference (SBC) — ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN+

• West Coast (WCC) — CBS Sports Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN+

• Western Athletic (WAC) — ESPNU, ESPN+

In-season tournaments can make separate deals with TV networks. So for your favorite team, its road games and tournament games may appear on different networks than listed here. 

What are the best streaming services for college basketball?

The channels needed to comprehensively watch college basketball during the 2025-26 season are ACC Network, Big Ten Network, CBS, CBS Sports Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, Fox, FS1, FS2, Longhorn Network, MASN, MSG, NBC Sports Bay Area, NBC Sports Philadelphia, Pac-12 Network, SEC Network, SNY, Spectrum, The CW, USA Network, and YES. 

Additionally, you may want to consider streaming-only services like ACC Network Extra, B1G+, ESPN+, FloHoops, Peacock, and SEC Network+. Then for the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, you’ll also need TNT, TBS, and TruTV. 

If you have all those options, you can watch nearly every game this season, but there are not enough hours in the day to watch every game of every basketball team this season. Here’s some help to select the best streaming services to see the teams and leagues you’ll watch the most. 

Most complete coverage: FuboTV Opens in a new window Credit: FuboTV FuboTV   Get Deal

FuboTV will be a great option for the college basketball regular season. Its Pro plan at $84.99 per month will give you access to hundreds of college basketball games. There is also a seven-day free trial. 

If you’re a fan of teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference, you’ll want to upgrade to the Elite plan to get the ACC Network. The Elite plan is $104.99 per month. 

The biggest channels missing from the FuboTV lineup are TBS, TNT, and truTV. Those carry a large chunk of games during the NCAA Tournament, and the 2026 Final Four and national championship game are scheduled to be broadcast on TBS. To get those games, you’ll need to go elsewhere such as the B/R Sports add-on with Max. 

FuboTV Pro plan channels: CBS, FOX, Big Ten Network, CBSSN, ESPN, ESPN2, FS1, FS2, MSG, NBC Sports Bay Area, NBC Sports Philadelphia, Pac-12 Network, SEC Network, and USA Network. 

FuboTV Elite plan channels: CBS, FOX, Big Ten Network, CBSSN, ESPN, ESPN2, FS1, FS2, MSG, NBC Sports Bay Area, NBC Sports Philadelphia, Pac-12 Network, SEC Network, and USA Network. Plus, ACC Network, ESPNU, and ESPNEWS. 

Channels unavailable through FuboTV: Longhorn Network, MASN, SNY, Spectrum, TBS, TNT, truTV, The CW, and YES.

Most affordable cable replacement: Sling TV Orange + Blue Opens in a new window Credit: Sling TV Sling TV Orange + Blue   Get Deal

If you’re a casual college basketball fan, an option like Sling may be a good fit for you. With the Sling Orange plan, you get ESPN, ESPN2, TBS, and TNT for $45.99 per month (with an introductory deal of 50% off for the first month). 

You may want to increase your Sling tier if there are specific teams or leagues that you’re passionate about watching. The biggest channel that you can’t get through Sling is CBS, so you may need to look to Paramount+ to supplement this to catch all those games. 

Sling Orange plan channels: ESPN, ESPN2, TBS, and TNT. 

Sling Orange & Blue plan channels: ESPN, ESPN2, TBS, and TNT. Plus, FS1, truTV, USA Network, and Fox (in select markets). 

FOX is available on Sling TV in select markets. Those include Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Detroit, Gainesville, Houston, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, New York, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Francisco, Seattle, Tampa, and Washington, D.C. 

Sling Orange & Blue + Sports Extra plan: Fox (in select markets), ESPN, ESPN2, FS1, TBS, TNT, truTV, and USA Network. Plus, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, FS2, Longhorn Network, Pac-12 Network, and SEC Network. 

There are other options through Sling with different price points for just the Blue plan or the Sports Extra package added to either just the Orange plan or just the Blue plan. 

Channels unavailable through Sling: CBS, CBS Sports Network, MASN, MSG, NBC Sports Bay Area, NBC Sports Philadelphia, SNY, Spectrum, The CW, and YES.

Best for CBS broadcasts: Paramount+ with Showtime Opens in a new window Credit: Paramount+ Paramount+ with Showtime   Get Deal

CBS mainly shows college basketball games on the weekends, so if you’re mainly a weekend viewer until March, this would work for you.

Paramount+ gives you a seven-day free trial. To live stream CBS on Paramount+, you need the Paramount+ with Showtime tier, and that is $12.99 per month. You can also choose the annual plan at $119.99 per year, and you save about $3 per month. 

Paramount+ also gives students a 25% discount. 

CBS Sports Network games are not available to live stream through Paramount+

Best for exclusive Big Ten games: Peacock Premium Opens in a new window Credit: Peacock Peacock Premium   Get Deal

The Big Ten Conference will have games exclusively on Peacock this season, so to catch all those conference contests, you’ll need Peacock.

Members of the Big Ten Conference in 2025-26 include Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, Purdue, Rutgers, UCLA, USC, and Wisconsin.

There are 58 Big Ten men’s basketball games scheduled to be broadcast exclusively on Peacock. Peacock Premium costs $10.99 per month or $109.99 per year.

Best for small school fans: ESPN+ Opens in a new window Credit: ESPN+ ESPN+   Get Deal

If your favorite team plays in the America East, Atlantic Sun, Ivy League, or Southland conference, then ESPN+ is the only way to watch those teams without going to the games. For many other leagues that don’t have many games on traditional TV channels, ESPN+ is the primary way to watch games.

The ESPN Select tier (for classic content, studio shows, and replays) is priced at $12.99 per month or $129.99 per year. ESPN Unlimited (all ESPN live channels and ESPN+ content) costs $29.99 per month or $299.99 per year.

Best channel selection: YouTube TV Opens in a new window Credit: YouTube TV YouTube TV   Get Deal

YouTube TV offers a 7-day free trial. It is then $59.99 per month for the first two months. That will get you most of the way through the 2025-26 college basketball season. After the introductory rate, the rate is $82.99 per month starting in the third month. 

YouTubeTV Base Plan channels: CBS, FOX, ACCN, Big Ten Network, CBSSN, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, FS1, FS2, SEC Network, TBS, TNT, truTV, The CW, and USA Network.

Channels unavailable through YouTube TV: Longhorn Network, MASN, MSG, NBC Sports Bay Area, NBC Sports Philadelphia, Pac-12 Network, SNY, Spectrum, and YES.

The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult to solve if you love painting your face.

Connections is the one of the most popular New York Times word games that's captured the public's attention. The game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for today's Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections?

The NYT's latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications' Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

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Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

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Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

SEE ALSO: NYT Pips hints, answers for January 29, 2026 Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: Face paint

• Green: A popular children's story

• Blue: Dishes

• Purple: Savage

Here are today's Connections categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: Makeup

• Green: Featured in Goldilocks and the Three Bears

• Blue: Ending with drinking vessels

• Purple: Homophones of words meaning "Brutal"

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections #963 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Makeup: BRONZER, FOUNDATION, LINER, STAIN

• Featured in Goldilocks and the Three Bears: BEAR, BED, GOLDILOCKS, PORRIDGE

• Ending with drinking vessels: FIBERGLASS, SILVERSTEIN, SMUG, STUMBLER

• Homophones of words meaning "Brutal": GOREY, GRIMM, GRIZZLY, SCARRY

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for January 29, 2026

Are you also playing NYT Strands? Get all the Strands hints you need for today's puzzle.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Connections.

Today's NYT Strands hints are easy if you're popular.

Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game, requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There's always a theme linking every solution, along with the "spangram," a special, word or phrase that sums up that day's theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable

By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.

If you're feeling stuck or just don't have 10 or more minutes to figure out today's puzzle, we've got all the NYT Strands hints for today's puzzle you need to progress at your preferred pace.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for January 29, 2026 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for January 29, 2026 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Talk of the town

The words are related to popularity.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words describe well-known people.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is vertical.

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is Claim to Fame.

NYT Strands word list for January 29

• Hero

• Personality

• Celebrity

• Claim to Fame

• Superstar

• Icon

Looking for other daily online games? Mashable's Games page has more hints, and if you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now!

Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Strands.

Today's Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you have dry skin.

If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for January 29, 2026 Where did Wordle come from?

Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once. 

Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.

What's the best Wordle starting word?

The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.

What happened to the Wordle archive?

The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.

Is Wordle getting harder?

It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn't any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle's Hard Mode if you're after more of a challenge, though.

SEE ALSO: NYT Pips hints, answers for January 29, 2026 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

Peeling.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

There are no recurring letters.

Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with...

Today's Wordle starts with the letter F.

SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. The Wordle answer today is...

Get your last guesses in now, because it's your final chance to solve today's Wordle before we reveal the solution.

Drumroll please!

The solution to today's Wordle is...

FLAKY

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for January 29, 2026

Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Wordle.

Welcome to your guide to Pips, the latest game in the New York Times catalogue.

Released in August 2025, the Pips puts a unique spin on dominoes, creating a fun single-player experience that could become your next daily gaming habit.

Currently, if you're stuck, the game only offers to reveal the entire puzzle, forcing you to move onto the next difficulty level and start over. However, we have you covered! Below are piecemeal answers that will serve as hints so that you can find your way through each difficulty level.

How to play Pips

If you've ever played dominoes, you'll have a passing familiarity for how Pips is played. As we've shared in our previous hints stories for Pips, the tiles, like dominoes, are placed vertically or horizontally and connect with each other. The main difference between a traditional game of dominoes and Pips is the color-coded conditions you have to address. The touching tiles don't necessarily have to match.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for January 29, 2026

The conditions you have to meet are specific to the color-coded spaces. For example, if it provides a single number, every side of a tile in that space must add up to the number provided. It is possible – and common – for only half a tile to be within a color-coded space.

Here are common examples you'll run into across the difficulty levels:

• Number: All the pips in this space must add up to the number.

• Equal: Every domino half in this space must be the same number of pips.

• Not Equal: Every domino half in this space must have a completely different number of pips.

• Less than: Every domino half in this space must add up to less than the number.

• Greater than: Every domino half in this space must add up to more than the number.

If an area does not have any color coding, it means there are no conditions on the portions of dominoes within those spaces.

SEE ALSO: NYT Strands hints, answers for January 29, 2026 Easy difficulty hints, answers for Jan. 29 Pips

Greater Than (3): Everything in this space must be greater than 3. The answer is 4-2, placed horizontally.

Number (8): Everything in this space must add up to 8. The answer is 0-6, placed horizontally; 3-3, placed horizontally; 0-5, placed horizontally.

Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 1-1, placed vertically; 0-5, placed horizontally.

Greater Than (5): Everything in this space must be greater than 5. The answer is 0-6, placed horizontally.

Medium difficulty hints, answers for Jan. 29 Pips

Number (8): Everything in this purple space must add up to 8. The answer is 2-6, placed vertically.

Number (8): Everything in this red space must add up to 8. The answer is 5-4, placed vertically; 3-6, placed horizontally.

Number (8): Everything in this light blue space must add up to 8. The answer is 3-6, placed horizontally; 2-0, placed vertically.

Number (8): Everything in this yellow space must add up to 8. The answer is 6-1, placed vertically; 1-4, placed horizontally.

Number (8): Everything in this dark blue space must add up to 8. The answer is 4-0, placed horizontally; 1-4, placed horizontally.

Equal (0): Everything in this space must be equal to 0. The answer is 4-0, placed horizontally; 2-0, placed vertically.

Hard difficulty hints, answers for Jan. 29 Pips

Equal (4): Everything in this space must be equal to 4. The answer is 4-4, placed horizontally; 4-3, placed vertically.

Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 4-3, placed vertically.

Equal (2): Everything in this light blue space must be equal to 2. The answer is 2-6, placed vertically; 2-2, placed vertically; 2-1, placed vertically.

Equal (1): Everything in this green space must be equal to 1. The answer is 0-1, placed vertically; 2-1, placed vertically; 1-1, placed vertically.

Number (3): Everything in this purple space must add up to 3. The answer is 3-2, placed vertically.

Equal (5): Everything in this yellow space must be equal to 5. The answer is 6-5, placed vertically; 5-5, placed horizontally; 5-3, placed vertically.

Number (10): Everything in this space must add up to 10. The answer is 2-6, placed vertically; 4-1, placed vertically.

Number (3): Everything in this red space must add up to 3. The answer is 5-3, placed vertically.

Number (1): Everything in this space must add up to 1. The answer is 4-1, placed vertically.

Number (5): Everything in this yellow space must add up to 5. The answer is 5-0, placed horizontally.

Equal (0): Everything in this dark blue space must be equal to 0. The answer is 5-0, placed horizontally; 0-4, placed vertically; 0-0, placed horizontally.

Equal (4): Everything in this space must be equal to 4. The answer is 0-4, placed vertically; 4-5, placed vertically.

Number (5): Everything in this purple space must add up to 5. The answer is 4-5, placed vertically.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.