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Oh hey there! If you're here, it must be time for Wordle. As always, we're serving up our daily hints and tips to help you figure out today's answer.

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 August 20, 2025 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 August 20 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

A wooled South American animal.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

The letter L appears twice.

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

Today's Wordle starts with the letter L.

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...

LLAMA.

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 August 4

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.

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 August 20 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: Dual-colored

• Green: Two sticks

• Blue: Things that spin

• Purple: Rounded things

Featured Video For You Connections: How to play and how to win Here are today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: Black-and-white things

• Green: Pairs of rods

• Blue: Things that rotate about a vertical axis

• Purple: Rods that curve at one end

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 #802 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Black-and-white things: DOMINO, PIANO KEYS, YIN-YANG SYMBOL, ZEBRA

• Pairs of rods: CHOPSTICKS, CLAVES, KNITTING NEEDLES, SKI POLES

• Things that rotate about a vertical axis: BARBER POLE, CAROUSEL, CEILING FAN, LAZY SUSAN

• Rods that curve at one end: CANDY CANE, CROCHET HOOK, CROOK, CROWBAR

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 Strands hints, answers for August 20, 2025

Are you also playing NYT Strands?

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.

Finding out how to recycle any given item is a shifty inquiry that even Google's AI Overview has trouble pinning down. And then, half the time, we're questioning where the stuff we toss in the recycling bin actually goes. (To a legitimate recycling plant? To the ocean? Hell?) Food waste has a much clearer — and much more dire — fate. We know for sure that's going to the landfill.

SEE ALSO: The best 'buy it for life' products, backed by Mashable reporters and editors

To be fair, there aren't a ton of feasible ways to "recycle" food. Composting is an option, of course, but true outdoor composting takes months, requires yard space, and involves worms. Over the past few years, composting has made a pretty revolutionary move indoors. Electric countertop composters like the Vitamix FoodCycler and Lomi consolidated the composting process to an appliance that doesn't hog much more counter space than a toaster oven.

Despite these advances in convenience and simplicity — two major factors necessary to make the average person consider taking the time to separating food scraps in their kitchen — this approach to countertop composting poses a recurring pickle: what to do with that material once it's made. Mill fills the gap.

The new version of the Mill kitchen bin has legit buttons now, with the same wooden lid. Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable

After two years with a Mill kitchen bin and many boxes of food grounds sent back, I was recently alerted about a big Mill milestone: I've officially diverted 500 pounds of food from landfills. Those tangible updates about the impact I'm making are such a big part of why Mill is easily my favorite appliance that I've tested for Mashable — and I've tested the Ninja Slushi, so that's saying something. I gush about Mill to people in my real life, and I'm about to put it all in writing here.

How does Mill work?

Mill is a large electric indoor food recycling bin that sits on the floor like a trash can instead of on the counter. Like an in-home composter, it's a less-smelly place than the trash to throw plate scrapings, forgotten fridge leftovers, old pet food, and the butt of the bread that everyone keeps bypassing. Unlike composting, Mill technically isn't conducting decomposition or creating a nutrient-rich substance that can be added to soil. Rather, Mill dries your scraps into dehydrated grounds that look and feel similar to dirt — literally your food without the moisture content — in just a few hours.

But with those basics covered, Mill really starts to pull away from the competition. The most obvious physical difference is that Mill sits on the floor rather than the countertop and is basically like having another full-sized trash can that makes compost in your kitchen. I love that opening the lid just involves a presser foot and doesn't require a free hand.

Instead of waiting on you to press a button when the bucket is full like its countertop competitors, Mill automatically starts dehydrating and churning at the same time every day. I chose 10 p.m. to try to ensure that everyone in my household was done eating and snacking for the night. A light on the lid appears when Mill is running.

Oh, to be a cat basking in the faint glow of the Mill bin. Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable Same cat, new Mill bin. Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable

I actually don't know exactly how long Mill runs overnight, but it's always done by the time I'm up for work the next morning. It's also so much quieter than I expected (given the Lomi's haunted house-esque creaking), producing a low whir that you can barely hear even when standing right beside it.

Since writing my original review in 2023, I've received the latest generation of the Mill bin. The new version remedies every minuscule note I had about the first one, and other customers apparently had the same thoughts. It's even quieter than before, and if you need to put something in after the bin is locked, you don't have to press and hold a button anymore — you can literally just use the presser foot as you normally would. The exterior design and stirring paddles inside the bucket are also slightly different.

Mill takes almost any food scrap, including meat and dairy

Mill is super versatile in the variety of food you can put in it — it's not nearly as limited as a traditional compost pile. Almost any food product can be thrown into Mill, excluding common-sense stuff like large animal bones or excessive liquids. It's actually super easy to remember, but you can get a quick refresher by glancing at the magnet that Mill sends with your bin. Being forced to glance at the magnet every time we open the fridge really helps to normalize separating food scraps in my apartment's kitchen routine. Scraping our plates into Mill is a reflex, just like the automatic reflex to throw a metal can into the recycling bin instead of the trash.

A typical day with Mill: Egg shells, old fridge leftovers, stale goldfish, and an apple core. Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable

Mill has also made keeping the kitchen smelling fresh so much easier. We don't have a garbage disposal in the sink, so all of our soggy food remnants collect in a sink catcher, which I always dump directly into Mill instead of the trash. There, it doesn't start to stink. Same goes with cleaning out the fridge — any time I uncover old pizza or an old takeout box that's been pushed to the back, I can just toss it in Mill. To my surprise, pet food also gets the green light in Mill. My cats randomly turn their nose up at certain flavors and leave food in their bowls constantly, and I really needed an alternative to trashing it. Because if you think wet cat food reeks right out of the can, imagine how it smells after chilling in a trash can for two days.

Seeing the Mill magnet every time we open the fridge helps to internalize the general list of compostable items. Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable Being able to search super specific items in the app is way easier than Googling. Credit: Screenshot: Mill

I remember my days of saving food scraps in a bag in my freezer to drop off at my local food scrap collection location in Brooklyn. Having to follow so many rules was a pain in the ass. "No meat, no dairy or cheese, no fats or oils, no cooked foods." OK, so do you have to completely trash a salad if it has a few drops of dressing on it? Are roasted vegetables fine or not? Are you not even going to mention grains? Also, nobody knows what the hell carbon-rich or nitrogen-rich materials are. Explain it to me like I'm 5.

Mill's limitations are nothing like that. Most of the "no" section is composed of non-food items that seem like common sense. Some items are only OK on a case-by-case basis. If there's confusion about whether something specific can or can't go in, it's almost guaranteed to be listed in the Mill app, where you can type in just about anything and get a solid yes or no answer.

SEE ALSO: NASA's carbon tracking satellites are on Trump's chopping block

The two most surprising things that can't go in Mill are compostable plastics and plant clippings, such as fallen houseplant leaves and yard scraps.

At the end of the day, the fact that Mill's list of accepted food items is much heavier on the "yes" side than the "no" side makes it much easier to remember to use it over the trash can in the first place, especially for the people in the household who aren't the hardcore eco-friendly ones.

Shipping food grounds back is truly painless

Mill proves how much it really is consolidating your footprint by how infrequently you need to deal with the bin — it takes about a month to fill completely. Once the grounds weigh nine pounds and hit the green line inside, the app gives a heads up that it's time to empty.

From there, your only job is to pack your milled results into one of the pre-labeled packages that should have arrived in a separate delivery. You'll also receive plant-based box liners that look like giant Ziploc bags to stick in the box, which you'll want to open as wide as possible. Then, just use the handle to lift the metal bin out of the Mill and dump it into the liner. It is a little heavy sometimes, but it only takes a few seconds. I use a butter knife to scrape off any crusty stuff.

The Mill bin is removable with handles for easy dumping into the box. Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable The bag zips, so any smell will be sealed while you wait to add a second batch. Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable

The shipping box can technically hold a few full batches, and Mill encourages you not to send incomplete boxes back. I literally just keep half-full boxes in a closet until the next batch is ready — the grounds don't smell bad at all and are zipped safely inside the liner.

You can then drop your package off at the post office or schedule a USPS pickup — it's just as easy as mailing back a return or shipping a Depop package. After that, your scraps are Mill's problem, and you're free to start filling the bin all over again. You'll get an email when Mill receives your shipment, as well as some numbers calculating the environmental impacts of that singular pickup. It's always cool to get tangible intel about my Mill shipments after I ship them.

Credit: Screenshot: Mill Credit: Screenshot: Mill Traditional compost feeds soil. Mill Food Grounds feed chickens.

The way that Mill processes your scraps on demand is so cool and so much more convenient than any other at-home composting solution. But that's hardly Mill's sole unprecedented flex: If you do choose to go the Mill pickup route with your food grounds, Mill is so dedicated to recycling food that it puts your food waste directly back into the life cycle — into the belly of a chicken, actually.

The beef that any average Earth enjoyer has with the beef industry is spotlighted by countless documentaries and Impossible Whopper commercials. While cow farming is by far the biggest agricultural hazard for the climate, it's not the only livestock practice with a hefty carbon footprint. A study about chicken and salmon farming published by Current Biology in February 2023 asserts that much of the emission — as much as 55 percent — associated with poultry farming comes from feeding them.

SEE ALSO: Will the future forget about meat?

Factory-farmed chicken feed largely comes from grain and soya. Growing either requires mass amounts of land (often gained through deforestation) and water. The boom of demand for soybean products (ironically, the main base ingredient in a lot of plant-based meat) from humans and now chickens, apparently, is an increasing area of concern on top of the demand for the meat itself.

The dried food dirt that Mill creates actually retains most of its nutritional value, and Mill founders realized that the milled results would actually work great as a base ingredient for chicken feed. As of February 2024, Mill even has a commercial feed license in Washington, where it can now distribute its upcycled chicken food to residents of the state.

So, by rerouting your Mill grounds into the hands of small farmers as an ingredient for their chicken feed, Mill's closed-loop service can be thought of as an added measure of sustainability on top of the food scraps it diverts from landfills.

How much does Mill cost?

There are two separate payment options for bringing Mill home: Buy it for a flat fee of $999.99 or try it temporarily first by renting it for $35 per month. If you'd like to send your finished food grounds back to Mill, the Mill pickup plan is an extra charge of $16 per month (or $192 billed annually plus tax, on top of your buying or renting charge). There's a buyout program if you do end up wanting to keep Mill.

A 12-month commitment is required with the rental plan. That comes with some perks, like an ongoing warranty and charcoal filter replacements throughout the year. I actually did have to replace my bin about a year ago, and it was a super seamless process. My original bin's scale sensor broke after (I think) I slammed the bucket back into the bin too hard. I just emailed customer service, got to talk to a real person (not a clanker), and we arranged for the latest generation of the Mill bin to be shipped to me while I ship the old one back. The new one arrived within days, and the hardest part was literally just getting these 50-pound bins to and from the lobby of my building.

SEE ALSO: The world's first robotic vertical farm resembles a Rubik's Cube

Here's how the costs shake out: Renting Mill for $35 per month ends up costing $420 for a year, so paying the flat $999.99 to own your Mill is more cost-efficient after a little over two years. If you need Mill to deal with your food grounds for you (like I do), factoring in a Mill pickup subscription adds nearly $200 to your annual bill. Renting Mill for a year costs just over a dollar a day, while straight-up buying Mill costs almost $3 per day for the first year — that obviously tapers off eventually since it's not a recurring cost.

No, the loophole you're thinking of won't work, either. You can't simply stop paying for the service while keeping the bin for free. Rental cancellation is only effective once Mill has received your returned bin, which you'll have 30 days to send back after requesting to cancel.

Mill vs. Lomi and Reencle: Cost is the main disadvantage

Having Mill in my kitchen has been such a positive, hands-off experience that it hasn't really sparked any noteworthy complaints. But it's still the most expensive at-home food recycling machine and/or composter. The whole "dollar a day thing" adds up quickly, especially when you consider that a single year of using Mill is more expensive than the full one-time purchase of an indoor countertop composter.

So if you're interested in composting inside your home but aren't yet set on the specific machine, your main options aside from Mill are countertop composters like the Lomi, Reencle, or Vitamix FoodCycler. They operate similarly in that they still do the composting inside your home within a matter of hours — they just hold a much smaller capacity and take up counter space instead of floor space. These three go for around $400 to $600 at full price, maybe dropping by $100 or so when on sale. Most home composters do require the purchase of filter and pod replacements every few months.

SEE ALSO: The Suri recyclable electric toothbrush is my favorite eco-friendly self-care swap

This isn't to say that I don't understand why Mill costs a bit more. It's a much more elevated service than what competitors can provide, and you're paying for the experts to deal with your finished grounds rather than having to figure out what to do with it. But I'd be remiss not to put it into perspective, especially with steady inflation making us more closely consider what's a necessity and what's not.

Countertop composters are also kind of a miss if you don't have a garden. They otherwise suggest putting that finished compost in the green bin. You mean, the green bin and curbside composting system that a ton of towns don't have? Suggesting taking them to a local compost drop-off location kind of defeats the purpose of having a machine to do the composting at home.

Putting a number on Mill's environmental benefits

In a perfect world, a sleek, advanced system like Mill would be as standard in a home as curbside garbage collection is. Some places in the U.S. are kind of making strides: States like California and Vermont do have statewide mandatory compost laws in place. Cities like San Francisco, Portland, and New York City have similarly made composting mandatory for residents. But until composting is genuinely accessible to everyone, recycling food at home with something like Mill is still so impactful — even if you're the only person you know who has one.

SEE ALSO: U.S. government climate website axes staff, may shut down

In case you're blissfully unaware of just how detrimental our food waste habit really is, let's get into it quickly. It's estimated that the average American household wastes almost a third of the food it acquires each year, and that's obviously not counting the contributions of food waste from businesses like restaurants.

When food rots, it produces methane: a gas that’s 80 times more potent than CO2 over a 20-year period after reaching the atmosphere. The combination of households, restaurants, and more creates 170 million metric tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions — equivalent to the exhaust 37 million cars would create.

This is a statistic that Mill is aiming to shrink. According to my app, it's estimated that the Mill community has collectively diverted 11 million pounds of food waste from landfills to date. (That's about a half-ton of greenhouse gas emissions at the single household level per year, on average.) Mill tells me that, over the past two-ish years, I've personally fed 64 chickens and kept over 425 kg of CO2e from being emitted into the atmosphere. Just think of the impact that could be had if Mill achieves its ultimate goal of expanding to the business level.

Is the Mill bin worth it?

Yes, Mill is absolutely worth it — considering I quite literally spent my own money to purchase the free test unit I was sent to keep using Mill after I was done testing it. It's truly in a league of its own in the way that it's currently the only at-home option on the market that offers to repurpose your food scraps for you, and is the only at-home food recycling option with a "no garden, no problem" solution.

Having Mill in my kitchen has made cleaning out my fridge so much less of a daunting task, though I'm not having to get rid of old food as often as I once was — because Mill just has an inherent way of making me more mindful about how I go through food in general. (A recent survey of other Mill users found that other people have had the same brain blast.)

And though the idea of it may sound like a big to-do, Mill is ridiculously straightforward and easy to use. It's like an extra 13-gallon trash can in your kitchen that takes itself out. As a dedicated compost girlie over the past five years, I've done my time with the humble stainless steel countertop food scrap bin. I was in the trenches with those stenches for way too long. You can imagine how thankful I am that Mill is the way I get to do this now.

Mill simultaneously stirs hope and frustration because it shows just how easy it could and should be to not send every unwanted crumb from your kitchen to the landfill. Seriously, imagine if having a sustainable waste system like this at home was as normalized and accessible as trashing everything is. To me, it posed the daydream situation of how quickly America could turn its food waste shit show around if composting (or a composting-adjacent approach, like Mill's) was funded on the micro level, rather than shifting the responsibility to the average person and whether or not they can figure out a convenient composting solution on their own dime.

Opens in a new window Credit: Mill Mill food recycling bin $999.99 or $35/month Shop Now

When the Nintendo Switch 2 launched, I thought for sure that Mario Kart World would be console's racing game of choice for the foreseeable future. However, one of God's most perfect creatures might have something to say about that.

I'm talking about Kirby, of course. Perhaps the single most lovable little dude in video game history (he's flawless and I won't hear otherwise) is speeding onto Switch 2 in November with Kirby Air Riders, a surprising follow-up to a cult classic Nintendo GameCube game from 20 years ago. Yesterday, I had the chance to get some hands-on time with the wacky vehicular nonsense dispenser that is Air Riders. Nintendo also showed off the game during a 45-minute livestream, and after this brief preview, I came away impressed and very hungry for more.

To put it succinctly, this is a video game for people who like it when brightly colored BS is happening all over the screen at all times. I am one of those people.

SEE ALSO: Review: I can't stop playing my Switch 2, a fabulous follow-up to an all-time legend Kirby Air Riders is deceptively simple Come on, that's just the 'Super Smash Bros.' victory screen. Credit: Nintendo

As I mentioned already, Air Riders is a sequel to 2003's Kirby Air Ride. Rather excitingly, it's directed by Masahiro Sakurai, who you may know as the dude behind Super Smash Bros. He actually created Kirby way back in the day, and Air Riders is his first direct involvement in a Kirby game in two decades. (If those details are bringing out your inner Nintendo nerd, then you'll want to watch the Kirby Air Riders Direct livestream with Sakurai.)

As a sidenote, can you imagine being able to tell people you created Kirby? I'd never shut up about it.

Don't try to make sense of what's happening in this photo. Credit: Nintendo / YouTube

Anyway, the Smash energy is off the charts in Air Riders. The menus look and feel almost identical to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and it has a potent pick-up-and-play quality that is evident from the first time you put your hands on the controller. Like the GameCube original, this is a racing game where your vehicle accelerates for you. No need to hold down a button or anything like that. You just focus on steering and attacking your rival racers, which is for the best because it only takes about 10 seconds in any given scenario for Air Riders to become a chaotic mess of candy-colored explosions occurring at very high speeds.

One other central mechanic taken from the 2003 game is a brake button that also acts as a boost. You can hold it down to build up a big burst of speed, but of course, doing that will slow you down for a second. It's useful for rounding corners, but not so much on a straightaway. When you're not drifting, you can pick up speed by attacking NPC enemies on each course or riding on a shiny line left behind by other racers that stays on the track for a few seconds.

I'm exclusively playing as Gooey. Credit: Nintendo

Where Air Riders diverges from its original source material is that there are a bunch of other playable characters besides Kirby. Series favorites like King Dedede and Meta Knight are here, of course, and they're joined by various enemies and villains from other Kirby titles. Each character has their own stats and their own special move, which is activated by the press of a button at the player's discretion as long as their special meter is full. Specials can range from big screen-clearing attacks to gigantic speed boosts, so figuring out which one you like the most will be paramount to success.

I was honestly not a huge fan of the original Air Ride because it was mechanically thin, but adding a whole roster of racers with unique traits and special moves adds a couple of much-needed layers of complexity to races. It feels adequately divergent from Mario Kart World, which is vital since the two games are coming out so close to one another. I honestly think Air Riders might have a higher skill ceiling and a little more going on overall than Mario Kart, which is cool.

As one would expect from a game starring Kirby, the music I heard in the demo was also fantastically catchy, and the visuals are gorgeous all around. It's a very, very fun game to look at and listen to as well as play.

City Trial is a contender for best multiplayer mode of the year Sometimes big spike balls just fall all around you for no reason. It rules. Credit: Nintendo

Another way Air Riders takes after its predecessor is that the actual races aren't really what you're there for. I did have fun in the two short races I got to play, but City Trial is where the real action is.

For the unfamiliar, City Trial is a returning mode from Air Ride that's like a mix between a racing game and a battle royale, to use the parlance of our times. Up to 16 players can roam freely around a big sandbox level with a bunch of different areas to explore for exactly five minutes. During those five minutes, it's up to you to find a machine you like (there are a bunch of different ones and they all feel very different from one another), ride around the map collecting power-ups that slowly build up different stats, and prepare your machine for the endgame.

Said endgame involves Stadiums, which are basically little multiplayer minigames that use every part of the Air Riders mechanical formula. One of them is just a drag race that favors machines with high top speed, while another challenges players to fly as far as they can off of a big ramp, and that naturally caters to machines with a high flying stat. The strategy, then, is to collect specific types of stat boosts during the sandbox portion so you can specialize in one thing, rather than blindly collecting as many as you can. One of the cooler ideas here is that power-ups can cancel each other out if they have opposite effects; you don't want to beef up both your flight and weight stats at the same time because they're antithetical to each other, for instance.

More beautiful chaos. Credit: Nintendo / YouTube There are a lot of stats you can beef up in City Trial. Credit: Nintendo

I got to play three matches of City Trial and had a genuine blast the entire time. The five-minute duration is perfect, as it somehow flies by quickly while also delivering copious amounts of bedlam that make it feel longer than it is. Random events occur constantly in City Trial. Sometimes big boss monsters pop up that every player can work together to defeat for big rewards, while other times the opportunity to participate in a short race within the City Trial map will appear. I also encountered dangerous meteor showers and instances where every player became tiny for a while. It really keeps you on your toes, which I appreciate.

By the time the five minutes are up, you might have a machine that's so fast that you can barely control it, or so powerful that it's unstoppable in the more combat-focused Stadium minigames. No two City Trial games feel the same. It's a little magical.

I only got to play Air Riders for about an hour, but as you can probably tell, I'm very keen to play more of it. It makes Mario Kart World look sedate by comparison, which I didn't think was possible. Count me all the way in on this one.

Kirby Air Riders launches exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2 on Nov. 20. You can pre-order the game now via Nintendo and Game Stop.

Pre-order 'Kirby Air Riders' Kirby Air Riders (Digital) $69.99 at Nintendo Pre-Order Here Kirby Air Riders $69.99 at Game Stop Pre-Order Here

Pips is the newest game in the New York Times catalogue. Released in August 2025, the new game 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. Like dominoes, the tiles 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 August 19, 2025

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 Connections hints today: Clues, answers for August 19, 2025 Easy difficulty hints, answers for Aug. 20

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

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

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

Medium difficulty hints, answers for Aug. 20

Equal (6): Every domino half in this space must contain 6 pips. The answer is 3-6, placed horizontally; 2-6, placed vertically; 6-6, placed horizontally.

Number (3): The domino halves in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 3-6, placed horizontally

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

Number (2): The domino halves in this red space must add up to 2. The answer is 1-1, placed vertically.

Equal (3): Every domino half in this space must contain 3 pips. The answer is 3-3, placed vertically.

Hard difficulty hints, answers for Aug. 20

Number (6): The domino halves in this space must add up to 6. The answer is 6-1, placed vertically.

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

Number (4): The domino halves in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 3-2, placed horizontally; 2-5, placed horizontally.

Equal (4): The domino halves in this space must equal 4. The answer is 6-4, placed vertically; 4-4, placed vertically.

Equal (5): The domino halves in this space must equal 5. The answer is 2-5, placed horizontally; 5-5, placed horizontally; 5-6, placed vertically.

Equal (6): The domino halves in this space must equal 6. The answer is 5-6, placed vertically; 6-6, 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.

TL;DR: Unblock Pornhub from Alabama with a VPN. The best service for unblocking porn sites is ExpressVPN.

The world of porn is in turmoil. Porn censorship has rocked the internet, and it doesn't look like the situation is changing anytime soon.

More than a third of U.S. states have introduced restrictions for online adult content. After the introduction of these age verification laws, Pornhub responded by blocking users from those locations. Now the same situation is taking place in France and the UK (although there's currently no ban in the UK).

Millions of potential users are now locked out of Pornhub. There are complicated reasons for the restriction, but the workaround is actually straightforward. If you want to unblock porn sites like Pornhub for free from Alabama, we have all the information you need.

How to unblock Pornhub for free in Alabama

VPNs are useful tools that can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to secure servers in other locations. This straightforward process bypasses geo-restrictions so you can access sites like Pornhub from anywhere in the world.

Unblock Pornhub by following these simple steps:

1. Sign up for a VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in a location that supports access to Pornhub

4. Visit Pornhub

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for unblocking porn sites are not free, but most do offer free-trial peiods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can unblock porn sites like Pornhub without actually spending anything. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does give you the opportunity to temporarily retain access to Pornhub before recovering your investment.

If you want to retain permanent access to sites like Pornhub, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for bypassing content restrictions is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for Pornhub?

ExpressVPN is the top choice for unblocking porn sites like Pornhub, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is always secure

• Fast streaming speeds free from throttling

• Up to eight simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $139 and includes an extra four months for free — 61% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.95 (including money-back guarantee).

Unblock Pornhub for free in Alabama with ExpressVPN.

TL;DR: Live stream the 2025 Lausanne Diamond League for free on BBC iPlayer. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The World Athletics Championships are the pinnacle of the season for the biggest stars from the world of track and field. With only a few weeks left until that showpiece event, everyone will be looking to build momentum and hit peak form at just the right time. So the Lausanne Diamond League event is coming at a convenient moment.

If you want to watch the 2025 Lausanne Diamond League for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Lausanne Diamond League?

The 2025 Lausanne Diamond League takes place on Aug 19-20. This event takes place at the Stade Olympique de la Pontaise.

How to watch the 2025 Lausanne Diamond League for free

The 2025 Lausanne Diamond League is available to live stream for free on BBC iPlayer.

BBC iPlayer is geo-restricted to the UK, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the UK. This process makes it look like you're connecting from the UK, so you can access BBC iPlayer from anywhere in the world.

Access BBC iPlayer by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in the UK

4. Visit BBC iPlayer

5. Live stream the 2025 Lausanne Diamond League for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month) $12.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Learn More

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but leading VPNs do tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can gain access to BBC iPlayer without actually spending anything. This is not a long-term solution, but it gives you time to stream the 2025 Lausanne Diamond League before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for BBC iPlayer?

ExpressVPN is the best service for streaming live sport on BBC iPlayer, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including the UK

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds

• Up to eight simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.95 (including money-back guarantee).

Live stream the 2025 Lausanne Diamond League for free with ExpressVPN.

The moon is almost completely out of sight tonight, and this is due to where we are in the lunar cycle.

The lunar cycle is a series of eight unique phases of the moon's visibility. The whole cycle takes about 29.5 days, according to NASA, and these different phases happen as the Sun lights up different parts of the moon whilst it orbits Earth. 

So let's see what's happening with the moon tonight, Aug. 20.

What is today’s moon phase?

As of Wednesday, Aug. 20, the moon phase is Waning Crescent, and it is 9% lit up to us on Earth, according to NASA's Daily Moon Observation.

We're on day 27 of the lunar cycle, and there's really not a whole lot for us to see tonight. The only thing visible is the Grimaldi Basin, and you'll need binoculars or a telescope to see it. The Grimaldi Basin is an impact basin with an outer wall that is almost as long as the Grand Canyon, according to NASA.

When is the next full moon?

The next full moon will be on Sept. 7. The last full moon was on Aug. 9.

What are moon phases?

According to NASA, moon phases are caused by the 29.5-day cycle of the moon’s orbit, which changes the angles between the Sun, Moon, and Earth. Moon phases are how the moon looks from Earth as it goes around us. We always see the same side of the moon, but how much of it is lit up by the Sun changes depending on where it is in its orbit. This is how we get full moons, half moons, and moons that appear completely invisible. There are eight main moon phases, and they follow a repeating cycle:

New Moon - The moon is between Earth and the sun, so the side we see is dark (in other words, it's invisible to the eye).

Waxing Crescent - A small sliver of light appears on the right side (Northern Hemisphere).

First Quarter - Half of the moon is lit on the right side. It looks like a half-moon.

Waxing Gibbous - More than half is lit up, but it’s not quite full yet.

Full Moon - The whole face of the moon is illuminated and fully visible.

Waning Gibbous - The moon starts losing light on the right side.

Last Quarter (or Third Quarter) - Another half-moon, but now the left side is lit.

Waning Crescent - A thin sliver of light remains on the left side before going dark again.

If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.

There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it'll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.

An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.

If you find yourself stuck at any step of today's Hurdle, don't worry! We have you covered.

SEE ALSO: Hurdle: Everything you need to know to find the answers Hurdle Word 1 hint

Squeezed.

SEE ALSO: Apple’s new M3 MacBook Air is $300 off at Amazon. And yes, I’m tempted. Hurdle Word 1 answer

WRUNG

Hurdle Word 2 hint

A group of three.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for August 4, 2025 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

TRIAD

Hurdle Word 3 hint

To complain.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for August 4 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for August 4, 2025 Hurdle Word 3 answer

GRIPE

Hurdle Word 4 hint

A stallion.

SEE ALSO: NYT Strands hints, answers for August 4 Hurdle Word 4 answer

HORSE

Final Hurdle hint

To mock.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Games available on Mashable Hurdle Word 5 answer

TEASE

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

One thing the Alien franchise is known for is its creatively hideous array of creatures. Alien: Earth is, of course, no exception, bringing back some famous(ly horrible) monsters from movies past while adding some new (and equally nausea-inducing) critters we've never seen before.

As we find out in episode 1, there are five specimens onboard the doomed Weyland-Yutani USCSS Maginot spaceship that crash lands back to Earth. So what are these aliens, and what do we know about them so far?

1. Xenomorph

If you've seen Alien, you already know all about this one. The franchise's main antagonist, the Xenomorph takes various forms in its lifecycle: First hatching out of an egg to latch onto the face of a victim (Facehugger mode) and planting an egg inside them, gestating, then bursting out of their chest (Chestburster mode), and finally growing into the full-sized alien that stalked Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) and the Nostromo crew back in the 1979 movie.

SEE ALSO: The 'Alien: Earth' burger let me live out my Xenomorph-killing dreams 2. Ticks

We see these nasty little bloaters in in episode 1 burrowing into a dead rat in the Maginot's onboard laboratory. It turns out to be a fairly gruesome foreshadowing of what they're capable of later in the episode, when they tuck into the Prodigy soldiers that head of security Morrow (Babou Ceesay) ties up inside the spaceship after it crashes on Earth. They seem to go for a vein, attach themselves, and suck their victim's blood just like an Earthly tick.

3. Flies

We don't know too much about these ones yet from the little we've seen of them in the first two episodes, but a winged version of anything from the Alien universe can't be good, can it? Let's hope they don't escape their containers.

Featured Video For You How 'Alien: Earth' pulls you into the world of 'Alien' in its opening scene 4. Plant pods, aka D. Plumbicare

The hybrids find a large, ominous-looking plant pod hanging from the ceiling of the Maginot in episode 2.

"It presents as flora, but it may be fauna," says Kirsh (Timothy Olyphant), peering at the bulbous specimen. The thing is clearly aware of its surroundings, too — after Kirsh has wandered off the petals unfurl, producing a kind of stamen on the end of a tentacle that appears to be examining Tootles (Kit Young). Ick.

In episode 3, we get more information on this plant when Kirsh looks at a computer screen in the lab with information about the specimen.

"Science officer has given tentative taxonomic classification of D. Plumbicare due to the use of plumage to lure unsuspecting prey, a stamen to sense prey, and a pattern of 'leaves' which form a mouth," reads the screen. "Though generally confined to carnivory, D. Plumbicare has been seen eating nearby flora in dire situations. Animals given to D. Plumbicare have expired in one of three ways: asphyxiation, dissolve, or exhaustion.

"Stamen also acts as a gauge of atmospheric pressure and temperature. When conditions become inhospitable or a threat to survival, D. Plumbicare closes completely. When attempting to open a closed D. Plumbicare, many kilograms of pressure were applied to no avail. Once back on Earth, further testing needed to confirm strength of leaves. A carnivorous plant, not dissimilar to the terran genus Dionaea."

5. T. Ocellus

Vying strongly for the top spot of the "most disgusting new alien" podium is this little eight-legged nightmare, seen in episode 2 burrowing into the eyeball of the Maginot's resident cat and re-animating the poor creature before attacking our hybrid friends.

We have a little more information about this one thanks to the flickering computer terminal in the downed spaceship lab that Kirsh plugs himself into, which happens to be helpfully open on a page all about the mini octopus.

"A smooth scolex features several ocular irises and a tentacle system that can grow or retract at will," reads the screen. "The tentacles carry extraordinary strength and are built to climb into and dislodge the eyes of other living organisms. Once replaced in the eye socket, T. Ocellus takes over the ocular pathways to the brain, overriding the neuro-transmissions throughout the body. More study needed to gauge inherent intelligence, though the Ocellus has shown remarkable problem solving abilities at a near-human measure. A complete surprise."

We'll continue updating this piece as we learn more about our specimens in the coming weeks...

Alien: Earth premieres Aug. 12 at 8 p.m. ET on Hulu and FX with two episodes, then weekly on Tuesdays.

There are plenty of mysteries in Alien: Earth – What's the deal with the five corporations controlling the planet? Why are there so many Peter Pan references? How exactly does this show fit in with the Alien franchise timeline? — but episode 3 gave us a brand new one.

In short, why does Wendy/Marcy (Sydney Chandler) hear sounds of distress when the Xenomorph is being operated on, which in turn appear to cause her physical pain? What exactly is going on here?

Well, while we may not be able to fully answer that question, we have already been given a pretty big clue. Let's unpack it.

SEE ALSO: 'Alien: Earth' episode 3: Inside the big Xenomorph fight What happens in episode 3?

Now safely (ish) back at the Prodigy research island, Kirsh (Timothy Olyphant) and the hybrids start examining the five alien specimens from the downed Weyland-Yutani Maginot spaceship.

Wheeling one of the eggs out into the lab, Kirsh slices it open to discover the Xenomorph in its nightmarish "face-hugger" form. Cutting into the creature, he uncovers something akin to a tadpole, which anyone familiar with the Alien franchise will know is the beginning of the Xenomorph's final stage (the one that usually gestates in a human's chest before bursting out and then growing at a rapid rate).

Featured Video For You How 'Alien: Earth' pulls you into the world of 'Alien' in its opening scene

Meanwhile, while this is happening, Wendy wakes up elsewhere in the building and hears a faint chittering sound. She walks through the corridors, presumably trying to place the noise — but as soon as the Xenomorph is removed from the egg in the lab and held down on the operating table, the noise in Wendy's head becomes so loud it causes her physical pain. She reaches the lab at the same moment Kirsh removes the tadpole, which causes her to collapse in agony.

Why does the alien surgery affect Wendy/Marcy?

So what's going on here, exactly? Does Wendy have some kind of psychic connection with the Xenomorph that allows her to feel its pain?

Well, the answer may in fact lie in a small bit of dialogue back in episode 1, which takes place shortly after Wendy/Marcy's consciousness has been downloaded into her new synthetic body.

At one point just before the hybrids go on their mission to find Wendy's brother, she's sitting in the lab taking part in an audio test that involves raising her hand when she hears a beep. The key line, which is muttered by a technician shortly before Wendy spots her brother on a nearby screen? "She's beyond our human frequencies. 75,000 hz."

This moment is almost lost due to Wendy abandoning the test shortly after, but it may actually be key to understanding why she collapses in pain during episode 3. It's not that Wendy has a psychic connection to the Xenomorphs — it's that they're making noises in a frequency that only she can hear. The audio test in episode 1 was cut short, presumably before the technicians had a chance to tweak Wendy's hearing — which means for now, she's the only one that can hear the aliens.

Alien: Earth episodes drop weekly on Hulu and FX at 8pm E.T. on Tuesdays.

It was only a matter of time. Sony and Arrowhead Game Studios just announced the first Legendary Warbond for Helldivers 2, which will crossover with Microsoft and Xbox's Halo 3: ODST.

SEE ALSO: Gamers shocked as Playstation's 'Helldivers 2' announces Xbox launch

Landing August 26, right before Helldivers 2’s Xbox Series X/S debut, the Legendary Warbond brings a full arsenal of Bungie’s cult-classic ODST vibes into Super Earth’s endless warmongering campaign. The pack includes four weapons (three primaries and one sidearm), four vehicle skins, an armor passive, two banners, two capes, one player title, and two armor sets that look ripped straight from New Mombasa.

The theming makes perfect sense. Both ODSTs (which stands for Orbital Drop Shock Trooper) and Helldivers are soldiers literally fired from orbit into battle, so this collab feels like destiny.

This is also Arrowhead’s first Legendary-tier Warbond, priced at 1,500 Super Credits ($15). That’s a step above the usual Premium tier at 1,000 credits ($10), but unlike a traditional battle pass, Warbonds in Helldivers 2 don’t expire. If you skip it now, you can still pick it up later.

It’s also the game’s first crossover with a Microsoft property. The last tie-in, the Killzone Warbond, sparked backlash for overpricing cosmetics, sold individually instead of as a bundle, for a total price of 2,000 SC ($20). Arrowhead eventually apologized, and this time they’ve course-corrected by offering a pricier but more traditional full pack.

In its first season, Fallout cemented itself as one of the best video game adaptations of all time. Not only did it deliver a wildly fun apocalyptic adventure that stayed true to the spirit of the games, it also racked up critical acclaim and 16 Emmy nominations, winning one for Outstanding Music Supervision.

SEE ALSO: 'Fallout' is full of details from the games — here's a handy guide

Now, Fallout's much-anticipated second season is nearly upon us, and it's taking viewers to one of the most important locations in all the Fallout franchise: New Vegas, where fan-favorite game Fallout: New Vegas takes place.

Given Fallout: New Vegas' popularity, it was only a matter of time before Fallout brought the game's post-apocalyptic take on Las Vegas to the small screen. The series confirmed Season 2 would take place in New Vegas in its Season 1 finale, when Hank MacLean (Kyle MacLachlan) headed there following his confrontation with his daughter, Lucy (Ella Purnell).

Season 2 sees Lucy and the Ghoul (Walton Goggins) hot on Hank's trail, while Maximus (Aaron Moten) and the Brotherhood of Steel gear up for battle. The first teaser for Season 2 also offers glimpses at more pre-war flashbacks to the Ghoul's former life as actor Cooper Howard. In the teaser, he heads to Las Vegas, where he meets up with Robert House (Justin Theroux), whom game players will recognize as the ruler of New Vegas.

Mr. House isn't the only major element from Fallout: New Vegas on display in the teaser for Season 2. Also present are members of Caesar's Legion, suited up for war. Plus, the trailer confirms that Season 2 will feature a major enemy from across the Fallout games: a Deathclaw. Color me scared, but also more than ready to return to the wasteland.

Fallout Season 2 premieres Dec. 17 on Prime Video.

The best Sony headphones deals at a glance: Sony WH-1000XM4 $198 (save $151.99) Get Deal Best noise-cancellers on a budget Sony WH-CH720N $98 (save $81.99) Get Deal Best on a budget Sony WH-CH520 wireless headphones $38 (save $31.99) Get Deal Best for bass lovers Sony ULT Wear noise-cancelling headphones $148 (save $101.99) Get Deal Best earbuds deal Sony WF-1000XM5 noise-cancelling earbuds $213 (save $116.99) Get Deal

It's no secret that we're big Sony fans. The audio brand's speakers, earbuds, and headphones regularly top our list of favorites. But the list of Sony headphones on its own is pretty comprehensive, with a model sitting at just about every price point.

So, which Sony headphones are the best of the best? Glad you asked. Mashable's team of experts tested just about every pair of headphones and earbuds in Sony's lineup to help you choose which ones are right for you.

We've gathered some of our top picks below to help you on your buying journey — and they all happen to be on sale. Whether you want the best of the best or something budget-friendly you can throw in your backpack without worry, we've got you covered.

Best splurge: Sony WH-1000XM6 or Sony WH-1000XM5 Opens in a new window Credit: Sony Sony WH-1000XM6 noise-cancelling headphones $428 at Amazon
$449.99 Save $21.99 Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Sony Sony WH-1000XM5 noise-cancelling headphones $328 at Amazon
$399.99 Save $71.99 Get Deal Why we like it

There's no denying that Sony's latest flagship headphones, the WH-1000XM6s, are wildly impressive. They're our top pick for sound quality amongst all brands of headphones, and our reviewer said they "elevate wireless audio to heights that no other rival has yet to match." But they cost over $400, even on sale. If you don't want to drop that much money on a pair of headphones, the previous generation WH-1000XM5s are extremely similar. "The WH-1000XM5s retain many series hallmarks, including ANC, battery life, sound, and special features," our reviewer noted. The biggest downfall? They don't fold up.

Read our full review of the Sony WH-1000xM6 headphones.

Read our full review of the Sony WH-1000xM5 headphones.

Best deal: Sony WH-1000XM4 Opens in a new window Credit: Sony Sony WH-1000XM4 noise-cancelling headphones $198 at Amazon
$349.99 Save $151.99 Get Deal Why we like it

If you're not pressed on getting the latest and greatest Sony tech, we still highly recommend the WH-1000XM4 noise-cancelling headphones — especially while they're on sale for less than $200 (only a few bucks away from their record-low). Overall, the upgrades generation-over-generation have been pretty minor. They still offer top-notch noise cancellation, impressive sound quality, customizable EQ, a comfy fit, and foldable cups that make them great for travel (unlike the XM5s).

Best noise-cancellers on a budget: Sony WH-CH720N Opens in a new window Credit: Sony Sony WH-CH720N noise-cancelling headphones $98 at Amazon
$179.99 Save $81.99 Get Deal Why we like it

More budget-conscious shoppers seeking noise-cancelling Sony headphones should look toward the WH-CH720Ns. While they don't look quite as snazzy as the flagship headphones and lack some of Sony's key features like LDAC and Quick Attention, our reviewer said the noise cancellation and sound make up for those shortcomings. Other perks are user-friendly controls, reliable multipoint connection, and a battery life of up to 50 hours. While their list price is $180, you can regularly find these babies on sale for under $100 — including now.

Best basic headphones on a budget: Sony WH-CH520 Opens in a new window Credit: Sony Sony WH-CH520 wireless headphones $38 at Amazon
$69.99 Save $31.99 Get Deal Why we like it

If noise cancellation isn't a must-have for you, you can keep a whole lot of money in your pocket by opting for the basic Sony WH-CH520s. You'll still get Sony audio quality, multipoint connection, hands-free calling, a comfortable and lightweight design, customizable EQ, and a battery life of up to 50 hours. Plus, they come in fun colors like butter yellow and pastel pink. At only $38, they're a few bucks away from their lowest price on record and an incredible value.

Best for bass lovers: Sony ULT Wear noise-cancelling headphones Opens in a new window Credit: Sony Sony ULT Wear noise-cancelling headphones $148 at Amazon
$249.99 Save $101.99 Get Deal Why we like it

With comparable sound to Sony's flagship headphones and heavy bass, the Sony ULT Wear noise-cancellers are a force to be reckoned with. Mashable's Miller Kern reviewed the headphones when they dropped last year and was "genuinely shocked" by how great they were for the price. "True audiophiles who are picky about sound will probably still prefer the XM5s," she wrote, "But to the average person, I’d say the ULT Wears are the winners — especially for those who prioritize bass and fullness in their audio." On sale, they're less than half the price of the XM5s.

Read our full review of the Sony ULT Wear headphones.

Best earbuds: Sony WF-1000XM5 noise-cancelling earbuds Opens in a new window Credit: Sony Sony WF-1000XM5 noise-cancelling earbuds $213 at Amazon
$329.99 Save $116.99 Get Deal Why we like it

Prefer earbuds to over-ears? The Sony WF-1000XM5s offer unbeatable sound quality, outstanding noise-cancellation, a gorgeous design, and a longer battery life than the second-gen AirPods Pro. They're essentially the XM5 flagship headphones, but in a more portable earbud form. They feature up to 12 hours of battery life, but the wireless charging case holds another 36 and comes with effective quick charging. They are pricey at 329.99, but you can find them on sale often for under $250.

What do horror and comedy really have in common? More than you’d think. Both genres rely on timing, surprise, and provoking reactions you can’t hold back. From Jordan Peele to Zach Cregger, comedy veterans are proving they know exactly how to scare us — and why the line between a laugh and a scream is thinner than it seems.

The wait is nearly over, as we finally have a confirmed reveal date for the Google Pixel 10 lineup of smartphones. Google will host the Made by Google Pixel 10 launch event at 1 p.m. ET on Aug. 20. And to lend some star power to the livestream, the company has tapped celebrities like Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Curry, and Lando Norris.

Google has all but confirmed that we'll see the new Pixel 10 series of phones (and more) tomorrow. You can watch the event live as it happens, and we fully expect to see the following Pixel devices launched:

• Pixel 10

• Pixel 10 Pro

• Pixel 10 Pro XL

• Pixel 10 Pro Fold

• Pixel Watch 4

• Pixel Buds 2a

We've got the full download on all the devices and news we expect from the Made by Google 2025 event, and we'll also be covering it live. After the event wraps, Mashable will be participating in a live CNET roundtable on YouTube to recap the event — don't miss it.

All the new Pixel devices we expect at Made by Google 2025

As always, this will probably be a phone-centric show, but that likely won't be all we see. Keep an eye out for a long-rumored series of magnetic charging accessories, dubbed the PixelSnap series. Plus, you know Google never misses a chance to show off new artificial intelligence features — whether they're worth showing off or not.

Pixel 10

We have a full roundup of Pixel 10 lineup rumors and leaks for your perusal, but I'll also summarize the key findings here.

Starting with the base Pixel 10, it seems like the basic design of the phones won't change all that much from the Pixel 9 series. In other words, the Pixel 9a wasn't a template for the Pixel 10. Under the hood, expect all Pixel 10 phones to use the new in-house Tensor 5 chip, which ideally will deliver better performance than the Tensor 4 in last year's Pixel phones.

Screen brightness might also be improved, while the biggest change is undoubtedly in the rear camera array. This year's base Pixel model will allegedly have a third lens, bringing it more in line with previous Pixel Pro models. It might have a 50MP main lens with a 12MP ultrawide lens and a new 10.8MP telephoto lens with 5x optical zoom. That would certainly give the Pixel 10 a leg up on other base model flagships, which typically only have two rear camera lenses.

As we reported in July (via Android Headlines), we expect the Pixel 10 lineup to be thicker and heavier than the Pixel 9, likely to make them compatible with Qi2 wireless charging. The differences are slight, fortunately.

Pixel 10 Pro and Pro XL From left to right: the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, and Pixel 9 Pro XL. Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

It sounds like this year's Pro models will be incremental improvements over the versions Google launched a year ago.

Per Android Central, their display specs might be unchanged from last year, while they might get bumps in battery size. The Pixel 10 Pro XL, in particular, could have a 5,200mAh battery, which is enormous by contemporary smartphone standards. Google might also drop the 128GB storage option from the 10 Pro XL and bump the starting price of the unit up by $100 accordingly.

Aside from that, it doesn't seem like much will change in the Pro lineup, including the camera specs, which are rumored to be the same as a year ago. Google could prove us wrong here, of course, but we can only go by what's been leaked ahead of time.

Pixel 10 Pro Fold We expect the new foldable Pixel to look a lot like the old one, pictured here. Credit: Josh Edelson / AFP via Getty Images

Last year's Pixel 9 Pro Fold was my favorite foldable yet. However, Samsung brought the heat with the Galaxy Fold 7 in July, so the competition is a little stiffer this year. (We should also get a foldable iPhone in the near future.)

It doesn't seem like there will be major design changes to the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, which might be disappointing for those who wished for something as razor-thin as the new Galaxy Fold 7. It'll have three rear camera lenses, just as it did a year ago, though the specs are rumored to be very similar to the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. Google is said to have bumped the battery size up to at least 5,000mAh, which should hopefully give it some more endurance, as that's been a regular complaint from Pixel users.

The two biggest rumored changes are less flashy, but not any less important than big, sweeping design overhauls would be. For starters, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold might be the first foldable with a full IP68 waterproof rating. Beyond that, Google is apparently dropping the starting price by $200, down to $1,600. It's still expensive, but that would make it cheaper than the competition.

Lastly, solid leaks point to the Pixel 10 Pro Fold weighing more than its predecessor, which could be explained by the presence of magnets. That would make the new Pixel foldable fully compatible with the Qi 2 wireless charging standard.

Unfortunately, some rumors say this phone won't be released until October. We'll find out soon enough.

Pixel Watch 4 This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Much of what we know about the Pixel Watch 4 seems to be based on leaked renders from back in April, courtesy of OnLeaks.

Judging from the renders (which are not official, of course), the new Pixel Watch could have thinner bezels while sharing the same rounded look as before. It also appears to lack traditional charging pins, which means Google may be emphasizing wireless charging this time around. There's also the possibility of new buttons on the unit itself, though we have no idea what they would be for at this time, if they even exist.

As usual, the most important changes to the Pixel Watch 4 will largely involve what it can do in terms of health tracking, and it's hard to get an idea of any of those features based purely on leaked renders.

Finally, the latest rumors point to improvements in battery life and brightness with the Pixel Watch 4, which will be running Wear OS 6. Per leaker Evan Blass, the Pixel Watch 4 will be a whopping 1,000 nits brighter than its predecessor, with 3,000 nits compared to the Pixel Watch 3's 2,000.

We'll wait until after the launch to decide if it's a worthy alternative to Samsung's Galaxy Watch 8.

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If you hated how vague the Pixel Watch 4 section was, you might want to scroll past this part.

Earlier this year, leaker Arsene Lupin published a list of possible colors for the device on X. And according to a more recent leak on X from Evan Blass, the new Pixel Buds 2a will only come in two colors — a lilac and classic black. According to that same leak, the new Pixel Buds will offer active noise cancellation (duh) and 7 hours of battery life. They will potentially lack the "Silent Seal" of the Pixel Buds Pro, which offers improved noise cancellation.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. Anything else?

As always, leave some room in your mind for surprises. While Made by Google will almost certainly focus on the products listed above, there could be other teases, too.

Namely, Google could follow up on two of its biggest teases from Google I/O earlier this year. The company debuted a new pair of XR smart glasses at the event, and we could hear more about those at Made by Google. Google also gave time for Samsung's Project Moohan headset at I/O, and it was weirdly absent from Samsung's Unpacked event last week. Could we see more of Moohan at Made by Google? Maybe, but I wouldn't call it a certainty.

All will be revealed soon...

In the fourth episode of its seventh season, Dropout's Game Changer introduced an intriguing new game. Stand-up comedians Jeff Arcuri, Josh Johnson, and Gianmarco Soresi had to do competitive crowd work, spinning comedy out of their audience's most outlandish — and sometimes, downright traumatizing — stories.

SEE ALSO: 'Game Changer' smartly weaponizes its social media following in 'Fool's Gold'

Titled "Crowd Control," the episode's audience featured a competitive bearder, identical triplets, and the survivor of a serial killer attack, prompting a wide range of reactions and jokes from the competing comedians. Ultimately, though, the episode proved a fascinating exploration of walking the line between comedy and empathy, making it one of the season's most compelling installments. Now, Dropout is spinning "Crowd Control" off into its own show, joining the likes of other Game Changer spin-offs like Make Some Noise, Dirty Laundry, and Play It By Ear.

Premiering this Sept., Crowd Control is hosted by comedian and frequent Dropout collaborator Jacquis Neal. Each episode introduces a new trio of comedians who must spin up new material based solely on their interactions with audience members. Just like in the Game Changer episode, Crowd Control's audience members are wearing shirts that display intriguing facts about them. A red shirt means the fact is much trickier to put a comedic spin on, but more risk means more reward, right? (For example, one red shirt in the trailer above reads "distant incest.")

Original "Crowd Control" champion Soresi returns to defend his title this season. However, he's not the only big name on the docket. Crowd Control has assembled a real who's who of comedians, with this season's competitors including Bob The Drag Queen, Brennan Lee Mulligan, Paul F. Tompkins, Moshe Kasher, Leslie Liao, Ify Nwadiwe, Jamie Loftus, Leah Rudick, Cristela Alonzo, Guy Branum, Atsuko Okatsuka, Kiran Deol, Tina Friml, Baron Vaughn, Jenny Zigrino, Megan Gailey, and Joyelle Nicole Johnson.

Crowd Control premieres Sept. 8 on Dropout, with new episodes streaming every other Monday.

Sony just launched an expansion of its Inzone gaming line with a new flagship wireless headset, wired earbuds, and a collection of PC gaming peripherals. This is the first time Sony has offered many of these products, which include the Inzone H9 II noise-cancelling headset, the Inzone E9 in-ear monitors, the Inzone KBD-H75 gaming keyboard, the Inzone Mouse-A gaming mouse, and two new mousepads.

Sony may be best known for its noise-cancelling headphones and the PS5 gaming console, but the company is now making new inroads into the PC gaming market. The new products are available for pre-order now and will ship in the first week of September.

For its expanded Inzone lineup, Sony worked with professional gamers with the Fnatics esports team, which tested some of these products at the Apex Legends Global Series Championship. Mashable has also been testing the new Inzone products (the headset and aluminum gaming keyboard are definitely standouts), and we've got all the details.

The new Inzone gaming lineup Sony's new noise-cancelling PC gaming headset and wired earbuds are made with pro gamers in mind. Credit: Timothy Beck Werth / Mashable

With the exception of the H9 II headset, all of these products are category firsts for Sony. The products are all available for pre-order now at Amazon and Sony.

• Inzone H9 II Headset: $349.99 at Amazon

• Inzone E9 In-Ear Monitors: $149.99 at Amazon

• Inzone KBD-H75 Keyboard: $299.99 at Sony

• Inzone Mouse-A: $149.99 at Sony

• Inzone Mat F mousepad: $59.99 at Sony

• Inzone Mat D speed mousepad: $34.99 at Sony

The H9 II PC gaming headset and E9 in-ear monitors

The flagship H9 II is a follow-up to the original H9 headset, originally released in 2022. It has the same 30mm drivers as the flagship Sony XM6 noise-cancelling headphones and powerful active noise cancellation. In addition, they feature a redesigned headband, which features a slider-lock system and fabric headband. This results in a significantly lighter design. Combined with foam ear cushions, this makes them extremely comfortable for extended wear in our testing.

The headset has a detachable, unidirectional microphone. Sony's noise-cancellation technology utilizes artificial intelligence to isolate the player's voice during gameplay.

Credit: Timothy Beck Werth / Mashable Credit: Timothy Beck Werth / Mashable

The H9 II also offers a variety of connectivity options, including USB-C (2.4GHz connection), Bluetooth LE audio, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. We've found that the headphones sound fantastic, and PC gamers can use the Sony Inzone Hub to adjust EQ settings and choose from three audio presets designed to improve the sound of first-person shooters.

Designed for professional gamers and first-person shooters, the new E9 wired gaming earbuds are also extremely comfortable. They feature a wrap-around design that doesn't tug on your ear, and in a Call of Duty demo, they offered both a secure fit and high-quality, detail-rich audio. Like the H9 II, the audio can be fully customized to your liking. Crucially, the secure fit and shape offer high amounts of passive noise cancellation in our experience.

Credit: Timothy Beck Werth / Mashable

A Sony press release states: "The INZONE E9 hosts Sony’s first fully enclosed structure, and combined with the noise isolation ear tips, they achieve superior passive noise isolation for more focused sound. These in-ear monitors are designed to reduce sounds from a pro tournament crowd or get rid of simple background distractions in everyday play."

Opens in a new window Credit: Sony Sony Inzone H9 II wireless noise-cancelling gaming headset $349.99 at Amazon
Shop Now Opens in a new window Credit: Sony Sony Inzone E9 in-ear gaming monitors $149.99 at Amazon
Shop Now New Inzone gaming peripherals Credit: Timothy Beck Werth / Mashable

Let's start with the most exciting new product here: Sony's first-ever PC gaming keyboard, the Inzone KBD-H75. In our testing, it's extremely satisfying to type on this keyboard, even when you're not gaming. We love the CNC-machined aluminum frame and tactile experience. But, since this is designed for gamers, let's break down the specs.

Gamers can use the Inzone gaming hub to fully customize each key's actuation and reset points. The keyboard features a polling rate of up to 8,000Hz for lightning-fast, rapid trigger reaction and accurate signal delivery.

Credit: Timothy Beck Werth / Mashable Credit: Timothy Beck Werth / Mashable

According to a Sony press release:

"The KBD-H75 keyboard utilizes a gasket mount that cushions each press by sandwiching the plate with soft gaskets, reducing vibration, and improving feedback for a smoother, more satisfying keystroke and a clean, precise typing sound—delivering comfort that lasts through long gaming sessions...[The] INZONE KBD-H75 gaming keyboard adopts a compact 75% layout to give pro FPS players more mouse space without sacrificing essential keys for daily use."

The new Sony Inzone Mouse-A gaming mouse. Credit: Timothy Beck Werth / Mashable It features six customizable buttons. Credit: Timothy Beck Werth / Mashable

The new gaming mouse is ultra-light at 48.4 grams, though it's not the lightest mouse available in 2025. This gaming mouse can stay powered on for 90 hours of gaming. As you'd expect, you can customize the six buttons in the Inzone Hub. The mousepads are... mousepads. The D version of the pad is designed for maximum speed.

Opens in a new window Credit: Sony Sony Inzone KBD-H75 gaming 75% keyboard $299.99 at Sony
Shop Now Opens in a new window Credit: Sony Sony Inzone Mouse-A ultra-light wireless gaming mouse $149.99 at Sony
Shop Now Opens in a new window Credit: Sony Sony Inzone Mat D speed mousepad $34.99 at Sony
Get Deal

Sony just launched its new flagship wireless gaming headset, the Inzone H9 II, alongside a new lineup of gaming peripherals and wired gaming earbuds. Priced at $349.99, the H9 II is available now.

The new PC gaming headset is part of an expansion of Sony's Inzone gaming lineup. The upgraded headset comes three years after the launch of the original H9 model and delivers some notable upgrades. Most importantly, the headset features the same 30mm drivers as the newest flagship Sony XM6 headphones, which means they sound just as good as the best headphones available in 2025. I was surprised that Sony included these drivers in a product that costs $100 less than the XM6, but I'm not complaining.

I've been testing the new headset (and the new Inzone gaming peripherals) for the past couple weeks, and so far, I'm impressed.

Sony Inzone H9 II gaming headset $349.99 at Amazon
Pre-order Here Meet the Sony Inzone H9 II noise-cancelling headset

Let's start with the basics. The H9 II features upgraded specs in key areas compared to the original H9 headset. Designed for pro-level gaming, the headset has 360-degree spatial audio and Sony's signature active noise cancellation technology. Sony says the headset was designed around the 30mm drivers from the new XM6 headphones, resulting in high-quality, high-clarity audio across the sound spectrum.

The drivers inside the Sony XM6 headphones. Credit: Timothy Beck Werth / Mashable

Key specs include:

• Noise cancellation: Yes

• Driver: 30mm driver (same as WH-1000XM6 headphones)

• Spatial sound: 360-degree spatial sound with FPS presets

• App connected: Sony Inzone Hub (PC) and Sound Connect (mobile)

• Weight: 260 grams

• Ports: USB-C and 3.5mm headphone jack

• Microphone: Unidirectional, detachable

• Battery life: 30 hours

• Quick charge: 5 minutes gives you 1 hour of charge

• Travel case: Fabric pouch included

The H9 II was designed for professional gamers

At a press briefing, Sony stressed that the new headphones were tested with the esports team Fnatic. Sony worked with professional gamers in Tokyo and Berlin to design audio presets specifically designed for pro gaming and first-person shooters. Players can choose between audio settings that emphasize subtle sounds like footsteps or deep rumbles from sound effects. The EQ settings are also fully customizable, but thanks to the new driver, they sound fantastic right out of the box.

The H9 II was also redesigned for comfort. It's significantly lighter than the original H9, 260g versus 330g, and in my testing, it's comfortable for long periods of time. The new fabric headband, foam cushions, and lightweight design make it extremely comfortable, putting it on par with the most comfortable headphones from Bose.

The new Sony Inzone H9 II headset (left) alongside the original H9 (right). Credit: Timothy Beck Werth / Mashable

For hardcore PC gamers, the Inzone Hub lets you fine-tune the audio so you can hear every detail in your game. The headset delivers 7.1ch audio and 360-degree spatial audio. Players also have multiple connectivity options, and you can plug in with included USB-C and 3.5mm audio cables. You can also simultaneously connect via Bluetooth LE audio with the supplied USB-C dongle, which offers a low-latency 2.4GHz connection and low-latency gameplay.

Finally, the headset has a new slider lock system to adjust the headband, and it's available in both white and black.

Sony Inzone H9 II: My first impressions

I'll say this, my PC gaming days are long behind me, so I can only review these headphones from a casual gamer's perspective. However, I was able to demo the new headset during a Call of Duty gaming session, and from what I heard, the headset delivers the full, rich audio Sony promises. You can hear a surprising amount of detail with the FPS audio presets.

So, the sound is fantastic, but that's not a surprise given what's inside. The Sony drivers and noise cancellation are extremely effective, and they make music, games, and movies sound incredible. In testing them on work calls, I've also found the microphone offers impressive clarity.

The headset is extremely comfortable, and I like the overall redesign, but I expect the new look to be controversial. The fabric headset and slider-lock system isn't as clean-looking as the original H9 headset, though the tradeoff is improved comfort for marathon gaming sessions.

Personally, I'd opt for the black headset, but to each their own.

The new Sony PC gaming headset comes in white and black. Credit: Timothy Beck Werth / Mashable Personally, I'd go with black. Credit: Timothy Beck Werth / Mashable Is the Sony Inzone H9 II gaming headset worth it?

Let's talk about the price: At $349.99, it's $100 cheaper than the flagship XM6 headphones. So, relatively speaking, that's not a bad deal. Of course, that's still a lot of money. If you're a serious PC and PS5 gamer, then I could definitely see this becoming your new daily headset, especially if you care about audio quality, noise cancellation, and comfort.

That being said, Sony has been lagging on battery life lately. The H9 II features lower battery life than its predecessor (the XM6 also failed to deliver battery upgrades). That may be because Sony is prioritizing noise cancellation and comfort over larger batteries, but you'll have to decide if the trade-off is worth it. Newer PC gaming headsets like the HyperX Cloud Alpha 2 offer 250 hours of battery life, for comparison.

With a three-year wait since the original H9 headset landed, the new model definitely offers enough new features to be worthy of an upgrade.

SAVE UP TO $222: Through Sept. 30, My Best Buy Plus and Total members can get NFL Sunday Ticket for the upcoming season for $258. That's $18 less than YouTube's own deal for new subscribers ($276) and $222 less than the regular price for returning subscribers ($480).

Opens in a new window Credit: Best Buy / YouTube NFL Sunday Ticket $258 at Best Buy
$480 Save $222 For My Best Buy Plus and Total members Get Deal

A new NFL Sunday Ticket deal is unlocked — and this time, returning subscribers don't automatically get the shaft.

Through Sept. 30, My Best Buy Plus and My Best Buy Total members can claim the full upcoming season of NFL Sunday Ticket for $258 flat. This shakes out to just over $32 per month, and is the first time we've seen an NFL Sunday Ticket deal apply to everyone, not just new users.

Compared to the prices offered through YouTube directly, this deal is $18 less for new subscribers and $222 less for returning subscribers. (YouTube's current promo gives newbies a huge price cut, but makes those who have had Sunday Ticket before pay the full $480.)

SEE ALSO: What's the best time of year to buy a TV? Yes, there's an answer.

If you already have an NFL Sunday Ticket account but aren't yet a Plus or Total member, paying for either Best Buy membership plus the $258 Sunday Ticket sale price would still be cheaper than YouTube's $480/year fee for returning subscribers. My Best Buy Plus only costs $49.99/year and unlocks free two-day shipping on just about everything with no order minimum, members-only pricing, and early access to sale events (which could come in handy for Black Friday). My Best Buy Total costs $179.99/year and includes all of the perks we just listed, plus Apple Care+, 24/7 Geek Squad support, and 60-day returns for most items.

If you've never signed up for NFL Sunday Ticket before and also aren't yet a paying Best Buy member, you'd be better off just opting for the new user deal offered by YouTube itself. (Otherwise, you'd be paying to sign up for your Best Buy membership on top of the $258 for Sunday Ticket price.)