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Who needs more cordless power tools? DeWALT tools are extremely popular among homeowners and professionals, partly thanks to their constant stream of exciting new products, and the company isn't slowing down anytime soon. Recently, DeWALT unveiled several new tools for the second half of 2026, and they'll be worth the wait.

When Nissan engineers borrowed NASA's research on neutral body posture to design the seats in the Infiniti QX60, they wanted to keep drivers and passengers comfortable on long trips. Believe it or not, that same engineering mindset extends to something a lot less glamorous than astronaut ergonomics. Cupholders.

Yesterday, the Department of Justice announced that its legal actions against TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, over alleged violations of children's online privacy laws had concluded with a $400 million settlement. The settlement now ranks among the "largest recoveries ever obtained" under the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).

SEE ALSO: 'Quiet on the creek' TikTok trend, explained

The initial lawsuit was brought against TikTok under the Biden administration, with allegations including "massive-scale invasions of children's privacy" and repeated failure to "comply with parents' requests to delete their children's accounts and information," according to the initial complaint. 

Though the dollar amount of the settlement is certainly steep, the terms of the deal allow TikTok to vacate all charges, avoid further litigation arising from the initial complaint, and admit no wrongdoing.

In fact, the Department of Justice's own press release acknowledges that "TikTok has undergone significant changes to its ownership, management, compliance functions, and privacy practices," giving the company a much-needed PR win going forward. The DOJ, on the other hand, is portraying this as a victory for online privacy.

"This settlement is a major victory for American children and parents," according to Associate Attorney General Stanley E. Woodward Jr. "The Department's priority is ensuring that children are protected online and that companies entrusted with their personal information meet their legal obligations. This resolution secures a substantial recovery while reinforcing the protections that families expect and deserve."

Considering that prior litigation targeting TikTok put it under constant threat of being banned under the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, passed by Congress in 2024, and eventually forced its corporate restructuring, the $400 million settlement will likely look, in hindsight, like a small price to pay for a company generating billions of dollars in advertising revenue each year. 

I’m not one to simply buy power tools on a whim; I usually need a good excuse. Recently I decided to take the plunge on an impact driver to see me through a weekend project and into the future. I ended up with a relatively cheap Ryobi model, and I love it.

Back when Android phones were still establishing their core identity, and Google was still a bright-eyed company mostly focused on software, Google came up with a brilliant idea, and, surprisingly, its partners played along. It was called "Google Play Edition" phones.

Sometimes a Windows bug is too small to carefully fix but too annoying to ignore. For years, my sound card has had its output mode switched from stereo to 5.1 after every reboot. Fixing it manually isn't difficult or all that time-consuming, but over the thousands of reboots since I purchased the card years ago, it adds up to several hours just changing audio device configurations.

The one thing that makes it easier for me to get up at 6 am for a training session or video call with someone on the other side of the world is the guarantee that my first cup of coffee will be a good one.

I make heavy use of voice dictation—I'm actually speaking the words you're reading right now. But I'm squeamish about the privacy concerns of Gboard and the connectivity requirements of Wispr Flow. Fortunately, I've found a private, offline-only option that is just as good—if not better.

Unfortunately, the end of August means the end of summer is near. It's the last chance to get that last-minute trip in before the school year starts, and the weather starts to cool down. As one of those people taking a trip, I've started to realize that the most important tool in my suitcase is an Amazon Fire TV Stick.

A NAS is a simple way to add a miniature cloud storage setup to your home network. Most of them are even versatile enough that they can host some basic open-source services as well, like a Navidrome music server or a WireGuard VPN. However, if you have an old PC lying around, you probably don't need to buy a dedicated NAS—you can repurpose the old PC instead.

The compact luxury SUV segment is dominated by familiar German badges, but a newer challenger is making it increasingly difficult to justify paying extra for them. It offers a genuinely upscale interior, strong performance, generous standard equipment, and a driving experience that feels more engaging than you might expect from a luxury crossover. Better still, it manages all of this while costing roughly the same as its most obvious rivals.

There's a long-standing debate over which web browser you should use. Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari, and plenty of others all have their fans, and most of us eventually settle on whichever one fits our particular needs. For me, Edge Drop makes Microsoft's browser considerably more useful—but now that's being taken away.

Do you love making things and getting your hands dirty? Whether you’re into arts, crafts, or both, a 3D printer could be a good investment. You don’t need model design skills to benefit either, since there’s a whole world of models out there just waiting to be discovered.

It's frustrating to sit down at your laptop for an afternoon of work, only to realize that it's hovering at two percent battery. Oh, and you forgot your charger at home. Perfect.

That's why battery life is one of the most important factors shoppers consider when searching for the best laptops, according to a 2025 CNET survey. (FYI: Mashable and CNET are both owned by the same parent company, Ziff Davis.) That makes total sense. While not everyone needs a marathon runner — PC gamers and creative professionals will probably prioritize performance — a laptop that constantly leaves you stranded without juice is an inconvenience. It's not truly portable, which is basically the whole point of buying a laptop instead of a desktop PC. This is why Mashable tests every laptop we review for battery life using a standardized video rundown exercise.

Modern laptops should provide an all-day charge

The battery lives of laptops have improved dramatically as of late — Windows laptops, in particular. In 2024, only one PC we tested lasted over 20 hours. In the last two years, three models have surpassed the 30-hour mark, two have lasted over 24 hours, and 10 more have lasted at least 20 hours. Our median battery life for 2024-model-year PCs was 12.5 hours; for this year's models, it's at 18.5 — a 48 percent increase. This boost was fueled by Qualcomm's Snapdragon X series chips and Intel's Panther Lake chips.

In the MacBook realm, Apple's switch to custom M-series silicon in 2020 was a game-changer. With a rated battery life of up to 18 hours, the original M1 MacBook Air had 50 percent more stamina than its Intel-powered predecessor. Subsequent M2, M3, M4, and M5 Pro and Air models we've tested have lasted for up to 21 hours per charge. And the new budget MacBook Neo, while short-lived for a modern MacBook, outlasts the average cheap PC or Chromebook with roughly 15 hours of battery life.

SEE ALSO: The best MacBook to buy in 2026: Comparing the Air, Neo, and Pro

These massive battery life bumps aren't the result of laptop batteries getting bigger. They've happened because laptop chips are getting smaller and more efficient, according to another CNET analysis. Tinier processors don't need as much juice to work.

Qualcomm's Snapdragon X series chips and Apple's M-series chips are further aided by the fact that they're both based on ARM instruction set architecture, or ISA. Put simply, ISA determines how a laptop's chip talks to its software. ARM ISA is less complicated than the traditional x86 ISA used in Intel and AMD chips, so ARM-based laptops tend to be more power-efficient. (The only catch is that you might run into compatibility issues with some specialty software and PC games.)

Which laptop has the highest battery life in 2026?

The best battery life laptop we've ever tested is the HP OmniBook 3 16, which held out for 40 hours and 14 minutes in our video rundown test. No other laptop we've tested has surpassed the 35-hour mark, though one comes close.

The best MacBook Neo deals you can shop right now: The Apple Store Apple MacBook Neo (A18 Pro, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) $599 (save $100 with education discount) Get Deal Amazon Apple MacBook Neo (A18 Pro, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) $689 (save $10 at Amazon) Get Deal the Apple Store Refurbished Apple MacBook Neo (A18 Pro, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) $599 (save $100) Get Deal the Apple Store Refurbished Apple MacBook Neo (A18 Pro, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD) $689 (save $120) Get Deal Best Buy Apple MacBook Neo (A18 Pro, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) $699 + free $25 Starbucks gift card Get Deal Best Buy Geek Squad Certified Refurbished Apple MacBook Neo (A18 Pro, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) $599 (save $100) Get Deal Costco Apple MacBook Neo (A18 Pro, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) $689.99 (save $9.01; no membership required) Get Deal

While Apple's MacBook Neo remains a fantastic value even after its $100 price hike this summer, it never hurts to check if you can get it on sale for even cheaper.

Major retailers like Amazon and Best Buy have yet to offer significant discounts on the Neo, with Amazon offering a measly $10 discount. The best MacBook Neo deal has always been the Apple Store's education discount for college students, their parents, and school faculty. It takes $100 off the Neo, effectively erasing its price increase.

SEE ALSO: The best MacBook to buy in 2026: Comparing the Air, Neo, and Pro

For a while, you could take advantage of Apple's education pricing even if you didn't have a student ID, but that's no longer the case. Fortunately, there's another way to get the Neo on sale for up to $120 off regardless of your student status, and that's by buying refurbished.

Here's a rundown of all the best live MacBook Neo offers around the web as of mid-August, just in time for back-to-school season. For what it's worth, I consider the Neo to be the best MacBook for K-12 students and cash-strapped undergrads.

The Apple Store Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Refurbished Apple MacBook Neo (A18 Pro, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) $599 at the Apple Store
$699 Save $100   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Refurbished Apple MacBook Neo (A18 Pro, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD) $689 at the Apple Store
$799 Save $110   Get Deal

The Apple Store sells Certified Refurbished MacBook Neos for up to $120 off — the best option for shoppers who aren't eligible for its student discount. Base Neo models with 256GB of storage are priced at $599 (normally $699 new), while upgraded models with 512GB of storage and Touch ID go for $679 (typically $799 new).

At the time of writing, the Apple Store had all four colors of both configurations in stock. Choose from citrus, silver, indigo, or blush.

Apple's Certified Refurbished devices are pre-owned but tested to make sure they're fully functional, and they come with one-year warranties.

Amazon Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple MacBook Neo (A18 Pro, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) $689 at Amazon
$699 Save $10   Get Deal

The retail giant is selling the Neo for a whopping $10 off. It's your best option if you aren't a student, don't want a refurbished unit, and don't want your savings in the form of a gift card.

Best Buy Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Geek Squad Certified Refurbished Apple MacBook Neo (A18 Pro, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) $599 at Best Buy
$699 Save $100   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple MacBook Neo (A18 Pro, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) + free $25 Starbucks gift card $699 at Best Buy
  Get Deal

Best Buy also has a Geek Squad Certified Refurbished MacBook Neo on sale for $100 off, but you only have one configuration option: the 256GB base model in indigo. It's been fixed up to like-new condition and includes a 90-day parts and labor warranty.

If you'd prefer a brand-new model, Best Buy throws in a free $25 Starbucks gift card when you buy any new Neo model during its 60th Anniversary Sale (live through Sunday, Aug. 23). As part of the event, Best Buy stores will also be offering an exclusive Neo deal this Saturday, Aug. 22.

Costco Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple MacBook Neo (A18 Pro, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) $689.99 at Costco
$699 Save $9.01 No membership required. Get Deal

Meanwhile, Costco has the base Neo marked down to $689.99 — a $9.01 savings. At least the deal isn't limited to Costco members.

Want to learn more about getting the best out of your tech? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories and Deals newsletters today.

Astronomers once stumbled on what appeared to be a black hole racing through space, a bizarre sight they only caught because the Hubble Space Telescope happened to be staring in the exact right place.

The discovery made for a juicy headline, but also served as a warning: If you're relying on serendipity alone to find the weirdest, most revealing objects in the universe, you're going to miss most of them.

NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, which could launch as early as Aug. 30, is the agency's next flagship observatory and is designed to change those odds.

"It's extraordinarily lucky that Hubble was able to catch that," senior project scientist Julie McEnery told Mashable during a news conference in April. "Roman would be able to find some things like that in space, because we're surveying such a large part of the sky, and then we can follow up with detailed measurements — with James Webb Space Telescope — now that we know where to look."

Instead of looking deeply at tiny patches of sky, Roman is expected to scan huge areas quickly and find the rarest objects in the cosmos. In practice, the new telescope's purpose is to act as a scout, mapping the universe rapidly, while Hubble, Webb, and other observatories zero in on the details.

SEE ALSO: Bright planets can blind the Webb telescope. A fix is coming. Why Roman looks wide instead of deep

Roman's biggest advantage over Hubble is how much more sky it can see at once. The new telescope will capture images with Hubble-like resolution in infrared light, but each picture will span at least 100 times more space.

Over its first five years, Roman is expected to image more than 50 times as much sky as Hubble has managed in three decades.

Roman will use that power to tackle some of the biggest open questions in cosmology. It will map the distribution of galaxies and galaxy clusters in space and how their structures change over time. Those patterns help test our narrative about the universe: that it began hot and dense, has been expanding and cooling ever since, and is shaped by normal matter, dark matter, and dark energy.

Dark matter is an unseen form of matter that reveals itself only through gravity. Dark energy is the name scientists give to whatever seems to be speeding up the universe's expansion. Current measurements don't all agree, suggesting the theory could be missing something important.

Roman is designed to sharpen that picture. It will build 3D maps of the universe, sending down about 1.4 terabytes of science data every day. A single image from the main survey would take more than 500,000 4K TVs to display — enough to cover 45 city blocks, mission leaders said.

How Roman, Webb, and Hubble work together

The legendary Hubble telescope, in orbit since 1990, sees in visible, ultraviolet, and infrared light, packing thousands of galaxies into a tiny patch of sky. With Roman in operation, Hubble will be able to focus on studies of single galaxies, star‑forming regions, or black hole candidates, all while using colors of light that Roman doesn't cover.

Webb, launched in 2021, operates primarily in the infrared band of the spectrum. That lets it see light obscured by cosmic dust, study extremely early galaxies, and analyze the atmospheres of some exoplanets, worlds that orbit other stars.

Hubble provides detailed multi‑color views of single objects, Webb zooms in on distant targets in infrared, and Roman will take much wider infrared images of the cosmos. Credit: NASA Goddard infographic

"You could consider one of Roman's roles to be something like a finding chart for the James Webb Space Telescope," McEnery said.

Together, Roman and Webb behave like wide‑angle and telephoto lenses on the same camera. Roman will show the broader "ecosystem" around objects, while Webb returns to specific oddities Roman finds for more detailed looks.

"Roman isn't just doing Hubble and Webb science faster," said Nicky Fox, associate administrator for science at NASA. "It's doing fundamentally different science that could not be done with either observatory. The three missions will complement each other."

Roman will also work closely with missions beyond NASA's own flagships.

On the ground, the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile will repeatedly scan the sky in visible light, tracking how things change over time. Because its images are sometimes too blurry to separate close objects, two or more sources can blend into one.

By comparing Rubin's images with Roman's sharper infrared views, astronomers may be able to visually resolve those crowded scenes, improving Rubin's maps. Both observatories will also track exploding stars, combining visible and infrared data to refine measurements of how fast the universe is expanding.

An advanced tool for exoplanets A NASA team integrates the coronagraph into its carrier on the telescope. Credit: NASA / Sydney Rohde

Roman is also equipped with an advanced coronagraph, an instrument that blocks a star's direct light so the telescope can photograph nearby planets in the star's glare. On Roman, this coronagraph is primarily a technology demonstration, showing that it is possible to directly image large Jupiter‑like planets orbiting other stars from space.

Roman's coronagraph technology leapfrogs existing instruments, surpassing the capabilities of Hubble, Webb, and ground‑based telescopes, said Vanessa Bailey, NASA's coronagraph scientist for the Roman telescope.

"What astronomers can do today with coronagraph instruments is see planets that are maybe 1 million times fainter than their stars," Bailey told Mashable. "What we're doing with the Roman coronagraph is hopefully getting to 10 million to 100 million times fainter, maybe even a little bit more in the best‑case scenario. That might allow us to see light reflected off of the cloud tops of a cold, old Jupiter analog in visible light for the first time."

The tech demonstration matters for what NASA hopes will come next: The proposed Habitable Worlds Observatory. This space telescope would be designed to directly photograph Earth‑like planets around sun‑like stars and search their atmospheres for "biosignatures" — gases such as oxygen and ozone that could hint at life. 

Roman, along with these other U.S. observatories, is poised to give astronomers a more complete picture of the cosmos.

"We're going to be surveying patches of the sky, going back over and over again to find new things that go bump in the night," McEnery said. "I very much hope, and in fact expect, that the most exciting science from Roman is going to be the things that we didn't expect — that we couldn't predict."

SAVE UP TO $480: Through Sept. 2, you can get NFL Sunday Ticket (reg. $60/month) for free by activating a new Verizon phone line or switching to select Verizon phone or home internet plans. Existing Verizon customers can also get NFL Sunday Ticket for a discount.

Opens in a new window Credit: Verizon / NFL NFL Sunday Ticket for free in 2026 With select Verizon phone or home internet plans Get Deal

NFL Sunday Ticket is running a deal for newcomers that drops its typically exorbitant $60 per month price down to $30 per month. But honestly, that's still pretty dang expensive to watch only out-of-market NFL games. Fortunately, there's an even better way to get NFL Sunday Ticket, thanks to Verizon, and it won't cost you a cent.

Verizon has resurrected its free NFL Sunday Ticket deal from previous years, which covers your subscription cost for the entire 2026-2027 season. There are four different ways you can unlock the free promotion through Verizon:

• Buy an eligible 5G phone and activate a new line on an Unlimited Ultimate or Unlimited Plus plan

• Buy an eligible 5G phone and upgrade an existing line to the Unlimited Ultimate or Unlimited Plus plan

• Switch your home internet connection to Verizon's 100% fiber-optic Fios Home Internet plans or select Verizon Home Internet options (5G Home Ultimate or Verizon Home Internet Lite Extra)

• Switch your home internet connection to premium Frontier Fiber Internet 1G, 2G, 5G, or 7G

This deal is valid through Sept. 2, a week before the regular NFL season kicks off, which gives you plenty of time to decide whether you want to grab a new phone or change up your internet plan.

If you don't want to make any changes to your phone or internet plan, Verizon still thinks you should save some money on NFL Sunday Ticket (and frankly, so do I). Existing Verizon and Simplicity customers can score a standalone NFL Sunday Ticket from a YouTube subscription for only $234 or the NFL Sunday Ticket + NFL RedZone streaming bundle for $276 through Verizon.

NFL Sunday Ticket is the only legal way you can watch every out-of-market NFL game on Sunday afternoons throughout the season. These are the games that are only available outside of the designated broadcast region you are in. It's the best and only real option for fans who live in a different region than the team(s) they want to watch. It's also a good way to keep up with your fantasy players. Typically, it'll cost you a jaw-dropping $480 as a standalone service for the whole season, so any opportunity to score the streamer for less is well worth jumping on.

TL;DR: Watch Espanyol vs. Real Madrid in La Liga for free on CazéTV. Access this free live stream from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

La Liga has been back for a week, but it feels like it's only starting for real this weekend. That's because Real Madrid and Barcelona are playing for the first time. We've had a staggered start to the season due to the World Cup, but now every team will have kicked off their campaign.

Real Madrid start their season at Espanyol. All eyes will be on José Mourinho as he looks to bring Real Madrid's star names together to stop Barcelona from winning their third title in a row.

If you're interested in watching Espanyol vs. Real Madrid in La Liga from anywhere in the world, we've got all the information you need.

When is Espanyol vs. Real Madrid?

Espanyol vs. Real Madrid in La Liga kicks off at 3:30 p.m. ET on Aug. 22. This fixture takes place at the RCDE Stadium.

How to watch Espanyol vs. Real Madrid for free

Espanyol vs. Real Madrid in La Liga is available to live stream for free on CazéTV.

CazéTV is geo-restricted to Brazil, but anyone can secure access with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Brazil, meaning you can live stream Espanyol vs. Real Madrid for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Espanyol vs. Real Madrid for free by following these simple steps:

1. Sign up for a streaming-friendly VPN (we recommend ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice

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

4. Visit CazéTV

5. Watch Espanyol vs. Real Madrid for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.99 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but they do tend to offer generous money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can watch Espanyol vs. Real Madrid without committing your cash. This is obviously not a long-term strategy, but it gives you enough time to stream this fixture (plus Premier League action) before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for La Liga?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on CazéTV, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries, including Brazil

• 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 free from throttling

• Up to 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and usually offers a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99.

Live stream Espanyol vs. Real Madrid for free from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

TL;DR: Lego is giving visitors a chance to build and take home a miniature model of the Human-Human Fruit from One Piece for free. These events are running on Aug. 23 from 12-2 p.m. in the U.S. and Canada.

Anime fans and Lego collectors need to clear their schedules this weekend.

Lego is hosting make-and-take events at retail stores across the U.S. and Canada, giving visitors a chance to build and take home a miniature model of the Human-Human Fruit from One Piece — completely free of charge. It's important to note that the Lego Human-Human Fruit model cannot be purchased, so this two-hour window is your only official way to score it. You could head to eBay next week, but you'll be dealing with some serious markups.

The event officially takes place on Sunday, Aug. 23 from 12-2 p.m. local time at participating Lego Stores (check locations here).

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As with all of Lego's make-and-take events, participation is strictly first-come, first-served while supplies last, with a hard limit of one build per guest. If we know anything about anime enthusiasts, they're bound to move fast. Your best strategy is to double-check your local store's event page online to confirm participation, then arrive 15 to 20 minutes before the doors open so you don't leave empty-handed. Consider yourself warned.

Follow these steps to get your hands on money-can't-buy Lego this weekend.

Grand Theft Auto VI is barreling toward its Nov. 19 release with a Netflix-exclusive gameplay reveal later this month (not to mention a very active leaker). But one basic detail remains a mystery: how big will the game's file size be?

The short answer: nobody knows. Rockstar hasn't confirmed a file size for Grand Theft Auto VI, and there are no credible leaks or rumors pointing to a specific number. The only figures floating around come from fan speculation on Reddit, where estimates generally land somewhere between 100GB and 250GB.

SEE ALSO: When will 'GTA 6' launch on PC? What we know so far.

That's a guess based on the scale of the game and recent open-world trends, not anything sourced from Rockstar or its parent company Take-Two.

There's been plenty of comparisons to Call of Duty: Black Ops 6's roughly 300GB install size, but those numbers don't really hold up either. Mostly because that file size is inflated by the fact that a single Call of Duty install typically bundles multiple separate games, including Warzone, traditional multiplayer, and campaign content. Also, because Infinity Ward and co. don't compress their games really well.

Part of the speculation also stems from GTA VI's being digital-only with no physical release. GTA VI's will get a physical box release that will have a code to redeem online, though some fans have speculated that the game's sheer size is a factor in Rockstar's decision to skip discs altogether.

Multi-disc games were once common, especially in the PS2 era, with titles like Metal Gear Solid, The Legend of Dragoon, and the OG Final Fantasy VII relying on multiple discs to fit their content, and the practice has resurfaced recently too. Horizon Forbidden West: Complete Edition became the first PS5 game to ship on two discs, and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth launched as a two-disc release at around 145GB. Generally, though, most games don't exceed 100GB.

Whether or not file size is the real reason, the digital-only approach has opened up a separate can of worms. As previously reported, the decision to go digital-only rather than full physical media release has become a rallying point for the group behind GTA VI's recent leaks, who have cited the lack of a true disc release as part of their justification for targeting the game.