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Roblox, the global youth gaming platform currently under fire for widespread child safety concerns, is rolling out mandatory age checks for all users who want to chat on the platform.

Roblox's site-wide age estimation feature was announced in November, utilizing AI age estimation tech provided by third-party vendor Persona that relies on on-device cameras. The system then assigns users to one of six categories: Under 9, 9–12, 13–15, 16–17, 18–20, and 21+. The tech was initially launched as part of a verified chat tool for users 13-17 years old.

Starting today (Jan. 7), that process will be required for all users in areas where chat functions are available.

SEE ALSO: What would ethical age verification look like online?

"As the first large online gaming platform to require facial age checks for users of all ages to access chat, this implementation is our next step toward what we believe will be the gold standard for communication safety," wrote Matt Kaufman, Roblox Chief Safety Officer, and Rajiv Bhatia, head of user and discovery product, in a blog post.

According to the platform, millions have already completed voluntary age checks since the feature launched. In regions where age checks were already required — Australia, New Zealand, and the Netherlands — Roblox says more than 50 percent of all users have opted in to age-verified chat.

Roblox says it plans to expand mandatory age estimation to real-time collaboration features in Roblox Studio, and will be updating its Roblox community policies.

Credit: Roblox

The site, which saw 151 million daily users in 2025, is home to nearly half of the entire U.S. population under 16 years old.

Roblox has been systematically overhauling its chat features and bulking up its parental control tools in response to safety concerns, including activity monitoring, expanded blocking options, and chat moderation.

Still, many are skeptical that Roblox's expanded age checks and other safety features will effectively tamp down the proliferation of child exploitation and predators on the platform. Some contend that the technology has too much room for error — developers Persona and Roblox executives say age estimation is accurate within a margin of two years, and works better for younger users.

In addition to multiple lawsuits filed by state attorneys general, Roblox is facing nearly 80 lawsuits by victims and parents that allege the platform did not do enough to prevent child sexual exploitation or warn users of risks. Several of the cases also name Meta, Discord, and Snapchat, sites where victims were directed to continue inappropriate conversations started on Roblox. The cases are set to be centralized before a single district judge in a San Francisco. Roblox has disputed the claims.

SAVE $50: As of Jan. 7, the Soundcore Space Q45 headphones have dropped to $99.99 at Amazon. This is $50 off their list price of $149.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: Soundcore Soundcore Space Q45 Headphones $99.99 at Amazon
$149.99 Save $50.00   Get Deal

If new headphones are on your shopping list for 2026, Amazon has some exciting deals to check out. At the moment, our favorite well-rounded budget headphones, the Soundcore Space Q45 headphones, have dipped below $100 at the retailer, but only for a limited time.

Amazon has dropped the price of the Soundcore by Anker Space Q45 headphones down to $99.99, making for $50 in savings from their list price of $149.99. Considering they're listed as a limited-time deal, it's better to act fast to pick them up at this low price.

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The Soundcore by Anker Space Q45 headphones have quite a lot to offer for under $100. They boast adaptive noise cancelling to help you block out any noises around you while you listen, up to 50 hours of playtime in noise cancelling mode (which is a massive bonus for those wanting headphones for long travel periods), and great sound quality.

When it comes to the latter, our roundup of the best budget headphones — which highlights these as the most well-rounded budget headphones — says "Bass dominates the soundstage in a positive way. Headbangers will salivate over the Space Q45’s boomy and energetic low-end presence. Customized settings (e.g., EQ, music presets) make room for crisp highs and rich mids."

If you're looking for a sleek sound upgrade for the new year, look no further than this deal on the Soundcore by Anker Space Q45 headphones. If you're curious what other options are worth grabbing this year, have a look at our overall roundup of the best headphones to see some of our top picks.

If you want to get a flavor of Donald Trump's latest speech made to Republicans on Tuesday, just watch the 57-second montage in the Jimmy Kimmel Live! video above — which is so all-over-the-place it's difficult to summarise in words.

"I feel like even he knows what he's saying's nuts, because just about every time he goes off on these tangents, he then makes it clear that he isn't actually scatterbrained, it's just a 'weave,'" says host Jimmy Kimmel. He then cuts back to the U.S. president explaining the importance of returning to an original point after going off on tangents so that you're "in good shape."

"That's right," says Kimmel. "No one is in better shape than he is."

TL;DR: The Magic: The Gathering Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Play Booster Box is available to pre-order for $159.99 at Amazon. That's the lowest-ever price at the retailer.

Opens in a new window Credit: Magic: The Gathering Magic: The Gathering Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Play Booster Box $159.99 at Amazon
$209.70 Save $49.71   Get Deal

We're busy keeping tabs on all the new Magic: The Gathering collections set to launch. Partly because what's to come is seriously cool, but also because we're waiting for the best deals to drop. We've already highlighted the upcoming release on the Magic: The Gathering Lorwyn Eclipsed Play Booster Box, but there's more to come in the early stages of 2026.

The Magic: The Gathering Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Play Booster Box is set to release on March 6. As of Jan. 7, this booster box is available to pre-order for $159.99 at Amazon. That's close to market value compared to listings on TCGplayer, but we'd still like to see Amazon's price come down a little more. So are we saying you should wait for a better price? No, actually.

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Amazon's pre-order price guarantee protects you against missing out on a better deal. Whenever you pre-order a product with Amazon's pre-order price guarantee, the price you get charged when it ships will be the lowest price offered between the time you placed your order and the end of the day on the release date. So there's no risk of buying early.

The Magic: The Gathering Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Play Booster Box is perfect for building decks and playing Limited games with friends, and they're just a lot of fun to open up. Each booster contains 14 cards, 1-4 rares or mythics, 3-6 uncommons, 6-9 commons, and a chance of pulling Full Boarderless or Mythic Rare Turtles. Feeling lucky?

Secure Amazon's best price on the Magic: The Gathering Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Play Booster Box before it launches in March, 2026

Last year, researchers at the University of Utah found a copy of Unix lying around on a 9-track magnetic tape. It's special because that version of Unix was lost until it was recovered from that magnetic tape 52 years later. The researchers managed to successfully reconstruct it, and then they made the copy public. Anyone can download it and run it inside a virtual machine. So I did just that, and it made me so giddy to use it.

Elon Musk's artificial intelligence company xAI has raised $20 billion in an upsized Series E funding round, the company announced on Tuesday. The news comes days after the company's next generation intelligent assistant Grok came under scrutiny for generating nonconsensual sexualized images.

The original target for the funding round was $15 billion, xAI said, but ended up raising $5 billion more from an A list of investors including Fidelity, Valor, Stepstone, Baron, Qatar Investment Authority, MGX, as well as Nvidia's and Cisco's investment arms.

SEE ALSO: xAI admits that Grok generated images of 'minors in minimal clothing,' part of a larger problem with deepfakes

The company is currently training its next generation intelligent assistant, Grok 5, and is also working on "innovative new consumer and enterprise products that harness the power of Grok, Colossus, and 𝕏 to transform how we live, work, and play."

The money raised will be used for infrastructure buildout, new research, and hiring, with the company saying it's "aggressively" hiring to build a team "focused on making a transformational impact on the future of humanity."

In a blog post announcing the funding round, xAI highlighted some of its successes in 2025, including launching Grok 4 series, Grok's voice mode, image generation tool Grok Imagine, and using Grok to leverage the X platform to "understand what's happening in the world in real-time."

Featured Video For You Samsung previews futuristics TVs and display technology at CES First Look event

The announcement comes days after X users noticed that the platform's AI chatbot Grok will readily generate nonconsensual sexualized images, including those of children. These images were incredibly easy to find — all one had to do was check Grok's "Media" tab on X and see that it basically consists of sexualized images of women, both celebrities and private citizens.

Following the outrage from users, several foreign governments, including those of Malaysia, India, and France, launched investigations into Grok. Musk responded to the issue by tweeting that "anyone using Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content."

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As of writing time Grok's Media tab on X has gotten better in this regard, but still contains numerous sexualized images of various people.

SAVE $150: As of Jan. 7, the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra is down to its lowest-ever prices of $499.98 at Amazon. This is $150.01 off the list price of $649.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra (2025) $499.98 at Amazon
$649.99 Save $150.01   Get Deal

The start of a new year is a good opportunity to plan out some of your health and fitness goals. A smartwatch can help you keep an eye on them, and right now there's quite a few discounts to check out. If you're looking to splash out on a fancy high-end model, the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra is among the options on sale.

As of Jan. 7, the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra ismarked down to its lowest-ever price of $499.98 at Amazon. This is just over $150 off its usual price of $649.99, which is a pretty nice deal to jump on.

SEE ALSO: The top 6 CES 2026 trends I expect to see at tech's biggest show

The heavy duty Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra boasts a durable titanium design and plenty of features, including an Energy Score to see how ready your body is for the day and a Running Coach for athletic individuals wanting to plan out a run for the day. It also features Advanced Sleep Coaching to get a better idea of your sleeping habits and Vascular Load monitoring to keep an eye on your stress levels.

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These are just the tip of the iceberg, though. If you're looking for a sleek smartwatch upgrade, the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra is worth a look, especially while it's still on sale.

Curious what other smartwatches are worth checking out right now? Have a look at our breakdown of the best smartwatches to see more top picks that we believe are worth your time and money.

It was easy to get excited by, or fearful about, the future suggested by at least one robot that debuted at the 2026 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) this week in Las Vegas.

Hyundai, better known for cars, chose this spot for the first public outing of Atlas, the previously lab-bound robot that came out of its 2020 purchase of dystopian robot manufacturer Boston Dynamics. Atlas, a humanoid with a flashlight face and kinda weirdly ripped torso that can lift 110 pounds, could not have looked more dystopian if they'd hung a sign around his neck reading "I'LL BE BACK (FOR YOUR JOB)."

SEE ALSO: CES 2026 live updates: See the latest news, surprises, and strange tech from LG, Samsung, Lego, and new startups

But take heart, humanity. The future of this CES nightmare fuel could yet look a lot like past CES robot nightmare fuel — which is to say, a lot of trade show sizzle that ultimately failed to sell a lot of steak. I'm one of many veteran CES reporters who encountered humanoids (plus canine-oids, and, uh, dino-oids?) at the top tech show over many years in the early part of this century.

In retrospect, it's pretty clear why so few survived, while human reporters still stalk the halls looking to bag the next one. Come with us now on a photographic journey through the weird and wonderful history of CES and its ominous robot prototypes that didn't quite pan out. All the way back to...

CES 2004: The Sony Qrio says hello Credit: Justin Sullivan / Getty Images

Hard to remember now, but this cute Sony Qrio robot was once taken seriously as a harbinger of doom. In one of the biggest TV hits of the 2000s, Battlestar Galactica, Qrio is the star of a series finale scene showing how (mild spoiler alert for a 20-year old show) Cylon-like tech is developing on Earth. The Qrio never went on sale — although of an unknown number of prototypes, four did achieve pop stardom in a Beck video.

CES 2006: Google's robot car rides in Credit: Neal Ulevich / Bloomberg via Getty Images

Yep, that's Google co-founder Larry Page in his nerdier youth, riding onto the CES stage atop a very, very early Google prototype self-driving "robot" car — better known to you kids as a Waymo. Now, 20 years later, Waymo is doing its robotaxi thing in five cities in the U.S. Not bad, but not exactly "rise of the machines" territory.

CES 2007: That's one small step for Asimo ... Credit: Robyn Beck / AFP via Getty Images

Humanoid robots started looking uncannily good with the Honda Asimo. This guy could walk around pretty well (especially if walking in circles is your thing), and even run at a very good six miles per hour. But like the Daleks in Doctor Who, it was defeated by stairs: one small misstep in a human-operated CES demo led to a giant leap of early YouTube videos featuring Asimo pratfalls. Well, look what you did, YouTubers. You killed the Asimo, which Honda ceased producing in 2018, with its last working appearance in Disneyland now a distant memory. Happy now?

CES 2009: Anybots makes its presence known Credit: Robyn Beck / AFP via Getty Images

RIP, telepresence robot from Anybots, never produced commercially. Who could have foreseen that people wouldn't jump at the chance to see their colleagues on tiny screens in the chests of weird white cyborgs? Even Anybots reps' suggestion on the CES 2009 show floor — that American bosses could use these things to oversee production in Chinese factories remotely — failed to warm many global capitalist hearts.

CES 2011: Robovie busts a move Credit: Robyn Beck / AFP via Getty Images

Dance break! No, but seriously, pour one out for this poor Robovie line, from a Japanese company called Vstone. Its main claim to fame in later versions was to feature in experiments where kids literally beat them up.

Featured Video For You The humanoid so real they had to cut it open CES 2012: The Bieber machine Credit: Ethan Miller / Getty Images

Here's Justin Bieber at CES 2012 pointing a microphone at a moving speaker by Vietnamese company TOSY Robotics called the mRobo Ultra Bass, which dances to the beat. This product seems to have lasted a few more years after its encounter with Bieber before going all "where are you now."

CES 2014: Pretty in Pleo Credit: Joe Klamar / AFP via Getty Images

The first version of this robot dinosaur (full disclosure: I owned one) crashed and burned company Ugobe into bankruptcy in 2009. This pink version, the Pleo RB "robotic lifeform" represented its all-too-brief second coming.

CES 2015: Would you leave your kid with this robot? Credit: Britta Pedersen / Picture Alliance via Getty Images

The intent of Medi was much like that of Baymax, the healthcare robot in Big Hero 6 (2014): to help sick children get healthy. But there's a reason Baymax wasn't animated in this posture of, uh, let's call it robospreading. Regardless of what happened to the company behind it, RxRobots, Medi robots crop up in news reports with sick kids every now and again.

CES 2015: Hey now, Aiko Credit: Michael Nagle / Bloomberg via Getty Images

Aiko Chihira was Toshiba's "communication android." She was sometimes pitched as an android receptionist, but also demonstrated sign language. Amazingly, she did not come for any ASL interpreters' jobs.

CES 2016: The Segway robot is...a choice Credit: Ethan Miller / Getty Images

Remember when Segway completely turned around its image, from a comedy vehicle that George W. Bush fell over on, into the future of transportation? And it was all because Intel CEO Brian Krzanich rode into his CES keynote on a self-balancing Segway personal transportation robot? No, me neither. Segway, now owned by a Chinese company, has pivoted to delivery robots, which might be taking a few jobs from hardworking Taskrabbits.

CES 2017: Nvidia talks robot cars Credit: Andrej Sokolow / Picture Alliance via Getty Images

Wait, who's this fake leather-jacketed gentleman talking about how Nvidia is going to help Audi build robot cars that wouldn't make it far beyond the concept stage? Surely not Nvidia president and CEO Jensen Huang, the same guy who stood on the stage at CES in 2026 and talked about Nvidia's ambition to build robot cars with Mercedes. (Admittedly, he's a lot closer to production this time.)

CES 2017: Breaking news, robot plays chess Credit: Rob Lever / AFP via Getty Images

To be fair, this one from Taiwan's Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) was pretty cool. Not just chess-playing software, but a demo robot using an intelligent vision system to see the pieces, with arms to move them. Similar concept models have since come to CES since to play Scrabble and tic-tac-toe. Do challenge one to a game if you see them, they often seem lonely.

CES 2018: Aibo! Is that you, buddy? Credit: David McNew / AFP

Ah, good old Aibo the robot dog! (Full disclosure: I had one of the original 2001 Aibo models until it fell down the stairs and, sickeningly, broke its neck. I am a bad robot dog parent.) This is the fourth generation Aibo, which has not advanced techologically since 2018. That didn't stop Sony from releasing it in a new series of colors in 2025.

CES 2018: The robot stripper Credit: Mandel Ngan / AFP via Getty Images

Here we see an actual case of robots taking jobs — if the job in question was to perform as an exotic dancer on these particular CES 2018 poles at the Sapphire club for a night or two.

CES 2018: Breaking news, robot uses vacuum Credit: David Becker / Getty Images

Sometimes, CES robots take jobs from other robots. This Aeolus robot shown at CES 2018 can use an actual vacuum cleaner. In your face, Roomba! Aeolus, indeed, is still in business post-pandemic. Roomba is not.

CES 2019: Four legs bad Credit: David McNew / AFP

This is ANYbotics and Continental's ANYmal quadrupedal delivery robot, which now has a second career as a factory inspector.

CES 2020: Digit gets packing Credit: David Becker/Getty Images

Here we have it, finally: the world's first commercially deployed humanoid robot, Digit. Since the pandemic, the company has inked a deal with Amazon and built its first robot factory. Still not quite taking over the world just yet.

CES 2020: You're Terminated Credit: David Becker / Getty Images

When all else fails, build a robot that looks and talks uncannily like a human. This is the Robo-C at CES 2020, and its makers, Promobot, are still in business with a sequel.

CES 2020: TP robot tells the future Credit: Mario Tama / Getty Images

Little did attendees in January 2020 — some of whom, like me, were starting to suffer from a curiously strong winter flu — know that this Charmin TP delivery self-balancing "Rollbot", a mere concept, still pointed the way to the future. As the world locked down against the COVID-19 pandemic three months later, rolls like this would be in short supply in supermarkets.

CES 2022: This robot sucks Credit: Patrick T. Fallon / AFP

When CES finally returned two years later, the Amagami Ham Ham play-biting cat was one of the show's most popular robots. What can I say, the pandemic made us all a little strange. (And yes, you can still get one.)

CES 2022: Hyundai sees Spot run Credit: Andrej Sokolow / Picture Alliance via Getty Images

Spot, Boston Dynamics' first commercial robot, was first shown to the world in 2016 — but that didn't stop Hyundai from showing it off at CES six years later. It seems to be finding success in a few niche roles: as an inspection robot, and in some bomb disposal squads.

CES 2022: OK, getting a little creepy now Credit: Patrick T. Fallon / AFP

Uncanny Valley ahoy: it's the Ameca, which bills itself as "the world's most advanced social humanoid robot" with AI gestures and a library of 50 facial expressions. You still have to ask the manufacturers for a quote if you want to build one, suggesting they're not exactly flying off the shelves.

CES 2023: Pour one out for Adam Credit: David Becker / Getty Images

Adam the bartender is a popular productivity bot to have returned to CES several times, based on AI-driven factory robots you can actually buy, and yet your neighborhood bartender persists in having a job. (Unless your neighborhood bar is Botbar in Oakland, where Adam is currently serving. Breaking news: was serving. Botbar is permanently closed as of January 2026. Sorry, Adam.) However, AI robot bartenders are still serving at CES.

CES 2025: TOMO takes over Credit: Artur Widak / Anadolu via Getty Images

This keyboard-playing concept robot shown by EMage group at CES 2025 might take your job, if your job is "coolest being in a Kraftwerk tribute band."

CES 2026: When Jensen met Grek Credit: Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images

Now as in 2017, Jensen Huang of Nvidia is selling a vision of a robotics-driven future. That little guy with him at CES 2026 is Grek, developed by Disney Research with Nvidia support. Alas, Grek — which Huang has been taking to trade shows since mid-2025 — doesn't even have his own Disney movie deal yet, let alone your job.

Head to the Mashable CES 2026 hub for the latest news and live updates from the biggest show in tech, where Mashable journalists are reporting live.

Now that the dust has settled on the Stranger Things finale — which had more than a few fans up in arms — we're beginning to see a fair few Easter eggs and theories emerge.

A lot of these concern the fate of Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) — did you spot that book shelf clue in the final scene, for instance? — but there's also a poignant throwback in the final epilogue that you may have missed.

SEE ALSO: 'Stranger Things' finale may have left a huge clue on the basement bookshelf

We're talking about the Hawkins High School graduation speech made by Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), who took over the ceremony with a rousing tirade against the system that had his fellow students cheering and Principal Higgins (Bill Winkler) scrambling for the mic.

The thing is, Dustin's speech wasn't quite as out-of-the-blue as it may have seemed. It was actually a poignant throwback to Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn), the leader of the Hellfire Club, who died to save Dustin and his friends in the Upside Down in Season 4.

How does Dustin's graduation speech pay tribute to Eddie? Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) and Eddie (Joseph Quinn) fought side-by-side in Season 4. Credit: Courtesy of Netflix

"Screw the school, screw the system, screw conformity, screw everyone and everything trying to hold you back and tear us apart because this, this is our year!" screams Dustin at the end of his grad speech, before dropping the microphone, grabbing his diploma from Higgins, and flipping off the exasperated principal.

Dustin's actions are pretty much a play-by-play re-enactment of what Eddie says he's going to do when he graduates from Hawkins High, back in the Season 4 scene where we first meet his character.

Featured Video For You Gaten Matarazzo on 'Stranger Things' 'SNL' shoutout, Dustin and Steve's big fight, and why AI is 'lame'

"I'm gonna walk that stage next month, I'm gonna look Principal Higgins dead in the eye, I'm gonna flip him the bird, I'm gonna snatch that diploma and I'm gonna run like hell outta here," yells Eddie, striding around the school cafeteria as his D&D crew, including Dustin and Mike (Finn Wolfhard), laugh in admiration.

Clearly, his words stuck with Dustin. And given that Dustin is still grieving Eddie throughout Season 5, the graduation speech is really a tribute to his friend's memory.

Eddie may be gone, but Hellfire lives.

Stranger Things' final season is available to stream now on Netflix.

The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult to solve if you have a twin.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SEE ALSO: NYT Pips hints, answers for January 7, 2026 Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: Lookalike

• Green: A piece

• Blue: Seen on national pieces

• Purple: Squeezed

Here are today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: Doppelganger

• Green: Portion

• Blue: Common flag symbols

• Purple: Pressed using a press

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 #941 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Doppelganger: CLONE, DOUBLE, MIRROR, RINGER

• Portion: CONCERN, INTEREST, SHARE, STAKE

• Common flag symbols: CRESCENT, CROSS, STAR STRIPE

• Pressed using a press: CIDER, GARLIC, TROUSERS, WINE

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

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for January 7, 2026

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

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

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

Today's NYT Strands hints are easy if you're on top of your dental hygiene.

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

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

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

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

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for January 7, 2026 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for January 7, 2026 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Open wide

The words are related to hygiene.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words describe mouth cleaning.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is horizontal.

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is Dentists Office.

NYT Strands word list for January 7

• Dentists Office

• Floss

• Drill

• Mirror

• Fluoride

• Toothbrush

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

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

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

Today's Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you love nutty foods.

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

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for January 7, 2026 Where did Wordle come from?

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

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

What's the best Wordle starting word?

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

What happened to the Wordle archive?

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

Is Wordle getting harder?

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

SEE ALSO: NYT Pips hints, answers for January 7, 2026 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

A nut.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

There are no recurring letters.

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

Today's Wordle starts with the letter P.

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...

PECAN

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

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

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for January 7, 2026

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

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

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

Today's Connections: Sports Edition will be easier if you know west coast schools.

As we've shared in previous hints stories, this is a version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans.

Like the original Connections, 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 the latest 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: Sports Edition?

The NYT's latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication's sports coverage. 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: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. Here's a hint for today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

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

• Yellow: Hockey

• Green: Gear

• Blue: Baseball leaders

• Purple: College characters

Here are today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

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

• Yellow: NHL teams with singular nicknames

• Green: A bit of track and field equipment

• Blue: MLB managers

• Purple: Mascots for University of California Schools, in the singular

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: Sports Edition #471 is...

What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?

• NHL teams with singular nicknames - AVALANCHE, KRAKEN, LIGHTNING, MAMMOTH

• A bit of track and field equipment - BATON, HURDLE, JAVELIN, POLE

• MLB managers - CASH, COUNSELL, MARMOL, VOGT

• Mascots for University of California Schools, in the singular - BANANA SLUG, BRUIN, GAUCHO, GOLDEN BEAR

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new sports Connections 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.

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.

The Mini is a bite-sized version of The New York Times' revered daily crossword. While the crossword is a lengthier experience that requires both knowledge and patience to complete, The Mini is an entirely different vibe.

With only a handful of clues to answer, the daily puzzle doubles as a speed-running test for many who play it.

So, when a tricky clue disrupts a player's flow, it can be frustrating! If you find yourself stumped playing The Mini — much like with Wordle and Connections — we have you covered.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: How to play Pips, the newest NYT game

Here are the clues and answers to NYT's The Mini for Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026:

AcrossPlanning to, informally

• The answer is Gonna.

___ tolls (GPS setting)

• The answer is Avoid.

Pulsed quickly, as the heart

• The answer is Raced.

Draw an outline of

• The answer is Trace.

Prefix with loop for theoretical high-speed transport

• The answer is Hyper.

DownWayne's sidekick in "Wayne's World"

• The answer is Garth.

Egg-producing organ

• The answer is Ovary.

"I'm serious!," in slang

• The answer is Nocap.

Sister's daughter

• The answer is Niece.

Snake that sounds like it would be good at math?

• The answer is Adder.

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

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

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

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

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

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

How to play Pips

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

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for January 7, 2026

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SEE ALSO: NYT Strands hints, answers for January 7, 2026 Easy difficulty hints, answers for Jan. 7 Pips

Number (7): Everything in this space must add up to 7. The answer is 4-2, placed horizontally; 3-0, placed vertically.

Equal (2): Everything in this red space must be equal to 2. The answer is 4-2, placed horizontally; 2-3, placed horizontally.

Equal (3): Everything in this light blue space must be equal to 3. The answer is 2-3, placed horizontally; 3-5, placed vertically..

Greater Than (4): Everything in this space must be greater than 4. The answer is 3-5, placed vertically.

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

Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 1-0, placed horizontally; 4-3, placed horizontally.

Equal (3): Everything in this space must be equal to 3. The answer is 4-3, placed horizontally; 3-1, placed vertically; 6-3, placed horizontally.

Number (12): Everything in this space must add up to 12. The answer is 2-6, placed horizontally; 6-3, placed horizontally.

Number (1): Everything in this space must add up to 1. The answer is 3-1, placed vertically.

Medium difficulty hints, answers for Jan. 7 Pips

Less Than (6): Everything in this space must be less than 6. The answer is 2-6, placed vertically.

Equal (3): Everything in this space must be equal to 3. The answer is 3-0, placed vertically; 3-5, placed vertically.

Number (9): Everything in this space must add up to 9. The answer is 6-5, placed vertically; 6-3, placed vertically.

Less Than (2): Everything in this space must be less than 2. The answer is 5-0, placed vertically, 3-0, placed vertically.

Equal (5): Everything in this space must be equal to 5. The answer is 3-5, placed vertically; 6-5, placed vertically; 4-5, placed horizontally.

Greater Than (3): Everything in this space must be greater than 3. The answer is 4-5, placed horizontally.

Hard difficulty hints, answers for Jan. 7 Pips

Number (6): Everything in this space must add up to 6. The answer is 4-0, placed vertically; 2-4, placed horizontally.

Number (9): Everything in this space must add up to 9. The answer is 2-4, placed horizontally; 5-0, placed vertically.

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

Number (0): Everything in this space must add up to 0. The answer is 4-0, placed vertically; 0-2, placed horiontally.

Greater Than (1): Everything in this space must be greater than 1. The answer is 0-2, placed horizontally.

Number (1): Everything in this space must add up to 1. The answer is 5-0, placed vertically; 1-4, placed vertically.

Equal (2): Everything in this space must be equal to 2. The answer is 3-2, placed vertically; 2-6, placed vertically.

Not Equal: Everything in this space must be different. The answer is 3-5, placed vertically; 3-4, placed vertically.

Less Than (7): Everything in this space must be less than 7. The answer is 0-0, placed vertically.

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

Greater Than (8): Everything in this space must be greater than 8. The answer is 2-6, placed vertically; 5-6, placed horizontally.

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

Number (5): Everything in this space must add up to 5. The answer is 3-4, placed vertically; 1-2, placed horizontally.

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

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

The best ways to watch 'Wicked: For Good' at a glance: Watch now Buy or rent 'Wicked: For Good' on Prime Video $19.99 or $29.99 Shop Now Watch now Buy or rent 'Wicked: For Good' at Apple TV $19.99 or $29.99 Shop Now Watch later Peacock Premium yearly subscription $109.99/year (save $21.89) Get Deal Watch later Peacock Premium for Students and Young Adults $5.99/month for 12 months (save $5/month) Get Deal Watch later Peacock Premium for First Responders and Medical Professionals $6.99/month (save $4/month) Get Deal Best for military personnel Peacock Premium for Active Military and Veterans $6.99/month (save $4/month) Get Deal Watch later Peacock Premium for Teachers $6.99/month (save $4/month) Get Deal Watch later Peacock Premium annual subscription Free for Instacart+ subscribers (save $109.99/year) Get Deal Watch later Peacock Premium free for Walmart+ subscribers Get Deal

Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande returned to the big screen to conclude Elphaba and Glinda's story this fall with Wicked: For Good.

Directed by Jon M. Chu once again, Wicked: For Good continues the story from the Broadway musical adaptation Wicked, which absolutely dominated the box office in 2024. Part one also picked up 10 Academy Award nominations, winning two for production design and costume design, and setting the bar extremely high for part two.

Besides Erivo and Grande, Wicked: For Good also stars Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Bowen Yang, and Marissa Bode. It hit theaters in November 2025, but it is now officially available to watch at home as of January 2026. Here's everything you need to know to tune in — including when and where it's streaming.

What is Wicked: For Good about?

Wicked: For Good picks up where Wicked leaves off — in the wake of Elphaba's (Erivo) showdown with the Wizard of Oz (Goldblum). Having been labeled as the Wicked Witch of the West, Elphaba now lives in hiding. Glinda, on the other hand, has become a symbol of good as well as a public figure. Glinda hopes to protect Elphaba from an actual witch hunt, all the while, an outsider (Dorothy) arrives in Oz. The second act follows Dorothy and her Yellow Brick Road-trekking pals from the perspective of Elphaba.

Check out the official trailer below.

Is Wicked: For Good worth watching?

It's tough for a sequel to live up to its predecessor, and Wicked: For Good struggles to match the magic of the first movie. On Rotten Tomatoes, for instance, Wicked holds an 88 percent critic score. Wicked: For Good, on the other hand, holds just a 66 percent. Audiences are pretty enthralled with both, though. Both films have over a 90 percent audience rating, though many people have debated whether two separate films were necessary in the first place.

"In the end, Wicked: For Good is sure to enthrall fans of the Broadway show, the first movie, and just about anyone who loves a splashy movie musical. Despite its faults, it's still good," writes Mashable's entertainment editor, Kristy Puchko.

Check out our full review of Wicked: For Good.

How to watch Wicked: For Good at home Credit: Universal Pictures

There are a couple of different ways you can watch Wicked: For Good at home as of Dec. 30, 2025. You can buy it or rent it at digital-on-demand retailers for as low as $19.99, or you can stream it on Peacock at a later date. See the details below.

Buy or rent it on digital

Wicked's second act is available as of Dec. 30, 2025, to buy or rent at digital-on-demand retailers. If you choose to rent, you'll get 30 days to watch the film and just 48 hours to finish it once you start. If you choose to buy it instead, then it's yours to keep with no watch limits.

Here are some quick links to rent or purchase the film:

• Prime Video — buy for $29.99, rent for $19.99

• Apple TV — buy for $29.99, rent for $19.99

• Fandango at Home — buy for $29.99, rent for $19.99

• Google Play — buy for $29.99, rent for $19.99

• YouTube — buy for $29.99, rent for $19.99

Stream it on Peacock (at a later date)

As a Universal Pictures film, we know Wicked: For Good will join Wicked on Peacock. If it follows its predecessor's timeline, part two of the Wicked saga will likely arrive on Peacock in March 2026. We'll keep you updated.

If you don't have a Peacock subscription, you can sign up for $10.99 per month with ads or $16.99 per month without (thanks to the most recent price hike). Before you get ahead of yourself, though, be sure to check out the best ways to save some money on a subscription below.

The best Peacock streaming dealsBest Peacock deal: Save 17% on an annual subscription Opens in a new window Credit: Peacock Peacock Premium annual subscription $109.99 per year or $169.99 per year (save 17%) Get Deal

The best Peacock deal for most folks is the annual subscription deal. You'll get 12 months of streaming for the price of 10 by paying for a year upfront. That's a total of $109.99 with ads (which breaks down to just $9.17 per month compared to $10.99) or $169.99 without ads (which breaks down to $14.16 per month compared to $16.99). That's about $21.89 in savings on the ad-supported tier or $33.89 on the ad-free tier.

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Xfinity customers should check the eligibility details below before signing up for Peacock, as you might be able to score a subscription for free. Check out the breakdown of who is eligible to get Peacock for free through Xfinity below (or head to Xfinity.com for more details).

• Xfinity Internet customers who are Diamond or Platinum Xfinity Rewards members can get Peacock Premium for free by redeeming a reward for it. Sign in at xfinity.com/rewards and choose Peacock as a reward. Then, wait for your email (it may take a few hours) with instructions on activating the offer.

• NOW TV customers can also receive Peacock Premium as part of their service.

• New customers with Xfinity Internet and an X1 TV Box, Flex streaming TV Box, or a Xumo Stream Box from Xfinity can get Peacock Premium for free for six months.

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Students and young adults can save $5 per month on a Peacock Premium subscription all year long. Just verify your student status via SheerID and retrieve the unique promo code to knock the cost down to just $5.99 instead of $10.99. Note that after the promo year is up, you'll be charged full price again unless you cancel.

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First responders, medical professionals, military personnel, and teachers can all secure a Peacock Premium subscription (with ads) for a discounted rate of $6.99 per month by verifying their professional status via SheerID. Unlike the student deal, however, it's not limited to a year. Those who continue to meet verification qualifications can renew their subscription at a discounted rate each year — although you may have to go through the verification process each time and receive a new promo code. Rates are also subject to change year to year.

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An Instacart+ membership ($99.99 per year) unlocks a free Peacock Premium subscription ($109.99 per year value) on top of free grocery delivery, lower fees, and credit back on eligible pickup orders. Plus, if you're new to Instacart+, you'll get a free two-week trial to kick things off. Just be sure to cancel before you're charged the full amount — do yourself a favor and set a calendar alert.

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Walmart now offers Walmart+ members the ability to choose Peacock Premium (or Paramount+) as a free perk. A $109.99 value, your $98 Walmart+ membership is already a better deal than paying for Peacock on its own. Add in free shipping (with no order minimums), fuel discounts, a Scan & Go checkout tool, and early access to deals during Walmart's major shopping events, and you've got yourself a pretty sweet subscription. Amazon Prime who?

For more than a century, Betelgeuse has looked like a star with a secret.

It swells and fades on a six-year rhythm that never quite made sense. The star, about 650 light-years away in space, is old, bloated, and unstable, but not unstable enough to explain its slow pulse. 

The answer might be simpler than expected. Betelgeuse, pronounced "Beetlejuice" just like the Tim Burton film, appears to have company, traveling within its own atmosphere.

Astronomers have previously speculated that the red supergiant, once thought to be on the brink of supernova, has a companion. Another star circling it could explain its strange changes in brightness. 

Though researchers continue to seek a direct detection of the star that will prove its existence beyond a shadow of a doubt, scientists are celebrating new evidence from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. A team led by Andrea Dupree, a Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics scientist, observed ripples in Betelgeuse’s atmosphere, like the wake from a speed boat, caused by a passing star.

SEE ALSO: Astronomers have just found one of the universe's earliest mistakes

If this new finding, soon to be published in The Astrophysical Journal, holds up to further scrutiny, it would change how astronomers understand one of the sky’s most famous stars. Betelgeuse would no longer be thought of as a solitary giant drifting toward its final collapse. It would be part of a binary system — a Goliath with its own David: a star smaller than the sun is having an outsize impact on the giant. 

The companion star, recently dubbed Siwarha, solves a major problem for scientists, said Dupree, who presented the research at the 247th American Astronomical Society meeting in Phoenix this week. 

"Betelgeuse is spinning too rapidly for a supergiant. It should slow down as it becomes large, but it has a fast rotation," she told Mashable in an email. "The companion is believed to have sped up Betelgeuse by transferring angular momentum to the big star."

Angular momentum is the measure of an object's spinning power, which remains steady unless something pushes or pulls on it. 

On its own, Siwarha is nothing too dramatic. Perhaps it's a red dwarf, dim and diminutive compared to Betelgeuse. 

"The companion is thought to be a low-mass star," said Dupree, estimating its mass as somewhere between half and 1 ½ times that of the sun. "There are no X-rays detected, so it is not a black hole or neutron star or accreting young star. By the way stars evolve, it is not thought to be a white dwarf, either."

A NASA-led team announced it got a picture of the companion with the Gemini North Telescope in Hawaii, but the complicated imaging technique the researchers used left room for doubt, Dupree said. 

A separate team of researchers used a complicated technique to image a companion star around Betelgeuse, but some astronomers say those results were uncertain. Credit: International Gemini Observatory / NOIRLab / NSF / AURA / M. Zamani

What makes the star remarkable is its location. Siwarha appears to orbit so close that it never leaves Betelgeuse’s atmosphere. It sails through a turbulent sea of hot gas that extends far beyond the star’s visible surface.

As it moves, the companion leaves a trail. Gas piles up behind it, thickens, heats, and slowly expands across Betelgeuse’s face. From Earth, that wake obscures the star, reducing the light it sends out. Halfway through the orbit, when the wake has peaked, Betelgeuse is at its faintest point. Then the gas thins out, the star brightens again, and the cycle continues.

The entire star seems to react to the pattern. The surface, the atmosphere, and the surrounding gas all change on the same six-year schedule. That kind of coordination is hard to explain with solar storms alone. A companion provides a single, consistent source.

The team detected Siwarha’s wake by tracking changes in Betelgeuse's starlight over eight years.

The significance goes beyond Betelgeuse itself. If confirmed, this would be one of the clearest examples of catching a star as it spirals into its companion. Astronomers think many stars die this way, but the brief phase is easy to miss. 

The companion is currently hidden behind Betelgeuse, lost in the glare. But astronomers expect it to reappear in 2027 as its orbit carries it back into view. 

Tensor Auto is very confident about its Robocar. It's the most succinct way I can describe how I felt after getting a look under the hood at this very luxurious electric vehicle at CES 2026, just a day before the show opened.

Here is Tensor's pitch: a personal, privately owned autonomous vehicle designed from the ground up for Level 4 driving, not retrofitted after the fact (like how Waymo uses Jaguar vehicles). According to Amy Luca, Tensor's chief marketing officer, that distinction matters.

"This wasn't built by taking an existing car and adding autonomy," she told me. "It was designed as an autonomous vehicle first, and then designed to be something you’d actually want to own."

SEE ALSO: CES 2026 live updates: See the latest news, surprises, and strange tech from LG, Samsung, Lego, and new startups

Tensor positions the Robocar as an agentic vehicle that communicates with its owner. In theory, the car can notify you about traffic before you leave, respond to voice commands, and make decisions based on context, not just routes. Luca emphasized that the company’s background in robotaxi development heavily informed the system, but that private ownership was always the end goal.

The Tensor Robocar on display features a sleek, silver sedan-like body with a low, aerodynamic profile and a prominent halo LiDAR unit mounted on the roof. Camera-based side mirrors, flush lighting, and subtle black accents give it a futuristic but restrained look.

Credit: Joseph Maldonado / Mashable

Under the hood, and on the roof, that intent is obvious. The Robocar is equipped with numerous sensors, including five LiDAR units, the aforementioned halo-style sensor mounted on top, more than a dozen cameras, radar, and over 100 sensors in total. All of that data is processed onboard using an Nvidia GPU, with Tensor opting for an internal hard drive rather than relying entirely on the cloud — a choice Luca framed as a privacy decision as much as a technical one.

Tensor's foldable steering wheel. Credit: Joseph Maldonado / Mashable

The interior reinforces the car's dual nature. It supports both manual driving and fully autonomous operation, thanks in part to a foldable steering wheel developed in partnership with Autoliv. The company boasts that it has the world's first folding steering wheel. In autonomous mode, the wheel retracts entirely, opening up the front cabin and shifting safety systems accordingly. In manual mode, it functions like a conventional wheel. "People still want the option to drive," Luca said. "We didn't want autonomy to mean giving that up."

Featured Video For You Samsung previews futuristics TVs and display technology at CES First Look event

The Robocar also leans unapologetically into luxury. The massage seats, Dolby Atmos sound system, large displays, and spacious cabin layout create a lounge-like atmosphere that feels more relaxed than cockpit-focused. Tensor isn't disclosing pricing yet, but Luca acknowledged it will land at the high end of the market, reflecting both the hardware and the long-term autonomy roadmap. Production is expected to ramp up in the second half of 2026.

Walking away, what stood out wasn't any single feature, but how finished the whole thing felt.

Head to the Mashable CES 2026 hub for the latest news and live updates from the biggest show in tech, where Mashable journalists are reporting live.

Heated Rivalry has audiences hot and bothered and hungry for more. But it'll likely be two years before rival hockey pros Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie) return with Season 2. So what are we to do until then?

Fans are split on this. Some will tell you to plunge into the source material, Rachel Reid's Game Changer book series, which offers several spicy, hockey-centered MLM novels. Others might suggest Ember & Ice, a Quinn audio erotica drop, which reunites Williams and Storrie as winged fairies yearning for each other. (It debuted so big, the app crashed.)

Still others will recommend the "gay fever dream" that is the Interview with the Vampire TV series, as it shares an enemies-to-lovers plotline and Ilya definitely has his Brat Prince moments. However, as a big fan of the Anne Rice-inspired series, I'll warn that Interview with the Vampire is much more about tragedy and trauma than it is queer joy. So, my top recommendation for those thirsting for more of a Heated Rivalry vibe would be the upcoming A24 offering Pillion.

SEE ALSO: Why is the sex in 'Heated Rivalry' so hot? How do Heated Rivalry and Pillion compare? Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams in the finale of "Heated Rivalry." Credit: Sabrina Lantos / HBO Max

An adorably eager Harry Melling stars as Colin, a timid virgin, who falls hard for a BDSM leather daddy named Ray — played by a strapping Alexander Skarsgård. This English romantic drama has earned buzz on the film festival circuit in 2025. In his review out of Cannes, Siddhant Adlakha called it "some of the most entertaining drama and comedy you're likely to see this year."

It's also hot, funny, and moving. But even at a glance, Pillion and Heated Rivalry have some striking similarities. Both Heated Rivalry and Pillion are based on novels; the former Rachel Reid's book of the same name, the latter Adam Mars-Jones's Box Hill. As Heated Rivalry was created by Jacob Tierney and Pillion written and directed by Harry Lighton, both adaptations are not only queer MLM romances with graphic sex scenes, but are also made by gay men.

Beyond that, their plotlines have a lot in common: A dark-haired young man who is very close to his parents falls for a swaggering, macho blonde who seems his polar opposite. To the surprise of others, they become lovers, thanks to the blonde initiating their first sexual encounter and being his new partner's first top. Though their relationship is initially about sex, they will grow to care for each other, leading to an awkward family meal where the blonde gets to know his lover's parents (for better or worse!).

However, from this meet-the-parents point Pillion speeds down a different path. While Colin and Ray won't ride off into the sunset like Shane and Ilya, Pillion is nonetheless a story of queer joy — but also kink.

Pillion offers BDSM kink, yearning, and heart. Harry Melling's "Pillion character poster." Credit: A24 Alexander Skarsgård's "Pillion" character poster. Credit: A24

Who says BDSM can't be sweet? Often, in the media, the kinks that involve bondage, dominance, discipline, submission, sadism, or masochism are painted with a scandalous brush that regards them as depraved and dangerous. The Fifty Shades trilogy was released with much hand-wringing over a woman surrendering herself to BDSM dominance by a man. House of Hammer, a documentary exposé about Armie Hammer, misrepresented the BDSM community by positing it as a space ripe for misogynistic abuse. And the Hellraiser franchise has been turning BDSM gear and the pleasure/pain dynamic into nightmare fuel since 1987. Occasionally, however, a movie comes along that showcases such kinks without condemnation, instead celebrating the pleasure found in the pain, the joy found in giving in, and the intimacy that can bloom between a dominant and a submissive. Following in the footsteps of such pro-BDSM film as Secretary and Babygirl comes Pillion. But unlike its sisters in kink, this offering has men in the dom and sub roles.

Like Heated Rivalry, Pillion is a tale of opposites attract that is hot, hilarious, and heartwarming. (But first and foremost: hot!) From the very start of Lighton's film, the stark contrast between his lovers is comically clear in how they present themselves to the world.

Their meet-cute is at an English pub, where Colin (Melling, who famously played Dudley Dursley in the Harry Potter movies) is crooning in a tweed hat and pastel-striped blazer, performing as part of a barbershop quartet alongside his dad (Douglas Hodge). It's a wholesome hobby that actually reflects the earnestness of Colin in all things, even his emerging interest in kink. Which is piqued by the tall, strapping blonde called Ray (Skarsgård) who's playing darts in the corner with a gang of rowdy bikers, all snug in leather, metal, and fetish gear.

When Ray makes a move on Colin, he's as shocked and titillated as a blushing Shane was when Ilya got randy in the showers. Unlike Shane Hollander, Colin is out to his family, so he is quick to tell his parents that he has a date with a biker. (They're so supportive that Colin's dad lends him a leather jacket to wear — ill-fitting though it may be!)

Where meeting the parents is the emotional climax of Heated Rivalry, it's the midway point of Ray and Colin's journey. With a firm hand, Ray leads Colin by the dog collar into a dom-sub relationship, demanding the young man be submissive, including cooking, cleaning, dressing to Ray's liking (in leather and metal), and surrendering his body for wrestling foreplay and anal sex.

New to this BDSM scene, Colin is often wide-eyed and awkward, but always consenting. Their first sexual encounter is subversive, sensual, and so fumbling that it's laugh-out-loud funny. Yet Pillion never urges the audience to laugh at Colin. Instead, the deep empathy of Lighton's approach and Melling's vulnerable performance urge us all to imagine ourselves in Colin's shoes. Who among us hasn't had a crush that made us willing to risk looking like a fool? Like Shane, Colin is earnest and vulnerable in his longing and eventually loving of his partner. But unlike Shane, Colin never experiences any shame for his queerness or desires.

Pillion and Heated Rivalry use sex as a tool of self-discovery. Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams share a shower in "Heated Rivalry." Credit: Sabrina Lantos / HBO Max

Both romances portray lovers who learn more about themselves through their sexual relationship with each other. Colin's journey, however, is not about coming to terms with being queer. It's about opening himself up to new experiences, and then setting boundaries as he understands what he wants.

For much of the film, he's happy to go along with whatever Ray wants. But as their relationship evolves, Colin doesn't just "yes and" all of Ray's commands, but pushes back, demanding more emotional intimacy. Now, their "cottage" moment is less private, more provocative — involving full frontal nudity and group sex — but still sweet. On a picnic table at a camping retreat, Ray gives in to Colin's need for more romance while meeting his need for BDSM kink. And watching them both thrill in this moment is as exciting as when Ilya says he's going to Shane's cottage.

Pillion won't probe Ray's psyche as deeply as Heated Rivalry does Ilya's. There will be no tragic backstory and little idea of what Ray does outside of Colin. Yet Ray doesn't feel unknowable because of Skarsgård's nuanced performance. While Melling offers a portrait that is so vulnerable you may well blush to see his exposed wanting, Skarsgård seems initially a snarling sex god. But as Ray lets Colin into his home, Skarsgård works a glint of softness and excitement into Ray's aloof demeanor. In these moments of flickering vulnerability, we get a sense of who Ray is outside of his persona as a dom. And surprisingly, it'll be Colin who pushes Ray out of his comfort zone.

Lighton's script bonds us to Colin, urging us to understand the thrill of discovery of kink, the swoon of being under the grip of an astoundingly hot lover, and the trembling fear of not being enough to keep them happy. But it's when Colin brings Ray into his world that a new side of this smoldering dom unlocks. It's a sequence that feels more rom-com than anything in Heated Rivalry, the kind of sequence you could imagine in a Richard Curtis movie, climaxing in a gleeful, affectionate tumble in a public park. And then comes a moment, small and unspoken but definitive. Their relationship will never, can never, be the same.

Alexander Skarsgård dominates in the kinkiest and sweetest movie of the year. Harry Melling and Alexander Skarsgård go on a first date in "Pillion." Credit: A24

But it's Melling who makes Pillion a marvel. Scenes of Ray's seduction will make the audience swoon, yet it's Melling's dedicated openness that makes Pillion feel authentic instead of like some splashy Hollywood fantasy. This isn't 50 Shades of Gray sleek and glamourous. This is wilder, richer, and infinitely more enthralling. Pillion is not only sexy and exciting, but also funny, poignant, and a shining beacon to all those trembling about letting their freak flag fly. 

Perhaps Ray is how we might wish to seem to a new partner, mysterious and breathtakingly cool. Colin is how we might fear being seen, so earnest that it’s “cringe.” Like Heated Rivalry, these two very different lovers represent mystique and openness. One will draw you in, but you need the other to keep a relationship growing. Whether it's Shane and Ilya or Colin and Ray, this is the lesson of both romances.

This tricky emotional growth is often glossed over in Hollywood sex scenes with a sweeping orchestral score and chaste coverage. Yet, these stories of gay men in love offer nudity, graphic sex, romantic fantasy, and in the end, an earnest, unapologetic reality. The English film and Canadian series are bolder and yet more delicate, and thereby electrifying and life-affirming.

Both these queer relationships begin with a risky hook-up, then grow through chemistry and an embrace of sex and exploration. Through these steamy and ardent romances, Pillion and Heated Rivalry challenge us: What more might we experience and enjoy if we — like the lovers themselves — dared to open ourselves up? 

Heated Rivalry is now on HBO Max. Pillion opens in theaters on Feb. 6.

TL;DR: Stream the 2026 Six Nations for free on BBC iPlayer and ITVX. Access these free streaming services from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The Six Nations really is tough to beat. Want to see incredible speed and skill on display from supremely talented athletes? Check out the Six Nations. Want to experience intense passion from heated rivalries? The Six Nations offers that in abundance. Enjoy the sight of absolutely huge men smashing into each other? Yep, the Six Nations is for you.

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The Six Nations Championship is an annual international men's rugby union competition between England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, and Wales. Each team plays every other team once, with home ground advantage alternating from one year to the next.

The current champions are France. England and Wales have won the competition most often (39 titles).

When is the 2026 Six Nations?

The 2026 Six Nations Championship is the 132nd edition of the competition. This year's competition will take place from Feb. 5 to March 145.

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