More from Today I’m toying with
Did they rebuild me better, stronger, faster? Not exactly! As I explain in my full story, the Hypershell Pro X made me feel like I had an extra energy tank, like the ones exosuit-wearing bounty hunter Samus Aran obtains in the Metroid games. Oh, and it works when you’re riding a bicycle, too!
It felt like an extra energy tank in a Metroid game.
Can Framework fix budget laptops next? That’s the goal, and Framework CEO Nirav Patel says he’ll be dogfooding it himself, making this 12-inch laptop his daily driver for the foreseeable future. He wouldn’t tell me just how budget it’ll go yet.
It’s the DJI Osmo Mobile 7 Pro. Personally, I prefer the Osmo Pocket 3’s dedicated camera instead of slapping my smartphone on a stick, but these hidden legs, arm, and snap-on eye are all pretty cool!
Here’s my full story laying out all the practical options, but practical is overrated: sometimes you just wanna slap two phones together!
That’s the big question online — because the unique bicycle-spoke folding drone isn’t smaller or more powerful than DJI’s Mini drones. But it’s inexpensive, does do a few things they don’t — yet — and it’s fun to fold and unfold! Check it out in my video:
Ever wanted to have dinner with The Verge’s staff, shooting the shit about gadgets? Here’s the next best thing: we filmed a roundtable chat over our actual team dinner at CES in Las Vegas; this clip is just a taste.
If you’d rather have more photos and not-quite-details about this prototype, find ‘em here.
The SteamOS and/or Windows-toting Lenovo Legion Go S was the best handheld of CES 2025, but it wasn’t the only Lenovo portable I took for a spin! The third time was the charm for this detachable-controller and kickstand Legion Go 2 prototype, which I found working at the third venue I encountered it.
Just before Christmas, I told you how the company behind those awesome Popsocket alternatives had rescued the coolest-looking gamepad phone attachment I’ve ever seen.
Here at CES, my colleague Chris Welch got a quick demo that answers the biggest question: can this snappy spring-loaded gadget fling your phone around without yeeting it to the ground?
It’s not the most technologically advanced thing ever, no butt-kicking haptics inside. Just a comfy mesh chair that can cool me when I inevitably run hot or warm me on chilly days, with near-silent jets of conditioned air. I really hope Razer actually sells this Project Arielle.
I showed you the AutoKeybo right after I tried it, but here’s a video that gives you a better idea of how it works!
I think they need to build a proper cyberdeck out of this, something a bit more Ghost in the Shell. Maybe an Angry Miao collab?
Physically, and on paper, I would pick this one over the original Legion Go in a heartbeat. It feels so much better — and it’s the first third-party handheld with SteamOS, which vastly improves that feel.
Sorry I couldn’t provide any performance or battery impressions, though: this unit has an old Z1 Extreme chip inside, no intensive games on display, not even a Portal 2 savegame.
The original GBA is tough to use indoors, so I tried fixing mine with a new screen! No soldering required, just ten screws and a few snips with flush cutters.
Here, I’m installing the $59 Hispeedido V5 “drop-in” kit I bought from Hand Held Legend; easier still would be dropping my motherboard into a new “laminated ready” shell and adding a laminated screen!
The arms dealer’s Game Boy is surprisingly durable — I dropped the ModRetro Chromatic twice on rough concrete with only dents and scratches!
But the company advertises “a handheld that’s indestructible” and literally shows a car wheel on top of it. Such a fun thing to test! Here’s how it worked out for me:
What if the 1989 Game Boy was designed today for nostalgic adults? The $199 ModRetro Chromatic is made of metal, covered in sapphire crystal, with PBT buttons and an incredible screen.
As I explain, this Game Boy comes from Palmer Luckey, the controversial Oculus Rift founder who runs defense contractor Anduril... but if that’s not a dealbreaker, I’ll have a full review later this week.
I’ve got a whole series of these hands-on gadget videos — find more on my Threads — but with the PS5 Pro, it’s only now I’ve been able to make one! At Sony’s preview event, journalists couldn’t touch the final hardware so I focused on what it’s like to play; at review time, my video tried to show off the graphics.
Speaking of...
The just-released PS5 Pro (here’s my review!) has a bunch of ways to amp visuals. But since Sony says most people prefer 60fps, we’re comparing the 2020 PS5’s 60fps “Performance” modes, and the new “Performance Pro” modes that give you higher detail at the same 60fps target. Plus Bloodborne for PS4.
Hopefully Meta doesn’t compress the video too much!
The Twistsaber is exactly what it sounds like — a lightsaber prop you twist to extend and retract, with an ingenious nesting screw design that makes it open and close incredibly fast. The files aren’t free, and it doesn’t light up, but there’s nothing else quite like it.
Also see: the self-retracting Goliath Power Saber, which nearly became an official Star Wars toy.
A tiny $1200 laptop that doubles as a gaming handheld, with an incredible array of ports. Surprisingly easy to type on, plays games as well or better than a Legion Go, supports two kinds of eGPUs. Keyboard and touchpad make navigating Windows way easier than most handhelds.
But you might not enjoy holding its stiff metal frame, and it’s better paired with a mouse!
Robosen, maker of self-transforming Transformers, has teamed up with Disney to bring its Space Ranger toy to life.
It’s got 23 servo motors, working buttons (save the laser, weirdly!) and even has Buzz’s Spanish mode — plus new “first-of-its-kind micro-servos” to move its eyes and mouth. Mine has a bit of a lazy eye, though! 3.7 pounds, 14.6 inches tall, on sale today.
I’m in a love-hate relationship with these smart shades. This’ll be the second time I’ve returned a pair! I gave them another chance because the see-through model looks fantastic... I’d use them almost every day if I could ditch these dealbreakers.
The OhSnap Snap 4 is thinner than a camera bump, yet there’s so many more ways to use it than a PopSocket. While the earlier Snap 3 broke on my colleague Victoria, this new model is holding up great for us both. Plus, Best Buy’s got it for $27.99 right now. Watch my video for caveats, though!
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