Hey, PlayStation fans. The team at Flat2VR Studios is beyond excited to bring you a totally unhinged, one-of-a-kind musical experience with Trombone Champ: Unflattenedarriving November 26 on PS VR2. This release marks a huge milestone for us at Flat2VR Studiosits our first official PS VR2 adaptation, and were thrilled to be bringing our take on this unique, BAFTA-nominated gem to the PlayStation community.Play VideoA new take on VR rhythmTrombone Champ: Unflattened is not your dads rhythm game. There are no blocks to slice or balls to smash, and you dont need to flail your arms like an octopus in a mosh pit. While other games ask you to zone out and follow along to a pre-set beat, Trombone Champ: Unflattened lets you wield the most majestic of brass instrumentsthe trombone, and lets you take control of the music itself. Youre not just reacting to a song like a musical lemmingyoure performing it. Every note, slide, and toot is yours to control, letting you decide whether to stick with the melody or go rogue in Improv Mode with a jazz solo wild enough to have your music teacher reaching for the tissues.Campaign promisesOur all-new Campaign Mode offers an epic journey packed with surprises for beginners and Trombone Champ veterans alike. It eases you in, letting you get comfortable with the instruments quirks and rhythm. But dont get too cozy. The campaign ramps up faster than a trombone glissando, introducing complex tracks and challenges that push your rhythm, timing, and ability to adapt. Every milestone you reach unlocks new tracks, and youll leave your mark on the leaderboards as you compete for the illustrious title of the one true Trombone Champ.HornucopiaLets be honest. One trombone just isnt enough. How many is too many? Were not sure yet, but were definitely going to find out. At launch, youll have over 20 trombones to unlock, each with its own sound, style, and personality. From a purrfect cat trombone that meows as you play to a ridiculously floppy pool noodle that bends with every slide or even a melting ice cream cone, each trombone has a unique look, sound, and feel. And with dozens more unlockable trombones rolling out in the coming weeks and months, there will always be a new piece of brass to chase after.As if that werent enough for you relentless collectors, Trombone Champ: Unflattened also offers a full set of collectible Tromboner Cards. Yes, theyre called Tromboner Cards, and yes, theyre exactly as ridiculous as they sound. With 50 individual cards packed with absurd trombone trivia and mysterious lore, these cards are truly another thing to unlock and collect. Think youve got what it takes to snag them all? Just dont lose your grip on the slide (or your grip on reality) along the way.Make it make senseThanks to the advanced haptics and adaptive triggers of the PS VR2 Sense controllers, Trombone Champ: Unflattened lets you feel each note as you play. Whether youre executing a delicate note or unleashing a full blast, the tactile feedback makes each musical moment feel impactful. Plus, with the game running at a smooth 120Hz on PlayStation 5 and delivering crisp, vibrant visuals in 4K HDR, every toot and slide looks as impressive as it feels. The dynamic environments and audience reactions adjust to your playing, adding an extra layer of immersion to every performance as you bring the music to life.Setting the StageAs our debut PS VR2 adaptation, Trombone Champ: Unflattened, kicks off Flat2VR Studios mission to take the classics and give them new life in VR. This is just the beginning for uswe have more in the pipeline, each reimagined to fully leverage the immersive power of VR. Were thrilled to have PlayStation players join us on this journey as we work to push PS VR2 gaming to new heights.So, whether youre a rhythm game enthusiast or just looking for a unique, laugh-out-loud experience, get ready to join the ranks of trombone legends on November 26. This is your chancedont blow it.

Upon hitting Adventurer Rank 20, youll unlock Genshin Impacts Battle Pass. The Battle Pass uses a separate leveling system that requires you to complete simple daily and weekly quests.Our Genshin Impact Battle Pass guide explains how the Gnostic Hymn Battle Pass works and whether its worth buying.How the Genshin Impact battle pass worksEach quest you complete will reward a set amount of Battle Pass EXP, and it takes 1,000 BP EXP to go up one level. The quests will require you to do things like fight a Trounce Domain bosses three times or log in and do your daily four Commissions. Most active players will level up their Battle Pass just by playing normally, but you can only earn 10,000 BP EXP a week. The pass maxes out at 50 levels.Battle Passes typically stick around for about six weeks before they refresh with the launch of a patch.Sojourners Battle Pass (free) versus Gnostic Hymn Battle Pass (paid)There are two versions of the Battle Pass. The Sojourners Battle Pass is free and it gives rewards like Mora, Adventurers Experience, Mystic Enchantment Ores, or Sanctifying Unction (materials to give artifacts EXP), depending on which material you pick. Every 10 levels of the Sojourners Battle Pass, youll be rewarded with an Acquaint Fate.The Gnostic Hymn Battle Pass costs $9.99 and gives more Mora, Heros Wit, Mystic Enchantment Ores, or Sanctifying Essence, in addition to the items from the Sojourners Battle Pass. It also gives you a Sanctifying Elixir so you can make custom artifacts, as well as materials for upgrading talents (skills). Theres also a bounty box at level 30 that allows you to pick a four-star weapon from an exclusive set. Every 10 levels of the Gnostic Hymn Battle Pass, youll be rewarded with Intertwined Fates.For $19.99, you can buy the Gnostic Chorus. This is the same as the Gnostic Hymn Battle Pass, but instead of starting at level 1 of the Battle Pass, youll start on level 10. (If you buy it after youve leveled up your Sojourners Battle Pass, youll just add 10 levels to your existing level.) It also includes a special name-card style, furniture-blueprint, and five Fragile Resin (for recovering stamina). Gnostic Chorus is discounted if you already own Gnostic Hymn.Notably, every 10 levels, the Battle Pass gives Fates to use on gacha wishes. The free Battle Pass rewards Acquaint Fates and Gnostic Hymn rewards Intertwined Fates.Upgrading your Battle Pass to the Gnostic Hymn is only worth it if you complete it. We recommend not purchasing the upgrade until you hit rank 50, as youll get all the rewards retroactively anyway.Genshin Impact Battle Pass weaponsThe paid Battle Pass rewards a box called the BP Bounty, which allows you to pick one of the 10 following weapons:The Black Sword (sword)Serpent Spine (claymore)Solar Pearl (catalyst)The Viridescent Hunt (bow)Deathmatch (polearm)Wolf-Fang (sword)Talking Stick (claymore)Sacrificial Jade (catalyst)Scion of the Blazing Sun (bow)Ballad of the Fjords (polearm)Its hard to rank the weapons, but Serpent Spine and Wolf-Fang are commonly seen as the best and The Viridescent Hunt and Talking Stick are regarded as the worst of these weapons but you should just grab whatever you need from the BP Bounty that suits your characters needs.We recommend looking up individual build guides for your favorite characters on Keqing Mains and seeing what they recommend. For example, if youre a Kinich main, you may want to opt to build the Earth Shaker, a Natlan craftable weapon, over picking (or dishing out the $10 for) the Serpents Spine. However, if youre maining Arataki Itto and you dont have his dedicated five-star weapon, the Serpents Spine is his second best choice, making it a worthwhile pick.If youre looking for more to do in Genshin Impact, we have tons of guides to get you started. Our early Genshin Impact guides will provide beginners tips, list out the free characters you can get, and how their elemental reactions work.We have expansive guides on pesky Sumeru side content, like Udumbara Pistil locations and where the Aranyaka Mysterious Clipboard buried chests are. We have content for Natlan, too, explaining how to unlock the various Natlan world quests and how to make the Natlan craftable weapons.

Genshin Impact is an RPG gacha game that thrusts players into a huge open world. While there are guided quests to complete, players can easily find themselves lost, as the game is a lengthy labyrinth of character upgrade systems, side quests, and other content. The game has retained massive popularity since 2020 for a good reason, and if youre looking to start your journey into Teyvat, theres a lot to do.Our Genshin Impact beginners guide provides some tips that will help you successfully navigate the world of Teyvat, using the knowledge weve gained from our years of playing the game.Pick up everythingAs you walk around, youll notice sparkling environmental items just about everywhere. You have an inventory limit of 10,000, so just pick up everything you can. Flowers, food ingredients, and other items that might seem useless will be useful down the line to craft into various foods and power-ups for your characters.Flowers and some other ascension materials only respawn after a certain number of real life days, so you dont want to be in a situation where you have to wait real time to upgrade your characters. Youll be glad you dont have to go out of your way to find these items down the line.If you plan on going hard in exploration, keep tabs on what youve foundIf you love solving puzzles, cracking open chests, and nabbing collectables, then good news: Genshin is a great game for you. However, if youre looking to really grab everything, youll want to start keeping tabs on what youve found as soon as you start. We recommend using this unofficial fan-made interactive map to do so. (We like it because users can leave comments, often helping you figure out puzzle solutions or where items are, if youre feeling lost.)Take a minute to think about team buildingThere are multiple things you need to know when going into team building. For one, your team should usually involve one character who mainly focuses on dishing damage, two characters that help support that damage in some form, and one character that will help sustain your team with healing or shielding. Different characters fit into different roles and while you can get away with running whatever you want early on, harder content might end up stumping you if you dont have a proper team set up.The second thing you need to consider is their elemental resonance and reactions. Having more elements doesnt mean your team is necessarily better, as the elements interact with each other differently, and having two of any element on your team provides a unique buff. Mixing Cryo (ice) and Hydro (water) will freeze enemies, but mixing Cryo with Electro (electricity) will decrease the enemies physical damage resistance. Theres a lot here, so you can mix and match a ton of characters to create worthwhile effects.Dont forget to build your charactersAs you blast through the story, you might forget to level up your characters, their weapons, and their artifacts (equipment). Much more, characters do have specific weapons and artifact sets that work best on them, so if you have access to these, you should use them. Dont just slap whatever you picked up off the ground on them without giving the items some thought!That being said, it can be pretty hard to parse all the game jargon in the equipment descriptions, so we recommend using guides to help you sort out your character builds. Keqing Mains is our build site of choice, maintained by people who crunch the numbers and put in the time to recommend whats best.Your characters dont need to be built to 100% efficiency theres plenty of free-to-play options to equip your characters with, so dont fret too much about it.Co-op is your friend, especially earlier onThe domains you have to fight your way through to get artifacts and upgrade materials from can be hard early on, especially if you dont have these characters built and you need to clear these to build the characters, so it becomes a bit of bizarre ouroboros of a problem. Dont be afraid to hit that co-op button, which will match you with other players that can help carry you make it through these domains easily.Prioritize completing limited-time eventsUnlike its sibling games, Honkai: Star Rail and Zenless Zone Zero, once a Genshin Impact event ends, its gone. Even if it was a flagship event with lots of lore in the cutscenes its gone and theres no way to replay it. That being said, the limited-time rewards from these events are typically pretty good. Some events have dropped best-in-slot weapons for characters alongside its usual handful of Primogems and upgrade materials, so theyre worth doing. Some events will even give free four-star characters, helping you flesh out your roster, so youll definitely want to make sure to participate in these events before theyre gone forever.Plan your gacha pulling responsiblyIf you are staring at that new, shiny character in the gacha wish banner with glossy eyes, with nothing by a few thousand Primogems in your pocket, you should prepare for the worst. It will take at most, 180 wishes (28,800 Primogems) to bring a five-star character or weapon home, guaranteed. While you may get lucky and win your coin flips to win the right prize and win it early, you should always be prepared for the what if you dont get what you want.We recommend saving your Primos for the characters or weapons you really want. While we cannot outright tell you whether or not you should spend money in this game to help you get what you want, we will remind you that this is gambling, and things can snowball very quickly if youre not careful.Take your timeAt this point, Genshin Impact is a huge game and itll take hundreds of hours at this point to catch up to everything. There are side quests that can take a dozen hours to complete, thousands of collectables, and so much other optional side content, that itll make your head spin if youre rushing to just catch up. Set reasonable goals and pace yourself. Catching up fully in Genshin Impact is no easy feat, and if youre looking to do so, you dont want to burn yourself out.If youre looking for more to do in Genshin Impact, we have tons of guides to get you started. Our early Genshin Impact guides will list out the free characters you can get, how their elemental reactions work, and explain the battle pass to you.We have expansive guides on pesky Sumeru side content, like Udumbara Pistil locations and where the Aranyaka Mysterious Clipboard buried chests are. We have content for Natlan, too, explaining how to unlock the various Natlan world quests and how to make the Natlan craftable weapons.

Desigers Wendy Maruyama and Tom Loeser exhibit new work for the first time together in New York City in over 30 years in Colorama at Superhouse. This whimsical space is freeing, healing, and shockingly bright. Good designers know that child-like wonder, not the stuffy adult kind, is what touches our souls. Tapping in to that unrestrained joy of creation is somewhat harder as we age, a muscle that must actively be exercised lest it be lost to atrophy.but but but felt stool and Switchback seating by Tom Loeser \\\ Rx and With Salt or Without wall art by Wendy MaruyamaMaruyama and Loeser understand this fully, releasing themselves from the rigors of traditional furniture craft with organic details and a sense of fantastical quickness, at odds with the slower, hand-hewn nature of the collection. Each facet, fillet, and surface has been considered, employing materials in unique combinations that weve never seen before. The distinctive edges of the work shown above is adorned in black and white stripes, making use of planes usually hidden or unconsidered. This choice in itself is charming, allowing for a level of detail and consideration quite rare in furniture design.Switchback seating by Tom Loeser \\\ Rx and With Salt or Without wall art by Wendy MaruyamaSwitchback seating by Tom Loeser \\\ Rx and With Salt or Without wall art by Wendy MaruyamaSwitchback seating and Chairiot table by Tom Loeser \\\ With Salt or Without wall art by Wendy MaruyamaEach piece builds off of each other, the overall effect quite impressive. The rendered details, all of which clearly done by hand, add a personal touch to the work. This grounds us in the incredible amount of knowledge these two designers have brought to the table, striving upstream against the flow of conventional minimalist design. It is quite difficult to maintain this sense of curiosity that Maruyama and Loeser have managed to foster, especially in times of rapid change. They stand the test of time, again showing exactly how important human touch is, celebrating those that came before us.but but but felt stool and Switchback seating by Tom Loeser \\\ Rx wall art by Wendy Maruyamabut but but felt stool by Tom Loeser \\\ Cadence wall art by Wendy MaruyamaThe concentric layers of felt shown above are such a beautiful detail, simply allowing the unfinished side of the material to be shown on the top. This, in juxtaposition to the relatively industrial hardware that keeps the stool together, is quite nice. Below, hand-carved undulations on the table are adorned with a dusty blue and brilliant red, the contrast between the tones helping the red achieve an incredible intensity.Chairiot table by Tom Loeser \\\ Nik Nak wall art by Wendy MaruyamaChairiot table by Tom LoeserChairiot table by Tom LoeserChesterbench by Tom LoeserChesterbench by Tom LoeserChesterbench by Tom LoeserChesterbench by Tom LoeserSwitchback seating by Tom LoeserSwitchback seating by Tom LoeserSuperhouse is a New York City-based art and furniture gallery, specializing in modern and historical pieces alike. Celebrating the unconventional, founder and director Stephen Markos is especially drawn to sculpture, 1980s art furniture, and contemporary craft. He attributes his upbringing in New England, surrounded by all manners of vintage and folk works, to his lifelong passion for art and design.Switchback seating by Tom LoeserWendy Maruyama is a prolific furniture designer, working and teaching for over 40 years in a frequently unforgiving industry. Early in her career, she adopted folk techniques and feminist ideologies in inventive ways, touching viewers across the globe with her specific blend of sensitivity and color. In recent decades, she has been delving into her Japanese-American heritage, and the sometimes fraught history that comes along with that identity. The social-practice component of her artwork is successful in combining art, advocacy, education, and community. Her work manages to pull you in with stirring visuals and keep you engaged with multiple layers of content, explains Elizabeth Kozlowski, independent curator and editor of Surface Design.Wendy MaruyamaDeeply guided by the history of craft and design, Tom Loeser is a furniture designer drawn to the dysfunctional just as much as the functional. Entrenched in the history and technique of craft furniture, his work embodies a highly considered, yet fantastical approach. In 2010, he collaborated with his wife, Bird Ross, on the reception desk at the Madison Childrens museum, which is unconventional, intensely interactive, and has a wry sense of wit. Usually involving carving and painting, his pieces make one think of another timeline, transporting and otherworldly objects born out of careful respect and attention.Tom LoeserColorama is open until January 11, 2025 at Superhouse, 120 Walker Street, 6R, New York, New York. For more information, visit superhouse.us.Photography by Matthew Gordon Studio.

The work of Icelandic-Danish artist Olafur Eliasson has always felt like a surreal supercharge for the senses to me, as if Im somehow experiencing the strange magic of my own sight for the first time. His newest exhibition Your psychoacoustic light ensemble is currently on view at Tanya Bonakdar Gallery in New York and presents a range of perception-tripping new works, including watercolors that emulate spectral light, new color-shifting glass sculptures, and a surprising room where sound becomes visible and light feels audible. The whole thing adds up to an ethereal and wondrous dive into the rabbit hole for both the senses and the psyche.Installation view, Olafur Eliasson Your psychoacoustic light ensemble at Tanya Bonakdar Gallery. Photo by Lance BrewerInstallation view, Olafur Eliassons Your psychoacoustic light ensemble at Tanya Bonakdar Gallery \\\ Photo: Pierre Le HorsThe centerpiece of the exhibition is a large dark room where six shape-shifting orbs of light fade in and out of existence like apparitions on the wall, distorting like rainbow puddles of water, clearly responding to a beautiful low-frequency harmony of music in the room. But this isnt a recorded soundtrack synced to a digital projection its a series of spotlights casting light onto a sound-distorting mirror that vibrates to each pitch. Here sound become visible and nearly-tactile in real time.Installation view, Olafur Eliassons Your psychoacoustic light ensemble at Tanya Bonakdar Gallery \\\ Photo: Pierre Le HorsInstallation view, Olafur Eliassons Your psychoacoustic light ensemble at Tanya Bonakdar Gallery \\\ Photo: Lance BrewerEliassons work often reveals its own making like a magician that shows you how a trick is done while only increasing the wonder of that magic. And in this work, viewers can either sit on a bench to experience the light and sound projection, or choose to walk around the spotlight-holding stands to inspect the flexible drum-like mirrors as they vibrate. This artwork isnt just a theater with a single screen, its the whole room.Installation view, Olafur Eliassons Your psychoacoustic light ensemble at Tanya Bonakdar Gallery \\\ Photo: Lance BrewerTwo exceptional new hanging glass works are also on view. The mesmerizing 5-foot diameter glass sculpture Fierce tenderness sphere is made from two types of glass a yellow glass and a green/blue colour-effect filter glass. Together the countless triangles and angles of glass create surprising color-shifts as you change your angle and distance.Olafur Eliasson, Fierce tenderness sphere, 2024 \\\ Photo: Pierre Le HorsOlafur Eliasson, Fierce tenderness sphere (detail), 2024Upstairs, the 8-foot-tall Probability of conscious antigravitation (below) merges five polyhedrons in a hanging color-shifting column. The front is made from colored glass while the back is black-backed mirrors. In reality, only three colors of glass are physically present (magenta, yellow, and cyan) but perceptually combine into a surprising range of colors as reflected light mixes and overlaps within each volume.Olafur Eliasson, Probability of conscious antigravitation, 2023 (Installation view at Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York) \\\ Photo: Pierre Le HorsOlafur Eliasson, Probability of conscious antigravitation, 2023 (detail)But my favorite room is the upstairs sky-lit gallery of new massive watercolors. Measuring up to 7-1/2 feet wide, these subtle gradients feel like ghosts of spectral light, as if a real rainbow is casting an image on white paper.Olafur Eliasson, Installation view, Your psychoacoustic light ensemble, Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York \\\ Photo: Pierre Le HorsOlafur Eliasson, Watercolour rainbow (to come), 2024 \\\ Photo: Pierre Le HorsThe watercolors, painted with multiple thin layers, feel like theyre made as much from light as pigment. On sunny days especially, a passing cloud outside the gallery may shift the natural light in the room, causing colors to change in saturation. Its a reminder that these works (and all perception) is as much about the phenomena of our own human eyes as it is about physical objects we perceive.Olafur Eliasson, Installation view, Your psychoacoustic light ensemble, Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York \\\ Photo: Pierre Le HorsOlafur Eliasson, Ethereal watercolour rainbow, 2024The exhibition concludes with a small white curtain that leads into a second dark room, this time projecting a real rainbow produced by a full-spectrum LED light and large curved prism-apparatus. Titled Your rainbow horizon the work presents a rainbow of real light that is tweaked slightly from our natural experience, appearing here as a straight line and in reverse color order.Olafur Eliasson, Your rainbow horizon, 2024 \\\ Photo: Pierre Le HorsIn all, Olafur Eliassons Your psychoacoustic light ensemble finds brilliance between the etherial and the physical, revealing frequencies of sound and light with a calm beauty and infection curiosity that is a MUST-visit in real life.Portrait of Olafur Eliasson, 2024 \\\ Photo: Louise YeowartWhat: Olafur Eliasson: Your psychoacoustic light ensembleWhere: Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, 521 W 21st St, New York, New YorkWhen: October 24 December 19, 2024All images courtesy the artist and Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York / Los Angeles

Techs obsession with speed and how it has the potential to strip quality and craft in Design.Continue reading on UX Collective

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Black Friday is no longer a single-day sale on the Friday after Thanksgiving. It's one of the biggest sales of the year that starts as early as October for some retailersand you need to come with a plan unless you want to be taken advantage of. Home Depot is one of the main retailers who started their early Black Friday sale both online and in-store, which runs until Dec. 4. You'll find BOGO deals and discounts on tools, appliances, smart home gadgets, and everything else you can find in the store. Here are the best early Black Friday deals from Home Depot.This leaf blower is 55% off M18 FUEL 120 MPH 500 CFM 18V Brushless Cordless Battery Powered Leaf Blower Two 5.0Ah Batteries and Charger $199.00 at Home Depot $438.00 Save $239.00 Get Deal Get Deal $199.00 at Home Depot $438.00 Save $239.00 If you've never had the absolute pleasure of blowing away all those dead leaves covering your yard with a leaf blower, you're missing out on one of the biggest joys of the fall. Your neighbors shouldn't have all the fun: This cordless Milwaukee leaf blower is $199 (originally $438) and comes with two chargers, which is all you can ask for in a cordless leaf blower. The first battery lasts 30 minutes at 3/4 power and the second one lasts 20 minutes at the same setting.The Yale Assure Lock 2 Smart Door Lock is 31% off Yale Assure Lock 2 Smart Door Lock Bluetooth and Pushbutton Keypad; Black Suede $119.00 at Home Depot $173.63 Save $54.63 Get Deal Get Deal $119.00 at Home Depot $173.63 Save $54.63 I've been using the Yale Assure Lock 2 for my home for months and it's one of my favorite smart locks of 2024. This is the Bluetooth version with the touchscreen (as opposed to physical buttons) and with a physical key option. You can always buy the Yale Wi-Fi Smart Module separately later if you don't want to get the wifi version right now (it lets you control it remotely through wifi). This is the cheapest I have seen the smart lock even on Amazon, according to price-tracking tools.This 22-foot retractable ladder is 38% off Gorilla 22 ft. Reach Aluminum Multi-Position Ladder With Project Bucket, Tool Hangers, 300 lbs. Load Capacity, Type 1A Duty Rating $149.00 at Home Depot $239.00 Save $90.00 Get Deal Get Deal $149.00 at Home Depot $239.00 Save $90.00 I bought this ladder not too long ago, and it's everything I was looking forand more. It's highly adaptable to many different scenarios thanks to the many different positions it can take. I was able to knock out many projects I had pending, and this retractable Gorilla ladder made it easy to knock them out. It has a bucket to carry all your tools, and when you have it compact, it is easy to stow away. Make sure whatever you need to do is within 22 feet (it actually reaches 18 feet, 10 inches max, but it takes into account an average adult's reach to get to the full 22 feet). You can get this 22-foot Gorilla Retractable Ladder for $149 (originally $2339).Get this Husky Tool Storage for 25% off Husky Tool Storage 46 in. W x 18 in. D Mobile Workbench Cabinet in Gloss Black $298.00 at Home Depot $398.00 Save $100.00 Get Deal Get Deal $298.00 at Home Depot $398.00 Save $100.00 I am an organization freak, so I love tool cabinets. This type of cabinet is perfect for a person who likes to DIY home projects and has their tools scattered everywhere in a sad closet that could also use a workbench to do some work. It has 9 drawers and comes with six outlets and two USB ports. You can get this Husky Tool Cabinet for $298 (originally $398), the lowest price it has been over the last few months, according to price-tracking tools.BOGOs and other dealsIf you need multiple tools, Home Depot is offering BOGO cordless tool deals that you can take advantage of right now. Here are some other deals to check out:Mechanics Tool Set (270-Piece) $99 (originally $199)Ring Starter Set with Battery Doorbell and Indoor Cam $79.99 (originally $139)MAX AA Batteries (36 Pack), Double A Alkaline Batteries $14.87 (originally $20.87)4.5 Cu. Ft. Stackable SMART Front Load Washer in Black Steel with Steam and TurboWash360 Technology $798 (originally $1,199)

Tech devices are so dirtybut we rarely think about it because they've become extensions of ourselves. My phone stays in my hand after I've touched door knobs, subway poles, gym equipment, and more, and then goes under my pillow while I sleep, surely germing up my breathing space. And don't get me started on my headphones, which ride around in the bottom of my bag, encountering God-knows-what down there, before I shove them directly on my face. It's really so gross and once I realized that, I started cleaning these things much more thoroughly and frequently. What I learned, however, is that you can absolutely clean them wrong. Don't let a fear of germs and grime cause you to inadvertently damage your expensive tech. It's counterproductive. Hell, I'd rather take the germs. So here's a list of common mistakes you can make while cleaning your devicesand how to avoid them. Using the wrong solutionsThe solution you choose to clean your devices depends on what they're made of. For instance, when I clean my AirPods Max, I use liquid laundry detergent and water to pat at the ear cushions and mesh headband, but I would never use that same mixture to clean any parts that are more electrical. Generally, when dealing with things like phones or e-readers, you don't want to use something too harsh to wipe down the touchscreens or surfaces. That said, the prevailing wisdom across the internet is that isopropyl alcohol is ideal. Ammonia and bleach are absolutely out, but alcohol at the right concentration is better. Opt for a 70% isopropyl over a 90% and dab it on your cleaning cloth, never directly on your device. This is what I use to wipe down my phone, the hard parts of my headphones, my computer, and my Kindle. Strong alcohols can eventually wear down things like screen protectors, so I swipe it fast. What do I use to do that? Let's get into the next common mistake. Using the wrong material Amazon Basics Microfiber Cleaning Cloths, Free from Streaks/Lint/Scratch for Cars, Pack of 24, Green/Gray/Pink, 16" x 12" $9.98 at Amazon Shop Now Shop Now $9.98 at Amazon At this point, if you don't have a bunch of microfiber cloths on hand, I'm disappointed in you. Not only are they the best for cleaning your home, but they're the gold standard for cleaning tech. You don't want a pad that is too abrasive, nor do you want a paper towel that will leave tiny debris behind as it disintegrates. Enter microfiber. You can get 24 of the cloths for under $10, so it's really a no-brainer. These don't scratch whatever they're rubbing on (as long as they're clean), which makes them ideal for delicate touchscreens. That said, I do usually keep a few pre-made, single-use cleaning wipes around in case of emergency. I try to use the microfiber cloth and 70% isopropyl alcohol in the comfort of my own home, but sometimes, I just need to do a quick cleaning out and about. I have not noticed any major issues from doing this sporadically and it's a cheap option, too: You can get 100 for about $7. Manhandling the portsIf you clean your charging and headphone ports incorrectly, you can cause internal damage. These, plus air vents, volume controls, power buttons, and even the spaces around keys must be handled with the utmost care. Obviously, never get any liquid near them (depending on the device, anyway). But also make sure you have the right tools to carefully lift dust out, not push it deeper in. Personally, I use teeny-tiny brushes that came with my DIY eyelash lifting kit. The instructions for the kit refer to them as "microbrushes" and micro they are. The fluffy part is basically the size of a pin head. Do I expect you to have an at-home eyelash lifting kit? No, but I do expect you to have access to a teeny-tiny brush. A phone cleaning kit might seem like an unnecessary purchase, but in reality, spending $14 to ensure the safety of your $1,000+ tech is not a big deal in the grand scheme of things. A kit like the one above includes a variety of brushes that fit in every nook and cranny, but you still need to use them wisely. Angle them so you're always popping dust out, never push them directly into a port or hole, and do this in a well-lit space. Bonus points if you haul out a magnifying glass. Not using protection (or using the wrong kind) A few weeks ago, I got silicone protectors for my AirPods Max, realizing that what worked for my phone (protection) could also work for other devices. Now, much of my stuff is covered in a delicate film of rubber. These upgrades were huge for me. It's much easier to remove silicone casing and run it under some water than it is to fiddle with dirty devices. An ounce of prevention really is worth a pound of cure. There are exceptions to this rule, however, and not keeping them in mind can inadvertently cause some issues. A case is good for headphones or a phone, but hardshell laptop covers can mess with your computer vents or put too much pressure on your display. You're better off with a laptop sleeve that can protect your pricy computer while it's in transit. Similarly, although silicone keyboard covers work well to keep crumbs out of the cracks around all your various laptop buttons, Apple recommends against using themor at least against closing the laptop with one on, as it can damage the display. You're better off with a quick cleaning at the end of each work day.Phone and tech cleaning guidelines to keep in mindThere are a few mistakes that are easy to correct, if you know what to do. Never press too hard, never apply cleaning solution directly to the product (lest it drip down into those all-important holes or be too concentrated on the surface), and always turn your device off before cleaning it. Wipe quickly and don't let any liquid stay on any part of the tech for too long, then let it air dry completely before powering back on.

What qualifies a video game as depressing? The most obvious answer is that game you simply cannot beat no matter how hard you try, but thats not what were talking about here. Instead, were looking at games that just have a pall over them, whether its directly from story beats or a more subtle vibe given off by the visuals, music or activities the player has to participate in.The games on this list dont have a lot in common on the surface there are big-budget action thrillers, smaller independent titles and at least one visual novel / deck-building game. But they can all put you in a somber mood, if thats what you're looking for. Next time the rain is pouring down and youre feeling a bit of melancholy, we have options to keep you company. Check out our entire Best Games series including the best Nintendo Switch games, the best PS5 games, the best Xbox games, the best PC games and the best free games you can play today. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/best-depressing-games-120013247.html?src=rss