Asus ROG Ally Z1 Extreme + Official Travel Case $450 (was $650) Get deal at Best Buy The Asus ROG Ally Z1 Extreme is on sale for the best price we've seen at Best Buy. Normally $650, the 7-inch handheld gaming PC is up for grabs for only $450. On top of the $200 discount, Best Buy is throwing in the official ROG Ally Travel Case, which retails for $40 on its own. If you're in the market for a portable gaming PC and want a Windows model, you're getting impressive power and performance for the price here. If Best Buy sells out, you can snag one for $457 at Walmart. This deal is sold by a third-party seller but is fulfilled by Walmart. Asus ROG Ally Z1 Extreme + Official Travel Case $450 (was $650) The ROG Ally Z1 Extreme comes with a sharp 1080p screen, AMDs Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor, 16GB LPDDR5 6400 RAM, and an internal 512GB NVMe SSD. Compared to the $500 base model ROG Ally, the Z1 Extreme has two additional CPU cores and a better GPU, which can make a meaningful difference with newer, more graphically demanding games.The ROG Ally offers impressive performance for the price. It's not going to play graphically demanding games at the highest settings, but you still can play many AAA titles in 1080p resolution with at least 30fps. Even at its full $650 price, the ROG Ally's performance is admirable; at $450, the ROG Ally Z1 Extreme offers incredible value. Get deal at Best Buy Continue Reading at GameSpot

Players of Call of Duty: Warzone and Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 can now contribute to relief efforts in the wake of the fires that recently devastated Los Angeles.Both games now allow players to purchase a stylish cosmetic bundle called the LA Fire Relief Pack, which includes a character skin and matching weapon skin. All proceeds from purchases of the bundle will go to fire relief efforts in LA, and will be split evenly between two charities: the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation (LAFD) and Direct Relief.In the wake of the devastating fires in Los Angeles impacting our friends, colleagues and residents in Southern California, were adding the LA Fire Relief pack to Black Ops 6 and Call of Duty: Warzone.100% of Activisions proceeds from purchases of the LA Fire Relief pack will pic.twitter.com/aEQ3Aq4QW6 Call of Duty (@CallofDuty) January 18, 2025 "These donation efforts from Activision are to help support fire relief efforts, also giving the Call of Duty community an opportunity to get involved with helping those affected by the Los Angeles fires," Activision said in a recent press release. "Players can purchase the LA Fire Relief Pack across all platforms, which offers a robust amount of new game content for players to enjoy, while also directly supporting the cause."Continue Reading at GameSpot

JRPGs have been the stage for deep and exciting narratives, many led by female characters who take on the role of protagonists. With captivating and challenging plots, these leaders stand out for how they represent strength, determination, and often, vulnerability. Over the years, female JRPG characters have become pillars of these stories, redefining traditional roles and captivating players.

Fans of the Isekai and Magic School genres found quite a great read in The Extra's Academy Survival Guide. With endearing characters and a protagonist who doesn't know when to give up, this series about a fan of visual novel RPGs returning as the villain of the game has become popular fast.

Alas, one internet browser cannot do it all. Perhaps you need to swap to another browser for extra privacy, or you're trying out the new AI browser on the block. Copying and pasting links between browsers can be a pain itself, and so is going to the browser settings to change your default browser. Luckily, Mac users can avoid all of this with the Default Browser menu bar app.Sindre Sorhus is a serial indie app developer that specializes in creating niche apps that solve a particularly nagging problem in an often seamless way. Default Browser is one of my favorites (and we've already talked about his other apps like Supercharge, Aiko, and Velja).How to customize the Default Browser appThe Default Browser app is available directly from the developer's website for $4. After installation, you'll just need to make a trip to your System Settings to give the app Accessibility permissions (the app needs these to function), but aside from that, it couldn't be easier. At it's core, it's really simple. You click on the Globe icon in the menu bar to open the Default Browser app, and click on one of the browsers to switch to it. By default, though, it's going to be empty, so let's start by customizing the app. Credit: Khamosh Pathak First, click the Settings button, then click the Choose button under the Browsers section, then enable the browsers that you want to see on the list. You can use the little handle icons to drag and re-arrange their order, too. Once that's done, I would highly recommend creating a keyboard shortcut for the app using the Toggle menu option. I've personally set it to Command+Shift+D. Using the keyboard shortcut will bring up the Default Browser menu bar app even if you've hidden it using an app like Ice. Then, you can use a number to quickly switch to a new default browser (for me, I press the "2" key to switch to Firefox instantly, a browser I use for Lifehacker's CMS). This little change itself makes Default Browser really quick, simple, and easy to use.Default Browser is also compatible with the Shortcuts app, so you can set up automations to change the default browser from anywhere (even setting up a unique keyboard shortcut for each browser).But things get more interesting when you integrate Default Browser with Shortery. Shortery is a third-party app that brings automations to Shortcuts on the Mac. Default Browser integrates with Shortery via Shortcuts, letting you create automation workflows based on your browser usage. For example, you can create an automation that switches your default browser to Microsoft Edge when you open the Microsoft Teams app.The app also has support for Focus Filters. Go to System Settings > Focus, choose your Focus mode, and then scroll down to Focus Filter. Here, you can add a new filter that switches your default browser when you switch to a focus mode. If you use different focus modes for personal and work life, you can use this feature to tie them to separate browsers as well.For more complex workflows, there's VeljaFor most use cases, Default Browser is a great choice, especially when you enable automations and keyboard shortcuts. But if you have complex needs, check out the Velja app. It's from the same developer, and is kind of like Default Browser's big brother. Credit: Khamosh Pathak Here, you can set up rules that are specific to links from particular apps. Personally, I have a rule setup that automatically opens Google Meet links from WhatsApp in Google Chrome. My default browser is Safari, but Google Meet works best in Chrome, so when I go to open my weekly meditation community meetings, they now automatically open in Chrome, skipping the frustrating copy-and-paste dance every time. You can learn more about using Velja in our dedicated guide.

Its January 2025. The main character of this story is drowning in uncertainty. She has barely recovered from the holiday season, monumental goals for the new year are looming, and a wall of self-doubt and societal pessimism obscures any view of what the immediate future might look like. The Oracle of Instagram Ads appears, recommending an app thats like a shamanic journey for mental health.That is how I came to download Betwixt, put on my headphones, and enter a frozen wasteland where a disembodied voice guided me to transfigure my inner landscape.What is Betwixt?Betwixt, which the creators describe as an epic journey of self-discovery, is a text-based choose-your-own-adventure type game that scratches multiple itches: gameplay, storytelling, meditation, mental wellness education, audio engagement, and aesthetics.To use the app, you should ideally wear headphones and be in a space where you wont be disturbed for 15-20 minutes. For each session or segment of the story, you enter the in-between, a sort of liminal space that exists inside your mind and outside reality. While atmospheric audio plays, the story scrolls across your screen. There are frequent prompts for you to choose the next action or respond to a direct question from the voice accompanying you.With storytelling and self-reflection, you are guided through milestones while being prompted to meditate on your strengths, hangups, and tools for coping. You can experience the first three dream sessions for free, then you will be prompted to pay a one-time fee to continue through all 11 chapters. When I signed up, membership tiers ranged from $20-200.Each dream session includes some or all of these features:The interactive dream/storyAn article relevant to the storys topicAn audio trackReplayable activities from the sessionA journal promptA meditationA quote to save or shareI chose the membership tier ($59) that would allow me to replay any of the dream sessions and have access to the Infinite Dream, a supplemental at-your-own-pace experience.How the game helped meThe narrative format of this app has allowed me to grasp some mental health skills that have been elusive through therapy or other forms of psycho-education.For example, the technique of psychological distancingseeing my problem from a perspective outside my own frantic mindactually clicked because the story in Betwixt guided me through the whole process of leaving my body and seeing my problem from a different angle, considering an outsiders interpretation, and refocusing on the future. Betwixt co-founder Ellie Dee said this way of learning through story is one key benefit of an app like Betwixt. Rationally, you can understand the maladaptive thinking patterns behind negative emotions and behaviors, but understanding the problem doesnt necessarily solve it, she said. People learn best experientially, through play." Each dream session provides one or more mental health tools like psychological distancing; after playing, you have the opportunity to read more on the topic and journal about it.How apps like Betwixt fit into mental health careYou could easily pack your phone with apps that support meditation, self-care, mood tracking, journaling, breath work, self-discovery, goal setting, and therapy. I use apps like that along with traditional therapy. Betwixt felt like something different that got me excited about where my story could go.Psychologist Dr. Alexandra Stratyner said apps like Betwixt can supplement traditional mental health care by helping users work toward their goals between sessions.They offer an interactive and engaging alternative to traditional methods like journaling or traditional forms of guided meditation, which may not work for everyone, Stratyner said. The immersive gameplay allows users to explore their emotions in a non-threatening, creative way, which may make self-reflection less intimidating. Some apps like this give users the ability to get immediate support, which can be especially helpful in moments of heightened stress or anxiety.Who is Betwixt for?Consider Betwixt if you enjoy gaming or immersive storytelling, struggle with traditional mindfulness or meditation practices, or if you're looking for a unique mental wellness tool.Betwixt could also benefit people with anxiety, Stratyner said.Interactive, narrative-driven tools can be particularly effective for addressing mental health issues that benefit from self-reflection, emotional exploration, and stress reduction, she said. For example, anxiety can be alleviated through the immersive, controlled environment these tools provide, which allows users to confront fears and uncertainties in a safe, virtual space. Immersive, narrative games that target mental health objectives may also offer therapeutic support that enables users to work through difficult experiences at their own pace.Betwixt and other apps are not a substitute for therapy and psychiatric care, however. Stratyner said mental health apps fall short when it comes to personalizing interventions based on your history and needs, managing complex and severe mental health issues like suicidal thoughts and trauma-related distress, and monitoring long-term mental health care.It's important to keep in mind that this type of approach has limitations when compared to traditional therapy, Stratyner said. Traditional therapy offers immediate feedback and tailored strategies that are difficult to replicate in a game. While gamified tools are helpful adjuncts for skill-building and daily maintenance, they lack the adaptability and emotional support a therapist provides when navigating difficult emotional states or unearthing underlying issues. Having a living person providing therapy also has unique, relational benefits that are well substantiated with research; apps cannot replicate the human factor.

James W. Marshall and ChatGPT 3.5 have one thing in common. Both sparked a rush and changed the world.

Get-up-and-go turntables for DJs and digital music fans alike

In the movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, science has found a way to erase bad memories. The movie ultimately makes the point that our memories form our identities, and as painful as it is to have bad memories, its better to keep them. Whether or not some of us should keep our identities remains unanswered.But for people who have gone through trauma or suffer from issues with mental health, a little bit of memory alteration sounds like it could be a good thing. In a paper published by PNAS, researchers have found a way to help eraseor at least lessenthe sting of bad memories during a multiday procedure.What researchers foundResearchers had 37 participants look at 48 negative images. Each image was paired with a made-up word. Participants were asked to memorize the image and word pairs. During the night, they were monitored and recorded using electroencephalography EEG.On the second day, participants were asked to associate half the words from the night before with positive images. Participants went to bed and the researchers played recordings of half of the made-up words while they slept. On days three and five, the researchers gave participants various assessments to find out what had stuck. They found that participants were more likely to remember positive images for the words that had been associated with both positive and negative images. This suggests that its possible to train ones brain to weaken bad memories by reactivating positive ones.However, one caveat before getting too excited about rewiring your brain: The researchers warned that their study has limitations, and more follow-up is required. Viewing aversive/positive images may not mimic typical trauma experiences, the papers authors warned. Well, damn. Who knew?