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Here is where things currently stand on my Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream island: I'm married to Dua Lipa, who I only added to the island because I wanted her to fall in love with my friend Nick, who has a thing for her. Nick, in a full cowboy getup, played guitar and sang at our wedding because he's a good guy who would never let jealousy end a friendship. Meanwhile, my friend Curt has a devastating crush on Sonic the Hedgehog, but so far it remains tragically unrequited. Stewie Griffin and Eric Cartman have also fallen in love with each other, but neither party has confessed as much yet. I wish them all the best.

This is largely how Tomodachi Life on the Nintendo Switch goes. You make a bunch of Miis (you know, the weird little dudes you played as in Wii Sports 20 years ago), perform a tiny amount of daily maintenance to keep them happy and unlock new stuff, and whatever happens next is up to them. While at times it barely feels like a game in the traditional sense, there's simply no denying how much fun it is.

As a long-awaited follow-up to Tomodachi Life on 3DS (released in 2014), Living the Dream has big shoes to fill. While not every great aspect of the 3DS game made the journey to Nintendo Switch, Nintendo has expanded upon that game's vision in enough other cool ways to make this a sequel worth waiting more than a decade for.

SEE ALSO: 'Pragmata' proves a great game only needs one great idea I hope you like landscaping

Since Living the Dream is launching to a much larger audience than the 3DS game did 12 years ago, I imagine there are plenty of folks wondering what the heck it is. Let me explain it the best I can.

In Living the Dream, the player's main job is to cultivate and maintain an island full of Miis. You can base them on yourself, your friends, or your favorite fictional characters, celebs, or athletes. Each Mii has a distinct personality set by the player via a series of personality sliders ("Honest" and "Polite" are at opposite ends of one slider, for example), and this dictates how they behave and who they become friends with. Feeding them food they like, giving them stylish outfits, and otherwise fulfilling whatever mundane requests they make will fill up a happiness meter, which facilitates island expansion and other fun unlocks.

And that's pretty much it! The bones of Tomodachi Life haven't changed much since 2014, but a lot of things around the edges have been updated to make Living the Dream a more customizable experience than the last game. Perhaps the biggest change is that you can perform grid-based island customization now to make your island look exactly how you want. This also opens up another avenue for unlocking collectibles, as things like potted plants, trees, vending machines, and certain walking surfaces are now locked behind leveling up.

This is the life. Credit: Nintendo

I have to admit that this is not something I'm very keen on in any game. I just don't have a good eye for interior or exterior decoration. That said, Living the Dream makes this extremely simple to do and low-stakes enough that you can safely ignore it if you want. One of my favorite features is that, anytime it's time to place a new structure or item, you can press a "Mii's Choice" button to make the game put it wherever it makes the most sense. Or, sometimes, it'll put a vending machine on the beach. Either way, I don't have to think too hard about it.

Nintendo made the rather brilliant decision to not include a censorship filter of any kind in Living the Dream, so while I'll refrain from sharing specific examples, I can confirm that you can make them talk about literally anything you can fit in that text field.

Another cool new feature is the ability to create objects, clothing, and even physical features for Miis by simply drawing with a cursor (or, in handheld mode, a touchscreen). Again, I am not an artist, so this is something I didn't do a lot, but I know for certain it's going to unlock a new level of deranged nonsense once Living the Dream goes wide.

Even if it's not something I want to spend a lot of time on, making the Mii Island a more tangible and customizable place is a great move for Living the Dream. People are going to go nuts with it, and I can't wait to see dedicated players' Mii metropolises, even though they won't be able to easily share them online. More on that in a moment.

The voice synthesis is what makes Tomodachi Life great Imagine this, but in the weirdest robot voice you've ever heard. Credit: Nintendo

The actual gameplay of Tomodachi Life, at least in my eyes, is not really the appeal here. That said, it is a fun and rewarding loop that can remain engaging for dozens of hours, while never really asking the player to spend more than 30 to 45 minutes playing at a time. One of the best aspects of Living the Dream is that you'll just kinda naturally run out of things to do before each session reaches an hour, unless you have an ungodly number of Miis on your island. They'll stop making requests and start operating on their own. You can stick around and watch, or you can come back later. It's got Animal Crossing-style real-time clock elements, so there are reasons to log on at certain times of day. But, thankfully, I never once felt obligated to structure my real-life schedule around Tomodachi Life, which is what turned me off of Animal Crossing.

In actuality, though, the secret sauce that makes Living the Dream work is the robotic text-to-speech voice synthesis that every Mii uses to speak. They'll often ask you questions that you can answer in a text field, and then they'll repeat the answer out loud in all sorts of different contexts. I told a Mii that I like Bruce Springsteen, and now all of the Miis on my island talk about The Boss a lot. Nintendo made the rather brilliant decision to not include a censorship filter of any kind in Living the Dream, so while I'll refrain from sharing specific examples, I can confirm that you can make them talk about literally anything you can fit in that text field.

I'm not joking when I say the reason to play this game is to just sit and listen to the Miis talk. Their voices sound distinctly unnatural in a way that's both funny and refreshingly honest in a world full of generative AI garbage. At no point are any of your Miis trying to actually imitate human speech, which is what makes it so charming. Of course, you have full control over their voice pitch, depth, and tone, so you can make them sound really weird, if you want.

This mostly manifests in the form of little comedy skits your Miis will ambiently perform for your amusement. Occasionally, a Mii will ask you to help them befriend another Mii by requesting a conversation topic. Type anything in, and they'll have a goofy little Mad Libs-style conversation about it. The voice synthesis in Tomodachi Life is not new for this entry in the series, but it is absolutely key to what makes Living the Dream so fun to check in on every day.

I just wish you could use the share button You can draw whatever you want, but good luck sharing it on social media. Credit: Nintendo

In Living the Dream, Miis have never looked crisper and more high-definition. There are more cosmetic options for them here than the Wii had, so if you're creative enough, you can make a virtual facsimile of just about anyone. Nintendo has also made the admirable decision to make this a Switch 1 joint rather than locking it onto the more expensive Switch 2. Unfortunately, this means the game is locked to 30 frames per second and doesn't currently take advantage of any unique Switch 2 features, such as mouse control, which would have made drawing things and landscaping a lot easier. The frame rate thing doesn't really matter in a game like this, but no mouse support is a real bummer.

Nothing is a bigger bummer, though, than the lack of true share button support. In Living the Dream, you can press the Switch's share button to capture screenshots and video clips of hilarious moments, just like you would in any other Switch game. However, Nintendo has turned off the ability to upload captures directly to a mobile device. This means getting screenshots and videos off of a console and onto social media is borderline impossible for the average user.

There's a loophole that involves putting the captures on a SD card and uploading them to a computer that way, but most people simply aren't going to do that.

My friends and I do this on weekends. Credit: Nintendo

I think I understand Nintendo's thinking here. If the share button worked as normal in a game with no censorship filter, the internet would be flooded with horrible pictures and videos from misbehaving Miis, a bad look for the most family-friendly publisher in gaming. Unfortunately, there are so many funny screenshots I've taken that I can't even include in this review because I can't currently get them off my Switch.

Lastly, I'll also mention that I don't think you can write songs for your Miis to perform in this game, as you could in the 3DS version. It's possible I just haven't fulfilled some arcane unlocking mechanism to use that feature, but as far as I can tell, my favorite part of the 3DS version has been excised. Sad.

Even with those bothersome limitations, Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream is almost exactly what I wanted it to be in every other respect. It's a different, more lowkey kind of "cozy game" than Pokémon Pokopia. Rather than focusing on large-scale construction projects, you'll spend most of your time in Living the Dream making funny little talking dolls that look like your friends and pushing them together until they fall in love, or don't. Most importantly, I laugh literally every time I play it. Most video games can't claim that.

Opens in a new window Credit: Nintendo Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream $59.99 at Amazon
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Donald Trump's Truth Social post with an AI image of himself as Jesus is still all over our feeds, with vice president JD Vance attempting to play the post off as a "joke."

"He had to come out yesterday to defend President Trump from all the woke Christians who are trying to cancel him just because he might have said, 'I am Jesus'," joked The Daily Show's Ronny Chieng during Tuesday night's show. "Get over it, snowflakes. Where in the Trump Bible does it say you can't worship false idols?"

Vance told Fox News of Trump's now-deleted post, "I think the president was posting a joke and, of course, he took it down because he recognised that a lot of people weren't understanding his humour" — which Chieng jokingly lambasted the Daily Show audience for.

"Shut up! Shut up. It was a joke. What's the matter, you guys don't have jokes at Jesus Camp? Everyone knows Trump posted this picture to be funny, right?" Chieng said, cutting to footage of Trump himself telling reporters he though "it was me as a doctor" with no mention of it being a joke.

"OK, well, make up your mind," said Chieng. "Is it a doctor or is it a joke, or is it a doctor who is a joke, like a chiropractor?"

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No one said it better than Stephen Colbert: "Yesterday might have been the weirdest weird that ever weirded."

Yes, we're talking about the fact that the President of the United States, Donald Trump, took questions from reporters at the White House about the U.S.-Iran war and his Truth Social post involving an AI image of himself as Jesus, all after he DoorDashed McDonald's and attacked the Pope online.

"If you just woke up from a coma and that report was the first thing you saw, you'd ask the doctor to put you back in. I'm sorry, you'd ask the Jesus to put you back in," Colbert said, referring to Trump's U-turn on the now-deleted image of himself as Jesus, which the president claimed he thought "was me as a doctor."

"This recreational blasphemy got Trump so much heat that he pulled the post down from social media, and now people can only see it everywhere on the internet," said Colbert.

"Here's how offensive Trump's AI Jesus post was: The Knights Templar said they condemn it wholeheartedly and asked for a public apology. The Knights Templar. He's angered the Knights Templar," Colbert said. "Well, it's official: we're trapped in a Dan Brown movie. Quick! Somebody find Tom Hanks and give him a terrible haircut."

SEE ALSO: Jimmy Kimmel mocks JD Vance's response to Trump attacking the Pope

Colbert also noted how Trump's online vendetta against Pope Leo XIV might be unwise if he's worried about approval ratings.

"Why would you start a beef with the Pope? According to a recent NBC poll, Pope Leo leads everyone in America in approval ratings. It's got to piss Trump off to learn that the most popular guy on the planet lives in a palace dripping with gold and wears an insane hat and it's not him," said Colbert. "Fun fact: Do you know what American finished second in that NBC poll? It gives me no pleasure to say 'Colbert trailed only Pope Leo in favorability.' Forgive me, I lied. Actually found that quite pleasurable."

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Taskmaster Season 21 is off and running, with Alex Horne and Greg Davies presenting tricky challenges to celebrity contestants Amy Gledhill, Armando Iannucci, Joanna Page, Joel Dommett, and Kumail Nanjiani.

SEE ALSO: Taskmaster (Little) Alex Horne and Greg Davies reveal which iconic tasks they would never do

After the epic mayhem that American comedian Jason Mantzoukas brought to the show last season, Nanjiani's been representing the U.S. with a generally more chill, less "destroy, dismantle, engulf in flames" attitude toward the tasks. But if ever there was a moment to lose your cool, it might be this "skittles" challenge in episode 2.

For those who don't speak English, "skittles" means bowling pins. And in this preview clip exclusive to Mashable, Nanjiani and his costars must get the bowling ball in the bucket, without leaving the stage. Sounds easy enough. But if they touch a skittle, they get a time penalty. All skittles must be standing when the bowling ball is put in the bucket.

SEE ALSO: Everything 'Taskmaster Live' taught us about the show

Nanjiani starts off strong, strategically taking two time penalties as a sacrifice for progress. But then, well, as he puts it, "This is the worst thing that's ever happened to me."

Taskmaster airs on Channel 4 in the UK. In the U.S., you can watch Taskmasker on the Taskmaster YouTube Channel.

SAVE OVER $400: As of April 15, the Anker Solix F3800 Plus portable power station is on sale for $2,299 at Amazon. This is $400.99 off its list price of $2,699.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: Anker Anker Solix F3800 Plus Portable Power Station $2,299 at Amazon
$2,699.99 Save $400.99   Get Deal

Spring is a great time to look around for a portable power station, especially if you're planning some camping trip adventures or want a little back-up power on hand in case severe weather hits. Thankfully, there's some great deals available at the moment. If you want to go all-out with a hefty power station, the Anker Solix F3800 Plus portable power station is a great option on sale right now at Amazon.

As of April 15, Amazon has marked the Anker Solix F3800 Plus down to $2,299. Overall, this saves you $400.99 off its list price of $2,699.99, which is a pretty sweet deal to jump on. It's only live for a limited time, so now is the time to make a move on it if you're interested.

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The Anker Solix F3800 Plus is quite a beefy machine. It has a huge 6,000W output and 3.84kWh of power that can help keep plenty of items going, no matter if you're dealing with outages at home caused by severe weather or powering up items in an RV for camping. It can even be controlled from the Anker app, which allows you to keep a close eye on charging times and battery status.

Plus, it comes with a suitcase-style handle and wheels that makes moving it around nice and easy. So no matter where you need the extra power, it can easily be moved to help.

Since it's a limited-time deal it may not be available for long. Be quick to save on the Anker Solix F3800 Plus portable power station at Amazon before the deal is gone for good.

In an absolute win for anyone who grew up with a Legolas poster on their bedroom wall (represent), we're getting more Lord of the Rings movie action. Give it to us raw and wriggling.

With new details announced at CinemaCon on Tuesday, The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is set to hit cinemas in 2027, with some of the original cast from Peter Jackson's adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien's books returning to their iconic roles. However, there are also new faces afoot playing beloved characters.

SEE ALSO: How 'The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim' adapts two pages of Tolkien lore into a whole movie

So what is The Hunt for Gollum about? And who's playing Aragorn, who isn't Viggo Mortensen? Here's everything we know about the film — we needs it.

What is The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum about? Precious. Credit: New Line/Kobal/Shutterstock

TL;DR — The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum sits on the timeline between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, closer to the beginning of The Fellowship of the Ring.

Andy Serkis, the actor who defined the tricksy, tragic character Gollum/Sméagol for the screen in Jackson's Oscar-winning Lord of the Rings trilogy, is reprising his role in The Hunt for Gollum, a film he's also directing.

In a win for fans, Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens, the tremendous trio responsible for the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies, are producing — the band's back together. Boyens and Walsh are writing the screenplay with The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim's Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou.

Featured Video For You How 'The War of the Rohirrim' connects to the original The Lord of the Rings trilogy

From Tolkien's books and Jackson's films, we know Sméagol was a hobbit whose obsession with the One Ring saw him murder his bestie Déagol for it, flee into the Misty Mountains, and transform into the creature Gollum, plagued by his ill-fated allegiance to "the precious." The Hunt for Gollum takes place around the start of events of The Fellowship of the Ring, so we're talking the Third Age, but it's not clear where things will pick up (leaks suggest "the shadowed time between Bilbo's birthday disappearance and the Fellowship's formation").

Unless you've read The Fellowship of the Ring and Tolkien's appendices, the only thing most of us know Gollum was doing around this time was being tortured in Mordor for information about where the One Ring was ("Shire, Baggins") but what happened between that, Frodo leaving the Shire, getting chased by Ringwraiths, meeting Aragorn, heading to Rivendell, and Gandalf realising Gollum was stalking the Fellowship in the Mines of Moria?

Ian McKellen (who's back as Gandalf, people!) told The Times, "The script is designed to appeal to people who like Lord of the Rings...It’s an adventure story, Aragorn trying to find Gollum with Gandalf directing operations from the sidelines." Meanwhile, Tolkien fan site TheOneRing.net (via Guardian) posted a leak suggesting, "we meet young Sméagol...long before The One Ring consumed him...With the ring lost and carried away by Bilbo Baggins, Gollum finds himself compelled to leave his cave in search of it. Gandalf the Grey calls upon Aragorn, still known as the ranger Strider, to track the elusive creature whose knowledge of the whereabouts of the ring could tip the balance toward the Dark Lord Sauron."

Who's in the cast for The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum? They're baaaaack. Credit: New Line/WireImage

Announced by Warner Bros. and New Line at CinemaCon on Apr. 14, the cast for The Hunt for Gollum includes original trilogy favourites and newcomers to iconic roles.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. Returning

• Andy Serkis — Gollum/Sméagol

• Sir Ian McKellen — Gandalf

• Elijah Wood — Frodo Baggins

• Lee Pace — Thranduil

Serkis will, of course, reprise his role as the titular Gollum/Sméagol, but he's not alone. Elijah Wood will step back into his hairy feet as Frodo Baggins, the hobbit who took the One Ring all the way to Mordor and (thanks to his gardener, Samwise Gamgee) destroyed it despite much emo and ennui. The illustrious Sir Ian McKellen will return as Gandalf, the ultimate wizard of Middle Earth (I said what I said).

From The Hobbit trilogy, Lee Pace will return as Thranduil, the Elvenking of Mirkwood, who, like Orlando Bloom, sold a fair few GHD straighteners in his time.

New

• Jamie Dornan — Aragorn/Strider

• Kate Winslet — Marigol

• Leo Woodall — Halvard

Aragorn aka Strider aka Chieftain of the Dúnedain, a role crystallised by Viggo Mortensen in the 2000s, will be played by Jamie Dornan. Joining him will be Leo Woodall as Halvard, a fellow Dúnedain and hunting companion to Aragorn. And her eminence Kate Winslet joins the cast as a yet-to-be-detailed character called Marigol.

Also, in the cast announce above, the video features music by Howard Shore, super-composer for all the Lord of the Rings projects, so hopefully his involvement is a Shore thing.

When does The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum hit cinemas?

Call off the Great Eagle rideshare because you're going to have to wait.

The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum will be showing in cinemas Dec. 17, 2027. It's giving the December dates we used to look forward to during the original trilogies.

SAVE $40: As of April 15, the Soundcore AeroClip earbuds are on sale for $109.99 at Amazon. That's a 27% discount on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Soundcore Soundcore AeroClip $109.99 at Amazon
$149.99 Save $40.00   Get Deal

Open earbuds are becoming increasingly popular, especially for runners and people who listen to music out in public. But what are they? Open earbuds utilize a special design that rests just outside the ear instead of sitting inside it, allowing you to listen to music while remaining aware of your surroundings.

And as of April 15, Soundcore AeroClip earbuds are on sale. For a limited time, you can save $40 on the list price, bringing the cost down to $109.99.

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These earbuds also have a clip-on design, helping them stay secure for all-day wear. This makes them an ideal choice for workouts of all intensities.

The sound quality includes Hi-Res sound with enhanced bass, supported by a 12mm titanium-coated driver and virtual bass technology. It also benefits from directional sound delivery that helps to keep audio focused toward your ears while reducing sound leakage for more privacy. For calls and voice notes, the earbuds use a four-microphone system with AI noise reduction to keep voices clear in busy environments.

And they're robust too, featuring a water resistance rating of IP55. The listing notes that some early packaging may show an IPX4 rating, but the actual rating is IP55.

Find this earbuds deal at Amazon now.

Republicans are out in force defending Donald Trump again, this time for an AI image the president shared (and then deleted) that appeared to depict him as Jesus (Trump claimed he thought the post showed him as a "doctor") — a follow-up to an angry tirade he posted on Truth Social attacking the Pope.

In the clip above, Jimmy Kimmel breaks down some of the ways right-wing politicians and pundits have been defending the president's post, culminating in JD Vance arguing that it was only a joke.

"He was posting a joke, you understand? And like all the best jokes it had to be explained and then deleted. First he was Jesus, then he wasn't Jesus, he was a doctor, and now it was a joke. Why did I get kicked off the air again, I can't remember?" Kimmel says. "This White House cannot even keep their lies straight."

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SAVE OVER $200: As of April 15, the LG 27-inch Ultragear QHD OLED gaming monitor is on sale for $749.99 at Amazon, marking its lowest-ever price.

Opens in a new window Credit: LG LG 27-Inch Ultragear QHD OLED Gaming Monitor $749.99 at Amazon
$999.99 Save $250   Get Deal

2026 is a huge year for gaming, especially if you're counting down the days to Grand Theft Auto VI. If you're among the many who can't wait to play it later this year, it's time to prep your setup.

For PC players, that means having a high-quality monitor to see every little detail in what will surely be one of the most detailed open worlds ever created. If you're looking for something new, the LG 27-inch Ultragear QHD OLED gaming monitor is discounted right now at Amazon. As of April 15, this LG monitor has dropped to $749.99 at Amazon, a $250 discount from its list price of $999.99. What's even better is this deal marks its lowest-ever price.

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This LG monitor's OLED display with QHD (3440 x 1440) resolution is sure to make the games you play really pop with vibrant colors, contrast, and clear details. It's a very responsive display as well, with a Dual Mode feature that lets you switch between QHD resolution at a 540Hz refresh rate or 1080p HD resolution at a 720Hz refresh rate by tapping a hotkey.

Add to that a 0.02ms response time and you'll be able to enjoy speedy, input lag-free performance in your favorite games. Plus, this LG monitor's display has five UL safety certifications for Anti-Glare, Flicker-Free, Low Blue Light, Reduced Blue Light, and Reduced Circadian Stimulating Blue Light, so it's nice and easy on the eyes.

Just be aware that the LG 27-inch Ultragear QHD OLED gaming monitor is currently marked as a limited time deal at Amazon. So if you're hoping to add it to your setup, act fast to take advantage of this great deal.

SAVE $600: As of April 15, the EcoVacs Deebot X11 robot vacuum is on sale for $899 at Amazon. That's a 40% discount on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: EcoVacs EcoVacs Deebot X11 Robot Vacuum $899 at Amazon
$1,499.99 Save $600.99   Get Deal

We can't ignore a great robot vacuum deal, especially one as good as this latest bargain on the EcoVacs Deebot X11. As of April 15, this model is down by $600, bringing the price down from $1,499.99 to $899. Not only is this a huge saving, but it's the best-ever price according to price tracker camelcamelcamel.

And this isn't just a robot vacuum, it's a mop too. But this doesn't mean more maintenance for you, quite the opposite. The mop system uses a high-density roller designed to improve scrubbing and reach closer to edges and corners. When it's done with cleaning, it returns to the dock where it handles mop cleaning with hot water, refilling the tank, and drying.

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The same can be said for the vacuum. After combining its strong, 19,500Pa suction with an anti-tangle brush system to pick up dirt and pet hair, it can continue to store dirt in its bagless auto-emptying station.

It self navigates too, and uses a wheel system to move between rooms with small steps or thresholds. When on mixed surfaces, it can lift or adjust its mop and brushes automatically to avoid wetting carpets. Home mapping is handled through a combination of sensors and AI-based mapping, so you really have no work to do at all.

Pick up this robot vacuum deal at Amazon now.

SAVE $55: As of April 15, the Shokz OpenRun Pro headphones are on sale for $124.95 at Amazon. That's a 31% discount on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: SHOKZ Shokz OpenRun Pro $124.95 at Amazon
$179.95 Save $55.00   Get Deal

If you’ve been thinking about upgrading your running headphones, now’s a good time to do it because the Shokz OpenRun Pro are $55 off at Amazon. This brings the price down from $179.95 to $124.95. You can choose between four colors: black, blue, pink, and beige.

Bone conduction headphones use a different approach to deliver sound while keeping you aware of what’s around you. Instead of playing audio through your ears, they send vibrations through your cheekbones straight to the inner ear. This means your ears stay open, so you can listen to music or podcasts and still hear what’s happening around you.

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These are a comfortable set of open ear headphones, with a wraparound titanium frame that, despite being lightweight, is designed to stay secure during workouts. Sound is powered by Shokz’s bone conduction technology with enhanced bass and clarity, so you can expect great sound for all your playlists.

And the battery life is impressive too, promising to last up to 10 hours. S, for even your longest runs, you won't be left without sound.

You can find this Shokz deal at Amazon now. It's a limited-time deal, so don't miss out.

SAVE $20: As of April 15, the Amazon Fire Stick 4K Max is on sale for $39.99 at Amazon. That's 33% off the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Fire Stick 4K Max $39.99 at Amazon
$59.99 Save $20   Get Deal

If you’re looking for a powerful streaming device with extra space for downloads, the Amazon Fire Stick 4K Max is the product for you. It provides you with sharp 4K playback and comes with 16GB of storage, giving you room for more apps and games than usual. And as of April 15, it's on sale for $20 off at Amazon. Right now, you can take it home for just $39.99.

The Fire TV Stick 4K Max is a faster performing streaming stick, with a powerful processor for smooth navigation. It streams in 4K Ultra HD with Dolby Vision, HDR10+, and Dolby Atmos audio, so sound and image quality will seriously impress.

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If you're a gamer, you'll be pleased to know it also supports cloud gaming through Xbox Game Pass and Amazon Luna, allowing you to play games without a console when paired with a compatible controller. It also features Alexa voice control for searching content with voice commands.

Navigation of the device and your TV is controlled with the included remote. This has shortcut buttons for your favorite streaming platforms and controls for live TV.

Get this streaming deal online at Amazon now.

TL;DR: The Sony WH-CH520 wireless headphones are down to $38 at Amazon and Walmart. That’s $31.99 off their $69.99 list price and the lowest price we’ve seen so far in 2026.

Where to buy Sony WH-CH520 wireless headphones: Best Amazon deal Sony WH-CH520 Wireless Headphones $38 at Amazon (save $31.99) Shop Now Best Walmart deal Sony WH-CH520 Wireless Headphones $38 at Walmart (save $31.99) Shop Now

Sony's WH-CH520 headphones are among the best budget-friendly headphones you can buy, and both Amazon and Walmart are letting you save more than ever before in 2026.

As of April 15, you can grab the Sony WH-CH520 wireless headphones for $38 at Amazon and Walmart, down from $69.99. That knocks $31.99 off the usual price, which works out to a 46% discount — also the lowest price we’ve seen on Amazon this year via price tracker camelcamelcamel. Amazon currently has more colors to choose from, including cappuccino, black, blue, pink, white, and yellow, while Walmart appears to be limiting stock to the black model.

For the price, these headphones check off a lot of boxes that led to their high score in our Mashable review. You’re getting up to 50 hours of battery life, which is well beyond what you’d expect from a pair of sub-$40 headphones, plus a quick-charge feature that gives you up to 90 minutes of playback from just three minutes of charging. That makes them a particularly good pick for commuters, students, or anyone who regularly forgets to plug their tech in until the last second.

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Sony also packs in a few extras that help these feel less bare-bones than the price would normally suggest There’s multipoint connectivity, so you can switch between two paired devices without a bunch of fiddling, as well as hands-free calling via the built-in microphone. If you like tweaking your audio, the Sony Headphones Connect app lets you customize the EQ to better suit whatever you’re listening to, and DSEE is onboard to help restore detail in compressed music files.

In the event you feel like really splashing out, the Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones are available for only $248. As for other brands, you can also grab the Bose QuietComfort headphones for under $220.

TL;DR: Walmart has the Magic: The Gathering Avatar The Last Airbender Beginner Box listed for $18.99, while Amazon sellers are starting at $23.66.

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MTG’s Avatar: The Last Airbender expansion is one of the best ways to get into the trading card game, and now you can jump in for under $20.

As of April 15, Walmart has the Magic: The Gathering Avatar The Last Airbender Beginner Box listed for $18.99, down from $24.39. Over at Amazon, the lowest current third-party listing is $23.66. TCGplayer has listings as low as $23.34, with its market price also sitting at $23.34. That means Walmart is now nearly $5 under both Amazon’s lowest available price and TCGplayer’s market value. 

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The Beginner Box is built as a perfect learn-to-play entry point to Magic: The Gathering, with two 20-card tutorial decks themed around Aang and Zuko, plus eight additional 20-card themed half-decks that can be mixed together into full 40-card decks. It also comes with two playmats or playboards, two Spindown life counters, two learn-to-play guides, five double-sided tokens, and a rules reference booklet. 

Crafted for two people in mind, you can use this to either have a friendly MTG player help show you the ropes (or vice versa), or learn together at the same time. 

You can still grab the Magic: The Gathering Avatar The Last Airbender Play Booster Box for around $120. Elsewhere, the Lorwyn Eclipsed Play Booster Box is available to buy for under $110. 

TL;DR: Walmart has the Pokémon TCG Scarlet & Violet Destined Rivals Booster Bundle listed for $59.95, while Amazon sellers are starting at $67.99.

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Ascended Heroes has been taking off in price and Perfect Order has been dipping, but what about other Pokémon TCG expansions like Destined Rivals?

As of April 15, Walmart has the Pokémon TCG Scarlet and Violet Destined Rivals Booster Bundle marked down to $59.95, down from $69.94. Amazon's third-party listings are currently starting at $67.99 with free shipping, while TCGplayer shows a $67.11 market price for the bundle. The cheapest unopened booster bundle at TCGplayer is currently at $69.48.

Like with the recent price drop on the 36-pack Perfect Order Display Box, that leaves Walmart with the best price by a pretty comfortable margin.

At Walmart’s current listing, the six-pack bundle works out to about $9.99 per booster pack. Compare that with Amazon’s $67.99 starting price, which comes to roughly $11.33 per pack, and the savings start to look a lot more tempting.

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For those who’ve been out of the trading card game scene for a while, Destined Rivals is themed around Team Rocket and various well-known Trainers throughout the franchise. The expansion features high-value chase cards like Cynthia’s Garchomp ex, Ethan’s Ho-Oh ex, Arven’s Mabosstiff ex, along with the coveted Team Rocket Mewtwo ex. Each of the six booster packs in the Destined Rivals Booster Bundle contains 10 cards and one Basic Energy.

Among other six-pack bundles you can buy right now, the Pokémon TCG’s Perfect Order Booster Bundle is now available for under $40. The Perfect Perfect Order Build and Battle Box — containing four boosters, a promo card, and a pre-built 40-card deck — can be bought for as low as $35.80 at TCGplayer.

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, April 15, 2026:

AcrossFabric used for casino tables

• The answer is Felt.

Pulling the ___ (outdated idiom for voting)

• The answer is Level.

Togetherness

• The answer is Unity.

Many emails with urgent, all-caps requests

• The answer is Scams.

Basic belief

• The answer is Tent.

DownWhat you might be "on" when you're undecided

• The answer is Fence.

Bottled water brand

• The answer is Evian.

"Here, I can do it"

• The answer is Let me.

Romantic rendezvous

• The answer is Tryst.

What might lead to a romantic rendezvous

• The answer is Lust.

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 yesterday's Mini Crossword.

Recipe apps and artificial intelligence can give you a boost, but free tools already on your device can also assist with meal planning and preparation.

For us to trust it on certain subjects, researchers in the growing field of interpretability might need to learn how to open the black box of its brain.

To skip down to a certain product category in this recycling guide, use the table of contents dropdown at the top of this story.

When you really think about it, life is just a constant cycle of acquiring new stuff and figuring out what to do with the old stuff. And when there's little straightforward guidance on how to properly get rid of the old stuff, it quickly turns into clutter — or trash.

Most of us have been conditioned to recycle things like aluminum cans and cardboard boxes. But past those traditional curbside recyclables, other everyday items like batteries, beauty empties, toys, and even clothes can feel impossible to get rid of sustainably. Is throwing them away the only option?

SEE ALSO: Texas resident used Apple AirTags to track her recycling. It ended up in the middle of nowhere.

All of those everyday items can actually be recycled. It just requires some research and an extra step or two. But I've already done the first part for you, and compiled everything into a straightforward "how to" recycling guide.

Why does it feel like nothing is recyclable?

Perhaps you've Googled "how to recycle insert item here" just to be given some vague instructions like "Check locally." If you did check locally, you probably learned that most municipal recycling programs max out at trash-like recyclables. This isn't because recycling everything else is impossible on a technical level — it often just costs more than most local authorities feel like covering.

But that doesn't mean the items not mentioned in your county's recycling PDF have to be thrown away or forced upon an overflowing thrift store. Straightforward recycling options do exist for famously tricky product categories, like skincare, cleaning supplies, electronics, and the other junk you've crammed under the bed or in that one drawer.

Most involve easy (and free) mail-in programs or quick drop-offs at chain stores — much more reliable methods than plopping junk in the recycling bin and hoping the recycling fairy whisks it away to the right place.

SEE ALSO: How to recycle Amazon packaging purchases (yes, all of it)

That's called wishcycling, but you're out of that phase of your life now. Because below, I'm breaking down how and where to recycle all of those famously hard-to-recycle items.

How to recycle electronics

As is the case with plastic pollution, a good chunk of e-waste (the umbrella term for improperly discarded electronic devices and the toxins they leak into the ground) comes from big tech corporations. But as a species that has treated our personal devices as extra limbs for almost two decades, it's also our individual responsibility to deal with our old gadgets in the most sustainable way possible.

To be fair, people aren't exactly given clear instructions on how or where to safely recycle old devices. A CNET survey found that over 30 percent of U.S. adults hold onto old phones, tablets, and chargers simply because they don't know what to do with them. So here's your crash course.

How to recycle cellphones, laptops, TVs, and more tech

You're probably aware of the trade-in promos that your smartphone carrier offers. Similar incentives exist for devices like iPads and tablets. But even if the device in question isn't exactly in trade-in or sell-on-Mercari condition, there are still super accessible ways to recycle the gadget without smashing it for parts.

Best Buy and Staples have robust in-store recycling programs for everyday e-waste. Both stores can recycle the following tech products and accessories for you:

• Laptops and monitors

• Keyboards and mice

• Cellphones and landline phones

• Chargers, cables, and dongles

• Headphones (wireless or wired) and speakers

• Hard drives

• Surge protectors

• Routers and modems

• Printers, plus ink and toner cartridges

• Gaming consoles and controllers

• Digital cameras and camcorders

• Car GPS devices and dash cameras

• Calculators

Stores may limit the number of items in a certain category that one household can recycle per day — don't just dump years' worth of junk drawer tech into a few cardboard boxes and drop them off.

Once received, recyclers disassemble the tech to pull out and properly get rid of ozone-depleting chemicals like PCBs, mercury, and insulation, then separate materials like plastic, glass, and metal to be repurposed when possible.

Samsung has its own e-cycling drop-off centers, often located at Best Buy and Staples, and sometimes even at your local solid waste authority. Apple offers its own recycling program for old Apple devices and chargers, and you can even get a prepaid shipping label.

Where Staples and Best Buy's lists differ

Tech products that are strictly recyclable at Staples include discs like CDs and DVDs and phone cases. Tech products that are strictly recyclable at Best Buy include TVs 50 inches or smaller, drones, and some small appliances like fans and heaters (scroll down for a deeper dive into that list). You can also pay Best Buy to come haul away larger items, like TVs over 50 inches, an old fridge, or a treadmill.

How to recycle batteries

Old batteries can be recycled for free at stores like The Home Depot, Lowe's, and Staples through a partnership with call2recycle. Head to the website and enter your zip code to find the closest drop-off location to you. Note that not all participating locations accept every type of battery, so be sure to check the box of the battery type you've been collecting (i.e., lithium vs. rechargeable).

If no collection boxes are popping up in a practical distance, call2recycle also has a mail-in battery recycling program — though at $80 for the smallest battery and cellphone recycling kit, it's not exactly the cheapest route.

How to recycle clothes and shoes

If you take one thing from this recycling guide, let it be this: Goodwill is not a bottomless pit, or a one-size-fits-all solution to get rid of clutter fast. Instead of forcing more stuff upon stores with no hangers to spare, there are more thoughtful ways to clean out your closet.

If the garments are in decent enough condition, consider trying to sell your stuff online. It requires a bit of extra time than dropping off a garbage bag, but it ensures each piece is going to someone who specifically searched for it. The secondhand apparel market is going to pop off in 2026 even more than it already did in 2025, according to ThredUp's latest sale report — so now is definitely a good time to get into resale apps.

SEE ALSO: Zero Waste Daniel is drag's sustainable fashion pioneer

You don't need a ton of followers or an inventory of vintage holy grails to get eyes on your items on Depop, Mercari, or Poshmark. Just take well-lit, clear photos of items that aren't covered in pet hair, write a detailed and honest description, and add a reasonable price.

If you don't feel like reselling, a mail-in donation option could be easy. Give Back Box is a non-profit that partners with a slew of small charities from which you can choose to send your items, depending on what they need (i.e., kids' shoes or gently used women's clothes). Once you find a good fit, Give Back Box will just ask for $20 to cover the pre-addressed shipping label and the weight of the box. Pack your items in any random box you were going to recycle anyway, and send it off.

Is your pile of doom riddled with clothes that are too worn to donate? Viral sustainable clothing brand Girlfriend Collective works with SuperCircle (a growing textile recycling platform) to facilitate ReGirlfriend: an amazingly easy mail-in garment recycling program. Shipping labels are free, and you can pack multiple pieces in each bag, regardless of brand. As a "thank you" for not contributing to the pile of textiles in landfills, Girlfriend offers credits to girlfriend.com. Trashie is another clothing recycling program where you fill a Take Back Bag and mail it back — you'll get rewards to shop at partnering brands.

How to recycle vacuums and other appliances

Your local Goodwill actually is not home to a fleet of magic-working repairpeople who know how to revive every busted gadget manufactured in the past few decades. Instead of trying to donate rusty, sticky, straight-up broken appliances, see if Best Buy's in-store recycling program can take them off your hands. Fans, robot vacuums, upright and canister vacuums, personal heaters, and pod-only coffee makers are a few of the appliances that Best Buy can recycle for free. There's a limit of three per household per day.

For a $199.99 haul-away fee, Best Buy can pick up larger appliances like refrigerators, air conditioners, microwaves, dishwashers, washing machines and dryers, ovens and ranges, and ice makers for recycling.

SEE ALSO: We tested the most popular Ninja appliances in our own kitchens. Here's what we found.

Black+Decker kitchen appliances and home cleaning products can be recycled for free through TerraCycle.

If you're not ditching the appliance for a functional reason, perhaps it'd be a good contender for Facebook Marketplace or resale apps. Gently used countertop appliances like air fryers and blenders are popular on Mercari. It's OK if it's old, too: Vintage collectors would be overjoyed to come across a listing for your grandma's vintage yellow hand mixer, as long as it's not dilapidated.

How to recycle cleaning supplies and more household junk or trashFood wrappers, cleaning supplies, and other packaging

The concept of disposable plastic household items seemed like the most genius idea ever in the 1950s. Guess what? Virtually all of the plastic products thrown away since then are still decomposing in landfills today.

And we're adding to the problem every single day. Swiffer pads come to mind when I think about the dire disposables situation. They're super convenient, but they're not recyclable through the standard plastic or paper system. For all of those everyday household items that we mindlessly trash, more people need to know about TerraCycle's free mail-in recycling programs.

SEE ALSO: I've tested 30+ robot vacuum and mop combos, including CES 2026 models. Here are the top 5 to buy.

These give consumers a rare, yet easy way to recycle everyday "trash" items from big household brands — items that most local recycling authorities don't accept in the regular bins.

Participating brands include Swiffer, Tide and Downy, Pop-Sockets, Arm + Hammer, and Mr. Clean. You can recycle air fresheners or scented plug-in products from any brand for free via Febreze's TerraCycle program. Some food and snack brands are also on the list: Collect wrappers and bags from Babybel, Gatorade, Kroger brands, and Takis. Plastic drink pouches from any brand can be recycled for free through Honest Kids' program, and sauce packets from any brand can be recycled for free through Taco Bell's program.

It's not cheap, but you can recycle nearly anything with TerraCycle's All-In-One Zero Waste Box. Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable All of these items can be recycled for free by mailing them to TerraCycle. Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable

The idea is to collect enough from each brand's program to fill up a box that you can then mail back to TerraCycle. (Some programs have a weight minimum, but it could be as little as three pounds.) The cost of the shipping labels is covered by the brands themselves, who also fund the tricky sorting process required to recycle their products.

Coffee pods

Nespresso has a ton of drop-off points across the country to recycle pods. You can also request free pre-labeled recycling bags on Nespresso's website to fill and eventually mail back to Nespresso. (Each mailer can hold up to 200 Original Line pods or 100 Vertuo pods.)

Keurig has a similar setup, but it's not free — and Keurig only describes the program through the lens of office use (like "use the small box in offers that brew 24 K-Cups or less in day") with no mention of keeping a box at home in a Keurig-heavy household.

Water filters

Your collection of used Brita filters and old filter pitches themselves can be mailed to TerraCycle for free recycling.

ZeroWater filters can be properly discarded with a mail-back recycling program as well, but you'll have to cover shipping up front. Fill out the recycling form ahead of sending your used filters back to the address provided. You'll then receive a $20 coupon for your next round of replacement refills. It's a more convoluted process than Brita's, but if it's the difference between drinking microplastics, I'll do it Zerowater's way.

Old writing utensils

Drop off pens, markers, and mechanical pencils at Staples to be recycled for free.

How to recycle beauty empties and bathroom stuffMakeup and skincare

The majority of beauty brands are way too comfortable using packaging that looks recyclable, while conveniently forgetting to tell consumers that it's not. Many skincare bottles that feel like glass aren't the same easy type of glass as a beer bottle or jelly jar, and many plastic containers and plastic pumps are actually a peculiar type of mixed plastic that doesn't fall under the number system used to sort at recycling plants.

For beauty empties with a non-accepted number or no number at all, beauty-centric take-back programs are the move. Both Ulta and Sephora have partnered with Pact Collective to offer recycling bins for your empties in a ton of stores across the country. Nordstrom has a partnership with TerraCycle, offering a similar in-store drop-off option for beauty packaging.

My bag of beauty empties was so full, I had to take this Pact bin's lid off. Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable

Project Beauty Share is one great option for giving opened skincare products a new home, as long as they're not expired. Accepted gently-used beauty items include moisturizers and serums, cleansers, body lotions, shower gels, perfumes, and sunscreens. Squeeze tubes of foundation or primer and pressed eyeshadow, blush, and highlighter are accepted if they're open but only barely used.

Hair tools

Beauty brand Mane partners with Pact Collective to take your unwanted hot hair tools, whether they work or not. Hair tools in good working condition will be properly sanitized and shipped off to be distributed to young women through Project Glimmer, an organization dedicated to helping end gender and racial inequality for women and girls. Hair tools that don't work will be taken apart and processed for proper recycling. Labels are prepaid by Mane, as long as you use your own box.

SEE ALSO: I found 5 Dyson Supersonic dupes that are almost as good as the real thing Toothbrushes

National Geographic clocks around one billion plastic toothbrushes ending up in landfills annually, and toothpaste tubes are a similar story. If you use Colgate, Arm & Hammer, or Tom's of Maine products, there's a free mail-in TerraCycle program for that. Old toothbrushes, electric toothbrush replacement heads, mouthwash bottles, used flossers, and toothpaste tubes from Crest, Oral-B, or Fixodent can be recycled by mail via TerraCycle or Oral-B's direct recycling program.

SEE ALSO: The Suri recyclable electric toothbrush is my favorite eco-friendly self-care swap Razors

Sure, most disposable razor handles are plastic, and razor blades are metal. Both materials are technically recyclable separately, but mixed materials like that bar disposable razors from being curbside recyclable. Luckily, TerraCycle has a free recycling program for common shaving brands like Gillette and Venus, from handles to blades to the bags the replacements come in. If people caught on to collecting their dull razors for eventual recycling, just think of the dent we'd put into the estimated two billion disposable razors thrown out each year.

SEE ALSO: Yes, there is a plastic bag at the bottom of the Mariana Trench How to recycle toys

Like everything else on this list, getting rid of toys isn't as easy as tossing them in the regular recycling bin — no matter how perfectly plastic they feel.

Hasbro, VTech and Leapfrog, and Spin Master all have free mail-in recycling programs through TerraCycle. TerraCycle's recyclers will ensure that toys and games are broken down and properly sorted for recycling of different parts and materials. If a toy's condition wouldn't be up to your gifting standards for a friend or family member's kid, it's better off being recycled than donated.

Lego bricks can be recycled for free via Lego Replay. Pack up Lego System Bricks, Duplo and Technic bricks, minifigures, baseplates, tires, rims, and axles, download a free shipping label, and send it off.

SEE ALSO: YouTube AI slop is a generational threat, child safety experts warn in new petition

Yard sales aren't the only way to make a few bucks off of gently-used toys. Toys are consistently a top-selling category on Mercari — if you're not sure if a brand or model is in demand, just do a quick search to see what listings are out there (Pokémon, Barbies, and toys from the '90s are usually safe bets.) There's a surprisingly bumpin' market for spare game pieces sold by themselves, like replacement Monopoly tokens or Sorry! pawns.

MatPat, Miranda Sings, Grace Helbig and WheezyWaiter hit it big on YouTube long before it became a behemoth. They have thoughts about what it takes to succeed there.