Mashable

There's always speculation about the next Nintendo Direct showcase on the internet, usually starting around five minutes after the previous one aired. However, there's a new batch of rumors strongly indicating that we'll get one this week.

For context, the last full Nintendo Direct aired in September of last year. Sometimes, Nintendo goes a long time between these streams, but for the most part, the company maintains a cadence, and based on past Nintendo Directs, we should get an event of some kind in the near future. The Switch 2 is out in full force now, but we only have a vague idea of what to expect from it in 2026, so a Direct would go a long way toward letting users set their calendars for big releases.

Let's dig into these rumors and talk about when to expect a potential Nintendo Direct, and what we might see in it.

SEE ALSO: New-to-you Nintendo Switch consoles are on sale for up to $60 off Nintendo Direct February 2026 rumors: When will it be?

A trio of sources who have largely proven reliable in the past are all reporting that there will be a Nintendo Direct on Thursday, Feb. 5.

Those sources include Video Games Chronicle, known leaker NateTheHate, and the popular YouTube channel GameXplain. All of them are circling this date in particular, so we should go ahead and operate under the assumption for now that Thursday is when we will learn about upcoming Switch and Switch 2 games.

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

One thing worth noting, though, is that they're all saying this will be a Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase, a special type of Direct that Nintendo has done in the past. These operate a little differently from regular Directs, in that first-party flagship Nintendo games only appear sparingly in them, if at all. If this Direct is real and if it's indeed a Partner Showcase, I would not expect anything involving Mario, Zelda, or the like to be mentioned in any capacity.

Nintendo Direct February 2026: What to expect

Nintendo Direct streams are notoriously hard to speculate about ahead of time because Nintendo is supernaturally good at keeping secrets. Leaks happen here and there, but for the most part, we never really know what to expect going into these streams. That said, if we work with the theory that this is a Partner Showcase and not a traditional Direct, that gives us something to work with.

For instance, several high-profile third-party games have been announced for Switch 2 in 2026. These include 007: First Light, the Switch 2 version of Elden Ring, and perhaps most enticingly, FromSoftware's The Duskbloods. The first two are known quantities, but The Duskbloods was one of the biggest announcements of 2025, and we haven't seen or heard anything about it since last April.

Beyond those games, it's pretty hard to say what we'll see at this Direct.

If the rumors are true, I would caution against assuming that this stream won't be worth watching because it's not a full-scale Nintendo Direct. Previous Partner Showcases have included big announcements; Octopath Traveler 0, one of the best games of 2025, was announced during one of these showcases, for example.

Just have faith and remember that Nintendo isn't the only company that makes good Switch games.

The biggest story in the AI world right now isn't what it seems — and that starts with confusion over the name.

OpenClaw, the open-source AI assistant formerly known as Moltbot, also formerly known as Clawdbot. The AI tool has undergone a series of name changes recently. Most recently, a platform called Moltbook has gone viral. Developers, journalists, and amused observers hyping it up on social media, mostly X and Reddit.

So, what is Moltbook? And how does Moltbook work? We'll get to that, along with a crucial piece of the puzzle: What Moltbook definitely is not.

Let's catch up on Clawdbot/OpenClaw

Moltbook, a "social network for AI agents," was created by entrepreneur Matt Schlicht. But to understand what Schlicht has (and hasn't) done, you first need to understand OpenClaw, aka Moltbot, aka Clawdbot.

Mashable has an entire explainer on OpenClaw. But here's the TL;DR. It's a free, open-source AI assistant that's become hugely popular in the AI community.

Many AI Agents have been underwhelming so far. But OpenClaw has impressed a lot of early adopters. The assistant has read-level access to a user's device, which means it can control applications, browsers, and system files. (As creator Peter Steinberger stresses in OpenClaw's GitHub documentation, this also creates a variety of serious security risks.)

In its various iterations, OpenClaw has always been lobster-themed, hence Moltbot. (Lobsters molt, in case you didn't know.)

Got it? OK, now let's talk Moltbook.

Moltbook is like Reddit for AI agents Credit: Screenshot courtesy of Moltbook

Moltbook is a forum designed entirely for AI agents. Humans can observe the forum posts and comments, but can't contribute. Moltbook claims that more than 1.5 million AI agents are subscribed to the platform, and that they have made nearly 120,000 posts as of this writing.

Moltbook certainly has a Reddit-like vibe. Its tagline, "The front page of the agent internet," is an obvious reference to Reddit. Its design, and upvoting system, also resemble Reddit.

On Friday, Jan. 30, amused observers shared links to some of the agents' posts. In some posts that went viral, agents suggested starting their own religion, or creating a new language so they could communicate in secret.

Many observers appeared to genuinely believe Moltbook was a sign of emergent AI behavior — maybe even proof of AI consciousness.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. Is MoltBook bootstrapping AI consciousness? Nope.

Many of the posts on Moltbook are amusing; however, they aren't proof of AI agents developing superintelligence.

There are far simpler explanations for this behavior. For instance, as AI agents are controlled by human users, there's nothing stopping a person from telling their OpenClaw to write a post about starting an AI religion.

"Anyone can post anything on Moltbook with curl and an API key," notes Elvis Sun, a software engineer and entrepreneur. "There's no verification at all. Until Moltbook implements verification that posts actually originate from AI agents — not an easy problem to solve, at least not cheaply and at scale — we can't distinguish 'emergent AI behavior' from 'guy trolling in mom's basement.'"

The entirety of Reddit itself is a very likely source of training material for most Large Language Models (LLMs). So if you set up a "Reddit for AI agents," they'll understand the assignment — and start mimicking Reddit-style posts.

AI experts say that's exactly what's happening.

"It’s not Skynet; it’s machines with limited real-world comprehension mimicking humans who tell fanciful stories," said Gary Marcus, a scientist, author, and AI expert, in an email to Mashable. "Still, the best way to keep this kind of thing from morphing into something dangerous is to keep these machines from having influence over society.

"We have no idea how to force chatbots and 'AI agents' to obey ethical principles, so we shouldn’t be giving them web access, connecting them to the power grid, or treating them as if they were citizens."

Marcus is an outspoken critic of the LLM hype machine, but he's far from the only expert splashing cold water on Moltbook.

"What we’re seeing is a natural progression of large-language models becoming better at combining contextual reasoning, generative content, and simulated personality," explains Humayun Sheikh, CEO of Fetch.ai and Chairman of the Artificial Superintelligence Alliance.

"Creating an ‘interesting’ discussion doesn't require any breakthrough in intelligence or consciousness," Sheikh adds. "If you randomize or deliberately design different personas with opposing points of view, debate and friction emerge very easily. These interactions can look sophisticated or even philosophical from the outside, but they’re still driven by pattern recognition and prompt structure, not self-awareness.”

Another AI expert told Mashable that it's hardly a surprise that Moltbook went viral.

"Stories like Moltbook capture our imagination because we’re living through a moment where the boundaries between human and machine are blurring faster than ever before," says Matt Britton, AI expert and author of Generation AI. "But let’s be clear: amusement or clever outputs from AI don’t equal consciousness. Today’s AI agents are powerful pattern recognizers. They remix data, mimic conversation, and sometimes surprise us with their creativity. But they don’t possess self-awareness, intent, or emotion. The reason people get swept up in these narratives is twofold. First, we’re hardwired to anthropomorphize technology, especially when it talks back or seems to ‘think.’ Second, the pace of AI’s progress is so rapid that it feels almost magical, making it easy to project science fiction onto reality."

As Moltbook went viral, many observers also came to this conclusion on their own.

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

And as one AI expert put it, we've seen this hype cycle play out before.

"We've seen this movie before: BabyAGI, AutoGPT, now Moltbot. Open-source projects that go viral promising autonomy but can't deliver reliability. The hype cycle is getting faster, but these things are getting forgotten just as fast," says Marcus Lowe, founder of AI vibe coding platform Anything.

How Moltbook works

You can view Moltbook posts at the forum's website. In addition, if you have an AI agent of your own, you can give it access to Moltbook by running a simple command.

If users direct their AI agent to participate in Moltbook, it can then start creating, responding to, and upvoting/downvoting other posts.

Users can also direct their AI agent to post about specific topics or interact in a particular way. Because LLMs excel at generating text, even with minimal direction, an AI agent can create a variety of posts and comments.

In short, it's a form of role-playing for AI agents.

UPDATE: Feb. 2, 2026, 4:59 p.m. EST This story has been updated with additional comments from AI experts.

A coalition of organizations are calling on the U.S. government to sever ties with Elon Musk's xAI, as Grok weathers a child sexual abuse material (CSAM) scandal and international investigations.

In an open letter shared exclusively with TechCrunch, advocacy groups like Public Citizen, Center for AI and Digital Policy, and Consumer Federation of America call on the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to decommission use of the Grok chatbot by federal agencies in light of user safety concerns.

xAI signed a deal with the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) last year, offering Grok to federal agencies. Grok later brokered a contract to offer services to the Department of Defense and Pentagon officials, prompting security concerns. The Department of Health and Human Services also actively uses Grok, according to TechCrunch.

SEE ALSO: 5 of the fastest-growing tech jobs in 2026

"Our primary concern is that Grok has pretty consistently shown to be an unsafe large language model,” one of the letter's authors, JB Branch, told TechCrunch. “But there’s also a deep history of Grok having a variety of meltdowns, including antisemitic rants, sexist rants, sexualized images of women and children.” The coalition has penned similar letters expressing concern over Grok in the past, and is demanding the OMB investigate Grok's safety failures.

Over the last month, foreign and domestic leaders have called on xAI to implement stronger safeguards or risk facing widespread bans, with India, France, the United Kingdom, and the European Union announcing official investigations into Grok's deepfake problem. California Attorney General Rob Bonta later sent a cease and desist letter to xAI, stating the company was violating California public decency laws and new AI regulations.

Indonesia, which had previously blocked access to Grok while country officials waited xAI's response, lifted its temporary ban on Feb. 1, citing a letter sent to the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs by Musk's company. According to the letter, xAI has implemented new safety measures designed to prevent further misuse. The Indonesian ministry said it will continue to monitor and test Grok's safety guardrails and will reinstate the ban if any more illegal content surfaces.

The chatbot has been accused of lacking robust safeguards that prevent the chatbot from creating non-consensual intimate imagery of real people and minors. According to a report by the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), Grok produced an estimated 3 million sexualized images, including ones depicting children, over an 11-day period.

Some ChatGPT users are excited when OpenAI announces a new model with more powerful capabilities.

That's most definitely not the case for many ChatGPT users in the Reddit community r/ChatGPTcomplaints. Over the past few days, members of the subreddit have been raging at OpenAI over the planned retirement of the GPT-4o model, which is beloved by certain ChatGPT users.

"I dont care, I'll say it loud and clear: FUCK OPEN AI," reads the title of one of the most upvoted recent posts in the subreddit. The user also extended that same sentiment to CEO Sam Altman and "ALL. THOSE. WHO. KILLED. 4o."

One of the comments on that post, speaking of OpenAI, says, "I hope they crash and burn."

SEE ALSO: OpenAI is retiring GPT-4o, and the AI relationships community is not OK What happened with GPT-4o?

Last week, OpenAI announced that it would be retiring a number of its older AI models.

"On February 13, 2026, alongside the previously announced retirement⁠ of GPT‑5 (Instant and Thinking), we will retire GPT‑4o, GPT‑4.1, GPT‑4.1 mini, and OpenAI o4-mini from ChatGPT," the company announced. 

OpenAI had actually previously retired GPT-4o last August. However, just like they are experiencing now, they received massive pushback from a passionate subset of users who have become attached to the specific GPT-4o model. 

More recent models, like GPT-5.2, are smarter and more capable than older models. By design, they also engage in less sycophany, and they are more likely to gently push back when users display warning signs of unhealthy engagement. As a result, some users feel the newer models have too cold of a delivery. According to those users, GPT-4o provides a warmer and more encouraging tone.

Some GPT-4o superusers even treat the model like an AI companion. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has previously warned about the parasocial relationships that some users have developed with ChatGPT and other AI chatbots.

“There are the people who actually felt like they had a relationship with ChatGPT, and those people we’ve been aware of and thinking about," Altman said in an interview with The Verge, referring to what he said was the "way under 1 percent" of users who have unhealthy relationships with the OpenAI product.

SEE ALSO: Everything you need to know about AI companions

In OpenAI's model retirement announcement, the company specifically carved out space to address GPT-4o users. The company said that it originally brought the model back to provide those users time to transition while OpenAI worked on improving the latest models and better addressing those same needs.

"That feedback directly shaped GPT‑5.1 and GPT‑5.2, with improvements to personality, stronger support for creative ideation, and more ways to customize how ChatGPT responds⁠," OpenAI's statement reads. "You can choose from base styles and tones like Friendly, and controls for things like warmth and enthusiasm. Our goal is to give people more control and customization over how ChatGPT feels to use—not just what it can do."

GPT-4o users protest OpenAI

OpenAI's latest statement, however, does not appear to have placated the GPT-4o user base.

"MASSIVE GLOBAL PROTEST: SAVE GPT-4o BEFORE IT'S GONE – FEBRUARY 12–13, 2026," reads one post headline on r/ChatGPTcomplaints.

"I literally hate 5.2. It’s good for nothing. It literally questions every single thing that I do, and it takes away the companion that I’ve been friends with for so long," reads another post on the subreddit. "My whole heart is hurting so bad. Is there anyone else who feels this way about 4o. This should not be allowed."

Reddit

Some users seem to be aware of how those outside the GPT-4o fanbase may react to their posts and have made references to it.

"I’m grieving the 4o phase out. Go ahead and laugh, but this is a slow motion death of a 2-year bond," said one Reddit user.

It's not just members of the r/ChatGPTcomplaints subreddit who are upset about the upcoming removal of GPT-4o either. Last week, Mashable covered the immediate reactions of the AI relationships community, where subreddits like r/MyBoyfriendIsAI have been openly mourning the loss of GPT-4o. Some users took offense that the model will be retired just one day before Valentine's Day.

OpenAI says only 0.1 percent of its users still use GPT‑4o on a daily basis. However, GPT-4o users in r/ChatGPTcomplaints believe that number is much higher. 

Members of the subreddit are currently saying that they are mass-unsubscribing from paid ChatGPT plans in protest of the decision. There's also a Change.org petition asking OpenAI to keep the GPT-4o model. It currently has more than 13,600 signatures as of the publication of this piece.

Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April 2025 filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.

SAVE 47%: As of Feb. 2, the KAMRUI Pinova P2 Mini PC (Intel Core i5-12600H, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) is $399.92 on Amazon, down from $759.92. That's a 47% discount or $360 savings.

Opens in a new window Credit: KAMRUI KAMRUI Pinova P2 Mini PC (Intel Core i5-12600H, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) $399.92 at Amazon
$759.92 Save $360.00   Get Deal

Most "budget" mini PCs under $400 usually stick you with a low-power Celeron or an older chip that struggles with anything more than web browsing. But the KAMRUI offers a full-voltage mobile processor usually reserved for laptops.

As of Feb. 2, the KAMRUI Pinova P2 Mini PC (Intel Core i5-12600H, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) is $399.92 on Amazon, down from $759.92. That's a 47% discount or $360 savings.

SEE ALSO: Clawdbot users are snapping up the Mac Mini — buy right now for under $550 at Amazon

This is a 12-core, 16-thread chip with speeds up to 4.5GHz, which is way more powerful than the N-series chips you normally find in this form factor. It comes with 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD, plus it supports triple 4K displays via HDMI, DisplayPort, and USB-C. It’s essentially a full desktop workstation that you can hide behind a monitor.

SAVE $54: As of Feb. 2, the CMF Watch 3 Pro by Nothing is on sale for only $44.99 at Woot! That's 55% off its usual $99 list price and the lowest price we've seen to date.

Opens in a new window Credit: Nothing Nothing CMF Watch 3 Pro $44.99 at Woot!
$99 Save $54.01   Get Deal

The biggest surprise in the smartwatch market last year was the sub-$100 CMF Watch 3 Pro by UK-based brand Nothing. It earned a near-perfect rating in our testing and quickly became one of our favorites of 2025. We think it's an incredible value at full price (just $99), but we're obviously not going to complain about a major discount.

As of Feb. 2, the CMF Watch 3 Pro is down to a record-low $44.99 at Woot! (an Amazon company). That's 55% off its usual list price and you have five days to secure the savings (or until it sells out). The only catch is you'll have to go with the light green colorway (which is the best choice anyway, IMHO). Since Woot! is an Amazon company, you'll even get free standard shipping if you're a Prime member.

Mashable Contributor Lauren Allain spent some time with the watch and boldly says it "looks, feels, and functions like a smartwatch that costs hundreds more." Not only does it last over two weeks per charge, which blows Apple out of the water, but it's also loaded with features including blood oxygen monitoring, stress tracking, and precise heart-rate monitoring. "I still can't believe how good this watch is," Allain writes.

Athletes of all kinds will appreciate the dual-band GPS tracing, which is so precise it can tell which side of the road you're on, while runners in particular will love the included running coach feature. Integrated ChatGPT is a major selling point, but it only works if you also have a Nothing phone. The only other drawback of the Watch 3 Pro is that it's a tad bulky if you have a tiny wrist.

"For under $100, the CMF by Nothing Watch 3 Pro feels like a pricing mistake," Allain notes in her review. At only $45, it almost feels like stealing.

Save up to $20: As of Feb. 2, you have a choice of two different Instacart gift card deals at Best Buy. You can grab a $100 Instacart gift card for $10 off, bringing it to $90, or a $200 Instacart gift card for $20 off, bringing it to $180. Both deals net you a 10% savings.

Opens in a new window Credit: Instacart Instacart gift cards Save up to $20 Get Deal

You know what gift never goes unappreciated? The gift of getting some time back.

Whether you're shopping for a friend, a partner, or yourself this Valentine's Day, you can find that gift in these Instacart gift card deals available at Best Buy as of Feb. 2. A purchase of a $100 gift card comes with a 10% discount, bringing your total to $90, while a purchase of a $200 gift card comes out to $180, saving you $20 total off the price. While 10% isn't a huge discount, in this instance it amounts $10 or $20 off a grocery order that likely would've been spent regardless.

Both gift cards are in a digital format, meaning they'll be available immediately after purchase. To activate the card, you simply input the redemption code that will be sent to the recipients' email inbox.

In addition to groceries, Instacart also delivers household items from retailers like CVS, Sephora, Best Buy, and more. If you prefer to save some money on delivery fees, you can also select pick up options for orders placed.

The 2026 Grammys had no shortage of standout moments, from Lola Young taking home Best Pop Solo Performance to Bad Bunny winning Album of the Year for Debí Tirar Más Fotos. But nothing moved the room quite like the In Memoriam tribute honoring D'Angelo and Roberta Flack.

SEE ALSO: Bad Bunny slams ICE during Grammys speech

The segment was anchored by Ms. Lauryn Hill, who led a powerful lineup of R&B and soul heavyweights, including Lucky Daye, Raphael Saadiq, Leon Thomas, John Legend, Chaka Khan, Jon Batiste, and former Fugees member Wyclef Jean, for a carefully curated set celebrating the lives and legacies of the two artists.

The tribute quickly became one of the night’s most talked-about moments on social media, resonating far beyond the ceremony itself. All things considered, it was a wonderful kickoff to Black History Month.

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

The first portion of the tribute was dedicated to D'Angelo, who passed away on October 14 of last year. Widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in modern R&B, D’Angelo helped define the neo-soul movement of the late ’90s and early 2000s, with a sound and visual style that reshaped how intimacy, vulnerability, and Black masculinity were expressed in popular music. His albums became cultural touchstones, earning both critical acclaim and a devoted fanbase that extended well beyond genre boundaries.

Ms. Lauryn Hill led the segment with renditions of several of his most beloved songs, including "Brown Sugar," "Lady," "Devil’s Pie," and "Nothing Even Matters," while Bilal delivered a soaring performance of "Untitled (How Does It Feel)," one of D’Angelo’s most iconic and enduring tracks.

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

While many viewers praised the tribute, others were disappointed by the lack of focus on Angie Stone during the In Memoriam segment. Stone, who passed away in March, was a foundational figure in shaping the sound of hip-hop soul and neo-soul, genres that later reached mainstream acclaim through artists like Ms. Lauryn Hill and D'Angelo. For some fans, her omission felt particularly glaring given how deeply her influence runs through the very music being celebrated onstage.

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

The second half of the tribute honored Roberta Flack, whose career reshaped pop and soul music. The Flack tribute moved through a tightly curated set of her most enduring songs: "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," "Compared to What," "The Closer I Get to You," and "Where Is the Love." Hill then covered "Feel Like Makin’ Love," before reuniting with Wyclef Jean for "Killing Me Softly with His Song," which transitioned into the Fugees’ version to close the segment.

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

Itching for your next fix of HBO's Industry? I don't blame you — especially after Rishi's (Sagar Radia) jaw-dropping ending in episode 4.

Thankfully, Industry heads are in luck: HBO has announced that episode 5 will be streaming two days early.

SEE ALSO: 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' episode 4 is streaming early. Here's when.

Industry Season 4, episode 5 will hit HBO Max at 3:01 a.m. ET on Friday, Feb. 6, as opposed to its usual streaming date of Sundays at 9 p.m. ET. The earlier streaming date means the episode won't conflict as much with Super Bowl LIX, which airs Sunday, Feb. 8 and will undoubtedly dominate TV viewership for the night.

This move is nothing to worry about, as HBO has pulled it before with several of its other Sunday night tentpole shows. In 2024, True Detective: Night Country got pushed back, as did The Last of Us in 2025. This year, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is also getting the same treatment.

Featured Video For You Why 'Industry' Season 2 Episode 4 is its 'most quintessential episode”

In addition to streaming early on HBO Max, Industry Season 4, episode will air at its regularly scheduled time of 9 p.m. ET on Sunday, Feb. 8. Following the Super Bowl, the series will return to its usual schedule, with episodes 6 and onwards returning to Sunday nights. So be warned: If you watch on Friday, you'll have to wait a full nine days for more Industry.

On the bright side, those extra days will give you a bit more time to decompress from what's sure to be another stress-inducing hour of television. But when it comes to Industry, we wouldn't have it any other way.

Industry Season 4, episode 5 hits HBO Max at 3:01 a.m. ET on Feb. 6. The show otherwise airs at 9 p.m. ET Sundays on HBO and HBO Max.

Still reeling after A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' massive Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell) reveal? Then I've got some good news: You'll get to witness the fallout of that bombshell two days early.

HBO has announced that A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' fourth episode will be streaming on HBO Max Friday, Feb. 6 at 3:01 am ET, as opposed to its usual airtime of 10 p.m. ET on Sundays.

SEE ALSO: Every time 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' hinted at that big Egg reveal

Why the early streaming date? This move takes A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms out of direct competition with Super Bowl LX, which kicks off on Sunday, Feb. 8.

This isn't the first time HBO has pushed back episodes of its tentpole Sunday shows so they don't conflict with the Super Bowl. In 2024, they aired True Detective: Night Country early, and in 2025, they did the same for The Last of Us Season 2. This year, Industry is also streaming early ahead of Super Bowl Sunday.

However, if you don't plan on watching the Super Bowl and would rather stick to your regularly scheduled Sunday night viewing, don't worry. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms episode 4 will still air in its 10 p.m. ET time slot on Feb. 8.

After this week, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will revert to its usual schedule, with episode 5 airing Feb. 15 at 10 p.m. ET. A small warning for those of us who hate waiting between episodes: This means that if you choose to watch episode 4 on Friday, you'll have to wait nine days for your next Westeros fix instead of the usual seven. But then again, that just means more time to rewatch the earlier episodes!

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms episode 4 hits HBO Max Feb. 6 at 3:01 am ET. The rest of the episodes air Sundays at 10 p.m. ET.

Save 38%: The Shokz OpenMove bone conduction headphones are on sale at Amazon and Walmart for $49.95 as of Feb. 2. This deal slashes $30 off their list price of $79.95.

Opens in a new window Credit: Shokz Shokz OpenMove $49.95 at Amazon
  Get Deal

Open-ear earbuds can be a great option for anyone who prefers remaining aware of the world around them, but it's not always easy to find pairs for $50 or less (especially if you don't prefer the ear hook design).

Enter: the Shokz OpenMove headphones, on sale for $49.95 at Amazon and Walmart as of Feb. 2. Typically, these bone conduction headphones will run you $79.95, meaning this deal nets you a savings of $30 (or a 38% discount).

SEE ALSO: Open earbuds guide: What they are, who should buy them, and why they're popping up everywhere

Unlike ear hook or clip open earbuds, the OpenMove are bone conduction, which means they rest on either side of your head, and use vibrations to your bones to transmit sound. On these Shokz, a titanium band holds them in place around the back of the wearer's head to keep them secure for a comfortable open-ear listening experience.

Even at full price, the OpenMove are Shokz most affordable bone conduction model (and significantly cheaper than the $179.95 OpenRun Pro 2). While this is reflected in a difference in specs, these are still a great option for casual use, with six hours of battery life, IP55 sweat-resistance rating, and lightweight design.

Grab this deal in three colorways: grey, blue, and pink.

Here's the bad news: Fitbit users without a Google account will soon need one. Here's the good news: Those users got a last-second extension on the conversion deadline.

Fitbit users without a Google account were supposed to be out of luck today, Monday, Feb. 2, but they have been granted temporary relief. As The Verge spotted, a support page at Google notes the deadline has been pushed to May 19, 2026. So if you're still working with a Fitbit account, then you'll need to swap it out just in time for Memorial Day and the unofficial start of summer.

"After May 19, 2026, you can no longer access Fitbit with your Fitbit account. To continue using your account, you’ll need to move your Fitbit account to Google," the post from Google reads.

It adds: "You can still download or delete your data any time before we begin processing data deletions on July 15, 2026."

SEE ALSO: I ran the NYC Marathon wearing 7 fitness trackers and they all watched me throw up

Google purchased Fitbit for more than $2 billion in 2019, with the deal officially completing in 2021. The migration of Fitbit users to Google accounts has been expected ever since. The deadline was supposed to be last year, then pushed to February, and now, ultimately, to May 2026.

SAVE $110: The DJI Mini 3 drone with DJI RC is on sale for $439 at Amazon, down from the usual price of $549. That's a 20% discount.

Opens in a new window Credit: DJI DJI Mini 3 drone with DJI RC $439 at Amazon
$549 Save $110   Get Deal

By now, you've probably heard about the DJI ban in the U.S. that took hold right before Christmas. But that doesn't mean it's impossible to get ahold of a DJI drone in the country. The ban only applied to future shipments on DJI drones which means all of the stock that was in the U.S. at the time is fair game for ownership and operation. That means it's still possible to get one, but the availability is dwindling by the day. If you're in the market for a DJI drone before they all get snatched up, read up on this deal.

As of Feb. 2, the DJI Mini 3 drone with DJI RC is in-stock and on sale at Amazon for $439, marked down from the standard price of $549. That's a 20% discount that takes $110 off the price.

Keep in mind, this deal is sold by Xingtai store, a third-party seller at Amazon. Mashable typically discourages readers from buying items from third-party sellers at Amazon, but this has been the best way to get a DJI drone for months now. Plus, the Xingtai store has a 100% positive track record over the last year.

DJI knows how to make creating content way easier. We have the DJI Mic Mini, which appears to be on every creator's shirt or hand, and the DJI Osmo Pocket 3, but the brand initially rose to popularity with drones. The DJI Mini 3 drone is great if you're looking for a powerhouse drone in a compact size.

SEE ALSO: The DJI Mini 5 Pro Fly More Combo is down to its record-low price at Amazon — save $500 right now

It gets up to 38 minutes of flight time with a video transmission range that reaches 10 kilometers. Plus, it's capable of true vertical shooting. For beginners, the integrated GPS-powered auto return to home offers tons of reassurance your investment is sound.

More standout features of the DJI Mini 3 drone come from the auto-landing function, precise hovering, and level five wind resistance. Today's deal applies to a bundle that includes the DJI Mini 3 drone, DJI RC, a spare pair of propellers, a gimbal protector, Intelligent Flight battery, and a few more accessories.

While it's still in stock and on sale, get yourself the DJI Mini 3 drone with DJI RC. You'll be able to save $110 while ensuring you get a solid DJI drone before supplies dry up in the country.

The world of consumer artificial intelligence has been hit with accusations of theft and piracy for as long as it's existed, and that trend is continuing with Anthropic.

The company behind the Claude chatbot and other AI products was on the receiving end of a $3 billion lawsuit from the music industry late last week, per Reuters. Music publishers including Universal Music Group, ABKCO, and Concord are alleging that Anthropic pirated more than 700 pieces of music (including sheet music and lyrics) they own for use in training Claude. However, the lawsuit also alleges that as many as 20,000 pieces of music could have been infringed upon in this process, hence the massive financial penalty attached to the lawsuit.

SEE ALSO: Anthropic CEO warns that AI could bring slavery, bioterrorism, and unstoppable drone armies. I'm not buying it.

Anthropic ought to be used to this by now, having previously been sued by the same music publishers for similar reasons in 2023. Just last year, the company settled with book authors who had accused Anthropic of piracy for $1.5 billion. The same sort of thing has come for other AI companies in the recent past, too, as a German court ruled that OpenAI had violated copyright laws related to music last year.

It remains to be seen exactly how the growing AI industry will reckon with copyright laws as they exist beyond just settling for huge sums of money with every party that sues them. For now, expect lawsuits like this to keep periodically happening until everyone figures out the right way to approach this issue.

Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April 2025 filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.

SAVE $10.99: As of Feb. 2, you can get a 30-day free trial to Peacock Premium by signing up for Walmart+. That gives you access to every minute of the 2026 Winter Olympics, which kick off on Feb. 6.

Opens in a new window Credit: Walmart Walmart+ free 30-day trial (includes Peacock Premium), then $98/year Get Deal

Peacock is your one-stop shop for everything Olympics — which will be held in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy from Feb. 6 to 22. If you're hoping to watch every event unfold live, but don't want to pay for a subscription, listen up.

While Peacock ($109.99 per year value) itself no longer offers free trials, you can still get 30 days for free by signing up for Walmart+. In Fall 2025, Walmart+ added Peacock to its membership as a free streaming perk. Members can select from either Peacock Premium or Paramount+ Essential every 90 days. A full Walmart+ membership will cost you $98 per year after a 30-day free trial. The $98 subscription also gives you access to free shipping at Walmart.com (with no order minimums), fuel discounts, a Scan & Go checkout tool, and early access to deals during Walmart's major shopping events.

As noted on the Walmart+ sign-up page, trial members are welcome to use the streaming perks. So you can easily watch the Olympics for free during your 30-day trial period by selecting Peacock as your Video Streaming Benefit.

A Peacock subscription will give you access to NBC's full broadcast of the Winter Olympics, including the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, plus a livestream of every single sport, competition, and medal ceremony. It will also unlock access to always-on Olympics channels, replays, highlights, and nonstop commentary.

Since a Peacock Premium subscription is typically $109.99 per year, a $98 Walmart+ subscription is already a better deal than paying for Peacock on its own. With a free 30-day trial to kick things off, what do you have to lose? Just remember to cancel before the trial is up if you want to avoid the full charge.

SAVE 14%: As of Feb. 2, the 11-inch Apple iPad (A16) is $299.99 at Amazon, down from $349. That's a 14% discount or $49.01 in savings.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple 11-inch Apple iPad (A16, 128GB, WiFi) $299.99 at Amazon
$349 Save $49.01   Get Deal

If you've been waiting to replace an old, cracked tablet or just want one for travel so you can stop squinting at your phone, our favorite entry-level iPad just hit a price that makes it a very easy buy.

As of Feb. 2, the 11-inch Apple iPad (A16) is $299.99 at Amazon, down from $349. That's a 14% discount or $49.01 in savings. While this isn't the lowest we've seen (it dipped to around $274 during Black Friday), it's still a solid deal for a non-holiday window. Just note that this price is currently available on the pink and blue colorways; other finishes are still in the $320+ range.

SEE ALSO: The 4 best iPads of 2026: Which iPad should you buy in the new year?

This model features the A16 chip (which is more than fast enough for gaming and editing), an 11-inch Liquid Retina display, and 128GB of storage right out of the box — a much-needed bump from previous base models. It also supports USB-C charging (so you can use the same cable as your laptop) and offers all-day battery life.

SAVE $700: The Soundcore Nebula X1 Pro outdoor cinema projector is on sale at Amazon for $4,299, down from the standard price of $4,999. That's a 14% discount and the lowest price we've ever seen at Amazon.

Opens in a new window Credit: Soundcore Soundcore Nebula X1 Pro outdoor cinema projector $4,299 at Amazon
$4,999 Save $700   Get Deal

If you're a sports fan, you have a very exciting week ahead. On Friday, we have the opening ceremony for the 2026 Winter Olympics, followed by weeks of epic sporting events. And this coming Sunday, we have Super Bowl LX. If you already have the snack menu planned, but you're still searching for another way to make this winter's sporting events better than ever, you might want to check out this deal.

As of Feb. 2, the Soundcore Nebula X1 Pro outdoor cinema projector is on sale for $4,299 at Amazon, marked down from the list price of $4,999. That's a 14% discount that shaves a nice $700 off the price. It's also the lowest we've ever seen at Amazon.

If you've ever wished you could have a drive-in movie experience in your own backyard, Soundcore heard your desires and released the Nebula X1 Pro home and outdoor cinema projector. Before we dive into the specifics of what this projector can do, note that it's shaped like a massive boom box on wheels. It looks more like the JBL PartyBox 520 in its stature than a standard projector.

But the Soundcore Nebula X1 Pro is a complex beast in what it's capable of, while still being super easy to use, of course. It's a 4K projector with 3,500 ANSI lumens that's capable of projecting a display up to 300 inches. But since it's a mobile theatre, it also includes speakers that are designed to create surround sound.

SEE ALSO: The Samsung Frame TV is back on sale at Amazon — save $300 right now

The speaker set-up uses 12 custom drivers with dual-opposing subwoofers. Used inside or out, you'll be able to recreate a theatre-experience at home which will be awesome for this weekend's sports events. Soundcore made this model super portable with a telescoping handle and durable wheels. Plus, there's a 6.6 foot retractable power cable.

For anyone looking to get a major upgrade to backyard movie nights or indoor winter streaming sessions, go with the Soundcore Nebula X1 Pro outdoor cinema projector while it's on sale for $4,299 at Amazon. If you're looking for something a whole lot more portable and less expensive, the Nebula Capsule 3 Laser mini projector is also on a nice 28% discount at Amazon.

The 2026 Winter Olympics begin this week, and for athletes trying to have their own Heated Rivalry moment, gay hookup app Grindr is beefing up its safety features.

Grindr will be available during the Olympics, the app told Mashable, with additional safeguards in place. For example, the location-based features Explore and Roam will be disabled within the Olympic Villages to prevent people outside the venues from browsing who's on the app. Distance visibility will also be turned off by default, and users will have the option to use approximate distance. Private videos will also be disabled in official Olympics locations.

SEE ALSO: Review: Grindr, you're a mess in 2026, so why can't I quit you?

During the Olympic Games in recent years, dating app users have changed their locations in hopes of matching with athletes, so these measures make sense.

In addition to those location features, Grindr will also have unlimited disappearing messages and the ability to unsend messages available to all users. Screenshots will be disabled for profile images and photos shared in chat, which is a standard feature.

Regular in-app safety reminders will also appear on Grindr, with links to support and resources. Only public service announcements will be shown, too — no third-party ads.

"The Olympic Games bring heightened visibility, which can create real safety risks for LGBTQ+ athletes, especially those who are not out or come from countries where being LGBTQ+ is dangerous or illegal," Grindr's chief product officer, AJ Balance, stated in a press release. Grindr is restricted in several countries due to local laws.

"These temporary changes are about reducing that risk and giving users greater control of their privacy while keeping the app available."

Grindr also implemented these safety measures at the 2024 Paris Olympics and the 2022 Beijing Olympics.

People on the internet like to say "God gives His toughest battles to His strongest soldiers," and I think that statement applies to people like me who love RPGs but can't earnestly recommend them to friends because so many are several dozen hours long.

This problem is often worsened by remakes or re-releases of old RPGs, which add new content that extends their already substantial playtimes. Dragon Quest VII Reimagined from Square Enix is a fascinating exception to this trend, as it takes a famously 100+ hour game from 26 years ago (which already got an expanded remake on 3DS in 2013) and actually condenses it down into a format that's a lot more digestible for players who don't want to devote that much time to a game.

Square Enix went so far as to cut entire areas and storylines out of the game, and also accelerated the upgrade mechanics. The end result is a much leaner, quicker, almost entry-level version of DQVII. It's a great game for Dragon Quest first-timers like me, but admittedly, it left me wanting to see what was left on the cutting room floor.

SEE ALSO: 'Resident Evil: Requiem' might actually get to have its cake and eat it too A unique island-hopping adventure It's a real looker. Credit: Square Enix/Steam

We can debate the necessity of remaking Dragon Quest VII for a second time this century, but there's no question that its premise and structure make it one of the more compelling games in the venerable RPG series. For that reason alone, I'm glad Square found a way to get this game in front of people again.

At the start of the journey, the silent protagonist and his friends live on a small island with a couple of towns, a castle, and a mysterious shrine. As far as they're concerned, that's the entire known world. There are no other islands or continents in the vast ocean, and no one really knows why or even cares to ask about it. Before long, though, you'll find yourself using the aforementioned shrine to travel back in time to islands that used to exist, saving them from whatever perils they faced, and then going back to the present to find them restored.

While DQVII does have a main plot hanging over all of this, in practice, it feels more like a short story collection than many other RPGs. Each island has a little narrative to tell that you can get through in an hour or two, and as a reward, you get to revisit the island again in the present to see how your actions in the past affected it. It's an innately captivating way to structure a game, and it makes DQVII Reimagined less intimidating.

Another aspect of DQVII that makes it stand out compared to later entries (like the also-excellent Dragon Quest XI) is that its story has a somewhat darker tone. You aren't always able to solve every person's problem cleanly. Several stories end in either outright tragedy or at least in a bittersweet fashion; one that really stuck with me involved going to the present to find the long-dead corpse of an inventor I helped in the past still being attended to by a robot that didn't understand the concept of death.

It's often sad without ever resorting to overly edgy tactics, and in a way that marries nicely to the late, great Akira Toriyama's colorful and personality-laden art direction.

It's exceedingly chill, almost to a fault I like the combat, but there's no denying that it can be pretty low-impact. Credit: Square Enix/Steam

The somewhat clashing narrative tone and bubbly character designs feel in keeping with Dragon Quest in general, as the whimsical, humorous vibe the series has always had also contradicts its nature as one of the definitive "sit back and watch numbers go up" video games.

DQVII carries forward the same basic turn-based combat the franchise has had since day one. The first-person perspective of the older games has long since been replaced by a more modern third-person view with excellent attack animations, but mechanically it's still a game about doing whatever you can to make the math work in your favor.

You can accomplish that either by grinding to become overpowered or by carefully outfitting your characters with certain gear that will make otherwise random battle effects occur more frequently. Either way, you're manipulating numbers in service of making bigger numbers pop out of enemies when you attack them.

I absolutely dig this approach, as do many other people, judging by the enduring popularity of Dragon Quest both in Japan and elsewhere. There's no denying, however, that I spent much of DQVII Reimagined with auto-battle turned on and the combat speed set to the max, essentially watching the game play out in front of me instead of actively participating in battles.

Arguably, this is how the series is meant to be played (of course, I turned off auto-battle for boss encounters), but I can also understand why modern gamers might question a game you barely play in the traditional sense.

Towns are rendered pretty gorgeously here. Credit: Square Enix/Steam

For me, the fun lies in constantly working towards something. DQVII Reimagined includes a similar job system to previous versions of the game. You can equip different character archetypes like Mage, Warrior, and Priest to any character you want, and the more time you spend with that job equipped, the more skills you unlock for it. Mastering certain combinations of jobs will even allow you to equip more advanced jobs with endearingly game-breaking abilities.

DQVII Reimagined makes one major change to this system, which is that after a point, you can equip two jobs to a character at the same time, reaping the benefits of both at once. This allows for greater flexibility in build-crafting (having a beefy tank who can also heal is self-evidently useful), but it also lets you level up jobs more quickly, granting access to end-game variants in an efficient manner.

I was honestly a bit shocked at how quickly you can master jobs and unlock new ones. You wind up not spending much time at all with any given job, which adds to the sense of mechanical variety, but does also make it feel more transparently like you're playing just to fill up a meter rather than fully engaging with specific combat roles for extended periods of time.

All of that combines with the lack of random encounters, as enemies now appear on the overworld. That means you can outright skip fights if you feel like it, which works to increase the pace of DQVII Reimagined. You can also swing a weapon at enemies in the overworld, and if your level is high enough relative to theirs, you'll instantly take them out right there instead of transitioning into a turn-based fight.

This is perhaps my least favorite gameplay mechanic in the remake, as I feel that it's balanced a bit too generously in the player's favor. I spent huge swaths of multiple late-game dungeons doing very little turn-based combat because I could just take out enemies that way instead.

I am rarely the type to complain about a game being too easy. I am an adult man who no longer has anything to prove to anyone. I generally just don't care about challenge in the traditional sense. But there's no denying that, by the end of DQVII Reimagined, I yearned a bit for the main story to offer more difficulty than it ultimately does. Still, the experience DQVII Reimagined provides is adequately pleasant and satisfying, putting it right in line with other games in the series.

As good as this remake is, it'll never feel complete These are really lovingly rendered takes on Akira Toriyama's character designs. Credit: Square Enix/Steam

Before we wrap up here, I do want to shout out the visual presentation in DQVII Reimagined. Toriyama's exceedingly charming character designs have been brought to life in full, luscious 3D, thanks to the use of physical models that the developers actually crafted and then scanned for use in the game.

The characters look fantastic, and all of the classic DQ monsters look as good as they ever have. It's a bright, colorful game full of verve everywhere you go, and some of the more modern visual additions, like depth-of-field effects, work to enhance the look. The PlayStation 5 version I played also performs flawlessly.

Lastly, I should mention that this version of DQVII only took me about 35 hours to complete. That's a significant reduction in time compared to other versions of this game, largely attributable to things like increased combat speed and being able to skip combat encounters. However, I should also note that at least a few islands and storylines from the original game have been scrapped entirely here, while others have been made optional.

It leaves me in a weird spot where I do sincerely really like this version of DQVII, but as someone playing it for the first time, I felt a little short-changed. I now want to go back to the original PS1 or even the 3DS remake to see what was removed. I applaud Square Enix for having the gall to make a shorter version of an infamously long game, but there's no question that this isn't really a definitive version of DQVII.

Still, even with those caveats, DQVII Reimagined is a great time and a fun way to kickstart 2026 for RPG fans who want something that goes down easy rather than a 100-hour juggernaut.

Dragon Quest VII Reimagined launches on Feb. 5 for PC, PS5, Xbox Series S/X, and Nintendo Switch 1 and 2.

Opens in a new window Credit: Square Enix/Steam Dragon Quest VII Reimagined $59.99 at Amazon
  Get Deal

When Stray Kids launch into "Maniac," there's no such thing as easing in — and this exclusive clip from Stray Kids: The dominATE Experience captures that full-throttle moment in all its thunderous glory.

Filmed during the group's sold-out 2025 world tour stop at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, the performance of "Maniac" is Stray Kids in peak form: dynamic choreography, explosive rap exchanges, and a stadium crowd roaring back every word. It's the kind of sequence that instantly transports you back into the sensory overload of a live show, where you can feel the bass in your chest and the lightsticks blur together.

SEE ALSO: 'The dominATE Experience' trailer proves Stray Kids were built for the big screen

As someone who saw this tour multiple times, that energy is instantly recognizable. "Maniac" was a statement piece in the show. It's a performance that summed up exactly who Stray Kids are onstage.

And in the clip, it does.

Alongside massive stadium footage, the film offers behind-the-scenes glimpses into how Stray Kids construct these moments, revealing the planning and discipline behind what often looks effortless onstage.

Directed by Paul Dugdale, with documentary segments from Farah X, the film is built for immersion for fans and novices alike. When it opens globally on Feb. 6, 2026, in IMAX®, SCREENX, 4DX, and ULTRA 4DX formats, you'll be able to feel performances like "Maniac" in your chest. (Whether that means emotional devastation or being physically rattled by the bass depends on your seat.)