Whether you’re celebrating Valentine’s Day with a weekend of gaming togetherness or just somebody with a gaming pal looking for a great deal, Steam’s Couch Co-Op Fest — running through Feb. 18 — has a ton of amazing cooperative games marked down significantly. The list of included games is long, but several of them stuck out to me as they’re personal favorites I wouldn’t want anybody to miss.
Plus, this first game I’m going to shout out is a whopping 90% off its original price of $10 — surely you can convince yourself to get Portal 2 when it costs less than three eggs.
But that’s not all — there are tons of other co-op games on sale until Feb. 18, from NBA 2k25 to Black Ops 3 to Stardew Valley. Check out the full list here.
Make sure to check out our many MagSafe guides for compatible accessories, but I’ll also be adding more to this list since not all MagSafe accessories will work with the Galaxy S25’s unique camera placement. If it’s a simple, circular accessory, it will likely be OK, but larger square or rectangular magnetic accessories like MagSafe wallets will not fit well.
Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
ESR HaloLock Qi2 Mini Wireless Charger for $23: We have several great Qi2 magnetic chargers in our Best Wireless Chargers guide but in the interest of ensuring optimal compatibility since the Galaxy S25 camera module may interfere with some magnetic accessories, I can say for certain that this mini Qi2 charger works perfectly. It didn’t get too hot, and I like the extra protection added to the area where the cable meets the charging puck. The 5-foot cable is braided.
ESR MagSafe AirPlane Phone Holder for $16: This fun little gadget is a phone stand that can clamp onto various surfaces. It folds up and doesn’t take much space in a bag, but if you find yourself using your phone a lot on a plane to watch media, you can affix it to the tray table for more ergonomic hands-free viewing. The clamp doesn’t extend a ton so it won’t work on thick tables, but the magnetic connection is strong and you can tilt the angle quite a bit.
Other Good Screen Protectors
Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
Here are several other screen protectors I’ve tested. They’re all easy to apply, which is the most important thing to look for. There’s no point in recommending a screen protector that’s hard to install. Remember, you have to re-add your fingerprints after applying the screen protector for biometric authentication to work.
Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
ESR Tempered Glass Screen Protector (3 Pack) for $13: Three tempered glass screen protectors for $13? That’s shockingly cheap. I kept looking for a catch, but this ESR protector was visually similar to many of the others I’ve tested and boasts many of the same claims. It’s incredibly easy to install—like the Dbrand, you pull a tab once you place the phone in the applicator tool. This ensures perfect installation and I had zero air bubbles. Unfortunately, it’s only available for the Galaxy S25 Ultra, or I’d have recommended it over the pricier Dbrand. It comes with the full cleaning kit including alcohol wipes, a microfiber cloth, dust removal stickers, and a squeegee. I also tested ESR’s Privacy Screen Protector, but I didn’t like it: it noticeably affected the screen quality, making it dimmer overall and showing muted colors.
BodyGuardz Pure 3 Screen Protector for $45 (Galaxy S25, Galaxy S25+, Galaxy S25 Ultra): Kudos to BodyGuardz for being one of the only companies offering a cardboard install tool instead of plastic. Seriously, screen protectors produce so much plastic waste but this one is minimal. Even the tempered glass screen protector is made from 30 percent recycled glass. It comes with the usual cleaning kit, and the application was super easy. This one doesn’t cover the selfie camera but has a little gap for it, unlike the ESR. Too bad you only get one.
Spigen GlasTR EZ Fit Screen Protector (2 Pack) for $19: Spigen’s tempered glass screen protectors are just as easy to install as the others in this list, and come with the usual cleaning tools for prepping your device. I did have a few air bubbles after installation but they all disappeared minutes later. You get two in this pack.
More Cases to Consider
Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
UAG Pathfinder Magnetic Case for $55: I tested a bunch of other UAG cases, from the Monarch Pro and Civilian to the Plyo Pro, but I think the Pathfinder has the best aesthetic, especially in the bright yellow color. The buttons are clicky, there’s a magnet embedded in the middle for Qi2 support, and the edges around the screen and cameras are raised fairly well. The case is a bit slippery, but that’s my only complaint if you like the loud design.
Spigen Nano Pop MagFit Magnetic Case for $19: It’s only available for the Galaxy S25 Ultra right now, but this is a simple magnetic case that’s very affordable. It works with Qi2 and Qi chargers, the S Pen is easily accessible, and the buttons are clicky.
BodyGuardz Paradigm Pro Heat-Regulating Magnetic Case for $60: Only available for the Galaxy S25 Ultra, this case is designed to vent heat away from the back of the phone so that there are no hot spots when you’re gaming. I’ve tested this case before for the iPhone and didn’t really notice a difference, but what I actually like this case for is the directional bottom speaker—it makes the bottom-firing speakers of the Galaxy S25 Ultra shoot upward to your face when holding the phone, which is actually really nice when gaming in landscape orientation because my grip often blocks the phone’s speakers. It also has a built-in lanyard, comes with a magnet for Qi2 charging, and has clicky buttons. The plain black design is boring though, and the material is slippery. I also tested the BodyGuardz Ace Pro, but I found it hard to access the S Pen stylus.
ESR HaloLock Classic Hybrid Case: Only available for the Galaxy S25+ and Galaxy S25 Ultra right now, this is my second favorite clear case after the Dbrand recommendation above. The material feels nice, smudges are easy to wipe away, and it has built-in magnets. I can confirm it works on my Qi2 as well as my basic Qi charger. The buttons are responsive and it’s easy to access the S Pen stylus.
Mous Clarity 3.0 Magnetic Case for $70: This is a solid clear case (available for the entire S25 series), though it was already scuffed a little when I unboxed it, which doesn’t bode well for how it will look after months of use. Especially considering how much the case costs. It does have magnets for Qi2 charging and is an otherwise perfectly fine case.
Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
Latercase Thin Case for $59: Here’s another super-thin case for people who hate traditional bulky cases. It’s made from aramid fibers and will keep your phone scratch-free (at least, the back of it). There’s no protection for the bottom edge, the buttons, or the top edge, so it’s quite minimal. I like the soft texture of the material though, and it looks pretty. There are sadly no magnets for Qi2 functionality. The good news is that unlike many thin cases I’ve tested, this one is very easy to remove.
Tech21 EvoArmor and EvoClear Magnetic Cases for $50: These are some solid, simple, and smart-looking magnetic cases with Qi2 functionality. The edges around the screen are raised to protect it, the buttons are responsive, and there’s a spot to attach the lanyard. The Evolite is a solid clear case if that’s what you’re looking for, though I prefer the Dbrand and ESR to it. I also tested the EvoLite case, which is very basic and doesn’t have magnets if you want something simple. but it’s a bit slippery.
Samsung Standing Grip Phone Case for $55: I actually like the big grip on the back of this case. It slides nicely and you can fit several fingers through it. However, the plastic sides of the case feel a little out of place and make it feel cheap. The edges around the screen are also barely raised, so it doesn’t feel very protective. Surprisingly, wireless charging works, though there are no magnets here, so you don’t get Qi2 support. The bottom edge is also weirdly not protected.
Samsung Silicone Case for $30 and Rugged Case for $60: Samsung’s official Silicone case does the job, but I’m not sure what it does more than the cheaper options above. The same goes for the Rugged Case, which is way too expensive for what you get, especially considering there are no magnets in either of these for Qi2 support. They’re functional cases, just too expensive.
Speck Presidio Perfect-Clear and Presidio2 Grip Magnetic Cases for $50: These cases check off all the boxes in terms of functionality, and they’re a little more interesting to look at. They also have magnets for Qi2 support. However, both of them just feel a bit cheap—the Presidio2 Grip specifically has these cheap-looking plastic accents on the corners that ruin the aesthetic. Then again, I’m also nitpicking.
Zagg Santa Cruz Snap Magnetic Case for $50: I tested several cases from Zagg, including the Luxe, Milan, Denali, and Crystal Palace with Kickstand. They’re all OK. The buttons on all of these are slightly stiffer than on the other cases I’ve tested—not terrible, but just enough to notice. Many of these don’t have magnets in them but the Santa Cruz Snap does, and it worked well on my Qi2 and Qi charger. The edges are grippy, which is why I like it.
Benks ArmorAir Case for $40: This case is another ultra-thin case but it’s made from Kevlar fiber, though how much durability that provides when it’s this thin is questionable. What bugs me is that the camera module shifts ever so slightly. It’s one of those things that once you notice, you won’t stop feeling and seeing it shift every time. At least it covers more edges than the Latercase, and it also has magnets built in for Qi2 support.
Casetify Impact Magnet Cases for $64: You can get Casetify’s Impact cases in any style—with a mirror finish, a clear finish, or a crazy design. These are solid magnetic cases with clicky buttons, decently raised edges, and a good grip. The ring around the camera module is a bit thick though and disrupted charging on my Qi charger on occasion, but not consistently. That shouldn’t be much of an issue if you use a Qi2 charger.
The Caesars Superdome will host Super Bowl LXI on Sunday, February 9. Here’s how to tune in to the big game! (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) (Chris Graythen via Getty Images)
Super Bowl LIX is less than a week away, and the big news for the 2025 game is that you can stream it for free. But let’s back up a bit: The NFL’s final game of the season comes together this Sunday, with the NFC champions the Philadelphia Eagles facing AFC champs — and two-time defending Super Bowl winners — the Kansas City Chiefs. If that roster sounds familiar, it’s because it’s a rematch of the 2023 Super Bowl, where the Chiefs edged out the Eagles 38-35. Will the Eagles get their revenge this year, or will the Chiefs go where no NFL team has gone before: an unprecedented three straight Super Bowl wins?
We’ll find out on Sunday, Feb. 9. The kickoff for Super Bowl LIX will be at 6:30PM ET at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, LA — the eighth time the venue has hosted the big game. The 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Show will feature Kendrick Lamar, riding high on the five new Grammys he snagged just last Sunday, as well as SZA. Will Taylor Swift be there to cheer on beau Travis Kelce? The odds are currently yes.
The championship game will be broadcast nationally on Fox this year and will be available on platforms like DirecTV Stream and Fubo. Looking for a free way to tune in? The Super Bowl will also be livestreamed on Tubi — in 4K, no less!
Here’s everything you need to know about how to watch the Super Bowl.
When is Super Bowl LIX?
The 2025 Super Bowl will be held on Sunday, Feb. 9.
What time does the Super Bowl start?
Super Bowl LIX kicks off at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT.
How to watch the Super Bowl live
Super Bowl LIX will air nationally on Fox and stream live on Tubi.
How to stream the Super Bowl for free this year
Tubi will be livestreaming Fox’s coverage of the Super Bowl this year — the first time the free platform has done so. It will also be available in the Fox Sports app on mobile platforms. Beyond that, you can also sign up for free trials of DirecTV Stream, Fubo, YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV, each of which carry Fox in most locations. Two important caveats: Verify that your locality includes a Fox stream by inputting your ZIP code on their respective sites. And if you don’t want to pay, make sure you cancel before the trial subscription ends — they can be as short as three days, so plan ahead.
Tubi will host a free livestream of Fox’s game day coverage of the 2025 Super Bowl. If you don’t have cable and aren’t looking to spend a dime to watch the big game, Tubi is a great free option to tune in. And with its pledge to stream the game in 4K, it could also provide the best video quality of the game — assuming your internet provider has the requisite bandwidth.
For sports fans looking to catch every moment of the game, it should be noted that this will be Tubi’s first big live event — the Fox-owned platform sees most its views from content in its on-demand library.
Beyond the Super Bowl, Tubi has a range of ad-supported on-demand content available totally free. They also have Tubi original programming including last year’s streaming standout: Sidelined: The QB and Me.
The Tubi option above is the easiest go-to starting point for free Super Bowl streaming — but no one knows how the service will hold up under what’s certain to be its most intensive influx of concurrent users. There are plenty of worthwhile backups, each of which offer more comprehensive options for cordcutters beyond the game itself — say, watching SportsCenter on ESPN before or after the game. And most of our picks for best live TV streaming services offer free trials, so you can check them out risk-free. If you time it right, your free trial can include the Super Bowl broadcast, too.
DirecTV Stream is Engadget’s pick for “best cable without a contract.” And while we haven’t yet fully tested the service’s new MySports package yet, we’re highlighting it here for obvious reasons. It gets you access to all the usual football suspects: NFL Network, ESPN, ABC, NBC, CBS and, of course, Fox. (Important: Verify your ZIP code before signing up to confirm that the local network affiliates, including Fox, are available in your area.)
Right now, you can try all this out free, and then get your first three months for just $50/month. After that, the cost of this sports streaming package rises to $70/month (still cheaper than its competitors). So if you’re interested in trying out a live TV streaming service for watching football (next season), but aren’t ready to commit or drop a ton of money, DirecTV Stream and its MySports tier is worth checking out.
You’ll also get unlimited Cloud DVR storage included in whatever DirecTV package you choose.
Prior to the debut of the MySports package, we named Fubo TV the best live TV streaming service for sports. It gives you access to ESPN, NFL Network, NBC, Fox, ABC, CBS and 100+ more live channels. (Important: Verify your ZIP code before signing up to confirm that the local network affiliates, including Fox, are available in your area.) At $80/month, the live TV streaming service is definitely a big investment for football fans. But it offers nearly every channel you’ll need to watch the NFL, and still leaves you with major savings compared to a traditional cable package. Fubo subscribers also get unlimited cloud DVR storage. You can try Fubo free right now.
YouTube TV is our top overall choice for best live TV streaming service. Most locales will have Fox to watch the Super Bowl (again, check your ZIP code). YouTube TV offers sports-friendly stats and “fantasy football” views (at least during the regular season). It also offers tight integration with NFL Sunday Ticket. Just note that service requires an additional hefty fee — and is also available as a standalone.
Hulu + Live TV offers a wide array of sports options (including Fox, in most localities, for the Super Bowl). It’s got fewer regional sports networks than some rivals, but this is the only one that bundles in on-demand services Hulu, Disney+ and ESPN+ as part of the base fee, which is why it’s number three on our list of top overall streaming TV recommendations.
The 2025 Super Bowl will be held at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The venue has been host to seven previous Super Bowl games.
Who is performing in the Super Bowl 59 halftime show?
Kendrick Lamar is headlining Super Bowl LIX, with a guest appearance by SZA.
Who is playing in the Super Bowl 2025?
AFC champions the Kansas City Chiefs will play NFC champs the Philadelphia Eagles.
More ways to watch Super Bowl LIX
Thanks to the wide array of streaming options detailed above, you’ll be able to watch the Super Bowl on nearly any current device with a screen. There are plenty of Super Bowl TV deals ahead of the game if you need to upgrade that aging 40-inch screen with the dead pixels in the corner. Live close to a broadcast tower of a Fox station? Attach a good old-fashioned over-the-air antenna (like the Channel Master linked above), and you can get the game for free.
Have a fast Internet connection but don’t have access to the latest and greatest streaming apps on your TV? For as little as $40 or less, a new Roku or Fire TV device will ensure that you have all of these apps (including Tubi). See our list of best streaming devices for the full range of options — and note that the Fire Stick HD is currently on sale for just $25.
We test tons of tablets every year. Here are a few others we like, just not as much as our picks above.
OnePlus Pad for $399: The OnePlus Pad has a successor, but OnePlus says it will continue to sell the OnePlus Pad until stock runs out. It’s great value at the frequently discounted price of $300 (8/10, WIRED Recommends). Multitasking is notably efficient, aided by the company’s accessories: a Magnetic Keyboard case and a stylus. It was the first time I felt comfortable working for long stretches on an Android tablet. The 11.61-inch LCD 144-Hz display is sharp, fluid, and colorful, the battery can last nearly a full workday, and performance is smooth. It’s a shame there’s no microSD slot, headphone jack, or biometric authentication.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE Plus for $480: The Galaxy Tab S9 FE is the “Fan Edition” version of the flagship Tab S9 series, meaning it makes some sacrifices for a more palatable price. It comes in a Plus and standard variant—I tested the former—and both include a stylus. It performed much better than the older Tab S7 FE tablet I tested with fewer stutters. The 12.4-inch LCD screen is large and a rarity to find at this price in the world of Android tablets, but it’s a bit tricky to comfortably hold, especially when browsing apps in bed. It has dipped as low as $400 before, so try to catch it on sale.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Series for $700+: The 2023 Galaxy Tab S9 series (7/10, WIRED Recommends) consists of three tablets: the Tab S9, Tab S9+, and Tab S9 Ultra. They’re all expensive, though prices have come down since their release. The hardware is still excellent and, considering the new Tab S10 series isn’t dramatically different, the Tab S9 series is still worth a look. They sport superbright 120-Hz screens and IP68 water resistance, and Samsung includes the S Pen stylus.
Poco Pad for £415: This affordable tablet from Xiaomi’s fun budget sub-brand has a lovely big, sharp 12.1-inch display with a 120-Hz refresh rate and four stereo speakers around the sides. The Poco’s build quality is impressive for the price, though it is quite bulky and heavy, and it’s ideal for watching movies or casual gaming in bed. Performance gets stretched if you play anything too demanding, and HyperOS on top of Android 14 can be clumsy and ugly. The battery life is pleasing, and you can expect several days from the Poco Pad with light use. Unfortunately, it’s not currently available in the US. —Simon Hill
Honor MagicPad 2 for £500: This classy tablet is also not currently sold in the US. Quite similar to the OnePlus Pad 2 we recommend above, it boasts a truly gorgeous OLED display with impressive specs (3K resolution, 1,600 nits, 144-Hz refresh rate) that are generally unavailable at this price. Paired with the eight speakers, watching movies and gaming on this tablet is a pleasure. The stylus and keyboard are great (I love the handwriting and formula recognition), but they don’t seem to be available in the UK. I found Honor’s AI features, like Magic Portal, which gets good at predicting what you want to do, very useful, maybe more so on a tablet than a phone. Battery life is good, and charging is speedy (66 watts). The only real weakness here is the limited processing power, which can’t match something like an iPad (though you will pay a lot more for an equivalent Apple device). —Simon Hill
Tablet Accessories
Satechi Aluminum Desktop Stand
Photograph: Satechi
Tablets often don’t come with kickstands or enough ports, so it’s a good idea to snag a few accessories to enhance your experience. These are some of our favorite tablet accessories, many of which you can also find in our Best iPad Accessories guide.
Satechi Aluminum Desktop Stand for $45: This is my favorite tablet stand, so much so that I’ve taken it with me on trips. It packs down relatively well, and it is very stable—there’s no wobbling around here. You can also adjust the angle quite a bit. It can handle huge sizes too—it worked perfectly with my 12.9-inch iPad Pro.
Logitech K380 Pebble Bluetooth Keyboard for $40: Want a simple Bluetooth keyboard for your tablet instead of spending half the price of your tablet on a keyboard case? I’ve used Logitech’s K380 for years and it’s functioned perfectly. It takes two AA batteries that I’ve yet to replace (Logitech claims two years of use), and you can switch between three connected devices via Bluetooth.
Twelve South Compass Pro Stand for $30: This is made for iPads, but I’ve had no trouble using it for plenty of other tablets. It’s more travel-friendly than the Satechi above and fairly stable, but when I lift the tablet off, the back leg tends to change positions. You can angle it pretty low for sketching or keep it upright for watching movies. Unlike the Satechi, it’s not a great option for keeping the tablet upright on a mattress.
StayGo Mini
Photograph: Twelve South
Twelve South StayGo Mini USB-C Hub for $60: This works with iPads and other tablets just fine. You can either plug it in and keep it flush with the edge of a slate or use the included cord to keep it extended. You get a USB-C port you can use for pass-through charging, a USB-A, an HDMI, and a headphone jack.
Lamicall Gooseneck Tablet Holder for $28: I’ve used this on my bed frame to hold up various tablets for more than a year. The gooseneck requires a bit of finagling to get to the right position, and if you’re constantly tapping the tablet, it will jiggle around. But it’s a great hands-free way to watch movies. You can affix the clamp to any surface, like a desk or kitchen counter.
Twelve South HoverBar Duo Mount/Stand for $80: You can use this as a stand or as an arm mount, and Twelve South makes it really easy to switch between the two. That means you can easily affix your tablet to your bedside arm mount, and then put it on the stand in your home office in the morning. Both are sturdy, and the arm mount is decently adjustable. Best of all, it doesn’t wiggle around as much as the Lamicall above when you tap the screen.
Anker Nano 3 30-Watt Charging Adapter for $20: Most tablets charge at around 18 watts, so this 30-watt charger from Anker is more than capable. The plugs fold up, and it’s pretty compact. If your tablet does support faster charging, then I recommend Satechi’s 108-watt three-port USB-C charger ($75). This will let you charge your phone, tablet, and laptop all off the same plug.
Einova Ultra Fast Power Bank for $47: This power bank is slim enough to store next to a tablet in your bag, and it has enough capacity (20,000 mAh) to recharge an 11-inch tablet twice. You can fast-charge with the USB-C port and use the two USB-A ports to recharge other devices.
The Caesars Superdome will host Super Bowl LXI on Sunday, February 9. Here’s how to tune in to the big game! (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) (Chris Graythen via Getty Images)
It’s been almost a full week since the Super Bowl LIX lineup was set: AFC champions the Kansas City Chiefs will face NFC champs the Philadelphia Eagles. If that roster sounds familiar, it’s because it’s a rematch of the 2023 Super Bowl, where the Chiefs edged out the Eagles 38-35. Will the Eagles get their revenge this year, or will the Chiefs go where no NFL team has gone before: an unprecedented three straight Super Bowl wins.
Super Bowl LIX will be played at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, LA on Sunday, Feb. 9 with a 6:30 p.m. ET kickoff. The 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Show will feature Kendrick Lamar, who recently confirmed that SZA will be joining him. The championship game will be broadcast nationally on Fox this year and will be available on platforms like DirecTV and Fubo. Looking for a free way to tune in? The Super Bowl will also be livestreamed on Tubi — in 4K, no less!
Here’s everything you need to know about how to watch the Super Bowl.
When is Super Bowl LIX?
The 2025 Super Bowl will be held on Sunday, Feb. 9.
What time does the Super Bowl start?
Super Bowl LIX kicks off at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT.
How to watch the Super Bowl live
Super Bowl LIX will air nationally on Fox and stream live on Tubi.
How to stream the Super Bowl for free this year
Tubi will be livestreaming Fox’s coverage of the Super Bowl this year — the first time the free platform has done so. It will also be available in the Fox Sports app on mobile platforms. Beyond that, you can also sign up for free trials of DirecTV Stream, Fubo, YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV, each of which carry Fox in most locations. Two important caveats: Verify that your locality includes a Fox stream by inputting your ZIP code on their respective sites. And if you don’t want to pay, make sure you cancel before the trial subscription ends — they can be as short as three days, so plan ahead.
Tubi will host a free livestream of Fox’s game day coverage of the 2025 Super Bowl. If you don’t have cable and aren’t looking to spend a dime to watch the big game, Tubi is a great free option to tune in. And with its pledge to stream the game in 4K, it could also provide the best video quality of the game — assuming your internet provider has the requisite bandwidth.
For sports fans looking to catch every moment of the game, it should be noted that this will be Tubi’s first big live event — the Fox-owned platform sees most its views from content in its on-demand library.
Beyond the Super Bowl, Tubi has a range of ad-supported on-demand content available totally free. They also have Tubi original programming including last year’s streaming standout: Sidelined: The QB and Me.
The Tubi option above is the easiest go-to starting point for free Super Bowl streaming — but no one knows how the service will hold up under what’s certain to be its most intensive influx of concurrent users. There are plenty of worthwhile backups, each of which offer more comprehensive options for cordcutters beyond the game itself — say, watching SportsCenter on ESPN before or after the game. And most of our picks for best live TV streaming services offer free trials, so you can check them out risk-free. If you time it right, your free trial can include the Super Bowl broadcast, too.
DirecTV Stream is Engadget’s pick for “best cable without a contract.” And while we haven’t yet fully tested the service’s new MySports package yet, we’re highlighting it here for obvious reasons. It gets you access to all the usual football suspects: NFL Network, ESPN, ABC, NBC, CBS and, of course, Fox. (Important: Verify your ZIP code before signing up to confirm that the local network affiliates, including Fox, are available in your area.)
Right now, you can try all this out free, and then get your first three months for just $50/month. After that, the cost of this sports streaming package rises to $70/month (still cheaper than its competitors). So if you’re interested in trying out a live TV streaming service for watching football (next season), but aren’t ready to commit or drop a ton of money, DirecTV Stream and its MySports tier is worth checking out.
You’ll also get unlimited Cloud DVR storage included in whatever DirecTV package you choose.
Prior to the debut of the MySports package, we named Fubo TV the best live TV streaming service for sports. It gives you access to ESPN, NFL Network, NBC, Fox, ABC, CBS and 100+ more live channels. (Important: Verify your ZIP code before signing up to confirm that the local network affiliates, including Fox, are available in your area.) At $80/month, the live TV streaming service is definitely a big investment for football fans. But it offers nearly every channel you’ll need to watch the NFL, and still leaves you with major savings compared to a traditional cable package. Fubo subscribers also get unlimited cloud DVR storage. You can try Fubo free right now.
YouTube TV is our top overall choice for best live TV streaming service. Most locales will have Fox to watch the Super Bowl (again, check your ZIP code). YouTube TV offers sports-friendly stats and “fantasy football” views (at least during the regular season). It also offers tight integration with NFL Sunday Ticket. Just note that service requires an additional hefty fee — and is also available as a standalone.
Hulu + Live TV offers a wide array of sports options (including Fox, in most localities, for the Super Bowl). It’s got fewer regional sports networks than some rivals, but this is the only one that bundles in on-demand services Hulu, Disney+ and ESPN+ as part of the base fee, which is why it’s number three on our list of top overall streaming TV recommendations.
The 2025 Super Bowl will be held at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The venue has been host to seven previous Super Bowl games.
Who is performing in the Super Bowl 59 halftime show?
Kendrick Lamar is headlining Super Bowl LIX, with a guest appearance by SZA.
Who is playing in the Super Bowl 2025?
AFC champions the Kansas City Chiefs will play NFC champs the Philadelphia Eagles.
More ways to watch Super Bowl LIX
Thanks to the wide array of streaming options detailed above, you’ll be able to watch the Super Bowl on nearly any current device with a screen. There are plenty of Super Bowl TV deals ahead of the game if you need to upgrade that aging 40-inch screen with the dead pixels in the corner. And for as little as $40 or less, a new Roku or Fire TV device will ensure that you have all of these apps (including Tubi) if they’re not already built-in to your screen. See our list of best streaming devices for the full range of options.
Nearly every TV on the market today is a smart TV, but not every operating system is a winner. A media streaming device lets you pair whichever user interface you prefer with just about any screen that has an HDMI port. In some cases, such as with older or less expensive smart TVs, a streaming stick or dongle could even be speedier and less glitchy than your TV’s built-in system.
At home, these handy gadgets make it easier for cord cutters to watch the millions of hours of content streaming services provide without cable. And while traveling, a streaming player lets you watch your preferred content on hotel sets (without painstakingly typing in a bunch of passwords or activation codes). We tested out streaming players from Roku, Google, Apple, Amazon and more, gauging the usability and the performance of each to come up with our list of the best streaming devices you can buy.
What to look for in a TV streaming device
Operating system and interface
Google’s TV Streamer, the Apple TV 4K, Amazon’s Fire TV Sticks and Roku devices are the most popular players in the space. Three of those brands also come built into TVs, such as Fire, Google and Roku TVs, but the Apple TV 4K doesn’t come pre-loaded on any set. Each one has a unique operating system and interface. This may be the biggest deciding factor for many people, as it determines how the content you want to watch is arranged and presented. We go into detail for each platform below, but all of them come with home screens that, to varying degrees, gather your apps in one place, present the movies and TV shows you’re currently watching and give you suggestions of other media streaming options.
Nearly all streaming devices come with a remote that lets you search and do other operations using your voice, eliminating the need to hunt and peck at on-screen keyboards. They all offer “universal search,” in which searching for a title takes you to whichever app has it available. If you want to watch Barbie but don’t know where it’s playing, just push the voice button on the remote and say “Barbie.” (We found simply saying the title or the genre you want sometimes works better than saying “Show me…” or “Search for…”) From the search results, hit the play button and the correct app will open and start playing — assuming you’ve previously logged into that app and, in most cases, have an active subscription.
Connectivity
Most streaming sticks connect to the internet via Wi-Fi, with the majority of them supporting Wi-Fi 5 or 6 protocols. Set-top boxes can also have Ethernet ports, so you can hardwire your internet connection to the device, which is always faster than wireless. Streaming media players connect to your TV through an HDMI port, and most sticks hide behind the screen, while set-top boxes sit on a surface nearby. Nearly all units also plug into an AC outlet for power. Some sticks used to work by pulling power from a USB port on the TV, but increasingly, these devices are designed to plug into the wall.
Video and audio features
If you have a screen that can display 4K content with Dolby Vision and HDR10, you’ll want a streaming device that supports those high-end formats. Of course, even the most top-shelf streamer can’t make a 1080p TV display content in 4K. The series or movie also has to be transmitted in 4K and, increasingly, companies restrict higher-quality streaming to more expensive subscription plans. In short, every element needs to support the video or audio feature, otherwise the highest quality you’ll get will be the lowest of any component in the chain.
Voice control
In addition to helping you find stuff to watch, streaming devices from Apple, Google and Amazon can answer questions about the weather, sports scores and general facts using built-in voice assistants. They can also act as smart home controllers to turn off connected smart bulbs or plugs and show feeds from smart cameras. Just remember, as with all smart home devices, compatibility is key. Fire TV devices work with Alexa-enabled smart home equipment; the Google TV Streamer lets you control Google Home devices; Apple TV 4Ks play nice with HomeKit; and Rokus grant power over Roku’s smart home products.
Below are some recommendations for the best streaming sticks and other budget-friendly options. We also included suggestions for set-top boxes and devices geared toward gamers.
Google replaced the Chromecast product line with the release of the Google TV Streamer in September of 2024. There’s no HD model, only 4K this time around and the going price is $100, which is double the price of the most recent 4K Chromecast. Instead of a dongle that hides behind your TV, it’s now a set-top wedge.
Inside, there’s a faster processor, which kept up with my scattered testing methods — opening and closing apps then reloading them immediately — with no trouble. The Apple TV 4K is still the fastest of the streamers I’ve tried, but I don’t think the speed here will disappoint most people. The storage has jumped up to 32GB from a skimpy 8GB on the Chromecast and the memory is doubled at 4GB. It supports up to 4K/60fps video with HDR, HDR10, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision. Audio formats include Dolby Digital and Dolby Atmos along with spatial audio if you’re wearing the Pixel Buds Pro.
The remote is compact and streamlined; the D-pad handles navigation, play, pause and rewind. Of course there’s also a back button (as you’d find on any good Android device). And if you ever lose the pill-shaped remote, you can push a button on the back of the set-top wedge to make it ring.
Google has made its Home app an integral part of the streamer. Not only will you use it to set up your device, but you can also use the streamer to view a slideout home panel on your TV screen (that looks a lot like the Favorites tab in the app). The panel lets you control your compatible smart home devices so you can set temperatures, turn off lights, view feeds and so on. You can even do so while you’re watching something if you program the star button on the remote to pull up the Home panel.
What really makes the Google TV Streamer the best for all-in-one steaming is the interface. It’s basically the same as what you’ll find on any TV set or screen that comes with Google TV built in. I find Google’s presentation to be the best at pulling together content from different streaming apps into one useful and intuitive menu. It’ll track what you’ve been watching across different platforms so you can easily dive back in, and the recommendations are pulled fairly equitably from across your subscribed services.
Of course, no big tech company can release a product today without some AI contrivance and it comes here in the form of computer-generated plot and audience review summaries for titles. It’ll also generate screensaver images based on your prompts. Those are fine and all, though probably not worth it. The real reason to go for the Google TV Streamer is the helpful interface combined with performance that’s faster than most of the sticks on the market. And if you’re someone who uses Google Home for your smart home control, you’ll get even more out of this device.
Pros
Excellent interface combines all streaming content equally
Useful smart home control with a slide-out paneluseful
Operating system: Roku OS | Remote: Yes | Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth | Display: No | Voice control: Yes
Believe it or not, the streaming world has enough free content to keep even the most voracious watchers entertained — and the Roku Streaming Stick 4K is probably the best way to access it. Roku’s interface is uncluttered, with a simple list at the left and an app grid on the right. Two of those list items, Live TV and Featured Free, are stuffed with free content, both on linear channels and video-on-demand (VOD) services. The Roku Channel app adds thousands more series, films, Roku Originals and live channels to watch without subscribing to a dang thing.
Roku makes seven different streaming devices, including sticks, set-top boxes and a few Streambars — all will get you that free content. The $50 Streaming Stick 4K is the best mix of price and features. It hides behind your TV, supports 4K, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision and has a longer range Wi-Fi. If you don’t need the longer range or Dolby Vision, and don’t mind a slightly bulkier device, you can save $10 and get the Roku Express 4K+. Both players support Apple AirPlay 2 and can control your set’s power and volume.
I found the universal search function to be accurate when looking for specific titles; pushing the Voice button and saying “Poker Face” brings up results for the Peacock show, the Russell Crowe movie and a poker documentary from a free channel. Saying “Succession” gets you the show from Max as well as listings for other series and films with “success” in the title. It was pretty good at finding suggestions for more general searches, like “police procedural shows” and “Idris Elba,” though it had issues with recommendations for kids movies (not enough Disney+ results, in my opinion).
Navigation is speedy with minimal load times between apps. The remote has a nice layout with a large back button and the volume rocker on the side. The handy Instant Replay button jumps back 10 to 20 seconds and can even show subtitles for the replayed portion, if the app supports it. The only thing I didn’t love was the What to Watch menu, which was overwhelmingly populated with free content and had a minimal amount of titles sprinkled in from my paid apps. But since free content is where Roku really shines, I can’t be too miffed. — A.S.
Pros
Built-in access to tons of free content
Accurate universal search
Supports 4K, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision content
Cons
What to Watch menu ignores content from other streamers
Operating system: Fire TV OS | Remote: Yes | Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth | Display: No | Voice control: Yes
If price is of the utmost importance and you don’t need 4K, Amazon’s Fire TV Stick Lite is a decent alternative. At $30, it’s one of the cheapest streaming sticks on the market and it’s also frequently discounted, too. It supports FHD streaming with HDR and, just like its higher-end siblings, comes with an Alexa voice remote.
One of the reasons this is considered “Lite” is that this particular Fire TV Stick can’t control your TV; you still have to use your television remote to power it on and off or to adjust its volume. That’s not that big a deal, especially if it helps save you a few bucks. In comparison, the standard Fire TV Stick typically retails for $40, while the Fire TV Stick 4K costs $50.
Amazon’s Fire TV supports nearly all of the major streaming services, including Netflix, Hulu, Max, YouTube, YouTube TV and Hulu, among others. The Live page features Twitch out of the box as well. While you can’t use Alexa to control the TV, the Fire TV Stick Lite does let you use Alexa to search for shows and ask general questions like the weather forecast or the latest scores for your favorite sports team.
Despite its low price, the Fire TV Stick Lite is a decent streaming dongle. It comes with the updated Fire TV interface that adds features such as user profiles, a new main menu navigation bar with show recommendations, plus a scrolling list of your favorite streaming apps. The layout isn’t as unified as Google TV’s and is more complicated than Roku’s, but it’s still easy enough to figure out. That said, the interface prioritizes Amazon Prime Video content, and there are a lot more ads than on other streaming platforms. — Nicole Lee, Senior Editor
If you do want the ability to control your TV with the remote and are also looking for something that supports improved picture quality, you may want to upgrade to one of the more advanced Fire TV Sticks. At $60 (and often on sale for $45) the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max not only handles Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, 4K and HDR10+, but it also supports Wi-Fi 6E. That means if you have a router that also carries the protocol, you could see better and faster connectivity. The 4K Max has the fastest processor of any Fire TV Stick, and we found it plenty zippy. It’s also the only Fire TV Stick that supports the new Ambient Experience: when enabled, or after the pause timeout kicks in, the dongle will display art (and widgets, if you want) on your TV, giving any screen the look of something like Samsung’s The Frame. — A.S.
Operating system: Roku OS | Remote: Yes | Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth | Display: No | Voice control: No
The Roku Express has the same user interface as the Streaming Stick+, but it’s housed in a compact set-top box instead. It doesn’t support 4K or HDR and the remote control lacks a voice command button. But if all you want is a capable HD streaming device, the Express fits the bill. If you insist on having 4K, however, consider the Roku Express 4K+, which retails for $40. It’s very similar to the Express, except it carries support for 4K, HDR and AirPlay, and it comes with a voice remote as well. That could well make it worth the extra money. —N.L.
Roku updated its most advanced streamer, the Roku Ultra, in 2024, giving it a faster processor, Wi-Fi 6 compatibility and a brand new remote. Like the previous generation, it supports 4K HDR10/10+ streaming, 100 Mbps Ethernet connection, Bluetooth streaming, AirPlay2 connectivity and voice commands with Alexa, Google Home and Roku Smart Home. The previous model had a microSD slot for external media, now there’s a USB port for local playback.
I used the Ultra for about a month and was impressed with the speed, image quality and the new remote — plus a couple of perks I hadn’t expected. The 4K TV I used for testing was new to me and whoever had watched it before had set it to 1080p. During setup, the Ultra prompted me to head to the TVs settings to adjust the video quality. It was a nice touch and not something all players do.
Flipping from app to app was nearly instantaneous. Changing my mind with the back button immediately returned to the home screen. I experienced no buffering issues or audio synching troubles and pairing up Bluetooth headphones was fast with glitch-free performance.
I really liked the new remote. Pick it up and the backlight kicks in, making it easy to control in a darkened room. Since it’s equipped with an always-on mic (which you have the option of turning off right on the remote) you can say, “Hey Roku, where’s the remote?” and it’ll start ringing. Even with the Roku and TV off, you can just say “Hey Roku, open Netflix” to turn on your TV and start up the app. A backlight and always-on feature will obviously drain the battery quicker, but in a month of using the remote, I only had to recharge it once, which is easy to do via USB-C.
The voice control function didn’t perform more complicated functions as easily, though. With the TV off, I asked it to continue playing a show I’d been watching and it turned on my PS5. While on the Roku home screen, I asked it to continue playing Gravity Falls, and was told there was no content to continue playing, even though my kid had been watching the show the day before. I often had better luck just holding down the mic button and speaking a search request as I’m used to doing with other players. The search function was accurate most of the time, presenting the correct movie or show and taking me to the app when I clicked on what I wanted.
Of course, as we said about the other Roku device on our list, the OS here is best at finding and presenting free and live content, with a live TV channel guide, a Featured Free content tab, a What to Watch section packed with stuff from no-cost providers like Tubi, plus the brand’s own Roku Channel. If you’re a fan of the Roku experience and want to get the most out of a higher-end TV, the Ultra is the set-top box to get. — A.S.
Pros
Excellent remote
High-quality video and audio
Lots of access to free and live content
USB port for playing local media
HDMI cable is included
Cons
Voice control struggles with complex requests
Interface is better at free content than organizing your paid apps
When my colleague Devindra Hardawar reviewed the latest gen of the Apple TV 4K upon its debut in 2022, he called it “the best streaming box by a long shot.” In terms of picture quality, speed, longevity and Apple-engineered extras, that remains accurate. The set-top box supports 4K Dolby Vision and HDR10+, which makes compatible content look, to borrow Devindra’s term, glorious.
The A15 Bionic chip inside enables near-instantaneous loading of and switching between apps. Zooming from the beginning of an episode to the end or anywhere in between is not only quick, but also quite easy to do once you get the hang of the touch-sensitive directional pad on the Siri remote. Apple improved the box hardware over the previous generation, too, with a smaller, fan-less design.
You don’t have to be an Apple devotee to appreciate the streaming box, but having an iPhone makes setup easier, letting you hold your phone near the device to transfer credentials. If you use the Fitness+ app with an Apple Watch, not only can you watch workouts on a big screen, you’ll see live heart rate stats splashed in the corner as well. The app library is extensive, covering all of the most popular streaming services, plus countless Apple Arcade and other games. The remote’s Siri button lets you easily search for stuff to watch with voice commands, and typically gets you to the right app immediately. I found it nearly as good as other devices in suggesting content for more general queries like “sci-fi space movies.”
If you were waiting for the “but,” here it is: the Apple TV 4K is expensive. The base model is $129, which comes with 32GB of storage. The 128GB model goes for $149 and adds an Ethernet port and acts as a Thread-enabled home hub, a requirement for certain smart home devices. Also, if you’re looking for lots of free channels and live programming with an all-in-one home page to unify your disparate streaming subscriptions, this isn’t quite it.
The Apple TV app incorporates recently watched series into the Up Next section and your most-used apps appear in the Channels and Apps row. But the homepage is mostly a showcase for Apple TV+ series and movies. And don’t expect to see much in the way of Netflix content in the app either. Possibly due to a continuinggrudge match between the two companies, Siri even has trouble finding Netflix shows at all — searching for Lupin only came back with results from the anime franchise and when I asked for All the Light We Cannot See, the AI turned off my smart lights. Finally, this premium streaming device doesn’t come with the HDMI cable required to hook it up to your TV. That’s a minor detail in the grand scheme of things, but it did cause me to fling grownup words in Cupertino’s general direction. — A.S.
For those who want an all-in-one device that lets you stream movies, run a PLEX media server and play games, consider NVIDIA’s Shield TV Pro. It currently runs Android TV, which is a little outdated at this point, but there’s a possibility that it could be upgraded to Google TV in the future.
Thanks to its capable Tegra X1+ processor, the NVIDIA Shield TV Pro can stream in native 4K and it can also upscale 720p and 1080p video to 4K with the company’s AI neural network. It also supports Dolby Vision and HDR10, has 3GB of RAM, 16GB of storage and two USB-C ports. Additionally, there’s a gigabit Ethernet port, an HDMI socket and a microSD card slot. Since it runs on Android, you can use it to play most games from the Google Play Store.
The main reason you’d choose the NVIDIA Shield TV Pro over other machines is that it gives you access to NVIDIA’s GeForce Now cloud gaming service. As long as you have a relatively speedy internet connection, you can play top-tier PC games that are streamed online to your Shield TV Pro. —N.L.
Pros
Supports 4K, HDR10 and Dolby Vision content
Provides access to NVIDIA’s GeForce Now cloud gaming service
Operating system: Xbox OS | Remote: Yes | Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Ethernet | Display: No | Voice control: Yes
Even though both Sony’s PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X can stream video, it’s the Xbox that we think is the best gaming console for the job. It can play 4K Blu-Rays and supports all of the usual streaming video apps including Apple TV+ and Disney+. However, the PS5 can’t stream Disney+ in 4K or Dolby Atmos, which is disappointing if you ever want to watch The Mandalorian in all its cinematic glory.
Fortunately, that’s not the case with the Xbox Series X. On top of that, the Xbox Series X (and S) also support Dolby Vision for streaming video, which is especially great for people with newer TVs. Of course, the Xbox is also a pretty great gaming machine, and it offers access to Game Pass, Microsoft’s subscription service that has a large library of titles. —N.L.
Our budget pick from Amazon doesn’t allow you to control your TV with the remote, nor does it support 4K image quality or Dolby Atmos. Amazon’s higher-end not only handles Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, 4K and HDR10+, but it also supports Wi-Fi 6E. The processor is pretty zippy and it even supports a fairly pleasant Ambient Experience, displaying art (and widgets) when the screen is idle, like on . It also lets Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers via the app without an Xbox Series X or S console. And Engadget’s Jeff Dunn has gotten a lot of use from the stick as a . That’s a decent amount of utility from a $60 device (that’s often on sale for around $45).
That said, Amazon’s Fire TV interface is less elegant (and less democratic) than other UIs, highly prioritizing Prime Video content. It’s also notably ad-stuffed — promoting not just Amazon’s content, but products as well. — A.S.
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When Sony first released the PlayStation 5, it wasn’t possible to expand the console’s storage. Thankfully, that changed with a software update that the company pushed out less than a year later. And with how big some game installs have become in recent years, it’s a good thing, too: the PS5’s built-in 667GB of space may have been good enough in the system’s first year, but now, the default drive is absolutely limiting.
The good news is a standard PCIe Gen4 x4 M.2 NVMe SSD can solve all of your PS5 storage woes. If that mess of acronyms has you recoiling, don’t worry: you’ll see that it’s not all that complicated. And if all you want to know is what the best PS5 SSDs are, we’ve got them right at the top.
Capacity: Up to 8TB | Sequential read performance: 7,100MB/s | Sequential write performance: 6,800MB/s | Connection: M.2
The Corsair MP600 Pro LPX makes it to the top of our list for the best PS5 SSD for being the complete package. It’s fast, offers excellent performance and read speeds of up to 7,100MB/s. It also comes with a pre-installed heatsink and a five-year warranty.
Best of all, the MP600 is affordable. After launching at $190, you can routinely find the 1TB variant on sale for as little as $80, while the 2TB model fluctuates in price between $110 and $150. The 4TB and 8TB models are less of a bargain. The MP600 is also not the fastest NVMe on this list. However, as far as no-fuss options go, it’s hard to beat.
Capacity: Up to 4TB | Read performance: 7,300MB/s | Write performance: 6,800 MB/s | Connection: M.2
If you want to save a bit of money by installing your own heatsink, the Crucial T500 is a great option. With read speeds of up to 7,300MB/s, it surpasses Sony’s technical requirements, and you can frequently find the 1TB model on sale for as little as $60. Crucial also offers a version with a heatsink, so it’s worth adding both the Corsair MP600 and Crucial T500 to a price watch list and buying whichever model is cheaper when you’re ready to upgrade your PS5.
Capacity: Up to 8TB | Sequential read performance: 7,000MB/s | Sequential write performance: 6,600MB/s | Connection: M.2
Of all the SSDs on this list, the Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus is the most interesting. It comes with a unique heatsink that you install in place of the storage expansion slot’s metal cover. Sabrent claims this design improves cooling performance. As a result, expect to pay more than you would for a model with a generic heatsink, with the 1TB variant coming in at around $110 and the 2TB model costing between $220 and $280.
Capacity: Up to 4TB | Read performance: 1,050MB/s | Write performance: 1,000MB/s | Connection: USB 3.0
As I explain below, you can’t run PS5 games from an external drive — but you can use one to store any games you aren’t playing at the moment, including older PS4 games.
One of my favorite portable drives is the Samsung T7. It can write files at a speedy 1,000 MB/s. If you plan to use the drive exclusively for at-home use, you can save money by buying the regular model instead of the ruggedized Shield variant. I’ve been using T7 drives to store my photos, music and games for years, and they have yet to fail me. The latest model, the Samsung T9, boasts read/write speeds of up to 2,000MB/s.
I’ve tested most of the SSDs recommended on this list, either for PS5 or computer use. I also bought and used our top pick in my own PS5.
How much PS5 storage do I need?
The PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 Pro can accept internal drives with between 250GB and 8TB of storage capacity. If you already own a PS5, chances are you have a reasonable idea of how much storage you need for your game library. If you’re buying an SSD with a new PS5 or PS5 Pro, or buying for someone else, it’s more difficult to tell what you might need for a high-performance experience.
PS5 games are smaller on average than their PS4 equivalents, typically taking up between 30GB and 100GB, with some notable (and very popular) exceptions. If you’re a fan of the Call of Duty series, installing Black Ops 6and Warzone 2.0 can eat up to 240GB. In other words, a full Call of Duty install will take up more than one-third of the PS5’s internal storage. If you’re not a CoD fan, though, chances are you’ll be good to store between six to 10 games on a regular PS5 internally before running into problems.
You also need to consider your internet speed. If you live in an area with slow broadband, the “you can just download it again” rationale doesn’t really work. At my old home, a 100GB download took me around eight hours, during which time it was difficult to simultaneously watch Twitch or, say, publish articles about upgrading PS5 SSDs. Keeping games around on the off-chance you’ll want to play them at some point makes sense.
Aaron Souppouris / Engadget
Off the bat, there’s basically no point in going for a 250GB PS5 SSD. Economically, 250GB drives aren’t that much cheaper than 500GB ones — and practically, that really isn’t a lot of space for modern games to live on. 500GB drives can be a decent option, but after years of declining prices, I think the sweet spot for most people is to opt for a high-capacity 1TB or 2TB drive, which should run you at most $200. The latter will more than double the PS5 Pro’s storage without breaking the bank.
Unless you’re rolling in cash and want to flex, 4TB and 8TB models should mostly be avoided, as you’ll end up paying more per gigabyte than you would with a 1TB or 2TB drive.
While the 825GB PS5 only provides 667GB of storage, that’s largely due to storage being reserved for the operating system and caching. If you install a 1TB PS5 SSD, you’ll have, within a margin of error, 1TB of storage available for games. Out of the box, the PS5 Pro offers 1.86TB of storage for games, though you can eke out more if you delete the pre-installed Astro’s Playroom (gasp).
Since neither the PS5 Slim nor PS5 Pro feature updated CPU architecture, all of our recommendations will work with whatever PS5 model you own.
Can you play PS5 games on an external SSD?
External hard drives tend to cost less than internal SSD counterparts (and there’s a good chance you might own one already). Unfortunately, there are restrictions on what you can do with them. An external SSD connects to your PS5 via USB, and is only suitable for playing PlayStation 4 games, or storing PS5 titles. That’s useful if you have anything but the best high-speed internet — it’s faster to move a PS5 game out of “cold storage” on an external drive than it is to re-download it — or want to keep your PS4 library on hand.
Due to the limitations here, you don’t need the highest-performing model, although you should opt for SSDs over HDDs for improved transfer speeds and load times. Any basic portable drive from a reputable brand will do, with the Crucial X9 Pro and Samsung T7 being options we’ve tried and can recommend.
Which SSD cards are compatible with the PS5?
The official answer to this question is an “M.2 Socket 3 (Key M) Gen4 x4 NVME SSD.” But even within that seemingly specific description, there are additional factors to consider. The main requirements Sony has laid out for compatibility come down to speed, cooling and physical dimensions.
For speed, Sony says drives should be able to handle sequential reads at 5,500MB/s. Early testing showed that the PS5 would accept drives as slow as 4,800MB/s, and that games that tap into the SSD regularly — such as Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart — would cause no issues. Pretty much the only thing the PS5 will outright reject is one that doesn’t match the Gen4 x4 spec.
In our opinion, though, using a drive slower than the specification is a risk that, if you don’t already have that drive lying around, is not worth taking. Just because we haven’t found issues yet doesn’t mean there won’t be games that could be problematic in the future. The price difference between these marginally slower Gen4 drives and the ones that meet Sony’s spec isn’t huge, and you might as well cover all your bases.
Slightly more complicated than speed is cooling and size. Most new SSDs are going to be just fine; the PS5 can fit 22mm-wide SSDs of virtually any length (30mm, 40mm, 60mm, 80mm or 110mm, to be precise). The vast majority of drives you find will be 22mm wide and 80mm long, so no problem there.
It should be noted that the system can fit a 25mm-wide drive, but that width must include the cooling solution. Speaking of, Sony says SSDs require “effective heat dissipation with a cooling structure, such as a heatsink.” The maximum height supported by Sony’s slot is 11.25mm, of which only 2.45mm can be “below” the drive.
This previously meant some of the most popular heatsinked Gen4 SSDs, including Corsair’s MP600 Pro LP, would not fit within the PS5’s storage expansion slot. Since Engadget first published this guide in 2021, most NVMe makers, including Samsung, have come out with PlayStation-specific models that meet those requirements. That said, if you want to save some money, bare drives are often cheaper and it’s trivial to find a cooling solution that will work for the PS5.
The only component in an NVMe SSD that really requires cooling is the controller, which without a heatsink will happily sear a (very small) steak. Most SSDs have chips on only one side, but even on double-sided SSDs, the controller is likely to be on top, as manufacturers know it needs to be positioned there to better dissipate heat.
So, head to your PC component seller of choice and pick up basically anything that meets the recommended dimensions. A good search term is “laptop NVME heatsink,” as these will be designed to fit in the confines of gaming laptops, which are even more restrictive than a PS5. They’re also typically cheaper than the ones labeled as “PS5 heatsinks.”
One recommendation is this $6 copper heatsink, which attaches to the PS5 SSD with sticky thermal interface material. It works just fine, and in performing stress tests on a PC, we couldn’t find anything metal that didn’t keep temperatures under control. When you’re searching, just make sure the solution you go for measures no more than 25mm wide or 8mm tall (including the thermal interface material) and has a simple method of installation that’s not going to cause any headaches.
One last thing: When shopping for a PS5 NVMe, there’s no reason to buy a Gen5 model over a more affordable Gen4 model. As things stand, Sony’s console can’t take advantage of the new standard, and though Gen5 drives are backward compatible, they’re more expensive than their Gen4 counterparts. Just buy the fastest and highest-capacity Gen4 model you can afford.
How to install an SSD into your PS5
If you need guidance on how to install your new NVMe into your PS5 or PS5 Pro, we have a separate guide detailing all the steps here. Installation is pretty straightforward, but our how-to can help you if you’re stuck. Just make note: Before attempting to add more storage via a PS5 SSD, ensure that you have Sony’s latest software installed.
Finding the right temperature in bed can be tricky. Feeling too hot or cold makes it tough to drop off and can wake you prematurely. Since our mental and physical health depends on sleep, that’s a problem. Eight Sleep has the answer. The Eight Sleep Pod 4 is a temperature-regulating mattress cover that tracks your body as you snooze, with a hub that pumps cooled or warmed water into the cover to help you stay in the land of nod for longer.
When I tested its predecessor, the Eight Sleep Pod 3 (7/10, WIRED Recommends), I was wary of the billionaire biohacking buzz, but it won me over. Aside from the increased comfort, the best sleep trackers all told the same story: My wife and I slept longer and got more deep sleep and REM with the Eight Sleep Pod than without. The Eight Sleep Pod 4 brings some welcome improvements, including greater comfort, quieter operation, and handy tap controls, so you don’t have to reach for your phone at night.
Photograph: Simon Hill
Sadly, better sleep does not come cheap. A Pod 4 Cover and Hub for a queen-size bed costs $2,599, but you must also take a year’s subscription to Autopilot for an extra $199. If you already have a subscription, you can transfer it to a new Pod, but you can no longer buy an Eight Sleep Pod without taking the Autopilot subscription. The UK Super King I tested costs £2,699, with a year of Autopilot at £199. It’s a real investment, but sleeping soundly can be transformative.
Hitting the Hay
The Eight Sleep Pod 4 Cover and Hub come in two large boxes. The mattress cover has rubber tubing inside and a soft, plush, dark material on top. It is elasticized for a snug fit on your mattress, and tubing must be routed from the top to plug into the hub. The hub is about the size of a desktop PC, with a fabric front and a big 8 logo. The hub is the brain of the operation, and it cools or heats water and pumps it around the cover.
Setup with the Pod 4 was similar but much quicker than the Pod 3. You pull the cylinder out the top of the hub and pour water up to the fill line. The priming process has dropped to around 10 minutes from a couple of hours for the previous version. You connect the hub to your Wi-Fi using the mobile app. The Pod 4 cover is much comfier than the Pod 3, and the hub is far quieter. It never broke 30 decibels when measured. It makes a subtle hum, like a white noise sleep sound.
I’ll be the first to say the Pura scent diffuser surprised me. Before testing it out, I didn’t believe such a small device could really inject strong scent into my home. But it didn’t take long before I was proven wrong. The one I have stays plugged in, resolute, in the family room of my home close to the front door, and as soon as I walk in when the Pura is running, I’m met with the lovely smells of Amalfi lemon, lavender fields or whichever other scent I decided to go with.
The Pura can hold two different proprietary scent capsules at a time, so you can create very different vibes based on time of day, occasion or anything else you can think of. The Pura app makes it easy to set diffusion schedules per scent, too, and it can pause diffusion all together if you’re away from home. Are you going to get whole-home diffusion from this CD-sized gadget? No (maybe try the new Pura Plus for that), but it’ll make the part of your home that it lives in feel much more luxurious. — Valentina Palladino, Deputy Editor
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