Everybody likes to say your home is your castle, but who wants to be stuck in a castle for months? Computers and tablets can sometimes feel like our last connection to the outside world. Here are the best deals this weekend on some gear that could help bring your castle into the 21st century and make it a refuge from the world's craziness.
Gigabyte Aero 15 Laptop—OLED Core i7, GTX 1660 Ti, 16 GB, 512 GB SSD—for $1,399 ($500 off): This is a hefty discount for a heavyweight performer. The 2.6-GHz (base speed) Intel Core i7-9750H six-core processor and 16 GB of RAM makes this Windows laptop ripe for anything, from gaming to video editing. Three USB 3.0 ports give you plenty of space to plug in peripherals needed to transfer data or set up a more permanent work station.
Acer R1 R241Y 24-Inch LED Monitor for $110 ($60 off): For the price, you can't beat this HD (1080p) display with a widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio. Acer makes some great budget monitors that punch above their price point.
Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus Tablet 32 GB for $80 ($30 off): The Fire HD 8 is a good entry into tablets, but the screen resolution isn't great for 2020, and the FireOS app store is limited in what it can offer you compared to an iPad. But it's good for streaming media and basic tablet tasks. Read our full review. The Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids Edition is also on sale and can be a good first device for kids.
Amazon Echo Show 5 for $70 ($20 off): Alexa works with practically everything, and the Show series of smart hub screens tie all your smart devices together. The Show 5 is the option for you if you don't want to crowd up your kitchen counter with a big screen, or want one on your nightstand.
Apple Watch Series 3 for $169 ($30 off): You can still buy your way into the Apple Watch craze cheaply if you're willing to settle for the previous hardware design and forego the always-on display of the latest model. We gave this Apple Watch an 8/10 three years ago when we first reviewed it. If it were a phone, that would be a long time, but smartwatches are not evolving quickly. The Series 3 is still a solid buy if you're an iPhone user.
DJI Osmo Action 4K HDR Camera for $249 ($120 off): In our review, we called this a worthy adversary to the GoPro. It also made our list of the best action cams. It's designed more to be mounted on something rather than hand-held, but the Osmo Action offers excellent image stabilization, and its HDR video mode will illuminate shadowy areas in difficult shots, so you won't lose heaps of detail to black voids when you're backlit. There's no GPS support, and it lacks social media functions that its competitors have, but if these features don't matter to you, jump on this deal. Its two screens–one front-facing for selfies–make it a standout competitor to the established field of action cams.
Dreams on PS4 for $25 ($15 off): From the makers of LittleBigPlanet and Tearaway, Dreams is a playful creation game where you make animations, minigames, music, and more. Then you share them with other players. Reviewers have raved about it since release.
The Outer Worlds on PC for $26 ($34 off): Obsidian Entertainment—which has developed titles in the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Neverwinter Nights, and Fallout universes—is in its element making action-oriented sci-fi RPGs like The Outer Worlds. It holds an 82 percent on Metacritic thanks to its slick gameplay and deep story.
Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu for $40 ($20 off) and Pokémon: Let's Go, Eevee for $40 ($20 off): This is a really fun intro to the world of Pokémon. It's a modern Nintendo Switch remake of the first Pokémon games from the late 1990s on Game Boy.
Metro Exodus on PS4 for $15 ($25 off): Many are surprised to find out that the Metro series is based on a series of post-apocalyptic Russian novels. Exodus is the third installment in the game series of scavenging and surviving your way through the wastelands of what used to be Russia and Kazakhstan. It's a dark, serious, and compelling game with a strong story and writing.
Bose 700 Noise-Canceling Headphones for $299 ($100 off): These are some of our favorite noise-canceling headphones. Bose gives you the option to select from 11 levels of noise cancellation, including conversation mode, and includes microphones to pick up your voice when you summon Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant (you press a button to do this). The stainless steel headband and synthetic leather ear cups also give it a touch of luxury.
Monoprice 25 Watt Stereo Hybrid Tube Amplifier with Bluetooth for $110 ($34 off): Vacuum tubes are a curious relic of the early 20th century that still have one refuge where they're overwhelmingly popular: high-end audio. Many audiophiles feel that analog vacuum tubes produce a warmer, richer sound than the small transistors that replaced them in most applications decades ago. They're bulky, and they wear out and need to be replaced, but there's magic in a vacuum tube amplifier.
Apple HomePod for $200 ($100 off): If you're considering a HomePod, you already know you're an Apple devotee, and so we won't go into how Apple has fallen behind Amazon and Google in the smart home market. But that speaker! The HomePod has arguably the best sound of all the big smart speakers. It's a great option ... but only if you're deep into the Apple ecosystem.
DJI Ronin-SC Gimbal Stabilizer for $279 ($160 off): The Ronin-SC is a three-axis gimbal stabilizer that smooths out the rough and jerky movements inherent to operating a small, handheld camera and gives footage a more polished look. It weighs only 39 ounces and holds up to 4.4 pounds, so you'll be able to take it anywhere and use it with most mirrorless cameras.
Segway Ninebot ES2 for $469 with coupon NEW20 ($120 off): If an electric bike is too bulky for you and you need to easily take your ride indoors with you or on crowded public transportation, consider the 28-pound, fold-up electric Ninebot. Its 700-W motor will take a rider up to 15 miles per hour or up to 15 miles on a charge (if you ride economically).
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