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Cameron Faulkner
Cameron Faulkner
The Nex Playground got a $60 Labor Day discount.

The popular motion-controlled game console is down to $239 at Best Buy, Amazon and Walmart, down from its regular $299 price. It’s a deal we only see every so often, and it’s worth considering if you want another way to keep your kids moving while they’re indoors. Read our review.

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Andrew Liszewski
Andrew Liszewski
Huawei redesigned the folding mechanism for its next trifold phone.

The Mate XT was the world’s first trifold smartphone when it launched last year but the sequel has debuted with a major change. Instead of the original’s Z-shaped arrangement of folding panels, the Huawei Mate XT 2’s side panels each fold inwards meaning you can only use its larger screen when the device is fully unfolded. Preorders are now open in China, but full pricing won’t be known until September 7th.

<em>The Mate XT 2 will be available in multiple configurations with 512GB to 2TB of storage, but all versions will come with 16GB of RAM.</em>
<em>The three color options include obsidian black and white plus purple for those opting for the 16GB/2TB option.</em>
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The Mate XT 2 will be available in multiple configurations with 512GB to 2TB of storage, but all versions will come with 16GB of RAM.
Image: Huawei
Kallie Plagge
Kallie Plagge
A peek at the Pokémon Fitbit.

I was able to get hands on the special edition Pokémon Sleep Fitbit Air, which ships September 15th, at the Pokémon World Championships this weekend. Other Fitbit models can connect to Pokémon Sleep, but this one has a cute Pikachu on it, if that’s worth it to you!

Photography by Kallie Plagge / The Verge

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Terrence O'Brien
Terrence O'Brien
What’s on your running playlist?

I recently started running again. And, as I started building back to my first half marathon in almost a decade, I realized — my running playlist is hopelessly out of date. Nothing on there is newer than 2018, so tell me what keeps you motivated to power through the pain.

Sean Hollister
Sean Hollister
See SNES carts in an Xbox Ally and Doom on a Canon PowerShot, hear hot handheld news.

I guest-starred on the Expedition: Handheld podcast this week and brought LOTS of show-and-tell. It’s almost like an extended version of Today I’m Toying With, though it’s on audio podcast platforms as well! Let me know what you think?

Terrence O'Brien
Terrence O'Brien
NFL teams are sticking GoPros on their QBs.

Player-mounted cameras aren’t entirely new to the world of football. According to ESPN, they’ve been widely used by colleges, and the Eagles were experimenting as early as 2016. But this year they’ve been adopted much more broadly in the NFL, with at least six teams having embraced the tech.

In some cases, it’s for the vision the camera provides, which helps coaches and players see each play from the quarterback’s vantage point. In others, the value is in giving coaches a peek into the communication taking place on the field, helping them get deeper insight into how QBs and other players -- such as the center making protection calls -- are communicating at the line and in the huddle. The cameras have even been experimented with on defense.

The Galaxy Z Flip 8 is at its best when there’s friction

8

Verge Score

The cover screen feels more like a phone than ever, but the limitations are still what makes it.

Dominic Preston
Emma Roth
Emma Roth
Google is making it easier to manually log workouts in its Health app.

The version 5.07 update will allow you to “add and adjust more metrics” to workouts you manually log, as well as view these changes more quickly in workout summaries. Google also says the Health app’s built-in map now has faster load times and smoother rendering.

Stevie Bonifield
Stevie Bonifield
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra’s inner display died in JerryRigEverything’s bend test.

Foldables tend to struggle with the bend test, but the smaller Galaxy Z Fold 8 survived it, and this year’s Pixel foldable didn’t go up in smoke. Will Apple’s rumored ‘iPhone Ultra’ foldable fare any better?

Jess Weatherbed
Jess Weatherbed
Bandai is doing business cards right.

You’re never too old to enjoy Gundam, and sometimes it’s fun to inject your favorite hobbies into your professional life. Like this 3,300 yen (about $20) “Mobile Stationery Automatic Transformation Business Card Case,” which presents your business card with drama. Your colleagues will all be impressed and jealous (probably).

Jess Weatherbed
Jess Weatherbed
A fashionable facelift for Whoop’s fitness tracker.

The new $149 Meridian Band is a jewelry-inspired housing for the fifth-generation Whoop wearable that’s designed to make it look less like a boring gadget. The band is made from Milanese mesh and comes in a choice of black, silver, gold, and rose gold. You have to remove it to charge the device, however.

The Whoop Meridian band.
The Meridian Band is expensive for a health tracker strap, but Whoop’s subscription model isn’t exactly cheap anyway.
Image: Whoop
Dominic Preston
Dominic Preston
Three 200-megapixel cameras? In this economy!?

That’s what the fairly reliable leaker Digital Chat Station thinks Oppo has planned for its Find X10 Pro Max, tipped to launch in either September or October. It’s a different approach to the Find X9 Ultra, which leaned into a 10x periscope lens to stand out.

Sean Hollister
Sean Hollister
Amazon Germany is selling DJI’s banned camera in the US — with free international shipping.

How is Amazon getting away with this? This isn’t a third-party seller; they’re shipped and sold by Amazon Germany. Even DJI knows the DJI Pocket 4P isn’t legal to import, but Amazon’s been offering one of the best prices to US buyers for over a week now.

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Plaud is launching AI earbudsPlaud is launching AI earbuds
Jess Weatherbed
Sleep score court is in sessionSleep score court is in session
Allison Johnson
Sean Hollister
Sean Hollister
Brütal Legend is free on PC to honor Tim Curry’s memory.

Till 6:06AM ET, technically, for Windows, MacOS and Ubuntu PCs. Even Curry’s video game roles were legendary.

Sean Hollister
Sean Hollister
Giveaway nine!

The ninth Today I’m Toying With giveaway is live. Each week, I give away gadgets from my TITW videos, because I can’t ethically keep them! You can enter each new giveaway at theverge.com/TITW (or by email, see the rules) starting 9AM each Wednesday; I draw a winner a week later.

Some of the actual items in the giveaway.
Some of the actual items in the giveaway.
Photo by Sean Hollister / The Verge
Your Oura Ring can’t measure what’s going on in your skull

A new lawsuit charges the company with duping customers. Who’s at fault?

Victoria Song
Jess Weatherbed
Jess Weatherbed
Let’s Lego! Here are the Super Mario minifigs.

After teasing them back in March, Lego has now officially unveiled its first Mario-themed collection to come with character minifigures. There are eight sets launching on January 1st, 2027, which start from $9.99 and are suitable for children aged four or older. Click through the images below for the full price details.

<em>72054 Racing with Mario: $14.99</em>
<em>72052 Mario’s Pipe Jump: $9.99</em>
<em>72061 Fire Luigi vs. Koopa Troopa Battle: $29.99</em>
<em>72060 Fire Mario & Bowser’s Castle: $99.99</em>
<em>72058 Bowser’s Rumbling Race: $59.99</em>
<em>72057 Yoshi at Mario’s House: $39.99</em>
<em>72056 Luigi & Bowser Jr.’s Race: $29.99</em>
<em>72055 Mario’s Beach Adventures: $19.99</em>
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72054 Racing with Mario: $14.99
Image: Lego/Nintendo
Thomas Ricker
Thomas Ricker
Samsung launches speedy P9 portable SSD.

It uses a USB4 interface to reach speeds up to 4,000MB/s. Hitting those peak speeds requires a native USB4 or Thunderbolt 4/5 port, and dedicated Thunderbolt 5 SSDs can hit an even faster 6,000MB/s if you’re willing to pay. The P9 starts at $339.99 for 1TB, or $2,699.99 for a whopping 8TB. Sales start August 31st.

Samsung’s Portable P9-Series come in 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, and 8TB capacities.
Samsung’s Portable P9-Series come in 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, and 8TB capacities.
Image: Samsung
Thomas Ricker
Thomas Ricker
Fitbit founders launch $250 wearable that looks like a pair of AAA batteries.

Available now for preorder and shipping in “early 2027,” Luffu Link is a screenless, LTE-connected health and safety band for families. Featuring built-in GPS, continuous biometric tracking, and AI-powered voice logging, it lets wearers send their location and emergency alerts to contacts without a phone, and lasts for up to five days before needing a charge.

Meant to be worn by families, with a design only a robot could love.
Meant to be worn by families, with a design only a robot could love.
Image: Luffu
Sean Hollister
Sean Hollister
Cyberpunk + Commodore = Cyberdeck?

This Cyberpunk 2077-themed Commodore 64 Ultimate looks too good to be true. (We wound up asking if the paintjob was AI; exec Jim Squires says it’s all real.) It’s up for preorder for $377, shipping 2027, bundled with an exclusive “Arasaka” cartridge with an original demo from C64 demoscene group Arise and a chiptune OST from LukHash.