Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 4 LTE falls to an all-time low price at Woot

Now’s a good moment to get a cellular Galaxy Watch 4. Woot is offering the 44m LTE version in green at an all-time low price of $225. That’s better than we saw in February, and a whopping $105 below the official sticker. It’s substantially less expensive than its non-cellular counterpart, in fact. Just remember that Woot’s return policy isn’t the same as its parent Amazon, and that inventory might run out.

Buy Galaxy Watch 4 (44m LTE) at Woot – $225

The Galaxy Watch 4 rejuvenated Samsung’s smartwatch lineup. The switch from Tizen to Wear OS gave it a more robust app ecosystem, and the improved health tracking (including continuous blood oxygen detection) will help with your fitness regimen. Add the attractive display, a newer processor and a touch-based rotating bezel and you’ll have a watch that should be appealing all day round, whether you’re working out or streaming from Spotify.

There are some limits. We found the battery life to be short, and the body mass scans weren’t consistent at review time. And unlike some Wear OS watches, it’s a no-go if you’re an iPhone user. Provided those aren’t obstacles, though, the Galaxy Watch 4 remains one of the best values in Android-friendly smartwatches — especially at this price.

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Facebook and Twitter remove Russian embassy posts denying Mariupol hospital bombing

Major social networks aren’t done cracking down on Russian misinformation following that country’s invasion of Ukraine. As CNN‘s Donie O’Sullivan and CNBC report, Facebook and Twitter have both removed posts from Russia’s UK embassy over false claims surrounding the bombing of a maternity hospital in the Ukraine city of Mariupol. Russia claimed without evidence that a woman in a photo of the destroyed hospital was a “beauty blogger” and that the photo was staged.

Meta spokesperson Andy Stone told O’Sullivan a Facebook post violated rules about content that asserts a “violent tragedy did not occur.” Twitter’s representative, meanwhile, told CNBC multiple tweets broke rules surrounding the “denial of violent events.”

Russia has routinely promoted demonstrably false narratives surrounding the invasion of Ukraine, prompting Meta, Twitter, Google and others to restrict state-backed Russian media outlets like RT and Sputnik. In turn, Russia recently made it illegal for the media to contradict President Putin’s official line on the war and has blocked Facebook and Twitter.

The removals aren’t surprising given the stances of Meta and Twitter against Russia-based misinformation. However, there may still be room for more action. The Russian embassy in Geneva, for instance, has routinely shared unsupported claims about Ukraine on Twitter, including allegations a Ukraine paramilitary group was using Mariupol hospital patients and staff as human shields. We’ve asked Twitter for comment, but this suggests the fight over misinformation is far from over.

Microsoft outlines Steam Deck support for its first-party games

You don’t have to lean on a special tool to know whether or not a Microsoft game will play properly on your Steam Deck. The Vergenotes Microsoft has published a list of the Xbox Game Studios titles you can play on Valve’s handheld, and it’s mostly good news. Recent releases like Deathloop and Psychonauts 2 are listed as “Verified” (that is, known to play well), and you can expect 2017’s Prey to thrive.

Forza Horizon 5 (and 4), Sea of Thieves, Fallout 4 and Quantum Break are some of the games labeled as “Playable.” They should work, but you may need to spend extra time setting them up or dealing with quirks (such as using the on-screen keyboard).

You’re out of luck if you want to play a few of Microsoft’s best-known games, however. Gears 5, Halo: Master Chief Collection, Halo Infinite and Flight Simulator X are all deemed “unsupported” due to their anti-cheat tools.

This list only includes the games Microsoft offers on Steam. You’ll have to install Windows (and lose official support from Valve) if you insist on playing the company’s wider catalog. Microsoft said Steam Deck compatibility is up to individual studios, however, so don’t be surprised if a previously unviable game becomes playable in the future.

Lego finally adds Princess Peach to its Super Mario sets

Lego’s Super Mario sets have been around for roughly two years, but there’s been a conspicuous omission: namely, any of the leading women from the video games. The company is rectifying that soon, thankfully. Lego has marked Mar10 Day by introducing Princess Peach to its Super Mario Adventures range. Buy her Starter Course and you can defeat opponents like Lemmy, collect fruit, earn coins and ride a swing set.

You can team up with Mario or Luigi, of course, and you’ll rack up more coins if you play with someone else.

The Peach Starter Course won’t be available until August 1st, when it will sell for $60. A combo Cat Peach suit and Frozen Tower expansion set will arrive at the same time for $80. And there’s more regardless of your character preferences. Lego will sell a Big Spike’s Cloudtop Challenge expansion for $70 on August 1st, while a smaller Fuzzy Flippers add-on will cost you $20. Lego has also teased Peach’s Castle, Yoshi’s Gift house and Goomba’s Shoe sets, although there’s no US pricing for those as we write this.

We’re wondering where the other characters are — there’s no Daisy or Pauline, at least not yet. Still, this is welcome news if you’ve wanted a wider range of characters to play beyond Nintendo’s signature plumbers.

Valve’s Steam Deck is (mostly) ready to run Windows

It’s now realistic to install Windows on a Steam Deck, provided you’re wiling to live with certain limitations. Valve has released Windows drivers for the handheld’s Bluetooth, graphics and WiFi, helping you use the system properly if the Linux-based SteamOS isn’t to your liking. The developer has also shared instructions on how to install Windows on its gaming machine.

As you might gather, though, it’s not a simple process. Audio drivers remain “in the works,” so you’ll have to rely on a Bluetooth or USB-C audio device. You’ll have to install Windows 10 (Windows 11 support is coming through a BIOS update), and there’s no dual-boot option at the moment — you’ll have to replace SteamOS entirely.

Valve warned that it can’t provide support for Windows users. You can revert to SteamOS using a USB recovery drive if necessary.

The limitations might make a good case for buying a Windows-native alternative like the Aya Neo or GPD Win 3. If you prefer the Steam Deck hardware and don’t mind the lack of a safety net, though, this might be the moment you’ve been waiting for. Windows not only promises more performance thanks to native code (no Proton here), but access to Destiny 2 and other games that were previously off-limits.

Meta Quest 2 fitness data will be available outside of VR

The Quest 2 headset’s fitness tracking has been helpful for staying in shape, but there’s been a major catch: your stats weren’t viewable outside the headset, making it impractical to check your progress or combine it with info from other apps. That won’t be an issue before long. As of April, Meta will make your Oculus Move fitness tracking data available through the Oculus app on Android and iOS, and will sync progress with Apple Health on iOS.

There are no mentions of syncing Move data with Google Fit or other Android platforms, but Meta said it was “exploring” future tie-ins. The company made clear that Oculus app and Apple Health syncing are strictly opt-in features, with end-to-end encryption on Meta’s servers. Your stats won’t influence ads on Facebook or other Meta services.

The expansion was arguably necessary to make Oculus Move relevant for more people. There’s a good chance you don’t rely solely on VR for workouts, and you probably don’t want to return to your headset just to check your calorie burn. This upgrade lets you treat VR as just one piece of a larger fitness puzzle, and might persuade you to try a headset if you were hesitant before.

March Madness Live app will let you watch two NCAA games at once on more devices

As the name implies, the NCAA’s March Madness (aka the Division I men’s basketball tournament) is chock full of games that may be difficult to follow — thankfully, that might not be an issue if you have the right device. The sports association, Turner and CBS Sports are expanding a feature in the NCAA March Madness Live app that lets you watch two games at once (one without audio) on more platforms. It was already available on Android TV, Apple TV and Fire TV, but should now be an option on Google TV and Xbox One. This isn’t completely novel and will only help so much on the busiest match days, but you should have 20 percent lower latency and 5.1-channel surround sound.

The desktop, mobile and tablet versions of March Madness Live are limited to picture-in-picture viewing while you browse the app. The software is also available without these viewing perks on Roku players and some LG TVs. Everyone has access to an upgraded “Fast Break” feature that overlays and breaks down vital stats during games.

The new March Madness Live experience should be available on March 17th, right after the “first four” games on the 15th and 16th. You can also watch the tournament through CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV platforms, including Paramount+ if you’re a subscriber. While you’d ideally have more than two streams, this is likely to be the best viewing option you’ll get on a big screen during the college competition.

Razer made a Bluetooth lapel mic for mobile streamers

Razer’s latest livestreaming gear is built for broadcasts far away from your desk. The company has unveiled the Seiren Bluetooth, its first Bluetooth lapel microphone. The clip-on design’s omnidirectional mic and AI-based noise suppression are built to help mobile streamers and vloggers who want better voice quality than their phone can offer, particularly in noisy situations.

The lapel mic includes a 3.5mm jack for monitoring through headphones, and you can customize it through the Razer Streaming App to tweak the noise suppression levels, reduce latency for game streams and adjust sidetone for monitoring. The battery lasts for up to four hours with AI enabled and six hours with AI disabled, or enough for a lengthy IRL stream. Included socks help reduce popping and wind noise both indoors and outside.

The Seiren Bluetooth is available for $100 and should work with “all” phones as well as common streaming apps like Streamlabs, Twitch and YouTube. Whether or not that’s a good value may depend on your needs. Razer is most eager to compare the Seiren to Sabinetek’s similarly-equipped $140 SmartMike+, but this also assumes you insist on a wireless option. You can spend considerably less if you’re happy with a USB- or Lightning-based wired lapel mic.

Samsung adds performance throttling controls to the Galaxy S22

Samsung doesn’t seem to have wasted any time delivering its promised performance throttling update. XDAreports users on Samsung’s Korean community forums are receiving an update for the Galaxy S22 series that adds a “Game Performance Management Mode” to Game Booster. The release should let users override throttling and wring more speed out of the flagship phones, at least so long as they’re willing to accept reduced battery life and more heat.

We’ve asked Samsung for more details, including timing for the update in the US and other countries. It’s also unclear if or when older Galaxy models will see updates. Releases like this won’t necessarily take long, but they may be staggered by region and device.

Whether or not this fully addresses concerns is another matter. Users have accused Samsung of throttling non-game apps like Netflix and TikTok. Samsung has denied slowing those titles and pins any limitations on its Game Optimizing Service, but Galaxy phone owners might still be frustrated if they feel some of their apps are being held back.

As it stands, the update might be necessary for Samsung to regain some trust. Those same users criticized Samsung for throttling games while letting benchmarks run at full speed. That led Geekbench to delist four years of high-end Galaxy phones from its benchmark list over concerns the tests didn’t represent real-world capabilities. The new software could help Samsung reclaim its place on that list and improve its standing among enthusiasts.

Sony halts PlayStation hardware and software sales in Russia

Sony is joining Microsoft in stopping Russian sales following the country’s invasion of Ukraine. CNBCreports Sony has halted all PlayStation hardware and software sales in Russia, and has cut access to the digital PlayStation Store. The company called for “peace in Ukraine” and said it would donate $2 million to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees as well as Save the Children.

The decision comes a week after Ukraine Vice Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov called on Microsoft and Sony to block Russian players, and a few days after Microsoft stopped all sales in the country. Nintendo put its Russian eShop in “maintenance mode,” but that may have been due to a payment service freezing processing for purchases made using rubles.

Numerous Western game developers have stopped selling their work in Russia, including Ubisoft, Take-Two, CD Projekt Red, EA, Activision Blizzard and Epic. However, Sony’s move might be the most damaging yet. Russian gamers will have a much harder time expanding their game libraries, and they can forget about buying the already-elusive PlayStation 5. Sony may feel the sting when it dominates Russian console sales (according to IDC data), but there might not be much practical choice when there’s so much industry pressure to take a stand on the Ukraine war.