Connect with us

Technologies

Get Free Marvel Rivals Skins From Season 2.5’s Cerebro Database Event, Combat Chest and More

As Ultron invades the Hellfire Gala, it’s time to don some new combat gear. There are plenty of free skins in Marvel Rivals right now.

Marvel Rivals season 2.5 is moving the Hellfire Gala afterparty to space — our heroes are heading to the sentient planet Arakko to prevent Ultron’s planet-exterminating plans from coming to fruition.

Stopping a robot army is going to require a whole new wardrobe’s worth of battle gear. Luckily for you, there are many ways to unlock some free skins in the hit hero shooter right now — including a new seasonal event that unlocks a free Hawkeye skin.

The Cerebro Database Part 2 event is the debut seasonal event for Marvel Rivals season 2.5, and it’s a fairly standard challenge-based event. Different rewards include chrono tokens for the battle pass, units to spend on shop skins and other odds and ends, but the big ticket item is the Hawkeye Binary Arrow skin.

Outside of the latest event, there are still other ways to earn free skins right now. Whether you’re getting used to the new suite of team-up abilities or you’re getting in more playtime on the latest addition to the Strategist roster by beaming down enemies with Ultron, season 2.5 has introduced a slate of free skins that you can use to deck out your favorite characters.

Here’s what you should know about the Cerebro Database Part 2 event and the rest of the free skin lineup at the beginning of Marvel Rivals season 2.5.

Get the Hawkeye Binary Arrow skin free in the Cerebro Database Part 2 event

The Cerebro Database event is live now. It began with the launch of the season 2.5 patch on May 30 and ends on June 27.

While this event is fairly easy, the presentation might confuse some players. As with any Marvel Rivals event, you’ll need to complete challenges to earn rewards. In this event, though, each featured character (Iron Man, Black Widow, Magneto and Ultron) has nine unique challenges arranged in a 3×3 board.

You don’t need to complete all 36 challenges to receive all of the event rewards. Instead, you need to complete enough challenges to make three separate horizontal, vertical or diagonal lines on all four boards to finish the event. Basically, you’re playing tic-tac-toe to quickly make three lines on all of the boards to earn your rewards as efficiently as possible.

Like most Marvel Rivals events, several characters’ boards are time-gated, which means that the most enterprising players will only be able to unlock the Hawkeye Binary Arrow skin starting on June 11. Until then, you can earn Chrono Tokens, units, sprays and gallery pages.

Get the Mister Fantastic Future Foundation skin during the first ever Combat Chest event

A new type of experience-based battle pass also launched at the beginning of season 2.5. The Combat Chest is a smaller, half-season battle pass that rewards consistent playtime over challenge completion. The free track contains one costume, while the premium Combat Chest (which costs 690 Lattice, or roughly $7) has two additional costume rewards.

It contains 24 reward tiers and each reward tier requires 1,800 experience points to unlock. Players can earn a maximum of 7,200 experience points every day, so it’s theoretically possible to earn every Combat Chest reward in six days. The free Mister Fantastic Future Foundation skin is on tier 18 of the Combat Chest so it will take the most enterprising players four days to unlock the new addition to the body-bending hero’s wardrobe.

Premium skin rewards include Storm Ultimate Wind-Rider on tier 6 and Magneto Binary Sword on tier 24 of the Combat Chest. The first version of this shortened alternate battle pass will disappear July 11 at the end of season 2 but any players who purchase the premium version can continue unlocking any remaining tiers after that date.

How can I get free skins during Marvel Rivals season 2.5? 

Players who link their Twitch account to their Marvel Rivals account right now can nab a free Emma Frost skin.

But if you only care about rewards you can earn in-game, a different Emma Frost skin and an Ultron skin are available by progressing through the competitive ladder and new Iron Fist and Magik looks are available free on the season 2 battle pass.

What Marvel Rivals skins are available free right now?

There are currently 11 free skins available. Here’s how you get them: 

  • Hawkeye Binary Arrow: Complete the Cerebro Database Part 2 event challenges on all four characters by June 27 to unlock this skin.
  • Mister Fantastic Future Foundation: Complete 18 tiers of the current Combat Chest battle pass by July 11 to unlock this skin.
  • Emma Frost Will of Galacta: To claim this skin, you’ll need to link a Twitch account to your Marvel Rivals account and then watch four hours of livestreams from streamers participating in the drop campaign. If you’re unsure about which channels are partnered with Marvel Rivals, look for the mention of «Drops» in the stream title. This skin is only available until Friday, June 27.
  • Emma Frost Golden Diamond: Reach Gold rank or higher in competitive mode in season 2. You must play at least 10 competitive matches to be eligible to receive the skin.
  • Ultron Golden Ultron: Reach Gold rank or higher in competitive mode in season 2.5. You must play at least 10 competitive matches to be eligible to receive the skin.
  • Magik Retro X-Uniform: Reach page 3 in the season 2 battle pass by July 11.
  • Iron Fist Immortal Weapon of Agamotto: Reach page 9 in the season 2 battle pass by July 11.

Four of the currently available free skins are not time-gated although they are locked behind achievements or platform exclusivity. Here are the Marvel Rivals skins you can unlock at any time:

  • Spider-Man Scarlet Spider: This skin is available to PS Plus subscribers who play the game on the PS5. It can be found on the PSN Store under Marvel Rivals DLC. 
  • Peni Parker Ven#m: Like the Scarlet Spider skin, this Ven#m skin is available for PS Plus subscribers and can be found in the PSN Store. This skin is also available in the Marvel Rivals in-game store, where it can be purchased with units.
  • Storm Ivory Breeze: Earn 200 Achievement Points in the Heroic Journey achievement section. 
  • Star-Lord Jovial Star: Earn 400 Achievement Points in the Heroic Journey achievement section.

How can I get more free Marvel Rivals skins?

There are many ways to get skins in Marvel Rivals. Sometimes the developer issues special codes to unlock them while others require completing challenges. There are also some made available by watching streams on Twitch and many skins are «free» for progressing through the Marvel Rivals Battle Pass, which costs 990 Lattice, or approximately $10.

You can also earn skins through regularly playing the game, as a free skin is frequently awarded with the completion of seasonal events. Players who reach gold rank or higher in competition also receive a free skin as a reward for their performance. Live events like Cerebro Database include free skins as a completion reward.

What free skins used to be available in Marvel Rivals?

Twitch drops, battle passes and promo codes get cycled in and out of rotation, allowing Marvel Rivals players to earn different free skins from engaging with the game during different events. Here are all of the previously available free skins, what season they were introduced in and how they were obtainable.

Season 0 free skins

  • Iron Man Armor Model 42: This skin was unlocked through opening the Bundle Code main menu option and inputting the promo code nwarh4k3xqy. The skin rotated out of availability on March 5, 2025.
  • Scarlet Witch White Witch: This skin was an exclusive reward for Closed Alpha players, rewarded upon logging in for the first time in season 0.
  • Venom Cyan Clash: This skin was an exclusive reward for Closed Beta players, rewarded upon logging in for the first time in season 0.
  • Magneto Will of Galacta: This skin was unlocked as a Twitch drop during season 0. The skin rotated out of availability on Dec. 31, 2024.
  • Moon Knight Golden Moonlight: This skin was available as a competitive reward for any players who reached Gold or higher in Competitive mode in season 0.
  • Jeff the Shark Cuddly Fuzzlefin: This skin was a reward for the season 0 Winter Celebration event.
  • Hela Empress of the Cosmos: This skin was a free reward from the season 0 battle pass. The season 0 battle pass was briefly available for purchase again during season 2, temporarily reintroducing this skin to the game.

Season 1 free skins

  • Hela Will of Galacta: This skin was unlocked as a Twitch drop during season 1. The skin rotated out of availability on Jan. 25, 2025.  
  • Adam Warlock Will of Galacta: This skin was unlocked as a Twitch drop during season 1. The skin rotated out of availability on April 4, 2025.
  • Winter Soldier Revolution: Available via a promo code sent to moviegoers who saw Captain America: Brave New World in participating Regal theaters during opening weekend. Also available to buy in the in-game shop.
  • Invisible Woman Blood Shield: This skin was available as a competitive reward for any players who reached Gold or higher in Competitive mode in season 1.  
  • Human Torch Blood Blaze: This skin was available as a competitive reward for any players who reached Gold or higher in Competitive mode in season 1.5.
  • Thor Reborn From Ragnarok: This skin was a reward for the season 1 Midnight Features Part 1 event.
  • Groot Carved Traveler: This skin was a reward for the season 1 Midnight Features Part 2 event.
  • Black Widow Mrs. Barnes: This skin was a reward for the season 1 Galacta’s Cosmic Adventure event. It can be bought now in the in-game shop.

  • Peni Parker Blue Tarantula: This skin was a free reward from the season 1 battle pass.
  • Scarlet Witch Emporium Matron: This skin was a free reward from the season 1 battle pass.

Season 2 free skins

  • Namor Will of Galacta: This skin was unlocked as a Twitch drop during season 2. The skin rotated out of availability on April 30, 2025.
  • Mantis Flora Maiden: This skin was a reward for the season 2 Cerebro Database Part 1 event. It is now available for purchase in the in-game shop.
  • Wolverine Patch: This skin was a reward for the season 2 Hellfire Gala 2025: Moments event. It is now available for purchase in the in-game shop.
  • Scarlet Witch Chaos Gown: This skin was a reward for playing nine quickplay or competitive matches at the beginning of season 2. The skin rotated out of availability on April 25, 2025.
  • Thing The Unlimited: This skin was available as part of an exclusive promotion with the Marvel Unlimited comics reading app. Users who signed up for Marvel Unlimited before April 16, 2025, received a code for this Thing skin.

Technologies

Your Pixel 10 Might Have Issues With Older Wireless Chargers

You might want to try taking the case off your phone in order to successfully charge it.

When Google introduced the Pixel 10 lineup in August, it became one of the first major Android phones to receive the Qi 2 wireless charging standard, which Google calls Pixelsnap. However, users noticed issues with wireless charging on the Pixel 10  almost immediately after its release. 

Some people are having trouble charging their phone with the new Pixelsnap charger, and others are having issues with older wireless chargers, including Google’s own Pixel Stands. The bulk of the problems happen when a case is on the phone — whether it has the magnet array or not.

I own both the first and second generation Pixel Stands and both will charge my Pixel 10 Pro XL without an issue if there’s no case on it. However, when I add a case to my phone, the problems begin. 

I have three cases for my phone, the Mous Super Thin Clear Case, the Magnetic Slim Case Fit by Grecazo, and a no-name soft TPU case. If my phone has any of those cases on and I attempt to charge it while it’s vertical, it starts to charge and then stops after a second or two, and keeps doing that. 

I can fix this for the first-generation Pixel Stand by turning the phone horizontal, but it will still charge very slowly. I can’t seem to fix it at all for the Pixel Stand 2 — vertical, horizontal, it doesn’t charge. 

Not everyone has this issue

The problem doesn’t seem to be universal. CNET editor Patrick Holland said he had no issues charging the Pixel 10 Pro during his time with it. 

A Google spokesperson told me the Pixel 10 lineup is not optimized for older Qi wireless charging standards, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the phones won’t work with older wireless chargers. 

Qi 2 is backwards-compatible with older standards, but the phone’s height and charging coil placement on both the phone and the charger are still factors. If you’re having problems, you might see if removing the case helps.

The prospect of potentially needing to replace your older wireless chargers with newer ones isn’t ideal, especially if you shelled out $80 for one or both of Google’s own Pixel Stands. Still, if you want the best wireless charging speed for your brand new Pixel 10 phone, it won’t be with wireless chargers that only support older Qi standards.

Continue Reading

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for Sept. 19, #361

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Sept. 19, No. 361.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.


The yellow category in Connections: Sports Edition is always easy, but today’s seemed like a no-brainer. The other categories aren’t too tough, either, especially for midwesterners. But if you’re struggling but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Spotted on TV.

Green group hint: Unusual team names.

Blue group hint: Air Jordan.

Purple group hint: The Big House is another one.

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Things seen on an NFL sideline.

Green group: NBA teams with singular nicknames.

Blue group: Teams Michael Jordan played for.

Purple group: Big Ten stadiums.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is things seen on an NFL sideline. The four answers are benches, chains, coaches and medical tent.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is NBA teams with singular nicknames. The four answers are Heat, Jazz, Magic and Thunder.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is teams Michael Jordan played for. The four answers are Barons, Bulls, UNC and Wizards.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is Big Ten stadiums. The four answers are Beaver, Camp Randall, Ohio and Spartan.

Continue Reading

Technologies

AirPods Pro 3 vs. AirPods Pro 2: Should You Upgrade?

Here’s a look at the key differences between Apple’s latest flagship noise-canceling earbuds compared with their predecessor.

With Apple releasing the AirPods Pro 3, folks who already own the AirPods Pro 2 may be wondering whether it’s worth upgrading. 

A good portion of my full review of the AirPods Pro 3 is devoted to discussing the differences between the two models. Here’s how I conclude my review: «Several new features, such as Live Translation, will be available for the AirPods Pro 2, so many AirPods Pro 2 owners won’t feel the need to upgrade right away. But if you’ve been using AirPods Pro 2 for a while, it might be worth passing them on to a friend or relative and upgrading to the Pro 3s.»

Read more: Best wireless earbuds of 2025

AirPods Pro 3 vs. AirPods Pro 2: What’s stayed the same

  • The AirPods Pro 3’s list price is still $249 (£219, AU$429). That wasn’t a given with all the uncertainty surrounding the Trump administration tariffs, but we’ll see how the price shakes out on Amazon and other retailers, where AirPods models often get discounted.
  • The AirPods Pro 3 are powered by Apple’s H2 chip, the same one that powers the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods 4 and Beats Powerbeats Pro 2. Rumors pointed to an H3 chip, but that didn’t happen. 
  • No new color options; white is still the only option.
  • The AirPods Pro 3 stick with Bluetooth 5.3, just like the AirPods Pro 2 (though some true-wireless earbuds have already jumped to Bluetooth 6.0).
  • The buds still feature a MagSafe charging case with USB-C and wireless charging. However, no USB-C charging cable is included (Apple also left out a charging cable with the AirPods 4, though most people have a USB-C cable). 

AirPods Pro 3 vs. AirPods Pro 2: What’s changed

  • While they look similar to the previous model, the AirPods Pro 3 have been redesigned. Their geometric shape has changed a bit, with the angle of the bud shifted. They’re the same length but slightly smaller width-wise, slightly larger depth-wise and weigh a touch more (5.55 grams vs. 5.3 grams on the AirPods Pro 2).
  • The AirPods Pro 3 come with new foam-infused silicone eartips in five sizes, including a new extra-extra small size.
  • The AirPods Pro 3 are equipped with heart-rate sensors like the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2.
  • 2x better noise cancellation compared to the AirPods Pro 2, according to Apple.
  • While the AirPods Pro 3 have 10.7mm drivers like the AirPods Pro 2, those drivers have been upgraded to take advantage of the buds’ new multiport acoustic architecture, which moves more air through the buds and improves sound quality.
  • The AirPods Pro 3’s microphones have been upgraded.
  • The AirPods Pro 3’s Transparency Mode has been enhanced.
  • New Live Translation feature (also available for the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 series, but not the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2).
  • The AirPods Pro 3’s battery life has improved to 8 hours with noise cancellation on and up to 10 hours in Hearing Aid mode with transparency on. The AirPods Pro 2 are rated for up to 6 hours of battery life with noise-canceling on.
  • Instead of being IPX4 splash-proof like the AirPods Pro 2, the AirPods Pro 3 got an IP57 rating (so did their charging case), which means they can withstand a sustained spray of water. (I poured water on them and they survived just fine.) They’re also dust-resistant.
  • The AirPods Pro’s case now includes a U2 chip, boosting Precision Finding range in the Find My app by 1.5x (requires an iPhone 17). The AirPods Pro 2’s case has the U1 chip.
  • Like with the AirPods 4, the AirPods Pro 3’s case no longer has a button for Bluetooth pairing. You simply double-tap on the front of the case to put the buds into Bluetooth pairing mode. The AirPods Pro 2 have a physical button for Bluetooth pairing. 

The AirPods Pro 3’s new geometric shape and eartips are among the biggest changes

While the AirPods Pro 3 and AirPods Pro 2 look very similar at first glance, they do feel different in your ears. That’s because the AirPods Pro 3’s new eartips are made of silicone but infused with foam toward the front of the ear tip. Also, the angle of the bud has been adjusted so the eartips point more directly into your ear canals. 

If you’re someone who couldn’t quite get a good fit with the original AirPods Pro or Pro 2, the new design could very well help you get a snugger, more secure fit. The fact is that a tight seal is crucial for optimal sound and noise-canceling performance, and Apple redesigned the eartips to make sure users could hear the sound and noise-canceling upgrades with the AirPods Pro 3.

Alas, the new AirPods Pro 3 tips don’t work with earlier AirPods Pro models; they attach differently. 

Do you really need the AirPods Pro 3’s heart-rate monitoring?

I personally don’t feel that heart-rate monitoring is a must-have feature, particularly if you already own a smartwatch with the feature. But for some folks, it will be a welcome addition. The heart-rate sensors have been custom-designed for the AirPods Pro 3 (they’re Apple’s smallest heart-rate sensors) and aren’t identical to the ones in the Powerbeats Pro 2, but the experience using the heart-rate monitoring feature is the same.

How much better are the AirPods Pro 3 than the AirPods Pro 2?

It’s always hard to put an exact percentage on how improved one generation of a product is to the next, and there are always some people who will prefer the older model for whatever reason. But for me, the AirPods Pro 3 are about 20-25% better. 

While they both use the H2 chip, the newest AirPods have been redesigned on the outside and inside, and most people should notice the improvements to sound quality, noise cancellation and fit. 

If you own the original AirPods Pro, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend upgrading, especially if your battery life has decreased. 

If you’re happy with your AirPods Pro 2, there’s no hurry to upgrade unless your battery life has become an issue (some people have the older AirPods Pro 2 with a Lightning connector for charging instead of USB-C). The previous generation supports most of the same features as the AirPods Pro 3 (aside from heart-monitoring), including Live Translation and Hearing Aid mode.

It’s worth pointing out that the AirPods Pro 3 offer slightly better speech clarity for Hearing Aid mode (with Automatic Conversation Boost) and better battery life — up to 10 hours with Transparency and Hearing Aid mode. That makes the AirPods 3 the better choice if you have small to moderate hearing loss and plan to use your AirPods as hearing aids. 

AirPods Pro 2 vs. AirPods Pro 3 vs. AirPods 4 with ANC spec comparison

AirPods Pro 2 AirPods Pro 3 AirPods 4 with ANC
Weight (each earbud) 0.19 ounce (5.13 grams) 0.20 ounce (5.5 grams) 0.15 ounce (4.3 grams)
Weight (case) 1.79 ounces (50.8 grams) 1.55 ounces (43.99 grams) 1.22 ounces (34.7 grams)
Water resistant IPX4 IP57 IP54
Sensors Skin-detect sensor, Optical in-ear sensor, Motion-detecting accelerometer,
Speech-detecting accelerometer, Force sensor
Skin-detect sensor, Optical in-ear sensor, Motion-detecting accelerometer,
Speech-detecting accelerometer, Force sensor, heart-rate sensor
Optical in-ear sensor, Motion-detecting accelerometer,
Speech-detecting accelerometer, Force sensor
Microphones Dual beamforming microphones, inward-facing microphone Dual beamforming microphones, inward-facing microphone Dual beamforming microphones, inward-facing microphone
Chip H2 H2 H2
Conectivity Bluetooth 5.3 Bluetooth 5.3 Bluetooth 5.3
Active Noise Cancelation,
Transparency mode
Yes Yes Yes
Conversation Awareness,
Adaptive Audio
Yes Yes Yes
Voice Isolation,
Personalized volume
Yes Yes Yes
Battery life Up to 6 hours
+30 hours with case
Up to 8 hours
+24 hours with case
Up to 5 hours
+30 hours with case
Wire in box Yes No No
Launch Price $249 $249 $179
Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © Verum World Media