Technologies

Act Fast to Score Gaming Accessories for Up to a Door-Busting 87% Off at Woot

Level up your gaming setup on the cheap with these limited-time deals from Woot.

Gaming is an addictive hobby, and today’s devices allow you to do it in multiple ways: from your PC, phone, a classic console, handheld and more. That being said, if this is your main hobby, it’s understandable that you want to have an arsenal of accessories that’ll secure your winning strategies. Right now we’ve spotted gaming accessories at Woot for as high as 87% off until June 14. Now is the perfect chance to score controllers, cables, chargers and even select video games that would make a great Father’s Day or graduation gift — all without having to pay full price.

Woot has plenty of deals on offer for every type of gamer. These include games such as Star Wars Outlaws for Xbox Series X for just $25, saving you $45 over its usual asking price. Other selections include Final Fantasy VII Rebirth for PS5 for $35, which is half off. For people who enjoy piloting and aviation, the Microsoft Flight Simulator (2024) is 50% off, bringing it down to $65.

A new Nintendo Joy-Con can now be had for just $65, saving you $15 off its regular price of $80 for a limited time. Other cool accessories include this Neat Bumblebee II USB microphone for just $17, down from its usual price of $100 and a full 83% off.

Large items are also on sale, such as this Puma Playseat active gaming chair for just $60, which is $110 off the usual asking price. Other gaming necessities such as this Razer Kaira Pro headset are down to just $90, saving you $60 over the usual price. The entire catalog of items is worth looking through, as it includes accessories for Xbox, PlayStation, Meta Quest and more.

Amazon Prime members get free shipping on all Woot orders, which means you can save a bit more. We also have a list of the best gaming PC deals in case you want look through other gaming goods.

CHEAP GAMING LAPTOP DEALS OF THE WEEK

HP Omen Intel i7 14th Gen RTX 4060 1TB SSD 16GB RAM 16.1-inch Laptop:

$960 (save $540)
HP Victus Ryzen 5 RTX 3050 512GB SSD 16GB RAM 16-inch Laptop:

$720 (save $380)
Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5 Ryzen 5 RTX 3050 512GB SSD 16GB RAM 16-inch 2K OLED Laptop:

$900 (save $320)
Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i Intel Ultra 7 RTX 3050 1TB SSD 16GB RAM 16-inch 2K OLED Touch Laptop:

$1,000 (save $515)
Acer Nitro V Intel i5 RTX 4050 512GB SSD 8GB RAM 15.6-inch Laptop:

$722 (save $58)

Deals are selected by the CNET Group commerce team, and may be unrelated to this article.

Why this deal matters

Many of the headsets, chargers, games and accessories available at Woot right now cost up to 87% more when bought elsewhere. However, buying these accessories now could save you money in the long run if you’ve already been looking for better ways to play. Keep in mind that these deals are live until June 14, so if you’ve got your eye on something, you’ll want to act fast.

Technologies

Google Rolls Out Latest AI Model, Gemini 3.1 Pro

Starting Thursday, Gemini 3.1 Pro can be accessed via the AI app, NotebookLM and more.

Google took the wraps off its latest AI model, Gemini 3.1 Pro, on Thursday, calling it a «step forward in core reasoning.» The software giant says its latest model is smarter and more capable for complex problem-solving.

Google shared a series of bookmarks and examples of the latest model’s capabilities, and is rolling out Gemini 3.1 to a series of products for consumers, enterprise and developers.

The overall AI model landscape seems to change weekly. Google’s release comes just a few days after Anthropic dropped the latest version of Claude, Sonnet 4.6, which can operate a computer at a human baseline level.

Benchmarks of Gemini 3.1

Google shared some details about AI model benchmarks for Gemini 3.1 Pro.

The announcement blog post highlights that the Gemini 3.1 Pro benchmark for the ARC-AGI-2 test for solving abstract reasoning puzzles sits at 77.1%. This is noticeably higher than Gemini 3 Pro’s 31.1% score for the same test.

The ARC-AGI-2 benchmark is one of multiple improvements coming from Gemini 3.1 Pro, Google says.

3.1 Pro enhancements

With better benchmarks nearly across the board, Google highlighted some of the ways that translate in general use:

Code-based animations: The latest Gemini model can easily create animated SVG images that are scalable without quality loss and ready to be added to websites with a text prompt.

Creative coding: Gemini 3.1 Pro generated an entire website based on a character from Emily Brontë’s novel Wuthering Heights, if she were a landscape photographer showing off her portfolio.

Interactive design: 3.1 Pro was used to create a 3D interactive starling murmuration that allows the flock to be controlled in an assortment of ways, all while a soundscape is generated that changes with the movement of the birds.

Availability

As of Thursday, Gemini 3.1 Pro is rolling out in the Gemini app for those with the AI Pro or Ultra plans. NotebookLM users subscribed to one of those plans will also be able to take advantage of the new model.

Both developers and enterprises can also access the new model via the Gemini API through a range of products, including AI Studio, Gemini Enterprise, Antigravity and Android Studio.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for Feb. 20 #719

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for Feb. 20, No. 719.

Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Strands puzzle is a bit tricky. Some of the answers are difficult to unscramble, so if you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: True grit

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: You might find this in a wood shop.

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

SAND, CART, SCAR, SCAT, PAPER, HAVE

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:

COARSE, HARSH, SCRATCHY, ROUGH, PRICKLY, ABRASIVE

Today’s Strands spangram

Today’s Strands spangram is SANDPAPER. To find it, start with the S that’s the farthest-left letter on the very top row, and wind down.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for Feb. 20, #515

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Feb. 20, No. 515.

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.

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition features a category all about my favorite football team. If you’re struggling with today’s puzzle 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 appear in the NYT Games app, but it does 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: We’ll be right back…

Green group hint: Run for the roses.

Blue group hint: Skol!

Purple group hint: