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Anti-Prime Deal: Get a PS5 Slim and One of My Favorite Games for $106 Off With This Walmart Discount

Astro Bot is easily one of the best showcases of the PS5 Slim’s features and performance. Score both the game and the console together for just $453 today at Walmart.

If you’ve been on the fence about jumping into the current generation of 4K console gaming (or have been waiting for a good time to add a Sony PlayStation 5 to your gaming arsenal), today is a good day to make your move. As part of its anti-Prime Day counteroffensive, Walmart has the PS5 Slim console with Astro Bot bundle (packing in one of my favorite games on the platform) for $453, a massive $106 discount.

The PS5 boasts impressive graphic horsepower, and the slim variant on offer packs that power into a smaller, more shelf-friendly package. This is also the version that retains its optical disc drive, so you’ll still be able to borrow physical games from friends or save money by picking up pre-owned copies of older favorites. 

However, the features that most capture my attention are packed into the console’s included DualSense wireless controller. The controller features haptic triggers, an evolution of the familiar rumble feedback that adds variable resistance and feel to the left and right trigger buttons. It’s the sort of thing you have to feel to truly understand. Fortunately, the adorable Astro Bot — one of the showcases of everything the console and controller’s haptics can do — is included in the bundle.

Looking for more Prime Day deals? CNET’s text deals are an easy way to keep up with the latest sales. And hey, it’s free!

Astro Bot is the sequel to the pack-in Astro’s Playroom, building out the world of PlayStation’s cutesy robotic mascot with platforming stages that showcase the PS5’s motion controls, haptic feedback, touchpad and more. If the PS5 supports a feature, Astro Bot puts it through its paces. The gameplay is easy enough for novices or younger gamers to enjoy, while the visuals, clever mechanics and challenge modes kept me, a well-seasoned gamer, delighted for hours on end. Not just a glorified tech demo, this game is also a love letter to PlayStation’s storied 30-plus year history with cameo appearances by dozens of characters from beloved first- and third-party titles.

Why this deal matters

Walmart’s PS5 Slim and Astro Bot bundle offers a significant discount, saving you approximately $106 compared to purchasing the console and game separately at their regular prices. This substantial saving means you’ll have enough extra cash to grab two additional games from Sony’s extensive PlayStation catalog, immediately expanding your gaming library and your fun. Check out the best of Walmart’s anti-Prime Day deals for even more ways to save.

Technologies

Want to Watch a Podcast? Netflix and Spotify Partner to Bring Video Podcasts to Streaming

Starting in early 2026, Netflix subscribers in the US will be able to watch select Spotify Studios and Ringer podcasts directly on the streaming platform.

Netflix and Spotify are teaming up to blur the line between streaming and podcasting. The two companies announced a new partnership that will bring a curated slate of Spotify’s top video podcasts, including shows from Spotify Studios and The Ringer, to Netflix starting in early 2026. The goal is to make popular podcasts as watchable as TV, expanding both services’ reach into sports, culture, lifestyle and true crime.


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The deal marks Spotify’s most significant distribution push beyond its own platform, and for Netflix, it’s a new way to keep audiences engaged with talk-driven, low-cost programming. Early titles include The Bill Simmons Podcast, The Rewatchables, Dissect, Conspiracy Theories and Serial Killers, among others. You can find the complete list here.

More shows and genres are expected to be added over time.

Netflix says the partnership complements its library of documentaries and talk shows, offering «fresh voices and new perspectives.» Spotify, meanwhile, described it as «a new chapter for podcasting,» giving creators access to Netflix’s global audience while expanding discovery for listeners who prefer watching podcasts.

The rollout will begin in the US early next year, with additional markets to follow in 2026.

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Technologies

Every Active Borderlands 4 SHiFT Code

It’s dangerous to explore Kairos without some legendary gear. These promo codes will unlock epic loot and vault hunter cosmetics in Borderlands 4.

The biggest looter shooter of the year, Borderlands 4, is out, and tons of players are already taking the fight to the Timekeeper on Kairos. If you want to put the beat down on someone strong enough to control time, then you’re going to need an arsenal of powerful weapons and equipment.

Luckily, developer Gearbox Software is willing to lend a helping hand. Instead of having to farm every piece of legendary equipment in-game, you can roll the dice on some loot with Golden Keys unlocked by SHiFT promo codes.

If you’re already swimming in more loot than you know what to do with, some SHiFT codes also unlock special cosmetic looks for your favorite vault hunters. Special in-game challenges have already unlocked promo codes for Amon, Rafa and Vex vault hunter skins, with a Harlowe skin unlocking soon. Here’s how to use the latest SHiFT codes in Borderlands 4.

All active SHiFT codes for Borderlands 4

You can hunt down SHiFT codes on social media, but we’ll keep all of the active promo codes in one place for ease of access.

Below, you’ll find a chart that contains every active SHiFT code for Borderlands 4, what it unlocks and its expiration date:

Active Borderlands 4 SHiFT codes

Reward SHiFT code Expiration date
Golden Key WZK3B-SHTHF-JZ59K-SBT3B-TWHXT Oct. 19, 2025
Vex Mass Market Appeal Skin BZ6JJ-CB6CT-WXJJW-3TT3B-56FZ5 Jan. 1, 2031
Amon Cult Classic Skin JZ6BJ-SBR5J-WF3BK-BT3BB-TX9HB Dec. 31, 2030
Rafa Savings Savior Skin TZXT3-XJXCB-CXBJW-BTTJT-9SK6B Dec. 31, 2030
Break Free Cosmetics Pack JS63J-JSCWJ-CFTBW-3TJ3J-WJS5R Jan. 1, 2031
Golden Key T9RJB-BFKRR-3RBTW-B33TB-KCZB9 No expiration

How to redeem SHiFT codes for your Borderlands 4 account

While SHiFT codes are totally free rewards for you to accumulate, you must make a SHiFT account to input any active codes in-game.

SHiFT is a service that Gearbox integrates into its biggest games, and making an account unlocks forums and exclusive beta participation. It’s also necessary to create an account to turn in any promo codes, which is what most fans care about.

Once your account is created, you can enter your SHiFT codes in two separate places. Within your SHiFT account settings, you can find a Rewards tab with a field to enter any Borderlands promo codes. Once you enter the codes, any unlocked items will be added to your account the next time you open the game.

However, an easier way to input your SHiFT codes is within Borderlands 4 itself. Within the game’s pause menu, you can access a SHiFT. Select the Rewards tab from the resulting menu, input your codes, and the unlocked items will be immediately available on your save.

Where are SHiFT codes normally released?

SHiFT codes are released fairly frequently on Gearbox and Gearbox-affiliated social media channels. For the best chance at catching every new SHiFT code that gets released, you should follow Gearbox on X and on Facebook.

Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford also releases promos on his X account, so if you’re brave enough to follow him despite his frequent outbursts toward fans you can find SHiFT codes there as well.

What are SHiFT codes?

SHiFT codes are promo codes that Gearbox occasionally releases that reward players with loot and cosmetics in Borderlands games. The main SHiFT code reward is a Golden Key, which opens the Golden Chest in most Borderlands hub areas.

But don’t spend them immediately — it’s worth saving your Golden Keys until you reach the level cap and are playing on the hardest difficulty, as the loot rewards will scale to your character accordingly. This is a great way to begin farming some endgame legendaries quickly and easily.

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Technologies

Barack Obama Reveals He Only Plays This One Phone Game

No, it’s not Wordle or Connections, but you’ve almost certainly heard of it.

Many of us rely on our smartphones for entertainment as well as communication, playing New York Times games such as Wordle, Connections and Strands on our phones. (CNET has daily answers for those games, plus Connections: Sports Edition and the Mini Crossword, if you’re ever stumped.) Now, one very famous person recently revealed that he plays only one phone game — and it’s one you’ve likely heard of.


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Former President Barack Obama appeared on the final episode of the podcast WTF with Marc Maronhttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-1686-barack-obama/id329875043?i=1000731550704#link={%22linkText%22:%22final episode of the podcast WTF with Marc Maron%22,%22target%22:%22_blank%22,%22href%22:%22https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-1686-barack-obama/id329875043?i=1000731550704%22,%22role%22:%22standard%22,%22absolute%22:%22%22}on Monday. He revealed the only game he plays on his phone is Words With Friends.

Obama says he plays the word game to keep up his friendship with longtime White House photographer Pete Souza.

«I could be in the middle of negotiations on a nuclear treaty, and if that ping goes off, there’s a part of me that’s like, ‘I wonder what [word] he [Pete Souza] played,» Obama said.

Words With Friends is similar to, but not associated with, the world-building game Scrabble. It was released in 2009 and is owned by game company Zynga, and can be played on devices running iOS and Android. Players take turns creating words on a game board using their rack of seven letter tiles, trying to score as high as possible while using special bonus squares to double or triple their points. As of Tuesday, Words With Friends ranked No. 14 on the free Word Games list in the Apple App Store.

Obama did not share whether he or Souza tends to win the majority of the pair’s games.

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