Technologies

How to Get Free Marvel Rivals Skins With the College Perks Program

The noble pursuit of a higher education can net you some free Marvel Rivals rewards. Here’s how.

You might be subsisting off ramen noodles and Red Bull, but that doesn’t mean you need to look broke while you’re playing your games. NetEase has introduced Marvel Rivalsperks for college and university students that let them wear some of the coolest in-game costumes for free.

All you need is a valid student email and the know-how to navigate the in-game menus. Linking your NetEase account with your college’s domain is a simple process that doesn’t take more than a couple of minutes. Most US schools should be on NetEase’s list, qualifying their students for the program, but keep reading to see how others can petition for their own skins.

The currently available college perk lets you get free loaner costumes and MVP animations, but there are no details about how the program will evolve in the future. This is a good way to earn some free loot outside of events, Twitch drops and other promotions.

Here’s all the information about how to join NetEase’s college perks program — and what skins you’ll be able to wear throughout Marvel Rivals Season 3.

What Marvel Rivals college perks are available right now?

The current Marvel Rivals college perk allows you to link your student email with your NetEase account to temporarily unlock 10 free costumes (and their associated MVP highlights) for use throughout Season 3.

Activating college perks right now will let you use the following skins until the end of the season:

Moon Knight Lunar General
Captain America Avengers: Infinity War
Spider-Man No Way Home
Invisible Woman Malice
Scarlet Witch Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
The Thing Trench Coat
Jeff the Land Shark Incognito Dolphin
Thor Lord of Asgard
Cloak and Dagger Midnight Duo
Winter Soldier Blood Soldier

It’s unclear whether additional college perks will be available in the future, though it’s likely you’ll at least be able to unlock a rotating wardrobe of trial skins through the program during future Marvel Rivals seasonal updates.

How to unlock Marvel Rivals college perks

Accessing the college perks is fairly straightforward and doesn’t take more than a couple of minutes of your time, but it’s tucked away in a menu you probably don’t access all that often. Here’s a step-by-step guide to unlock college perks on your Marvel Rivals account:

Open Marvel Rivals and navigate to the main menu
Click the gear icon at the top right of the screen to open the game’s settings. The gear icon is located near your profile picture and player level.
Click the «community» button in the drop down menu.
Navigate to the third tab for college perks, then click the «details» button.
Enter your student email address and get a verification code.
Find the verification code in your college email and copy and paste it into the in-game text box beneath your student email.
Click the «verify» button.

That’s all there is to it — once you’re done with this process, you should have access to the Marvel Rivals college perks, and all 10 of the loaner costumes and MVP animations should be available for you to equip.

Detailed guide: Getting free Marvel Rivals skins and MVP animations through college perks

In order to activate Marvel Rivals college perks for your NetEase account, you’ll have to verify that you’re in possession of an active student email address for a supported academic institution.

To begin this process, you need to navigate the same in-game menus that allow you to link your Discord account and become a NetEase Gamer Premium member — you’ve likely poked around here in the past to claim a handful of free units, Marvel Rivals’ premium costume-buying currency.

When you’re in the main menu, click the gear icon at the top right of the screen. It’s one of the buttons next to your account picture and profile level. Then, click the Community button that appears on screen. Navigate to the College Perks tab and click the details button to start verifying your student email.

All you need to do is enter your student email address, request a verification code to be sent to your email and then input that verification code in-game. Voila — just like that, you’ll have access to college perks on your Marvel Rivals account.

If your email doesn’t work, it might be because it isn’t on the list of domains currently supported by the college perks program. You can see which school emails work here (PDF). If you go to school in the US, you shouldn’t have a problem signing up for the program — it’s on the list of countries that have generally accepted academic email domains.

Even still, if you’re having trouble registering and it looks like your college or university is missing from the list, you’re not completely out of luck. NetEase is having the Marvel Rivals support team field requests from students to add more domains to the program.

To send in a support request to get Marvel Rivals college perks for your school, click the customer support link under the in-game settings. If you provide your country, university name and student email domain, NetEase will work to ensure that your school is added to the program. The list of supported colleges and universities is updated weekly, so don’t fret if your verification doesn’t work right away.

If you’re interested in what other free skins you can (permanently) unlock in Marvel Rivals, we have a comprehensive free skin guide too.

FAQs

Technologies

Google Gives Chrome an AI Side Panel and Lets Gemini Browse for You

The update also includes Nano Banana image tools and deeper integrations with Google apps like Gmail, Calendar, Maps and Flights.

Google is turning Chrome into something closer to a digital copilot.

In the next wave of Gemini updates rolling out, Google on Wednesday revealed a set of new AI-powered features coming directly to its browser, aimed at reducing the frustrations of exploring the internet each day. Built on Gemini 3, the updates introduce an always-available side panel, deeper app integrations, creative image tools and a new browser agent called auto browse that can complete multistep tasks on your behalf.

Essentially, Google wants Chrome to be like an AI wingman that browses, compares and multitasks for you.

Now you can automate browsing

To me, the standout new addition is auto browse, a browser agent designed to handle tedious and time-consuming chores. Instead of hopping between tabs, filling out forms or manually comparing prices of things like products or flights, you can ask Chrome to do the legwork.

Auto browse can research flights and hotels across different dates, collect documents, schedule appointments, manage subscriptions and help with tasks like renewing a driver’s license or filing expense reports.

In a live demo I saw, Product Lead Charmaine D’Silva used the new tools to plan a family vacation. Gemini compared destinations and prices across multiple travel sites, checked school calendars to see when her kids were off and lined up schedules to find workable travel windows. When it came time to book, though, D’Silva emphasized that the final decision and purchase were still hers, underscoring Google’s plan to keep humans in control for key tasks like booking and purchases.

The feature is rolling out to AI Pro and Ultra subscribers in the US now, signaling Google’s broader push toward more agentic AI experiences.

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A new side panel experience

Another update rolling out now is a redesigned Gemini side panel in Chrome, available across MacOS, Windows and Chromebook Plus. Instead of opening a separate tab, Gemini now lives alongside whatever you’re working on, making it easier to multitask without breaking your flow. Testers have used it to summarize reviews across sites, compare shopping options and juggle packed calendars while keeping their main task front and center.

AI image editing with Nano Banana

Chrome is also trying to become more creative. Google is bringing Nano Banana, its AI image editing and generation tool, directly into the browser. You can now edit and reimagine images you find on the web without downloading files or switching apps — whether that’s mocking up a living room redesign or turning raw data into an infographic at work.

Chrome connects with other Google apps

Under the hood, Gemini in Chrome is becoming more connected to the rest of Google’s ecosystem. Integrations with Gmail, Calendar, Maps, YouTube, Google Flights and Shopping will allow the assistant to pull in relevant context and take action across apps. Planning a trip, for example, could involve referencing an old email, checking flight options and drafting a follow-up email to your travel companions. Now all in one place.

More to come

Looking ahead, Google says personal intelligence is coming to Chrome in the coming months. With user opt-in, Gemini will remember context from past interactions to deliver more tailored, proactive help across the web, while giving you control over what data is connected and when.

Technologies

If You Drink Decaf, Read This: More Than 80,000 Keurig Pods Recalled

Here’s how to get a full refund if you bought these coffee pods.

If you’re a decaf K-Cup drinker, this message is for you. Keurig has recalled the McCafe Premium Roast Decaf Coffee K-Cup Pods because they may contain caffeine.

Here’s everything to know.

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What was recalled?

Keurig Dr Pepper voluntarily recalled 960 cartons of McCafe Premium Roast Decaf Coffee K-Cup Pods, according to a US Food and Drug Administration memo. The reason listed for the recall reads: «Product is labeled as decaf, but might contain caffeine.»

CNET chose McCafé Premium Roast as the best K-Cup, although the decaffeinated version was not included. It is unclear at this time how many states sold the cartons.

A representative for Keurig Dr Pepper did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

How to know if you have a recalled product

The recalled items will have the following information:

Best by date: 17 NOV 2026
Batch number: 5101564894
Material number: 5000358463
ASIN: B07GCNDL91
UPC: 043000073438

The recall is ongoing. If you have a recalled product, you can return it to your place of purchase for a full refund.

Technologies

The Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold’s Nearly $3,000 Price Might Unfold Your Whole Wallet

This double-folding phone will be the most expensive mainstream handset released in the US.

Samsung’s twin-hinged Galaxy Z TriFold is nearly on sale, coming before the Galaxy S26 launch next month. Starting Jan. 30, foldable phone fans who want the most advanced device in the US can pick one up, but they’ll have to pay a hefty price: The device starts at a jaw-dropping $2,900.

Yes, for over three times the price of a Galaxy S25, you can pick up the most advanced smartphone — and certainly the most expensive — Samsung has ever rolled out. Even the Galaxy Z Fold 7, which starts at $2,000 with 256GB of storage, only reaches $2,420 at the highest 1TB storage configuration.

As products across all industries get costlier, phone-makers have priced foldables in an even more premium tier than the most innovative flat smartphones (like the iPhone 17 Pro Max and Galaxy S25 Ultra). It seems Samsung will use the twin-hinged Galaxy Z TriFold to set an even higher price ceiling for smartphones.

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Anyone who buys the Galaxy Z TriFold will get one of the most technically impressive handsets released in the US. But is the technology worth the cost?

The Galaxy Z TriFold unfolds into a 10-inch inner display that rivals the screens of full-size tablets. It’s noticeably larger than the 8-inch inner screen on the single-hinged Galaxy Z Fold 7 foldable. Its two hinges, built of titanium, are tested to endure 200,000 folds, according to Samsung.

When unfolded, the Z TriFold is 3.9mm at its thinnest point. That’s slightly outdone by the slimmer Huawei Mate XT’s 3.6mm, which beat Samsung to market by an entire year with a trifold that’s not available in the US. That might be nearing the limit for phone thinness, as it’s barely enough to accommodate the USB-C port at the bottom of either device.

The Galaxy Z TriFold and Huawei Mate XT are roughly comparable in size and specs, though the Huawei phone’s EMUI operating system and the lack of familiar Google apps (due to the ban on US companies working with the Chinese phone-maker) mean Android fans may prefer Samsung’s. The Huawei foldable is also more expensive, starting at 3,499 euros (about $4,150 today), and may not be compatible with US carriers out of the box.

Read more: Galaxy Z TriFold vs. Huawei Mate XT: One Is the Most Versatile Phone I’ve Ever Used

The Galaxy Z TriFold has a customized Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, the same one that powers last year’s Galaxy S25 series. It won’t feature the latest Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 silicon, which is likely to power this year’s most advanced Android handsets (potentially including the upcoming, but not yet announced, Samsung Galaxy S26 series).

The Galaxy Z TriFold will start at 512GB of storage and packs a 5,600-mAh battery, larger than the Z Fold 7’s 4,400-mAh capacity unit. It recharges at 45 watts, which is typical for Samsung phones, though other premium Android handsets have long ago surpassed that rate, like the OnePlus 15 with 80-watt charging. It has three rear cameras (a 200-megapixel main, a 12-megapixel ultrawide and a 10-megapixel telephoto) and comes in a single color, crafted black.

All told, the Galaxy Z Trifold offers only marginal upgrades over the Galaxy Z Fold 7, and its hardware will likely be surpassed soon when the Galaxy S26 series launches with newer chips.

At $1,000 to $2,000 above other Android phones and foldables, the Z TriFold seems to offer only a single advantage: its massive inner display. While undeniably a technical marvel, that’s not nearly enough added value for most people to justify the steep upsell on your standard smartphone, or even another book-style foldable. For folks who «crave» the most advanced phone on the market, though, maybe it’s worth the expense.