Twitters New CEO Linda Yaccarino Eases Into the Hot Seat

Twitter’s New CEO, Linda Yaccarino, Eases Into the Hot Seat Linda Yaccarino, who initially could not take ad sales meetings because of a noncompete clause, is adjusting to her new role reporting to Elon Musk.

Nvidia RTX 4060 review roundup: you deserve better

Nvidia RTX 4060 review roundup: you deserve better

Nvidia doesn’t have a picture of the 4060 specifically, but here’s a representation of the 4060 lineup from its marketing video. | Image: Nvidia

Linus Tech Tips is calling it a “wet fart of a GPU.” Hardware Unboxed says it’s “a slap in the face to gamers.” Here’s how GamersNexus begins its conclusion: “This isn’t as egregiously embarrassing as the 4060 Ti.”

They’re all talking about the Nvidia RTX 4060, a 1080p-focused graphics card which launches tomorrow for $300 — and probably isn’t worth that price.

Not everyone thinks it’s a bad card. I’ve poured through reviews today, and some conclude that it is, at least, one of the best 1080p cards you can currently buy brand-new. Here’s Andrew Cunningham with Ars Technica:

It’s not an exciting upgrade, but if you asked me which GPU I would buy for an $800 to $1,000 gaming PC, the RTX 4060 would be the one I’d point to, especially with so many 3060 cards (as of this writing) still selling for pretty close to the same $300 price.

And Jarred Walton with Tom’s Hardware:

The RTX 4060 isn’t a terrible card by any means. Some people will probably say it is, but across our benchmark suite, it was universally faster than the previous generation RTX 3060 at every setting that mattered (meaning, not counting 4K ultra performance, where neither card delivered acceptable performance). There will be edge cases where it falls behind, like Spider-Man: Miles Morales running 1440p ultra, where minimum fps was clearly worse than on the 3060. But overall? Yes, it’s faster than the previous generation, and it even cuts the price by $30 — not that the RTX 3060 was available for $329 during most of its shelf life.

Every reviewer notes that Nvidia did do a good job on power consumption, with a card that consumes under 115W under load. Some point out that DLSS 3 frame generation made a notable difference — in the handful of games that support it.

But every reviewer I’ve seen also agrees this GPU is hamstrung by a paltry 128-bit memory bus and 8GB of VRAM. Many point out that the 4060 is not only occasionally losing to the 3060 — a two-year-old GPU which already struggled to justify its existence — it’s almost always losing to the two-and-a-half-year-old 3060 Ti.

Here’s Chris Szewczyk with PC Gamer:

The RTX 3060 Ti retains a notable lead over the RTX 4060 here. When viewed in that context, the RTX 4060 is on the disappointing side. We’d usually expect a card from a new generation to match a card a tier up from the previous generation, in this case, that would be the RTX 3070, but since even the 3060 Ti is out of reach, the 3070 remains completely unchallenged.

And Steven Walton at TechSpot:

The RTX 4060 aligns more with what we traditionally think of as a GTX 1650 or GTX 1050 Ti-class product – a $100-$150 GPU, not a $300 one. One glance at the MSI Ventus 2x MSRP model we were sent is enough to conclude that this isn’t typically what we consider a $300 graphics card.

You can currently find the 3060 Ti for as low as $330 — no, even as low as $275 on sale. Or, you could pick up the AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT, one model of which is currently $310 at Newegg. Or the Radeon RX 7600, a card that somewhat disappointed my colleague Tom but at least costs $30-$40 less than Nvidia’s new model and can sometimes beat it in rasterized games.

Personally, I’d sooner roll the dice on a used 3070 than any of these. I’m not a fan of the direction GPUs have been headed, and eBay completed listings show a preowned 3070, which will soundly beat the 4060, can be had for roughly the same price.

The best doorbell cameras

The best doorbell cameras

Illustration by Kristen Radtke / The Verge, Shutterstock

We pick the best video doorbell cameras for keeping an eye on people, packages, and anything else that comes across your front porch.

With a smart doorbell, your front door’s communication skills go from 1980s landline to 2023 smartphone. Combining a motion-activated camera with a microphone, speaker, and doorbell, a doorbell camera sends alerts to your phone to show you who’s calling without you having to open the door or even be at home. Whether you’re curled up on the couch, hard at work in your office, or sunning on a beach in the Bahamas, a smart doorbell camera keeps you in touch with what’s happening on your doorstep.

I have tested more than 30 video doorbells, and while there’s no one-size-fits-all — like a smartphone, it’s a personal choice — I have thoughts on which are the best of the best and which work well for specific use cases.

My most important advice is that if you have existing doorbell wires, use them. Wired doorbells are generally cheaper, work better, and are more compact, so they tend to look nicer.

If you don’t have wires and don’t want to pay for an electrician to run them, try using an AC power adapter (Ring and Google Nest sell their own; you can also find generic ones). But if all else fails, I’ve got a couple recommendations for good battery-powered buzzers. Just plan to pick up an extra battery when you purchase, or factor in removing it from your door every few months to charge it for a few hours.

Best doorbell camera

Video quality: 960x1280p, 6x zoom, HDR / Smart alerts: Person, package, animal, vehicle and facial recognition ($) Aspect ratio: 3:4 / Field of view: 145 degrees diagonal / Power options: Wired / Wi-Fi: 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz / Storage: Cloud and local / Subscription fee: $3.99 a month / Works with: Alexa, Google, SmartThings

The Nest Doorbell Wired (2nd-gen) is one of only two video doorbells in this list that can record 24/7. Being able to scroll through a continuous timeline view of everything that’s happened at your front door is super helpful and means you won’t miss a crucial moment — even if something happens outside of motion-detecting range. This, along with a low price, good video quality, the ability to tell you who and what is at your door, and some free recorded video, make it the best doorbell for most people.

The Nest Wired is also the best video doorbell that works with Google Home, and the best for protecting your packages. Its proactive package watch feature tells you when a package arrives and sends another alert when it’s gone. In my testing, it worked very well.

Unlike most of the competition, Google doesn’t charge you for smart notifications. The Nest Wired will tell you if it’s a person, package, animal, or vehicle at your door for free. You also get free activity zones to cut down on unwanted notifications, and three free hours of event-based recordings, thanks to its local storage and local processing. You can, in theory, use this doorbell without paying a subscription.

But three hours isn’t enough time to be particularly useful. And the $6 per month ($60 / year) Nest Aware subscription is expensive compared to single-camera subs from competitors. It does cover all your Google Nest cameras for less than competitor multi-camera offerings and adds 30 days of event-recorded video storage, plus Nest’s excellent Familiar Faces feature that tells you who is at your door, mostly reliably. If you want the 24/7 recording, however, you need to up it to $12 per month ($120 / year), but again this subscription applies to all Google Nest cameras you have.

The Nest wired has four color options and more discreet branding than most doorbells.

The Nest Doorbell Wired is essentially the same as the Nest Doorbell Battery. It costs the same, has the same tech specs, and looks identical beyond a size difference. But there is one key hardware change: the Nest wired is a true wired doorbell, which means it runs directly off your existing doorbell wiring.

Because it's wired, it can record continuously, which the battery version can’t. The wired power also means it’s faster and more reliable. Plus, as with all true wired doorbells, it catches more footage at the beginning of each event (about three to four seconds) — thereby avoiding the back-of-the-head problem many doorbells suffer from, where the camera takes too long to wake up to catch the visitor as they approach.

On paper, it doesn’t have the best specs; the Arlo and Ring Pro 2 look better technically. But you do get 960 x 1280 pixel resolution and a 6x digital zoom. And video quality is very good, thanks to some digital trickery. A 3:4 portrait aspect ratio and 145-degree field of view meant I could see my porch from top to bottom and a fair amount from side to side.

On-device AI makes the Nest speedy with notifications, and it delivers rich alerts to both your phone and watch. These are interactive, allowing me to press and hold the video to see a clip and activate one of the three pre-set quick responses. It’s also quick to call up live video.

Nest’s doorbells and cameras work with Nest smart displays and speakers to show and/or tell you who is at your door, and with Amazon Alexa smart displays to see and talk to your visitor. They also work with Samsung SmartThings, but there’s no native integration with Apple Home.

There are a few quirks. There’s no reliable way to snooze notifications from the doorbell, and if you use have multiple Nest speakers or displays, they’ll all announce your visitors. Not great if you have a Nest Mini in your kid’s nursery. It also doesn’t work with the Nest app, only the Google Home app.

The Home app is much improved, however, thanks to a big redesign that launched in May 2023. It handles video playback in particular much better than before. You can also now use a doorbell press to trigger an automation — such as turning on a light in the hallway.

Read my full Nest Doorbell wired review for more details.

Best wired doorbell camera for Alexa and Ring

Video quality: 1536 x 1536p, HDR / Smart alerts: Person, package ($) Aspect ratio: 1:1 / Field of view: 150 degrees horizontal, 150 degrees vertical / Power options: Wired / Wi-Fi: 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz / Storage: Cloud and local (with Ring Alarm Pro) / Subscription fee: $3.99 a month / Works with: Amazon Alexa, Samsung SmartThings

The Ring Pro 2 is more expensive than the Nest Wired, but its video is higher quality and much brighter. It has an ideal square aspect ratio for a full front porch view, speedy notifications, and impressively accurate motion detection using three separate sensors — radar, video analysis, and passive infrared. It also has a nice slim design and multiple faceplate options to fit your decor. Those features combine to make this one of the best video doorbells you can buy. But it doesn’t have any free video recording, there’s no option for 24/7 recording, and the smart alerts are limited to people and packages only.

The Ring Pro 2 is the best doorbell that works with Amazon Alexa and Ring’s security system and cameras, but it has little to no integration with other platforms, so it’s not a good option if you use another platform and want to add your doorbell to smart home routines. It does work with Samsung SmartThings, and integrating it into Apple Home can be done, but it requires extra hardware.

The Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2 has a compact design and the option of swappable faceplates for a different look.

A true wired doorbell, Ring Pro 2 has alerts for packages and people (but not for vehicles or animals), color night vision, dual-band Wi-Fi, and smart responses (which let your doorbell can talk to your visitor for you). The Ring app is excellent. There are pages of settings you can tinker with, and the timeline view to scroll through your recordings is very good.

The Pro 2 will work with existing doorbell chimes, plus Ring sells a plug-in Chime and Chime Wi-Fi extender that can help boost connectivity while providing a selection of fun doorbell tones. Of all the doorbells I tested, this had the best range and connectivity, and built-in, full-color pre-roll helps ensure you don’t miss any crucial action.

Ring doorbell cameras can stream to Amazon Echo Show smart displays, and show the feed automatically if someone presses the doorbell.

As with a lot of doorbell cameras, the Pro 2 can use Echo smart speakers to announce when there’s somebody at the door. Ring doorbells can also automatically pull up a live feed of your doorbell on an Echo Show or Fire TV-enabled television when someone presses the doorbell. This gives you an instant video intercom in your home — a super handy feature.

The downside is the Pro 2 is expensive, and you will need to pay for the Ring Protect plan (starting at $3.99 a month or $39.99 a year for 180 days of video storage) to view recorded footage and get smart alerts. This also adds an extra six seconds of pre-roll video, which, in lieu of 24/7 recording (not an option on any Ring doorbell), provides plenty of time around motion events to catch all the action. The digital zoom is good, but not the best on offer — Arlo wins that race with a whopping 12x.

The Pro does work with Ring Edge for local storage and processing of videos, plus the option of cellular backup. But you need a Ring Alarm Pro and Ring Protect Pro subscription for this ($20 a month, which includes professional monitoring), although compared to $12 a month for just video services with the Nest, it’s a pretty good deal.

Read the full Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2 review.

Best battery-powered doorbell camera

Video quality: 1536 x 1536p, HDR, color night vision / Smart Alerts: Person, package ($) Aspect ratio: 1:1 / Field of view: 150 degrees horizontal, 150 degrees vertical / Power options: Battery, wired trickle charge, solar / Wi-Fi: 2.4 GHz / Storage: Cloud and local (with Ring Alarm Pro) / Subscription fee: $3.99 a month / Works with: Amazon Alexa, Samsung SmartThings

If you have no choice but to rely on battery power, the Ring Battery Doorbell Plus is the way to go. At $179.99, it’s a bit more expensive than my previous top pick for a battery doorbell — the Ring 4 — even though it looks identical. But you get head-to-toe video and better video resolution giving you a clearer picture of what’s going on at your door. That’s worth the extra $20.

Unlike the Ring 4, and like most other battery-powered doorbells, there’s no pre-roll. If catching people as they approach your door — not just at your door — is crucial for you, you might want to consider the 4. But the Plus also adds color night vision and, in testing, was more responsive than any other battery doorbell I’ve tested, pulling up a live view in under four seconds compared with upwards of 10 seconds for most others.

The Ring Plus and Ring 4 look identical, but the Plus has some plusses.

Battery life isn’t great, despite the name. It lasted two months with all the features turned on — except the extra-length recordings (default is 30 seconds, but it can go up to 120). This is about the same as the 4 and less than the Eufy Dual. You can tweak settings on either doorbell to reduce power consumption, but then you have to give up features like HDR (which makes it easier to see faces) and snapshot capture, which takes a picture every five minutes to give you a better idea of what’s been happening at your door.

On the plus side, Ring is the only company that does offer swappable batteries. The Plus uses the same $35 Quick Release ones as Ring’s battery-powered cameras. This makes it so much easier to keep your doorbell charged — just keep a second on hand charged and ready to swap in when you get low (they’re easy to charge with USB type-A cable, and one is included). Most other doorbells you have to fully remove to recharge.

The Ring Battery Plus uses a removable, rechargeable battery.

But — as with all Ring doorbells — there are no animal or vehicle alerts, only people and packages (for a fee). It’s also 2.4 GHz only, which is a disappointment, although I didn’t have any connectivity issues in testing.

Other features include pre-recorded quick replies and the option to set a motion alert schedule, plus live view and two-way audio. You need a Ring Protect Plan for recorded video, as well as people-only mode, which cuts down on unnecessary alerts and package alerts. Both of these were very accurate in testing. A subscription starts at $3.99 a month. Home and Away features are also behind the paywall, which makes it fiddly to turn off your cameras when you’re home without coughing up some cash.

The Plus also works with Ring Edge, a local storage and processing option that requires a Ring Alarm Pro smart hub and a Ring Protect Pro subscription ($20 a month). This also adds cellular backup through its Eero Wifi system, so it can keep your doorbell online if both the power and internet go out.

The Plus can announce visitors on Echo speakers and automatically pull up a two-way audio / video call on an Echo Show. It won’t work with your existing chime unless you wire it (which also trickle charges the battery), but Ring sells a plug-in chime.

Best budget doorbell camera

Video quality: 1080p / Smart alerts: none / Aspect ratio: 16:9 / Field of view: 135 degrees horizontal, 80 degrees vertical / Power options: Wired or battery / Wi-Fi: 2.4 GHz / Storage: Cloud or local with a Sync Module / Subscription fee: $3 a month / Works with: Amazon Alexa

The Blink Video Doorbell is the best option for a cheap doorbell with no ongoing fees. And while it works as a wired doorbell, it's also a good option for a battery-powered buzzer, as it can go up to two years on two AAs. I don’t love this doorbell, as video and audio quality are not great, but it’s cheap, it gets the job done, and that battery life is phenomenal.

The Blink lacks a lot of bells and whistles (no smart alerts or quick replies, only 1080p video, and a standard 16:9 aspect ratio), but the basics are here — motion-activated recording (with a max of 30 seconds), alerts, live view (with caveats), night vision, motion zones, and two-way audio. If you want to pay $50 (often less) to have a camera at your door and be done with it, get the Blink.

I only recommend buying the Blink with its wireless hub, the Sync Module 2.

The biggest selling point for Blink is the feature that makes its similarly inexpensive security cameras so attractive: up to two years of battery life on two AA lithium batteries. The company has developed a super energy-efficient chip that will power its cameras longer than any other doorbell I’ve tested. (I managed almost a year with very heavy use).

Uniquely for a battery-powered doorbell, the Blink can also be a true hardwired doorbell. When wired, it will activate an existing chime (something neither the sub-$100 Ring nor Wyze doorbells can do) and provide constant power — not just trickle charge. This means it can wake up faster than a battery-powered buzzer and catch your visitor as they arrive. Wiring also adds on-demand two-way audio and live view (otherwise, you can only see the stream if there’s a motion event at the doorbell or someone presses the buzzer.)

The lack of an on-demand live view on battery power would be a deal-breaker, but I only recommend buying this doorbell with its wireless hub, the Sync Module 2, which also facilitates on-demand live views plus adds free, local storage. (You can get a live view with a subscription, too, starting at $3 a month). The extra $35 for the Sync Module 2 should pay for itself compared to a monthly subscription, and for a total of $85, this is still less than Wyze or Ring’s similar offerings (you will also need a USB stick to store the videos on).

The Blink comes in white or black and, because it uses AA batteries, isn’t as huge as most battery-powered doorbells, making it a more discreet option. It is a giant pain in the neck to install, however; make sure to follow the video instructions Blink provides closely to save a lot of frustration.

The biggest drawbacks are lower video quality and poor audio quality (it can be staticky, and it’s push-to-talk — not full duplex), short recording length, and no smart alerts. The app is also a bit tricky to navigate. It doesn’t work with Google Home, but it works great with Alexa, and you can see a live view on Echo Show devices and use any Echo speaker as an indoor chime.

Best doorbell camera that works with any smart home

Video quality: 1536x1536p, 12x zoom, HDR / Aspect ratio: 1:1 / Field of view: 180 degrees horizontal / Power options: Wired / Wi-Fi: 2.4 GHz / Storage: Cloud / Subscription fee: $3.99 a month / Works with: Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Samsung SmartThings, Apple Home (with an Arlo Hub)

If you use more than one smart home platform, are looking for something that’s outside the Google or Alexa ecosystem, or are put off Ring due to its Neighbors app or controversial police partnerships (it’s worth noting you can opt out of both those), the Arlo Essential Wired Doorbell is a great all-around choice.

For less money and with more features than the Ring Pro 2, Arlo’s video doorbell adds native Apple Home support and works very well with Google Home; Arlo’s doorbell is one of the few non-Google cameras you can view live feeds from in the Google Home app. It also works with Amazon Alexa. But note it doesn’t support HomeKit Secure Video, and you will need to pick up the Arlo SmartHub ($100) to integrate with Apple Home.

If you are already using Arlo cameras or its security system, this is an easy add. It also has smart alerts for people, packages, animals, and vehicles, a handy square aspect ratio, and a 180-degree field of view that gets the whole porch. Plus, it has the same high video resolution as the Pro 2.

There is also a built-in siren for scaring off a package thief or neighborhood cat and a backup battery (it only lasts for a few minutes). Courtesy of its wired nature, it has a pre-roll that captures your visitor as they approach. Arlo’s wire-free option doesn’t have this and suffers from that back-of-the-head problem.

However, the Arlo is not as fast or reliable as the Nest Doorbell Wired. It isn’t as quick to send alerts or pull up a video feed and struggled when placed farther from the router. If you don’t have a good Wi-Fi signal at your front door, the Arlo isn’t for you. And there is no option of a chime Wi-Fi extender as with the Ring Pro 2, and it only works over 2.4 GHz — both the Ring Pro 2 and Nest Wired can use 5 GHz.

A subscription plan is pretty much a necessity since, without it, all you get is a live view. Starting at $3.99 a month paid annually ($4.99 monthly), Arlo Secure adds smart alerts, automatic geofencing to turn your camera off when you arrive home, 30 days of rolling cloud video storage, interactive notifications, quick responses, and activity zones. (Ring doesn’t charge for activity zones.) But there’s no option for 24/7 recording, which is available on Arlo’s non-doorbell security cameras.

Arlo’s doorbells cost less and offer more but aren’t as reliable

The Arlo is a nice-looking doorbell and comes in all-black or black with white trim. It works with your existing chime and can use Amazon Echo or Google Nest smart speakers to notify you of a visitor; plus, Arlo sells its own plug-in chime with a choice of ringtones for $50.

Finally, a unique feature about the Arlo doorbell I really like is that when someone presses the button, the notification arrives like a phone call — as opposed to a pop-up. This makes it less likely you’ll miss a visitor, plus the doorbell will prompt them to leave a message if you do.

Best doorbell camera without a subscription

Video quality: 2K HD, 4x zoom / Smart Alerts: Person and packages, facial recognition Aspect ratio: 4:3 / Field of view: 160 degrees horizontal / Power options: Battery, wired trickle charge / Wi-Fi: 2.4 GHz / Storage: Cloud / Subscription fee: none / Works with: Amazon Alexa, Google Home

If you don’t want to pay any monthly fees but want a feature-packed doorbell that records footage for free, the Eufy Dual is the best, thanks to a second camera at the bottom that records the doorstep. But it’s very expensive.

There’s no charge for smart alerts that spot people and packages, and innovative AI features are free, too. These include facial recognition and “Package Live Check Assistance,” which frames any packages in a blue box and collects recent events around the delivery for quick viewing, and an Uncollected Package alert, which has the doorbell check for packages at a designated time, alerting you if you forgot to pick something up.

Important Note: In late 2022, Eufy suffered some security vulnerabilities, which the company was not transparent about. We temporarily removed our recommendations while the company worked on a fix. While the security flaws appear to have been resolved, the company’s lack of transparency is something to consider before purchasing a Eufy camera. You can read more about the issues and Eufy’s solutions here.

However, as a battery-powered doorbell, the Dual has the same problem as others. No pre-roll footage means you may not see the person as they approach your door, only when they’re in front of it or walking away. But its onboard machine learning, AI-powered smart alerts, and motion detection that uses both PiR and radar mean no false alerts. And those two cameras give you a blind-spot-free view of your front door area, one in 2K and the other in 1080P.

Battery life is good, better than the Ring Plus, lasting about three months based on my testing (it claims 3 to 6 months). But you must take the whole doorbell down to charge, which is a pain.

Read the full Eufy Dual doorbell review

Best wired doorbell camera for Apple Home

Video quality: 1200x1600p, HDR, 5x zoom / Smart Alerts: Person, packages, facial recognition Aspect ratio: 3:4/ Field of view: 178-degrees vertical, 140-degrees horizontal / Power options: Wired / Wi-Fi: 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz / Storage: Cloud / Subscription fee: $0.99 a month, iCloud / Works with: Apple Home

The new Wemo Video Doorbell from Belkin is the best doorbell that works with Apple Home. Fast, secure, and with support for HomeKit Secure Video, the Wemo has a decent 1200 x 1600 HD video stream with HDR and a circular view that shows you the whole porch, although with a rather discombobulating fish-eye effect. But it’s better than the other good HomeKit option, the Logitech Circle View.

With rich notifications in HomeKit, you can talk to a visitor from your lock screen.

The Wemo is easier to install than the Logitech. Both share the same simple software setup. (Thanks to relying entirely on the Apple Home app — there’s no compatibility with the Wemo app). The doorbell recognizes multiple motion events (people, packages, animals, and vehicles) and can also identify faces and announce exactly who is at the door on a connected HomePod or HomePod Mini. You do need one of these (or another HomeKit hub such as an Apple TV 4K) to use the Wemo, and adding in that cost, if you don’t already have one, makes this an expensive doorbell.

The Wemo is very, very quick. Button push to a notification to pulling up live video is under five seconds.

While daytime footage was good, night vision isn’t, and I had some issues with it missing motion events and sending false alerts for people due to its reliance on pixel-based motion detection (others use PIR and radar detection). However, the Wemo was very, very quick, with the speed from a button push to a notification to pulling up the live video being under five seconds. It’s even quicker if you use the interactive notification on your device (through which you can talk to the visitor). And that speed makes up for some of its failings.

The main reason to go with Wemo is for HomeKit Secure Video, Apple’s service that stores recorded video securely in your personal iCloud account. Additionally, video is processed locally on a HomeKit hub for the smart alerts, and only recorded video is sent to iCloud. However, there is no local storage option or 24/7 recording, and you have to pay for an iCloud Plus plan (starting at 99 cents per month) to view any captured clips.

All things considered, it’s the best option for a wired Apple Home-compatible video doorbell right now.

Read my full Wemo Video Doorbell review for more details

Best battery-powered doorbell camera for Apple Home

Video quality: 1080p / Smart Alerts: Person, facial recognition and person, facial recognition, packages with HSV, / Aspect ratio: 16:9 / Field of view: 162-degrees horizontal / Power options: Wired or battery / Wi-Fi: 2.4 GHz / Storage: Cloud and local / Subscription fee: 7 days free cloud storage or $0.99 a month with iCloud / Works with: Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, Google Home

If you don’t have the option of wiring and / or you really want 24/7 video recording, then Aqara’s G4 is a good option for Apple Home users. It’s the only battery-powered doorbell that’s compatible with Apple Home, and it works with HomeKit Secure Video. It runs on six standard AA batteries and can be hardwired to support 24/7 video recording (through Aqara’s app, though, not in Apple Home). It’s jam-packed with features, but it seems best suited for people who live in multi-family buildings — its landscape aspect ratio means it can’t really see packages at the doorstep, and it’s not particularly weather-resistant.

At $120, it’s the least expensive HomeKit option and pairs with the Aqara U100 smart lock (which also works with Apple Home and Home Key) for a nice, fully Apple Home-compatible setup on your front door — if you are good with the black, techie look of these products, that is.

The G4 can be powered by wires as a true wired doorbell, or by six AA batteries, or both!

The downsides of this doorbell include a 16:9 aspect ratio (a problem if you want to see packages on your porch), no HDR imaging, which delivers pretty bad video quality, and a finicky Chime box that has to be plugged in inside and near the doorbell. That Chime also houses a microSD card, which is required for 24/7 recording. Unfortunately, the G4 can’t ring an existing electronic chime, but the Chime box is plenty loud, and you can customize the heck out of the sounds,

The G4 shares all the same HSV features as the Wemo, including smart alerts for people, packages, animals, and vehicles, facial recognition and the option to announce who is at the door on a connected HomePod or HomePod Mini (you need an Apple Home hub to use this in HomeKit). It responded just as fast as the Wemo to doorbell rings and motion alerts, but I’ve had some connectivity issues. Plus, occasionally, I got an overheating warning while testing in May, and I live in South Carolina — so I am concerned about how this is going to hold up to the summer heat.

A benefit over Wemo and the other HomeKit Secure Video options is that Aqara does have its own app, and that app has a ton of innovative features, including custom ringtones for different people, a voice changer, and the option to have your smart home devices react depending on who is at the front door.

The Aqara app is also where you access 24/7 video, a really nice feature to have, especially for free — Nest charges $12 a month for it. The implementation here is spotty, and video quality is not great, but it will do in a pinch.

The Aqara doorbell works with Google Home and Amazon Alexa, unlike the Wemo, which can only be set up through the Apple Home app. Aqara has said it will be updated to support Matter when (and if) the new smart home standard works with video cameras.

Read my full Aqara Video Doorbell G4 review for more details

Other doorbell cameras I tested

The Netatmo, Arlo, Logitech, and Wemo video doorbells are among the doorbells I’ve tested.

I’ve tested dozens of video doorbells, and many popular models didn’t make the cut here due to relying on battery power. If you can’t hardwire a doorbell, you will suffer from the back-of-the-head problem. The Ring Video Doorbell 4, with its preroll footage, is the only one that successfully navigates this issue (when using battery power).

The standard Ring Video Doorbell (2nd-gen) misses those first few moments and has to be removed to charge. Same with the Google Nest Doorbell Battery, which had connectivity issues that were a major pain point in testing. The Wyze Video Doorbell Pro has some impressive features for its price, and if you hardwire it, you do get pre-roll video, but it has a 5-minute cooldown period between recordings unless you pay for a subscription — an inexcusable amount of time that negates its offer of “free recording.” We also tested the Arlo Essential Video Doorbell Wire-Free, which does have a removable battery but doesn’t work with Apple Home, as its wired counterpart does, and takes too long to wake up to catch the visitor as they approach.

The Wyze Video Doorbell Pro has a 5-minute cool-down period between recordings unless you pay for a subscription.

As for other wired options, the Ring Video Doorbell Wired is a truly budget buzzer at just $60, but it won’t work with your existing chime and doesn’t draw the same amount of power from those wires as the Ring Pro, making it generally less reliable. Without HDR, its video quality is spotty, and its sister brand Blink just beats it to the Best Budget spot in terms of features — including better battery life and free local storage options. Granted, the Ring can record for longer than 30 seconds and has package detection, but you have to pay for those features.

The Netatmo Smart Video Doorbell has some interesting features, including entirely local storage (to an included microSD card) and free person recognition. It also works with Apple Home (but not HomeKit Secure Video), but a weirdly narrow field of view and poor video quality let it down — not to mention that $300 price tag.

Other Apple Home options we tested include the Logitech Circle View Wired, which, while fast, is expensive, only works with Apple Home and frequently dropped off my Wi-Fi network.

There's also a new breed of doorbells built into smart door locks. I’ve tested the Lockly Vision Elite and the Eufy Security S330 Video Smart Lock, and both are very expensive and work better as door locks than doorbells. But if you have a specific need for this device (e.g., you have nowhere else to put a doorbell camera), then they are useful for at least seeing up the nose of whoever is at your door, if not much beyond that.

FAQ: Smart doorbell cameras

Most doorbells can be wired to existing doorbell wiring, but only true wired doorbells are powered by your home’s electricity. Battery-powered doorbells are just trickle-charged when wired.

Wired vs. wireless doorbell cameras: what’s the difference?

Wired video doorbells use existing doorbell wiring attached to a doorbell transformer and chime box to provide continuous power, so they don’t need to be recharged. Most won’t work when the power goes out, but some have small batteries to keep them going for a few minutes in the event of a power outage. If you don’t have existing wiring, you can use an AC power adapter (Ring and Nest sell their own; you can also find generic ones).

Battery-powered doorbells, also known as wireless doorbells, are powered by a rechargeable battery. Because they don’t have continuous power, they have to wake up first when they detect motion before starting to record. This often results in a clip only catching the back of the person’s head as they walk away, which is not super helpful if you’re concerned about porch pirates. True wired doorbells don’t have this problem, and most will reliably catch all the action.

Many doorbells that advertise themselves as wireless and run on a battery can also be hard-wired to your existing doorbell wiring. But these are not “true” wired doorbells. Your home’s electrical power isn’t powering them. Instead, in almost all cases (Blink being the only exception), the battery is being “trickle charged” by the power from the doorbell wiring. This means that without any extra features, they simply don’t react as quickly as true wired doorbells. It’s science, people.

The Blink Video Doorbell has a 16:9 aspect ratio.

The Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2 has a 1:1 aspect ratio.

What is aspect ratio on a doorbell camera, and why is it important?

Aspect ratio is arguably more important than video resolution when it comes to video doorbells. This spec tells you what shape of video you will get, whether it’s top-to-bottom or side-to-side, whether you’ll see your doorstep and the whole of the visitor or just a head-and-shoulders shot. Common aspect ratios include 4:3, 3:4, 16:9, and 1:1.

Aspect ratios are always written with the horizontal number first. If the first number is smaller than the second number, then the image will be taller than it is wide, or “portrait orientation.” If the first number is larger than the second (as in 16:9), then the image will be wider than it is tall, or “landscape orientation.” If both numbers are the same, as in 1:1, it will be a square view.

My recommendation is to go for a square view when possible, but if you have a wide porch area — and would like to see people approaching from the left or right, as well as straight on — a 4:3 or 16:9 might suit you better.

Installing a wired video doorbell camera involves connecting a chime power kit to your indoor chime box to help power the camera.

How to install a video doorbell camera

Battery-powered doorbells are easy to install and generally just require screwing the mounting bracket to the area around your door. Some come with the option of tape strips, so you don’t even need to get out the screwdriver.

Wired doorbells require a bit more effort. And while you can choose to pay around $100 for a professional to install it, if you have existing doorbell wiring, it’s a simple job.

I’ve written a step-by-step guide to installing Ring video doorbells, but, in general, the steps for any wired doorbell involve the following:

1. Turn off the power to your doorbell wiring
2. Locate your indoor chime and connect the chime power connector that came with the doorbell (this helps to facilitate power to the new doorbell)
3. Remove your old doorbell
4. Attach the mount for your new doorbell using screws or double-sided tape (some have the option of an angled wedge to get a better view of the person in front of the door)
5. Attach the doorbell wires to the connector screws on the doorbell
6. Attach the doorbell to the mount, either with screws or by snapping it on
7. Turn the power back on

Pro tip: Before installing any doorbell, download the manufacturer’s app and check the instructions — some cameras need to be paired to the app before mounting them.

Photos by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge

Update: Wednesday, June 28, 2023: Added a new category for battery-powered Apple Home doorbell and a new recommendation for best battery-powered doorbell as well as updating details throughout.

Best gaming laptop in 2023: seven laptops to get your game on

Best gaming laptop in 2023: seven laptops to get your game on

All the best gaming laptops at every size and price

The best gaming laptop changes a lot throughout the year. The early days of mobile gaming were largely desktop replacements — clunky chassis, multiple power bricks, and RGB lighting galore. But the top contenders now are different. Manufacturers are finally putting powerful specs in thin gaming machines: sleeker, more portable, and more professional builds. They have excellent, fast refreshing screens that are necessary for a great gaming experience. These laptops aren’t just great for gaming, but for everyday work as well.

The best gaming laptop of 2023 is the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14. It can handle the most demanding games on the market today, it’s portable, and it also makes a great daily driver. Other good options are the Razer Blade 16 and the Lenovo Legion 5 Pro.

One more thing to keep in mind is the power you can expect. Not all chips with the same name are created equal — the RTX 3070 in one laptop may not deliver the same frame rates as the RTX 3070 in another laptop due to its wattage (as well as other factors like the processor and cooling). Nvidia now requires companies to disclose clock speeds and graphics power on each model’s product page, but plenty of manufacturers haven’t done that yet.

Out of the many gaming laptops we test each year, here are the ones that make the list. If you’re looking for a more multipurpose device, check out our best laptop page. If you’re an Android gamer, we’ve also got a list of the best Chromebooks you can buy.

1. Asus ROG Zephyrus G14

The best gaming laptop

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS / GPU: AMD Radeon RX 6700S / RAM: 8GB / Storage: 1TB / Display: 14-inch IPS, 2560 x 1600, 120Hz, no touch option / Dimensions: 12.28 x 8.94 x 0.73/ Weight: 3.64 pounds

The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 is the best gaming laptop for its price.

There are a couple configurations, and you should make sure that you’re buying the $1,649.99 SKU with the 6700S GPU. We feel that this model, specifically, is the best 14-inch gaming laptop you can buy.

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 is the best gaming laptop of 2023.

This is a great device for travel and commute gaming, at just 3.79 pounds and 0.77 inches thick. It comes with a great keyboard, touchpad, port selection, and screen. The frame rates it produced in our testing were solid, and we didn’t see a huge difference in performance between the 6700S and 6800S models. We also got all-day battery life, which you don't see in too many gaming laptops these days. Oh, and there's even a webcam.

If you are interested in having an animated grid of colored lights on your computer, you can also pay more for a model that has Asus’s AniMe Matrix. We don’t think these models offer particularly good value for their price, but they do have some cute benefits – you can customize them to display words or images of your choice, and there’s a virtual pet on it that you can play with. Regardless, if you're looking for a 14-inch laptop with powerful gaming chops that can double as a daily driver, this device should top your list.

Read our Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 review.

2. Razer Blade 16

The best dual-mode gaming laptop

CPU: Intel Core i9-13980HX, Core i9-13950HX / GPU: Nvidia Geforce RTX 4060, RTX 4070, RTX 4080, RTX 4090 / RAM: 16GB, 32GB / Storage: 1TB / Display: 16-inch Mini-LED, Dual UHD/FHD+, 120Hz/240Hz / Dimensions: 13.98 x 9.61 x 0.87 inches / Weight: 5.4 pounds

If you want your games to look as gorgeous as they possibly can, the Razer Blade 16 is worth considering. The Blade comes with an optional Mini LED screen that can swap between native UDH Plus / 120Hz and FHD Plus/ 240Hz modes with one click.

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

This is the purchase if money is no object.

Inside, the Blade is equipped with top-end chips from Nvidia and Intel, and can run most of today’s demanding games at their highest settings with all the effects you want. If the dual-mode display isn’t a priority for you, you can go for more affordable (but still pricey) models.

Read our Razer Blade 16 review.

3. MSI GE76 Raider

The flashiest gaming laptop

CPU: Intel Core i7-12700H, Core i9-12900HK / GPU: Nvidia Geforce RTX 3060, 3070, 3080, 3080 Ti / RAM: 16GB, 32GB / Storage: 512GB/1TB / Display: 17.3-inch IPS, 2560 x 1600/1920 x 1080, 144Hz/240Hz/360Hz, no touch option / Dimensions: 15.63 x 11.18 x 1.02 inches / Weight: 6.39 pounds

The GE76 Raider costs an arm and a leg, but it packs some serious power. You can configure it all the way up to Nvidia’s top mobile GPU and Intel’s top processor, and it has the cooling to keep them in line. You can get it with a QHD screen (which we’d recommend for most people, as these hefty specs can take full advantage of it) as well as a 1080p 360Hz display.

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

The MSI GE76 Raider is a colorful, powerful laptop with a premium price.

Keep in mind that this laptop is really just for gaming. Its battery life is mediocre, and its chassis is quite thick and heavy, so you’ll want to look elsewhere if you’re looking for a computer that could double as a portable work driver. (The power brick is also huge.) But if you’re looking for what’s essentially a desktop you could travel with, the GE76 Raider will deliver a premium experience.

Read our MSI GE76 Raider review.

4. Razer Blade 18

The best big-screen gaming laptop

CPU: Intel Core i9-13980HX, Core i9-13950HX / GPU: Nvidia Geforce RTX 4060, RTX 4070, RTX 4080, RTX 4090 / RAM: 16GB, 32GB, 64GB / Storage: 1TB, 2TB / Display: 18-inch, 2560 x 1600, 240Hz / Dimensions: 15.74 x 10.84 x 0.86 inches / Weight: 6.8 pounds

The Blade 18 delivers some of the best gaming performance you can find in a laptop — but that’s not even its superpower. What makes Razer’s 17-inch flagship so impressive is its massive 18-inch screen that delivers a fully immersive gaming experience. And at 0.86 inches, it’s impressively thin for such a powerful device — thin enough to carry in a briefcase or backpack.

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

The Razer Blade 18 is a monster of a gaming laptop.

This year’s model comes with a QHD Plus 240Hz display. It also has a customizable per-key RGB keyboard, which adds a touch of color without being too intense for the office.

The Blade 18 certainly isn’t cheap, but it’s the laptop to buy if you want big gaming.

Read our Razer Blade 18 review.

5. Asus ROG Flow Z13

The best convertible gaming laptop

CPU: Intel Core i9-13900H / GPU: Nvidia Geforce RTX 4050, RTX 4060 / RAM: 8GB / Storage: 1TB / Display: 13.4-inch IPS, 2560 x 1600, 165Hz, touch option / Dimensions: 11.89 x 8.11 x 0.51 inches / Weight: 2.6 pounds

If you’re looking for a super-portable gaming laptop that doubles as a tablet, the Flow X13 is one of your only options. The model we tested is the Acronym Edition, which has a funky and unique design done in collaboration with the apparel brand Acronym. You don’t have to buy this particular model (and the plain one will certainly be more affordable, so that’s what’s linked here), but it’s covered in logos and typography, with a multicolored keyboard that looks like it belongs at a fashion show. We recommend going for the non-Acronym model if you’re looking for the best value.

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

The ROG Flow Z13 is an attractive, convertible gaming device.

Design aside, the Flow Z13 has the chops to run all kinds of demanding titles at its native QHD resolution. What’s more, it’s compatible with Asus’s XG Mobile external GPU. That means you can plug the Z13 in for heavy-duty performance while you’re at your desk at home. That setup should give you a better gaming experience than you can expect from most gaming laptops on their own.

Read our Asus ROG Flow Z13 review.

6. Razer Blade 14

The best stylish gaming laptop

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7940HS / GPU: Nvidia Geforce RTX 4060, RTX 4070 / RAM: 16GB, 32GB / Storage: 1TB / Display: 14-inch IPS, QHD+/FHD, 144Hz/165Hz/240Hz, no touch option / Dimensions: 12.59 x 8.66 x 0.66 / Weight: 3.92 pounds

If you’re looking for a powerful 14-inch device that can keep up with the best 15-inch gaming laptops on the market, the only place you’ll find that is the Razer Blade 14. This slim and portable device pairs Nvidia’s top GPUs with AMD’s monstrous mobile processors. There’s a gorgeous QHD/240Hz display option and a classy RGB keyboard. There’s even a reasonable port selection, including HDMI 2.1 as well as two USB-C ports.

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

The Razer Blade 14 is a more expensive, colorful alternative to the Zephyrus G14.

The Blade 14 is quite expensive compared to Asus’s ROG Zephyrus G14 (listed further up the page), and we recommend that most people on the market for a 14-incher buy that one instead since it’s much more affordable. The Blade, however, can be an alternative for those looking for a higher refresh-rate screen, an RGB keyboard, or a slightly more compact chassis.

Read our Razer Blade 14 review.

7. Lenovo Legion 5i Pro

The best affordable 16-inch gaming laptop

CPU: Intel Core i5-13500HX, Core i7-13700HX / GPU: Nvidia Geforce RTX 4050, 4060, 4070 / RAM: 16GB / Storage: 512GB, 1TB/ Display: 16-inch, 2560 x 1600 IPS, 165Hz/240Hz, no touch option / Dimensions: 14.3 x 10.25 x 1.05 inches / Weight: 5.51 pounds

The Legion 5i Pro is a fast, pricey gaming laptop from Lenovo. For well under $2,000, you can get exceptional performance from Intel’s 13th-Gen processors in an attractive 16-inch chassis. It delivered respectable results on every game we tried, even at its native 2560 x 1600 resolution. And with the 165Hz or 240Hz display options, you’ll be able to fully take advantage of the Legion 5 Pro’s power.

Photo by Cameron Faulkner / The Verge

The Legion 5i Pro is a powerful device with a massive 16-inch display.

Performance aside, the highlight of the Legion 5 Pro is its 16:10 screen. A screen this tall is hard to find on the gaming laptop market these days, and it allows you more room for multitasking if you want to use the Legion 5 Pro as a daily driver. The keyboard is also a delight to use, with four-zone programmable backlighting.

The Legion’s main downside is its battery life. We only got about five of continuous use in our testing. While that’s not the worst we’ve ever gotten from a gaming laptop, it’s nowhere near what you’ll see from Asus’ Zephyrus G15. However, it does charge very, very fast with the included 300W power brick. Overall, though the G15 will be a better option for folks who often work on the go, the Legion is still a solid choice — and we have to give Lenovo props for the 16:10 screen.

Read our Lenovo Legion 5i Pro review.

8. HP Victus 15

The best cheap gaming laptop

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600H, Ryzen 7 5800H, Intel Core i5-13500H, Core i7-13700H, Core i7-12700H / GPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600H, Ryzen 7 5800H, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050, RTX 3050 Ti, RTX 4050 / RAM: 8GB, 16GB / Storage: 512GB, 1TB / Display: 15.6-inch IPS, 1920 x 1080, 60Hz/144Hz, no touch option / Dimensions: 14.09 x 10.04 x 0.93 / Weight: 5.05 pounds

If you’ve got a tighter shopping budget, the HP Victus 15 is worth considering. The model we tested has a 144Hz screen, which is hard to find below the $800 mark. We found the touchpad a bit stiff, but that was our only real issue with the chassis in our testing.

Photo by Monica Chin / The Verge

The HP Victus 15 offers great value for a low (as gaming laptops go) price.

While the Victus 15 doesn’t have the powerful gaming chops to match some of the other devices in this category, it can certainly run a number of games at their maximum settings, particularly lighter titles. If you don’t want to compromise on more modern AAA titles, we recommend going for the RTX 3050 model rather than the GTX 1650 that we tested.

Read our HP Victus 15 review.

Reddit is telling protesting mods their communities will not stay private

Reddit is telling protesting mods their communities ‘will not’ stay private

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Reddit is pressuring moderators who have set their subreddits to private to reopen their communities this week, according to messages seen by The Verge. The company has given moderators deadlines to lay out their plans for reopening but said that they can’t stay closed.

The timeframes given generally indicate a deadline of sometime Thursday afternoon. Reddit was vague about the exact repercussions but seemed to suggest this was the final warning stage.

“This community remaining closed to its [millions of] members cannot continue” beyond a the deadline, the admin (Reddit employee) account ModCodeofConduct wrote in a note to one of the biggest Reddit communities that’s still private.

“That is not going to continue”

After a mod replied, ModCodeofConduct went even further. “[Millions of] members have lost complete access to this community and that is not going to continue,” the account said. “Wanting to take time to consider future moderation plans is fine, but that must be done in at least a ‘restricted’ setting. This community will not remain private beyond the timeframe we’ve allowed for confirmation of plans here.”

In a conversation with moderators of a different subreddit, ModCodeofConduct told them that “continued violation of [Rule 4 of the Moderator Code of Conduct] over the next 31 hours will result in further action.” Rule 4 of that document is “Be Active and Engaged.” That subreddit has since reopened, though in an “archive” mode where new posts will be automatically removed.

Reddit has been pushing for protesting communities to reopen for weeks, telling them it would replace “inactive moderation,” “mods vandalizing communities,” and “subreddit squatters” with active mods. While many subreddits have reopened as normal, some have switched from private, which bars users from seeing any posts in the community, to restricted, where content is viewable but only certain users are allowed to post or comment.

When restricted, even if most users can’t post in a community, they can still see posts (which has the added benefit of making any links from that subreddit that show up in Google search results actually useful). But for the few that are holding out in private mode, it appears Reddit wants to change that.

While the company said in a June 15th fact sheet that it is not “unilaterally reopening communities,” the new rhetoric could indicate that Reddit is re-evaluating that approach.

Reddit declined to comment.

EU advances rules that wrestle control of user data away from Big Tech

EU advances rules that wrestle control of user data away from Big Tech

Illustration: Alex Castro / The Verge

The European Parliament and Council of the EU have reached a provisional agreement on a new Data Act that aims to regulate how consumer and corporate data can be used and accessed in the bloc. The agreement was welcomed by EU industry chief Thierry Breton, who called it a “milestone in reshaping the digital space” that will create “a thriving [EU] data economy that is innovative & open — on our conditions.”

In short, the legislation aims to give end users in the EU more control over the data generated when using connected devices, Reuters notes. As a press release from the European Commission (which proposed the act last year) explains, this includes letting users access the data generated by smart objects, machines, and devices, and share it with outside parties if they so choose.

Another deal!
⁰Tonight’s agreement on the #DataAct is a milestone in reshaping the digital space.

Thanks to the swift work of the EP @delcastillop & the Council Presidency, we are on the way of a thriving data economy that is innovative & open — on our conditions. pic.twitter.com/vTWUU8xTx9

— Thierry Breton (@ThierryBreton) June 27, 2023

The preliminary agreement includes new freedoms to move data between different cloud providers, measures to promote development of interoperability standards, and rules to give public sector bodies the ability to access and use data to, for example, deal with public emergencies. On the flip side, there are also safeguards that attempt to prevent unlawful data transfers.

But there have been fears that the Data Act’s attempt to compel companies to share data could result in the leaking of trade secrets, Reuters notes, resulting in measures being added to the legislation to allow companies to decline data sharing requests if they could face “serious and irreparable economic losses” as a result.

The Data Act has been described as the “final, and potentially most important” part of the European Union’s so-called digital transformation. It’s one of five pieces of legislation that aim to overhaul the bloc’s digital rules alongside the Digital Markets Act, Digital Services Act, Artificial Intelligence Act, and the related, yet distinct, Data Governance Act.

Following the provisional agreement reached this week, the Data Act will now need to be formally approved by both the Council and the European Parliament before becoming law. Companies will then have to abide by its rules roughly 20 months later, meaning it’s likely to be a couple of years before the Data Act’s measures come into effect.

How Jsaux rode the Steam Deck to escape the Amazon wilderness

How Jsaux rode the Steam Deck to escape the Amazon wilderness

Where Valve makes just one accessory for its Steam Deck, Jsaux makes dozens, with some answering pretty niche needs.

A Chinese accessory maker with an alphabet-soup name struck while the iron was hot. Now, it wants to be the next Anker.

Amazon is filled with copycat companies selling tech accessories. Many of them have barely pronounceable names written in all caps, and it’s hard to tell them apart. But Jsaux, pronounced JAY-saw, a seven-year-old Shenzhen accessory maker, has become almost synonymous with Valve’s Steam Deck gaming handheld.

How on Earth did this Chinese brand go from generic USB-C cables, iPhone accessories, and a weird acorn-shaped Bluetooth speaker to producing over 30 different bespoke products for a Linux gaming handheld audience?

The right place, the right time, and with the right resources, Shenzhen Wuyishi Technology Company founder and CEO Jason Cai tells The Verge. Specifically, Jsaux intentionally beat Valve to market with a Steam Deck dock of its own, then feverishly iterated on it while fleshing out a whole ecosystem of accessories. Cai tells me he wanted to get into the world of gaming, and “now with the Steam Deck, it is good timing,” he says via translator.

And ow that that company’s established itself with a passionate subset of the gaming community, Jsaux not only wants to dominate other niches — like PSVR 2 — it’s also pulling an Anker, building new sibling brands to reach entirely different categories.

Let’s flash back to June of 2022 when Valve was still trickling out waves of Steam Decks to customers who plunked down preorder deposits. Then, Valve announced that its Docking Station, a USB-C hub for external displays it’s been showing off since the Steam Deck’s 2021 announcement, was being delayed due to shortages and covid closures.

This was the kind of moment Jsaux had been waiting for.

Valve’s Steam Deck Dock is dwarfed in number and options by the myriad docking stations Jsaux currently sells.

Though the company had already started building a few simple USB-C cables and cases for the Steam Deck, it decided to pump out a dock of its own while the perfect window of opportunity was open. “We were buying time,” Cai tells The Verge. Jsaux wanted to beat Valve at its own accessory game, and it did — by about four whole months.

Jsaux saw a golden opportunity

Even though a Steam Deck owner could plug most any USB-C hub into the handheld and output to a monitor or TV from day one, there was fan thirst for a proper standing dock akin to the Nintendo Switch. I remember early murmurs from Redditors who took a chance on this unknown brand’s dock at less than half the price of Valve’s and were enthusiastic to find they’d gotten a quality accessory well ahead of Valve’s release.

And those Reddit reactions, in turn, likely helped shape Jsaux’s next wave of products. By that point, the company had already decided to use Reddit as a sounding board — even asking for feedback directly from Steam Deck owners. It reminded me of the deep-rooted customer communication I’ve seen in the world of mechanical keyboards when small, obscure companies strive to establish some clout with a dedicated community.

Once Jsaux began its big push on Steam Deck accessories, its homepage became all about Valve’s handheld.

Jsaux made just 100 docks to start, but it had already decided to go full steam ahead on Steam Deck products. Peeking into the Wayback Machine, we can see how Jsaux’s site went from offering five basic Steam Deck accessories in May 2022 to double that in late June — when the Steam Deck began to take over the company’s entire homepage.

Fast forward to today, and Jsaux could be easily perceived as That Steam Deck Company, even if it prefers not to be pigeon-holed.

“We would not like to be think [sic] of only as a Steam Deck accessory brand, as we’re building more than that,” says Jacky Wang, the company’s head of marketing, via translator. But for now, Jsaux’s website is dominated by the Steam Deck, where it sells 31 compatible products, ranging from docks and adapters to add-on coolers.

Remember that first dock it rushed to market over a year ago? Jsaux still sells it, along with four others that offer different arrays of ports (including a dual-display dock akin to Valve’s for half the price). Jsaux produces three different kinds of carrying cases, three different protective cases, and four kinds of screen protectors. One of its docks even has a built-in M.2 slot for adding your own full-length SSD, which you’d be forgiven for not knowing is even possible via the Steam Deck’s USB-C port.

Despite the litany of overlapping accessories, Jsaux never seems to discontinue anything — it just offers more and more to hit every little niche request a Steam Deck owner might have. “...We don’t replace them. We wanted to keep all for all kinds of users,” Wang replied when I asked.

@verge

Let’s make our Steam Deck look cooler… and RUN cooler, too. #SteamDeck #Gaming #DIY #Tech #TechTok

♬ original sound - The Verge

By far, one of Jsaux’s coolest accessory options is a transparent rear shell that doesn’t just look neat but also utilizes a metal plate for better passive cooling, which it now offers in a variety of sick colors — including atomic purple. Since that wasn’t enough, it’s about to release an updated version with improved passive cooling, plus a new replacement transparent shell for the front of the Steam Deck to complete the see-through look. Installing the front shell will be a labor-intensive operation, bordering on a full teardown, but it probably helps when your customers are mostly self-selecting nerds who may be brave enough to try.

Jsaux also tells The Verge it’s been working on a new docking station with RGB lighting that “looks different from all the Steam Deck docking stations we’ve released in the past,” as well as an anti-glare screen replacement for those Deck owners who regret not paying extra for Valve’s (which only came with the highest-end model).

That new dock is only one piece of the puzzle in going full Gamer Lights with your Steam Deck setup, as Jsaux is also working on an RGB back cover with lighting that runs off its own battery (so as not to drain the Steam Deck’s), which I imagine will go great (or garishly) with its recently launched RGB external fan. Some DIY enthusiasts already experimented with using Jsaux’s rear transparent shells to create their own ill-conceived RGB-ified Steam Deck, so this is a clear-cut case of Jsaux giving the people what they want.

Video: Jsaux

A render of Jsaux’s upcoming RGB dock and RGB back plate for the Steam Deck.

It’s just one example of fan feedback influencing Jsaux’s product development. When the company first debuted a rear transparent shell, it had a large Jsaux logo on it, which didn’t go over well with fans because, frankly, it looked bad and tacky. But Jsaux promptly responded and omitted its branding before it ever shipped — yielding a better product. Jsaux talks directly to its diehard Steam Deck community via Twitter as well as Reddit and tells us it gets further visibility through connections with YouTubers.

Brace yourselves: the RGB Steam Decks are coming

We asked its founder why Jsaux bet so big on the Steam Deck and were slightly surprised to learn he didn’t view it as such a risk. Cai says the company simply shifted half of its eight-person design team’s time to developing those early products, a strategy it’s used before. If Jsaux didn’t successfully find a foothold in gaming with the Steam Deck, it was simply going to try VR accessories next.

It also doesn’t hurt that Jsaux apparently has such tight relationships with its suppliers that it can turn around small batches of products fast. While the entire company employs around 110 people in design, product and supply chain management, marketing, sales, shipping, and support, it relies on contract manufacturers to actually produce the gear. Jsaux sees that as a strength rather than a weakness, though, allowing the company to remix its suppliers’ expertise in, say, charging and stands to quickly create something new.

While Jsaux’s representatives may be playing it cool, it’s worth remembering how small the potential customer base for Steam Deck is — especially for an accessory maker. Valve has sold maybe 2 million Steam Decks thus far (it hasn’t revealed exact figures), with some estimating it’ll approach 3 million by the end of this year. Compare that to a juggernaut device like Apple’s iPhone, which sells about 200 million units per year, and you quickly see how hitching its horse to the Steam Deck gives Jsaux a much lower ceiling by comparison.

How it started vs. how it’s going. On the left is Jsaux’s original, first-to-market dock. On the right is a newer, more premium option with an internal M.2 SSD slot.

But when you’re in a world of niche hobbyists, there’s also a whole lot less noise to drown out — which is also why Jsaux tells us it didn’t jump into the very competitive world of the Nintendo Switch.

The bet on the Steam Deck seems to be paying off for now. Jsaux tells The Verge it has sold around 550,000 Steam Deck accessories (of which 30 percent are docking stations), accounting for around 20 percent of the company’s overall $70 million in revenue. Around 60 percent of its sales come from the USA, with Europe in second, and unsurprisingly, most people buy them via Amazon. Now that Jsaux has found some success in this niche of gaming, it’s looking to broaden its reach.

Jsaux sold over half a million Steam Deck accessories

Over the past year, Jsaux / Shenzhen Wuyishi Technology Company has been building a new holding company to develop side brands for other product categories like sports accessories, fitness equipment, portable monitors, “RGB devices,” and baby supplies — the last of which it tells us will be called Nehneh Baby. And while that range may sound a little strange for a gaming accessory vendor, it’s reminiscent of how Anker first established itself as the big phone charger accessory company before it built sub-brands like Soundcore and Eufy for audio accessories and home electronics. Jsaux’s managers didn’t shy away from telling us how they look up to Anker, so it makes sense they’re trying to follow that mold.

Image: Jsaux

One of Jsaux’s next non-Steam Deck teases — a wireless speaker that can seemingly play two different songs simultaneously.

Image: Jsaux (via Wayback Machine)

Kind of a far cry from this odd little guy Jsaux was making back in 2018.

But ambition alone doesn’t make a company the next Anker. One of the key threads along Jsaux’s journey to gaining relevance is that the products are actually good. I’ve spent time testing nearly every Steam Deck accessory that Jsaux makes —including docks, cases, and its more novel accessories like the transparent back and external add-on fan — and I haven’t come across any that wasn’t at least pretty good.

Jsaux’s Mod Case has a built-in stand and is partially translucent, so you can look into your Steam Deck’s see-through rear shell (if you squint).

This setup is a bit Frankenstein-y, but the attachable fan dropped the Steam Deck’s internal temperatures by up to 10 degrees Celsius in testing. It does get noisy, though.

Jsaux’s docks work perfectly fine and can even double as your laptop’s USB-C hub in a pinch. The transparent rear shell is an especially cool accessory that was not difficult to install. As for cases, while many of Jsaux’s silicone protective shells and carrying cases are pretty utilitarian, I really like its ModCase, which lets me protect my 512GB Steam Deck in a smaller footprint than Valve’s bundled zip-up one.

And I’ll be damned, but Jsaux’s Steam Deck sling backpack case that I thought I’d never be caught dead wearing in a million years actually proved to be quite handy when traveling — it surprisingly fits a Steam Deck in a ModCase, a Nintendo Switch in one of its own zipper cases, and some charging accessories.

When you factor in how affordable most of these products are, it becomes easy to recommend most Jsaux stuff to any fellow Steam Deck owner. Even Jsaux’s standard tech and gadget accessories like USB-C cables and adapters for phones and laptops have proved perfectly capable for full-time daily driver use — my editor uses two.

If it hadn’t been for the Steam Deck, maybe Jsaux would have remained just another generic brand selling commodity tech. But by using Valve’s ultra-geeky handheld as a proving ground, it’s gotten a foothold with gamers that let it rise above the Amazon alphabet soup.

Photography by Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge