Articles by Nicholas Sutrich

This robot’s no dumbbell — it can actually lift (the mop).

If you’ve been following the world of robot vacuums for any length of time, you probably know that the best robot vacuums have a nice little mopping pad on the underside to catch those little extra bits that tend to build-up on hard flooring. If you’ve ever used one — like the rather excellent Roborock S6 MaxV — you’ll know that while the mopping pad does a great job of keeping floors spotless, there’s never been a way to vacuum carpet while the mopping pad is attached. That is, of course, until now, as our Roborock S7 review points out.

The S7 is Roborock ‘s first robot vacuum with a self-rising mop pad, a rather nifty innovation that’s the first of its kind in the industry. This mopping pad lets the vacuum clean hard floors to the fullest extent while simultaneously allowing it to vacuum carpet without accidentally mopping it. Not only that, but this new plush mopping pad vibrates to actually scrub those hard floors…

Since its debut in October 2020, Population: One quickly rocketed itself to our best Oculus Quest 2 games list and solidified itself as the defacto standard for battle royale in VR. While many people will attest to its incredibly solid and unique mechanics playing a huge role in its popularity, there’s no doubt that developer BigBox VR’s regularly-scheduled 10-day events — filled with new mechanics, exclusive skins and characters, and plenty of map changes — are what keeps players coming back over and over again.

Population: One Season 1 – Uprising lasts 10-times as long as one of the regular events that the game hosted over the past few months. That 10-week event started on February 25 and lasts until the first week in May, giving players plenty of time to amass points and collect special skins, sprays, and even unlock an exclusive character if they can make it all the way to the end of the Battlepass tiers. How awesome is the first season, and is a Battlepass worth the $5 purc…

Sony is stepping it up in a big way for a new generation with PS5 VR.

Jump to:

Will the original PSVR work on the PS5?
What is the PS5 VR?
What will PS5 VR cost?
When will PS5 VR be released?
What will PS5 VR controllers look like?
Will PS5 VR have an improved display and lenses?
Will PS5 VR be wireless?
Will PS5 VR have better tracking?
Will PS5 VR be lighter and smaller?
Will PS5 VR have eye-tracking?
Will PS5 VR have face-tracking?

From brand new controller designs to higher-fidelity visuals, there’s a lot to get excited about with PS5 VR. PlayStation VR on the PS4 has been a success story in some very real ways, and Sony plans to continue that trend on the PS5. With over 5 million units sold and a steady library of games, Sony proved that VR gaming can be successful as an add-on to an already successful console. Sony has confirmed that the PSVR 2 will be a PS5-exclusive release and will debut after 2021 with some exciting new technologies in tow.

If you’ve ever played o…

HIGH INTENSITY BEATS

What you need to know

Beat Saber Original Soundtrack 4 is out now on your favorite VR platform.
OST 4 features four new high-intensity tracks and is available for free.
Beat Saber has now sold over four million copies across all VR platforms it’s available on, making it the best-selling VR game.

They’ve officially done it. While Beat Saber has long been one of the best-selling VR games on the market, today’s milestone means it is officially the single-best-selling VR game on any platform with a whopping four million copies sold since it debuted on May 1, 2018. While its developer, Beat Games, is owned by Facebook, Beat Saber is available on all major VR platforms including Oculus Quest 2, PlayStation VR, and PC VR. Now, though, it’s time to grab yourself a pair of Beat Saber grips because it’s time to get slicing to some new tunes!

Official Soundtrack 4 (OST 4) is launching to commemorate that momentous milestone, debut four brand-new songs created by the g…

Built-in Wi-Fi is just the beginning

August Wi-Fi Smart Lock (4th-gen)

From $196 at Amazon

Pros

Wi-Fi built-in (no external bridge required)
Nearly 50% smaller
Improved grip
Installs in 10 minutes or less
Don’t need to completely remove existing deadbolt (renter-friendly)

Cons

Shorter battery life
Uncommon CR123 batteries

August’s 4th-generation smart lock, the August Wi-Fi Smart Lock, eliminates the bulk from previous generations and builds Wi-Fi support right into the lock.

Still great for pros

August Smart Lock Pro (3rd-gen)

$128 at Amazon

Pros

Longer battery life
AA batteries
Installs in 10 minutes or less
Don’t need to completely remove existing deadbolt (renter-friendly)
Can work offline with Z-Wave hubs like SmartThings

Cons

Requires external bridge for Wi-Fi connectivity
Larger

The 3rd-generation August Smart Lock Pro requires an external August Connect bridge to connect to your home’s Wi-Fi network, and it’s quite a bit larger than the August…

Finding problems and solving them one drop at a time.

Phyn is one of the biggest names in the smart water monitoring market. Phyn Plus is its flagship product and has been available for a few years now, but with the recent release of the Phyn Smart Water Assistant we decided to do a proper Phyn Plus review and see which system does the best job. Unsurprisingly, the more expensive Phyn Plus is, in fact, the best smart water monitoring system money can buy. It features more accurate water flow metrics and offers more features than the less-expensive Phyn Smart Water Assistant.

Everyone’s home is different, and so are their water monitoring needs, but I’ve found that Phyn Plus is rather worth the extra cash, whether you’re worried about burst pipes or just want better insight into your water usage. You’ll likely require professional installation, because the Phyn Plus hooks right up to your main water line and can control the flow of water through that line. Once installed, though, it…

Hot or cold, you’ll know the flow.

Phyn has been in the smart water monitoring game for some time and already makes one of the very best smart water monitoring systems available. But that system, called Phyn Plus, is also one of the most expensive water monitors on the market. Phyn Smart Water Assistant aims to deliver a far lower-cost product by swapping out a key feature: the water shut-off valve.

Phyn Smart Water Assistant, unlike its bigger, more expensive brother, is designed to simply monitor your home’s water pipes — not to shut them off if a problem is detected. That puts it in direct competition with products like Flume 2, but the big difference there is that Phyn Smart Water Assistant actually connects to your home’s pipes under a sink to directly monitor water flow using two highly-specialized valves. That makes it a more do-it-yourself project than Phyn Plus, but a little more involved than Flume 2. Does it strike the right balance between the two?

Phyn Smart Water…

PSVR is far from dead.

While gamers are eagerly anticipating the release of PSVR 2 sometime in the future, Sony is hoping to quench your thirst for new PSVR games this year with a smattering of announcements. A total of six new games have been announced — only two of which we knew about previously — and these, combined with previous announcements from Sony, are proving that 2021 is going to be a busy year for PSVR. Some of these games will even work with the best PSVR accessories llike the PS Aim controller, which is always a thrill to use.

While all of these games are, of course, PlayStation 4 games, they will work perfectly on the PS5 so long as you’ve gotten that PSVR adapter for PS5. Each game will look and play better on PS5, thanks to a higher framerate, higher resolution rendering, and better-looking in-game models and textures.

Doom 3: VR Edition

Doom 3 needs no introduction. As the most horror-like game in the entire decades-long series, Doom 3 holds a special pl…

Today, doorbells are better than they’ve ever been before. Thanks to the rise of smart video doorbells, you no longer have to stress about who might be showing up to your home when you weren’t expecting anyone. Instead, you can look on your phone, see who it is, and even talk with whoever’s at your door. If you rely on Google Assistant for controlling all of your smart things, these are the doorbells you’ll want to check out.

Best Overall: Arlo Video Doorbell

It took Arlo a little longer than some other companies to get into the Video Doorbell business. Still, the company has used its expertise with security cameras to build the best video doorbell around. While it didn’t launch with Google Assistant compatibility, that all changed in June of this year. Now you can control your doorbell camera with Google Assistant and even cast the video to a Chromecast or other smart display.

On top of being easy to control with just your voice, the Arlo Video Doorbell out-classes nearly every…

VR Cover has been around for years now, making accessories that help make VR more comfortable. The VR Cover for Oculus Quest 2 facial interface replacement makes the best VR workout games considerably more enjoyable since you’re no longer left with a nasty, sweaty foam pad afterward. But VR Cover has a lot more for the Oculus Quest 2 than just face pads. It has solutions for every single part of the Quest 2 to make it the most comfortable VR experience you’ve ever had. We’ve got all of these accessories listed below and will give you the low-down on the very best ones to get!

A comfort overhaul

Facial interface and foam pad replacement

Staff Pick

Since our review of the facial interface and foam pad replacement, VR Cover has further refined the product and even added a ton of new colors to the list of options. My personal favorite is the Winter Edition, which ships with a red facial interface connector and two white PU-leather pads for your face. These enhance comfort and pro…