Here’s a rotating selection of stories I’ve published recently. They range from shorter breaking news stories to bigger reviews and features.
Devils on the Moon brings the score-chasing of pinball to the Playdate
The Playdate is an unusual and delightful portable console that goes against nearly every trend in video gaming. As such, most of the developers making games for it are also interested in doing things differently. Devils on the Moon is a great example, and the perfect game for my to try. I love pinball, and I love weird games. This one captures enough of the feel of playing “real” pinball while throwing in lots of curveballs that you can only do on a virtual table. I chatted with the two-person developer team Amano to get the details on how they made it work.
Sonos Play review: The company's best portable speaker so far
Sonos really took some lumps in 2024 and 2025. The company pushed up a disastrous update to its app, which had cascading effects throughout the company including its CEO stepping down. Fortunately, the apps is essentially fixed now and Sonos is back to making good hardware. The new Play speaker is portable, versatile, and sounds excellent. Just what Sonos needed to change the conversation.
Lego is trying to make tech invisible with Smart Play
What can I say? I’m one of those adults who really enjoys Lego. The company’s latest initiative, Smart Play, isn’t geared towards adults, though. Instead, it’s a way to bring some modern technology to the bricks it has been making for decades. A sensor-filled brick serves as the conduit to bring Lego sets to life for kids in a way they never have before.
Valve's trio of hardware announcements revived my Half-Life 3 fever dream
Last fall, Valve announced new hardware for the living room, including a controller, VR headset, and “Steam Machine” mini computer. Unfortunately, hardware costs are going through the roof and the Steam Machine is quite an expensive proposition now. That issue aside, though, Valve’s renewed interest in owning the living room made me think that now is the perfect time to finally pull the wraps off Half-Life 3.
Why I'm breaking up with Xbox
Anyone who has paid any attention to the video game industry over the last few years have noticed that Microsoft has made a series of damaging missteps in its handing of Xbox. Huge hardware price increases, back-and-forth strategies with Game Pass, and a general lack of value and high-quality games have turned this venerable brand into a mess. Hopefully the Xbox ship will be righted sooner or later, but I’m out for now.