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Hulu, Disney Plus, and the Pixel Watch 4 are among this week’s best deals

An illustration of the Hulu logo

Happy Saturday, all! This week, we found a number of deals that should help you unwind and relax over the next few days (and beyond). If you’re planning to stream the Oscars on Sunday, there’s still time to take advantage of a great deal on Hulu and Disney Plus, as well as Google’s latest 4K streaming device. Speaking of Google, you can also currently save $60 on the Pixel Watch 4; there are also savings to be had on microSD Express cards, ice cream makers, and a host of other great tech this weekend. So, without further ado, let’s get to it.

Hulu and Disney Plus recently launched a terrific promo that drops the price of the ad-supported bundle for new and returning subscribers to just $4.99 a month ($8 off) through 11:59AM ET on March 24th. That’s the best deal we’ve seen on the bundle since Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and a great way to stream the 98th Academy Awards without paying full price when they air tomorrow, March 15th, at 7PM ET.

In addition to the aforementioned awards show, Disney’s discounted bundle lets you catch up on 2026 nominees like The Secret Agent, It Was Just An Accident, and Elio. You also get access to the rest of Hulu and Disney’s massive catalog of movies and TV shows, which includes everything from Predator: Badlands and Anora to both seasons of Andor and the upcoming second season of Daredevil: Born Again.

Disney Plus, Hulu Bundle (with ads)

Where to Buy:


If you want a terrific Android smartwatch to keep tabs on your health and fitness goals, the Google Pixel Watch 4 is down to a new low price. You can currently pick up the Wi-Fi-enabled 41mm model for $289.99 ($60 off) at Amazon and Best Buy, or the larger 45mm variant for $339.99 (also $60 off) via the same retailers (Amazon / Best Buy).

Google’s latest wearable offers a wide range of helpful health and fitness tools, allowing you to track your activity, sleep, blood oxygen levels, and heart rate. It can automatically record certain cardio workouts, while dual-frequency GPS enables more accurate navigation in challenging environments, including cities. Being a Google device, the Watch 4 also integrates well with the company’s various services, with support for apps like Google Maps, Google Wallet, and Google Assistant. You can also make hands-free calls with Google Gemini using the raise-to-talk gesture, which is helpful when you’re out for a run.

While the watch works well with most Android phones, it pairs especially nicely with Pixel devices. Pixel phone owners, for example, can use it as a remote shutter for the Pixel camera and take advantage of features like Recorder, which can generate AI-powered summaries of recordings. As an added plus, the screen and battery are both repairable and replaceable, so you won’t necessarily need to buy a whole new watch if either gets damaged.

Read our full Pixel Watch 4 review.

Mario Day brought plenty of great deals earlier this week, though one of the best was for Samsung’s Mario-themed microSD Express card. Thankfully, the 256GB model is still at Walmart, Best Buy, and GameStop for around $39 ($20 off), matching its lowest price to date.

While many first-party Nintendo Switch 2 games don’t take up a huge amount of space, storage can fill up quickly if you keep adding to your digital library or buy a lot of third-party games, such as Cyberpunk 2077. That makes this a solid deal, as the Switch 2 is limited to 256GB of built-in storage and requires pricier microSD Express cards for storage expansion. Samsung’s card uses the newer microSD Express standard, which delivers superior read and write speeds to traditional microSD cards, helping reduce load times and speed up larger downloads.

Samsung microSD Express Card for Nintendo Switch

Where to Buy:


More great deals from this week

  • Google’s TV Streamer (4K) is on sale for $79.99 ($20 off) at AmazonTarget, and Walmart, which is just $5 more than its best price to date. It’s an excellent streaming device that takes only about 10 minutes to set up and supports both Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. It also doubles as an impressively capable smart home hub, with built-in support for Matter and Thread, letting you control a wide range of smart home devices using Google Assistant or the Google Home panel on your TV screen. Read our review.
  • Ninja’s Creami is on sale in white for $169 ($30 off) at Walmart. Although it’s primarily an ice cream maker, the handy countertop appliance comes with five preset buttons that let you easily make sorbet, gelato, milkshakes, and even smoothie bowls. Plus, unlike store-bought ice cream, you can mix in whatever you want, from fruit and vegan ingredients to extra chocolate chips — all from the comfort of your home.
  • Gruv is discounting a range of 4K Blu-rays via its eBay storefront, including the excellent Godzilla Minus One, which is down to $14.99 ($9 off) right now. If you’re planning to grab more than one movie, you can also take an extra 15 percent off when you buy two or more films with coupon code GRUVJAMARCH2026. The sale includes a range of films, too, including older hits like Twister, recent award-winning epics like Oppenheimer, and genre staples like The Matrix Collection, among others, making it a good opportunity to expand your 4K collection at a discount.

Prediction markets want the Oscars to be your gateway drug to betting on everything

A tight shot of an Oscars status.

Though it was weird to see the Golden Globes partner with Polymarket for its most recent awards show, the collaboration wasn't shocking given the way that people have begun using prediction markets to gamble on basically anything. Prediction markets are being used to bet on everything from when wars might break out to who will win the Nobel Peace Prize, so why wouldn't people also be interested in placing wagers on more entertaining and less consequential things, like celebrities' chances of winning industry accolades?

But this "everything is gambling" culture has given prediction market firms an opportunity to insert themselves into other …

Read the full story at The Verge.

MacBook Air M5 review: a small update for the ‘just right’ Mac

A 15-inch MacBook Air M5 open and sitting between a MacBook Neo and MacBook Pro.
Neo to the left of me. Pros are to the right. | Photo: Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge

Not much has changed in the new MacBook Air for 2026: It now has the M5 chip, Wi-Fi 7, and faster storage starting at 512GB instead of 256GB. It's just as outstanding a computer as last year's model, even if it's a shame it's $100 more expensive.

The bigger change has happened to the Air. The MacBook Neo now exists, and it's an awesome little computer for $500 less than the base 13-inch Air. The Neo's existence doesn't invalidate the Air or make it pointless, and I doubt the Neo will cannibalize too much of the Air's sales. The Air is a more capable, faster, and sleeker machine. Having the Neo sit beneath it does paint it in a new light, t …

Read the full story at The Verge.

A Scavengers Reign artist explores contemplative sci-fi in new comics

You may recognize Jonathan Djob Nkondo's work from animated projects like the surreal sci-fi series Scavengers Reign or the recent Gorillaz short film The Mountain, The Moon Cave and The Sad God. But before that the French artist and animator made self-published comics that depicted strange alien worlds and future societies. Now he's revisiting that work with a lush release of two graphic novels. "I think most of the people who follow my work don't necessarily know that I published comics," Nkondo tells The Verge. "I am mainly known for my work in animations, so revisiting those books and promoting them again was a good way to spread the wor …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Asus’ new open earbuds are a wonderful companion for handheld gaming

A photo of the Asus Cetra Open Wireless earbuds, showing their hook design that fits over your ear.
They look like your average open earbuds, but with optional RGB LED effects. | Photo by Cameron Faulkner / The Verge

The Cetra Open Wireless aren’t like most other gaming earbuds. They’re large, with an open-style design that rests just outside of your ears, letting game audio mix with sounds in your environment. These allow for immersion, but only if your environment is quiet enough. And turning them up might let those nearby hear what you’re listening to.

Even if you love open-style headphones as much as I do, you will probably agree that they are not the best choice for every listening scenario or all people. However, the Cetra Open are some of the most comfortable and feature-packed gaming earbuds I’ve tried, and the sound quality — while lacking in bass compared to earbuds that get a tight seal — leaves little to be desired. Plus, they ship with the best USB-C 2.4GHz audio transmitter available, one with a passthrough USB-C port that lets you charge your device or an accessory as you listen.

Asus Cetra Open Wireless earbuds

Where to Buy:

Before I started testing the Cetra Open, I spent most of my time alternating between the SteelSeries Arctis Buds and Sony InZone Buds while gaming, both of which come with active noise cancellation, a snug fit, good sound, and USB-C transmitters of varying sizes that make listening to games on my Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch 2 a breeze. However, I didn’t consider switching back to either once I started using the Cetra Open for numerous reasons. I’ve been playing Silent Hill F and Esoteric Ebb on my Steam Deck without feeling like I missed out on their phenomenal sound design. They work great with my PlayStation 5, too.

I imagine several companies wish they had been the first to make the USB-C transmitter that Asus packages with the Cetra Open, as it elevates them to a must-own gadget if you play a lot of games on handhelds like the Switch 2 or Steam Deck. The transmitter has its limitations, though, such as only allowing for power passthrough — not video or data. Asus spokesperson Katie Grayum recently told The Verge that it supports up to 60W one-way charging, which, thankfully, is more than enough for modern gaming handhelds.

Sound-wise, the Cetra Open deliver full-bodied performance with surprisingly solid bass and mids thanks to Asus’ Phantom Bass feature (it’s on by default). I use them a lot during my workday to listen to music, but I enjoy using them most to game at night on the couch near my wife as she reads. I’m able to hear game audio at a reasonable volume and stay connected by hearing every part of our conversation, instead of yanking an earbud out and asking, “What’d you say?”

The hefty case charges via USB-C (it lacks wireless charging) and can charge the earbuds multiple times before running out of power. Asus claims the buds can last up to 16 hours per charge in Bluetooth mode with the RGB LEDs and mics off (fewer in 2.4GHz mode, which yields about 10 hours per charge in my testing). I’ve only had to charge the case twice while testing, and the buds themselves charge very quickly. I was able to take them from 70 percent capacity to fully charged in less than 20 minutes.

The Cetra Open boast multipoint connectivity, too, letting you connect to two Bluetooth devices at once or to one Bluetooth device while connected to its 2.4GHz transmitter. Switching between sources is mostly seamless and requires no buttons, though listening through two audio sources simultaneously isn’t supported.

An image that shows a person holding one of the Asus Cetra Open Wireless earbuds in a way to show its top-mounted button.

Asus offers multiple ways to adjust earbud settings when you’re connected to the USB-C transmitter. On your phone, you can download the Armoury Crate app to dive into the options. On PC, you can simply use its browser-based Gear Link site — no download required. Both let you customize a host of audio and mic settings, as well as brightness and lighting effects. You can also change what happens when you press each of the earbud’s top-mounted buttons (custom commands can be set for single, double, triple, and quadruple presses). You can even switch the audio prompts between English and Chinese, or set it to play sounds instead of a prerecorded voice.

Great wireless earbuds for gaming already existed before the Cetra Open. The InZone Buds and Arctis Buds are the better choice if you value snug-fitting earbuds and active noise cancellation. However, Asus’ new earbuds are a fantastic set for different reasons. They’re comfortable and non-isolating, and their USB-C transmitter gives you more flexibility to charge your gadget while you game.

Photography by Cameron Faulkner / The Verge

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra review: show off

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra on a desk
A notable phone.

"Someone might be watching everything I'm doing on my screen," I tell myself in public. Even when I'm doing nothing of consequence - just making my little Wordle guesses - there's a sense of unease that stays with me.

It's never bothered me too much, and I generally save the sensitive stuff like banking for when I'm home, but I realize it's a feeling I've internalized whenever I'm on my phone in a crowded place. Using Samsung's Galaxy S26 Ultra for the past couple of weeks has offered some relief from that particular worry simmering in the back of my mind; it solves a problem I didn't even fully recognize until I started using it in my dai …

Read the full story at The Verge.

5 great indie games from GDC 2026

I just got back from the GDC Festival of Gaming, a big industry-focused event in San Francisco that was formerly known as the Game Developers Conference. While the show is mostly about educational sessions and networking opportunities for working developers, there were also a bunch of games that I got to play. Here are some of my favorites, listed alphabetically. Best of all, these could all launch this year - hopefully well before Grand Theft Auto VI.

At Fate's End

At Fate's End is a gorgeous new action-adventure game from Spiritfarer developer Thunder Lotus all about grappling with sibling relationships through exploration and battles. I …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Wordle’s creator made a fun new puzzle game

Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 119, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you're new here, welcome, hope your agents are well, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.)

This week, I've been reading about Pixar's future and flight MH370 and sports gambling and YouTube Face, finally digging into Dungeon Crawler Carl after you recommended it so many times, hoping Rooster keeps being as good as its premiere, buying a MacBook Neo I definitely didn't need, redesigning my Obsidian setup to James Bedford's specifications, testing the Fairbuds XL headphones, and putting away all my winter …

Read the full story at The Verge.

European retailers yank popular headphones after study reports trace amounts of hormone-disrupting chemicals

Rows of blue headphones floating diagonally against a pink background.

Some European retailers have stopped selling certain headphones after an EU-funded study found that they contained hormone-disrupting chemicals.

The study included leading brands such as Apple, Beats, Samsung, Bose, JBL, and Sennheiser. Online stores Bol.com, Coolblue, and Mediamarkt didn't respond to inquiries from The Verge about which headphones they pulled, but local news outlets report that they're among the retailers that have decided to yank some of the worst-scoring models off the market.

The study authors analyzed 81 different types of headphones, and found that all of them contained at least traces of harmful chemicals includi …

Read the full story at The Verge.

States’ anti-monopoly case against Live Nation continues Monday

Photo illustration of a gavel next to a phone showing the Ticketmaster logo.

The Live Nation-Ticketmaster trial is back on. Dozens of states are expected to move forward with their claims against the company's alleged concert industry monopoly beginning on Monday, following a brief hearing on Friday.

The Justice Department and a handful of states have accepted settlements with the company, but the majority of the 40 state and district attorney general plaintiffs - as of now - are continuing their fight in court. The states that are pressing forward withdrew their motion for a mistrial, filed after the DOJ announced its settlement in court Monday, and showed up with new outside counsel to lead their trial team in the …

Read the full story at The Verge.