Category Archives: Blog

UPDATE: Mar. 15, 2022, 3:25 p.m. EDT This story has been updated to include the best St. Patrick’s Day markdowns, including Adam & Eve’s 45% off sale.

• The We-Vibe Tango is a bullet vibe but better — $59 $79 (save $20)

• The Lelo Sila is a luxury suction vibrator that just got more affordable — $135.20 $169 (save $33.80)

• The Fleshlight Go Stamina Training Unit Lady Pack is an enticing offer from one of the best masturbation sleeve brands in the biz — $69.95 $81.85 (save $11.90)

We’re not saying that treating yourself to some new sex toys will almost certainly improve your life, but we’re also not not saying that. Spending some money on upping your solo sesh game or adding a little spice with a partner is well worth the investment. Though we do believe in springing for well-made toys since you’ll be putting them in, on, and around your genitals, that doesn’t necessarily mean you have to drop a ton of cash. Every week, we’ll be rounding up the best deals directly from manufacturers and online sex shops alike, so you can find a toy you’ll love, at prices you’ll love (almost) as much. Check out our finds from this week below.

Vibrator deals

Why we like it

Read more from Mashable about the We-Vibe Tango.

Think bullet vibrator, but better. The We-Vibe offers the perfect pinpointed vibrations, with a flat-topped lipstick-shaped head that’s better than the rounded design you’ll find on most bullet vibes. It’s also waterproof and rechargeable, making it clear why Mashable culture reporter Anna Iovine deemed the Tango “the best bullet vibrator I’ve tried.”

More vibrator deals:

• Pleasure Works Pirouette Waterproof Vibrator — $19.99 $27.99 (save $8)

• Satisfyer Magic Bunny Vibrator — $29.98 $79.99 (save $50.01 with code BLOOM)

• Adam & Eve Intimate Curves Rechargeable Wand — $38.47 $69.95 (save $31.48 with code TAKE45)

• Happy Rabbit Beaded G-Spot Rechargeable Rabbit Vibrator — $39.99 $129.99 (save $90.99)

• We-Vibe Tango — $59 $79 (save $20)

• Original Magic Wand — $69.95 $99.99 (save $30.04 with code BLOOM)

• We-Vibe Touch — $79 $99 (save $20)

• Fifty Shades of Grey Greedy Girl Real-Feel Rabbit Vibrator — $42 $139.99 (save $97.99)

• Lelo Smart Wand — $104.99 $149.99 (save $45)

• MysteryVibe Crescendo — $171.75 $229 (save $57.25)

Clitoral stimulator and suction toy deals

Why we like it

Check out Mashable’s review of the Lelo Sila.

Lelo’s sex toys fall firmly into the luxury category, and their prices reflect that. But the Lelo Sila’s sonic wave pulsations might just justify its price, especially since it’s enjoying a nice discount. If you’ve been waiting to treat yourself with something extra fancy, the time is now — our reviewer deemed this toy “one of the most worthwhile, standout innovations in the suction toy category in quite a while.”

More clitoral stimulator and suction toy deals:

• Satisfyer Twirling Joy Clitoral Vibrator — $39.99 $49.95 (save $9.96)

• Satisfyer Pro 2 Next Generation — $39.99 $59.99 (save $20)

• Better Love Tap Dancer — $69.99 $175.99 (save $106)

• Lelo Sona Cruise — $90.01 $137.99 (save $47.98)

• We-Vibe Tango and Satisfyer Pro 2 bundle — $96.99 $148.99 (save $52)

• Lelo Sona Cruise 2 — $111.20 $139 (save $27.80 with code BLOOM)

• Lelo Sila — $135.20 $169 (save $33.80)

• Womanizer Premium — $149 $199 (save $50)

Dildo deals

Why we like it

When it comes down to it, everyone will have their own preferences when it comes to dildos (or any sex toys, for that matter), but here’s why this one is worth a second look. The silicone material gives the dildo some flex, so you can find those just-right angles (which can feel even better thanks to its approachable size). The circular base doubles as a suction cup too, making this dildo easy to hold, fit into a harness, or stick on to the non-porous surface of your choosing.

More dildo deals:

• Lovehoney Dual Density Silicone Dildo with Balls — $13.50 $44.99 (save $31.49)

• Adam & Eve Cool Curve Jelly Dildo — $13.72 $24.95 (save $11.23 with code TAKE45

• Lovehoney Spiral G-Spot Sensual Glass Dildo — $18.49 $36.99 (save $18.50)

• Lifelike Lover Luxe Realistic Multicoloured Silicone Dildo — $19.99 $39.99 (save $20)

• Adam & Eve Twisted Love Glass Dildo — $21.97 $39.95 (save $17.98 with code TAKE45)

• Colours 5-inch Silicone Realistic Dildo — $21.97 $39.95 (save $17.98 with code TAKE45)

• Blush Impressions N5 Vibrating Dildo with Suction Cup — $39.99 $69.99 (save $30)

• Kingcock Strap-on Harness with 8-inch Dildo — $49.47 $89.95 (save $40.48 with code TAKE45)

• Le Wand Hoop — $115.96 $129.99 (save $14.03 with code BLOOM)

Deals on sex toys for penises

Why we like it

When it comes to sex toys specifically for people with penises, Fleshlight might just be the most recognizable name out there, and for good reason — they’re masters at the masturbation sleeve. Fleshlight’s sleeves have made our favorites list before, and this bundle comes with a compact version of one of the brand’s most popular sleeves, the Stamina Training Unit, as well as lube and cleaner.

More deals on sex toys for penises:

• Ass-Gasm Penis Ring Plug — $12.62 $22.95 (save $10.33 with code TAKE45)

• Super Head Honcho Masturbator — $16.47 $29.95 (save $13.48 with code TAKE45)

• Satisfyer Men Vibration Masturbator — $49.95 $84.99 (save $35.04)

• Buy 2 Fleshlight sleeves, get one free — $99.90 $149.85 (save $49.95)

• Lelo F1S V2 penis sleeve — $183.20 $229 (save $45.80)

• Tenga Flip Zero Rechargeable Vibrating Male Masturbator — $174.99 $249.99 (save $75)

• MysteryVibe Tenuto wearable vibrator — $211.65 $249 (save $37.35)

• Fleshlight Quickshot Launch Vantage Pack — $221.95 $246.85 (save $24.90)

Anal toy deals

Why we like it

From a glance alone, this Bump pick looks like a pretty good plug — it’s not too big, not too small, has a nice tapered edge and a wind end for keeping things where you want them, and is silicone-smooth so it slides right in without friction. Once you realize it has 10 different vibration modes and can be submerged safely in water, well, you may just feel like you’ve won the butt plug lotto.

More anal toy deals:

• PinkCherry Triple Trainer Anal Kit — $19.95 $59.99 (save $40.04 with code BLOOM)

• Kink Trainer Kit — $27.47 $49.95 (save $22.48 with code TAKE45)

• Bump Rechargeable Anal Vibe — $27.47 $49.95 (save $22.48 with code TAKE45)

• Satisfyer Lolli Plug — $27.99 $39.99 (save $12)

• Sono No. 78 Anal Stimulator — $27.99 $59.99 (save $32)

• Je Joue Nuo Vibrating Butt Plug — $79 $139 (save $60)

• B-vibe Vibrating Snug Plug — $85 $100 (save $15)

Even more sex toy deals:

• Black Furry Hand Cuffs — $4.95 $19.99 (save $15.04 with code BLOOM)

• Sex! Card Game — $6.39 $12.99 (save $6.60 with code BLOOM)

• Temptasia Harness Strap-on Briefs — $16.99 $29.99 (save $13)

Explore related content:

• What to look for when buying a sex toy

• Where to buy sex toys online (even at Target)

• The best budget-friendly sex toys under $50

You don’t need to know about pop art to know the work of Andy Warhol. 35 years after his death, his fingerprints can be found smudged across our contemporary landscape.

Yet the person behind his larger-than-life persona is a slippery mystery — one that Netflix’s new documentary mini-series The Andy Warhol Diaries might set out to solve. 

Twitter just thought better of it.

The social media company most associated with the reverse-chronological feed announced Monday that it would pause recently touted plans to let users quickly swipe between Latest and Home timelines. Seemingly at issue was not the ability to easily change between the two layouts, but rather the company’s frustrating decision to default all users to the algorithm-fueled timeline dubbed “Home.”

This was not the first time Twitter attempted to make its algorithmically populated timeline, which shows users tweets from people they don’t follow, the default. The company likewise tried to shift users away from the reverse-chronological feed back in 2016. On Monday, Twitter once again admitted defeat.

“We heard you –– some of you always want to see latest Tweets first,” the company wrote on March 14. “We’ve switched the timeline back and removed the tabbed experience for now while we explore other options.”

Tweet may have been deleted

Notably, Twitter appears to understand that a significant portion of users don’t want the Home timeline as their default — it said as much in Monday’s mea culpa. Instead of taking this information and running with it, however, the company bizarrely bailed on the tabbed timeline experiment altogether.

Twitter could, of course, leave the ability to swipe between timelines in place without forcing users onto the Home timeline by default. This would make it extra clear to users, perhaps confused by the two feeds, which timeline they were on at any given time.

Jay Sullivan, Twitter’s head of consumer product, chimed in to say that users’ “choices should be respected.”

Tweet may have been deleted

If Sullivan is to be believed, it means Twitter executives have finally learned the lesson they failed to grasp back in 2016: Users really do want to see their Twitter feed in reverse-chronological order.

UPDATE: Mar. 15, 2022, 1:50 p.m. EDT We’ve updated this post with the latest deals from across the Apple universe, including price drops on the 2021 MacBook Pro and a ton of iPads.

• BEST MAC DEAL: The 14-inch MacBook Pro (M1 Pro, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) is 10% off and back down to its lowest price ever— $1,799 $1,999 at Amazon (save $200)

• BEST IPAD DEAL: The 2020 iPad Air (WiFi, 64GB) is only $10 away from its lowest price ever — $499 $599 at Amazon (save $100)

• BEST IPHONE DEAL: The iPhone 13 Mini (64GB) at Verizon is a mini phone with plenty of storage space and a battery life worth bragging about — $180 with select unlimited plan $699.99 (save up to $519.99)

• BEST APPLE WATCH DEAL: The Apple Watch Series 7 (41mm, GPS) has a bigger, better watch face and multiple color options on sale — $349 $399 (save $50)

• BEST ACCESSORIES DEAL: The AirPods (second-gen) are a good pair of wireless buds at a better value than the latest iteration of Apple’s earbuds — $109.99 $159 (save $50)

You could really kill some time trying to dissect the iron grasp Apple has on the general population, but when it comes down to it, its products look good, work well, and stay cutting-edge — of course people like them. Whether your favorite day of the year is its annual September reveal event or you just want a solid computer no matter the brand, Apple’s got you covered. Sure, it is a little notorious for its higher prices, but we’ve rounded up the best deals on iPads, AirPods, and more to help you out. Check them out below.

Mac and MacBook deals

Why we like it

Check out Mashable’s official review of the 2021 MacBook Pro.

Last week we kept our fingers crossed for a MacBook Pro price dip, and this week Amazon and Best Buy delivered. Every single size of Apple’s latest laptop is marked down $200 at both retailers. For the most bang for your buck, you’ll want to go for the 14-inch 512GB model — that is, if you’re someone who needs a laptop for intense video editing or graphics production. For other users, its 8-core CPU and 14-core GPU (and that price that comes with them) can be a bit of overkill.

More Mac and MacBook deals

2021 MacBook Pro, 14-inch

• MacBook Pro (M1 Pro, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $1,799 $1,999 at Amazon (save $200)

• MacBook Pro (M1 Pro, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $1,799 $1,999 at Best Buy (save $200)

• MacBook Pro (M1 Pro, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $2,299 $2,499 at Amazon (save $200)

• MacBook Pro (M1 Pro, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $2,299 $2,499 at Best Buy (save $200)

2021 MacBook Pro, 16-inch

• MacBook Pro (M1 Pro, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $2,299 $2,499 at Amazon (save $200)

• MacBook Pro (M1 Pro, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $2,299 $2,499 at Best Buy (save $200)

• MacBook Pro (M1 Pro, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $2,499 $2,699 at Amazon (save $200)

• MacBook Pro (M1 Pro, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $2,499 $2,699 at Best Buy (save $200)

2020 MacBook Pro, 13-inch

• MacBook Pro (M1, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $1,349.99 $1,499 at Amazon (save $150)

2020 MacBook Air, 13-inch

• MacBook Air (M1, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $1,149 $1,249 at Amazon (save $100)

More Macs

• 2021 24″ iMac (M1, 8GB RAM, 256GB, 8-core CPU and GPU) in silver — $1,349 $1,499 at Amazon (save $50)

Refurbished Macs and MacBooks

• Refurbished 2017 13″ MacBook Air (Intel Core i5, 128GB) — $358.98 at Walmart

• Pre-owned 2015 13″ MacBook Air (Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD) — $499.99 at Best Buy

iPad deals

Why we like it

A new iPad Air means the iPad Pro is no longer the only Apple tablet with an M1 chip. Since its available for preorder at $599, the price of the 2020 model has taken a little dip. So if you want to save some cash, don’t want to wait for the new iPad’s official release on March 18, and are perfectly happy with an A14 chip, then we recommend nabbing the 2021 model while it’s available for $100 off at Amazon and Best Buy. Though it’s no longer the latest and greatest, we still think it’s a pretty solid tablet for content creators.

More iPad deals

• 2021 iPad (WiFi, 64GB) — $309 $329 at Walmart (save $20)

• Refurbished 2017 iPad Pro (WiFi, 64GB) — $339.99 at Woot

• 2021 iPad (WiFi, 256GB) in space gray — $449.99 $479 at Amazon (save $29.01)

• 2021 iPad Mini (WiFi, 64GB) in space gray — $459 $499 at Amazon (save $40)

• 2021 iPad Mini (WiFi, 64GB) in space gray — $459 $499 at Walmart (save $40)

• 2020 iPad Air (WiFi, 64GB) — $499 $599 at Amazon (save $100)

• 2020 iPad Air (WiFi, 64GB) — $499 $599 at Best Buy (save $100)

• 2020 iPad Air (WiFi, 64GB) — $539 $599 at Walmart (save $60)

• 2021 12.9″ iPad Pro (WiFi, 128GB) — $999 $1,099 at Amazon (save $100)

iPhone deals

Why we like it

Check out Mashable’s official review of the iPhone 13 Mini.

No trade-in is necessary for this deal on the iPhone 13 Mini at Verizon. Though this model looks quite similar to its predecessor, its starting storage of 128GB and improved battery life definitely justify the upgrade.

More iPhone deals

• iPhone 12 Mini (64GB) at AT&T — $8.75 per month on an installment and unlimited plan with no trade-in required (save $315)

• iPhone 12 (64GB) at AT&T — $10.14 per month on an installment and unlimited plan with no trade-in required (save $365)

• iPhone 13 Mini (128GB) at AT&T — $0 with an eligible trade-in on an unlimited plan $699.99 (save up to $700)

• iPhone 13 (128GB) at AT&T — $0 with an eligible trade-in on an unlimited plan $799.99 (save up to $799.99)

• iPhone 13 Pro (128GB) at AT&T — $0 with an eligible trade-in on an unlimited plan $999.99 (save up to $100)

• iPhone 13 Mini (64GB) at Verizon — $180 with select unlimited plan $699.99 (save $519.99)

• iPhone 13 (128GB) at Verizon — $360 with a new line on a select unlimited plan $799.99 (save $439.99)

• iPhone 13 Pro (128GB) at Verizon — $0 with select trade-ins on an unlimited plan $999.99 (save up to $999.99)

• BOGO with the iPhone 13 Mini, iPhone 13 Pro, or iPhone 13 Pro Max on an eligible 5G unlimited plan at Verizon

Apple Watch deals

Why we like it

The price of Apple’s latest smartwatch keeps going up and down. Though it’s not quite as on sale as we’ve seen it in weeks past, it’s only $10 away from its lowest price ever on a watch with a larger face, increased support for biking workouts, better durability. Plus, every in-stock color is available at this discounted price. You can also score these savings at Walmart.

More Apple Watch deals

Series 7

• Apple Watch Series 7 (41mm, GPS) — $349 $399 at Amazon (save $50)

• Apple Watch Series 7 (41mm, GPS) — $349 $399 at Walmart (save $50)

• Apple Watch Series 7 (45mm, GPS) — $379 $429 at Walmart (save $50)

• Apple Watch Series 7 (45mm, GPS) in green/clover — $379 $429 at Amazon (save $50)

• Apple Watch Series 7 (41mm, GPS + cellular) — $449 $499 at Amazon (save $50)

• Apple Watch Series 7 (45mm, GPS + cellular) — $479 $529 at Amazon (save $50)

SE

• Apple Watch SE (40mm, GPS) — $249 $279 at Amazon (save $30)

• Apple Watch SE (40mm, GPS) — $249 $279 at Best Buy (save $30)

• Apple Watch SE (40mm, GPS) — $249 $279 at Walmart (save $30)

• Apple Watch SE (44mm, GPS) — $279 $309 at Amazon (save $30)

• Apple Watch SE (44mm, GPS) — $279 $309 at Best Buy (save $30)

• Apple Watch SE (44mm, GPS) — $279 $309 at Walmart (save $30)

Series 3

• Apple Watch Series 3 (38mm, GPS) — $169 $199 at Walmart (save $30)

• Apple Watch Series 3 (38mm, GPS) — $169 $199 at Best Buy (save $30)

• Apple Watch Series 3 (42mm, GPS) — $199 $229 at Walmart (save $30)

• Apple Watch Series 3 (42mm, GPS) — $199 $229 at Best Buy (save $30)

Refurbished

• Refurbished Apple Watch Series 6 (40mm, GPS + Cellular) — $283 $349.99 at Amazon (save $66.99)

• Renewed Apple Watch Series 5 (44mm, GPS) — $218 $429 at Amazon (save $211)

Apple accessories deals

Why we like it

Check out Mashable’s official review of the second-generation AirPods.

Sure, you could spend more on the third-gen AirPods that didn’t really give us anything to write home about. Or, you could opt for the second-gens, which come with an H1 chip for easy pairing, a nice long battery life, and the honor of being a Mashable Choice pick back in their day.

More Apple accessories deals

• AirPods (second gen) — $109.99 $129.99 at Amazon (save $50)

• AirPods (third gen) — $169 $179 at Amazon (save $10)

• AirPods Pro — $189.99 $249 at Amazon (save $59.01)

• AirPods Pro — $189.99 $249 at Walmart (save $59.01)

• AirPods Max— $449 $549 at Amazon (save $100)

• Powerbeats Pro Totally Wireless Earphones — $169.95 $249.95 at Amazon (save $80)

• Beats Studio 3 Wireless Noise Canceling Headphones — $199 $349.95 at Amazon (save $150.95)

• Apple Pencil (first gen) — $89 $99 at Amazon (save $10)

• Apple Pencil (second gen) — $119.99 $129 at Amazon (save $9.01)

• Apple Pencil (second gen) — $119.99 $129 at Walmart (save $9.01)

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• MacBooks aren’t the only great laptops — and this list proves it

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Save $401.99: Whether it’s for gaming, streaming, or watching a ton of basketball this month, the Sony Bravia X90J 65-inch TV at $1,098 is a fantastic deal. As of March 15, head to Amazon to save 27% on one of the best 4K TVs around.

The best 4K TVs are able to display all types of content in top-tier quality, whether it’s a basketball tournament or Elden Ring. And few TVs perform just as well at a reasonable mid-range price than the Sony Bravia X90J.

Grab the 65-inch Sony Bravia X90J LED 4K TV for just $1,098 from Amazon. That’s $401.99 off its original price and the best deal we’ve seen on it to date.

What makes this TV so great? The display, for one thing, which offers a full-array LED panel for precise backlighting. This allows for more accurate depictions of depth and detail along with deeper blacks and peak brightness. And with the XR Triluminos Pro technology, you’ll see billions of accurate colors in a wide range of hues and saturation.

Gamers will find plenty to love here too, including dual HDMI 2.1 inputs that allow for higher data transfers with the PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X. This means 4K games will play in up to 120Hz for the smoothest gameplay possible. It also has a low input lag for responsive controls; plus, the local dimming features makes it a great gaming TV for darker rooms.

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SAVE 46%: Cooling pillows can help you avoid the dreaded mid-sleep pillow flip. As of March 15, this queen-size gel set by Beckham Luxury Linens is on sale at Amazon for $27.19, which is 46% down from its regular price of $49.99. It includes two pillows.

Whether you prefer sleeping in a toasty room or a chilly one with lots of blankets, it’s a universal truth that pillows should be cool and dry. That’s exactly what Beckham Luxury Linens offers with their cooling gel pillows.

These pillows are filled with a soft down alternative and boast a smooth texture that won’t pull at your hair or skin (not as good as silk, admittedly, but less expensive and high-maintenance). They also aren’t as fussy as memory foam pillows, so you can just toss them in the washer for a quick clean.

If you’re still sleeping on an old, limp pillow that has a permanent dent where your head goes, maybe it’s time for an upgrade. The Beckham Hotel Collection Cooling Gel Pillows are available at Amazon at $27.19 for a queen-size set of two (46% off) or $41.99 for a king-size pair (38% off).

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The developers behind indie game Domina should’ve just sat there and ate their food.

Instead, they snuck an unhinged anti-masking patch note (with a side of misogyny) into their latest update. Then their rating plummeted as angry players visited Domina page on Steam and waged a “review bomb” campaign — in which people post negative reviews en masse —that shows no signs of slowing down.

Backlash against the gladiator management sim by developer Dolphin Barn started spreading Saturday, March 12, after some Twitter users spotted the bizarrely out-of-place COVID-19 tirade snuck into the notes detailing changes made in the 1.3.18 update released a few days prior. The seventh item on the patch list with otherwise mundane technical fixes reads:

TAKE OFF THE FCKN MASKS – Next time you’re at the grocery store, try showing a woman your face. Be confident, unafraid of the LIES — you might get a girlfriend. Women like confidence. Women don’t like dudes who cover their faces in fear. What are you afraid of? Getting laid? Grow up.

If you’re wondering (A) What the fuck masks have to do with either this game or getting a girlfriend, (B) Exactly what “LIES” refusing to wear a mask in a grocery store protects you from, and (C) What expertise in epidemiology the Domina developers have to qualify their opinions on public health protocols for coronavirus — you’re not alone.

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While the almost 8,000 Steam reviews of the game are categorized as “very positive,” the over 700 recent reviews from the past 30 days are now “overwhelmingly negative.” The backlash of reviewers demanding refunds and critiquing the developers’ politicized anti-masking rant (among other game-related complaints) essentially flipped Domina‘s review statistics overnight, going from 82 percent positive overall to 81 percent negative after the update (at the time of this article’s publication).

“Anti-masker devs using their patch notes as a glorified twitter feed. Embarrassing,” read one apt negative review posted March 11, from a user who had invested over 15 hours into the game.

“Pretty wild the dev ripped out a bunch of content and put it into microtransactions. And instead of making the have better, instead goes on unintelligible rants in the dev notes,” reads another. Aside from the heavily implied COVID conspiracy talk, one reviewer knocks the weird incel insecurity evident in “a tantrum [that] hardly speaks confidence to me.”

Of course, a select few of other recent user reviews represent the opposing opinion — the backlash to the backlash, if you will — celebrating the anti-masker developers as “based.” Interestingly, those supportive reviews seem to come from users who’ve spent significantly less time playing the game.

Tweet may have been deleted

PC Mag (Mashable’s sister site) also found more weirdly womanizing misogynistic sentiments hidden in previous patch notes. Since the review bombing began, the game’s official Twitter page has only doubled down on the toxic asshattery, railing against getting the “cancel culture” treatment from a “woke mob” after they merely suggested people have “courage.”

Considering these derogatory attitudes toward women and, you know, continuing to mask in order to protect yourself and/or other vulnerable people from COVID-19, the whole thing calls the game’s mature content warning into question. It cautions: “Story events contain mature themes that invite the player to make ethical decisions with regards: slavery, injustice, and occasionally normal and abnormal human sexuality.”

One Steam user noted the irony of it all in a community discussion board titled, “Thought gamers hated modern politics in their games.” Unsurprisingly, it appears many self-identified “gamers” who rally against politics in video games only reject politics in their entertainment that doesn’t reflect with their own worldview.

It appears the battle over who gets to tell (and critique) the traditionally hyper-masculine stories portrayed in American Westerns is alive and, well, annoyingly sexist in 2022.

On Saturday, March 12, Academy Award-winning director Jane Campion put actor Sam Elliott on blast for derogatory remarks he made recently about her new cowboy movie The Power of the Dog on the February 28 episode of Marc Maron’s WTF podcast. It happened during an interview with Variety as Campion walked the red carpet line at the 2022 Directors Guild Awards.

Elliot, a longtime movie cowboy who may be best known for his brief appearance in The Big Lebowski, disparaged the 2022 Oscar frontrunner as a “piece of shit” for centering on homoerotic themes. The actor continued with other questionable justifications for his dislike of the New Zealand director’s take on an American Western, which notably earned Campion one of the top awards at Saturday’s ceremony and which also seems like a shoe-in to win at least some of the 12 Academy Award nominations it’s up for this year, including one for Best Director.

Tweet may have been deleted

“He was being a bit of a B-I-T-C-H,” she told Variety when asked about the comments. “I’m sorry to say it, but Sam’s not a cowboy. He’s an actor.”

Campion went on to call out the underlying misogyny of Elliott questioning her right to subvert the American myths embedded in the Western genre, which he claimed rubbed him the wrong way because she’s a foreigner who shot the movie in her home country of New Zealand. “What the fuck does this woman — she’s a brilliant director by the way, I love her work, previous work — but what the fuck does this woman from down there know about the American west?” he raged to Maron.

As Campion rebutted, though, “The West is a mythic space and there’s a lot of room on the range… And I think it’s a little bit sexist.”

There’s a double standard evident in Elliott gatekeeping Campion from the genre on the basis of her being a foreigner. Especially since, as she herself points out, renowned Italian director Sergio Leone, architect of the “Spaghetti Western,” famously shot some of the genre’s most celebrated classics in Spain.

If anything, the genre’s history has been uniquely defined by a global exchange of perspectives on this American mythos, as evidenced by the mutual inspiration shared between Western directors and Japanese Samurai movie directors. Further, Elliott’s comments ignore the highly relevant detail that Taiwanese-American filmmaker Ang Lee won an Oscar himself for 2005’s even more explicitly homoerotic cowboy movie, Brokeback Mountain.

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With all that missing context, Elliott’s disrespectful dismissal of Campion’s take on such an inherently international genre sounds a lot more like grasping for slightly less bigoted excuses explaining why he thinks American Westerns shouldn’t be queer or directed by women.

“I consider myself a creator,” Campion continued. “And I think [Elliott] sees me as a woman or something less first. And I don’t appreciate that.”

Valve’s Steam Deck is an impressive piece of gaming tech, but there’s definitely a learning curve.

Even if you’re familiar with the Steam store, and its TV-friendly “Big Picture Mode” that the Deck’s SteamOS resembles, it still takes time to figure out how basic features from Steam on PC translate to the portable device’s gamepad-style controls. It’s easier than you might think at first, though.

Valve doesn’t make it apparent up front, but Steam Deck users have a ton of button-based shortcuts they can lean on for help. All of those shortcuts involve holding the “Steam” button in tandem with one of the other buttons to produce different effects. Like I said, easy stuff.

The most important one to know just involves the Steam button. If you press and hold it at virtually any time, a whole list of all the available shortcuts pops up until you release the button. So for those times when you forget — like I have numerous times — you can refresh your memory painlessly, without having to turn to an internet search engine.

Credit: Valve / Screenshot by Mashable

In terms of what I’ve used most, the Take Screenshot shortcut (Steam + R1) captures whatever is on your screen and loads it into an on-device library. If you want to then make your screenshots accessible on a computer (or some other device where you have Steam installed), you can easily send them to the cloud. Head to the Steam Deck’s Media menu, highlight the screenshot you want to upload, press the Options button, and select Upload. That’s it!

The virtual keyboard shortcut is also extremely useful for the many Steam Deck-supported games that require occasional typing. Just press Steam + X to summon a smartphone-style keyboard in a flash.

There’s one catch, however. The virtual keyboard only works when Steam is actually running. In the standard SteamOS mode, that means you can call up the keyboard from virtually anywhere. But the feature is more limited if you’re using the Windows-style “Desktop Mode.” It still works in apps like Chrome, but you’ll need to have the desktop version of Steam running in the background (there’s an icon for it on the desktop). You probably won’t use the feature too often in desktop, but it’s useful for those times when you want to install non-Steam apps like Discord.

You can also tweak the screen brightness in an instant — which can help preserve battery life — by holding that Steam button and tilting the left thumbstick up or down to increase or decrease brightness, respectively.

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The last big one to remember: Steam + B (long press), which is the Steam Deck equivalent of Force Quit on Mac and Alt + F4 on Windows. Games mess up from time to time, and Steam Deck won’t always be able to fix it for you. It’s easy enough to reboot by pressing and holding the Power button, but the Steam + B “Force Game Shutdown” command gives you another option. I’ve used it plenty.

Take the time to dig through the menus if you’ve been lucky enough to score a Steam Deck. There’s a lot of not-so-visible features that are easy to miss if you’re not looking for them.

Zoë Kravitz, star of The Batman, is only the latest actor to take on the role of the Catwoman. That reminder was her (and our) jokingly painful takeaway from a guest-strewn opening monologue on Saturday Night Live.

What started out as a normal “actor talks to live audience” monologue quickly devolved into hysterics when Kate McKinnon showed up decked out in a Catwoman costume that’s almost identical to the one Michelle Pfeiffer wore in 1992’s perfect movie, Batman Returns. It’s a funny sight on its own, but it gets even better when McKinnon can’t contain her chuckles as she swings a whip around and talks about the Pfieffer Catwoman’s ridiculous origin story.

It’s not long before others show up, starting with Ego Nwodim dressed in a replica of the legendary Eartha Kitt’s Catwoman costume as seen on the campy 1960s Batman series starring Adam West. But then, instead of leaping from there to Halle Berry’s much-maligned 2004 take on the character, we get… Aidy Bryant as a “cat lady” (complete with an adorably fluff real cat), followed by Chris Redd impersonating Katt Williams. Cats on Katts.

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