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The best Chromebook you can buy in 2025

You might be tempted to get a Chromebook as your next laptop and we wouldn’t blame you. Chrome OS has come a long way: Chromebooks today have a good combination of build quality, battery life and power while also supporting years of software updates that will take you years into the future. If you primarily browse the web, or don’t need a ton of extra software on a regular basis, a Chromebook can be a powerful daily driver.

While Google did make things simpler last fall by introducing the Chromebook Plus initiative (more on that below), there are still multiple things to keep in mind when shopping for a new Chromebook. The market is saturated with machines at different price points and power levels; I’ve been testing and reviewing Chromebooks for years and know what you should be looking for, and what you can expect out of these laptops.

What is Chrome OS, and why would I use it over Windows?

This is probably the number one question about Chromebooks. There are plenty of inexpensive Windows laptops on the market, so why bother with Chrome's operating system? Glad you asked. For me, the simple and clean nature of Chrome OS is a big selling point. Chrome OS is based on Google’s Chrome browser, which means most of the programs you can run are web based. There’s no bloatware or unwanted apps to uninstall like you often get on Windows laptops, it boots up in seconds, and you can completely reset to factory settings almost as quickly.

Of course, simplicity will also be a major drawback for some users. Not being able to install native software can be a dealbreaker if you’re a video editor or software developer. But there are also plenty of people who do the majority of their work in a web browser.

Google and its software partners are getting better every year at supporting more advanced features. For example, Google added video editing tools to the Google Photos app on Chromebooks – it won’t replace Adobe Premiere, but it should be handy for a lot of people. Similarly, Google and Adobe announced Photoshop on the web last year, something that brings much of the power of Adobe’s desktop apps to Chromebooks.

Chromebooks can also run Android apps, which greatly expands the amount of software available. The quality varies widely, but it means you can do more with a Chromebook beyond just web-based apps. For example, you can install the Netflix app and save videos for offline watching. Other Android apps like Microsoft Office and Adobe Lightroom are surprisingly capable as well. Between Android apps and a general improvement in web apps, Chromebooks are more than just portals to a browser.

What do Chromebooks do well?

Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 Chromebook
Photo by Nathan Ingraham / Engadget

Put simply, web browsing and really anything web based. Online shopping, streaming music and video and using various social media sites are among the most common daily tasks people do on Chromebooks. As you might expect, they also work well with Google services like Photos, Docs, Gmail, Drive, Keep and so on. Yes, any computer that can run Chrome can do that too, but the lightweight nature of Google Chrome OS makes it a responsive and stable platform.

As I mentioned before, Chrome OS can run Android apps, so if you’re an Android user you’ll find some nice ties between the platforms. You can get most of the same apps that are on your phone on a Chromebook and keep info in sync between them. You can also use some Android phones as a security key for your Chromebook or instantly tether your laptop to use mobile data.

Google continues to tout security as a major differentiator for Chromebooks, and it’s definitely a factor worth considering. Auto-updates are the first lines of defense: Chrome OS updates download quickly in the background and a fast reboot is all it takes to install the latest version. Google says that each webpage and app on a Chromebook runs in its own sandbox as well, so any security threats are contained to that individual app. Finally, Chrome OS has a self-check called Verified Boot that runs every time a device starts up. Beyond all this, the simple fact that you generally can’t install traditional apps on a Chromebook means there are fewer ways for bad actors to access the system.

If you’re interested in Google’s Gemini AI tools, a Chromebook is a good option as well. Every Chromebook in our top picks comes with a full year of the Google One AI Premium plan — this combines the usual Google One perks like 2TB of storage and 10 percent back in purchases from the Google Store with a bunch of AI tools. You’ll get access to Gemini in Gmail, Docs and other apps, Gemini Advanced (which runs on the 1.5 Pro model) and more. Given that this plan is $20/month, it’s a pretty solid perk. Chromebook Plus models also include tools like the AI-powered “help me write,” the Google Photos Magic Editor and generative AI backgrounds you can create by filling in a few prompts.

As for when to avoid Chromebooks, the answer is simple: If you rely heavily on a specific native application for Windows or a Mac, chances are you won’t find the exact same option on a ChromeOS device. That’s most true in fields like photo and video editing, but it can also be the case in law or finance. Plenty of businesses run on Google’s G suite software, but more still have specific requirements that a Chromebook might not match. If you’re an iPhone user, you’ll also miss out on the way the iPhone easily integrates with an iPad or Mac. For me, the big downside is not being able to access iMessage on a Chromebook.

Finally, gaming Chromebooks are not ubiquitous, although they’re becoming a slightly more reasonable option with the rise of cloud gaming. In late 2022, Google and some hardware partners announced a push to make Chromebooks with cloud gaming in mind. From a hardware perspective, that means laptops with bigger screens that have higher refresh rates as well as optimizing those laptops to work with services like NVIDIA GeForce Now, Xbox Game Pass and Amazon Luna. You’ll obviously need an internet connection to use these services, but the good news is that playing modern games on a Chromebook isn’t impossible. You can also install Android games from the Google Play Store, but that’s not what most people are thinking of when they want to game on a laptop.

What are the most important specs for a Chromebook?

Chromebook Plus
Photo by Nathan Ingraham / Engadget

Chrome OS is lightweight and runs well on fairly modest hardware, so the most important thing to look for might not be processor power or storage space. But Google made it easier to get consistent specs and performance late last year when it introduced the Chromebook Plus initiative. Any device with a Chromebook Plus designation meets some minimum requirements, which happen to be very similar to what I’d recommend most people get if they’re looking for a laptop they can use every day.

Chromebook Plus models have at least a 12th-gen Intel Core i3 processor, or an AMD Ryzen 3 7000 series processor, both of which should be more than enough for most people. These laptops also have a minimum of 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, which should do the trick unless you’re really pushing your Chromebook. All Chromebook Plus models have to have a 1080p webcam, which is nice in these days of constant video calling, and they also all have to have at least a 1080p IPS screen.

Of course, you can get higher specs or better screens if you desire, but I’ve found that basically everything included in the Chromebook Plus target specs makes for a very good experience.

Google has an Auto Update policy for Chromebooks as well, and while that’s not exactly a spec, it’s worth checking before you buy. Last year, Google announced that Chromebooks would get software updates and support for an impressive 10 years after their release date. This support page lists the Auto Update expiration date for virtually every Chromebook ever, but a good rule of thumb is to buy the newest machine you can to maximize your support.

How much should I spend?

Chromebooks started out notoriously cheap, with list prices often coming in under $300. But as they’ve gone more mainstream, they’ve transitioned from being essentially modern netbooks to the kind of laptop you’ll want to use all day. As such, prices have increased: At this point, you should expect to spend at least $400 if you want a solid daily driver. There are still many cheap Chromebooks out there that may be suitable as secondary devices, but a good Chromebook that can be an all-day, every-day laptop will cost more. But, notably, even the best Chromebooks usually cost less than the best Windows laptops, or even the best “regular” laptops out there.

There are plenty of premium Chromebooks that approach or even exceed $1,000 that claim to offer better performance and more processing power, but I don’t recommend spending that much. Generally, that’ll get you a better design with more premium materials, as well as more powerful internals and extra storage space. Of course, you also sometimes pay for the brand name. But, the specs I outlined earlier are usually enough.

See Also:

Best Chromebooks in 2025

Other Chromebooks we tested

Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus

Samsung’s new Galaxy Chromebook Plus is one of the more unique Chromebooks out there. It’s extremely thin and light, at .46 inches and 2.6 pounds, but it manages to include a 15.6-inch display in that frame. That screen is a 1080p panel that’s sharp and bright, but its 16:9 aspect ratio made things feel a bit cramped when scrolling vertically. Performance is very good, and the keyboard is solid, though I’m not a fan of the number pad as it shifts everything to the left. At $700 it’s not cheap, but that feels fair considering its size and capabilities. If you’re looking for a big screen laptop that is also super light, this Chromebook merits consideration, even if it’s not the best option for everyone.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/best-chromebooks-160054646.html?src=rss

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© Photo by Nathan Ingraham / Engadget

The best Chromebooks

The best digital frames for 2025

Making a good digital picture frame should be easy. All you need is a good screen and an uncomplicated way to get your favorite photos onto the device. Combine that with an inoffensive, frame-like design and you're good to go.

Despite that, I can tell you that many digital photo frames are awful. Amazon is positively littered with scads of digital frames and it's basically the 2020s version of what we saw with knock-off iPods back in the 2000s. There are loads of options that draw you in with a low price but deliver a totally subpar experience that will prompt you to shove the thing in a drawer and forget about it.

The good news is that you only need to find one smart photo frame that works. From there, you can have a pretty delightful experience. If you're anything like me, you have thousands of photos on your phone of friends, family photos, pets, vacation spots, perhaps some lattes or plates of pasta and much more. Too often, those photos stay siloed on our phones, not shared with others or enjoyed on a larger scale. And sure, I can look at my photos on my laptop or an iPad, but there's something enjoyable about having a dedicated place for these things. After all, there's a reason photo frames exist in the first place, right? A great frame can help you send photos to loved ones and share cherished memories with friends and family effortlessly. I tested out seven smart photo frames to weed through the junk and find the top picks for the best digital frames worth buying.

What to look for in digital picture frames

While a digital photo frame feels like a simple piece of tech, there are a number of things I considered when trying to find one worth displaying in my home. First and foremost was screen resolution and size. I was surprised to learn that most digital photo frames have a resolution around 1,200 x 800, which feels positively pixelated. (That's for frames with screen sizes in the nine- to ten-inch range, which is primarily what I considered for this guide.)

But after trying a bunch of frames, I realized that screen resolution is not the most important factor; my favorite photos looked best on frames that excelled in reflectivity, brightness, viewing angles and color temperature. A lot of these digital photo frames were lacking in one or more of these factors; they often didn't deal with reflections well or had poor viewing angles.

A lot of frames I tested felt cheap and looked ugly as well, which isn’t something you want in a smart device that sits openly in your home. That includes lousy stands, overly glossy plastic parts and design decisions I can only describe as strange, particularly for items that are meant to just blend into your home. The best digital photo frames don't call attention to themselves and look like an actual “dumb” frame, so much so that those that aren’t so tech-savvy might mistake them for one.

Perhaps the most important thing outside of the display, though, is the software. Let me be blunt: a number of frames I tested had absolutely atrocious companion apps and software experiences that I would not wish on anyone. One that I tried did not have a touchscreen, but did have an IR remote (yes, like the one you controlled your TV with 30 years ago). Trying to use that with a Wi-Fi connection was painful, and when I tried instead to use a QR code, I was linked to a Google search for random numbers instead of an actual app or website. I gave up on that frame, the $140 PixStar, on the spot.

Other things were more forgivable. A lot of the frames out there are basically Android tablets with a bit of custom software slapped on the top, which worked fine but wasn't terribly elegant. And having to interact with the photo frame via touch wasn't great because you end up with fingerprints all over the display. The best frames I tried were smart about what features you could control on the frame itself vs. through an app, the latter of which is my preferred method.

Another important software note: many frames I tried require subscriptions for features that absolutely should be included out of the box. For example, one frame would only let me upload 10 photos at a time without a subscription. Others would let you link a Google Photos account, but you could only sync a single album without paying up. Yet another option didn't let you create albums to organize the photos that were on the frame — it was just a giant scroll of photos with no way to give them order.

While some premium frames offer perks like unlimited photos or cloud storage, they often come at a cost. I can understand why certain things might go under a subscription, like if you're getting a large amount of cloud storage, for example. But these subscriptions feel like ways for companies to make recurring revenue from a product made so cheaply they can't make any money on the frame itself. I'd urge you to make sure your chosen frame doesn't require a subscription (neither of the frames I recommend in this guide need a subscription for any of their features), especially if you plan on giving this device as a gift to loved ones.

How much should you spend on a digital picture frame

For a frame with a nine- or ten-inch display, expect to spend at least $100. Our budget recommendation is $99, and all of the options I tried that were cheaper were not nearly good enough to recommend. Spending $150 to $180 will get you a significantly nicer experience in all facets, from functionality to design to screen quality.

Best digital picture frames for 2025

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/smart-home/best-digital-frame-120046051.html?src=rss

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© Photo by Nathan Ingraham / Engadget

The best digital frames

Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus review: Quirky in ways both good and bad

It’s been a few years since Samsung took a crack at making a premium Chromebook. In 2020, the company released the first Galaxy Chromebook, a $999 laptop with a gorgeous 4K OLED screen that barely lasted five hours away from a charger. The company fixed some issues with its 2021 model, which had a more pedestrian screen and a thicker design while costing $300 less — a fair compromise given that battery life was significantly better.

Since then, Google has also launched the Chromebook Plus initiative, which aims to standardize Chromebook specs to give people a more consistent experience. And now, Samsung has released its first entry to that lineup: the Galaxy Chromebook Plus. It’s a bit different than most of the other laptops in that space, though, with a large 15.6-inch OLED screen and a design that’s extremely thin and light for its size. It reminds me a little bit of the 15-inch MacBook Air, though its appearance is unmistakably Samsung. The Galaxy Chromebook Plus also has more of Google’s AI capabilities baked into it than any Chromebook thus far, thanks to a new “Quick Insert” key that grants fast access to Gemini.

Finally, it’s one of the most expensive Chromebook Plus options out there at $699. That puts it directly in competition with Acer’s Chromebook Spin Plus 714, my current favorite in the premium Chromebook space. And while it’s refreshingly different from the Acer and Lenovo models I usually use, there are a few quirks here you should know about.

Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus
Photo by Nathan Ingraham / Engadget

Hardware and design: Not your typical Chromebook

First, though, the good stuff. The Galaxy Chromebook Plus’ 1080p, 15.6-inch screen is crisp and bright, with excellent viewing angles. Somewhat surprisingly, though, it doesn’t have a touchscreen. Lots of Chromebooks do, as it makes interacting with some Android apps easier. But once I got used to the fact that poking the screen did nothing, I didn’t really miss it. Samsung says it’s the only Chromebook Plus with an AMOLED display, and while I wouldn’t mind a higher resolution, I know that would lead to worse battery life. All told, I think Samsung made the right choice not to go for 4K, especially considering that a computer this thin doesn’t have as much room for a bigger battery.

Speaking of: this laptop is seriously thin. It’s less than half an inch thick (0.46 inches to be precise) and weighs only 2.58 pounds. That’s essentially the same thickness as the 13- and 15-inch MacBook Air, and the Galaxy Chromebook Plus is lighter than both. It’s well-suited to going anywhere without being too much of a burden, not something you get often on a laptop with a large screen. Despite its thin-and-light design, Samsung didn’t skimp on ports here: it has HDMI, two USB-C ports (one of which you’ll need for charging), a microSDXC slot (that I wish was standard microSD), a headphone jack and an old-school USB-A port.

As part of the Chromebook Plus line, this laptop exceeds the minimum spec requirements. It pairs an Intel Core 3 100U processor released earlier this year with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. That’s more than enough power for a Chromebook in this day and age, and I had no qualms with its performance across the board.

While the Galaxy Chromebook Plus is quite svelte, its 15.6-inch screen makes transporting it a little awkward. Thanks to its 16:9 aspect ratio, the laptop has serious surfboard vibes – it’s just very wide, and it’s a tight fit in my bag. Furthermore, the 16:9 aspect ratio makes the screen feel smaller than it really is. The 1080p panel defaults to a scaled resolution that works out to 1,600 x 900, almost 100 fewer vertical pixels than my 14-inch MacBook Pro. I’ve been yelling into the void for years now that the 16:9 aspect ratio is just not ideal for modern computing, given the verticality of basically every web site. I’d be much happier with a smaller panel that offered more vertical pixels, but that’s just me.

I have mixed feelings about the keyboard and trackpad. Since the Galaxy Chromebook Plus is so thin, the keys don’t feel quite as comfortable as those on most other Chromebooks I use, to say nothing of my MacBook Pro. But, they’re not bad at all; nothing like the terrible butterfly keyboards on the MacBooks of the prior decade. They have less travel and are a little clickier than I’d like but still easy enough to acclimate to.

Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus
Photo by Nathan Ingraham / Engadget

My real issue is that Samsung chose to include a number pad on the keyboard. This might be my own personal quirk, but I generally can’t stand number pads because I’d much rather have my hands centered below the display. I always feel slightly off-kilter and unbalanced using a laptop with a number pad, and it led to me making far more typos than I usually do. I’m sure if it was my only computer, I’d adjust and get used to it — but I don’t think I’d ever really like it. For me, the tradeoff just isn’t worth the number pad. I also found myself activating the trackpad by grazing it with the side of my palms while typing more often than I’d like. I eventually acclimated to how to type comfortably and avoid the touchpad, but between that and the number pad I found the Galaxy Chromebook Plus’s typing experience isn’t as good as some other Chromebooks I’ve used.

Perhaps the most notable thing about the keyboard, though, is the new Quick Insert key that goes where the traditional search key is. (Chromebooks have always had this instead of a caps lock key.) Quick Insert pulls up a small menu similar in size to what you see if you right-click something. But it gives contextual suggestions based on what you’re doing rather than showing the same options every time. In the very Google Doc where I wrote this review, it suggested various emoji (which would definitely be useful when using a chat app), links to a few Google Drive files it thought were relevant and a “help me write” prompt using Google Gemini. The menu also shows quick links to your Files folder, Google Drive, browsing history and a few other potentially helpful options.

Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus
Photo by Nathan Ingraham / Engadget

Samsung moved the traditional launcher key to the bottom row, nestled between Fn and Alt. That key still brings up the app launcher and a traditional search field for things on your computer; you can also easily search Google from here. The trickiest thing about this placement is that some shortcuts I was used to now require me to use the launcher in a new spot instead of Quick Insert. It’s a bit of a learning curve, and the benefit of Quick Insert doesn’t quite outweigh having to retrain my brain on new shortcuts. Hopefully the Quick Insert gets smarter and more useful over time, but right now it’s mostly a shortcut to grabbing emoji quickly. I have zero interest in having Google’s AI help me write anything, so for now its utility is limited.

Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus
Photo by Nathan Ingraham / Engadget

ChromeOS and Gemini

That’s the good and bad of the hardware, but that’s only part of the equation. By now, the usual caveats of ChromeOS are well-known: it’s still a primarily web-based system, but Android applications can extend its features. There are also plenty of web apps that are well optimized for ChromeOS, and Google Docs has a comprehensive offline mode at this point. And if you have a recent Android phone, ChromeOS has a pretty robust feature set when you pair it to your Chromebook, including shared notifications and streaming of some apps directly to your laptop.

Google has also added a lot of smart and useful features to ChromeOS over the last year or so that make it more useful. For example, clicking the date in the taskbar brings up your full Google calendar and anything in the Tasks app, making it a quick place to see what you have planned for the day without having to dive into the full Calendar or Tasks experience. There’s also a new “focus” mode for when you want to sit down and concentrate. It turns on Do Not Disturb, sets a timer and lets you pick a YouTube Music playlist or some “focus sounds” like ambient or classical music, or even the sounds of nature. It’s a small thing, but there are a lot of thoughtful tools like that now in ChromeOS that make it feel like much more than just a browser.

The new Quick Insert menu in ChromeOS.
The new Quick Insert menu in ChromeOS.

Naturally, AI is a bigger part of ChromeOS than ever. In addition to the “help me write” tools and suggestions that show up when you tap the Quick Insert key, Gemini is a click away with an app shortcut in the toolbar by default. There are also a few frivolous AI features thrown in, like a wallpaper generator with eight different categories to choose from (landscape, surreal, dreamscape, classic art and so on). Once you pick one, you’ll get a few more fields you can edit to get a handful of AI creations you can set as your wallpaper. You don’t get full creative control here; generally there are two things you can edit in each prompt. They’re hit or miss, but I did like the “classic art” avant-garde beach scene I created.

There’s also a beta test of the “help me read” feature that’ll summarize documents, PDFs and web pages. I made a PDF of this review from Google Docs and had the AI summarize it, which it did with no errors but also with very little detail. I asked it questions about the content of the document and it answered them accurately, as well. And the Magic Editor built into Google Photos on Pixel phones is also available on Chromebook Plus models, letting you alter the reality of your snapshots to your heart's content. None of this stuff is essential to me, but it’s clearly the way we’re headed, like it or not. One good thing is that Google includes a full year of its $20/month Google One with AI plan to Chromebook Plus buyers, this Samsung model included. That gets you 2TB of Drive storage and access to Gemini Advanced, Gemini in Google Docs and Gmail, as well as a few other AI perks. I don’t think it’s necessary at this point, but getting to try it for a full year is a pretty nice offer.

Finally, there’s the ever-present question of battery life. I’m getting between six and a half and eight hours off the charger, depending on what I’m doing; as usual, video calls really put a hurt on things. That’s not bad, but it’s still pretty far from the 13 hours Samsung claims. I don’t know what I’d have to do to come close to that mark. One day, with concentrated use, I burned through two-thirds of the battery in less than four hours. That’s pretty common for basically all Chromebooks I’ve tested in recent years, and my guess is that with Intel silicon we’re not going to see things improve in any meaningful way.

Wrap-up

Despite some misgivings, I actually enjoyed my time with the Galaxy Chromebook Plus. I probably wouldn’t pick it as my own personal computer, because the number pad I won’t use simply makes things too awkward. But there’s also a lot to like here – it’s so much lighter and thinner than other Chromebooks I usually use that it is a delight to travel with, despite the fact that its width is a bit cumbersome. And while I wish there was more vertical screen resolution, I did enjoy having such a large display combined in a very portable device.

For the right kind of buyer, the Galaxy Chromebook Plus might be just what you’re looking for (especially if the idea of a number pad on the keyboard excites you). For me, though, the slightly more boring but reliable Acer Chromebook Spin 714 Plus remains my favorite premium Chromebook. But Samsung has put forward a solid effort here, and I hope they continue on this path with future Chromebooks – Acer and Lenovo could use the competition.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/samsung-galaxy-chromebook-plus-review-quirky-in-ways-both-good-and-bad-140036965.html?src=rss

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© Photo by Nathan Ingraham / Engadget

Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus

Fumito Ueda's follow-up to The Last Guardian is an untitled dark sci-fi game

If you're a PlayStation fan, you're likely at least familiar with Shadow of the Colossus, Ico and The Last Guardian. They're three atmospheric and unique titles that have influenced plenty of games over the last decade. And we're going to get more from director Fumito Ueda, but it was quite the mysterious and brief reveal. All we know is that Ueda has a new title coming out, published by Epic, and it fits in right alongside with his prior work. It's about the most minimal game reveals I can think of — there's a spaceship taking off, and that's about all I can really say at this point — but Ueda fans will be excited for this nonetheless. There's no timeframe for release, but when it does arrive it'll be out on PC and Xbox for the first time as well as PlayStation.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/fumito-uedas-follow-up-to-the-last-guardian-is-an-untitled-dark-sci-fi-game-014455329.html?src=rss

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Fumito Ueda's new game

The best subscription gifts to send to your loved ones this Christmas, including the Disney+ bundle, MasterClass and more

While the number of subscriptions and services out there now may seem daunting, that can come in handy this time of year. These can be life-saver gifts for the most hard-to-shop-for folks on your holiday list. Whether you have a loved one who’s constantly looking for a new TV show to dive into, a voracious reader or a lifelong learner, there are dozens of subscriptions out there to consider gifting them this year. We’ve pulled together some of our favorites from MasterClass to Disney+ to Gaia Fitness in the hopes that some of them will fit the bill for those you still need to buy gifts for.

Gaming subscriptions

Game consoles are certainly among the most popular gift ideas this time of year. If you know someone who’s been so good that they’re getting a new Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X/S, one of these subscriptions will make their shiny toy immediately playable out of the box.

A $20/month Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription offers hundreds of games from all periods of Xbox history that can be played on the Xbox or PC; many of them can be streamed to phones and tablets as well. It also includes EA Play, which opens up access to even more games. Perhaps the best part of Xbox Game Pass, though, is that it offers access to first-party Xbox Game Studios titles the day they're released, like Starfield, Forza Motorsport and the just-released Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.

Nintendo has two tiers of its Switch Online plan. The basic $20 / year plan unlocks online play, more than 100 Game Boy, NES and Super NES games and cloud backups of your saved games as well as the occasional special offers. The $50 “expansion pack” adds a collection of N64, Game Boy Advance and Sega Genesis games as well as some DLC for games like Mario Kart 8, Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Splatoon 2.

Finally, Sony’s PlayStation Plus plan comes in three tiers, but the middle “Extra” plan ($135/year) is probably best for most gamers. In addition to cloud storage for saves, online multiplayer support and a couple of free games for your library every month, you get access to the PlayStation Plus catalog, which includes more than 400 PS4 and PS5 games. There are a number of heavy hitters here, including The Last of Us Part I, Ghost of Tsushima, Death Stranding, Resident Evil 3 Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Returnal as well as lower-profile hits and indie games like Dave the Diver, Animal Well, Return to Monkey Island and Humanity. If you know someone who loves older games though, the “Premium” tier ($160 / year) adds a bunch of titles from the PS1, PS2 and PS3 catalogs as well as perks like game trials and PS5 game streaming from the cloud.

Check out the rest of our gift ideas here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-best-subscription-gifts-to-send-to-your-loved-ones-this-christmas-including-the-disney-bundle-masterclass-and-more-141830362.html?src=rss

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The best digital gifts to send your friends and family
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