Tech
Valve questions if it can release Steam Machine in 2026
Bad news for gamers: the much-hyped Steam Machine, long rumored to see the light of day in the first half of 2026, may be delayed even longer due to memory and storage shortages and the astronomically high prices these shortages are pushing on to consumers.
With the expansion of artificial intelligence, gaming hardware manufacturers have to compete for memory, storage, and graphical processing power with the deep pockets of Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI, all of whom are racing to outcompete one another and win the AI race.
As recently as February, Valve made some concessions to this reality in a blog post:
"When we announced these products in November, we planned to share specific pricing and launch dates by now. But the memory and storage shortages you've likely heard about across the industry have rapidly increased since then. The limited availability and growing prices of these critical components mean we must revisit our exact shipping schedule and pricing (especially around Steam Machine and Steam Frame)."
For the unaware, the Steam Machine is Valve’s latest attempt to leverage its dominant software position in the PC gaming market into hardware, promising what amounts to a budget gaming PC with the form factor of a gaming console allegedly priced under $1,000 but still capable of offering “4K gaming at 60 FPS with FSR” with either 512GB or 2TB of native storage, expandable via microSD, and running on their proprietary SteamOS.
In their "Steam Year in Review 2025" update, Valve initially wrote that they "hope to ship in 2026," potentially indicating that the launch of the Steam Machine and its key accessories, the Steam Frame VR headset and controller, would be delayed until next year, but they have since amended the sentence to be more optimistic: "we will be shipping all three products this year."
While that almost certainly means we will have to wait until the second half of 2026, it also helps keep the hope alive among gamers hoping for a better budget gaming experience.
Tech
NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for March 8, 2026
Today's Connections: Sports Edition is easy for people who watch women's sports.
As we've shared in previous hints stories, this is a version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans.
Like the original Connections, the game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier — so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.
If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for the latest Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
What is Connections: Sports Edition?
The NYT's latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication's sports coverage. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.
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Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.
If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake — players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.
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Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.
Here's a hint for today's Connections: Sports Edition categories
Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:
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Yellow: Tennis greats
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Green: US Soccer teams
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Blue: Top picks
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Purple: Women's baseball
Here are today's Connections: Sports Edition categories
Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:
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Yellow: Women's Tennis Greats
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Green: NWSL Teams
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Blue: WNBA Draft No. 1 Picks
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Purple: Teams in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.
Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.
Drumroll, please!
The solution to today's Connections: Sports Edition #530 is…
What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?
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Women's Tennis Greats – GRAF, KING, NAVRATILOVA, WILLIAMS
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NWSL Teams – COURAGE, DASH, LEGACY, THORNS
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WNBA Draft No. 1 Picks – AUGUSTUS, BOSTON, PLUM, YOUNG
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Teams in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League – BELLES, BLUE SOX, COMETS, PEACHES
Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new sports Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.
Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.
If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Connections.
Tech
SNL Cold Open has Colin Josts Hegseth dodging Iran questions

As confusion and fear rage over the U.S.-Iran war, Saturday Night Live takes the opportunity to inject some levity into it. This week, Weekend Update host Colin Jost returned as Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to give a press conference about the ongoing conflict.
The fratty Hegseth first appeared doing a "hegstand" with "Sprite" (wink wink) before combatively engaging with the media. "We're treating Iran like the breathalyzer in my car and blowing it the hell up," said Jost's Hegseth. He denies that what's happening is a war, instead calling it a "situationship," and makes a "your mom" joke rather than answering whether they'll actually have boots on the ground.
Fired Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem also made an appearance, played by Ashley Padilla, to give a sendoff.
"I just want to make it clear that I didn't get fired," Noem said. "I self-deported."
Tech
Pay once and ditch ads for good — grab this $11 deal before midnight
TL;DR: Get rid of online ads for good with this lifetime subscription to AdGuard Family Plan, now only $11 through tonight at 11:59 p.m. PT.
Tired of video ads giving you a jump scare? How about pop-ups you can’t figure out how to close? AdGuard lets you avoid them altogether, allowing you to browse the web ad-free while staying safer online. If you act fast, you can secure a lifetime subscription to the AdGuard Family Plan for just $11 through tonight at 11:59 p.m. PT.
The internet isn’t supposed to be a minefield of ads. If you’d like to browse the web peacefully, AdGuard can help with its advanced ad-blocking module. This goes beyond your basic ad blocker by helping eliminate every type of ad that might appear on your screen, so your time online is uninterrupted.
This tool not only blocks ads from crossing your path but also keeps you safer online by blocking trackers, hiding your data, and stopping malware, phishing sites, and cyberattacks in their tracks. This AdGuard Family Plan doesn’t just keep you safe; it secures up to nine devices at once, so you can keep your loved ones protected, too.
If you have little ones, AdGuard also includes parental control features to keep them safer online. These tools allow you to restrict access to inappropriate and adult content on their devices.
The AdGuard Family Plan is compatible with both Android and iOS devices, so you can use it on smartphones, tablets, computers, and more. Your lifetime subscription also includes access to future updates and new features, too.
Get this lifetime subscription to AdGuard Family Plan for only $11 through tonight at 11:59 p.m. PT.
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