Sony debuted the PS-F5 in 1983, just as cassette tapes and the first Walkmans dominated portable music. Vinyl looked to be confined in living rooms, tethered to weighty platters and delicate arms. Sony engineers decided to change that. They created a portable turntable that plays records standing upright, runs on four AA batteries, and weighs so little that it can be carried anywhere.
Photo credit: Guinness World Records
Dave Fawcett lives in Hamilton, Ontario, but his home is more of a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles shrine. The sheer volume of Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael-related items is mind-boggling; every single wall is covered in memorabilia, the shelves are overflowing, and even the dark corners are stuffed with Turtle items. Guess what? This is officially the world’s largest, according to Guinness World Records, with a whopping 2,195 individual pieces.
Zion Brock had one goal in mind: to do something special for his father, who lives in a memory care home. With their flashing screens and countless options, modern electronics may be distracting. He wanted to create a music player that felt like a step back in time to the days of radios, one that you could just pick up and play music from without requiring an internet connection or any technical setup.
In Cyberpunk 2077, Night City’s towering holograms and rain-soaked streets already transport you to a neon-heavy future, but Redditor Tulired takes that environment and covers it in the grainy haze of a VHS cassette, thanks to one of their ReShade presets.
Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Ultra was a huge success this year, and it’s still holding its own against all of the other contenders (iPhone 17 Pro Max, Pixel 10 Pro XL, etc.) that have emerged since. Reviewers and ordinary users alike agree that the phone’s polished design, very good performance, versatile cameras, and handy software capabilities all work together to make day-to-day use a delight.
In the latest Avengers: Doomsday teaser trailer, Chris Hemsworth puts on his Thor war outfit for the last time, in a way that feels unlike anything we’ve seen before. Fans have been waiting an eternity for a look at fresh footage from the next major Avengers film, and this one delivers. Not only that, but it provides a very personal glimpse at the God of Thunder.
Researchers at the University of Genoa have developed a crawling robot that travels on a single long piece with several spines connected. The Porcospino Flex robot is 670mm long, 165mm wide, and 145mm tall, weighing in at only 3.6kg. When designing this machine, the engineers were inspired by nature, notably the segmented bodies of millipedes and the spines utilized by porcupines. This resulted in a robot that can inspect tight pipes and debris-filled areas.
Nintendo released the New 3DS LL Hyrule Edition as a GameStop North America exclusive in 2015 for $199.99. Japan received its own version of the larger-screened handheld a little later, complete with the same eye-catching gold finish. In early 2016, Europe joined in as well. When Nintendo discontinued the whole 3DS series in 2020, production of these special edition consoles also came to an end.
NASA’s Curiosity rover continues to beam back views from Mars that stop people in their tracks cold. Just before the new year, the NASA team released a new panoramic image taken by the rover. It’s essentially a holiday postcard, or a composite of photos taken by the rover itself, blending scenes from morning and late afternoon on the same spot.
Sony released the PS-FL99 in 1983, just as compact discs were changing the way people listened to music. Vinyl records still held strong appeal for many listeners at that time, and Sony crafted this model to keep the format fresh with clever engineering. Collectors these days are looking for any surviving PS-FL99s they can find since, let’s face it, after more than four decades, most of them aren’t functional.