The modular and repairable PC maker Framework's latest machine moves into the notoriously difficult to fix 2-in-1 category with a fun 12in laptop with a touchscreen and a 360-degree hinge. The new machine still supports the company's innovative expansion cards for swapping the different ports in the side, which are cross-compatible with the Framework 13 and 16 among others. And you can still open it up to replace the memory, storage and internal components with a few simple screws. The Framework 12 is available in either DIY form, starting at 499 ( 569/ 549/A 909), or more conventional prebuilt models starting at 749. It sits under the 799-and-up Laptop 13 and 1,399 Laptop 16 as the company's most compact and affordable model.

It's a little weird to talk about Framework "launching" a new laptop given it just makes the same machine over and over again. That, of course, is the point, since it's building a fleet of modular, upgradeable and repairable machines that eliminate unnecessary e-waste. Let's agree that while launching isn't the right word, it is how we'll describe the advent of the updated AMD edition of the Framework 13, which now comes with the Ryzen AI 300 on board. Naturally, the big news is the fancier AMD unit welded to the mainboard, which boasts dramatically improved AI performance for Microsoft Copilot . But Framework has made its usual series of nips and tucks, adding Wi-Fi 7, a new thermal system, improved keyboard and new color options.

This month we welcomed a new video game generation with the thrilling (if rather limited) arrival of the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 machines. Whether you've already received your shiny new console (and not a bag of cat food), or you're hoping a plucky relative has managed to secure you one for Christmas, you might be wondering: what extra gadgets will I need to get the most out of this coming era? The good news is, your current flatscreen TV and gaming headset will almost certainly work fine with the new machines – you don't have to rush out and buy anything else. But if you're seeing this as an opportunity to update your whole gaming set-up, here are a few accessories we've tested and recommend. Your current 4K TV will give you a decent visual experience when attached to the new consoles, especially if it supports the HDR10 standard. However, lots of new PS5 and Series X games can be played at super slick 120hz (or 120 frames per second), and to experience that you'll need a compatible TV with an HDMI 2.1 port.

The Xbox Series S is, hands-down, the cutest console of the next generation. The Series S can hit resolutions above 1080p, but it doesn't support 4K gaming and it has significantly less storage than the Xbox Series X or PlayStation 5. And, of course, it doesn't have a disc drive. That said, the Series S is a formidable next-gen console that happens to be wrapped up in an adorable package. The Xbox Series S is undoubtedly the most adorable console of the next generation, but its tiny size comes at a cost. It can't play games in 4K, doesn't have a disc drive and has just 362GB of usable storage, unless you buy a pricey expansion card.

Until now, it's all been marketing. Every feature, every technological advancement, promised for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, have been untested. But over the last three weeks, Microsoft has been sending out preview units of the Series X to journalists around the world. Just as the company blinked first and announced the price and launch date of its next machine before Sony, it is now allowing proper scrutiny of the hardware before its competitor. The console we've been testing for the past week is not the final product and its user interface is apparently not what we'll see at launch – this is usual for the initial run of review consoles, which tend to be based on the debug units used by game developers.

The most important thing to know about Nintendo Switch is, drum roll please, that there's surprisingly little to know at this point. It is on one level simply what it claims to be: a respectably powerful $299 TV games console you can buy on March 3 that also transforms into a handheld gaming powerhouse. There are no bending limbs or hidden robot heads lurking beneath its vivid capacitive multitouch 720p screen or beveled matte-finish plastic housing. You simply pull the rectangular slate--bookended by a pair of motion control sticks capable of advanced haptic feedback Nintendo calls Joy-Cons--from its U-shaped dock, and presto, it's a handheld. As a handheld, the Switch feels respectably rigid and durable, an unostentatious but beautiful carbon-black slate that's like a blue collar version of an Apple product.

The Vintage Computer Federation is the world's largest group of collectors and restorers of historic computing systems. Member activities include hands-on exhibitions conducted at all manner of tech-themed gatherings around the United States, in addition to the federation's own Vintage Computer Festival events. At the World Maker Faire in New York City, in October, two of our mid-Atlantic chapter members born in the 1970s decided to demonstrate computers and robotic kits from the 1980s, using programming languages developed in the 1960s. Charlie was built using the Capsela construction system. This system was first sold by the Mitsubishi Pencil Co. in Japan in 1975 and later licensed by toy manufacturers in other countries (and can now be found on eBay).