The idea of an expensive VR headset can induce sticker shock in prospective virtual-reality gamers, with headsets running from $599 to $799 for the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. But that’s not as bad as the high-end gaming PCs needed to run VR hardware. In CNET’s extensive hands-on testing, $2,000 has been the sweet spot …

Now playing: Watch this: Meet the coolest laptops of CES 2017 9:11 There seems to be two big ways to get some attention for your new PC at CES 2017. One is to make a bold, powerful gaming system like the triple-screen Project Valerie from Razer. The other is to bring a new two-in-one hybrid that blurs the line between …

Gaming laptops were once the Rodney Dangerfield of computers — they got no respect. Many were much more expensive than comparable desktop gaming rigs, despite having worse performance and less flexibility. Worse, many were laptops in name only, with back-breakingly big bodies, and some of the worst design elements ever pulled from the adolescent sci-fi fantasy look book. Over the …

At CES 2017, Intel has announced a major (but largely expected) expansion of its current CPU lineup, with the addition of several new and more powerful seventh-generation Core i-series processors. We’ve already seen and tested a handful of laptops with processors from Intel’s seventh-generation of Core i-series chips, sometimes known by the code name Kaby Lake. But, those late-2016 systems, …

A new MacOS update from Apple will be available starting today. The MacOS Sierra 10.12.2 update includes a wide variety of fixes and tweaks, but also a couple of new features, including one of special interest to owners of the new Touch Bar version of the MacBook Pro. Highlights include: Setup of Auto Unlock, which uses an Apple Watch to …

HP is offering a handful of discounts for “Green Monday,” the lesser-known cousin of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Most of these are for fairly generic laptops, desktops and printers that probably aren’t high on anyone’s holiday wish list, but there are a couple of standout discounts, including one for my favorite ultrathin laptop of the year. HP EliteBook Folio …

While Best Buy, HP and others are offering some surprisingly steep “Green Monday” discounts (what, you’ve never heard of “Green Monday“?), the deals being offered by Dell are not especially exciting, and most hover between 8 and 15 percent off regular prices. That said, a couple of these caught my eye. Alienware 13 R3 (OLED): $1,849My favorite gaming laptop of …

Now playing: Watch this: Our favorite laptops of 2016 1:45 While 2016 may not have had a lot of highlights for many people, it was at least a good year for laptops. We saw the first systems with OLED displays (something you really have to see in person to appreciate); gaming laptops that could handle VR hardware without being as …

It’s not even mid-December yet, but Amazon says it knows what the top-selling books of 2016 are. In a just-announced list, the company puts “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts 1 & 2, Special Rehearsal Edition Script,” by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, in the top spot. Amazon says this is the first time a script has …

Now playing: Watch this: Fitbit officially buys Pebble 1:06 Fitbit, one of the biggest names fitness trackers, has confirmed that it’s acquiring the assets and intellectual property of Pebble, one of wearable’s early stars. In a statement Wednesday, Fitbit said it “has acquired specific assets of Pebble, including key personnel and intellectual property related to software and firmware development.” The …