Hisense has finally launched the PX4 Pro, the ultra short throw projector it first demoed at CES 2026, bringing its flagship TriChroma RGB laser technology to living rooms with a fairly hefty price tag, a cent-shy of $4,000.
… %!s()
Designed to replace a traditional TV, the PX4 Pro can throw an image ranging from 80 to 200 inches from just inches away from the wall.
It uses a triple-laser light engine that Hisense says covers 118% of the BT.2020 color space, while pumping out 3,500 ANSI lumens, combined with a 7-level adjustable Iris lens and 6500:1 contrast ratio, so it should even perform well during the daytime.
A enhance shadow detail, preserve subtle gradation, and keep bright scenes balanced—even with ambient light in the room.
The projector also features Hisense's CineBlack Pro system, pairing a seven-level adjustable iris with a claimed 6,500:1 contrast ratio to improve black levels and preserve detail in darker scenes.
As you’d expect at this price range, the home theater credentials are strong; the PX4 Pro supports Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos and IMAX Enhanced content, while its built-in speaker system has been tuned by French audio experts Devialet.
It runs the Hisense VIDAA smart TV platform, found on its smart TV ranges, which gives you access to all the usual streaming apps without the need for an external device.
Gaming features are pretty strong with Hisense calling the PX4 Pro the world’s first ultra short throw laser projector to get FreeSync Premium certification, which should mean smoother gameplay with reduced screen tearing and lower latency on displays of up to 200 inches.
MORE FOR YOU
As mentioned, at $3,999.99 the PX4 Pro sits firmly at the premium end of the projector market, taking on rivals from the likes of Samsung, LG and Epson in the increasingly competitive ultra short throw category.
The Hisense PX4 Pro is available now from Hisense, Best Buy and Amazon in the US. %!s()
UPDATE: GSC Game World has taken issue with founder Sergiy Grygorovych's recent comments about the money the company allegedly received for Stalker 2 Xbox exclusivity, insisting they "cannot be considered an accurate reflection of the actual state of affairs."
… %!s()
In a statement issued to IGN, GSC Game World said the company's owner, Max Krippa, funded the majority of the development budget. GSC Game World did not detail the nature of the company's deal with Microsoft for exclusivity, how much money it received as part of the deal, nor confirm Stalker 2's development budget.
Here's the statement in full:
ORIGINAL STORY: The founder of Stalker 2 developer GSC Game World has said the game turned a profit before it even came out thanks to the money Microsoft paid for Xbox exclusivity.
In an interview with YouTuber OLDboi, GSC Game World founder Sergiy Grygorovych said that Microsoft was so impressed by the number of views the debut Stalker 2 trailer received, that it soon got in touch with the Ukraine company to negotiate terms for exclusivity.
“We took more than the cost of Stalker 2,” Grygorovych, who has since left GSC Game World to make a new game with a new studio, said. “It paid for itself before the first day.” IGN has asked GSC Game World for comment.
Xbox was heavily involved with Stalker 2, which was made amid Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. It snapped up timed console exclusivity and a day-one launch on Xbox Game Pass, while also helping to produce and market the game, as well as a making-of documentary.
After a series of understandable delays, Stalker 2 launched on PC and Xbox Series X and S in November 2024, as well as on Game Pass. It was released on PlayStation 5 a year later, in November 2025. Stalker 2 was originally due out much earlier, in Q4 2021, as per documents revealed in 2021.
Stalker 2 was a sales success, hitting 1 million copies in two days. It has so far surpassed 6 million players. Cost of Hope, the first major story expansion for Stalker 2, launched in the summer.
Grygorovych did not say how much money Microsoft paid for the exclusivity, nor how much Stalker 2 cost to develop. But his comments do shine a light on Microsoft’s gaming philosophy when it was building up its content portfolio to help boost interest in Game Pass.
Indeed, developers have over the years praised Microsoft for cutting generous deals for Game Pass and exclusivity, with some saying they helped reduce risk and keep studios afloat.
Now, amid new Xbox CEO Asha Sharma’s “reset” of Microsoft’s gaming business, the future of Game Pass is unclear. Microsoft cut 1,600 staff from Xbox earlier this month, with another 1,600 to go this financial year. Sharma has pulled Call of Duty out of Game Pass as a day-one launch title, and is doubling down on Xbox’s biggest franchises, such as Fallout. Four studios are confirmed to be leaving Microsoft ownership, with another on its way. Sharma has called it the most “significant” restructure in Xbox history, insisting Microsoft’s gaming business “is not healthy.”
Speaking on MinnMax, Mike Brown, who was creative director on the hugely successful Forza Horizon 5 before leaving developer Playground to found his own studio, Maverick Games, which is set to release an open world racer of his own called Clutch, said this week that Game Pass had failed to hit enough subscribers to justify Microsoft’s huge spending on content acquisition. This includes the eye-watering $69 billion Microsoft splashed out on Call of Duty developer Activision Blizzard.
“I think it's really sad and I think it's really, really unfortunate,” Brown began. “They've honestly invested a fortune in the concept of Game Pass as a service, which led to loads of teams being acquired, loads of games being funded, loads of people getting jobs, all with a vision of getting regular games landing in this service for players. I think the reality is not enough people have subscribed to it at the prices that they needed to pay in order to make that business viable.
“And, that’s actually just really sad. Because we're now going to see studios getting shut down or spun off, and loads of people are going to lose their jobs, and that is honestly just a result of a well-meaning, player-focused concept of Xbox Game Pass not quite landing.”
Brown went on to defend Microsoft and Game Pass, praising the concept of the subscription service and the games that would otherwise not have been made were it not to have existed.
Xbox Games Series Tier List
Xbox Games Series Tier List
“It’s just a real shame,” he continued. “And as much as people point fingers and call different people within Xbox the villain of the piece, the concept of Game Pass was good. Like, it's a good idea. Let's have a subscription, make it affordable, try and get games to more people. We'll have a really diverse selection of games on there. We'll get a load of studios involved. We'll make some games that probably couldn't exist otherwise. And if more people had subscribed, that makes enough money and it works, and all of those studios go on and those games get made again and those teams will make other games. Unfortunately, it didn’t.
“I don’t know the number it needed to hit was, but it never reached the number that would make a $70 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard make financial sense. It’s really unfortunate. We don’t know what the future is just yet, but it is a reshaping of the business around that, after the first concept didn’t quite land.”
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].%!s()
You're currently following this author!
Want to unfollow? Unsubscribe via the link in your email.
The author with her father during their recent reunion.
Courtesy of the author
…
In 2024, my sister, then 59, quit her job as a mental health nurse to become our parents' full-time carer.
She said it was a no-brainer because it was the only way Dad, now 90, and Mom, 95, could stay in their own home.
Their minds are fully intact, but the years have taken their toll, affecting my dad's mobility — he uses a walker and a wheelchair — and my mom's breathing issues.
I am forever grateful to my sister for doing their cooking, cleaning, and laundry every day. Lately, her duties have included assisting Dad with dressing and getting in and out of bed, too.
I felt gratitude and guilt
It preyed deeply on my mind that I lived in New York, 3,000 miles from my family in northern England, where the inevitable process of their aging played out.
I felt a combination of gratitude and guilt that my sister was on the front line, mindful that she was now in her sixties and that her caregiving impinged on her own retirement plans.
She and her husband had forgone a number of vacations — or canceled them at the last minute — because of our parents' health needs.
They hardly ever got the opportunity to meet their 31-year-old son, who emigrated to Canada in 2019.
My husband and our two kids visit the UK every summer. My sister welcomed us with open arms. Still, it was never the case of my stepping into her shoes and providing respite care while I was there for those stays.
Our trip this month, however, was different. We agreed that she and my brother-in-law should fly to Vancouver for two weeks to visit my nephew while I held down the fort.
I was looking forward to seeing Mom and Dad, but also daunted. I'd never worked in the caring profession and was scared I'd mess up. What if something bad happened on my watch?
I tried to hide my frustration
The first day was a disaster, despite hiring a health aide for an hour to get my dad ready for the morning.
My sister left me clear instructions about cleaning the bungalow, washing clothes, and heating each lunch — their main meal of the day — that she'd prepared in advance.
I zoomed around the kitchen, wiping surfaces and deploying the vacuum. I turned my attention to the bathroom before stuffing the laundry in the machine and hanging it outside.
It took forever to help Dad put on his leg and ankle brace, a rigid, plastic frame to keep his foot at 90 degrees, made difficult by the Velcro wearing away.
I tried to hide my frustration, but he must have caught the irritation in my voice.
The author (second from left) with her parents and sister.
Courtesy of the author.
Next, I opened the freezer and asked Mom what they wanted to defrost for lunch. To my surprise, she looked bewildered.
"I don't know," she stammered. "You're asking too many questions, and I can't think straight."
I helped lift Dad from his recliner to his walker, but he looked miserable and defeated, too. I couldn't understand what I'd done wrong.
Then he uttered the phrase that was to become my mantra for the following weeks. "Slow down," he said.
He explained that I'd been operating at 100 miles an hour, making them feel rushed and confused.
The slowdown brought joy
I'd made a rookie mistake by going too fast. Mom and Dad needed peace and calm at their age, and I'd given the opposite.
It took a while for me to change my ways. There were moments when the snail's pace got on my nerves. Everything, whether it was escorting Dad to the car or waiting for Mom to find her reading glasses, seemed to take so long.
Still, it reaped rewards. We spent hours sitting in my parents' conservatory, sharing anecdotes about the past. I played their favorite jazz and blues music on Spotify, and we watched the World Cup.
Yes, the kitchen wasn't as clean as it might have been, there were dishes in the sink, and the bed sheets weren't changed as regularly. But it didn't matter.
The deceleration led to happier, less-stressed parents who seemed to enjoy my company more. The days we spent before my sister returned were joyful, simply because I learned to shift down.
Read next
Jane Ridley
You're currently following this author!
Want to unfollow? Unsubscribe via the link in your email.
Jane Ridley is a correspondent on the Life team at Business Insider.She was a senior features writer at the New York Post from 2012 to 2022 and previously worked at the New York Daily News for six years.Ridley was born and raised in the UK. She arrived in the US in 2005. She moved across the Atlantic after spending seven years at The Daily Mirror in London.
We may earn a commission from links on this page.
Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.
… %!s()
Credit: Amazon
Table of Contents
Roborock threw its hat into the wireless robot lawn mower game this month with the AI-powered Roborock X120H robot lawn mower. If you’re still spending precious time pushing a mower around on hot days, you might want to consider this convenient home automation device, especially given its launch-period sale, which brings the price down by around $700 to $2,499.99, originally $3,199.
It can mow up to half an acre and uses a combination of LiDAR and AI vision navigation, AWD, active steering, a high cutting range, and a Dynamic Suspension System, making it a strong option for difficult or uneven terrain. There’s no need for a perimeter wire or RTK antenna, thanks to its 360-degree LiDAR scanner and binocular vision, which can also help with navigation under trees. It has AWD (aka, four-wheel drive), active front-wheel steering, and it can tackle slopes up to 38.7 degrees and obstacles up to 3.1 inches.
It has knobby wheels and comes with six blades with a cutting-height range of 1.57 to 3.54 inches, which is useful for both weekly maintenance and for those who keep a taller lawn. It has a 9.45-inch cutting width, plus a rain sensor and an IPX6 rating, meaning it can be hosed down after use. When it detects rain, it returns to its charging station and resumes mowing after its rain-delay period. Like most robot mowers, it can be controlled through the Roborock app. It also includes three years of free 4G connectivity for remote tracking, along with a PIN- and GPS-based anti-theft system.
What do you think so far?
There are still relatively few robot mowers that use LiDAR, so if you have uneven or mixed terrain, this model is a good choice. LiDAR also helps it navigate in low light, cluttered yards, and more complex layouts. Combined with AWD and its high-cut capability, the Roborock X120H robot lawn mower is a promising option for small to medium lawns.
Our Best Editor-Vetted Tech Deals Right Now
Deals are selected by our commerce team
Lifehacker has been a go-to source of tech help and life advice since 2005. Our mission is to offer reliable tech help and credible, practical, science-based life advice to help you live better.
Lifehacker is a federally registered trademark of Ziff Davis and may not be used by third parties without explicit permission. The display of third-party trademarks and trade names on this site does not necessarily indicate
any affiliation or the
endorsement of Lifehacker. If you click an affiliate link and buy a product or service, we may be paid a fee by that merchant. %!s()
I homeschool my 7-year-old daughter and 9-year-old son, so we spend most of the day together. Our mornings start with hugs, kisses, and breakfast conversations, but the affection rarely stops there.
… %!s()
At the beginning of each school day, we review the rules: raise your hand to be called on, and do not leave your seat without permission. I also remind them: "Mommy is not here. My name is Teacher Toye while class is in session."
Within 15 minutes, I hear, "Mommy, can I have a snack?" When I remind my son to call me Teacher Toye, he asks, "Mommy, why can't we call you Mommy?" as though I have not explained it several times.
My daughter will stop in the middle of reciting her multiplication facts and ask for a hug. My son will leave an assignment, find me on the couch, and climb on top of me because he "just needs a hug." Most of the time, I give in. When I say, "no or not right now," I wonder whether I am rejecting them or damaging them emotionally.
I wonder if homeschooling my kids is making them too dependent on me
After my daughter learned how to write a formal letter, I asked her to complete one independently. She barely started before asking for a hug. Because it was hug number four that morning, I told her no.
"Teachers are not allowed to hug students," I said.
She started crying, so I took off my teacher badge, swooped in, and gave her a warm mommy squeeze.
I sometimes worry that homeschooling my children is making them more dependent on me.
At their previous school, they spent eight hours a day without these emotional outbursts.
Part of me feels like they are taking advantage of the fact that their teacher is also their mother. I worry that giving in to every request for affection could create an unhealthy dependency.
When I should be teaching, I am sometimes spending 10 minutes rubbing backs and kissing cheeks.
When I taught in public school, I saw students scream, throw tantrums, threaten teachers, or curse when they did not get their way. Those situations influenced my decision to homeschool.
Protecting my kids from emotional outbursts does not teach them how to manage their own
I'm helping them explain what they are feeling and why.
I ask, "What happened?" or "What do you need right now?" This lets me acknowledge their feelings without giving them whatever they request. It also helps me decide whether they need affection, reassurance, or a break.
When my daughter says, "Mommy, I'm sad. That's why I need a hug," I offer options.
"What would help you most right now? A two-minute brain break, drawing a rainbow, or sitting quietly?"
Sometimes she still chooses the hug. Other times, she realizes that she is frustrated, bored, or tired — rather than sad.
We also recite affirmations inspired by our daily scripture reading. I remind them that they can do hard things, calm themselves down, and try again.
I encourage them to work independently and support each other
When one child gets a minor scrape, the other becomes the school nurse, washing the wound and adding a bandage while I observe. They still bicker, but they are beginning to see one another as a source of help.
I am learning that emotional regulation does not mean denying children comfort. It means teaching them that comfort can come in different forms and that they can find some of it within themselves.
I am still trying to find the line between comforting them and rescuing them.
For now, Teacher Toye is working on holding that line. Mommy still steps in when necessary.
