1. TikTok Hasn't Heard from Trump Administration in Weeks

Remember the big deal the US government made about Chinese-based TikTok owner, ByteDance? Well, the company hasn't heard from anyone in the government about the forced sale to Oracle or Walmart. They must be busy doing other stuff; it's not like they're packing their bags.

2. Facebook Extends Ban on Political Ads

As the election results continue to hang in the balance, so too will Facebook's ban on political campaign ads. Here's hoping the timeline of another month will be long enough for the US to figure out its ballot counts and such. Whew.

3. Gaming Spending Increases by 24% in Q3 2020

Surprising no one, the US game industry continues to see record revenue during a pandemic that keeps most of us at home. Researchers at NPD say that spending has jumped 24% since July as we spend our money to escape the realities we all face. See also streaming services and Amazon.

🦑 Go Deeper

What's the biggest trend of 2020? Well, as Lifewire's Allison Matyus reports, it's doomscrolling (what we all did during the election). She's got a deeper look at the practice and how it became such a big deal.

All that game spending has to go somewhere, and Nintendo is still doing pretty well on selling its gaming hardware like the hybrid Switch console. Retail software is doing well, too: Lots of gamers still buy the actual package.

Where to Buy a PS5 on Launch Day

It's that day of the week, when Sony puts its hotly-anticipated PS5 up for sale at local shops. It's all online-only ordering for now, so you'll want to choose your retailer based on your need for curbside pickup or delivery.

Get your PS5 Here

🤓 Nerd Out

"That's actually a really big deal" -Tim Fisher, General Manager

Alphabet's Project Taara in Kenya has just proven its ability to send wireless internet across 20km using only light beams. Look, ma, no wires! (Share on Twitter)

💎 You Know You Want It

Get to shredding at home

Image: Lifewire / Rob LeFebvre

Want to learn guitar, but don't want to face an in-person teacher or dig through hours of YouTube videos? Try the Poputar, a light-up neck guitar that comes with an app to show you how to play. You know you want it, rockstar.

🎮 Up-Down-A-B-Start

FaceID on your iPhone, for example

After ten years, you can find the Kinect technology everywhere. Just not on your Xbox Series X. This retrospective takes a deep dive into the Kinect hardware, software, and ultimate non-gaming success of Microsoft's innovative camera system.

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