NYT Strands today: clues, spangram, and solutions for Saturday, March 8.

      Strands is a fresh daily puzzle introduced by the New York Times. This variation of the traditional word search presents a greater challenge, requiring a sharp eye to conquer it. Similar to Wordle, Connections, and the Mini Crossword, some days Strands can be particularly tough. It’s perfectly fine to seek assistance now and then. If you find yourself stuck and looking for the answers to today’s Strands puzzle, see the solved puzzle below.

      How to play Strands

      In each Strands puzzle, your objective is to identify the “theme words” concealed within the grid of letters. You can manipulate the letters by dragging or tapping to form words; a double-tap on the last letter will confirm your selection. Correctly identified words will be highlighted in blue and will become unselectable.

      Words that do not qualify as theme words are still useful! Every time you discover three non-theme words, each comprising at least four letters, you'll receive a hint—one of the theme word's letters will be revealed, and you’ll only need to unscramble it.

      Every single letter in the grid is utilized to construct the theme words without any overlaps. Each letter will be used only once.

      Each puzzle includes one “spangram,” a unique theme word (or words) that encapsulates the puzzle's theme and spans across two opposite edges of the board. Once you identify the spangram, it will be highlighted in yellow.

      The aim is to finish the puzzle quickly while minimizing the number of hints used.

      Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

      Today’s theme is “Two thumbs up.”

      Here’s a hint that might assist you: award-winning features.

      Today's Strands answers:

      NYT

      Today's spangram:

      We’ll begin with the spangram, which may aid you in determining the theme and solving the remaining parts of the puzzle independently:

      BESTPICTURE

      Today’s Strands answers:

      CODA

      MOONLIGHT

      SPOTLIGHT

      PLATOON

      PARASITE

      As Digital Trends' Gaming evergreen lead, Sam Hill is here to assist you in discovering your new favorite game and diving right in.

      The Ayaneo Pocket Micro is about as retro as handhelds come

      Classic Joystick-Free Design, Pure Experience: AYANEO Pocket MICRO Classic Officially Announced

      The Ayaneo Pocket Micro Classic is a new handheld device that forgoes joysticks in favor of just a D-pad, face buttons, and a set of shoulder buttons for ease of use. It embodies all the advantages of modern handheld consoles while displaying an old-school aesthetic reminiscent of the Game and Watch era. According to Ayaneo, the aim is "just pure, raw gaming pleasure."

      Read more

      This Samsung 144Hz gaming monitor is currently $400 off

      You won't optimize your gaming PC experience if you’re using an outdated display. If you haven’t upgraded yet, now is an excellent time, thanks to a limited-time offer on the 43-inch Samsung Odyssey Neo G7 smart gaming monitor, reduced from $1,000 to just $600 after a $400 discount. The deal is time-sensitive, so we highly recommend making your purchase for this gaming monitor as soon as you can.

      For those wanting a larger screen, you might consider the larger OLED Samsung G8, which is also on a fantastic deal.

      Read more

      Atomfall subverts typical RPG tropes and then obliterates them

      Even the finest RPGs often conform to the mechanical and stylistic norms of their genres. Avowed shines with its engaging world and skillfully crafted narrative. However, it is built on the foundation of Pillars of Eternity’s worldbuilding and art direction, and its gameplay isn't significantly more innovative than that of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, which was released over 14 years ago. If you favor games that feel entrenched in their genre while also daring to take bold risks, then Atomfall should be on your radar.

      Read more