The Verge

It's easy to think about AI as a sort of existential battle between human and machine. Maybe it will be, someday, in a Skynet sort of way. But there are also lots of people trying to figure out how to use AI not as a replacement for human creativity and thinking but as a tool [...]

Google didn't invent the concept of smart glasses, but it did help make them mainstream. In retrospect, 13 years after their launch, this is both a good and bad thing. Glass made a lot of people dream about new ways to use computers without staring down at screens all day. Glass also made a lot [...]

It may be hard to believe now, but the App Store was once a thriving place for inventive indie games. The ubiquity of the iPhone coupled with the relative ease of development for the platform meant that smaller studios were able to get their games in front of huge audiences, leading to a great time [...]

This is The Stepback, a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world. For more on how to work anywhere, follow Thomas Ricker. The Stepback arrives in our subscribers' inboxes at 8AM ET. Opt in for The Stepback here. How it started I've worked from home for 20 years. In that time, [...]

Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 108, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you're new here, welcome, hope your holiday shopping is going well, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.) This week, I've been reading about Ariana Grande and pelvic floors and [...]

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman is reporting that Johny Srouji, senior vice president of hardware technologies, told Tim Cook he is seriously considering" leaving Apple for another company in the near future. It was reported in October that Srouji was evaluating his future at the tech giant." While nothing is confirmed, it seems the executive is leaning [...]

Cyber week has just about wrapped up, but there are still some amazing Cyber Monday leftovers that you can save money on. The one deal we can't stop telling readers about is the unexpected $50 discount on Nintendo's Switch 2 console bundle that includes Mario Kart World, bringing it down to $449.99 (was $499.99). Currently, [...]

It's been a few years since the official introduction of the Bluetooth technology Auracast, which allows devices like earbuds, headphones, speakers, and hearing aids to connect to a single source without the need for pairing. Like a radio picks up your local radio stations, all you have to do is connect to the right broadcast. [...]

Everyone had a good laugh at HBO Max this week when the new 4K Mad Men remaster debuted with a number of glaring errors that should have been caught before the show was uploaded to the streamer's servers. Episodes went live with incorrect titles, and in one instance you could still see members of the [...]

It was only in June that Jeremy Carrasco uploaded his first videos to TikTok and Instagram. In that short time, he's amassed over 300,000 followers on each platform. No, it's not exactly Charli D'Amelio numbers, but that does make him one of the biggest names in AI literacy on social media. Jeremy told The Verge [...]

Horses has become the current face of the fight against video game censorship and what gets to be art. After getting banned from Steam and the Epic Game Store, the narrative horror game has become a bestseller on GOG.com, and has brought gamers of all stripes together in support of it. But as a game, [...]

The holidays have a way of sneaking up on us. One minute you're trick-or-treating with your kids, and the next you're panic shopping in a Buc-ee's gift aisle. But it doesn't have to be that way. With the right cheat sheet, you can keep the holiday spirit high and stress levels low. Fortunately, we did [...]

Warner Bros. has an infamous history of being bought by other companies and then quickly ending up back on the market after its new owners realize how difficult it is to capitalize on a legacy production studio's assets. Those challenges are part of what doomed WB's mergers with AOL and AT&T, who bought the studio [...]

Garage door opener manufacturer The Chamberlain Group has launched a new version of the communication platform that powers its connected garage door openers - and it's bad news for smart home users. The new Security+ 3.0 platform, launching alongside Chamberlain's latest openers, shuts down the workarounds that third-party accessory makers such as Tailwind, Meross, and [...]

Disney is bringing a newly restored version" of the original, 1977 theatrical cut of Star Wars back to theaters on February 19th, 2027. It will only be available in theaters for a limited time," Disney says, and it's being released as part of Lucasfilm's yearlong 50th anniversary celebration" for the franchise. Tickets aren't on sale [...]

Pantone's color of the year for 2026 is white - sorry, Cloud Dancer. Pantone announced the shade on Thursday, and describes it as a "discrete white hue offering a promise of clarity." The accompanying image shows a person with cropped hair in billowy white clothing, arms outstretched over a background of clouds. "PANTONE 11-4201 Cloud [...]

It's been well established that the Trump Phone doesn't exist. But that isn't the only phone Trump Mobile sells. It also offers a range of refurbished Apple and Samsung handsets that you can buy right now. You really shouldn't though. I was relieved reading Allison's coverage over the last two weeks to discover that not [...]

After indie narrative horror game Horses was banned from Steam two years ago, it put the studio, Santa Ragione, at risk of closure. Studio cofounder and Horses producer Pietro Righi Riva had to make a difficult phone call to the game's director, Italian filmmaker Andrea Lucco Borlera. I was terrified for him," Riva said in [...]

Google has announced several autofill improvements being rolled out to the mobile and desktop versions of Chrome. The updates will give autofill access to more of your data from places like Google Wallet and make it easier to select the right info a form is asking for when there are multiple suggestions. Autofill can now [...]

When it launched the Switch 2's compatibility with various webcams was hit or miss. A webcam isn't a necessary accessory, but since the Switch 2 lacks one of its own, you need one to take full advantage of the console's GameChat feature that can livestream players' faces during multiplayer matches. Switch 2 webcam compatibility has [...]

On Monday, several dozen members of the public are lined up outside 100 Centre Street in Lower Manhattan, hoping to squeeze into the courtroom to hear testimony from witnesses called by the state against Luigi Mangione - the man accused of shooting and killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson a year ago. Despite the endless news [...]

After a bidding war that reportedly also involved Paramount, Comcast, Amazon, and Apple, on December 5th, Netflix struck a deal to buy Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion, buying the studio, HBO / HBO Max, Warner Games, and more, while leaving cable and sports assets, including CNN, TNT Sports, and the Discovery channels out. There are [...]

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman declared a "code red" situation earlier this week, pushing staff to respond quickly to increased competition from Google and Anthropic. Sources familiar with OpenAI's plans tell me that the company is planning its first response to Gemini 3 with its upcoming GPT-5.2 update. I understand GPT-5.2 is ready to be released, [...]

Everyone is doing it, so why not Wikipedia? Everyone's favorite free online encyclopedia has decided to launch its own customized Year in Review feature on its mobile app. Of course, you'll need the app installed and have been using it for the feature to be of much use. But clearly, the Wikimedia Foundation hopes this [...]

One of the easiest things to do during the holidays is spend too much money. It happens to many of us, even when we swear that things are going to be different this year. We want to help you stay true to your intentions to save money when possible, and we're doing that with a [...]

The Apple AirPods 4 with active noise cancellation are now at their lowest price of $99 ($80 off) at Amazon and Walmart. The AirPods 4 offer upgraded sound quality, wireless charging, and a built-in speaker in the case that rings if you can't find it. The ANC, while not the best on the market, is [...]

Your mom deserves the best, and we're going to help you get them something special. The right gift can make family or friend time more valuable, after all, or it can greatly enrich time spent alone. If your mom says that she has all that she needs, don't take her word for it and show [...]

The New York Times has escalated its legal battle against the AI startup Perplexity, as it's now suing the AI answer engine" for allegedly producing and profiting from responses that are verbatim or substantially similar copies" of the publication's work. The lawsuit, filed in a New York federal court on Friday, claims Perplexity unlawfully crawls, [...]

I can't believe I have to say this, but Tesla drivers should not start texting while driving, despite what Elon Musk says. Do not listen to the billionaire CEO of the company that makes your car. He will not be liable if there's a crash - you will. Musk took a break from posting racist [...]

It might not look much different on the outside, but the newest version of the PS5's DualSense controller could feature a major improvement in battery life. Polish modder Modyfikator89 shared in a post on X that the new DualSense V2 variant, model number CFI-ZCT2W, lasted for more than 15 hours of continuous play in a [...]

A smidge over three years ago, OpenAI threw the rest of the tech industry into chaos. When ChatGPT launched, even billed as a "low-key research preview," it became immediately clear that OpenAI was showing the world a new way of computing. Lots of other companies, most notably Google, had to immediately scramble to catch up [...]

A Chinese company named Xteink has announced the X4, a compact e-reader with a 4.3-inch E Ink screen that's more pocketable than the smallest Kindle or Kobo. Like a wireless power bank, the e-reader can magnetically attach to the back of an iPhone, Pixel 10, or any device that supports Qi2 or Apple's MagSafe. If [...]

This is Optimizer, a weekly newsletter sent every Friday from Verge senior reviewer Victoria Song that dissects and discusses the latest phones, smartwatches, apps, and other gizmos that swear they're going to change your life. Optimizer arrives in our subscribers' inboxes at 10AM ET. Opt in for Optimizer here. The other day I was staring [...]

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened an investigation into Waymo following reports that the company's robotaxis illegally drove past stopped school buses in Austin, Texas. In a letter sent to Waymo on Wednesday, the federal regulator's Office of Defects Investigation asked for detailed information on Waymo's fifth-generation self-driving system and expressed concern that [...]

Every week since Pluribus' premiere, I've presented a handful of burning questions I have about what's coming next. And most of the time I really want to know the answer. This is a show where mysteries are baked into the premise, with a slow-burn structure that can make it very satisfying when the answers start [...]

Netflix has announced that it's struck a deal to acquire Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion. The purchase will go through after Warner Bros.' planned split from Discovery, now expected to take place in Q3 2026. It will see the streamer acquire the Warner studio, both HBO and HBO Max, and access to IP including Harry [...]

Washington lawmakers had barely finished processing the news that Congress would not put a state AI law ban into the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) when a new rumor began trickling out of the White House on Wednesday: President Donald Trump would, indeed, sign an executive order that would ostensibly assign the federal government the [...]

The European Union has served Elon Musk's X with a 120 million (about $140 million) penalty for violating the bloc's digital service rulebook, in part for the deceptive design" of its blue checkmark. Today's announcement marks the first time that a company has been fined under the landmark Digital Services Act (DSA) law for curbing [...]

Meta on Thursday announced it is launching a new, centralized support hub for Facebook and Instagram, acknowledging that getting help hasn't always been as easy as it should be. The space will bring together all the support features users of both networks need to report account issues or recover one they've lost access to. Getting [...]

Microsoft is finally updating the design of the Run dialog prompt in Windows after more than 30 years. After committing to adding a dark mode to Run, Microsoft is now testing a refreshed design that makes it fit with the aesthetics in Windows 11. X user Phantomofearth discovered the modern Run dialog in the latest [...]

Whether you're wearing them for the morning commute, while traveling, or if you're simply trying to find some peace and quiet while working at home, noise-canceling headphones are a more essential piece of kit nowadays than ever before. And you've got a slew of great options to pick from; it's hard to make a bad [...]

Following the recent retirement of former COO Jeff Williams, AI chief John Giannandrea stepping down, and the departure of head of design Alan Dye for Meta, Apple announced Thursday that environmental and policy lead Lisa Jackson is retiring and that Jennifer Newstead will replace Kate Adams as the company's general counsel after Adams retires late [...]

One of the biggest surprises of Cyber Monday was the terrific discount we saw on the Nintendo Switch 2 Mario Kart World bundle, which dropped in price by $50. We expected the price to return to normal once the shopping holiday ended, but to our surprise, it's still going strong two days later. Several major [...]

It has been months since a group of Trump administration officials put together a Signal group chat to discuss classified military intelligence ahead of a military strike in Yemen while inadvertently adding a journalist, and now the Pentagon's inspector general has released its report on the mess. The results of Steven Stebbins' eight-month-long investigation found [...]

Tiny kei trucks from Japan have a new fan: President Donald Trump. Trump expressed admiration for the pint-sized autos during a briefing with reporters to announce his plan to gut fuel economy standards. They're very small.They're really cute," Trump said. And I said, how would that do in this country?And everyone seems to think, good, [...]

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is finally out after a long and difficult development - and despite some bright spots, the game really shows its age. Nintendo has a long and celebrated history of doing things its own way. During the original Switch era, going back to Super Mario Odyssey in 2017, Nintendo has focused on [...]

School districts are paying extra for basic supplies thanks to unpredictable dynamic pricing on Amazon, which is costing them on average 17 percent more, according to a report by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR). As reported earlier by The Guardian, unlike the contracts schools and local governments would traditionally make with local suppliers, who [...]

The Trump administration has ordered US consulates to consider rejecting H-1B visa applicants involved in content moderation or censorship," according to a report from Reuters. A State Department cable viewed by the outlet says officials should check an applicant's resume or LinkedIn profile for a job history involving moderation, fact-checking, online safety, compliance, and misinformation. [...]

Microsoft has been publishing data about the gender, race, and ethnic breakdown of its employees for more than a decade. Since 2019 it's been publishing a full diversity and inclusion report annually, and at the same time made reporting on diversity a requirement for employee performance reviews. Now it's scrapping its diversity report and dropping [...]

I'm starting to understand where Google's visual AI model gets its name, because after playing around with it for a couple of days, that's how I'd sum it up: bananas. The images it generates are so realistic it's bananas. I feel like I'm going bananas after staring at them for too long. And if I [...]