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Updated 2024-11-25 13:31
Only Nintendo DS lovers will fully appreciate this dual-screen handheld PC
The Ayaneo Flip DS. | Image: Ayaneo Boutique handheld gaming company Ayaneo has announced the Ayaneo Flip DS - a 7-inch 120Hz handheld gaming clamshell with a second screen that's clearly inspired by the Nintendo DS, and might let it play games like one too.According to Liliputing's Brad Linder, who deserves kudos for calling out the company's attempt to plant a leak," both the Flip DS and a similar Flip KB will be powered by AMD's Ryzen 7 7840U. That's the same chip that's in practically every other flagship Windows gaming handheld at the moment, including quite a few from Ayaneo itself. Image: Ayaneo The Ayaneo Flip DS... Image: Ayaneo ...vs. the Ayaneo Flip KB. While that AMD chip sounds like overkill for Nintendo... Continue reading...
Here we go: all the news about Super Mario Bros. Wonder
Image: Nintendo Stay up to date on Mario's latest adventure. Continue reading...
The Hydro Flask Tracker puts your fancy water bottle on Apple’s Find My network
The Hydro Flask Tracker lets you find your fancy water bottle. | Image: Nomad If you're in the club of people who spend too much money on water bottles (hey, no judgments - I own a $90 water bottle), you probably get irrationally upset when you can't find it. To keep that from happening, phone accessories maker Nomad has a new solution: the Hydro Flask Tracker. It consists of a small disc with a pocket just for your Apple AirTag - but Nomad is counting on you to provide the rest of what you need to track your water bottle: a Hydro Flask bottle (32oz or 40oz), an AirTag, and a Hydro Flask Medium Flex Boot.That's right: it's an accessory (the Tracker) for you to put an accessory (AirTag) in so you can put those accessories (the Tracker and the AirTag) inside the accessory (Flex Boot) for your accessory (Hydro... Continue reading...
Meta’s Telegram-like ‘broadcast channels’ are coming to Facebook and Messenger
Here's what broadcast channels will look like. | Image: Meta Meta's broadcast channels," previously available for Instagram and WhatsApp, will be coming to Facebook and Messenger in the coming weeks," according to a Meta blog post. CEO Mark Zuckerberg also shared the news in a post from his personal Facebook account.Broadcast channels function a bit like giant but limited group chats. A creator can invite their followers and then blast things like voice notes, polls, text posts, videos, and photos to anyone who joins. Channel members receive notifications whenever the creator drops content.Specifically, these channels will be available for Pages on Facebook, and they're in testing now. Those who manage the official page for a celebrity or a company, for example, will be able to start a channel... Continue reading...
Elon Musk says ‘we dug our own grave with Cybertruck,’ offers new delivery date
Tesla Cybertruck prototype. | Image: Tesla The Tesla Cybertruck finally has a delivery date, according to a company post on X (formerly Twitter). Along with its third quarter earnings today, Tesla announced the long-delayed Cybertruck electric pickup will have its first deliveries during an event on November 30th at the company's Gigafactory in Austin, Texas. The company is also expected to announce pricing then, which was originally pegged at $39,900 when first announced in 2019.On Tesla's Q3 earnings call Wednesday evening, CEO Elon Musk said he wanted to temper expectations" as production ramp-up for Cybertruck will be extremely difficult. Musk says Tesla is targeting a quarter million Cybertrucks per year in the future, but that won't happen until after 2024, and confirmed... Continue reading...
Tesla profits dip as it invests in factory upgrades and AI development
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Tesla continues to see its margins slip due to price cuts. Today the company reported earnings of $1.9 billion in net income on $23.4 billion in revenue during the third quarter of 2023. The figures represent a small bump in revenue, from $21.4 billion the same time last year, but a big dip in profits, falling from $3.3 billion on close to the same amount of revenue.Tesla also missed its target date for a Cybertruck delivery event. Tesla CEO Elon Musk had planned for a handover event sometime in the third quarter, and the company now plans for its first deliveries to occur on November 30th. During an earnings call, Musk said the Cybertruck will take 18 months before it's a significant cash flow contributor."The company's operating... Continue reading...
Microsoft tests support for hearing aids in Windows 11
Illustration: The Verge Windows 11 will soon let some users with hearing aids take calls, listen to music, and stream audio from their PCs, Microsoft announced on Wednesday.The recently rolled out Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 25977 now supports hearing aids equipped with Bluetooth LE Audio technology, Microsoft revealed. Consequently, people can directly pair hearing aids with Windows 11 PCs.The feature is currently only available on select Windows devices with Bluetooth LE Audio support, though Microsoft says more PCs will offer it in the future. The tech giant also says it will add more capabilities for hearing aids over time, such as the ability to control audio presets within Windows.Microsoft announced it was adding support for Bluetooth LE in... Continue reading...
The world’s biggest AI models aren’t very transparent, Stanford study says
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge No prominent developer of AI foundation models - a list including companies like OpenAI and Meta - is releasing sufficient information about their potential impact on society, determines a new report from Stanford HAI (Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence).Today, Stanford HAI released its Foundation Model Transparency Index, which tracked whether creators of the 10 most popular AI models disclose information about their work and how people use their systems. Among the models it tested, Meta's Llama 2 scored the highest, followed by BloomZ and then OpenAI's GPT-4. But none of them, it turned out, got particularly high marks.Other models evaluated include Stability's Stable Diffusion, Anthropic's Claude, Google's PaLM 2, Command from... Continue reading...
Amazon plans to deploy delivery drones in the UK and Italy next year
Image: Amazon Despite running into obstacles in the US, Amazon is planning to expand its Prime Air drone delivery program to two additional countries. Amazon announced today that it will soon make drone delivery available for Prime members in Italy and the United Kingdom - in addition to expanding to one more yet-to-be-named US city. The new Prime Air locations will be announced in the coming months, with an anticipated launch date of late 2024.The e-commerce giant stated that it is working with regulators and governments around the world to expand drone delivery.Not only will this help boost the economy, offering consumers even more choice while helping keep the environment clean with zero emission technology, but it will also build our... Continue reading...
Here comes another Netflix price hike
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Netflix is getting another price increase. As part of the streamer's third quarter earnings results, Netflix announced that starting today, users on its $9.99 per month Basic plan will now have to pay $11.99, and those paying $19.99 per month for Premium will have to pay $22.99. Netflix's $6.99 ad-supported plan and $15.49 Standard tier will stay the same price.Netflix last raised its prices in January 2022 and stopped offering its $9.99 Basic ad-free plan to new and relapsed users in July, forcing them to fork out more to avoid ads. Prices for the Basic and Premium plans in the UK and France are going up as well, with the ad-supported and Standard plans remaining unchanged. In the UK, the Standard and Premium plans will cost 7.99 and... Continue reading...
The creator of Apollo for Reddit has moved onto smaller and weirder things
Screenshot by Jay Peters / The Verge Christian Selig may not be working on Apollo for Reddit anymore, but it seems he's doing just fine. Since shutting down Apollo because of the potential costs of Reddit's usage-based API pricing, Selig has poured his energy into Pixel Pals, a widget-focused app that takes advantage of many iOS features in some surprising and delightful ways. According to Selig, the app is proving to be lucrative, too.Selig launched Pixel Pals in September 2022 as a feature in Apollo to have some fun with the then-new Dynamic Island feature let little pixelated animals hang out on your Dynamic Island while you were browsing Reddit in the app. He quickly built more Pixel Pals features and broke Pixel Pals out into its own app in October 2022. He released a... Continue reading...
The last-gen Sonos Move is on sale for $150 less than the new model
It may not offer stereo sound or in-line playback, but the first-gen Sonos Move remains a great portable speaker. | Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge In case you somehow weren't aware, we're in the thick of gadget season, with Apple, Google, and Meta having all recently released a trove of new devices. Sonos, not to be outdone, has also launched a new portable speaker in the form of the Sonos Move 2. And now, unsurprisingly, Sonos has dropped the price of the first-gen model to make way for the updated version. Right now, the Sonos Move is on sale direct from Sonos for $299 ($100 off), matching its best price to date.While not as capable as the $429 Move 2, the original model still offers plenty of power and portability. The hefty speaker is close to the original in terms of design, and while its battery doesn't last quite as long and it doesn't offer stereo sound like the new... Continue reading...
13 states join the IRS direct-file test after tax prep firms dropped the ball
Photo by Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images An Internal Revenue Service pilot might just eventually bring US citizens a free direct-file alternative to commercial options like TurboTax and H&R Block. Yesterday, the agency announced that 13 states are joining its pilot program for the 2024 filing season, four of which will also be able to integrate their state taxes into the pilot.Since 2001, a partnership between companies like TurboTax maker Intuit and the IRS called the Free File Alliance has given consumers a free alternative to paying for tax preparation. However, it turned out that when you try to get companies to offer an alternative to giving you money, they will do their best to hide that option. When the IRS updated the agreement to forbid companies from doing that - and... Continue reading...
Biden administration announces ‘largest ever’ investment in US electric grid
A worker repairs a utility pole during a power outage after Hurricane Ida in New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S., on Thursday, September 2nd, 2021. | Photo by Eva Marie Uzcategui / Bloomberg via Getty Images The Biden administration announced $3.46 billion in funding today to upgrade the US's aging electric grid, the largest investment to date in the grid. The money, which comes from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will go to 58 different projects across 44 states.Stressed power grids need the money badly, both to prevent blackouts and bring more clean energy online. Weather disasters supercharged by climate change have already led to more power outages in the US. And President Biden has a goal of creating a 100 percent carbon pollution-free power sector by 2035, which will help the US keep commitments it made under the Paris climate agreement.Stressed power grids need the money badlyMuch of [the grid] was built nearly a century ago... Continue reading...
With a Switch 2 looming, Nintendo is sending out the original with a bang
Super Mario Bros. Wonder. | Image: Nintendo There's a very good chance that this will be the last year where the Switch is Nintendo's main piece of hardware. While rumors of a Switch successor have persisted for years, recent reports suggest that an upgraded device is not only coming but will be here relatively soon, with a potential 2024 launch. If that is indeed the case, it seems that Nintendo isn't content to let the device go out with a whimper - in fact, 2023 has been one of the Switch's strongest years to date.Just look at the company's biggest properties. This year, we have both a new mainline Zelda in Tears of the Kingdom and a classic Mario title with Super Mario Bros. Wonder. The last time the company released a major Zelda and Super Mario in the same year was 2017,... Continue reading...
Fortnite creators will get paid for encouraging players to spend
Image: Epic Games Fortnite maker Epic Games is going to reward creators if players spend V-bucks before or after visiting that creator's custom-made Fortnite experience. The change is happening as part of an update announced Wednesday to the engagement-based formula Epic uses to pay Fortnite creators.Epic first introduced the engagement-based payouts (which it calls Creator Economy 2.0") in March. Under the program, Epic pays creators who build experiences for Fortnite from a pool of 40 percent of Fortnite's net revenues each month. Epic itself is also eligible to receive money from that pool. At launch, two of Epic's key engagement metrics for payouts were player popularity and player retention, and soon after, the company added a metric that rewards... Continue reading...
Fugees’ Pras Michél says lawyer bungled his case by using AI to write arguments
Photo by Angela Weiss / AFP via Getty Images Rapper Pras Michel, known by many elder millennials as a member of the Fugees, claims his former lawyer mishandled his criminal conspiracy case by using AI to write closing arguments.Michel, who was convicted by a Washington federal court in April for conspiracy to defraud the US, and his new legal team filed a motion for a new trial. First reported by Politico, the team alleges Michel's former lawyer, David Kenner, used an experimental AI program to write his closing argument, which made frivolous arguments, conflated the schemes, and failed to highlight the key weaknesses in the government's case."They pointed to Kenner giving a quote to a press release for a company called EyeLevel.AI, which says Kenner's use of its platform in... Continue reading...
Google bulks up Android’s malware defenses to combat new tricks, including AI
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Google is upgrading Android's Play Protect malware protection system to help it spot malicious apps that change their identifiable features to avoid detection, the company has announced. This enhancement will help better protect users against malicious polymorphic apps that leverage various methods, such as AI, to be altered to avoid detection," Google's blog post reads.The update follows a rise in this so-called polymorphic malware," which is harder for Google's existing systems to detect. So now, in addition to checking newly installed apps against existing scanning intelligence and using techniques like on-device machine learning, Play Protect will also recommend a real-time app scan when installing apps that haven't been scanned... Continue reading...
Google is tweaking Chrome’s search bar to make it easier to navigate the web
Google's search box: not just for Google searches anymore. | Image: Google Google is making a few changes to the way its search and address bar - known as the omnibox - works in the Chrome browser. The changes are individually pretty small, but there's an important and somewhat unexpected trend in them all: Google is making it easier for you to move around the web without having to do so many Google searches.If you're in Chrome on desktop or mobile, the browser will now try and correct your URL typos, so when you type thevrege.com or ninteendo.com, you'll get autocomplete suggestions based on the right site and not whatever is behind those misspelled domains. The omnibox's autocomplete will now be smarter in general, predicting the site you're looking for based on keywords rather than just guessing what URL... Continue reading...
PSA: it’s time to update WinRAR due to a big security vulnerability
Image: Rarlab If you use WinRAR, it's time to update to the latest version after a serious security vulnerability has been discovered that's already in use by attackers. Google's Threat Analysis Group (TAG) has found that multiple government-backed hacking groups have been exploiting the WinRAR vulnerability since early 2023.A patch is now available, but many users still seem to be vulnerable," says TAG in a blog post detailing the WinRAR exploit. TAG has observed government-backed actors from a number of countries exploiting the WinRAR vulnerability as part of their operations."WinRAR versions 6.24 and 6.23 both include a fix for the security hole, but the app doesn't update automatically, so you'll have to manually download and install the... Continue reading...
Amazon says its robots will speed up delivery and definitely not replace humans
These bots move shelves around so humans don't have to bring around the forklift. | Image: Amazon Amazon is rolling out expanded robotics operations at fulfillment centers built on updated sorting machines, robotic arms, and its Roomba-like mover bots. The Wall Street Journal reports that Amazon's latest inventory processing system, which the company calls Sequoia, can speed up delivery fulfillment by 25 percent and launched this week at a facility in Houston.The new system has robots designed to work alongside humans instead of replacing them, according to Amazon. Director of robotic storage technology David Guerin says that a significant portion of its operations will use them in the next three to five years.The building blocks of Amazon's latest system have already been in view, as the company has discussed the developments of... Continue reading...
New leak lets us compare the OnePlus Open and Oppo Find N3 side by side
A leaked image of the Oppo Find N3. | Image: Evan Blass OnePlus founder Peter Lau has already confirmed that the OnePlus Open shares its design with the Oppo Find N3, but new leaks are shedding light on just how similar the two devices look. The biggest difference is that the OnePlus Open is getting a global launch, while the Oppo Find N3 is exclusive to China.Last night, leaker Evan Blass shared a set of images showing what appears to be the Oppo Find N3. The images show the device in four colors - black, green, gold, and red - along with marketing materials that reveal some potential specs. That includes a 5.8mm thickness, 245g weight, and a 4,805mAh battery that's supposed to fully charge in 42 minutes. The leaks also show off the fingerprint sensor on the side of the phone, as well as... Continue reading...
This Detroit-based electric RV has a 250-mile range, Starlink, and 640W of solar
The Grounded G2 is built atop GM's BrightDrop Zevo 600 platform. | Image: Grounded It's not quite a replacement for diesel RVs, but the latest all-electric camper van from Grounded is getting there. The G2 claims a fully loaded range of 250 miles from its 165kWh vehicle battery, which easily trumps the Grounded G1's range of 108 miles. It can be configured with up to 640W of rooftop solar and a hefty 10kWh house battery that can be charged from the main battery. It's not cheap, with a starting price of $195,000, but living in the future never is.The G2 is radically different from any other offering on the market," said Grounded CEO Sam Shapiro, a former SpaceX senior software engineer who worked on Starlink. It's a profound step toward a future of fully electrified motorhomes, and makes sustainable travel truly... Continue reading...
YouTube wants to get you watching more news from ‘authoritative sources’
Illustration: Alex Castro / The Verge YouTube is embracing news from authoritative sources" at a time when Meta is reluctant to promote hard news or politics on Threads and X owner Elon Musk has taken a dismissive stance toward legacy media." Google's video platform is rolling out a new immersive watch page experience" on mobile that's designed to suggest more news content when users are watching news videos. It also plans to spend $1.6 million to promote the creation of news content for its shortform Shorts service.The new YouTube watch page will appear when you open a video that has a newspaper icon and will highlight relevant longform videos, livestreams, podcasts, and Shorts videos beneath your currently playing content. We believe this updated news experience will... Continue reading...
Super Mario Bros. Wonder never stops surprising
Image: Nintendo When a Super Mario game gets really good, you can't help but move around in your seat. I find myself leaning into jumps as if it'll give me an advantage and ducking my head down to avoid flying enemies. Even after a few decades of playing these games, it's an instinct I can't seem to avoid - and I was never sitting still while playing Super Mario Bros. Wonder on the Nintendo Switch.Wonder is the first brand-new side-scrolling Mario game in over a decade and the first mainline entry in the series since Super Mario Odyssey in 2017. It's also one of the best titles in the franchise to date. Wonder manages to pull from classics like Super Mario World and Super Mario Bros. 3, while firmly updating the formula with a seemingly inexhaustible... Continue reading...
Get ready to see a lot more product ads in YouTube videos
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge YouTube is giving creators better tools to show certain product ads exactly when they want to in their videos. According to an announcement on Wednesday, YouTube creators will be able to add timestamps to products they tag in their videos so that a shopping button appears at an opportune moment while you're watching. GIF: Google A GIF showing the timestamp tool. It's a little thing, but it could make things easier for companies and creators that are working together on a video. I imagine both a creator and a sponsor will be happy about giving the creator control over when the shopping button appears. (Creators might also appreciate the controls given that YouTube is taking some other ad options away starting in... Continue reading...
Got $10 million? Then you’re probably someone who could afford this 30-rotor electric jet
Lilium, an electric aviation company based in Germany, said it wants to be the first to sell electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft in the US. But it won't be cheap.Lilium struck a partnership with a full-service air brokerage and management company, Texas-based EMC Jet, to connect it to the private jet market in the hopes of attracting bigwigs who might be tired of noisy, polluting private jets. And it has secured the first handful of production slots for the aircraft that it will sell to private customers.But like most private jets, Lilium is going after a premium market that includes corporate executives and others who already own a private aircraft - or two. The company is pricing its Pioneer jets at a cool $10... Continue reading...
Windows 11 is now used by 400 million devices, leaked Microsoft data shows
Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Windows 11 is reportedly in use by more than 400 million monthly active devices. Windows Central reports that it has seen Microsoft internal data" that shows Windows 11 is expected to hit 500 million monthly active devices by early 2024. All signs have pointed towards a slower adoption of Windows 11 than its predecessor and this leaked data backs up the assumption.Windows 10 first reached 400 million active devices just over a year after release, an adoption rate that Microsoft proudly noted was 115 percent faster than Windows 7. It has taken Windows 11 two years to reach that same adoption rate, a significant slowdown considering Windows 10 reached 600 million devices a few months after its two-year anniversary. I... Continue reading...
X will start charging new users in two countries $1 per year
Illustration by Kristen Radtke / The Verge; Getty Images If you want to join X, the service formerly known as Twitter, via its website in New Zealand and the Philippines, be prepared to fork over $1 a year for the privilege.The subscription, part of a so-called Not A Bot" program, is beginning in those two countries and is designed to bolster our already significant efforts to reduce spam, manipulation of our platform and bot activity," X said Tuesday in an unsigned post on its help center. In addition, new web users in New Zealand and the Philippines will have to verify their account with a phone number, the post says. Fortune first reported that Musk was going to charge new users $1 a year shortly before X's announcement went live.X's post doesn't explain why the new $1 subscription is... Continue reading...
Sam Bankman-Fried’s defense finally woke up
A good day for the defense! | Photo illustration by Cath Virginia / The Verge | Photo by Bloomberg, Getty Images Nishad Singh looks less reliable. Is it enough? Continue reading...
Apple’s latest iOS update could have a big impact on podcast downloads
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge This is Hot Pod, The Verge's newsletter about podcasting and the audio industry. Sign up here for more.Today, we've got a joint issue looking at why Apple's latest iOS update could cause download numbers to go down and featuring a talk about brand safety with Spotify's director of global advertising platform integrity.Apple tweaked automatic podcast downloads in its latest iOS update. That could impact download numbers moving forward.When Apple released iOS 17 in September, it included an adjustment to how automatic downloads work on podcasts. That may make your eyes glaze over, but it's a little change that could have a big impact on download numbers, at least in the short term.Could is the key word here since it will take some... Continue reading...
Chrome on iOS and Android will now detect URL typos
Illustration: The Verge Google Chrome on iOS and Android devices will look for possible typos in URLs and suggest corrections for you, Google announced in a blog post on Tuesday. This new accessibility feature for mobile versions of Chrome was promised earlier this year when Google released the same feature on Chrome for computers.Google says the URL typo detector will help people with dyslexia or otherwise are language learners. However, after updating my Chrome app on iOS, it doesn't seem to be here just yet, as it's not correcting my mistakes such as www.microspft.com or www.nintwndo.com. When it does show up, it could help keep people from ending up on dubious websites if they accidentally enter the wrong URL. Image: Google Left:... Continue reading...
Dead Space is coming to Xbox Game Pass just in time for Halloween
Image: EA There's a whole host of great games hitting Xbox Game Pass throughout October, including the grisly Dead Space remake that's arriving just in time for Halloween. The Dead Space remake offers a complete overhaul of the original 2008 sci-fi horror title, and it's headed to Game Pass for cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X / S on October 26th.But if you can't wait until then, the Yakuza spinoff Like A Dragon: Ishin! is available to play through Game Pass on cloud, console, and PC starting today. Here's the rest of the games coming to Game Pass through the end of the month and when they're arriving:
Reddit’s blockchain-based Community Points are going away
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Reddit is sunsetting its blockchain-based Community Points product, the company announced on Tuesday. A Reddit admin (employee) shared the announcement about Community Points, which uses the Ethereum blockchain, on a few subreddits, including r/CryptoCurrency (which had its own moons" crypto token), r/FortniteBR (which had its own bricks" token), and r/EthTrader (which had its own donuts" token).The value of those tokens has, predictably, fallen off of a cliff, as CoinDesk reports drops of between 60 and 90 percent. Some Reddit posters claim thousands of dollars in value disappeared from their wallets immediately, while others are pointing at transactions made just prior to Tuesday's announcement that they think are suspicious.C... Continue reading...
OpenAI’s flagship AI model has gotten more trustworthy but easier to trick
Image: Microsoft OpenAI's GPT-4 large language model may be more trustworthy than GPT-3.5 but also more vulnerable to jailbreaking and bias, according to research backed by Microsoft.The paper - by researchers from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, Center for AI Safety, and Microsoft Research - gave GPT-4 a higher trustworthiness score than its predecessor. That means they found it was generally better at protecting private information, avoiding toxic results like biased information, and resisting adversarial attacks. However, it could also be told to ignore security measures and leak personal information and conversation histories. Researchers found that users can bypass safeguards... Continue reading...
Google is rolling out Wear OS 4 to the original Pixel Watch
Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Google is bringing Wear OS 4 to its first Pixel Watch. In an announcement on Tuesday, Google says the update will start rolling out today and continue over the coming weeks," depending on your carrier and device.The Wear OS 4 update will bring several new features to the Pixel Watch, including the Google Calendar app, better accessibility features, enhanced notifications, and the new Safety Check feature that will prompt you to confirm whether you're safe after a specified period of time. If you don't respond, the watch will automatically notify your emergency contacts.Wear OS 4 also introduces the ability to transfer your Pixel Watch data to a new phone without a factory reset as well as a way to back up your data and settings from... Continue reading...
Xbox chief says Activision Blizzard games aren’t coming to Xbox Game Pass until 2024
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Xbox chief and Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer has confirmed that Activision Blizzard games aren't coming to Xbox Game Pass anytime soon. In the latest official Xbox podcast, Spencer confirms there's not going to be a big drop of Activision Blizzard games into Xbox Game Pass in the coming weeks and that we won't see any until 2024.Here's what Spencer had to say:
Here are the details on PS5 cloud streaming
Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge Sony has released more details about its PS5 cloud streaming feature for PlayStation Plus Premium subscribers, including bandwidth recommendations and a detailed FAQ page coinciding with the Japanese launch of the service on October 17th.The most interesting bit is the bandwidth recommendations, which seem relatively modest. Sony recommends 52Mbps for 4K, 38Mbps for 1440p, 23Mbps for 1080p, and 13Mbps for 720p. The games will run in HDR or SDR at 60Hz. Possibly of interest: those are the recommended settings; the minimum bandwidth is as low as 5Mbps for 720p and 38Mbps for 4K.Most of the rest of the post just confirms what we already knew. For now, you can only stream PS5 games to your PS5. And you won't be able to stream from the... Continue reading...
Apple Pencil joins the iPad confusion zone
Three Pencils were given to the iPads. | Image: Apple A third, cheaper Apple Pencil now sits in Apple's lineup of styluses, giving iPad owners more choice than ever. And yet, that choice is fraught with compromises and caveats. There's still not one Apple Pencil to rule them all, and that's a problem for shoppers.Let's run down what was announced today. The new Apple Pencil is $79, can be magnetically attached to the side of your iPad, and no longer needs to be plugged directly into the iPad's charging port for power, like the 2015 original. On the newest Pro models, it also supports the hover feature that shows where your Pencil is before you actually touch the screen. These are all good things!But Apple made some strange omissions, too. Pressure sensitivity, a headlining feature of both... Continue reading...
BMW, Mini, and Rolls-Royce are the latest to sync up with Tesla’s EV charging plug
Photo by Abigail Bassett for The Verge BMW, famed German automaker and parent company to Mini and Rolls-Royce, announced its intention to adopt Tesla's electric vehicle charging standard for its future EVs, in the latest win for Elon Musk's company.BMW said that owners of electric vehicles with the Combined Charging System (CCS) outlet will get access to Tesla's Supercharger network in early 2025, most likely through the use of an adapter. BMW will also start producing EVs with Tesla's charging standard built into the vehicle that same year.BMW's current EV lineup includes the iX, i4, and i7 as well as Mini Cooper electric models and the ultra-luxury Rolls-Royce Spectre. All currently come with the CCS plug for DC fast charging.BMW said that EV owners will get access to... Continue reading...
Nvidia’s H800 AI chip for China is blocked by new export rules
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge New US rules blocking the export of most artificial intelligence chips to China will build upon a sweeping set of restrictions introduced in October 2022.Nvidia makes sought-after AI chips like the H100, and the AI boom has proven to be profitable as its valuation has expanded beyond $1 trillion. Last year's restrictions meant the US-based company couldn't sell the H100 to China, so it introduced a lower-specced H800 that could get around the US's rules - but with the new rules, Nvidia won't be able to sell that chip or its A800 chip to China, CNBC reports.These new restrictions are necessary to maintain the effectiveness of these controls, close loopholes, and ensure they remain durable," according to a press release from the... Continue reading...
Nvidia banking on TensorRT to expand generative AI dominance
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Nvidia looks to build a bigger presence outside GPU sales as it puts its AI-specific software development kit into more applications.Nvidia announced that it's adding support for its TensorRT-LLM SDK to Windows and models like Stable Diffusion. The company said in a blog post that it aims to make large language models (LLMs) and related tools run faster.TensorRT speeds up inference, the process of going through pretrained information and calculating probabilities to come up with a result - like a newly generated Stable Diffusion image. With this software, Nvidia wants to play a bigger part in the inference side of generative AI.Its TensorRT-LLM breaks down LLMs and lets them run faster on Nvidia's H100 GPUs. It works with LLMs like... Continue reading...
Fitbit is adding step streaks back into the app
Streaks are coming back, baby! | Image: Google / Fitbit When the Fitbit app relaunched with a new design last month, some users were dismayed to find that their step streaks had disappeared. Now, Google - which owns Fitbit - says it's taking user feedback into consideration and bringing the feature back.In these first few weeks of trying out the new Fitbit app, you voiced key areas where you think we can improve the experience," Google wrote in a Fitbit support blog.After seeing the outpour of love," step streaks will be returning to the iOS version of the app. Google also says it will be bringing step streaks to Android as well. For those wondering if they'll have to start over from scratch - nope! Google says steps already taken will count toward streaks. When you hit goals, like... Continue reading...
GM’s plan to make more electric trucks keeps running into delays
Photo by Bill Pugliano / Getty Images General Motors' plan to make more electric trucks has run into another snag. The company had originally planned to kick off production of its EV trucks at its Orion facility in Detroit in 2024 - but now it won't get started until late 2025.GM said it's delaying production to better manage capital investment while aligning with evolving EV demand." Another reason cited is engineering improvements" aimed at improving profitability.Orion is where GM currently builds its Chevy Bolt EV and EUV, both of which are ceasing production at the end of 2023. GM has said it will build a new Chevy Bolt based on the automaker's Ultium battery and drive technology - but has yet to say when that vehicle will go into production.GM said it's delaying... Continue reading...
Meta will now let you stop Instagram from tracking you across the web
Image: Meta Meta will now let you block Instagram from collecting your data across the apps and websites you visit. The company says that it's expanding the ability to disable this kind of tracking to Instagram, allowing you to review which businesses are sharing information with Meta, disconnect specific activity, or clear the collected information.You can now find this feature, called Activity Off-Meta Technologies, within the platform's Accounts Center. It was previously only available for Facebook. Meta receives information from third-party websites that use its business tools, such as the Meta Pixel, which tracks users on the web and allows Meta to serve personalized ads on its platforms. Image: Meta You can now... Continue reading...
Roblox says employees must return to office because the metaverse still isn’t good enough
Illustration: The Verge Roblox - a company that builds a hugely popular virtual experiences platform, recently introduced its own spin on video chat, and even created an in-Roblox career center - is transitioning away" from remote work and will be asking a number of our remote employees to begin working from our headquarters in San Mateo by next summer," CEO David Baszucki wrote in an email to staff shared publicly on Tuesday.Like many other companies, Roblox will be shifting to a model where employees are expected to work three days in the office (Tuesday through Thursday). Staffers will have until January 16th, 2024, to decide if they want to stay on at the company under the new rules. If an employee chooses to stay at Roblox and relocate, the company... Continue reading...
The Boy and the Heron’s English cast includes Christian Bale and Dave Bautista
Image: Studio Ghibli When Studio Ghibli's The Boy and the Heron finally hits North American theaters, it'll be doing so with some star power. Distributor GKIDS announced the English voice cast for the animated feature, which debuted in Japan earlier this year, and it includes some big names: Christian Bale, Dave Bautista, Gemma Chan, Willem Dafoe, Karen Fukuhara, Mark Hamill, Robert Pattinson, and Florence Pugh.The news came alongside a new poster for the film:
Netflix’s Geeked Week 2023 is coming in hot
Kim, Young Neil, Stephen, and Knives. | Image: Netflix Netflix's annual multiday Geeked Week virtual showcase has always been meant to get viewers hyped out of their minds over promising glimpses of all the new projects coming down the pipeline, and looking at the lineup for this year's presentation, the streamer has more than a few promising things locked, loaded, and ready to send the internet into a tizzy.Ahead of Geeked Week 2023's launch on November 6th (which Netflix insists on referring to as Stranger Things Day"), the streamer has just released a flashy new promo teasing a number of the upcoming shows and movies fans will get sneak peeks of. Along with updates on shows that have already premiered like One Piece, The Umbrella Academy, and The Dragon Prince, Geeked... Continue reading...
Across the Spider-Verse hits Netflix this month
Image: Sony While it's still not clear when we'll get a chance to see Sony's much-anticipated third Spider-Verse animated film on the big screen, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is making its way to Netflix this fall.Deadline reports that following its monstrous $690 million worldwide theatrical run, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is scheduled to hit Netflix in the US on October 31st, just a few days after the premiere of Big Mouth's seventh season. Earlier this year, Sony pushed back the release dates for a number of its upcoming features like Kraven the Hunter and a Ghostbusters: Afterlife follow-up, and the studio took Beyond the Spider-Verse - Across the Spider-Verse's sequel - off its list of scheduled releases entirely.With the... Continue reading...
Rivian’s latest software update makes towing on tough terrain easier
New UI for drive modes and gauge views. | Image: Rivian Rivian is redesigning a bunch of key features for its electric trucks and SUVs to improve the user experience and make towing easier. The company is updating its Drive Mode app, introducing a real-time metrics screen that includes information like live motor temperatures and enhancing the towing experience to include a bed camera for the R1T. This software update, version 2023.38.0, is available now for both the R1T pickup truck and the R1S SUV.In a promotional video, Rivian's SVP of software development, Wassym Bensaid, acknowledges customer feedback that the drive controls were difficult to reach. Now, controls like ride height, regen modes, and more are on the far left and easier to reach. For on-road, off-road, and trailer modes,... Continue reading...
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