by Andrew Webster on (#6ESCK)
Image: Digital Eclipse Fresh off the launch of The Making of Karateka, retro game studio Digital Eclipse has announced a remaster of the original action RPG title Wizardry. Even better - it's out now in early access on both Steam and GOG.First released in 1981 and developed by Sir-Tech Software, the first Wizardry - or Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord, to give it its very long full title - was a first-person, party-based, D&D-inspired RPG that proved incredibly influential and kicked off a long-running franchise. Here's the official description for the uninitiated:
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The Verge - All Posts
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Updated | 2024-11-25 20:30 |
by Chris Welch on (#6ESCM)
Image: Samsung Samsung is expanding the art selection available on its Frame TVs with the help of a renowned museum. Today, the company and New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art announced a partnership that will bring 38 pieces from the Met to Samsung's Art Store. The new artwork is available through a subscription costing either $4.99 per month or $49.90 annually.In addition to the Met's artwork, that subscription provides access to over 2,300 pieces of digital art from more than 800 artists in partnership with world-renowned museums, galleries, and leading art ecommerce platforms."In the case of the Met, here's what you can expect, according to a joint press release from both companies:
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by Jess Weatherbed on (#6ESCN)
Users who choose to verify their X accounts using government-issued IDs will get a separate badge alongside their blue check. | Image: X / The Verge Social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter) will now let paid users verify their accounts using a government ID in a bid to prevent impersonation and maintain the integrity of the platform." According to X's updated verification policy (first seen via TechCrunch), the company may also request a government-issued ID when needed" and is exploring additional measures to protect users from spam, malicious accounts, and content that isn't age-appropriate. The new verification system was first leaked back in August.A pop-up window for the feature notes that X is partnering with Israel-based verification company AU10TIX to facilitate the new authorization feature. All verification information - including photographs of user IDs and... Continue reading...
by Jacob Kastrenakes on (#6ESCP)
Artifact co-founder Mike Krieger. | Photo: Artifact Artifact co-founder and CTO Mike Krieger will be onstage at the Code Conference this month, where he'll discuss his new AI-infused news app in an interview with Platformer founder Casey Newton.The new company from Krieger and Kevin Systrom, the two founders of Instagram, is trying to build a different and more helpful kind of news app by leaning on AI. It tries to surface interesting articles based on your reading habits, can rewrite headlines to make them more useful, and is increasingly filling up with social features to put a wider variety of content in front of readers.Just this week, Artifact launched a new feature called Links that recommends any type of content that users feed into it, from recipes to design mockups to old... Continue reading...
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by Antonio G. Di Benedetto on (#6EPS2)
The iPhone 15 comes in a small rainbow of pastel colors - and black. | Image: Apple Apple officially announced the new iPhone 15 at its Wonderlust event earlier this week, which is now up for preorder and expected to ship on September 22nd. Much like last year, there's a baseline iPhone 15, a larger iPhone 15 Plus, and a pair of Pro models known as the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. But while the expected processor bump to a new A17 Pro chip is here for the 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max (the standard 15 and 15 Plus get last year's A16 Bionic), what's vastly different this time around is the presence of a USB-C charging / data port and the inclusion of Dynamic Island on all new models.While we still have to see how all these new iPhones shape up in our upcoming reviews, early adopters now have a chance to put in their... Continue reading...
by Mia Sato on (#6ESCQ)
Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge Today, Ireland's Data Protection Commission (DPC) announced a 345 million (around $367 million) fine on TikTok for how the company processes the data of children. The fine follows an investigation by the DPC announced in 2021 that looked at TikTok's compliance with Europe's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) laws. Politico reported in August that the DPC was preparing to issue its penalty.The probe focused on a few TikTok features: default account settings; Family Pairing" settings; and age verification. After consulting with the European Data Protection Board, the DPC found that TikTok set children's accounts to public by default when they signed up on the platform. That meant that kids' videos were publicly viewable by... Continue reading...
by Jess Weatherbed on (#6ESA7)
Allen is set to appear on stage at the Code conference starting on September 26th. | Photo by Chance Yeh/Getty Images for Allen Media Group / The Weather Channel Comedian and media mogul Byron Allen has reportedly made a $10 billion offer to acquire the ABC TV network, FX and National Geographic cable channels, and local stations from Walt Disney, according to a report from Bloomberg. The publication's source claims that the offer is preliminary and could change," and that Allen would work with banks and private equity firms to finance the deal.Disney has yet to publicly acknowledge Allen's offer. In a statement published earlier this week, the company said it was open to considering a variety of strategic options for our linear businesses" in response to rumors that it was in talks to sell the aforementioned properties to Nexstar Media Group. Bloomberg's report claims that Allen may sell off... Continue reading...
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by Tom Warren on (#6ESA8)
Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge Apple says it will release a software update for iPhone 12 owners in France, after regulators ordered a halt of sales of the phone over concerns the device was breaching strict radiation exposure limits.We will issue a software update for users in France to accommodate the protocol used by French regulators," says Apple in a statement to Reuters. We look forward to iPhone 12 continuing to be available in France."French regulators ordered a ban of iPhone 12 models earlier this week after testing the handset and finding that its Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) - how much radio frequency is absorbed into a body from a device - exceeded European radiation exposure limits. Belgium said it would review the French findings, with Germany,... Continue reading...
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by Tom Warren on (#6ES7Y)
Photo by Becca Farsace / The Verge Windows never ceases to amaze me. Last month I discovered for the first time that you could pause the Windows Task Manager by holding down the CTRL key and today I've stumbled on a special keyboard shortcut that lets you launch LinkedIn, Word, and a bunch of other Office apps.If you're running Windows try holding down CTRL + SHIFT + ALT + WIN + L. Then watch in bemusement as LinkedIn opens in your default browser. Windows watcher Paul Thurrott posted this bizarre keyboard shortcut on X (Twitter), noting that it's an operating system hotkey.So why does Windows even have this? It's all part of the Office key that Microsoft introduced on some of its own keyboards a few years ago. The Office key replaced the usual right-hand Windows key,... Continue reading...
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by Victoria Song on (#6ES02)
Google currently offers no repairs for broken Pixel Watches. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge If you crack the screen on the Pixel Watch, getting it officially repaired by Google isn't in the cards.Several Pixel Watch owners have vented their frustrations about the inability to replace cracked screens, both on Reddit and in Google support forums. The Verge has also reviewed an official Google support chat from a reader who broke their Pixel Watch display after dropping the wearable. In it, a support representative states that Google doesn't have any repair centers or service centers" for the device.At this moment, we don't have any repair option for the Google Pixel Watch. If your watch is damaged, you can contact the Google Pixel Watch Customer Support Team to check your replacement options," Google spokesperson Bridget... Continue reading...
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by Jay Peters on (#6ES03)
Emojipedia's renderings of what some of the new emoji in Emoji 15.1 might look like. | Image: Emojipedia There are new emoji on the way... eventually. As reported by Emojipedia, the Unicode Consortium has formally approved Emoji 15.1, meaning a batch of new emoji will appear on your devices at some point in the future.There aren't quite as many additions to the emoji lineup as there have been in previous releases. The brand new emoji are a head shaking horizontally, a head shaking vertically, a phoenix, a lime, a brown mushroom, and a broken chain, according to Emojipedia. There are also new emoji denoting different family sizes and a few versions of emoji you might be familiar with that will face different directions.You can see the official accepted emoji on the Unicode Consortium website.
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by Jay Peters on (#6ES04)
Illustration: The Verge I was thrilled when Threads finally launched on the web in August, but I quickly found that it was missing one important feature: you couldn't quote posts, only repost them. (In X / Twitter lingo, that translates to quote tweet and retweet.) But that's now changing, as Instagram Adam Mosseri said Thursday that quote posts on the web were rolled out this week.To quote a post, just click the two arrows icon and then click the quote" option. Screenshot by Jay Peters / The Verge That quote button. Right there. Mosseri also said that Threads users on mobile can follow a thread and get notifications on it. This feature apparently hasn't rolled out for me on iOS - I can't find it - but I expect I'll get it soon... Continue reading...
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by Jay Peters on (#6ES05)
Image: Square Enix If you've poured dozens of hours into Final Fantasy VII Remake, that unfortunately won't give you much of a leg up in the game's sequel, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. As part of an interview about the new game posted on the PlayStation Blog, game director Naoki Hamaguchi confirmed that you won't be able to port over your Remake save or character builds into Rebirth.Here's the full question and answer:
by Emma Roth on (#6ERXB)
Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge Disney is in talks to sell off its ABC network and local TV stations, according to a report from Bloomberg. The entertainment giant reportedly met with Nexstar Media Group, which owns dozens of local news stations, to discuss a sale.Disney's response to the report is a denial that it has reached a deal to sell off ABC or any of its other linear properties. In a statement published on its website, the company says it's open to considering a variety of strategic options," but it hasn't made an official decision and that any report to that effect is unfounded."Sources tell Bloomberg that the talks between Nexstar and Disney are still early and that a price hasn't yet been named. Another source tells the outlet that Disney is also... Continue reading...
by Jay Peters on (#6ERT8)
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Sony's September show wasn't quite as big as Nintendo's, but there were some fun announcements in store. Continue reading...
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by Emma Roth on (#6ERXC)
Image: PlayStation Marvel's Spider-Man 2 will come with an even bigger map. The developers behind the sequel - Insomniac Games - have announced they're nearly doubling" the size of Marvel's New York.With the expanded map, you'll get to swing your way past the East River and web your way across Queens and Brooklyn while completing story missions, side quests, and city activities along the way. There are also new Web Wings" that help you get across the city faster.You'll also get to switch between playing as Peter Parker and Miles Morales near-instantly," with both characters having different side stories and quests. The game will feature 65 different suits, along with a new Suit Styles feature that lets you apply different color shaders for some... Continue reading...
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by Charles Pulliam-Moore on (#6ERXD)
CASEY CRAFFORD/NETFLIX Netflix's live-action One Piece adaptation is better than it has any business being, and the streamer intends to keep all of the first season's good momentum going with even more episodes, according to Eiichiro Oda.In a move that only comes as (a bit of) a surprise given how opaque Netflix likes to be about the logic behind its choice to cancel some shows just as they're really taking off, Oda announced today that the live-action One Piece has been renewed for an unannounced number of new episodes / seasons. In an announcement video featuring one of One Piece's transponder snails, Oda thanked fans, new and old, for supporting his work and said that it'll still take a while to get the scripts ready, so please be patient."It seems... Continue reading...
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by Ash Parrish on (#6ERXE)
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth has a new trailer and a February release date. To close out a rather tame State of Play, Sony knew it had to bring out the big guns. So it did... with the Sister Ray.Junon's big-ass gun was only one of the many new glimpses of the open world we got with FFVII Rebirth's new trailer. We also got a first look at Cosmo Canyon and Gold Saucer, and Cait Sith finally makes his appearance.While FFVII Remake and Rebirth diverge significantly from the story laid out in the original Final Fantasy VII, Rebirth looks like it's still going to add a lot of the side activities that made escaping Midgar on FFVII's first disc so dang cool. Cloud's zipping around Costa del Sol on a Segway; he's playing fighting games in the Gold... Continue reading...
by Antonio G. Di Benedetto on (#6ERXF)
Image: Capcom Capcom's remake of Resident Evil 4 is getting its Separate Ways DLC starring Ada Wong very soon: it's due out on September 21st.The expansion allows you to play through sections of RE4's story as fan-favorite character Ada Wong, seeing the suspenseful horror of the original game unfold through the supporting character's perspective. Separate Ways first premiered when the original Resident Evil 4 came to PlayStation 2, further finding its way into later HD rereleases.Launching alongside Separate Ways on the 21st is a free update to The Mercenaries time attack mode, featuring Ada Wong and Wesker. Image: Capcom Resident Evil 4 VR Mode on PlayStation VR2. Also coming to PlayStation 5 is Resident Evil 4 VR Mode,... Continue reading...
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by Jay Peters on (#6EK5C)
Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge Roblox will finally be available on PlayStation soon. At its 2023 Roblox Developers Conference (RDC) on Friday, Roblox announced that its popular social and gaming app is coming to PS4 and PS5 in October. And during Sony's September 14th State of Play, the company announced that the game would be released on October 10th.Roblox, which is free to download, is already out on a bunch of platforms, including PC, Mac, iOS, Android, and Xbox, but the lack of support for Sony's consoles has felt like a notable hole in Roblox's lineup. There have been some clues that a PlayStation version has been in the works, though: a 2022 job listing indicated that Roblox was hiring for a PlayStation engineer, and CEO David Baszucki hinted on an August... Continue reading...
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by Amrita Khalid on (#6ERT6)
Image: YouTube / Theo Von This story originally appeared in Hot Pod Insider. Sign up for Hot Pod here.Multiple creators who have left the podcast network Kast Media say the company owes them significant sums of money - amounting to six or seven figures for advertising sold on their shows. A few creators have gone public on social media, and others have individually confirmed to Hot Pod that the company has not paid them for several months.Instead of making the delinquent payments, Kast CEO Colin Thomson formally or informally offered creators a deal where they would be paid a partial amount of the money owed in cash and the rest in shares of PodcastOne on the condition that they sign an agreement to take their podcasts to the new company as a part of a p... Continue reading...
by Tom Warren on (#6ERT7)
Image: WinFuture.de Microsoft is holding a special event in New York City next week, and it looks like one of the main unannounced Surface devices has just leaked. WinFuture reports that the Surface Laptop Studio 2 will be announced next week, with some welcome upgrades in the form of Intel 13th Gen processors, Nvidia's RTX 4060 GPU, a microSD card slot, and a USB-A port.It looks like the Surface Laptop Studio 2 will have a similar design to the original, with a display that pulls forward to transform from laptop to tablet (or what Microsoft calls studio mode). Microsoft appears to be addressing some of the pain points of the original model, with modern Intel 13th Gen processors inside, paired with a new microSD card slot and USB-A port. ... Continue reading...
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by Tom Warren on (#6ERT9)
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Microsoft is overhauling its Snipping Tool and Photos app with useful features for copying text from screenshots and adding background blur to photos. Windows Insiders in the Canary and Dev Channels now have access to updated versions of the Snipping Tool and Photos apps for Windows 11.The test version of the Snipping Tool now has a copy text feature that can detect text in screenshots and allow you to share the text in apps. It's similar to the copy text from images feature found on modern Android phones or iOS devices, but Microsoft has added a feature that allows you to automatically redact and hide emails and phone numbers from images. You can also pick the text you want to redact before sharing a screenshot. I... Continue reading...
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by Sean Hollister on (#6ERTA)
PS Remote Play on Google's Chromecast 4K. | Photo by Sean Hollister / The Verge For years, Sony's PS Remote Play app has been a neat way to sling your PS5 and PS4 games to another room of your house - with clients for PC, Mac, iOS, Android, and as of 2020, the PS4 itself. I've spent hours playing Yakuza and Genshin Impact from the unofficial Steam Deck version.As of yesterday, it works on a $50 Google Chromecast, too! But I had a hell of a time finding and installing the app, and I suspect it won't be a great experience for everyone. Photo: Chris Welch / The Verge This is the Chromecast you're (maybe not) looking for. The good news: it does work and work decently if you've got your PS5 plugged into your router with an ethernet cable. You can stream from a PS5 or a PS4 and play with... Continue reading...
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by Sheena Vasani on (#6ERTB)
You can get three months of Disney Plus for a paltry $2 a month. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge It feels like every few months, another streaming service announces that it will be increasing its subscription rates. Paramount Plus and HBO Max have already done so this year, and Disney Plus and Hulu with Live TV are slated to follow suit next month with price hikes of their own.Before you panic and hit unsubscribe," however, take a deep breath. As it turns out, some of these services are currently running a few promos, all of which can help you save some money on either a monthly or annual subscription. What's more, some of these are available to both new and returning subscribers alike - a rarity in the streaming space.To make life easier, we've rounded them all up so you can continue streaming your favorite shows while... Continue reading...
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by Jay Peters on (#6ERTC)
Illustration: The Verge X CEO Linda Yaccarino announced a series of changes to her executive team, including a shakeup to the company's sales organization and a new head of content. The Verge has obtained Yaccarino's full memo about the changes, which you can read at the end of this article.Many of the executives Yaccarino is appointing have ties to the media industry, which isn't surprising given Yaccarino's past as an ad executive at NBCUniversal. Yaccarino officially started at the company in June after X - then Twitter - owner Elon Musk appointed her to the role in May. According to Musk, her focus will primarily be on business operations," while Musk will focus on product design" and new technology."For X's new head of content, talent, and brand... Continue reading...
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by Mia Sato on (#6ERPY)
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Paying subscribers to X - formerly Twitter - will now be able to hide their likes tab from public view, the company announced today. When enabled, the tab disappears completely from an X Premium user's profile.Private likes are the latest exclusive feature X owner Elon Musk has introduced for people who pay to use the platform. Musk has said in the past that he wanted likes to be private. The bookmarks feature available to all users could be used in a similar way if a user wanted to save things privately. A screenshot shared by the official X account suggests likes aren't totally hidden - a Premium user's likes are still visible on individual posts, according to the screenshot. It's also not clear what would happen if a user ever... Continue reading...
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by Ash Parrish on (#6ERPZ)
Unity Earlier this week, Unity, the company that makes the Unity video game engine popular with indie developers, announced that it was changing its pricing model. The changes included a pricing scheme that sought to charge developers on a per-install basis for games that met specific download and revenue thresholds.Unity wanted to charge developers for game installs without seemingly taking into account the many reasons a game might be installed without being purchased. Unity's new model could theoretically result in situations where developers would be on the hook for hundreds of thousands of dollars in fees without the revenue to pay for it.Once the news broke, the video game developer community reacted strongly and negatively to the... Continue reading...
by Emma Roth on (#6ERQ0)
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Just like Netflix, Hulu will now show you a list of the most popular shows and movies on the platform. The new top 15 list will start appearing on the service today, with Hulu's entire library of content eligible for inclusion.Hulu will update its list every day between 2PM to 3PM ET. Netflix first rolled out a top 10 row in 2020, alongside its Trending Now" and Popular on Netflix" carousels that make it easier to spot binge-worthy shows. More streaming services have started to hop on the show- and movie-ranking bandwagon in recent weeks, as Max added a top 10 row last month, too. Image: Hulu Hulu's top 15 list might finally make it easier to find stuff to watch on the platform. In its post announcing the... Continue reading...
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by Chris Welch on (#6ERQ1)
Image: Bose Bose is introducing not one, not two, but three new products today. It's an ambitious move from a company that's traditionally been very calculated, and it points to a nimbler future for Bose that could see new devices brought to market at a faster clip. Today's announcements include the $429 QuietComfort Ultra Headphones that I showed you last month alongside the $299 QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds and $349 QuietComfort Headphones.Each of them replaces a model in Bose's current hardware portfolio. That's surprising in the case of the earbuds; their expensive predecessors are only a year old. But speaking to media in Brooklyn today, CEO Lila Snyder and chief product officer Raza Haider said Bose had meaningful improvements ready to go and... Continue reading...
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by Charles Pulliam-Moore on (#6ERQ2)
Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian. | Image: Lucasfilm While Hollywood's ongoing double labor strike has kept any substantive progress from being made on Donald and Stephen Glover's forthcoming Lando Calrissian project, according to one half of the creative duo, a movie - not a Disney Plus series - is what fans have to look forward to.During a recent appearance on the Pablo Torre Finds Out podcast, Stephen Glover couldn't say all much about his and Donald's Lando project, which the brothers reportedly signed onto before the writers and actors strike began earlier this year. But Stephen did reveal that, despite its initially being conceived as a series, the thing he and Donald (who's set to star in as a younger Lando Calrissian) is actually going to be a feature-length film - one the pair is... Continue reading...
by Umar Shakir on (#6ERK2)
Photo by Loren Grush / The Verge Tesla is closing in on a new manufacturing process that could significantly reduce costs and increase production of its electric vehicles. According to sources who spoke to Reuters, the new process will enable the automaker to die-cast almost the entire vehicle underbody as a single piece instead of building out about 400 parts using conventional car-building techniques.Tesla's current process to build its popular Model Y SUV already involves a unique use of massive, ultra-high pressure presses that can mold both the front and rear parts of the vehicle. Tesla calls this process gigacasting," which some experts say is already highly efficient and cost-effective compared to other automakers' factories. But now Tesla is looking to up the... Continue reading...
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by Jay Peters on (#6ERK3)
Super Rumble on mobile. | Image: Meta Meta is finally bringing Horizon Worlds out of virtual reality. The 3D social platform has previously been exclusive to its VR headsets, but Meta announced on Thursday that Horizon Worlds is starting to roll out on mobile and the web in early access.To start, a small number of people can now access Super Rumble through the Meta Quest app on Android, with iOS rolling out in the coming weeks," Meta said. Early access is also available on any web browser at horizon.meta.com." (When I clicked that link, I was able to get on the waitlist.) The company promises that as we roll out more worlds over the next few months, you'll be able to hang out with friends, laugh it up at comedy shows, and enjoy free concerts and events from any... Continue reading...
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by Elizabeth Lopatto on (#6ERK4)
I would also like several million dollars to study UFOs, if we're just flinging cash around. | Photo by Win McNamee / Getty Images First of all, let's be clear: NASA's new report on so-called unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) says there's no conclusive evidence suggesting an extraterrestrial origin." They're going to create a director of UAP research anyway, just to get to the bottom of things.UAPs, by the way, are the polite government name for what we normal people call UFOs, or unidentified flying objects. I don't really have a problem with further investigations into UFOs - it seems like a nice jobs program for scientists. But let's be clear about what's happening here: this is a government agency that's noticed UFO boosters are in Congress, and it wants some damn funding.Why do I say that? Well, I read the report, and I noticed this tactful bit:
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by Ash Parrish on (#6ERK5)
The Unity pricing debacle has taken an unfortunate, dangerous turn. In a new report from Bloomberg, the company has reportedly canceled a town hall meeting due to what the publication called credible death threats. According to Bloomberg, Unity CEO John Riccitiello was set to address employees Thursday morning, but the companywide meeting was canceled and two of Unity's offices were closed because of the alleged threats.Earlier this week, Unity, makers of a video game engine popular among indie developers, announced that it was making changes to its pricing model. In addition to charging yearly subscription fees, Unity is planning to implement a pay-per-install pricing scheme, charging developers each time a game is installed on a... Continue reading...
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by David Pierce on (#6ERK6)
Do you need this mug? No. But who cares. | Image: Ember Both of the following things are true: $199.95 is a totally ludicrous price to pay for a mug, and Ember's new Tumbler looks pretty great. The Tumbler is a 16-ounce black travel mug (the biggest one Ember has ever made) that claims to be able to keep your beverage at exactly the temperature you want it for hours at a time. It comes with two lids - a twist-off one with a handle and a sliding one with a mouthpiece - and Ember says it can handle even your rugged commuter lifestyle. The battery lasts three hours, and you charge it by placing the Tumbler on its charger / coaster accessory. It's available for presale now and ships on September 22nd.It's a travel mug, is the long and short of it. A travel mug that pairs with an app that you can... Continue reading...
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by Jay Peters on (#6ERK7)
Image: Supergiant Games We're going to have to wait a little bit longer to play Hades II. The sequel to one of the best roguelikes out there will be launching in early access in Q2 2024, developer Supergiant Games announced on Thursday. You'll be able to get the early access version through Steam or the Epic Games Store.You may be wondering, why can't we launch in Early Access, like, right now?!" the developers wrote in a blog post. The game looked pretty far along in the first trailer! The reason is, Hades II will have at least as much content from day one in Early Access as the original game did back when it launched in Early Access on Steam. And, even though Early Access inherently means a game is not yet complete, we still want to do everything we can to... Continue reading...
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by Emma Roth on (#6ERK9)
Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge TikTok is partnering with Billboard to launch a top 50 chart that tracks the most popular songs on the platform. Topping the chart right now is Sexyy Red with SkeeYee," followed by Doja Cat's Paint the Town Red," with Taylor Swift's August" taking third place.TikTok and Billboard will measure the most popular songs on the platform by taking into account the number of videos made with the track, their views, and the amount of user engagement. The chart will only track trending TikTok songs in the US and will refresh every Thursday morning, marking the first official" chart to monitor songs on the platform. Image: TikTok You can view the new top 50 chart by opening the TikTok app and pressing the round icon at the... Continue reading...
by Andrew J. Hawkins on (#6ERK8)
Image: Cruise / Raymond Rudolph Photography Cruise, the autonomous vehicle company backed by General Motors, revealed a wheelchair-accessible robotaxi that it says could start picking up disabled passengers as soon as next year.The reveal of the newly accessible robotaxi is a major step toward fulfilling the dream of people with vision, hearing, and mobility impairments, who have long held out hope that autonomous vehicles represent a new way of getting around.The vehicle is a version of Cruise's fully driverless, shuttle-sized Origin vehicles, which lack traditional controls like steering wheel and pedals. It has been modified to include a retractable ramp, as well as added space inside and floor clamps for wheelchair users. The vehicle is the product of three years of... Continue reading...
by Monica Chin on (#6ERFD)
Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Google announced a big change to Chromebooks that could help them last a few years longer. Starting in 2024, ChromeOS devices will be eligible to receive automatic security updates for 10 years after their release. Chromebooks released in 2021 or later will all receive the updates; those who own older products will have the option to turn them on.The company currently guarantees eight years of automatic updates to Chromebooks. That period, however, begins at the time when the company certifies a Chromebook, not when it's actually in the owner's hands. Because of the time it takes schools and businesses to purchase, receive, set up, and deploy new fleets of computers, they commonly end up getting four to five years of use out of them in... Continue reading...
by Ash Parrish on (#6ERFE)
Nintendo / Aspyr If you're a fan of the classic Tomb Raider series, today's Nintendo Direct had something special for you. Lara Croft makes her triumphant return to the console with a remaster of her first three games in Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Starring Lara Croft.The three games are all coming to the Switch with improved graphics and, hopefully, improved control schemes. Lara Croft's classic trilogy has been rereleased on PC and mobile, but the PC release suffered from lackluster controls that made it difficult to raid tombs properly.If you've only experienced Tomb Raider through the more recent Square Enix reboots, you're in for a treat. The original Tomb Raider games had every bit of the action, platforming, and puzzle solving as its... Continue reading...
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by Ash Parrish on (#6ERC9)
Image: Nintendo Nintendo shared roughly' 40 minutes of information about games coming to Switch this winter. Continue reading...
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by Emma Roth on (#6ERFF)
Image: Nintendo Nintendo is giving Another Code: Trace Memory and its sequel, Another Code: R, a remake for the Switch. Both games will return fully enhanced" as part of the Another Code: Recollection bundle that will release on Nintendo Switch on January 19th, 2024.Another Code: Trace Memory first launched as a point-and-click adventure on the Nintendo DS in 2005. It follows 13-year-old Ashley Mizuki Robbins as she searches for her father on Blood Edward Island, with the DS version prompting you to complete puzzles along the way using the handheld's touchscreen.Its sequel, Another Code: R, came out on the Wii in 2009 but was never released in North America. The sequel takes place two years after the events of the original game and has Robbins... Continue reading...
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by Emma Roth on (#6ERFG)
Image: Riot Games Song of Nunu: A League of Legends Story finally has a release date. The League spinoff arrives on PC and Nintendo Switch on November 1st, with preorders starting today.The game follows Nunu and his Yeti friend Willump as they sled, hike, and climb their way through the frozen Freljord landscape. During the game, you'll encounter other League champions, like Braun (who you can see in the trailer), Ornn, and Volibear. There's also Lissandra whose twisted magic threatens to bury the world in Dark Ice."While the story-driven title was initially set to come out last year, Riot Forge, the game publisher owned by League developer Riot Games, pushed back its launch date until 2023 to put on some finishing touches."You can preorder Song of... Continue reading...
by Richard Lawler on (#6ERFH)
Nintendo Museum rendering | Image: Nintendo During its September Direct event, Nintendo announced progress on plans to convert its old Nintendo Uji Ogura Plant in Kyoto, Japan, into a gallery displaying its various products. Dubbed the Nintendo Museum, the site is under construction and on track to finish by March 2024. However, an exact opening date hasn't been announced yet.Other than the concept rendering from its original announcement in 2021, Nintendo showed off an iconic question block that's painted on the building's roof, and from the air, you can get an idea of how it will line up with the planned design, at least from the outside. Image: Nintendo Nintendo Museum shown from the air. As far as what's inside, we'll have to wait until closer to... Continue reading...
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by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy on (#6EK59)
This Umbra x Nanoleaf collab includes a portable smart light and a color-changing desk caddy lamp. Both are Matter-compatible and use Thread. | Image: Umbra The dust has settled on IFA 2023, Europe's biggest tech trade show, held annually in Berlin, Germany. The Verge was on the ground at the show, which ran from September 1st to 5th, covering all the big news and gadget launches. But now that I'm back stateside, I wanted to call out a few more fun gadgets and intriguing pieces of tech I saw on the show floor (or thereabouts).In case you missed it, I've already written about SwitchBot's cool new twist on a robot vacuum mop that can fill its own water tanks, got some hands-on time with Philips Hue's pricey but pretty new smart security camera system, and listened to Alexa and Google play nicely in a new smart speaker from JBL. So, in no particular order, here are a few more gadgets from the... Continue reading...
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by Antonio G. Di Benedetto on (#6ERC8)
Yes, the stylus is included. | Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge The tablet space may be dominated by iPads and cheap slabs from Amazon's Fire line, but Samsung's recently revamped Tab S9s make the case for Android tablets, with the most widely appealing one on sale today. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 with 256GB of storage is selling for $799.99 ($120 off) at Amazon, and it comes with a free $100 Amazon digital gift card. Once you spend that credit, it's like you've saved $220 on a very good 11-inch tablet with an excellent 120Hz refreshing OLED display.The Tab S9 has some nice specs that may sound similar to the highest-end Galaxy S23 Ultra phone, including a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, 12GB of RAM, and IP68 water resistance. It also includes the S Pen stylus, allowing you to do a variety of tablet-y... Continue reading...
by Justine Calma on (#6ERCA)
NYPD officers arrested protesters who gathered outside BlackRock headquarters in Manhattan on September 13th, 2023. | Photo by Justine Calma / The Verge Demonstrators blocked traffic outside the entrance to BlackRock headquarters ahead of a key climate summit in New York City. Continue reading...
by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy on (#6ERCB)
Apple added Thread, a smart home networking protocol, to its iPhone 15 Pro line. | Image: Apple Following Apple's iPhone 15 announcement and the news that the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max will come with a Thread radio, I did some more digging into how Apple might deploy this wireless connectivity protocol in its ecosystem.The smart home is the obvious answer and the one Apple halfheartedly offered (Thread is a main protocol for Matter). But adding the low-power, low-bandwidth, mesh-based Thread protocol could also signal the company is moving away from relying solely on Bluetooth for connecting to peripherals like the Apple Watch. Here's a look at some of the ways that new wireless connectivity could be put to use.The iPhone could be a Thread border router, but it probably shouldn't beThe obvious use for Thread in the iPhone is as... Continue reading...
by Dan Seifert on (#6ERCD)
The HiRise 3 Deluxe doesn't take up much room on your desk and gets rid of a bunch of charging cable clutter. | TwelveSouth Apple-focused accessory maker Twelve South has updated its venerable HiRise charging stand with built-in MagSafe and spots to charge your Apple Watch and AirPods. The new HiRise 3 Deluxe is a desk or nightstand charger that supports the new StandBy Mode in iOS 17, which can display widgets of information when your phone is placed horizontally on the charging pad. Official MagSafe certification means this stand will charge your iPhone at up to 15W, while also featuring fast charging for the Apple Watch (on Series 7 or newer and Ultra or Ultra 2 watches). There's also a spot in the back for your AirPods to charge on, making it a one stop shop for all of your Apple stuff. The HiRise 3 Deluxe sells for $149.99.While there are many 3-in-1... Continue reading...