The Verge

The Verge A few weeks ago, Microsoft exec Sarah Bond said that in November, players will be able to play and purchase Xbox games directly from the Xbox App on Android." It's almost December and the feature still isn't live, but Bond says it's not Microsoft's fault.The problem, as she puts it, is that Microsoft would only be able to do it once a court order takes effect that forces sweeping changes for Google's Play Store on Android, like opening it up to competition and ending the requirement for apps to use Google Play Billing.

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge Valve has dropped the price of the 512GB Steam Deck LCD to $336.75 (about $112 off) as part of its Steam Autumn Sale. The sale runs until December 4th at 1PM ET and includes plenty of game discounts too, but Valve discontinued the 512GB Steam Deck LCD, so it might not make it to the end. (It's already sold through the 64GB model, which was also discounted.)It's a shame to see the 512GB LCD model going away, even if its picture doesn't pop the same way the Steam Deck OLED does. At its normal $449 price, it's a more affordable alternative to the OLED model with the same storage, which costs $100 more but plays the same games. Especially if you're getting it to play AAA bangers like Baldur's Gate 3 and Elden Ring - those will fill up your... Continue reading...

Illustration by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has finalized amendments to its Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR), making it easier to protect consumers who are tricked into paying scam tech support companies. The FTC could already go after these fraudster companies if they initiated calls to people - now, they can do the same thing if people call the scammers too.Fake tech support fraud has been on the rise for many years. The company" tricks people into thinking they have a virus or other problem by sending scam emails, popups, and other messages. This encourages them to call to a help desk, which then convinces them to pay up.The FTC has long attempted to wrangle money back from these scammers. But as it explains in a published proposal, a 2021... Continue reading...

Illustration: The Verge Google Chat is launching huddles, a Google Meet-powered addition that lets you start a quick call with your coworkers. Google said it would add huddles to Google Chat in customer preview over a year ago, but we haven't heard about it since then. The company says the feature has started rolling out and should reach all Workspace users by January 6th.As we noted last year, this is the same feature as Slack's Huddles, using the same exact name. There aren't a lot of differences between the various office suites these days, but this is really going the extra mile. GIF: Google To get one going, simply click a dropdown menu at the top of a chat and select Start a huddle." That'll pop open an audio call invite that you can... Continue reading...

Image: Larian Studios Larian Studios isn't done with big updates for Baldur's Gate 3 just yet. The studio is planning yet another quality-of-life update for the game with Patch 8.Arriving next year, this update will introduce some of the most eagerly awaited features to BG3: cross-play, and photo mode, along with 12 new subclasses," Larian wrote on its Steam Community page.Cross play will introduce multiplayer capabilities between any of the game's platforms including Steam, PC, Mac, Xbox, and PlayStation. Cross platform multiplayer progression will also be added.Another big community ask that Patch 8 will satisfy is the addition of photo mode. The feature will come with a robust suite of options including poses for party members, picture frames, photo... Continue reading...

Belkin is recalling its BoostCharge Pro due to a manufacturing defect that can cause overheating and the risk of fire. | Image: Belkin Belkin is recalling all of its BoostCharge Pro Fast Wireless Charger for Apple Watch + Power Bank 10K and asking owners to stop using them immediately. The company says a manufacturing defect can cause the charger's lithium cell component to overheat" in some circumstances, potentially causing a risk of fire.The recalled charger can be identified by looking for its model number, BPD005, printed in white text on the back of the charger, behind its Apple Watch charging pad. There have been no injuries reported as a result of the issue, but Belkin says that consumers should immediately stop using the charger, disconnect it from power sources and other devices, and place the BoostCharge Pro in a safe, dry location away from anything... Continue reading...

The Mini 3 won't cost a fortune to replace if you break it. I've been itching to get my hands on an easy-to-use hobbyist drone that I won't hate myself for eventually breaking. The DJI Mini 3 has been at the top of my list: it hits the mark as a compact drone that you can pilot without having to attend aviation school, and I'll probably go ahead and bite the bullet now that it's back down to its record-low price - especially considering I may eventually lose my chance to get one at all. You can get the smallish aircraft right now for $329 ($90 off) at DJI's online store for Black Friday.The package featured here includes a battery (extras cost $65 each) and DJI's RC-N1 remote. The latter doesn't have an integrated display, but you can add one that does for another $100. If you're just looking... Continue reading...

The Verge Elon Musk's xAI could soon make its next move to compete with OpenAI: launching a standalone app for its Grok chatbot.Musk created xAI as an alternative to OpenAI, the company he helped found but later distanced himself from over ideological differences. Now, The Wall Street Journal reports, xAI is planning to launch an app as soon as December that could go head-to-head with OpenAI's ChatGPT as it races to scale up.Currently, users can access Grok through X, but only if they subscribe to the service. Citing unnamed sources, the Journal reports that xAI is also behind customer support features for Starlink, part of Musk's other company, SpaceX. X did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the report.OpenAI's ChatGPT,... Continue reading...

Transparent's new wireless speaker was inspired by brutalist architecture. | Image: Transparent The design of Transparent's latest wireless speaker looks like the complete opposite of the glass-enclosed see-through speakers that helped originally launch the brand. The $4,000 Brutalist speaker is made from aluminum, and although it stands around 23-inches tall in person, without context it could be easily mistaken for a minimalist office tower designed by an architect still inspired by Britain's post-war architectural style.Transparent's speaker features a pair of three-inch tweeters positioned at 90-degree angles that work alongside a 6.5-inch subwoofer positioned on the opposite side of them. The company suggests its design is most effective at filling a room with sound when the speaker is positioned in a corner so sound can... Continue reading...

Illustration by Cath Virginia / The Verge The US Department of Energy (DOE) thinks AI can speed up the process of connecting new energy projects to the power grid.It announced $30 million in funding now available through its Artificial Intelligence for Interconnection (AI4IX) program. The DOE is interested in fostering partnerships between grid operators and software and energy project developers to get new sources of electricity online faster.The plan is to use AI to streamline the interconnection application process that's currently painfully slow. The delay is holding up efforts to get new solar and wind farms up and running. Pressure is building to clear that backlog with electricity demand on the rise - ironically in no small part because of the artificial intelligence... Continue reading...

Image: The Verge A new startup created by former Android leaders aims to build an operating system for AI agents. Among them is Hugo Barra, Google's former VP of Android product management, who says the new company - named /dev/agents" - will revisit the leaders' Android roots."AI companies are pushing AI agents as the next big leap in AI tools, promising digital assistants that can carry out tasks and make decisions autonomously and with little human input. Companies like Microsoft, Google, and OpenAI each have plans to launch some version of this concept as a product in the next few months.

Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Getty Images A Chinese commercial ship is suspected of deliberately dragging its anchor to cut undersea cables that connect countries over the internet, The Wall Street Journal reports.International investigators reportedly believe the crew aboard Yi Peng 3, a bulk carrier full of Russian fertilizer, dragged its anchor for more than 100 miles across the Baltic seabed, damaging the cables that run across it. Two different internet links - one between Sweden's Gotland Island and Lithuania, and another between Finland and Germany - stopped working earlier this month, prompting the investigation by authorities from all four countries and other nations, according to the Journal.Investigators are now trying to figure out if Russian intelligence... Continue reading...

Google's generation for the prompt Make a classic chess set inspired by geometric sci-fi art." | Screenshot: The Verge Google has released a new chess website that puts one fun twist on the game: it uses custom pieces that are created each time by generative AI. The game starts by letting you type in a short description for what the white pieces should look like; it'll generate the set using its Imagen 3 AI model, then automatically come up with a related idea for black. When I asked for sci-fi-themed pieces for myself, it made fantasy-themed pieces for the opponent.From there, you can play the game. It's functional, but it's far from a fully featured chess app. You can choose three difficulty settings and two time controls, but you can't review past moves or see what pieces have been captured. The game also defaults to an isometric view of the board... Continue reading...

Image: The Verge Uber is using gig workers to get into the AI labeling business, Bloomberg reports. It's a sign that the ridehail and delivery company is interested in expanding its independent contractor-powered business model to meet the demands of the fast-growing world of machine learning and large-language models.The company's new Scaled Solutions" division claims it can connect businesses to nuanced analysts, testers, and independent data operators" using its platform. It's an extension of an internal team with members based in the US and India that do new feature testing and other tasks like converting restaurant menus to Uber Eats selections.Uber was already using artificial intelligence and machine learning for its own business and is now... Continue reading...

Image: Nikolas Kokovlis/NurPhoto via Getty Images The Federal Communications Commission cleared SpaceX to use its Starlink broadband satellites to provide T-Mobile customers with direct-to-phone service. The T-Mobile license is the first collaboration between a satellite operator and wireless carrier to be approved by the FCC to provide supplemental cell coverage from space.The Commission recognized that satellite-to-device connectivity can support critical public interest benefits, including ubiquitous connectivity, access to 911 service from remote areas, technological advancement, and innovative spectrum use," the FCC said in the filing.The announcement follows SpaceX and T-Mobile being granted temporary clearance in October to provide Starlink satellite service in areas affected... Continue reading...

The Shoe 1's design was inspired by Apple's running shoe emoji. | Image: Jose Wong Artist and designer Jose Wong has turned Apple's running shoe emoji into a real sneaker that's now available through their website in sizes ranging from five to 12. The Shoe 1, released through Wong's ABCD brand, will set you back $219.90 for a pair, with shipping expected to start in about a week.The shoes feature an upper section made of full-grain nubuck leather combined with mesh for breathability, while the midsole and heel are made from lightweight EVA foam paired with a polyurethane rim to deliver a mix of comfort and all-day support."The Shoe 1's rubber outsole is made using five percent recycled rubber, and the foam insoles inside feature an electronics print that references an A(BCD)5 processor - a nod to the A series chips... Continue reading...

The S24 FE feels less like a Fan Edition' and more like an exercise in retail positioning. Continue reading...

Cath Virginia / The Verge | Photos from Getty Images TikTok is placing age restrictions on some of its beauty filters to address concerns about how they impact the mental health of its teenage users. Some of the changes rolling out in the coming weeks" include preventing under-18s from using certain appearance-altering effects, and expanding filter descriptions to specify what the filters adjust when applied.The press release says that age restrictions won't apply to filter effects that are designed to be obvious and funny," such as adding animal ears or comically exaggerating certain features. The change likely aims to address beautifying effects like Bold Glamour that give users smoother skin, longer eyelashes, and slimmer faces - which can be more difficult to detect.As the... Continue reading...

Photo by Sean O'Kane / The Verge Porsche is not ready to turn in its gas caps for charging ports just yet. The company reportedly plans to launch more internal combustion engine models due to a slowdown in EV sales, according to Automotive News Europe. The automaker's CFO, Lutz Meschke, told the outlet, What is clear is that we are sticking with the combustion engine for much longer."As Car and Driver notes, he also said there's a clear trend in the premium luxury segment" that is leaning towards gas engines, and as a result, Porsche will react" in its product cycle.Porsche sells two pricey electric vehicles: the Taycan and the recently launched Macan. It planned to bring more EV-only models, including a Cayenne 718 and a new high-performance SUV. But now Meschke... Continue reading...

A still from a video generated by OpenAI's Sora. | OpenAI OpenAI first teased its text-to-video AI model, Sora, back in February and hasn't provided any meaningful updates on when it will be released since then. Now, it looks like some artists leaked access to the model in protest of being used by the company for what they claim is unpaid R&D and PR."On Tuesday, a group of Sora beta testers claimed to have leaked early access to Sora with a working interface for generating videos. In a post on Hugging Face, a public repository of AI models, they say that people were able to create lots of AI videos - all of which resemble OpenAI's own Sora demos - before the company intervened to shut down access. (TechCrunch first reported on the alleged leak.)From the group's open letter:

Cath Virginia / The Verge Spotify is getting support for Google's Gemini Extensions, which will allow users to search for and play music using the generative AI assistant with natural language requests. The extension was first spotted in the code of the Google app in June, and now it's rolling out to compatible Android devices, as reported by 9to5Google.Gemini can play music found by song titles, artist names, album names, playlist names, or for a particular activity, but at the moment, it won't create playlists or radio stations on Spotify. One thing to be aware of is that if you've already linked another music service like YouTube Music, you'll need to verbally say (or type in) which service you want Gemini to use as part of your initial request, and from... Continue reading...

The Charger by Counterpart has a built-in 4-foot USB-C cable that can be retracted with the press of a button. | Image: Counterpart The switch to USB-C has vastly simplified my life, and I am very grateful for it, but I still struggle with cable clutter. Dealing with gadgets and gizmos for a family of four means the outlets on my kitchen counter resemble an unappealing bowl of silicon spaghetti, which is why this new $44 Counterpart Charger caught my eye.This compact charger includes a built-in 4-foot USB-C cable that - here's the handy part - retracts with the press of a button, leaving you cable-free. It delivers 35 Watts of GaN charging, which is enough for most phones, tablets, Switches, and the occasional pair of headphones that invariably collect on my counter in search of power. It would even do for my MacBook Air in a pinch.I've been using retractable... Continue reading...

Mercedes-Benz's new Apple Watch app replicates the functionality of its mobile app so you don't need to always reach for your phone. | Image: Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz announced today it's bringing popular features from its mobile app to the Apple Watch so owners can interact with their vehicles from their wrists without having to reach for their smartphone. The company joins a growing number of automakers adding watchOS capabilities, including Honda, Ford, and Volvo.The new app, available now through the Apple Watch App Store, is compatible with Apple Watches running watchOS 9 or later, but requires Mercedes-Benz's mobile app to be installed on the iPhone the wearable is connected to.Mercedes-Benz owners can use the watch app to monitor their vehicle's charge or fuel levels and its estimated range, lock and unlock it remotely, check that the windows are closed, and locate it when... Continue reading...

Image: The Verge Meta's Threads has accrued over 35 million signups so far in November and is going on three months with more than a million signups a day," Meta spokesperson Alec Booker told The Verge in an email today.20 million of those signups have come since November 14th, as Axios notes. That's on top of the 15 million that Instagram head Adam Mosseri said it had gathered in the two weeks prior.At the same time, Bluesky has seen a surge of interest. The platform grew to 15 million users earlier this month and continued to add about a million signups per day for several days. It now sits at over 22 million users.That hasn't gone unnoticed by Threads, with Mosseri confirming yesterday that several recent changes the platform has rolled out are... Continue reading...

Christian McCaffrey is on the cover of Madden NFL 25, looking as real as ever. | Image: EA A small, ragtag group of coders with a big idea builds something special. It's a smash hit, bigger than their wild expectations. Competitors emerge, and the team suddenly has to scramble to keep up. But with a little hard work (and a lot of biz dev), they manage to reassert and maintain their dominance. Then, years go by, the product doesn't seem to get any better, and you start to wonder if maybe a little competition was a good thing after all.You can tell this story up and down Silicon Valley, across several decades and some of the most iconic products in tech history - Google Search, Facebook, the iPhone - but few hit the marks quite as cleanly as Madden. In a new four-part documentary on Prime Video, It's in the Game: Madden NFL t... Continue reading...

The Bang & Olufsen Beoplay Eleven wireless earbuds will be available in natural aluminum and copper tone colorways. | Image: Bang & Olufsen Bang & Olufsen announced its new Beoplay Eleven wireless earbuds today, carrying forward a stem design similar to Apple's AirPods that the company first introduced with its Beoplay EX. The Beoplay Eleven will be Bang & Olufsen's first wireless earbuds with replaceable batteries, making them compliant with EU sustainability regulations coming into effect in 2027, as Engadget points out. They still maintain an IP57 dust and water rating, meaning the buds can survive submerging up to one meter.But unlike Fairphone's Fairbuds that have a user-replaceable battery, Bang & Olufsen says the Beoplay Eleven's design allows for battery replacement by service," which means you might have to send them in for battery repairs instead of doing it... Continue reading...

Anthropic is adding custom styles to Claude that quickly adjust the tone and length of responses. | Image: Anthropic Anthropic is adding a new feature to its Claude AI assistant that will give users more control over how the chatbot responds to different writing tasks. The new custom styles are available to all Claude AI users, enabling anyone to train it to match their own communication style or select from preset options to quickly adjust the tone and level of detail it provides.This update aims to personalize the chatbot's replies and make them feel more natural or appropriate for specific applications, such as writing detailed technical documents or professional emails.Three preset styles are available: Formal for clear and polished" text, Concise for shorter and more direct responses, and Explanatory for educational replies that need to include... Continue reading...

A hurricane specialist works on tracking Hurricane Beryl at the National Hurricane Center on July 1st, 2024, in Miami, Florida. | Photo by Joe Raedle / Getty Images This is the last week of a truly shitty Atlantic hurricane season. It was record-breaking. People are still recovering. Misinformation managed to make things even worse. Now, we get a six-month-ish break before it starts over again - perhaps with fewer federal resources to respond in the US.At the very least, we knew what was coming this year. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) forecast an above normal" season before it started in June. The agency published a recap yesterday with some data on how it all played out; the TLDR: these are some big numbers.There's also some subtext in there. It took a huge coordinated effort within the agency to put out forecasts and communicate risks to the public. Any efforts to... Continue reading...

Image: Humanoid Origin Humanoid Origin, the game studio founded by former BioWare general manager Casey Hudson, is shutting down operations. The closure was announced in a post on the company's LinkedIn page. Despite efforts to shield the studio from broader challenges in the industry, an unexpected shortfall of funding left us unable to sustain operations," the post read.Humanoid Origin was founded by Hudson in 2021 when it was then known as Humanoid Studios. Hudson started the studio after leaving a 20-year career at BioWare where he worked as a producer and director on several of the studio's seminal titles including Mass Effect and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Hudson left BioWare in 2014 for a brief stint at Microsoft Studios before returning... Continue reading...

Image: Ford With more cars equipped with partial automation hitting the road, safety researchers are growing increasingly worried about driver attention and the potential for these systems to cause crashes. A new survey has a possible solution to the problem of wandering attention while using partial automation: let drivers adjust the steering.The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducted a new study that found that drivers were more likely to stay alert while using advanced driver-assist systems (ADAS) when they were allowed to correct the steering without disengaging the partial automation.These results suggest that small differences in system design can nudge drivers toward safer habits," said IIHS president David Harkey in a... Continue reading...

Anker's orb-like charging stand can power up eight devices, including iPhones, for just $56. | Image: Nathan Edwards / The Verge If you're tired of cluttering up your desk with multiple chargers, check out Anker's MagGo Magnetic Charging Station 8-in-1, because it can probably replace all of them. It's one of our favorite MagSafe chargers precisely because it can power up eight devices at a time, and right now is down to an all-time low of $55.99 ($44 off) at Amazon for Black Friday. You can also purchase it at the same price directly from Anker when you apply the promo code WS7DV2NMENHH.Anker's orb-like charger is capable of quickly delivering Qi2 speeds (15 watts) of power to MagSafe-compatible iPhones. Yet it's also a power strip, one that supports up to 67 watts total power output and features a pair of USB-C as well as USB-A ports, along with three AC... Continue reading...

Huawei's new Mate 70 lineup will be the first to offer the company's HarmonyOS Next that isn't compatible with Android apps. | Image: Huawei Huawei has announced its new Mate 70 series smartphone lineup, which will be the first offered with the company's new HarmonyOS Next operating system that doesn't rely on Google's Android services and won't run any Android apps, according to a report by Reuters. The four models of the Mate 70 also don't feature any US hardware following a half decade of US sanctions.The Mate 70, Mate 70 Pro, Mate 70 Pro Plus, and Mate 70 RS will also be offered with Huawei's HarmonyOS 4.3, which first launched in August 2019 as an alternative to Google's Android OS and is still compatible with Android's extensive app library. Users who decide to opt for Huawei's new Android-free HarmonyOS Next will have less choice when it comes to the apps they can... Continue reading...

Disney Plus / Lucasfilm Ltd. While there were only a few days left until Star Wars: Skeleton Crew was slated to debut on Disney Plus, the streamer has decided to bump the premiere up just a smidge.Today, Disney announced that rather than dropping on December 3rd, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew will premiere a day earlier on December 2nd with two episodes. Along with the announcement, Disney also posted a new trailer teasing how younglings Wim (Ravi Cabot-Conyers), Neel (Robert Timothy Smith), KB (Kyriana Kratter), and Fern (Ryan Kiera Armstrong) get swept up in the adventure of a lifetime with Jod Na Nawood (Jude Law) as their Force-sensitive guide.Though some of the trailer's big set pieces feel like classic Star Wars in terms of spectacle, it also emphasizes how S... Continue reading...

Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images The US Department of Energy will loan Rivian $6.6 billion to build an electric vehicle factory in Georgia, as Democrats scramble to finalize their climate agenda before Donald Trump takes office.Rivian, lacking the funds to start the construction process, put its Georgia factory plans on hold earlier this year. The company has lost a significant amount of money since its public offering in November 2021, including $1.1 billion this past quarter. The company recently said it expected to lose up to $2.88 billion in adjusted earnings for the year, up from the previous guidance of $2.7 billion in losses. And it has gone through several rounds of layoffs over the past two years.Rivian said it received conditional commitment" for its... Continue reading...