The Verge

Image: The Verge Tim Cook promised that AI features were on the way. At Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference, we'll finally learn what Apple's been building. Continue reading...

They're petite, modern, and sound very good, even without dedicated noise cancellation. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge If you're still kicking along with the last-gen Beats Solo, now is a pretty good time to upgrade. It took Apple less than two weeks to discount the 2024 refresh of its alt brand's on-ear headphones, the Beats Solo 4, to $149.95. And now, not even a month later, the price has dropped even further at Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart, where you can grab them for an all-time low of around $129.95 ($70 off).We find the Beats Solo 4 to be a very solid pair of headphones that are well equipped to handle most listening needs. You're still getting Beats' signature bass biased sound, which hasn't changed much over the prior model. It really didn't need to, though, and the headphones now support head tracking spatial audio when paired with an... Continue reading...

The Verge It's Apple's turn to show how AI will work on its iPhones, iPads, and maybe even the Vision Pro. Continue reading...

Image: Bungie Bungie just concluded the long-running saga of the light and darkness in Destiny 2: The Final Shape earlier this month, and now the Halo and Destiny developer is teasing what's next. In a journey ahead" stream today, Bungie disclosed the first details on its plans for the rest of the year ahead with Destiny 2 and even teased a 2025 release for new content that's codenamed Frontiers."Until Frontiers arrives next year, Destiny 2 will continue with new episodes of story content that explore what's happened after the conclusion of The Final Shape. Destiny 2 players have just battled The Witness in the latest expansion, the main antagonist of Destiny's light and darkness saga, which has created what Bungie is calling echoes throughout the... Continue reading...

These Pixel Watch 3 renders look just like the previous model. | Image: 91mobiles / OnLeaks Google Pixel Watch 3 renders have apparently leaked, and it looks like not much is changing except for a slightly chunkier design. As revealed by 91mobiles and OnLeaks, who uncovered a rumored Ultra" Galaxy Watch from Samsung last month, the Pixel Watch 3 may arrive with a slightly thicker case to accommodate a new 307mAh battery, up slightly from 304mAh in the Pixel Watch 2.Unfortunately for fans wishing for a bigger screen, the leak only shows a 41mm size with a 1.2-inch display, just like Google's current Pixel Watch 2. There is some hope, however, that Google is also working on a larger 45mm version of the watch launching later this year, as reported by 9to5Google.The measurements listed with the leak (along with a 3D spinning... Continue reading...

Nokia CEO Pekka Lundmark made the call with Stefan Lindstrom, Finland's ambassador of digitalization and new technologies. | Image: Nokia Nokia has made the first audio and video call using 3D spatial audio, the company announced on Monday. It placed the call over a cellular network using the 3GPP Immersive Video and Audio Services (IVAS) codec, allowing callers to hear sound spatially in real-time."The IVAS codec is part of 5G Advanced, an upcoming upgrade to 5G networks that could offer faster speeds, improved energy efficiency, more accurate cellular-based positioning, and more. Currently, all phone calls made over a cellular network are monophonic, meaning audio is compressed into a single channel. Spatial audio, on the other hand, makes it seem like sounds are coming from different directions as they're delivered through multiple channels.Some apps, like Apple... Continue reading...

Photo illustration by The Verge / Photo: Cohere Enterprise is the pathway to profit, Gomez says, but maybe don't ask it to do medicine quite yet. Continue reading...

Image: The Verge We've seen two approaches to AI in mobile tech this year: AI That's Not Your Phone" and AI That Does Random Stuff on Your Phone."The Not Your Phone" group includes devices like the Rabbit R1 and the Humane AI Pin, two small gadgets that sought to make AI more useful by building it into a smaller, simpler gadget. It hasn't gone very well. Both devices came with big promises to help us get things done without looking at our phone screens. Neither delivered.Now it's time for Apple, like Google and Microsoft before it, to announce a whole bunch of AI features at its annual developer conference today. But the current state of AI on our phones is, well, unimpressive. AI Doing Random Stuff on Your Phone" includes Google's generative AI... Continue reading...

Illustration: The Verge Apple has a plan for AI, and we're finally going to hear more than whispers about it on June 10th during this year's Worldwide Developers Conference. If you're not among the lucky few going to Cupertino, California, to see WWDC 2024 live, you can stream the keynote at 1PM ET on YouTube, in the Apple TV app, or on Apple's events page.The company is expected to reveal a swath of new AI features for its next big iOS update, including voice memo transcriptions, custom emoji generated on the fly, and Siri improvements that include the ability to control individual app features.Plenty of these features will work on-device, but some will go to the cloud, for which Apple will reportedly use M2 Ultra-powered servers - which will almost... Continue reading...

The Xbox app running on a ROG Ally. | Photo by Tom Warren / The Verge Microsoft's Xbox chief, Phil Spencer, has been dropping hints about a potential Xbox handheld for months now. Earlier this year he said he was a big fan of handhelds," after liking posts on X that mention the possibility of this new hardware. Now, in an interview with IGN Spencer says I think we should have a handheld, too."It's the biggest hint yet that Microsoft is working on an Xbox handheld, something that's been long-rumored. The future for us in hardware is pretty awesome. The work that the team is doing around different form factors and different ways to play, I'm incredibly excited about," said Spencer. Today was about the games... but we will have a time to come out and talk more about platform."Pressed on whether an Xbox... Continue reading...

Illustration: The Verge Xbox chief Phil Spencer has confirmed that more of Microsoft's own games will be coming to other platforms, like the PS5 and Nintendo Switch. Microsoft revealed earlier this year that four Xbox-exclusive games were launching on PS5 and some on Nintendo Switch, with fans left wondering if it would only be four titles or if there are more to come. Spencer took the opportunity to clear up that mystery in an interview with IGN yesterday.Our commitment to our Xbox customers is you're going to get the opportunity to buy or subscribe to the game, and we're going to support the game on other screens," said Spencer. You are going to see more of our games on more platforms, and we just see that as a benefit to the franchises that we're... Continue reading...

Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge Humanoid robots are one of those dreams that sometimes feel like we're on the precipice of realizing. Boston Dynamics has its Atlas robot, and Tesla is pursuing robotics, while companies like Mercedes, Amazon, and BMW are or will be testing robots for industrial use. But those are all very expensive robots performing tasks in controlled environments. In the home, they might still be far off.Enter Apple. Mark Gurman at Bloomberg has said its robotics projects are under the purview of former Google employee John Giannandrea, who has been in charge of Siri and, for a time, the Apple Car. With the car project canceled, Vision Pro launched, and Apple Intelligence" around the corner, is that the next big thing?According to his information,... Continue reading...

Microsoft's holiday lineup of new Xbox consoles. | Image: Microsoft Microsoft is making the white version of the Xbox Series X official today. The new console option won't include a disc drive, and will be entirely all-digital. Inside it's identical to the Xbox Series X, with the same performance for existing Xbox games. This new white model will be available with 1TB of storage later this year, priced at $449.99.Xbox president Sarah Bond revealed the new white Xbox Series X during the Xbox Games Showcase today, alongside a 2TB Galaxy Black" version of the original Xbox Series X. There's also a $349.99 1TB Xbox Series S coming in white, too. Image: Microsoft The Xbox Series X will soon come in a white option. The white coating on the exterior of this new Xbox Series X matches... Continue reading...

Image: Microsoft It's been four years since we first found out that a new Perfect Dark game was on the way, and now Microsoft has revealed the first gameplay during the Xbox Games Showcase today.The new Perfect Dark is a reboot of the original game, being developed by The Initiative and Crystal Dynamics. In the gameplay trailer we got a first look at Joanna Dark in a near-future Cairo setting. Team Perfect Dark has pulled inspiration from elements of the first two games, but crafted an entirely new story and universe around them for this reboot," says Xbox wire editor in chief Joe Skrebels.Perfect Dark is the usual first-person secret agent shooter, and it will be a single-player experience with a set amount of missions. There will be choices in how... Continue reading...

Image: Bethesda Softworks The Fallout games have seen a big boost in popularity since the live-action TV series, and Fallout 76 is primed to take advantage of that with its next major expansion. It's called Skyline Valley, and for the first time, it will actually expand the game's map, introducing a new Shenandoah region in the south. Bethesda says that players will investigate the cause of an electrical storm circling overhead and unveil the mystery around Vault 63 where they will meet its dwellers and discover a shocking new Ghoul type - The Lost."You can get a feel for the expansion in the trailer above, though it won't be long before you can play it, as Skyline Valley launches on June 12th. The trailer also teased a much-requested feature coming to the game... Continue reading...

Image: Activision Activision's Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 will debut on October 25th, according to an Xbox store listing. The next installment in the popular franchise will be set in the early '90s, and it will launch day one on Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass subscription service. Developed by Treyarch and Raven Software, Black Ops 6 will include a new campaign, a multiplayer mode with 16 new maps at launch, and a new zombies experience.The main campaign is set in the early 1990s after the end of the Cold War and the rise of the United States as a single superpower," according to the store listing. The campaign includes a focus on spy missions, but little else is shared on the store listing. Activision plans to detail Black Ops 6 fully after the Xbox Games... Continue reading...

Image: Microsoft Microsoft has a big summer showcase planned. Continue reading...

This could be you. | Image: Ikea Corporate publicity stunts involving virtual reality are almost always bad, but Ikea's new Roblox store feels especially silly. The company announced last week that it plans to pay 10 people 13.15 or 14.80 per hour to work in The Co-Worker Game, a virtual Ikea store in Roblox. The company is taking applications until June 16th, only from candidates in the UK or Ireland who are 18 or older.Being paid to be an NPC. What a world. The virtual employees will carry out tasks like serving meatballs or helping people find fake furniture or other Ikea items. They can also get promoted to move departments, just like in the real world." Image: Ikea A look at Ikea's Co-Worker Game virtual store. I wouldn't assume... Continue reading...

Image: David Pierce / The Verge Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 41, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you're new here, welcome, hope you like gaming gadgets and silly spy movies, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.)This week, I've been reading about the tough times at Humane and how Suicide Squad flopped, watching the TikTok dancing cult documentary and Furiosa, swapping my crappy Roku for a slightly less crappy Apple TV, listening to a lot of WikiHole, mixing up new mocktail recipes, and testing the Phanpy app for all things fediverse.I also have for you a new Raspberry Pi accessory, an incredibly well-liked movie to watch this weekend, a couple of fun tech books, some gaming gear, and lots more.... Continue reading...

Deadpool and Wolverine in Deadpool & Wolverine. | Screenshot: YouTube There's virtually no indication in the trailers for Deadpool & Wolverine so far that Wolverine feels anything but disgust and irritation at Deadpool as they get down to whatever fourth wall-breaking multiverse shenanigans the film holds in store. That's made all the more apparent by a Hugh Jackman whose increasingly craggy face only seems to be more fit to represent Logan as time goes on.The new trailer leans way more into bits and one-liners than the previous two. Maybe that's because Marvel and Disney have already set up the movie's emotional stakes, first for Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) and then for Wolverine. This one is all dick jokes and a cranky Jackman scowling and raging and glaring with everything he has.This is not Deadpool 3,... Continue reading...

Lost and Found Co. | Image: Bit Egg Despite its cozy appearance, Wholesome Direct 2024 is actually shaping up to be the most packed event of Summer Game Fest. The hour-long presentation featured more than 70 different games. Some were brand-new announcements, some were previously known games that got a fresh trailer or release date, and a handful of titles even launched during the event.Now, 70 is a large number, so to help, I've curated the games that stood out to me the most. You can also watch the full presentation right here to soak in every detail. Even better: many of the games have demos on Steam that you can check out. Anyway, here are my picks, in no particular order.Kamaeru: A Frog RefugeLaunching today on PC and SwitchKamaeru looks like a more interactive... Continue reading...

If you have this power bank, you should stop using it. | Image: Anker Anker says it's recalling its 321 Power Bank (PowerCore 5K, model number A1112), citing a fire risk posed by a manufacturing defect. The 321 is a compact power bank with two ports - one for USB-C and one for USB-A. Anker says only a small number" produced after March 2023 are affected, but it's recalling all of them anyway.Look for Anker 321 Power Bank (PowerCore 5K, Black), Model: A1112" in the white text printed on the bottom to see if you have this model. If you do, Anker urges you to stop using it immediately. Fill out this form, including the serial number, to stake your claim for a replacement 533 Power Bank the company is offering affected owners. Try to track down your proof of purchase before you head over there, as it says... Continue reading...

We are Venom! | Screenshot: YouTube Two of my favorite trailers for this week share a common theme: parasitic aliens. The trope has given us some of the finest moments in cinema history; consider the whole Alien franchise, the horrifying dog transformation in The Thing, or that scene from Spaceballs. You could make a convincing argument that Star Trek's Borg race are parasites of a kind, too.It's a versatile premise that lets a movie be as heady or grotesque or action-packed as its creators want. And two of sci-fi's most beloved fictional freeloaders are showing up this week.Venom: The Last DanceVenom doesn't like being called a parasite, but that's still basically what it is. In the case of the Klyntar symbiote and Tom Hardy's Eddie Brock, though, the two are more... Continue reading...

Image: Lucasfilm Ltd. Kevin Jenkins is a Star Wars veteran at this point, having worked in a variety of design roles across multiple films, ranging from Rogue One to The Rise of Skywalker. But as production designer on the Disney Plus series The Acolyte, he faced an entirely new challenge: finding a look that doesn't rely on Star Wars staples like Stormtroopers or Star Destroyers. Unlike other Star Wars, this wasn't to be found in a book," Jenkins tells The Verge. When I did the sequels, and even when the prequels were done, we had that template of Star Wars to go from. And [on The Acolyte], we took away 75 percent of the template."That's because the show jumps back in time to a century before The Phantom Menace. It's the first live-action project to take... Continue reading...

Phil Schiller may have slightly overstated Siri's initial abilities. | Photo by Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images When Apple first launched Siri in 2011 alongside the iPhone 4S, the company made a series of very compelling ads showing how you might use this newfangled voice assistant thing. In one, Zooey Deschanel asks her phone about delivering tomato soup; in another, John Malkovich asks for some existential life advice. There's also one with Martin Scorsese shuffling his schedule from the back of a New York City taxi. They showed reminders, weather, alarms, and more. The point of the ads was that Siri was a useful, constant companion, one that could tackle whatever you needed. No apps or taps necessary. Just ask.Siri was a big deal for Apple. At the launch event for the 4S, Apple's Phil Schiller said Siri was the best feature of the new device.... Continue reading...

Cult of the Lamb. | Image: Devolver Digital Devolver Digital's keynote events tend to be, let's say, unique. And the publisher's presence at Summer Game Fest 2024 was no exception. Like last year, Devolver focused on just a handful of really interesting indie games, which ranged from a game about fighting through an interdimensional catastrophe to an expansion that somehow makes Cult of the Lamb even weirder. There was both a first-person kicker and a thirst-person shooter. If you missed it live, here are all the reveals.PossessorComing to PC and console in 2025A slick side-scrolling action game from the creators of Solar Ash and the Hyper Light games, Possessor looks absolutely gorgeous. It also sounds like it'll be plenty challenging. Here's the official setup:

Image: iam8bit The most exciting showcase of Summer Game Fest 2024 is here. Continue reading...

Image: Riot Games Riot's tactical shooter Valorant has been a PC-exclusive since it launched in 2020 - but that's changing very soon. The developer has finally provided some details on the console version of the game, which will be available in a limited beta on the PS5 and Xbox Series X / S starting on June 14th. You can register right here. The beta will be limited to the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Europe, and Japan, and Riot says that it will be possibly rolling out to remaining global regions shortly thereafter." There's no word on when a full launch might happen.Riot says the console versions of Valorant feature custom-built gameplay" and that crossplay between console and PC will not be available for competitive reasons. That... Continue reading...

A better symbiosis between smart technology and our favorite kitchen gadgets is part o the future of the smart kitchen. | Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge A new moment for connected cooking emerges at the Smart Kitchen Summit in Seattle. Continue reading...

Image: CBS Studio The title sequence for the Among Us animated series made its debut during the Summer Game Fest on Friday. During the sneak peek, we got a glimpse at each of the characters and their various roles aboard the Skeld.We first heard about the Among Us series last year, which is made in collaboration with CBS Studios, Among Us developer Innersloth, and Titmouse, the animation studio behind Big Mouth and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.We already know some of the characters - and their voice actors - that will appear in the show. Some of the biggest names include Randall Park as the captain Red; Ashley Johnson as the security chief Purple; Patton Oswalt as the contest winner White; Elijah Wood as the unpaid intern Green; Phil LaMarr as... Continue reading...

Image: Alex Choi A YouTuber was arrested after posting a video showing two people in a helicopter shooting fireworks at a Lamborghini. On Thursday, the US Department of Justice charged Suk Min Choi - known as Alex Choi on YouTube - for allegedly breaking the law against having an explosive or incendiary device on an aircraft.The now-deleted video, titled Destroying a Lamborghini With Fireworks," was posted on July 4th, 2023. Choi, who has more than 924,000 YouTube subscribers, is shown driving the Lamborghini as two women begin shooting fireworks in the direction of the car. Law enforcement officials believe Choi filmed the video at El Mirage, a dry lake bed in San Bernardino County, California.The Federal Aviation Administration began... Continue reading...

Photo by Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images The Biden administration released another vehicle emission rule that was not as strict as the one the president originally proposed.Under the new rules, fuel economy will increase 2 percent per year for model years 2027-2031 for passenger cars, while light trucks will increase 2 percent per year for model years 2029-2031. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), these increases will bring the average light-duty vehicle fuel economy up to approximately 50.4 miles per gallon of gas by model year 2031.That's less ambitious than the rules President Joe Biden first proposed in 2022, in which passenger vehicles would be required to achieve an average of 55 miles per gallon by 2026. And in 2023, NHTSA proposed... Continue reading...

Creatives are fearful of how Adobe's adoption of generative AI will impact their privacy and rights over their work. | Illustration by Haein Jeong / The Verge A recent notification from Adobe about a terms of service update caused outrage online once many people - forced to accept the new terms for continued access to its apps and services - interpreted it to mean Adobe was permitting itself free rein to access and use their work to train AI models.Specifically, the notification said Adobe had clarified that we may access your content through both automated and manual methods" within its TOS, directing users to a section that says techniques such as machine learning" may be used to analyze content to improve services, software, and user experiences. The update went viral after creatives took Adobe's vague language to mean that it would use their work to train Firefly - the company's... Continue reading...

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Meta now allows users to create giant group chats without having an associated Facebook page, as reported by TechCrunch.The groups, called Communities," allow admins to add up to 5,000 people, even if they're not part of the same Facebook group. Meta previously introduced that feature in 2022, allowing Facebook group admins to create Discord-like chatrooms for members. This new type of chat, meanwhile, is open to anyone - users could make one for their neighborhood, school, or an event, for example.Meta notes that creating Messenger Communities" isn't yet available to everyone and that users should be aware there's a different level of privacy that they typically associate with personal messages.The gradual updates to Messenger... Continue reading...