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by Makena Kelly on (#685AH)
Taylor Swift fans demonstrate outside US Capitol as ticket industry executives testify to congress. | Photo by Drew Angerer / Getty Images Months after Ticketmaster botched sales for Taylor Swift’s most recent tour, a top executive from its parent company, Live Nation, faced scrutiny over its market dominance on Capitol Hill from senators and Swifties alike.Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee grilled Live Nation president and CFO Joe Berchtold throughout the hearing on Tuesday, arguing that the company’s control over the concert and events industry has harmed consumers. In her opening statement, antitrust committee chair Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) called Live Nation’s business model the “definition of monopoly.”“As millions of Taylor Swift fans found out last fall, there are few consequences for failing to deliver the service,” Klobuchar said Tuesday. “But whether... Continue reading…
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The Verge - All Posts
| Link | https://www.theverge.com/ |
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| Updated | 2024-11-27 11:00 |
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by Mitchell Clark on (#6858A)
Like most Mastodon clients, Ivory also has a cute elephant mascot — strange that no one ever does anything inspired by the band. | Image: Tapbots Ivory, a Mastodon client from the company behind the beloved and departed Tweetbot, has just launched on the iOS App Store. While it’s still in early access, many people (myself included) have been impressed with the alpha version that had a very limited number of slots; now, anyone on iOS can use it to cruise the fediverse, aka Mastodon’s network.The app comes from Tapbots, a company that recently had the rug pulled out from under it when Twitter banned third-party clients. Because Tapbots basically had to ship Ivory with very little warning, there are still a lot of missing features that may be available in more mature Mastodon clients or on the web. According to the company’s road map, it still has to add the ability to edit your... Continue reading…
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by Mitchell Clark on (#6841T)
Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge Apple has released iOS 16.3, which adds the ability to use a security key to lock down your Apple ID and appears to bring the company’s Advanced Data Protection for iCloud feature to countries outside of the US. It also tweaks the Emergency SOS call system, includes a new “Unity” wallpaper, and adds new features for the existing HomePod Mini (as well as support for the second-gen HomePod).Last year, Apple announced the hardware key feature, which lets you use something like a Yubikey as a second factor to log in to your Apple account, as part of a push to help people lock down their iCloud accounts. Also included in that announcement was Advanced Data Protection, which expands the types of data that are end-to-end-encrypted in your... Continue reading…
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by Ash Parrish on (#6858C)
Image: Proletariat In a surprising and deeply ironic twist, the workers at Activision Blizzard-owned Proletariat have canceled their union election. A statement from the Communication Workers of America confirmed the news saying that Proletariat CEO Seth Sivak is to blame.“Like many founders, he took the workers’ concerns as a personal attack and held a series of meetings that demoralized and disempowered the group, making a free and fair election impossible,” read the CWA’s statement.Proletariat would have been Activision Blizzard’s third union after the success of QA-initiated unions at Raven Studios and, most recently, Blizzard Albany. Proletariat’s union bid was of particular interest as it would have been the first “wall-to-wall” unionization... Continue reading…
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by Jess Weatherbed on (#6858D)
Riot doesn’t believe that user data was compromised during the cyberattack but warns of wider consequences as a result of leaked source codes. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Riot Games has revealed that the source codes for its popular League of Legends and Teamfight Tactics, or TFT, video games were stolen in a recent security breach, alongside the code for one of its anti-cheat platforms. Riot disclosed the breach earlier this week on Twitter as a “social engineering attack” and reassured players that it would provide an update on the situation following an investigation.Now, in a statement posted on Twitter, the California-based video game developer says that the source code for League of Legends, Teamfight Tactics, and a legacy version of the company’s anti-cheat platform were exposed in a cyberattack conducted by an unnamed group. Riot says that it also received a ransom email earlier today, which the... Continue reading…
by Victoria Song on (#6853D)
This is what Fatmap’s 3D outdoor maps on Strava could look like. | Image: Strava Strava routes are about to get three-dimensional. The popular fitness social network announced today that it’s acquired Fatmap, a mobile app known for its 3D maps for outdoor sports like hiking, trail running, skiing, and mountain biking.“Fatmap tech will power Strava maps for both free members and subscribers,” Strava spokesperson Janette Artea told The Verge, noting that subscribers will get more maps, discovery, and route planning features. It’s likely that’s to provide extra value to premium membership, especially since several Strava users were put off by a recent price hike. As for when the Fatmap integration will go live, Artea says that the company is aiming for the middle of the year. Image: Strava A... Continue reading…
by Andrew Webster on (#6853E)
Jacob Buster and Emma Tremblay in Aliens Abducted My Parents and Now I Feel Kinda Left Out. | Image: Sundance Institute It’s pretty easy to look at a film title like Aliens Abducted My Parents and Now I Feel Kinda Left Out — which, from now on, I’m just calling Aliens Abducted My Parents — and roll your eyes. It’s just so goofy. (And admittedly makes it really hard to write a headline for.) But it’s also incredibly fitting and does a great job of selling what this movie is all about. Director Jake Van Wagoner’s Aliens Abducted My Parents, which premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, is a lighthearted mashup of a family-friendly caper and coming-of-age tale, one that does just enough weird sci-fi stuff to help it get away with an otherwise formulaic story.Ten years ago, a young Calvin (Jacob Buster) was waiting on his roof with his dad (Will... Continue reading…
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by Richard Lawler on (#6602R)
It’s me, hi. I’m the problem, it’s me. After Ticketmaster’s site crumbled under the load of Taylor Swift fans trying to get concert tickets, the DOJ is reportedly investigating whether it’s part of an entertainment monopoly. Continue reading…
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by Andrew Webster on (#684Y3)
Alexander Skarsgård and Mia Goth (wearing masks, obviously) in Infinity Pool. | Image: Sundance Institute Even the worst vacation you’ve ever had — screaming kids, delayed flights, cruise ship food poisoning — has nothing on Infinity Pool, the latest from director Brandon Cronenberg (son of body horror master David Cronenberg). What starts as an escape to a picturesque resort swiftly turns into a bizarre and gruesome game of violence and brutality, with a little existential horror thrown in for good measure. Infinity Pool doesn’t fully explore the elements that kick off its high-concept premise, but it’s worth it to watch two talented actors absolutely lose their shit.The film takes place in the fictional country of Li Tolqa, where James (Alexander Skarsgård) and his wife Em (Cleopatra Coleman) are taking an all-inclusive vacation at a... Continue reading…
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by Chris Person on (#684Y4)
A little “industrial for some people’s tastes”, but to me these German Maestros are perfect. | Photo by Christopher Person / The Verge I hate buying something cheap. There is nothing worse than that sinking sensation when you open something up and know it’s not long for this world. I am also hard on my gear, which led me to buy these bulletproof headphones from an obscure company called German Maestro.But in order to talk about these headphones, I need to talk about a different pair of headphones first: the Sony MDR-7506 (and its discontinued brother, the Sony MDR-V6).I edit a lot of videos and do voiceover work. And if you have done any video work, you have almost certainly used a pair of Sony MDRs. They are iconic. You can spot the blue or red stripe and coiled cable from across a set. When you go to film school, you are basically issued a pair of MDRs like a... Continue reading…
by Allison Johnson on (#684Y5)
Illustration by Samar Haddad / The Verge When Google announced its new Pixel 7 and 7 Pro smartphones, it promoted a feature called Clear Calling that would improve audio on hard-to-hear phone calls. The feature wasn’t ready when the phones went on sale, but in December 2022, Google made it available for its two latest devices via feature drop.Here’s what Clear Calling does and how to enable it — which you should definitely do because it’s very good!Clear Calling is designed to reduce loud noises coming through from the other end of the line when you’re on a phone call. It only kicks in if the person you’re talking to is in a noisy environment, like a busy street or a cafe. When that happens, clear calling acts as a kind of noise cancellation to minimize the background... Continue reading…
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by Andrew Webster on (#684Y6)
Stephanie Hsu in Everything Everywhere All At Once. | Image: A24 Just a few weeks after the Golden Globes wrapped up, here we are talking about awards again thanks to the nominations for the 2023 Oscars.As expected, Everything Everywhere All At Once got a lot of love, nominated for best picture as well as directing (the Daniels), lead actress (Michelle Yeoh), supporting actress (Jamie Lee Curtis and Stephanie Hsu), and supporting actor (Ke Huy Quan). Elsewhere, there weren’t too many surprises, with the likes of The Banshees of Inisherin, The Fabelmans, and Tár getting plenty of nominations.On the blockbuster front, Avatar: The Way of Water got lots of technical award nominations — visual effects, sound, and production design — in addition to a best picture nod, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever... Continue reading…
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by Cameron Faulkner on (#684Y7)
The iPad Pro has a wide range of accessories, including the pricey Magic Keyboard shown here. | Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge B&H Photo has a great deal on the 11-inch iPad Pro that has the new M2 processor. The 128GB Wi-Fi version of the tablet in space gray costs $729 (originally $799), which matches the lowest price that we’ve seen so far. We last saw this price cut in mid-December right before the holidays, and B&H Photo is currently the only place you can get it (unless you ask, say, Best Buy to price match).We’ve hosted several iPad deals recently because they’ve been very good, even though some of the lower-cost options have caveats. This deal, however, is mostly caveat-free. The iPad Pro is for people who want The Best iPad in terms of performance, design, and features. It has the same M2 chip that’s found in Apple’s latest range of computers, though m... Continue reading…
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by Jess Weatherbed on (#684ST)
The flat monthly $5 fee for RxPass doesn’t increase even if users need multiple prescription medications each month. | Image: Amazon Amazon is launching RxPass in the US, a new drug subscription exclusive to Prime members that charges users a $5 monthly fee to ship eligible prescription medications to their doorstep. Announced on Tuesday in a press release, the Amazon RxPass subscription program provides generic medications to treat over 80 common health conditions, including high blood pressure, hair loss, anxiety, and acid reflux.The $5 charge includes the cost of delivery and is added to Prime customers’ existing monthly subscription fee. The RxPass fee is a flat rate and doesn’t increase even if users require multiple prescriptions each month. Medications can be delivered on either a monthly or quarterly basis depending on the prescription requirements.... Continue reading…
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by Umar Shakir on (#684SW)
Polestar 2 is looking like a new car in the front, but the rest remains familiar. | Image: Polestar Polestar has given its Polestar 2 EV a facelift, plus some other improvements for model year 2024. The maker of the fastback electric sedan has improved its drivable range (up to 300 miles on a single charge), and added more powerful motors. It’s also introducing a rear-wheel drive model alongside several smaller changes like wireless phone charging and driver awareness features now included as standard.The new Polestar 2’s most visible change comes in the form of a new flat front grille design, one that matches the looks of the automaker’s latest Polestar 3 SUV. Polestar calls this new grille the “SmartZone,” which houses components and sensors that are used for the car’s advanced safety and driver assistant features. SmartZone... Continue reading…
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by Victoria Song on (#684SV)
The Venu 2 Plus is getting an FDA-cleared EKG app. | Image: Garmin While smartwatch makers like Apple and Samsung are delving into rugged fitness, Garmin is shoring up its advanced health features. Today, the company announced that it’s adding FDA-cleared EKGs to its Venu 2 Plus smartwatch.The EKG app will allow Venu 2 Plus owners to record a 30-second electrocardiogram to screen for abnormal heart rhythms, which may be an indicator of atrial fibrillation. The results will be available immediately on the watch or can be viewed later in the Garmin Connect app. Venu 2 Plus owners will also be able to create historical EKG reports that can be shared with their doctor. To get the EKG feature, you’ll need to make sure the Venu 2 Plus and Garmin Connect app are updated to versions 10.06 and 4.56,... Continue reading…
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by Tom Warren on (#684NS)
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Microsoft has started testing a new split-screen feature for Edge that lets you compare two tabs side-by-side. The feature was first discovered by Leopeva64-2 on Reddit, and it’s available in an experimental flag in the beta, dev, and canary versions of Microsoft Edge. Once enabled, a new button appears alongside the address bar that lets you split an Edge window into two separate tabs side-by-side.While you can already compare tabs next to each other in Windows by dragging a tab and then using built-in Windows split views to place them side-by-side, it can be fiddly to achieve this unless you drag the tab all the way to the right- or left-hand side of your monitor. This built-in split view in Edge makes it easier in a single click,... Continue reading…
by Jess Weatherbed on (#684NV)
Webcams and other home office equipment were in short supply during global Covid lockdowns due to the shift towards working from home. Now, it seems the market is stabilizing, with Logitech sales falling by 22 percent YoY. | Image: Logitech Logitech published its quarterly financial results today, revealing that the company’s third-quarter sales fell 22 percent compared to Q3 last year. The decline confirms most of the preliminary results announced by the computer peripherals maker on January 11th, indicating a slowdown in customers buying home office and business equipment amid growing global inflation and the lifting of covid restrictions.Logitech’s revenue for the third quarter ending December 31st, 2022 fell to $1.27 billion, compared to the company’s preliminary figures showing that sales had fallen to between $1.26 and $1.27 billion. The company noted a decline in sales across all categories, with gaming falling 16 percent, video collaboration (conferencing... Continue reading…
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by Jon Porter on (#684NW)
Illustration: The Verge WhatsApp’s new macOS app is now widely available for download, WABetaInfo reports, and can be grabbed from the official WhatsApp website.The messaging service has previously offered a web wrapped version of its web app as a macOS app, but the new version is a native app that makes more efficient use of system resources. It also features a tweaked three-panel interface that offers easier access to archived chats, starred messages, and calls. Although it’s now widely available, the new app is still in beta for the time being.WABetaInfo reports that the new Mac app is built using Catalyst, Apple’s cross-platform development framework that’s mainly talked about as a way of easily bringing iPad apps to the Mac. But despite an official... Continue reading…
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by Mitchell Clark on (#684CW)
Remember this logo? I bet you don’t. | Image: ZenKey Do you remember ZenKey, the app that AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and Sprint (gone, but not forgotten) pushed as the future of logging in to services without a password? If you do, you may be one of the only ones — as LightReading points out, it appears as though the joint venture quietly crumbled after the service started rolling out in 2019.Originally announced as “Project Verify” in 2018, ZenKey was meant to be a single sign-on system, similar to the sign in with Google or Apple buttons that you see on various websites. The idea was that each carrier would offer an app that could verify your identity, then act as a pass whenever you went to log into a supported website or carry out something like a bank transfer. In theory, it could be... Continue reading…
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by Jay Peters on (#684CX)
Hand tracking could become a big battleground for virtual reality headsets. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge In April 2022, Meta released Hand Tracking 2.0, its upgraded system that can detect things like high fives and clapping, but the company is now making 2.0 the default hand tracking technology for Quest apps, according to a Friday blog post. Meta announced in September that it would be deprecating 1.0 in April 2023, and it says the shift to 2.0 as the default is a “first step” toward that deprecation.“Updating to Hand Tracking 2.0 doesn’t require any action from developers, and we believe this change will enhance the quality and capabilities of hand tracking across our app ecosystem,” Meta wrote in the post. “Hand Tracking 2.0 allows you to take full advantage of the many hands-driven interactions available with Interaction SDK.”Meta... Continue reading…
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by Allison Johnson on (#5VPRK)
A low-cost phone with meaningful 5G connectivity Continue reading…
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by Andrew J. Hawkins on (#684AR)
Illustration by Laura Normand / The Verge Elon Musk insists that 420 isn’t a joke to him.In testimony during his ongoing securities fraud trial on Monday, Musk argued that the $420-a-share price he proposed back in his infamous “funding secured” tweet from 2018 wasn’t a weed joke but actually just a coincidence — with a dash of karma.Musk was asked about the proposed share price by Nicholas Porritt, an attorney for a class of Tesla investors who are suing the billionaire CEO for the loss of millions of dollars that they say resulted from his bungled attempt to take Tesla private. And it prompted an eyebrow-raising response from Musk regarding what he considered a serious proposal despite nearly everyone else taking it as an obvious reference to cannabis.“You rounded up to... Continue reading…
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by Charles Pulliam-Moore on (#684AS)
Harley Quinn and her girlfriend Poison Ivy. Unlike the oral sex-averse Gothamites of DC’s mainline comic books, the animated deviants over on HBO Max’s Harley Quinn series will go down in history as being some of the horniest takes on characters like Batman, Kite Man (hell yeah), and Poison Ivy. Usually, the show’s found really thoughtful ways to dig into the sex lives of its heroes and villains while revealing interesting things about them. But from the looks of Harley Quinn’s upcoming Very Problematic Valentine’s Day Special, it seems like everyone’s going to be getting it on for the most comic book-y reason possible: superpowers gone haywire.By the end of Harley Quinn’s third season, Harley (Kaley Cuoco) and Poison Ivy (Lake Bell) had made it through their first major rough... Continue reading…
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by Mitchell Clark on (#684AT)
One of the first Lightyear 0s being made. | Image: Lightyear Electric vehicle company Lightyear has announced that it’s halting production on the Lightyear 0, its €250,000 (around $270,000 USD) solar-powered car that the company started making just three months ago (via Electrek). The setback is part of a “strategic restructuring,” according to a Monday blog post, and the company will instead focus on making the Lightyear 2, a car that it says will cost under $40,000 and go into production in late 2025.The company says it didn’t take the decision lightly, given that it’ll impact its employees, as well as “investors, clients, suppliers and the government.” It’ll also presumably have an impact on Valmet Automotive, the company Lightyear contracted to build the 0 (and which announced potential... Continue reading…
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by Ash Parrish on (#684AV)
Key Art: Blizzard Today’s the day most Blizzard games go offline in China. After failing to reach a deal with publishing partner NetEase, Blizzard has shuttered most of its games in the country, including World of Warcraft, Overwatch 2, and Diablo. (Diablo Immortal remains unaffected, distributed through a separate publishing deal with NetEase.)The closure comes after reports that Blizzard tried to extend the current deal by six months to keep games in players’ hands while it shopped for a new publishing partner. According to a post on Blizzard’s Weibo account, the company said NetEase rejected the extension deal. A translation of the post on World of Warcraft site Wowhead read:
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by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy on (#684AW)
Technologist Dave Zatz has discovered some clues about new Wyze security cameras. | Image: Zatznotfunny.com Wyze already announced three new cameras this month, but it looks like the company has even more up its sleeves. Tech blogger Dave Zatz dug up information on two not-yet-announced cameras: a new Wyze outdoor cam and an updated Wyze Cam Floodlight.The Wyze Cam Outdoor Pro (or possibly Wyze Battery Cam Pro) looks to be an upgrade of the Wyze Cam Outdoor v2, adding 2K video resolution. The new Wyze Cam Floodlight Pro also appears to be getting a 2K resolution bump over the original 1080p model, in keeping with Wyze’s new line of Pro cameras, as well as possibly more flood lighting.Zatz says his info comes from details hidden in the Wyze Android app APK, filings at the Bluetooth SIG, and from other sources. The Verge was able to confirm... Continue reading…
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by Charles Pulliam-Moore on (#683GQ)
Alex Castro / The Verge We look ahead to Apple’s M3 processor, and Quordle finds a new home. Continue reading…
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by Sean Hollister on (#6845S)
Photo by Tom Warren / The Verge When Microsoft first announced the Xbox would run Windows apps, I don’t think it was thinking of this! You can play Nintendo GameCube and Wii games with a beta version of the Dolphin Emulator built as a Universal Windows Platform app (via Windows Central).SirMangler’s fork of the excellent emulator runs on the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, and even the lesser of Microsoft’s two modern consoles reportedly does an excellent job. In the video above, Modern Vintage Gamer shows off impressively smooth performance on GameCube titles upscaled to 1440p, even when you add HD texture packs to games like Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem and load everything off a USB thumb drive.(Never played Eternal Darkness? Let’s just say Modern Vintage... Continue reading…
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by Charles Pulliam-Moore on (#6845T)
While there’s still much progress to be made when it comes to queer comics representation, it isn’t very hard to find lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender characters saving the world, falling in love, or simply existing in graphic novels these days. In fits and starts, mainstream and indie publishers alike have come to embrace queer stories, and the comics space as a whole is more vibrant for it. This hasn’t always been the case, though, and documentarian Vivian Kleiman’s No Straight Lines wants us to understand how the queer comic books of today wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for the radical creators of the past who changed history with their art and voices.Inspired by editor Justin Hall’s 2013 Fantagraphics anthology by the same name,... Continue reading…
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by Umar Shakir on (#6845V)
Banks are working to add another option for online shoppers. | Image: Umar Shakir / The Verge Several of America’s biggest banks, including the likes of Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase, are joining forces to launch their own digital payment wallet that can be used for online shopping, according to The Wall Street Journal. The planned new wallet is a response to increased consumer usage of digital payments — particularly Apple Pay, PayPal, and ones from other tech companies, including Google Pay and Amazon Pay.The currently nameless wallet will be handled by Early Warning Services (EWS), the company behind the direct money transfer service Zelle — though the two products will reportedly not intersect. EWS is a bank-owned joint venture between Capital One, PNC, US Bancorp, Truist, Bank of America, and JPMorgan Chase.The new... Continue reading…
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by Justine Calma on (#6845W)
An artist’s rendering of NuScale Power’s small modular nuclear reactor plant. | Image: NuScale For the first time, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has certified a design for an advanced small modular reactor (SMR). The certification allows utilities to choose the advanced reactor design when applying for a license to build and operate a new power plant.The NRC’s certification is a significant stamp of approval for a potential climate solution that’s still controversial among environmental advocates. Essentially, it’s a green light for an entirely new generation of nuclear reactors.“SMRs are no longer an abstract concept,” Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy Kathryn Huff said in a Department of Energy press release.“SMRs are no longer an abstract concept”Whether these advanced reactors can overcome challenges... Continue reading…
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by Alice Newcome-Beill on (#6845X)
The latest firmware update for the Razer Kishi V2 makes the controller more versatile. | Image: Razer Thanks to a recent firmware update to Razer’s Kishi V2 mobile gaming controller and the Razer Nexus app, the controller can now support games that were previously touchscreen-only on Android. There is currently no firm launch window for a similar rollout for iOS devices, but the Virtual Controller Mode is slated to come to Razer’s Edge tablet controller sometime in Q1 2023.This new feature is accessible through Razer’s free Nexus app, which in addition to now letting you remap controller inputs to touchscreen controls, provides a centralized hub to launch games and stream them on Facebook Live or YouTube. Nexus may not be quite as capable as the Backbone app but is entirely free, whereas the Backbone Plus app requires an annual... Continue reading…
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by Adi Robertson on (#6845Y)
Photo by Celal Gunes/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images The Supreme Court has asked the US solicitor general to submit briefs in a set of lawsuits over internet moderation in Texas and Florida, making the court likely to take one or both of the cases with a delay. As noted by CNN reporter Brian Fung this morning, the court solicited the briefs in a Monday morning list of orders, inviting President Joe Biden’s Department of Justice to formulate an official position on internet speech.The orders cover lawsuits by trade organization NetChoice against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody as well as a counterclaim by Moody against NetChoice. Both states passed laws making it illegal for large web services to suspend or otherwise penalize users in many cases,... Continue reading…
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by Jay Peters on (#6841S)
Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge Apple’s long-rumored VR / AR headset could be packed with ambitious technologies, including advanced hand tracking, the ability to see your Mac’s display, and even recreating digital versions of users in one-on-one FaceTime conversations, according to an extensive new report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.Much of the advanced technologies will be enabled by “several” external cameras that can track your hands as well as “sensors within the gadget’s housing” that can be used to read your eyes, Gurman reports. You’ll apparently be able to just look at something onscreen to select it and then pinch your fingers together to activate it, meaning the headset won’t require external controllers, like the Meta’s high-end Quest Pro and Sony’s... Continue reading…
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by Ash Parrish on (#6841V)
Image: BioWare Mac Walters has become the latest BioWare veteran to leave the company. Walters — who was the senior writer on Mass Effect, lead writer on its two sequels, the narrative director of the ill-fated Anthem, and, most recently, the production director on Dragon Age: Dreadwolf — announced his departure on LinkedIn.“These past 19 years have been a life-changing experience to say the least, and it made the choice to go very difficult,” Walters wrote. “I’ve worked with so many wonderful people and had the privilege to be a part of the most amazing teams and projects.”BioWare has seen some of its most tenured and celebrated talent leave the studio over the last three years. In 2020, Casey Hudson and Mark Darrah departed, with Hudson going on to... Continue reading…
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by Jay Peters on (#683X7)
Fortnite is getting some changes on iOS. | Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge Fortnite on iOS is about to become an even more limited experience. The game was removed from the iOS and Mac app stores and Google Play in August 2020 due to Epic Games’ legal spats with Apple and Google, meaning those versions of Fortnite have missed out on many updates to and even entire seasons of the constantly refreshed battle royale hit. But starting January 30th, players who got Fortnite from those platforms won’t be able to spend V-Bucks to buy in-game items and will have to be older than 18 years of age to play, Epic said in a tweet from its Fortnite status Twitter account on Monday.Technically, if you got Fortnite from those platforms, you can still play the game if you happened to have it installed before it was removed from... Continue reading…
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by Sean Hollister on (#683X8)
Image: Dbrand I imagine you have questions.In no particular order:
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by Emma Roth on (#683X9)
Image: Meta Meta’s bringing Messenger’s core customization features to end-to-end encrypted (E2EE) chats on the platform. That means encrypted chats can now incorporate themes, custom emoji, reactions, group profile photos, and a whole lot more.Messenger’s E2EE chats hide your online conversations from third parties, including Facebook itself. It also makes it more difficult for law enforcement and hackers to access the messages you’re sending and receiving. WhatsApp already has E2EE by default, and Instagram lets people switch on E2EE for individual conversations. Image: Meta Previously, Meta didn’t offer any way to customize encrypted chats. As soon as you switched over to (or entered) a secret conversation, all customization... Continue reading…
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by Antonio G. Di Benedetto on (#683RM)
The new Mac Mini may look like most models before it, but it’s got some big updates inside and to its port selection — particularly on the M2 Pro model. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Well, this is convenient timing. Our review of the new M2 Pro Mac Mini just went up, and you can save up to $100 on a preorder of it. The new Mac Mini in both its base M2 configuration and its more powerful M2 Pro version can be preordered at Adorama for $549 ($50 off) and $1,199 ($100 off), respectively, when you use code APINSIDER at checkout (hat tip to Slickdeals). These preorders are set to start shipping tomorrow, January 24th, which is launch day for the new M2-ified MacBook Pros as well. But you might want to jump on this deal quickly, as we’re not sure how long it may stick around.It’s rare to save anything on Apple stuff the moment it comes out (it’s even less common for preorders), but this is a great opportunity to get the... Continue reading…
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by Andrew Webster on (#683RN)
Another big musical act is descending upon Fortnite. Today, Epic announced that the game’s next virtual music experience will feature The Kid Laroi, and it’s kicking off very soon: the “immersive, interactive musical experience” will begin on January 27th at 6PM ET.It will be a little different from the events featuring the likes of Travis Scott and Ariana Grande, however, which took over the Fortnite battle royale island for a massive spectacle. Instead, the Kid Laroi event will take place on a dedicated Creative island purpose-built for the experience. Epic says the event will explore the singer’s “journey from humble beginnings to headlining sold-out performances as a worldwide superstar.”It sounds like something of a cross between... Continue reading…
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by Tom Warren on (#683P4)
Image: Microsoft Microsoft says it’s extending its long-term partnership with OpenAI through a new “multiyear, multibillion dollar investment.” The investment comes just weeks after Microsoft was rumored to be investing $10 billion into OpenAI, the creators of popular AI tools like ChatGPT and DALL-E 2.“We formed our partnership with OpenAI around a shared ambition to responsibly advance cutting-edge AI research and democratize AI as a new technology platform,” says Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. “In this next phase of our partnership, developers and organizations across industries will have access to the best AI infrastructure, models, and toolchain with Azure to build and run their applications.”The deal will see Microsoft increase its investments in... Continue reading…
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by Ash Parrish on (#683P5)
Image: Square Enix There’s a fascinating story and incredible parkour action buried under lackluster combat and a game lacking technical polish. Continue reading…
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by Chris Welch on (#683P8)
With two processor choices — one for everyday computing, the other for conquering creative work — Apple’s littlest Mac has never been more appealing. Continue reading…
by Cameron Faulkner on (#683P7)
Slightly worse battery life aside, I’m a big fan of almost everything Sony did to improve on the already-great DualSense. Continue reading…
by Monica Chin on (#683P6)
Apple’s new MacBook Pro 16 with M2 Max has exactly one significant upgrade from the 2021 model: a more powerful chip. Continue reading…
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by Jon Porter on (#683P9)
A new feature is in development that will allow WhatsApp users to send images at their original size and resolution. | Illustration: The Verge WhatsApp could soon allow users to send photos at full quality without having to worry about image compression, if code discovered in the latest beta version of the Android app is anything to go by. WABetaInfo reports on a new option that would allow users to send images in their original quality.Although WhatsApp already lets users pick between “automatic,” “best quality,” and “data saver,” the platform does not currently allow users to send photos in their original size and resolutions. Instead, these images are compressed — even when selecting “best quality” — to provide faster data transfers that take up less storage space.
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by James Vincent on (#683PA)
Earlier this month, OpenAI said it was exploring ways to monetize its AI chatbot ChatGPT, giving users the opportunity to sign up for early access to “ChatGPT Professional.” Now, some users say they’ve been granted access to a pro tier which costs $42 a month.OpenAI hasn’t confirmed this is an official test or made any announcements. We’ve contacted the company for more info, but in the meantime remember that features and pricing could change before ChatGPT Professional launches for real. As OpenAI said earlier this month: “Please keep in mind that this is an early experimental program that is subject to change, and we are not making paid pro access generally available at this time.”With that in mind, what does $42 a month get you?... Continue reading…
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by Jon Porter on (#683M2)
Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge Spotify will lay off 6 percent of its workforce globally, the company’s CEO Daniel Ek announced in an all-staff memo today. Spotify had just over 9,800 full time employees as of its last earnings report, meaning today’s layoffs affect a little under 600 staff. Dawn Ostroff, head of content and ads who has been instrumental in growing Spotify’s podcasting business, is also leaving the company.The layoffs make Spotify the latest tech company to cut its workforce in the midst of a global economic downturn. Google announced plans to cut around 12,000 jobs just last week, following similar layoffs at Amazon, Microsoft, and Meta.Ek announced the layoffs as part of an organizational restructure, which is aimed at increasing efficiency,... Continue reading…
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by Jess Weatherbed on (#683GP)
Nexo is ceasing its EIP offer to US investors and has begun phasing out all of the products and services it offers in the United States. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge The cryptocurrency lending firm Nexo has been sanctioned by the US Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) for offering and selling unregistered securities, as part of the latest efforts by regulators to crack down on the crypto industry. Announced via an SEC press release on January 19th, Nexo has been fined $45 million for failing to register the offer and sale of a cryptocurrency lending product, Earn Interest Product (EIP), which promised returns on deposited crypto.According to the SEC’s order, Nexo started offering the EIP around June 2020 and marketed the product as a means for investors to earn interest on their crypto assets. The agency alleges that Nexo used its investors’ crypto assets in a variety of ways, including to fund... Continue reading…
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