The Verge

It was all just supposed to be a one-time thing. When Burning Man got canceled because of covid-19 in 2020, a number of attendees banded together to re-create the festival on the social VR platform Altspace. That virtual Burning Man experience not only attracted around 13,000 visitors, but also accolades from the Producers Guild of [...]

404 Media has a report out about an underground software market that enables the Flipper Zero to be used to unlock a wide variety of vehicles, including Ford, Audi, Volkswagen, Subaru, Hyundai, Kia, and several other models. The hack works by intercepting and cloning a key fob's radio signal using custom firmware built for the [...]

Apple is raising the price of its streaming service. The company announced on Thursday that its $9.99 per month subscription will now cost $12.99 each month, marking a $3 price increase. The price increase will go into effect immediately for new subscribers, while existing ones will see the changes reflected 30 days after their billing [...]

Hollow Knight: Silksong, the full sequel to Hollow Knight that has been in development for years, will be released on September 4th. The news was revealed as part of a special announcement" video that debuted on Thursday. In Silksong, you play as Hornet, a character that appeared in the original Hollow Knight. The game, which [...]

Hello, and welcome to Decoder! This is Alex Heath, your Thursday episode guest host and deputy editor at The Verge. One of the biggest topics in AI these days is agents - the idea that AI is going to move from chatbots to reliably completing tasks for us in the real world. But the problem [...]

Google is putting AI Mode into Search in 180 countries and territories, allowing the AI-powered search feature to expand beyond the US, UK, and India. The expansion means more people can search for topics using a chatbot-like interface, though it's still only available in English. Along with a global expansion, Google revealed that it's building [...]

Insta360 has announced the next version of its compact Go action camera, which helped the company differentiate itself from established competitors like GoPro several years ago. As Insta360 teased earlier this week, the new Go Ultra not only breaks from the numbered naming convention of previous iterations, but it also ditches the camera's distinctive pill [...]

Earlier this week, a bean moved into my phone. Their name is Billie Bean King, and when I'm working, they work too, knitting socks and scarves. Billie's knitted wares are more than just cozy clothes - they're currency, used to buy lo-fi decorations for their barren room. But there's a catch: Billie can only work [...]

GuliKit was the first company to address the original Switch's drifting issues with a Hall effect Joy-Con upgrade kit, and it released one of the first controllers that can remotely wake the Nintendo Switch 2. Its latest first, announced at Gamescom 2025 in Germany, is a pair of controllers with the ability to infinitely adjust [...]

Google has started rolling out its latest batch of Android 16 features to beta testers, including expanded support for dark mode and themed app icons. The QPR2 beta 1 was announced yesterday alongside Google launching the Pixel 10 series, and is expected to get a full public release sometime in December, according to Google's release [...]

Amid a fierce debate about the environmental toll of artificial intelligence, Google released a new study that says its Gemini AI assistant only uses a minimal amount of water and energy for each text prompt. But experts say that the tech giant's claims are misleading. Google estimates that a median Gemini text prompt uses up [...]

Honor has launched a new flip phone today, the Magic V Flip 2, and it arrives with a sparkly special edition in partnership with fashion designer Jimmy Choo. The former Huawei subsidiary has partnered with Choo before, for last year's V Flip, and has kept to a similar formula this year, swapping glittery green for [...]

Medical tech company Masimo is suing US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in an attempt to overturn the agency's decision to allow Apple to restore the blood oxygen tracking feature on Apple Watches. Apple has been embroiled in legal disputes over Masimo's blood oxygen sensor patent since 2020, disabling the feature on supported US Apple [...]

A Microsoft employee has been arrested as part of protests at the company's headquarters in Redmond, Washington this week. On Tuesday, a group of current and former Microsoft employees, as well as community members, took over a plaza at Microsoft's headquarters to protest against the company's contracts with Israel. The No Azure for Apartheid protest [...]

Sony announced a $50 price increase on all PlayStation 5 slim" models in the US starting tomorrow, August 21st. The upcoming prices for a PS5 Digital Edition, the standard PS5, and the PS5 Pro are $499.99, $549.99, and $749.99, respectively; however, you can avoid paying the higher prices by picking up a PS5 at Amazon, [...]

Ricoh is launching its GR IV compact camera in mid-September for $1,499.95, accompanied by a tiny new GF-2 add-on flash for $119.95. As initially announced in May, the GR IV will feature a 26-megapixel APS-C sensor, slightly redesigned 28mm-equivalent f/2.8 lens, new autofocus and stabilization systems, and 53GB of built-in storage to supplement its microSD [...]

Google is bringing a bundle of new features to Gemini Live, its AI assistant that you can have real-time conversations with. Next week, Gemini Live will be able to highlight things directly on your screen while sharing your camera, making it easier for the AI assistant to point out a specific item. If you're trying [...]

For the past twenty years or so, I've had a clear image of what a product launch keynote is supposed to be like. A charismatic executive walks across the stage, points to some animations and pre-taped clips, a live demo or two happens, and the crowd goes wild. Clips proliferate on social media and cue [...]

Framework, the modular computer company, just released its first delightful tiny desktop PC, on top of its smallest laptop yet. But it's already teasing its next big live announcement on YouTube for August 26th at 8am PT / 11am ET, saying it'll reveal how something big just got better." While that may seem like a [...]

The team working on the next BioShock game is losing a third of its staff. According to Bloomberg, Take-Two is laying off more than 80 people at Cloud Chamber, which has been working on a new BioShock title, and the game has been delayed from a planned launch in late 2026 or early 2027. The [...]

Things just keep going wrong for Analogue's take on the Nintendo 64. The company announced today that the shipping date for its next console, the Analogue 3D, has been delayed until sometime in Q4 of this year. The announcement comes a little over a month after the console's previous delay, which would've seen it ship [...]

Nothing's Headphone 1 hit the scene back in July, and they're already being discounted. Right now, you can pick up the brand's first pair of over-the-ear headphones for an all-time low price of $269 ($30 off) at Amazon and Nothing's online storefront. What makes the Headphone 1 unique is their retro-transparent design that Nothing introduced [...]

Microsoft is testing out a Windows 11 update that lets you use AI to search through your files and images directly from the Copilot app. This test is currently rolling out to Windows Insiders on Copilot Plus PCs and allows you to use more descriptive language when conducting your search. You can currently use the [...]

Google has officially announced the Pixel 10 lineup, and there's a lot to dig into. Like last year, there are four devices - the Pixel 10, the Pixel 10 Pro, the Pixel 10 Pro XL, and the Pixel 10 Pro Fold - and the phones have some nice improvements and new features that might be [...]

No phone is waterproof. No phone is dustproof. Your phone's sealants wear away over time; when they're exposed to salt or chlorine in your swimming water; or when they're dropped, dented, or cracked. Your warranty doesn't cover liquid damage; if companies find water in an IP68 phone, it's proof you damaged it! But while these [...]

Qi2 is good because magnets are good. If you're gonna preserve food in metal cans, you should probably have a way to open them up again. And if you're going to rely on induction coils to transfer electricity, you gotta make sure they line up right. It took almost half a century after the invention [...]

Google announced its entire Pixel 10 generation of phones at a jam-packed Made for Google event this week. The familiar four-phone lineup includes the Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro XL, and Pixel 10 Pro Fold. All of them have received processor bumps and other technical improvements, along with a commitment by Google [...]

At its latest Made by Google event, the search giant officially revealed four new phones: the Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro XL, and Pixel 10 Pro Fold. That's a lot of devices, especially when you consider the different colors and storage configurations. And we can't forget about the Pixel 9A from April, [...]

Google's annual hardware event kicked off today. It seemed like pretty much everything was announced an hour early, but we'll cover any additional news from the event below. In the meantime, check out some highlights of what we've already posted: Read below for all of the news and updates from Made by Google 2025.

It's finally happening: Google Assistant in the home is getting its Gemini glow-up. Gemini for Home" is an all-new voice assistant for Google Home, set to arrive later this year, the company announced today. This new voice assistant, powered by Google's Gemini artificial intelligence, will eventually replace Google Assistant on Google's Nest smart speakers and [...]

Google's Pixel phone lineup isn't the only thing getting an upgrade in the coming weeks. The company also took the time during its recent Made by Google event to introduce the forthcoming Pixel Watch 4, which starts at $349 and hits shelves on October 9th. Thankfully, if you're looking to secure one at launch, you [...]

ESPN is showing off its overhauled app ahead of the launch of its live sports streaming service. On Wednesday, ESPN detailed all of the new features coming to the ESPN app, including a TikTok-style vertical video feed. ESPN's long-awaited live sports streaming service costs $29.99 per month and puts all 12 of the network's linear [...]

At The Verge, we like to ask "What is a photo?" when we're trying to sort out real and unreal images - especially those taken with phone cameras. But I think there's another question that we'll want to add to the mix starting right now: what is a camera? With the introduction of the Pixel [...]

The original Pixel Watch was late to the game. For years, there had been rumors of a Google smartwatch that never materialized. Then, when it finally arrived, it was a quintessential first-gen device, with thicc bezels, dismal battery life, and a host of quirks that needed ironing out. My DMs were full of people wondering [...]

I'm not a fan of AI health and fitness features. Not only do they regurgitate Captain Obvious-level summaries of what you just did, but the "insights" are so generalized that a Google search is often more helpful. So it was with great skepticism that I walked into a demo to learn about Fitbit's forthcoming AI-powered [...]

Google just announced its new budget Pixel Buds 2A, but it didn't forget about the earbuds it launched last fall. Owners of the Pixel Buds Pro 2 will get an update in September that will deliver a few new AI-powered features. One of them, Adaptive Audio, automatically adjusts the volume based on the noise in [...]

Finally, a foldable to take to the beach. The Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold is official, matching last year's starting MSRP of $1,799, and it comes with an IP68 rating. That means full water and dust resistance, which is something that no other foldable maker has figured out yet - and no small feat for [...]

Google has just announced a bunch of shiny new devices to look at and AI features to yell about. As part of its Made by Google event, the company revealed an upgraded Pixel 10 lineup, a bubblier smartwatch with a brighter screen, and a ton of AI updates that extend across all of its new [...]

With its new Pixel 10 Series, Google is finally embracing the Qi2 wireless charging standard, making it much easier to securely attach wireless chargers thanks to a ring of magnets built into the device. That also makes the new phone compatible with the many MagSafe and Qi2 accessories already on the market - so naturally, [...]

Google has brought NBA star Stephen Curry on board to help shape the company's hardware, features, and AI services. The long-term partnership was announced today at the Made by Google event, with Curry joining the company as a performance advisor" for Google's Health, Pixel, and Cloud products, leaning into his athletic experience and expertise. Part [...]

Microsoft and Asus are putting a date on their new Xbox Ally handhelds: October 16th. Both the Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X will be available on the same day in a variety of markets worldwide, but Microsoft and Asus aren't opening preorders yet or revealing pricing. Microsoft also announced its handheld compatibility program to [...]

Hertz has announced that it will start selling used cars from its rental business on Amazon Autos. The company's pre-owned vehicles are now available in Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, and Seattle, according to a new page on Hertz's website, with more locations coming soon." The Verge was unable to find any live Hertz vehicle listings [...]

Google is set to reveal its new flagship Pixel hardware at a Made by Google event today at 1PM ET / 10AM PT, when we'll find out exactly what the company has in store with its expected Pixel 10 phones, Pixel Watch 4, and Pixel Buds 2A. Will they include Qi2 magnetic charging? Is the [...]

More prices have leaked for Google's new lineup of Pixel phones and watches, this time joined by prices for the new accessories and Pixel Buds 2A. Prices posted by leaker Evan Blass on X for the Pixel 10 family - including the 10, 10 Pro, 10 Pro XL, and 10 Pro Fold - line up [...]

Ikea is teaming up with a Swedish designer for its latest collection, and the first product being teased is a dedicated plate for Ikea's greatest product: meatballs. The 12-piece Gustaf Westman collection that's launching on September 9th includes a chunky blue serving dish that is shaped to fit exactly 11 of the delicious morsels in [...]

There's good news if you're an Xbox gamer who's longingly stared at the sleeker design of Sony's DualSense controller for the PlayStation 5. After revealing the final form of its Competitor gamepad at CES 2025, Hyperkin has announced it will be available sometime in October for $49.99 in black and white color options for North [...]

While it was President Joe Biden who signed the law that would force ByteDance to sell its stake in TikTok or face a ban, it's his successor, Donald Trump, who has yet to fulfill his promise of arranging a deal to keep TikTok running, legally, in the United States. The current deadline for a deal [...]

Google Docs will now let you generate an audio version of your documents using AI. In a post announcing the rollout, Google says you can customize Gemini's AI audio output with different voices and playback speeds. This feature isn't just for a document's creator, as Google says readers can access a shared document's AI-generated audio [...]

Google is one step closer to reaching its nuclear ambitions now that it's working with public power utility Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to purchase electricity from a next-generation reactor. It's the first power purchase agreement for technology this advanced that a US utility has made, according to the companies. The plan is for TVA to [...]

While it didn't feature much of Silksong outside of a brief tease - though there's plenty more coming very soon - the main event for Gamescom, Opening Night Live, did have plenty to show off during its two hour runtime. Much of it was expected and teased ahead of time, including fresh looks at Call [...]