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Illustration by Mengxin Li / The Verge There’s nothing like an explosion of blockchain news to leave you thinking, “Um… what’s going on here?” That’s the feeling I’ve experienced while reading about Grimes getting millions of dollars for NFTs or about Nyan Cat being sold as one.In the year since NFTs exploded in popularity, the situation has only gotten more complicated. Pictures of apes have sold for tens of millions of dollars, there’s been an endless supply of headlines about million-dollar hacks of NFT projects, and corporate cash grabs have only gotten worse.All this news may have left you wondering: what is an NFT, anyhow?After countless hours of research and discussions (most of which were against my will), I think I know. I also think I’m going to cry.Okay, let’s... Continue reading…

Illustration by Mengxin Li / The Verge NFTs have become a cultural phenomenon over the past year, constantly making headlines as celebrities dabble in the space and as shenanigans, scams, and legal fights ensue. While it’s hard to tell if they will retain or regain their popularity after a market slump or two, there are still plenty of reasons someone might want to try their hand at making one. Who can resist a field that creators have made millions from?We’re going to go over how to create an NFT using two of the most popular marketplaces, but before we get to that point, let’s cover some of the basics of what an NFT is and the decisions you may have to make before deciding to sell one. (If you’re relatively up to speed, you can go to Step 3 to begin the journey of actually... Continue reading…

The online-only conference kicks off on Monday, June 6th, 2022 | Image: Apple Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) has arrived. The free virtual conference is set to kick off on Monday, June 6th, with the developer keynote and end on Friday, June 10th.The conference will include the latest news related to Apple software, bringing new updates to iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS. Apple’s 2021 event saw new updates to FaceTime, including SharePlay, widgets on the homescreen in iPad OS 15, and the promise of talking to Siri without an internet connection.This year, we’re expecting changes to notifications in iOS and possibly even some hardware news, including a new Mac Pro.When does Apple’s WWDC keynote start?The event keynote will stream Monday, June 6th, 2022, at 10AM PT / 1PM ET.A... Continue reading…

Image: Microsoft Microsoft is testing some updates to the Microsoft Store on Windows 11 that will improve how updates are handled. Currently, some store apps will close and reopen while they’re being updated, which means you could lose work if you opened the Microsoft Store and selected update apps. Microsoft is now testing a change to the Store that will skip over updates for apps that are open instead.The store update also includes faster navigation, which should make it a little smoother to find apps to download and install on Windows 11. Alongside these navigation improvements, Microsoft is also introducing native Arm64 support, so the Microsoft Store will be a lot faster on devices like the Surface Pro X. Image: Microsoft F... Continue reading…

Image: Disney I Am Groot will hit Disney Plus on August 10th. The animated series of shorts centers around none other than the Baby Groot himself, with Vin Diesel reprising his role as the voice of the adorable anthropomorphic sapling.Marvel Studios teased the upcoming series in a tweet, showing off an official poster with Baby Groot chilling out atop one of the headphones attached to Peter Quill’s (played by Chris Pratt) iconic Walkman. He rests beside a palm tree-shaped air freshener — that shows just how tiny he really is — with two, four-eyed penguin-like creatures (that are somehow even smaller than Baby Groot) peeking out from behind. We haven't seen these two mischievous-looking creatures in any of The Guardians of the Galaxy films, but it... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Coinbase is pulling back on its hiring efforts. In a memo posted to Coinbase’s site, chief people officer L.J. Brock announced that Coinbase is putting a pause on hiring new employees, as well as rescinding several job offers already accepted by prospective workers, citing “current market conditions and ongoing business prioritization efforts.”The shift comes as the cryptocurrency market continues to trend downwards, dragging the supposedly immovable stablecoins, which are pegged to a fiat currency or commodity, with it. Coinbase started to slow hiring in mid-May to make sure the company is “best positioned to succeed during and after the current downturn,” but this move halts hiring completely. Brock notes that the freeze will also... Continue reading…

Apple continues with the Memoji developer art it started in 2020. | Image: Apple The conference runs from June 6th to June 10th Continue reading…

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge Apple is poised to reveal a new MacBook Air at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) on Monday, but even if it does, you may not be able to immediately buy one. According to a report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, COVID-19 shutdowns at the Chinese plants that make MacBooks might mean a limited supply of new devices or a release date that’s further off.China’s zero-COVID policy has led to the temporary closure of factories that make Apple products, including Pegatron and Quanta. Although China has begun to relax some of the movement restrictions it initially reinstated in March, some neighborhoods in Shanghai still remain under lockdown.Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo expects Apple to ship about six to seven million new MacBook... Continue reading…

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge After a long, long month of laptop releases, Computex 2022 is finally over. In some ways, it’s the Computex that wasn’t.The early part of this year was an exciting time to be a laptop reporter. Every company and its mother announced that big ideas were on the way. Wacky products abounded, from monitors to phones. LG Display (which supplied the 13.3-inch panel for Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 Fold) showed off a 17-inch foldable OLED screen. We saw RGB, OLEDs, and haptics galore. Chipmakers promised architectural innovations and performance gains. We were told that these were all coming soon.At the end of May was Computex, the biggest laptop-specific show of the year. (Well, it really was all of May — since many global attendees couldn’t get to... Continue reading…

A Long March 2F rocket with the Shenzhou 14 spacecraft takes off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. | Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images Three Chinese astronauts, or taikonauts, arrived at the Tianhe core module of the unfinished Tiangong space station on Sunday morning, where they’ll stay for six months to help finish its construction (via Space.com). The Shenzhou 14 spacecraft took off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert on Saturday at 10:44PM ET (10:44AM local time) and docked with Tianhe at 5:42AM ET (5:42PM local time).The three-person crew includes Chen Dong, Cai Xuzhe, and Liu Yang, who originally made history as the first Chinese woman in space during the country’s Shenzhou 9 mission in 2012. While they’re in orbit, the crew is expected to conduct several spacewalks and prepare the station for the arrival of two additional lab modules,... Continue reading…

Image: Netflix Director Emily Dean talks about The Very Pulse of the Machine Continue reading…

Following a few months of gritty warfare — and a live event last night starring a giant mech — the latest season of Fortnite is surprisingly laid-back. In fact, season 3 of the game’s third chapter is called, simply, Vibin’. It brings with it some notable changes to the island, including new locations like an amusement park — complete with a rollercoaster — as well as a trippy-looking forest called Reality Falls that features magical saplings players can plant and grow for better loot.Here’s a closer look at how the western edge of Fortnite’s island looks now: Gameplay-wise, the season brings back a fan-favorite vehicle, the Baller (which looks a bit like a giant hamster ball). It has been tweaked slightly, though: it has... Continue reading…

Image: Sony Morbius is back in theaters — despite no one even asking for it — and its unpopularity is only making itself more obvious. The film made just $85,000 on Friday after making a return to over 1,000 theaters, bringing its domestic cumulative to $73.6 million (via Forbes).Morbius was originally released on April 1st and wasn’t the most well-received. In The Verge’s review of the flick, our TV and film reporter, Charles Pulliam-Moore, says Morbius’ pacing, plot, and the performance of its lead actors feel “ill-conceived,” and “calls into question Sony’s grand project of building an entire cinematic universe on Spider-Man’s back.”

A huge battle took place today in Fortnite’s most recent live event — which featured a gigantic mech, as well as some hints for what to expect from the game’s next season. If you missed the rollercoaster-like experience, you can check out what went down in the video above.Before the event kicked off properly, players were transported to what appeared to be a frosted-over space station, where they could kill time by using huge guns to clear away an array of asteroids that circled the station while listening to characters like Agent Jones and The Origin bicker over a loudspeaker. They were then given a mission: stop a powerful weapon that could wipe out all life on the island.It turns out, that space station actually housed a giant mech... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Apple is reportedly teaming up with Hollywood directors to create video content for its upcoming augmented reality (AR) / virtual reality (VR) headset, according to a report from The New York Times. Sources familiar with the matter told the Times that Jon Favreau is just one of the directors involved — he’s reportedly tasked with delivering a mixed reality experience based on Prehistoric Planet, the dinosaur-filled Apple TV Plus series he produced.Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like we’ll be able to immerse ourselves in a Jurassic Park-like landscape anytime soon. In line with an earlier report from Bloomberg, the NYT says Apple’s headset might not launch until 2023 due to issues with battery life and performance. That said, its... Continue reading…

Google shared a first look at the Pixel 7 Pro at I/O before the leaks came flooding in. | Image: Google Another alleged Google Pixel 7 prototype has surfaced, this time from a Reddit user who says they bought it on Facebook Marketplace. From appearances, it’s a Pixel 7 Pro, which Redditor AMC20_ says was listed as a Pixel 6 Pro without a box. It is not, in fact, a Pixel 6 Pro.Google’s phones have a long history of unusual leaks, but even by Pixel standards, this is a strange one. It’s also the second time a prototype Pixel 7 Pro has surfaced in the last week. In case you missed episode one of this saga, someone listed a Pixel 7 prototype on eBay. As Android expert Mishaal Rahman pointed out, the photos seem to have been taken with another prototype unit — a Pixel 7 Pro, which can be seen in the reflection on the phone’s glossy back panel.... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge New York’s State Assembly passed the Warehouse Worker Protection Act (WWPA) on Friday, a bill that would require Amazon and other companies to disclose production quotas to workers, as first reported by CNBC. If New York Governor Kathy Hochul (D) signs it into law, it would also prevent employees from having to meet quotas that require them to skip lunch or bathroom breaks.Just like a similar bill passed in California last September, the WWPA states that employers will need to provide each warehouse worker with “a written description of each quota to which the employee is subject” when they’re hired (or within 30 days of the bill becoming law). It also bars employers from punishing workers for failing to meet quotas that weren’t... Continue reading…

Apple has been demoing AR for years but has never really shown us how it’s supposed to work. | Image: Apple Apple’s software is very good, generally speaking. Even as the company has spread its focus among more platforms than ever — macOS and iOS and iPadOS and tvOS and watchOS and whatever software Apple’s building for its maybe-possibly-coming-someday car and its almost-certainly-coming-soon AR / VR headset — those platforms have continued to be excellent. It’s been a while since we got an Apple Maps-style fiasco; the biggest mistakes Apple makes now are much more on the level of putting the Safari URL bar on the wrong part of the screen.What all that success and maturity breeds, though, is a sense that Apple’s software is… finished — or at least very close. Over the last couple of years, the company’s software announcements at WWDC have... Continue reading…

Image: Google Google is expanding its custom text stickers to Android users who use the US-English version of its Gboard keyboard. Previously, only Google Pixel users had access to the feature, which lets you create and send personalized stickers by typing in your own text and choosing a premade design.In addition to expanding custom stickers, Google is also introducing over 1,600 new Pride Month and summer-themed mashups to Gboard’s Emoji Kitchen. You can use the feature by simply typing in an emoji (or two) into a message, and then seeing what kind of mashups you can translate into stickers. The result is fun, and sometimes unconventional emoji combinations, like a soccer ball made out of watermelon. Image: Google You can... Continue reading…

Google’s Nest Hello video doorbell first came out in 2018 and has seen a slight rebrand as the Nest Doorbell (wired). | Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge There have been lots of great deals this week despite Memorial Day having come and gone, some of which are still available to Walmart Plus subscribers through the weekend. But if you’re someone who cares more about smart home tech than the current highlights at Walmart, we’ve got an exclusive treat just for you.Wellbots is offering Verge readers up to $80 off on select Google Nest devices until Sunday, June 19th. This includes two great options for video doorbells if you favor using Google Assistant in your smart home setup. The longstanding Google Nest Hello — now known as the Nest Doorbell (wired) — is $80 off when you use promo code VERGE80 at checkout, which drops the excellent wired doorbell to $149. While this model has been... Continue reading…

Torn between being a souped-up e-reader and a stripped-down tablet Continue reading…

Saturday morning, aerospace company Blue Origin is slated to conduct its fifth tourist flight, sending a crew of six to the edge of space and back out of West Texas. Once again, it’s a flight without any major celebrities on board, as the company transitions into making these quick jaunts to space relatively routine.The flight, called NS-21, comes just two months after Blue Origin’s last tourist trip on March 31st. That mission sent up five paying customers and one company employee — the first time no big names flew. The Blue Origin employee was actually a last-minute replacement for comedian and actor Pete Davidson, who was originally slated to fly but had to drop out due to scheduling issues when the mission was delayed. Prior to that... Continue reading…

Image: Apple Square announced on Thursday that it will begin to support Apple’s Tap to Pay technology later this year with a beta test arriving this summer as part of the company’s Early Access Program.Right now if a company is using Square to process sales it needs to use Square’s familiar dongle to receive payments. With support for Apple’s Tap to Pay it should be able to process a big chunk of payments with nothing but an iPhone and the Square app. The new program will allow iPhone users to pay with their phone within Square’s point of sale (POS) app.Apple first announced Tap to Pay in February 2022, and first supported Square’s competitor Stripe. The partnership with Stripe also supports payments made in the Shopify POS app. The Tap to Pay... Continue reading…

The Posé is a new lifestyle TV from LG. | Image: LG LG is catching up with Samsung in “lifestyle” TV land, adding a new model to its LG OLED Objet Collection that launched last year. The new Posé is a slimline take on Samsung’s Serif; it comes in 42-inch, 48-inch, and 55-inch screen sizes and launches in the third quarter of 2022, starting in Europe.The Posé joins the 65-inch Easel that was announced at CES (then called the Objet), which is designed to look like an art easel and has a sliding fabric cover to conceal the screen. Both can display artwork or photos when not in use.But what is a lifestyle TV? Why is there a premium for a TV to look good in our homes? “Looks nice when in the middle of my living room” seems like a key consideration when buying a TV just as it is when you buy... Continue reading…

Hello! Welcome (or welcome back) to This Week in Elon, The Verge’s occasionally revived newsletter for when there’s Too Much Elon News. And, I mean, there’s always too much Elon news. But what’s happening right now feels worth digging into more deeply. So, let’s get into it.On Tuesday, Musk demanded Tesla employees come back to the office or “pretend to work somewhere else,” which is an odd thing to say for a guy who splits his time between cities and at least four different companies. He’s also looking to cut about 10 percent of Tesla’s workforce, Reuters reported this morning, based on his “super bad feeling” about the economy, and all I’m saying is I don’t want to do layoffs, so I’m going to make you miserable enough to quit would... Continue reading…

Square Enix Yesterday, Sony and Square Enix blessed us with the biggest chunk of Final Fantasy XVI news yet during the State of Play event. Square Enix released not only a new trailer but also a new blog and updates to the official Final Fantasy XVI website that has established a nice foundation upon which we can start building an idea of what this game is about and what we can expect.Despite the number, Final Fantasy XVI is not the 16th entry in the series; it’s not even the 16th single-player mainline entry, either (thanks to FFXIII’s sequels and the FFVII Remake). There are a million and a half Final Fantasy games, far too many to count. This is simply the one that comes after the one with Noctis and his bro-dtrip.Final Fantasy XVI takes place... Continue reading…

T-Mobile’s voice over 5G technology is live in Portland, Ore. and Salt Lake City. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge According to the US carriers, 5G has well and truly arrived. We did it! We won the race to 5G. But there’s one piece of the puzzle that’s still largely missing: voice. Phone calls still mainly rely on LTE networks, even where 5G data coverage is robust. Today, T-Mobile announced that it has taken a small step forward in making voice over 5G a reality. In Portland, Oregon, and Salt Lake City, Utah, some commercial calls will be routed via T-Mobile’s standalone 5G network.Voice over 5G (referred to as Voice over New Radio, or VoNR) is a major challenge for the whole wireless industry, though all US carriers will likely want to move voice calling over to 5G sometime in the future to free up LTE spectrum for 5G. Voice calls over 5G are also... Continue reading…

Instagram and Facebook Reels now supports 90-second videos | Image: Meta In a blog post on Thursday, Meta said that it’s globally rolling out new creator tools for its TikTok competitor, Reels, on both Instagram and Facebook. The handful of new tools will make it easier for creators to skip using TikTok to edit short clips and help encourage people to create original content using Reels, which is something the team at Instagram really wants to happen.Instagram Reels will now let users import their own audio (that’s at least five seconds long) from their camera roll to their reel video. Reels also now supports 90-second videos, and it is adding interactive “stickers” that support polls, quizzes, and emoji — much like Instagram Stories. Instagram is also widely releasing templates that let users easily... Continue reading…

Illustration by William Joel / The Verge Google is telling users of the Android Auto for Phone Screens app that it’ll no longer work soon via an in-app pop-up message (via 9to5Google). The app enables a simplified in-car interface of Android that is safer to use while mounting the phone on a car dashboard, a great feature for those who don’t own newer cars with the version of Android Auto that runs on the infotainment screen.This is actually not Google’s first warning that it was putting Android Auto for Phone Screens in exile. It was already deprecated last year when the company disabled Android Auto for Phone Screens on newer Android 12 devices. People with older devices could still access the app, but Google didn’t give a timeline on how long it would last, stating it has... Continue reading…

iFixit The New York state legislature has passed the United States’ first “right to repair” bill covering electronics. Called the Fair Repair Act, the measure would require all manufacturers who sell “digital electronic products” within state borders to make tools, parts, and instructions for repair available to both consumers and independent shops.Having passed the legislature, it is awaiting signature by Governor Kathy Hochul, who is expected to support the measure. The measure will take effect one year after it passes into law.“One giant leap for repairkind”Self-repair groups like iFixit have applauded the ruling, calling it “one giant leap for repairkind” in a blog post following the announcement.“The passage of this bill means that... Continue reading…

The Nintendo Switch OLED model boasts a vibrant, 7-inch display and a slate of minor upgrades. | Image: Nintendo The Nintendo Switch was, like most consoles during the pandemic, once in short supply. Thankfully, retailers like Best Buy, Amazon, and Walmart now routinely stock the Nintendo Switch, Switch Lite, and upgraded Switch OLED model in multiple color configurations, giving those who have continually struck out ample opportunity to purchase Nintendo’s incredibly popular handheld console.If you’re not sure where you can pick up a Switch as of right now, we’ve vetted stock and rounded up where you can purchase the Nintendo Switch, the Nintendo Switch Lite, and the Nintendo Switch OLED model both online and in-store. We’ve also scoured the web for any bundle that seems like a good deal, as well as discounts that might be applicable.Where can... Continue reading…

Photo by Chaim Gartenberg / The Amazon stopped supplying retailers in China with Kindle e-readers and will close down the country’s Kindle ebook shop, Reuters reported based on a post made to the company’s WeChat account. Starting June 30th, 2023, users will no longer be able to buy digital Kindle books in China, while Amazon will pull its Kindle app from Chinese app stores one year later.However, current customers will be able to download titles purchased in the past until June 2024, and after that, they’ll keep working but without the cloud’s backup. The move isn’t related to pressure from the government or censorship, the tech giant told Reuters. Rather, Amazon says it’s changing its strategic focus. The company’s other businesses in the country — like its... Continue reading…

Photo by Andrej Sokolow/picture alliance via Getty Images Self-driving company Cruise has received a permit from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to charge for fully driverless rides, a milestone that the company claims makes it “the first and only company to operate a commercial, driverless ride-hail service in a major U.S. city.” Cruise has been testing free driverless rides for the public in San Francisco since February, and now, it will be able to offer paid fares.For this paid service, the GM and Honda-backed Cruise will be able to operate its 30 all-electric vehicles at night from 10PM to 6AM in “select streets” in San Francisco, and the vehicles won’t be able to go faster than 30 miles per hour, according to the draft resolution (pdf). Cruise will also only be able to... Continue reading…

If Samsung nixes the physical rotating bezel for good, it would be the end of an era. | Photo by Victoria Song / The Verge Well, well, well. There were rumors that Samsung would ditch the Classic model for the Galaxy Watch 5, and according to the beta version of the Samsung Health app, it appears to be true. The app shows listings for the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 and the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro — but no Classic. Screenshot: Dan Seifert / The Verge Oops, Samsung did it again. The gaffe was initially spotted by 9to5 Google, but The Verge was also able to independently confirm it. From the preview image, it appears the Pro will be closer in design to the Galaxy Watch 5. In essence, sleeker and sportier without the mechanical watch vibe. And crucially, it appears that Samsung could be axing the concept of a physical rotating bezel entirely.... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Dave Clark, Amazon’s CEO of worldwide consumer business, is resigning effective July 1st, the company announced on Friday. Clark has been with Amazon for 23 years and played a major role in building out the company’s expansive and speedy supply chain. He’s one of two chief executives at Amazon who report up to company CEO Andy Jassy. Clark will be resigning to “pursue other opportunities,” Jassy wrote in a memo Amazon shared publicly.Clark elaborated more on his departure in an email to staff. “For some time, I have discussed my intent to transition out of Amazon with my family and others close to me, but I wanted to ensure the teams were setup for success,” Clark wrote in the note, which he posted on Twitter. “I feel confident that... Continue reading…

An artistic rendering of SpaceX’s Starship on the Moon, adorned with a NASA logo. | Image: NASA Today, when asked about Elon Musk’s pessimistic attitude toward the economy, President Joe Biden made a dismissive little quip: “Lots of luck on his trip to the Moon.” It’s a funny aside — but there’s one tiny hitch. Technically, a good chunk of SpaceX’s funding to return people to the Moon comes from the Biden administration.Biden was asked about Musk’s opinions today during a press conference at the White House. Specifically, a reporter wanted to know what Biden would say to the Tesla and SpaceX CEO “around his feeling about the economy.” The question was in reference to a recent report that Tesla would be freezing hiring and cutting its workforce by 10 percent because of Musk’s “super bad feeling” about the economy, according to an... Continue reading…

The 2020 iPad Air is just one of the many devices on sale right now for its lowest price ever. | Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge Beating the deals you’ll find on Prime Day isn’t easy, but Walmart is definitely going to try. The big blue retailer is offering stacks of discounts on a wide variety of products to Walmart Plus members this weekend. Starting today and ending at 7PM ET on Sunday, June 5th, Walmart is hosting sales on everything from laptops and 4K TVs to noise-canceling headphones and video games.While you’ll need to be a Walmart Plus member to cash in on these savings, the retailer is sweetening the deal for anyone who signs up for the service this weekend, offering a $20 promo code for new subscribers that can be applied to your next online order. Sadly, you’ll need to be a paying member to access these deals, meaning that you can’t just use the... Continue reading…

The ComfoBuds Pro normally retail for $94.99, but right now Amazon has them for as low as $55. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge Planning on flying out for a holiday this summer? Trying to unwind on a packed flight while a baby screams like a banshee isn’t the most relaxing start to a vacation — and is exactly when a pair of noise-canceling earbuds could come in handy. Unfortunately, many tend to be over $100, but today you can buy 1More’s ComfoBuds Pro on Amazon in white for $55 instead of $94.99 or in black for $59.99 as opposed to $99.99, both of which require you to clip the on-page coupon.True to their name, we found 1More’s ComfoBuds Pro to be very comfortable, even over long stretches of time. The budget-friendly true wireless earbuds boast good sound quality for the price as well, along with decent noise cancellation with various levels of intensity. They... Continue reading…

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Years of alarm bells from cybersecurity experts about the vulnerabilities of medical devices are finally being heard by Congress. Senators proposed a new bill this week that would require the Food and Drug Administration to issue cybersecurity guidelines more regularly, and share information about vulnerable devices on its website.The legislation, first reported by CyberScoop, comes from Sens. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) and Todd Young (R-Ind.). The bill comes a few weeks after cybersecurity expert Joshua Corman testified before a Senate committee on the vulnerabilities of medical devices to cyberattacks, and a few months after FDA leaders asked Congress in April to dedicate more funding and authority to the agency around device cybersecurity.... Continue reading…

Reliable connectivity on a connected fitness gadget is a must Continue reading…

Could a working prototype of Optimus be imminent? Or is this another fake out? | Image: Tesla In a tweet that is definitely not meant to distract from the news that he’s planning on laying off about 10 percent of his workforce, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that he was shifting the company’s “AI Day” event from August to September in anticipation of being able to show off a “working” Optimus prototype.You’ll recall that Optimus is the name given to the humanoid robot that Musk said will take on the repetitive, boring tasks that humans are loath to do. The robot was revealed during Tesla’s last AI day in August 2021, and as with all things Musk, it’s difficult to parse the reality from the smokescreen of bullshit he tends to throw out. After promising to reveal a working prototype sometime in 2022, the evening was capped by a person... Continue reading…

It looks like the mini console trend isn’t over quite yet. Sega has announced a sequel to its miniature Mega Drive (otherwise known as the Sega Genesis), and this one will feature both cartridge games and titles from the Mega CD add-on. In total, the tiny console will feature 50 built-in games, including the likes of Silpheed, Shining Force CD, Sonic the Hedgehog CD, Virtua Racing, and Shining in the Darkness.Unfortunately, as of now the device has only been announced for Japan; it’s expected to launch on October 27th for 9,980 yen (about $75).Miniature retro consoles were all the rage a few years ago, following the blockbuster success of the NES mini in 2016. Nintendo followed that up with a tiny SNES, and Sony made a... Continue reading…

While it’s not the robot we were looking for, Astro is rolling in the right direction. Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Every Friday, The Verge publishes our flagship podcast, The Vergecast, where Verge editor-in-chief Nilay Patel and editor-at-large David Pierce discuss the week in tech news with the reporters and editors covering the biggest stories.This week, Nilay and David, along with Verge managing editor Alex Cranz and deputy editor Alex Heath discuss the news of Meta COO Sheryl Sandberg stepping down from the company after 14 years. How will this affect the structure and direction of the company?Later in the show, transportation editor Andrew Hawkins joins to drive through the latest car news, including Volvo using Epic’s Unreal Engine to create ‘photorealistic’ graphics in its cars, GM slashing the price for the Chevy Bolt, and a first look at... Continue reading…

Elisabeth Moss in Shining Girls. | Image: Apple Chicago isn’t a dreamland for Kirby Continue reading…

The Realme GT Neo 3 comes in 80W and 150W versions. You’re never going to find a phone like the Realme GT Neo 3 Naruto Edition on a store shelf at Verizon or AT&T. For starters, Realme branded phones are usually only available in the US as unlocked global versions sold on Amazon, and they aren’t necessarily compatible with your wireless carrier’s network.This particular model is also a special edition device with only 5,000 units made that pays tribute to the anime franchise Naruto. Either the US population just doesn’t have an affinity for special edition phones, or manufacturers have decided that it’s not worth the effort to sell them here. About the most exciting thing we seem to get is a green iPhone, which is just… an iPhone that’s green. Photo by Allison Johnson... Continue reading…

Thermacell’s Liv keeps the biting bugs at bay until you step outside its zone of protection Continue reading…

On the road, the 2022 BMW i4 eDrive40 looks like any other 4 Series. There’s a reason the four-door sedan with its gigantic kidney grilles and sleek roofline commands is one of the automaker’s best-selling vehicles. It looks the part of a German sedan, and the EV version of the vehicle is the fruit of the automaker’s desire to build a platform that can accept any powertrain. Except, this is the best 4 Series.While the push for electric SUVs continues, not every driver wants to sit above cars and haul all that extra weight around. There are real competitors for the BMW sedan — namely, the Tesla Model 3, Mercedes EQE, and Polestar 2. All of these vehicles are courting the midlevel luxury buyer who’s likely looking for either something a... Continue reading…

Illustration by Kristen Radtke / The Verge; Getty Images Elon Musk emailed Tesla executives on Thursday, Reuters reports, telling them the company needs to pause hiring worldwide and cut its workforce by about 10 percent. At the end of 2021, Tesla said in a filing that it had 99,290 employees worldwide. In the email seen by Reuters, Musk cites his “super bad feeling” about the economy.One thing to note is that widespread layoffs aren’t an unusual practice for Musk and Tesla. It cut hundreds of workers in October 2017, 9 percent of staff in June 2018, and about 7 percent in January 2019, then cut salaries and furloughed employees in April 2020. There are no details in the report about which departments may be more or less impacted. Still, Musk recently sent a company-wide email claiming that,... Continue reading…