The Verge

With the holidays quickly approaching, everyone will soon be on the hunt forgifts and the fastest way to get them. Thankfully, many retailers offer generous shipping policies for their products, with some even providing free two-day shipping or even same-day delivery if you're willing to pay a little extra. And just in case the gift [...]

Microsoft's new Xbox Full Screen Experience (FSE), which adds a console-like navigation experience to Windows PC gaming handhelds, is coming to another family of devices: the MSI Claw. As part of the latest Windows 11 Insider Preview Build, Microsoft is rolling out support for the Xbox FSE in preview to MSI Claw models" today, the [...]

Microsoft is bringing shared audio to Windows 11, allowing you to stream audio across two pairs of wireless headphones, speakers, earbuds, or hearing aids. The feature is built using the Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) audio codec, and it's rolling out in preview to Windows 11 Insiders in the Dev and Beta channels. Shared audio comes [...]

Dolby Atmos, the dominant name behind spatial audio in theaters and the home, has become a fixture in luxury cars from the likes of Mercedes-Benz, Rivian, Cadillac, and Lucid priced upwards of $70,000. But now, Hyundai is including Dolby Atmos audio in the new entry-level Elexio EV - a China-exclusive (for now) SUV that costs [...]

It's almost November, and to celebrate, retailers like Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy are dropping early Black Friday deals on everything from Apple devices to smartphones and video games. We're also seeing some great deals on Bose headphones and earbuds, with many of the discounts matching previous all-time lows. Take, for instance, the latest Bose [...]

We got hacked," members of the University of Pennsylvania community were told in the subject line of several emails sent from addresses linked to its Graduate School of Education. The sender, apparently, was the potential hacker or hackers themselves. The University of Pennsylvania is a dogshit elitist institution full of woke retards," said the emails, [...]

Adobe demonstrated some of the experimental AI tools it's working on at its Max conference that provide new ways to intuitively edit photos, videos, and audio. These experiments, called sneaks," include tools that instantly apply any changes you make to one frame across an entire video, easily manipulate light in images, and correct mispronunciations in [...]

There haven't been a lot of opportunities to catch Switch 2 games on sale since the console launched in early June, but that's changing thanks to Woot. The store is having a sale on new video games and game accessories that's live now, and runs through November 8th at 11:59PM CT. Dozens of games for [...]

Yet another rumor suggests that Netflix is interested in buying Warner Bros. Discovery's studio and streaming businesses. On Friday, Reuters reported that Netflix is actively exploring" a bid for the company and has hired a bank to look into a potential offer. Sources tell Reuters that Netflix now has access to Warner Bros. Discovery's data [...]

Almost exactly a month ago, I wrote an article for theverge.com pointing out that the T1 Phone 8002 (gold version) -a.k.a. the Trump phone - had missed its promised release date. Now here I am again, because the phone still hasn't come out. In case you've forgotten, the T1 is a very gold mid-range Android [...]

Creative, the company best known for its Sound Blaster line of sound cards that boosted the audio capabilities of '90s-era PCs, is reviving the brand with a new hub called the Re:Imagine. It's reminiscent of Elgato's Stream Deck controllers, but with a focus on your audio gear. It has a modular design allowing buttons, dials, [...]

The FCC is moving to dismantle a rule requiring internet service providers to publish detailed "nutrition labels" for their service plans, just over a year after the requirement went into effect. The changes it's proposing could roll back transparency requirements that took years to establish - making it harder to tell how much you'll be [...]

Patents are notoriously difficult to search for, but Perplexity has launched an AI-powered tool that's supposed to make the process a little easier. Its new patent research agent allows you to search for patents using natural language, rather than a string of keywords. As an example, Perplexity says you can enter something like, Are there [...]

More than 20 Disney-owned channels, including ESPN, ABC, and Nat Geo, have been pulled from YouTube TV after Google and Disney failed to reach a new content distribution agreement. The previous contract expired at 11:59 PM ET on October 30th, and it's unclear when, or if, the two companies will reach a new deal. The [...]

Bose has built its modern reputation on noise-canceling performance, offering the best in class for a good two decades, since the launch of the QuietComfort headphones in 2000. But Sony and Apple caught up in 2023 and the race has gone back and forth since. The $299 Bose QuietComfort Ultra second-gen earbuds aim to top [...]

Music is obviously a huge part of KPop Demon Hunters. Songs are how the Huntr/x girls connect to their human fans and keep hordes of demons from entering the mortal realm. But beneath KPop Demon Hunters' banging soundtrack, there is also a rich tapestry of sounds that each play a role in bringing the movie's [...]

One of the biggest flashpoints for internet regulation, the Kids Online Safety Act, is poised for a revival - but possibly without the central feature that's kept people fighting over it for the past three years. Since 2022, supporters of KOSA have backed its plan to require web platforms to protect kids from a variety [...]

What is AGI? We know it stands for Artificial General Intelligence. That's a good start. But what does AGI mean, really? And how do we know when we've achieved it? For that matter, who decides we've achieved it? Does the AGI decide? This week, as OpenAI completed a long restructuring process that sets it up [...]

Keep burning through your video generation allowance on Sora? No problem, OpenAI now lets you buy extra credits to make even more AI videos. That's good, because the company says it expects to reduce free allowances at some point in the future. Bill Peebles, who leads the Sora team at OpenAI, said the video platform's [...]

If you're a Windows 11 user who frequently uses the Task Manager tool, you should probably avoid Microsoft's latest OS update. Reddit users and my colleague Tom Warren are reporting that a bug in the optional Windows 11 KB5067036 update is causing Task Manager to duplicate itself when they attempt to close the app, impacting [...]

This is an excerpt of Sources by Alex Heath, a newsletter about AI and the tech industry, syndicated just for The Verge subscribers once a week. To understand how Microsoft sees its role in the AI race, look at what was announced at the company's GitHub Universe developer conference on Tuesday in San Francisco. The [...]

Tim Cook says Apple has plans to embed more third-party AI tools into the company's operating systems. Our intention is to integrate with more people over time," Cook said in an interview with CNBC. Apple has already embedded ChatGPT into Siri, with a Google Gemini integration said to be in the works, along with rumors [...]

Samsung's Galaxy Buds 3 Pro received a decent price drop during Amazon's October Prime Day sale, but if you held off on picking them up, your patience has been rewarded. Right now, the noise-canceling earbuds are available for around $165 ($85 off) at Amazon and Best Buy, which is the lowest price we've seen in [...]

Despite Amazon and other retailers having filled the summer and fall months with more sales than ever before, Black Friday and Cyber Monday remain the biggest shopping days of the year. Thankfully, like in previous years, we'll be working to highlight the best prices on phones, TVs, noise-canceling headphones, gaming gear, and other tech throughout [...]

If you choose to get an extra controller for your Nintendo Switch 2, you can spend a lot - and get a lot in return. Buying Nintendo's own $89.99 Switch 2 Pro Controller, for instance, will net you the console's only wireless controller with a 3.5mm headphone jack, not to mention great rumble, OS-level rear [...]

Earlier this year, Apple sued leaker Jon Prosser alongside Michael Ramacciotti, alleging the two had a coordinated scheme to break into an Apple development iPhone, steal Apple's trade secrets, and profit from the theft." However, in a new filing, Ramacciotti denies that he planned or participated in any conspiracy or coordinated scheme" with Prosser" and [...]

YouTube has introduced a new like button on select videos that rewards your engagement with a brief animation. The feature was first announced in mid-October as part of a slate of updates that included UI changes to make the platform easier to navigate, There are currently 20 different animations that are customized to the genre [...]

Vivo's flagship X300 and X300 Pro only launched in China two weeks ago, but they're getting an international release faster than we're used to from Vivo. Today, the company announced that both phones are going on sale outside China, including a handful of European countries, and bringing with them OriginOS -Vivo's previously China-only Android-based operating [...]

Microsoft has officially released its Windows 11 remote desktop feature across Meta's Quest 3 and Quest 3S headsets. The feature can beam multiple high-resolution monitors to your Quest headset, while also allowing you to try an immersive ultrawide mode, similar to what you can do on Apple's Vision Pro. Microsoft first launched its virtual desktop [...]

Canva is introducing new digital marketing and video-editing tools, built around what the company is calling a world-first" design-focused AI model. These launches are part of an overhaul to the design platforms Visual Suite workplace products, which Canva describes as a Creative Operating System" for marketing teams. To be clear, this isn't an operating system [...]

You don't necessarily have to buy a bunch of pricey new smart devices to enjoy the convenience of a smart home. The SwitchBot Bot offers an easy, affordable way to bring smart control to many of the regular gadgets you already own, and right now it's available for just $23.99 ($6 off) from SwitchBot with [...]

This week, as part of its big layoffs, an Amazon exec said that the company is halting a significant" amount of its work on MMOs, and the changes appear to have led to the Lord of the Rings MMO the company was working on with Embracer being canceled. This morning I was part of the [...]

The Switch 2 can be enjoyed right out of the box, but it's even better with the right accessories. Some of these add-ons are more crucial than others, especially if you're deciding what to buy early on. For example, a case and a screen protector can keep your console safe from scuffs, scratches, and drops, [...]

After acquiring Serif last year, Canva is now relaunching its Adobe-rivalling Affinity creative suite as a new all-in-one app for photo editing, vector illustration, and page layouts. Unlike Affinity's previous Designer, Photo, and Publisher software, which were a one-time $70 purchase, Canva's announcement stresses that the new Affinity app is free forever" and won't require [...]

Google announced plans to revive a nuclear power plant that shut down in 2020, as it looks to secure enough electricity for its AI data centers. The company announced a 25-year agreement with NextEra Energy to eventually purchase electricity from the Duane Arnold Energy Center, a 615MW nuclear plant in Iowa, when it starts operating [...]

DJI has announced a follow-up to the Neo selfie drone it launched last September for $199. Although the original was priced for mass adoption, it lacked several useful features that the new DJI Neo 2 is adding, including gesture controls and the ability to actively avoid obstacles instead of just relying on a design that [...]

Move over Andy Sachs, Pinterest is launching an AI-enabled shopping assistant that aims to suggest your next look. Beginning on Thursday, and over the coming weeks and months, Pinterest users will be able to talk to the visual platform about what they're shopping or searching for. The Pinterest Assistant will come back with personalized recommendations [...]

Let's just get this out of the way: Liam Hemsworth actually makes for a pretty solid Geralt of Rivia. Hemsworth assumes the mantle in the fourth season of Netflix's The Witcher, picking up from Henry Cavill. And while it can be distracting at first, especially since Cavill inhabited the role so well, it only took [...]

Web browsers are getting awfully chatty. They got even chattier last week after OpenAI and Microsoft kicked the AI browser race into high gear with ChatGPT Atlas and a "Copilot Mode" for Edge. They can answer questions, summarize pages, and even take actions on your behalf. The experience is far from seamless yet, but it [...]

Threads is launching two new tools today designed to give users more control over replies on their posts so they can keep conversations civil, respectful, or on-topic. Reply approvals will require more legwork and attention, but it allows Threads users to monitor and individually select which replies will appear publicly on their posts before anyone [...]

When President Donald Trump revealed the physical model of the sprawling ballroom that will replace the now-demolished East Wing of the White House, something just seemed off. The model, small enough to fit on a table, is supposed to be a representation of the design that the Trump administration had previously teased in renderings. But [...]

If your wrist or forearm aches every time you use your computer, the chances are good that you'd benefit from using a vertical mouse, like the Logitech Lift wireless mouse. This ergonomically-friendly device has been marked down to its cheapest-ever price today at Amazon, where it's selling for $49.99 (originally $79.99) in black or white [...]

Nintendo is updating Animal Crossing: New Horizons with new features for the Switch 2. The upgraded game will arrive on January 15th, 2026, offering 4K visuals on TV, mouse controls, and an in-game megaphone that uses the Switch 2's built-in microphone. It will cost $64.99 but will also be available as an upgrade pack for [...]

Hello, and welcome to Decoder. This is Sarah Jeong, features editor at The Verge. I'm standing in for Nilay for one final Thursday episode here as he settles back into full-time hosting duties. Today, we've got a fun one. I'm talking to Cory Doctorow, prolific author, internet activist, and arguably one of the fiercest tech [...]

Figma has acquired Weavy, a creative platform that allows users to link AI models and editing tools together, and use them simultaneously in a single canvas. The platform will now live under its new parent company as Figma Weave," according to Figma's announcement, adding an image and video editing tool to Figma's growing design ecosystem. [...]

Universal Music Group says it has made industry-first strategic agreements" to settle copyright infringement litigation" with AI startup Udio and license music for a new AI-powered music platform. The move is one of several anticipated licensing deals expected to land in the next few weeks as the sector grapples with how to handle AI. The [...]

We live in an age where it has become infinitely easier for people to lead lives that are wholly divorced from any semblance of reality. Conspiracy theories run rampant, science denial is en vogue, and there is a vast media ecosystem filled with charlatans encouraging others to "do their own research" instead of believing well-educated [...]

WhatsApp is introducing a passwordless way to instantly secure your chat backups. The messaging platform is launching passkey-encrypted backups for iOS and Android, allowing users to quickly encrypt their stored message history using their face, fingerprint, or device screen lock code. The update is rolling out gradually over the coming weeks and months," according to [...]

OpenAI's Sora app will now let you turn almost anything into a reusable avatar for its AI-generated videos. These character cameos" are one of several new features that have been added to the Sora 2 video generator, alongside clip stitching and leaderboards that showcase the app's most popular videos and cameos. Character cameos were teased [...]