The Verge

Image: Valve A third-party mod that lets you play through Valve’s Half-Life 2 in room-scale virtual reality will be available in public beta starting at around noon ET. The developers, Source VR Mod Team, are offering it for free; you just need to own the base game that currently costs $9.99 (spotted thanks to TechRadar).The Steam listing for the mod is here, and it claims to be broadly compatible with wired VR headsets that include tracked motion controllers, like Valve’s Index and the HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, and Windows Mixed Reality models. Presumably, it’ll work just fine if you, like me, connect your Meta Quest 2 via a USB cable, or wirelessly, to your PC. I’m going to give it a try this weekend.The developers seem to have figured out clever... Continue reading…

YouTube Shorts is taking on TikTok with one big move: money. | Image: YouTube In its ongoing battle with TikTok for vertical video supremacy, YouTube is about to play its most valuable card. It’s getting ready to turn on aggressive monetization for Shorts, its shortform vertical video format, and promising to help millions of creators make money on the platform.Starting early next year, Shorts will be part of the YouTube Partner Program, meaning those who qualify can start getting a share of the ad money generated in Shorts. YouTube is also making it easier for creators who don’t qualify for the program to make money through tips, subscriptions, and merch sales. (The New York Times first reported the news.) The goal is to offer more and better monetization options than TikTok and potentially win over (and win... Continue reading…

A Focus mode for when things are not fine. These days, it often feels like the world is on fire. Sometimes, quite literally. In those moments, my phone morphs into an instrument of endless doomscrolling. So when Apple tweaked its Focus modes in the iOS 16 beta earlier this summer, I knew what needed to be done. I had to create a “This is Fine” mode.The grounding principle behind a This is Fine mode is the fact that sometimes, you are not fine. Even so, life doesn’t stop just because terrible things keep happening. Deadlines need to be met, bills need to be paid, dogs need walking, kids need picking up from school, and you still need to eat. But even if I understand that it’s sometimes best to ignore my Twitter feed, mustering the willpower to do so leaves my brain a pile of... Continue reading…

Amazon’s pregame coverage featured a bunch of veteran players and broadcasters. | Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images It didn’t crash! That’s the most important thing you can say about the first Thursday Night Football game aired on Amazon Prime Video. Amazon didn’t crumble like HBO Max did during the House of The Dragon premiere. It didn’t crash like CBS All Access during the 2021 Super Bowl. It even streamed better than DirecTV did five days ago. There were some reports of blocky resolution and buffering, but in general, Amazon hung in there, and it aired a football game.Watching the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers play, I got the distinct sense that “airing a football game” was Amazon’s one and only goal for the evening. There was nothing particularly innovative or new in the broadcast, from the choice of cast to the style of... Continue reading…

This year, there are four new iPhone models to choose from. | Image: Apple Apple’s iPhone 14 lineup is now in the wild, consisting of the base iPhone 14, and the faster, more capable iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max. The slightly bigger iPhone 14 Plus will release in October. Each of those links will take you to either a full review or a hands-on preview. Is Apple’s A16 Bionic chip worth upgrading to? Do you want to pay more to get the Dynamic Island notch experience? Check out our reviews to see what our staff though.If you already know that you want to buy one, here are the straight details: these phones just released today, Friday, September 16th, with one exception. That’s the iPhone 14 Plus, which comes out on October 7th. If you’re thinking about buying the iPhone 14 (or, heck, all four varieties — follow... Continue reading…

The Zenbook wins in many categories — but loses badly in one Continue reading…

A queue of mourners lining up to pay their respects. | Photo by Kirsty O’Connor/PA Images via Getty Images The British have always had a reputation as a nation of queuers, but even by our standards these past few days have been a lot. As the late Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin sits in London’s Westminster Hall, thousands of people have queued up to pay their respects to the country’s longest serving monarch. To manage this miles-long line, which many have taken to simply calling The Queue, the British government has turned to platforms including Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram to provide up to the minute updates.Although The Queue is currently at capacity, with the government advising new people not to join it, as of 9AM UK time this morning DCMS reported that it was 4.9 miles (nearly 8km) long , with an estimated queuing time of 14 hours.... Continue reading…

Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed the California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act, a law mandating additional safeguards for minors on social media. The bill, AB 2273, passed the state legislature in August, and it’s slated to go into effect on July 1st, 2024.AB 2273’s supporters pitched it as a supplement to federal online child protection laws, which apply to children under 13. The law raises the age bar to 18, and it covers web services “likely” to get underage visitors, not just those aimed at kids. These sites must assess the potential harms for children on their platform, limit data collection and sharing for these users, and attempt to estimate the age of children on the platform. A press release from Newsom’s office... Continue reading…

FTC Chairwoman Lina Khan glances at SEC Chairman Gary Gensler during a House Financial Services Committee hearing. | Photo by Tom Williams / CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images The Federal Trade Commission voted today to put gig economy companies on notice, promising to protect gig workers from unfair contracts, pay, and hours.In a 3-2 vote, Democratic FTC commissioners approved a new policy statement announcing that the agency would “use the full portfolio of laws it enforces to prevent unfair, deceptive, anticompetitive and otherwise unlawful practices affecting gig workers.”Specifically, the FTC said it would go after companies that misrepresent a worker’s potential earnings or wrongfully use artificial intelligence to evaluate worker productivity. The agency also plans to investigate the industry for evidence of wage-fixing between companies.“No matter how gig companies choose to classify them, gig... Continue reading…

I wonder if they’ll find a way to include Harrison Ford. | Image: Alcon Entertainment Amazon has officially picked up a series for Prime Video based on the hit Blade Runner movies, Deadline reports. The series is titled Blade Runner 2099, suggesting it will take place 50 years after Denis Villeneuve’s very good Blade Runner 2049. Ridley Scott, the director of the first Blade Runner, will serve as an executive producer.The company isn’t sharing Blade Runner 2099 plot details just yet, so we don’t know much about what to expect beyond the later timeline. The show will “uphold the intellect, themes, and spirit of its film predecessors,” Amazon’s Vernon Sanders said in a statement provided to Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter, so I’m hoping the series will keep up the neo-noir sci-fi vibe from the two films.We also... Continue reading…

The latest Apple TV 4K lets you access popular streaming platforms, as well as exclusive Apple content. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge Since our original lead deal sold out, here’s another quick one for you. The 32GB Apple TV 4K is still on sale for $119.99 at Amazon, down from its original list price of $179. While the Apple TV 4K is best suited for users that live in the Apple ecosystem, there’s plenty of utility to be found in this innocuous black box. Apart from letting you stream media from platforms like Disney Plus and HBO Max, the Apple TV 4K provides an avenue to access content from Apple Arcade, Apple Fitness Plus, and Apple Music.In terms of speed, the A12 Bionic CPU gives the Apple TV 4K superior performance and responsiveness when compared to other streaming devices, including the Roku Streaming Stick 4K and Amazon Fire Stick 4K. The Apple TV 4K is also... Continue reading…

Image: Blizzard Despite an earlier promise that Overwatch and Overwatch 2 would peacefully coexist, we recently learned that there can be only one. And now we have a date for when Overwatch prime goes offline: October 2nd.In an interview with Eurogamer, Overwatch commercial lead Jon Spector explained that on October 2nd, Overwatch prime will die, and for roughly 24 hours, the game will be offline to make way for Crystal Overwatch — err— Overwatch 2 on October 4th.“So that means, as a practical point, that October 2nd really is the last day to go in and play Overwatch 1,” Spector told Eurogamer.The arrival of Overwatch 2 brings with it significant and permanent changes to the game. With a little less than three weeks left, here’s a list of things... Continue reading…

You have to look real hard to spot what looks like the Dishy McFlatface terminal — it’s in the distance, just to the right of the roof’s apex. | Image: National Science Foundation After its race with OneWeb to cover the North Pole and other Arctic areas with satellite internet, SpaceX has made it to the other extreme: the National Science Foundation (or NSF) is testing out one of its Starlink terminals at McMurdo Station in Antarctica. The NSF says the increased bandwidth will help scientists working on the remote continent near the South Pole.McMurdo, the most heavily populated Antarctic station, according to the NSF, with over 1,000 people living and working there during the summer, already had satellite internet, but it was rough, to say the least. Everyone at the base shares a 17 Mbps link, according to the United States Antarctic Program, which severely limits what people can do. The station actually blocks... Continue reading…

In an aerial view, a wind turbine generates electricity at the Block Island Wind Farm on July 7th, 2022, near Block Island, Rhode Island. | Photo by John Moore / Getty Images The Biden administration announced splashy new goals today aimed at positioning the US as a leader in the development of next-generation floating wind turbines. The announcement substantially expands Biden’s previous offshore wind ambitions by opening up new areas that traditional fixed-bottom turbines haven’t been able to reach.Those turbines haven’t been able to conquer depths greater than 60 meters deep, where most of the world’s usable offshore wind resources can be found. Nearly 60 percent of the US’s offshore wind resources are at those depths. That includes much of the west coast, which has lagged behind the East Coast when it comes to offshore wind development because the Pacific Ocean drops off steeply close to the California... Continue reading…

The 2024 Ford Mustang looks mostly the same on the outside, but the software got a glow-up. | Image: Ford Ford announced the 2024 Mustang yesterday — maybe the last gas-powered one? — and while the vehicle is very similar in its design and shape to the last version, the operating system looks to be all-new, with sharp new graphics and a “digital cockpit inspired by fighter jets.”It’s so new, apparently, that the company won’t tell us what software it’s running on.On paper, the 2024 Ford Mustang’s 13.2-inch central touchscreen is running on Sync 4, Ford’s operating system that also powers its current lineup, including the F-150 Lightning and Mustang Mach-E. But videos from the reveal appear to show a user interface that looks entirely different from any Sync 4-equipped vehicle we’ve seen before.the company won’t tell us what software... Continue reading…

Asking your Amazon Echo speaker questions could now result in ads rather than actual answers or advice. | Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge A new Alexa feature has been announced at the Amazon Accelerate conference called “Customers Ask Alexa,” which allows brands to submit their own answers to questions you may ask the device.One such example was “How can I remove pet hair from my carpet?” which would usually provide generic tips or advice pulled from the web. Now, as reported by TechCrunch, brands can submit their own answers (presumably in the form of recommending their own products) and link the inquirer to their Amazon storefront.Voice interactions from Echo devices are already being used to target consumers with adsPopping ads into top search results is nothing new, of course. It’s a huge part of Google’s business, and Apple has grown more aggressive with... Continue reading…

RIP to a real one. | Photo by James Bareham / The Verge Ever since the first Chromebook Pixel hit shelves in 2013, it’s had a special place in the ChromeOS community’s hearts. It wasn’t just a product — it was a sneak peek at what the Chromebook market could become.Unfortunately for those fans, the Pixelbook line is no more. A new Pixelbook (the spiritual successor to the original Chromebook Pixel) was “far along in development and expected to debut next year,” my colleagues Alex Heath and David Pierce reported earlier this week. But the project has been cut “as part of recent cost-cutting measures.”“We are committed to building and supporting a portfolio of Google products that are innovative and helpful for our users,” Google told The Verge in a statement. It would seem that this... Continue reading…

Image: Wiki Commons Telehealth startup Done, which prescribes ADHD medication like Adderall, is under investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, The Wall Street Journal reported.The investigation is part of an ongoing crackdown on mental health companies using telemedicine to prescribe controlled substances, a category that includes stimulants like Adderall and addictive painkillers like OxyContin. The DEA is also investigating telehealth company Cerebral over its prescribing practices. That company announced it would stop prescribing drugs in that category in May.Done told The Wall Street Journal that it hadn’t had any direct contact from the DEA and that it is committed to “complying with all applicable laws and regulations.”Before the... Continue reading…

Unagi’s new Model One Voyager comes in several colors, including a new “Latte.” | Image: Unagi Unagi, the electric scooter maker behind one of the better micromobilty vehicles on the market right now, has a new model ready for you. It’s called the Model One Voyager, and it’s meant to last longer, ride more smoothly, and be easier to use. The only thing is: Unagi doesn’t really want you to buy one. It would much rather you subscribe to one.David Hyman, Unagi’s CEO, is absolutely convinced that subscription is the future of scooters. Not plunking down $1,000 for one and definitely not a ride-sharing one. “It was a total fluke that electric scooters started through ride-sharing,” he says over Zoom from his California home. Bird, Lime, and the rest got people used to the idea that a scooter could be a useful vehicle for getting... Continue reading…

The Model Eleven was Unagi’s most ambitious device ever, but it won’t actually ship. | Image: Unagi Last year, the scooter maker Unagi launched an Indiegogo campaign for a vehicle it called Model Eleven. The campaign ultimately raised more than $700,000. Now, the company is saying it has canceled the Model Eleven entirely.The Model Eleven, as Unagi initially described it, was going to be leaps and bounds beyond any scooter you’d seen on the road. The company billed it as “the smartest scooter on Earth” and promised scooter-specific directions via Google Maps, a camera system that could help riders detect obstacles and avoid crashes, a hot-swappable battery, a full suspension for more comfortable riding, and plenty more. It felt like Unagi’s swing at a luxury car and was priced accordingly: the base Model Eleven would start at $2,790.S... Continue reading…

Lil Nas X. | Image: Riot Games The opening ceremonies for the League of Legends World Championship are traditionally a big spectacle, featuring everything from augmented reality K-pop groups to rapping holograms. But this year’s edition will have an extra special guest: Lil Nas X.Today, Riot announced a collaboration with Lil Nas X, which is highlighted by a performance at Worlds at the Chase Center in San Francisco on November 5th. Though there are no details on what to expect from the show, Lil Nas X confirmed in a statement that it would be “the biggest, coolest, sexiest Worlds in the history of all Worlds.” So it sounds like you might want to tune in.Prior to that, on September 23rd, the artist will be releasing the annual Worlds anthem with a song called “Star... Continue reading…

Snapchat for web allows chatting and video calling on a computer. | Image: Snapchat Snapchat announced a new web app in July, marking the first time the platform was offered beyond mobile. Now, Snapchat says the web version — which was previously only available to paid subscribers — is open to all users.The expanded availability was announced today in a round-up of new features for fall. On Snapchat for web, users can chat and video call with friends, with conversations syncing between devices. In an interview with The Verge in July, Snap’s head of messaging product, Nathan Boyd, said a web version of Snapchat was an “unmet opportunity” for the company.The web version gives users more surface space to chat and video call with friends in the same window. One hundred million users call others using Snapchat every month,... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Uber is bringing its upscale electric car service to more cities, announcing the launch of its Comfort Electric feature in 14 additional cities in North America, bringing the total number of markets to 25.In May, Uber launched Comfort Electric in a handful of cities, the list of which has been steadily growing since then. Only premium EVs, like Tesla, Polestar, and Ford Mustang Mach-E, would be considered eligible for Comfort Electric trips. It will sit alongside the company’s other EV product, Uber Green, which gives drivers an extra fee (usually $1) to use electric vehicles.Here are all 25 cities where Uber Comfort Electric is available:

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge The Merge, which took place early Thursday morning ET, will cut Ethereum’s energy consumption by an even bigger margin than previously expected, a new analysis finds. It’s also expected to slash the cryptocurrency network’s greenhouse gas emissions dramatically.Ethereum’s electricity use is expected to drop by a whopping 99.988 percent post-Merge, according to the analysis published today by research company Crypto Carbon Ratings Institute (CCRI). The network was previously using about 23 million megawatt-hours per year, CCRI estimates. Moving forward, it’s expected to use just over 2,600 megawatt-hours per year. To help visualize just how massive this is, the report compares this reduction to the Eiffel Tower shrinking to the size of a... Continue reading…

Bose makes a statement with its new $299 buds Continue reading…

Genji wearing Overwatch 2’s first mythic skin | Blizzard Heroes are now gated behind battle pass progression. Here’s why that might not suck. Continue reading…

The new Skate is expected to offer lots of ways to be creative. | Image: EA EA sees a big opportunity in games that let players create their own content, CEO Andrew Wilson said at a Goldman Sachs conference on Tuesday, as reported by Axios. Games like Minecraft and Roblox with extensive player creation tools have become huge hits with enduring popularity, and it sounds like EA wants to find more ways to let players create content in its own titles.He highlighted a few EA franchises he feels have notable creative aspects already, like The Sims (which will soon be free to play), FIFA, and Battlefield, and talked about how the upcoming live service Skate title will offer many opportunities for player creation.“Just like the real world, where skateboarding leans into fashion and music and automotive and building... Continue reading…