The Verge

Image: evleaks (Twitter) Potential European pricing information for the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S22 series has been released by reliable leaker Roland Quandt, as reported by Android Police. Samsung appears to have carried over its prices from the previous S21 lineup, with the only inconsistency being an equally-priced S22 Ultra model that supposedly comes with less RAM than its S21 predecessor.

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Apple has extended its deadline requiring online group and event apps to comply with the company’s in-app purchase policy once again, as announced in a post on the company’s developer’s blog (via 9to5Mac). Apps in this category can now use alternate payment options until June 30th, allowing them to skirt Apple’s 15 to 30 percent cut the company takes out of in-app purchases.“In 2020, we chose to support apps and developers that needed to adapt services from in-person to digital as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Apple writes in the post. “Given the recent resurgence of COVID and its continued impact on in-person services, we’ve extended the most recent deadline.”Apple first deferred its rule targeting group event apps in November... Continue reading…

A dangerous remote code execution (RCE) exploit found in Dark Souls 3 could let a bad actor take control of your computer, according to a report from Dexerto. The vulnerability only puts PC gamers who play online at risk and may potentially affect Dark Souls, Dark Souls 2, and the upcoming Elden Ring. Servers for various Dark Souls games have since been shut down in response.The exploit was seen in action during The__Grim__Sleeper’s Twitch stream of Dark Souls 3 online. At the end of the stream (1:20:22), The__Grim__Sleeper’s game crashes, and the robotic voice belonging to Microsoft’s text-to-speech generator suddenly starts criticizing his gameplay. The__Grim__Sleeper then reports that Microsoft PowerShell opened by itself, a sign... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge On Thursday, the European Parliament voted to approve the initial draft of a bill that aims to curb Big Tech’s invasive advertising practices (via Bloomberg). The Parliament adopted the draft with 530 votes of approval, 78 against, and 80 absentations.The Digital Services Act, which was first introduced in 2020, will prevent platforms, like Google, Amazon, and the Meta-owned Facebook, from using sensitive information, such as sexual orientation, race, and religion for targeted ads. It will require services to give users the ability to easily opt out of tracking, and pressures platforms to remove illegal content and products online, including hate speech or counterfeit goods.

The fitness company can’t catch a break on TV. | Image: Showtime Spoilers ahead for And Just Like That... and Billions.Peloton really can’t catch a break. Not only did rumors it’s temporarily suspending production of its connected bikes and treadmills send the stock plunging on Thursday, but — in a plot twist worthy of the big screen — a second TV show character has been shown having a heart attack while riding a Peloton. This comes just over a month after a beloved character from Sex and the City was killed off after a workout on one of the company’s bikes.Mr. Big’s ghost rides again to haunt PelotonIn the season six premiere of Billions (available in an early release via streaming, including for free on YouTube, ahead of the show’s usual Sunday night time slot), the character Wags’ Peloton ride... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge WhatsApp might be working on a feature that lets you migrate your chat history from Android to iOS, as reported by WABetaInfo via (Android Central).The feature was first spotted in the latest WhatsApp beta version 22.2.74 for iOS, and appears to corroborate WABetaInfo’s previous discovery in beta version 2.21.20.11 for Android. Both updates point towards a feature that may let you transfer your WhatsApp chats from Android to iOS using the Move to iOS app. Image by WaBetaInfo WABetaInfo also shared a couple of screenshots that show what the feature may look like. Judging by the images, it appears WhatsApp will ask for permission before starting the transfer process, and will then instruct you to keep the app open and... Continue reading…

US athletes have been advised not to bring their phones to the 2022 Winter Olympics. | Photo by Yu Zhiqiang / VCG via Getty Images The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee is telling athletes to ditch their personal phones for burners ahead of next month’s Winter Olympics in China, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal (via Android Central).“Every device, communication, transaction and online activity may be monitored”The advisory was reportedly sent out twice last year to warn athletes about the possibility of digital surveillance while in China. “Every device, communication, transaction and online activity may be monitored,” the bulletin states. “Your device(s) may also be compromised with malicious software, which could negatively impact future use.” As noted by the WSJ, Great Britain, Canada, and the Netherlands have also cautioned... Continue reading…

NYC Mayor Eric Adams received his first paycheck in cryptocurrency. | Photo by Alex Wong / Getty Images Even in the midst of a crypto slump, New York City Mayor Eric Adams isn’t backing out of his plans to take his first three paychecks in Bitcoin and Ethereum. Bitcoin fell beneath $36,000 on Friday — a 47 percent dive from its all-time high in November — dragging the entire cryptocurrency market cap below $2 trillion.If the crypto market continues to trend downwards, Adams’ first check may evaporateAdams officially received his first paycheck yesterday, which was converted to Bitcoin and Ethereum through cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase. According to the New York Post, the NYC mayor receives biweekly paychecks of about $5,900, amounting to a salary of $258,750 a year. Adams didn’t reveal how much of his $5,900 check is split between... Continue reading…

New YouTube TV subscribers can pay YouTube TV $54.99 each month instead of $64.99. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Just in time for Super Bowl season, a three-month subscription to the YouTube TV streaming service is a little more affordable. Right now, new subscribers can pay $54.99 each month instead of $64.99 for your first three months. Normally, that would cost you around $195, so that means you’ll pay $165 by the end of this discount period.That’s still expensive, but it’s a welcome discount for a service that significantly gone up in price within the last few years. Nevertheless, it’s a solid streaming app if you want many channels on-demand (with DVR capabilities available), presented in a familiar YouTube interface. For this price, you’ll get access to over 85 major channels, covering live sports, news, entertainment, and more. It also... Continue reading…

Intel Sandy Bridge Chips Hint: It’s not about the chip shortage Continue reading…

Fast wireless charging speeds and a few extras Continue reading…

It goes over the pros of a federally-backed digital currency. | Photo Illustration by Budrul Chukrut/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images A digital dollar backed by the US government might lead to faster money transfers, and be more accessible than the current banking system, according to a new paper from the Federal Reserve (via CNBC).The paper is meant to act as “the first step in a discussion,” and doesn’t advocate for actually creating a “central bank digital currency” (or CBDC). Still, the creation of a digital dollar would be a massive shift in how big a role the government would play in our finances. Potential downsides could include making commercial banks less attractive to consumers, and affect the Fed’s ability to influence the financial system. The Fed is now inviting comments, including on anything the paper may have missed.There are many other countries... Continue reading…

The NLRB will issue a formal complaint against Amazon unless it settles a case with a fired worker | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge The National Labor Relations Board is preparing to issue a complaint against Amazon alleging the company illegally fired a worker at one of its New York warehouses, unless the company settles the case first. At issue is whether Daequan Smith, an organizer with the newly-formed Amazon Labor Union (ALU), was fired for trying to organize.As first reported by Bloomberg, NLRB spokesperson Kayla Blado confirmed Friday that the agency’s regional director Kathy Drew King determined allegations by the ALU that Smith was fired illegally had merit and would issue a complaint if the case doesn’t settle. “The complaint would allege a discharge because of union and other protected concerted activities, among other allegations,” Blado said.Amazon... Continue reading…

Paramount Plus Just when it seemed like Patrick Stewart’s Jean-Luc Picard might have been ready to bid the galaxy farewell, Star Trek: Picard gave the legendary space explorer a second shot at life that raised some questions about just who and what he is now. While first trailer for Picard’s second season doesn’t directly answer any of them, it brings back one of the few characters perfectly suited to help guide Picard and his allies through this next chapter of their journeys.Beyond getting the recently resurrected Jean-Luc and his fellow explorers back aboard La Sirena and in the depths of space they long for, Star Trek: Picard’s second season is also about to send its heroes into the existential deep in as they embark upon a journey spanning across... Continue reading…

Illustration by Maria Chimishkyan Ransomware — malware that prevents you from accessing your files unless you pay the hacker that infected your computer — has been an issue plaguing computer users and businesses for years. Given its prevalence and the fact that a ransomware infection can lead to the loss of valuable files like documents or family pictures, it’s a good idea to make sure you’re protected. Starting with Windows 10, Microsoft has added features to its built-in Windows Security software that can help keep your computer safe from ransomware.As far as ransomware is concerned, there are two levels to Windows Security. The first consists of malware scans, which are on by default, and which you can learn more about here. While this will work to keep ransomware... Continue reading…

Nike’s ACG Gaiadome FlyEase Boot feature toggle laces and a zippered back entry. | Image: Nike For the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics, Nike announced Friday that it’s designed inclusive and accessible gear for Team USA Olympians and Paralympians to wear on the medal stand. That includes the new ACG Gaiadome FlyEase Boot, which can be slipped on and secured one-handed. The only issue is it seems to have inherited the FlyEase’s limited availability as well. While the rest of the ‘fit will be available for purchase, the Gaiadome boot will be an athlete exclusive.“For the official Team USA Medal Stand look in Beijing, we worked closely with the disability community, including current and former winter and summer Paralympians, in our design and testing process, and used inclusive design principles and methods to create gear that... Continue reading…

Apple Watch | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Light sensors used to track heart rate in wearable devices like the Apple Watch Series 5 and the Fitbit Versa 2 don’t work as well on darker skin or people with obesity, according to modeling done in a new study.That’s a problem for features currently built into devices — but it’s also a bad sign for efforts to use light sensors for new applications in wearables, like monitoring blood pressure, says study author Jessica Ramella-Roman, an associate professor studying bioimaging sensors at Florida International University.“The architecture of the device has to change,” she says.The study looked at the photoplethysmography (PPG) signal, a technique that uses changes in how light is reflected to measure blood flow, on three wearable... Continue reading…

The DuraSport 5G is one of the few rugged options available Continue reading…

Digital password manager company 1Password announced this week intentions to expand the login features of its services — starting with something the company calls Universal Sign On that it says can make logging into different websites or services even easier.1Password already sells subscription services to small and large businesses looking to control and secure access to various passwords amongst staff — and now it looks to make Universal Sign On work alongside multi-factor authentication products like Duo and single sign-on (SSO) products like Okta (depending on what the enterprise needs are).

Today only (or while supplies last), you can pick up Microsoft’s next-gen console for just $279.99. | Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge While nabbing an Xbox Series S isn’t as difficult as getting your hands on a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X these days, Microsoft’s pearly white console is still in high demand. Currently, Woot is hosting a deal on the Xbox Series S, reducing its regular $299.99 price tag to $279.99. This isn’t a massive discount by any means but it matches the best price we’ve ever seen for this console. The Series S isn’t quite as powerful as the Series X with some of the key distinctions being a lack of a physical disc drive, less storage space, and a less powerful processor. However, the console is still home to fantastic first-party titles like Forza Horizon 5 and Halo Infinite, and is compatible with a massive library of last-gen titles, many of... Continue reading…

There are cat ears on the headset. I wish I was joking. | Image: Razer Razer is known for making some of the best, flashiest gaming gear on the market, from the category-topping Basilisk V3 to the mind-blowingly powerful and portable Razer Blade 14. Today, it’s announcing something, well, slightly different. The company has partnered with Sanrio to release a line of Hello Kitty-themed gaming accessories.You may think I’m making this up, but alas, I am not. Take a look: Image: Razer The gang is all here. There’s a lot to unpack here. As you can see, we’ve got a mouse, a mousepad, Bluetooth headphones, a chair, and a lumbar cushion. It’s not just the kitty herself featured throughout — other franchise characters, including two who, I’m told, are named Badtz-maru and Keroppi, also... Continue reading…

Google denies colluding with Facebook in new court filing | Illustration by Alex Castro Google has filed a motion to dismiss the antitrust complaint filed last week, which alleges it colluded with Facebook to manipulate programmatic ad markets.“State Plaintiffs’ complaint — cheered on by a handful of Google’s rivals who have failed to invest properly, compete successfully, or innovate consistently — might serve the narrow interests of those rivals,” Google argues in the motion, “but it also threatens to stifle the dynamism that drives Google and other firms to deliver the products on which businesses and consumers depend every day.”“The complaint misrepresents our business, products, and motives”Originally filed in November, the antitrust suit has been led by Texas attorney general Ken Paxton of Texas and has gradually... Continue reading…

Image: Activision After five weeks of striking, the QA testers at Raven Software, a subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, have formed one of the first unions in a AAA game publisher. The union, known as the Game Workers Alliance, was formed in association with the Communications Workers of America (CWA), a labor union that represents telecommunications and digital media workers.Back in December, 12 QA workers were laid off, sparking a walkout at the Call of Duty support studio. Since then, some members of the QA department engaged in a sustained strike at Raven Software, prompting the creation of a GoFundMe to support the striking members.“We formed the Game Workers Alliance (CWA) because my colleagues and I want to have our voices heard,” said Brent... Continue reading…

Image: Blizzard Every Friday, The Verge publishes our flagship podcast, The Vergecast, where we discuss the week in tech news with the reporters and editors covering the biggest stories.The biggest news in tech this week was Microsoft acquiring game publisher Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion. On today’s Vergecast, Verge editor-in-chief Nilay Patel talks with games reporter Ash Parrish and senior reporter Alex Heath about the acquisition, the issues behind the culture at Activision Blizzard, and what this means for the gaming space in the future. The crew also discusses Alex’s scoop this week that Google is building an AR headset, internally codenamed Project Iris, that it hopes to ship in 2024.Later in the show, Verge policy editor Russell... Continue reading…

The Beats Fit Pro come in black, gray, white, and pink. Today’s deal is on the black and white colorways. | Image: Beats Time and time again, we see Apple AirPods and AirPods Pro wireless earbuds getting frequent discounts and deals. In general, if you want to buy any pair of true wireless earbuds — with active noise cancellation or without — you should be able to find a deal somewhere. One holdout that has been elusive up to now was the Beats Fit Pro. These latest models from Apple-owned Beats came out in late 2021 and surprised us with how good they are — even besting the AirPods Pro in the sound quality department. They have held steady at their $199.99 price point the whole time, but now they finally see a discount of about $50.Today, you can pick up the Beats Fit Pro on sale from Amazon and Walmart. Amazon has both black and white colorways for... Continue reading…

Image: evleaks (Twitter) For the launch of Samsung’s next flagship smartphones — the Galaxy S22, S22 Plus, and S22 Ultra, we think — the Korean electronics giant will once again let you signal your intent to buy its phones before they’re even announced, much less go on sale.So if you’re the kind of person who absolutely needs the new Samsung handset before anyone else (except influencers, journalists, and the like), you’ll want to check out this page at Samsung’s site to reserve a preorder for one of these unannounced phones.If it’s anything like previous occasions, you won’t need to plunk down a virtual wad of cash just yet — you’re simply reserving a slot to order the phone later, typically after the company’s actual smartphone keynote (coming February,... Continue reading…

Twitter NFT profile pictures | Image: Twitter.com Twitter said in September that it would add a way for users to authenticate non-fungible tokens (NFT), and now the feature is live — if you pay for a $2.99 Twitter Blue subscription and are using an iOS device. Image: Twitter Image: Twitter NFT fans say Twitter hasn’t solved the “right click save” problem”On one hand, NFT profile pictures could be viewed as an incredible technology integration adding real utility for verified digital items. Alternately, it’s an unmissable signal pointing out the people that you should block or mute before they try to sell you some of their blockchain receipts.No matter what your opinion of easily reproduced digital trinkets is, Twitter is integrating them in... Continue reading…

Microsoft was working on a secret “pocketable” Surface device powered by a custom Windows OS before the company turned to Android for its Surface Duo. Codenamed Andromeda, the device appeared in leaked emails, patents, reports, and throughout various references to it in Microsoft’s Windows operating system.Now, Windows Central has obtained an early test version of Andromeda OS running on a Lumia 950 to show just how close Microsoft got to launching a more modern successor to Windows Phone.While Andromeda OS was never designed to ship on a Lumia 950, some Microsoft engineers used these devices to test parts of the operating system. As is typical for secret device development at many tech companies, not all engineers got access to... Continue reading…

Image: Twitter Today, just four months after announcing it was exploring the idea, Twitter began letting some people use non-fungible tokens as their profile pictures. Subscribers to the $2.99-a-month Twitter Blue service can now connect a crypto wallet, and display any NFTs they own in their profile. These users are easily distinguished from those yet to be crypto-pilled by the shape of their avatars: a hexagon, rather than the traditional circle.In September, when Twitter first broached the idea, I suggested that the company’s adoption of NFTs could take the technology mainstream. Twitter users already invented the hashtag, the @ mention, and the retweet; by using profile pictures to display their (unauthenticated) NFTs already, I argued, owners of... Continue reading…

The Creator Z16 is slim, powerful, and starved for battery Continue reading…

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge Update 8:23AM ET, January 21st: Target has sold out of consoles for now. We hope you had some luck on your side today.Target restocked the $499.99 standard PS5 console, and the $399.99 Digital Edition but both are sold out, and now the $499.99 Xbox Series X is available (depending on location, and possible only via the $34.99 per month All Access subscription package). Unlike other retailers, Target doesn’t require an account or special subscription to access these restocks, so they’ll be dished out on a first-come, first-serve basis. Additionally, there is no queue system in place on the Target store, so your best best is to continually attempt to add the console to your cart and head to checkout as quickly as you can.Another... Continue reading…

Image: Apple Apple has introduced a new verification process in the US to ensure that customers who want to benefit from its discounted education pricing are actually involved in education. It’s not clear exactly when its policy changed, but at some point this month, some Reddit users noticed that Apple’s education pricing page was updated to note that customers will now be checked by Unidays, a third-party verification service.As well as requiring Unidays, Apple is also placing new limits on how many items you can buy with an educational discount. Apple Track reports that users are limited to one desktop computer, one Mac mini, one laptop, two iPads, and two accessories per year. Given that’s more than any student, teacher, or educational staff... Continue reading…

A good solution for mobile Game Pass games... or at least some of them Continue reading…

A render of the planned site. | Image: Intel Chip manufacturer Intel will spend at least $20 billion on a new chip manufacturing site in New Albany, near Columbus, Ohio, the company announced today. The 1,000-acre location will initially play host to two chip factories, and is set to directly employ at least 3,000 people and “tens of thousands” more across suppliers and partners. Construction is reportedly due to kick off this year, with the site becoming operational in 2025.In an interview with Time, Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger said the company expects the site to become “the largest silicon manufacturing location on the planet,” adding that it could eventually expand to 2,000 acres with eight fabs. After helping to establish Silicon Valley, Gelsinger said the new site could become... Continue reading…

Blizzard chief Mike Ybarra posted a blog about the changes on Thursday. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Blizzard Entertainment, the developer of huge franchises like Diablo and Overwatch, has been under intense scrutiny since California sued parent company Activision Blizzard last summer over allegedly fostering a culture of harassment and discrimination. In an attempt to assure employees and fans that the company is making positive changes, Blizzard boss Mike Ybarra published a blog post detailing what it is doing to “rebuild your trust.”At the top of the list is that executive and management teams will be measured “directly against culture improvement,” which means that their compensation will “depend on our overall success in creating a safe, inclusive, and creative work environment at Blizzard,” Ybarra says.He also outlined new... Continue reading…

TikTok is testing paid subscriptions | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge TikTok confirmed Thursday that it is testing support for paid subscriptions, paving the way for creators on the short form video platform to charge for their content. First reported by The Information, the company didn’t share details about when it might roll out to creators, how many creators are currently testing it, or what the pay structure might look like. Company spokesman Zachary Kizer said in an email to The Verge that the subscriptions were a “concept that’s been in testing,” and that it was “always thinking about new ways to bring value to our community and enrich the TikTok experience,” (whatever that means).If adopted, it would be the latest move by TikTok to help its creators monetize their content; it introduced its C... Continue reading…

Image: Netflix Hold on to your jumpsuits — Netflix’s wildly popular Squid Game series has been confirmed by the company for a second season.During its fourth-quarter earnings call Thursday, Netflix’s co-CEO and chief content officer Ted Sarandos confirmed that the Korean miniseries is returning. Asked by Nidhi Gupta of Fidelity Management and Research whether the viewers would get a second season of Netflix’s most popular series ever, Sarados said there’s more grisly action to come.“Absolutely,” he responded. “The Squid Game universe has just begun.”Previously, Hwang Dong-hyuk confirmed that the series would return, adding that he was in the “planning process.” Sarandos didn’t elaborate on when the series will return, or what an expanded Squid Game... Continue reading…

Legendary Pictures Though Legendary’s Godzilla vs. Kong made waves last summer by debuting on HBO Max and quickly becoming one of the platform’s top performing features, the next time we see the titanic monster and his fellow kaiju, they’ll be calling new streamer home: Apple Plus.On Thursday, Apple Plus announced that it has greenlit a new live-action series set in Legendary’s Monsterverse from co-creators Chris Black (Star Trek: Enterprise) and Matt Fraction, writer of Marvel’s Hawkeye run that the recent Disney Plus series heavily draws from. Along with Black and Fraction, Toho’s Hiro Matsuoka and Takemasa Arita and Safe House Pictures’ Joby Harold and Tory Tunnell are set to executive produce. Legendary Legendary’s... Continue reading…

The “Sandow Switch” that once was used by the Alcoa coal power plant now provides electricity for the Whinstone US Bitcoin mining facility in Rockdale, Texas, on October 9, 2021. | Photo by MARK FELIX/AFP /AFP via Getty Images On Thursday, members of Congress debated how to make cryptocurrencies greener, as energy-intensive bitcoin mining booms in the US. One of the biggest questions was whether to use renewables to power the energy-hungry mining at the heart of bitcoin’s blockchain, or turn to other blockchains that don’t need as much energy in the first place.The debate took place during an oversight hearing on the “energy impacts of cryptocurrency” held by the House Energy & Commerce Committee. The US became the de facto epicenter for bitcoin mining last year, after China clamped down on mining within its borders — in part because of how much energy bitcoin uses. That transition could have big implications for the already strained power grid in the US, as... Continue reading…

The IRS will use a third party facial recognition company to verify online taxpayers | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge The Internal Revenue Service will require people who access and pay their taxes online to enroll in a third-party facial recognition company starting this summer (h/t Krebs on Security). Even those who have already registered on IRS.gov with a username and password will have to provide a government ID, a copy of a utility bill, and a selfie to ID.me, the Virginia-based identity verification company. You’ll take a video selfie with whatever webcam or mobile device you’re using to sign up, which seems likely to cause problems for people with older hardware or who don’t have access to one.According to the IRS, ID.me is a “trusted technology provider” of identity verification services. Anyone who already has an ID.me account from another... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Netflix investors have been worried that the company isn’t adding subscribers fast enough — and today, they started to panic. After Netflix reported lower than projected subscriber additions for the final quarter of 2021, its stock plummeted nearly 20 percent.The plunge was the lowest the stock had dropped since June of 2020, CNBC noted. Last quarter, Netflix had forecasted that it would report 222.06 million paid subscriptions by the end of last year. Instead, the company reported Thursday that it ended the fourth quarter with 221.84 paid memberships.“Acquisition growth has not yet re-accelerated to pre-Covid levels”It’s a small difference, but investors have been worried about Netflix — already one of the biggest streaming companies... Continue reading…

The Note 20 will likely be the last of its kind. | Photo by Dieter Bohn / The Verge Samsung will host an Unpacked event next month, the company has confirmed in a press release authored by president TM Roh, and the writing is on the wall for the Galaxy Note series. The release hints that more Note features will be coming to the Galaxy S series — specifically the next Ultra phone in the lineup, which looks poised to take on the Note’s built-in stylus and related productivity features. This all but seals the Note series’ fate, which Samsung left in ambiguous territory last year.Things looked doubtful for a renewal of the Note series when 2021 came and went without a new Note device. Roh’s post acknowledges the disappointment from Note fans and that this feedback has been taken into account in designing “the most... Continue reading…

Like with Minecraft, Microsoft might keep Call of Duty multiplatform. | Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge The gaming industry is reeling from the potential ramifications of Microsoft’s massive deal to acquire Activision, and some of the biggest questions have been about the future of the Call of Duty franchise, which is a big hit on both PlayStation and Xbox consoles. While we still don’t know for sure where you’ll be able to play the newest Call of Duty games if the acquisition goes through, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer suggests the series does have a future on Sony platforms.“Had good calls this week with leaders at Sony,” Spencer said Thursday evening. “I confirmed our intent to honor all existing agreements upon acquisition of Activision Blizzard and our desire to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation. Sony is an important part of our... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge If you’re one of the many still on the hunt for a PlayStation 5, you’re about to have another shot at GameStop, as the retailer will have the coveted next-gen console online starting tomorrow, January 21st, at 11AM ET / 8AM PT. The retailer will offer the standard, disc-based PS5 as part of a bundle that includes a copy of Call of Duty: Vanguard, an extra DualSense controller in red, a $50 Gamestop gift card, and a 12-month subscription to PlayStation Plus.GameStop did not supply specifics on exactly how much the bundle will cost — nor did it mention whether the restock will take place online or in-person — but the total of everything being offered is roughly $750. Another small catch is that the restock will only be available to... Continue reading…

Mimas and Enceladus moons | Image: Southwest Research Institute During a mission to discover whether or not Saturn’s moon Mimas was geologically dead, researchers discovered something far more surprising: “compelling evidence” of an underground ocean buried beneath the surface of the Death Star-like moon. Mimas, the researchers say, might be a “‘stealth’ ocean world,” a finding that, if verified, would further expand the number of potentially habitable places in our solar system.Icy moons with evidence of subsurface oceans have garnered a lot of attention from scientists lately. The two best known examples in our solar system, Saturn’s Enceladus and Jupiter’s Europa, are considered prime places to search for alien life. Enceladus, in particular, appears to have most of the ingredients needed to... Continue reading…

The Verge / Getty Images Though the original Fatal Attraction is a seminal classic that’s always worth revisiting, Paramount’s confident that it’s high time the film was remade as a series for the generation who grew up watching Dawson’s Creek and Mean Girls on repeat.In the new Paramount Plus Fatal Attraction, a series written by Alexandra Cunningham (Desperate Housewives, Dirty John), Joshua Jackson stars as Dan Gallagher, a man whose chance sexual encounter with a woman named Alex Forrest (Lizzy Caplan) leads to a torrid affair that quickly turns dark. Like the original, this Alex’s feelings for her beau sour once he begins to rebuff her, and her obsessive feelings for him begin to grow increasingly intense and dangerous. But according to Deadline, the new F... Continue reading…

There were concerns some altimeters might not properly filter 5G signals. | Photo by Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images The FAA has announced that an “estimated 78 percent of the U.S. commercial fleet” have been cleared to land at airports with 5G C-band, even under low-visibility conditions. The agency’s statement comes after a week of controversy surrounding the rollout of AT&T and Verizon’s upgraded cellular tech, which saw US airlines warning of “catastrophic disruption” to travel and shipping and some international airlines announcing they’d halt flights to some US airports.At issue are concerns that some radio altimeters won’t properly ignore signals from the new 5G transmitters. While there are precautions that should keep this from happening, including creating buffer zones around airports, an incorrect altimeter reading could cause real problems... Continue reading…

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge Update January 20th, 3:29PM ET: Best Buy has sold out of its stock of PlayStation 5 consoles for the day. We hope that you scored one. But if not, we’ll try to help you get one next time.While there have been many restocks of Sony’s PlayStation 5 console as it slowly gets a little easier to obtain one, we’re sadly not out of the woods just yet. The PS5 is still hard to come by for a product that is over one year old. Thankfully, there’s another chance to pick one up today, care of Best Buy.Best Buy is opening up orders for the standard disc drive-equipped PlayStation 5 console, costing $499.99 and disc-less Digital Edition for $399.99. Orders from Best Buy are usually based around store pickup orders, so it is very likely that you may... Continue reading…

Wordle is the free word game everyone on Twitter seems to be playing. | Stefani Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images By this point in the pandemic, we’re all looking for something pleasant to distract us — even momentarily — from all the chaos, which may explain why the simple, no-frills game Wordle has become so popular. It’s a web-based puzzle that requires players to guess a new five-letter word every day, in six tries or less, and everyone gets the same word. You may have seen people sharing the gray, green, and yellow square patterns on Twitter, which show how they performed on that day’s Wordle without giving away the solution (more on that in a sec).According to a lovely New York Times profile of Wordle creator and software engineer Josh Wardle (get it?), he devised the game as a gift for his partner Palak Shah, who loves word games and... Continue reading…

AirBuddy 2.5 has a new “Proximity Engine” v2 that should detect and hand off peripherals faster. | Image: Buddy Software A new version of AirBuddy for macOS Monterey is available starting today, adding the option to quickly shift some non-Apple Bluetooth headphones and other devices between Macs and iPhones. The original AirBuddy app for macOS that launched in 2019 was a simple solution to let AirPods interface with your Mac just as seamlessly as they already did on iOS devices — complete with the animated pop-up many iPhone users are accustomed to seeing.AirBuddy 2.5 takes advantage of new under-the-hood macOS Monterey changes to enable things like low battery notifications, switching from transparency mode to noise-canceling on AirPods that are not even currently outputting sound from the Mac, and easy control over automatic switching between devices.... Continue reading…