The Verge

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge For the most part, the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X have been sold exclusively online since their launch in late 2020, but that’s changing, at least a little bit, starting tomorrow. Best Buy will stock the next-gen consoles — specifically, the disc-based PS5, PS5 Digital Edition, and Xbox Series X — in several of its US stores, and getting one will be similar to the process the retailer uses for selling graphics cards in person. You’ll need to show up early and form a queue, then, at 7:30AM local time, Best Buy employees will hand out one ticket per customer for as many consoles as each store has in stock.Check Best Buy’s list of participating retailers to see if you should consider lining up early. Once you’re in the queue, you’ll... Continue reading…

Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images NetChoice and the Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA) have sued to stop Texas from enforcing HB 20, a new law barring large social media companies from banning users or removing content based on the “viewpoint” of the user. The tech industry groups’ suit comes two weeks after Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed the bill, and it follows a lawsuit that successfully blocked a similar rule in Florida.HB 20 is one of multiple state-level efforts to make companies like Facebook and Twitter leery of moderating the accounts of conservative users. Texas lawmakers have positioned the bill as an anti-censorship provision, but NetChoice and the CCIA argue that it — like the Florida law before it — violates companies’ First Amendment... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Discord is starting to test YouTube integration, just weeks after Google-owned YouTube forced two popular Discord music bots offline. YouTube integration has started appearing in a small number of Discord servers today as part of what appears to be a new test of a collaboration between Discord and YouTube.The feature is called Watch Together, and as the name implies, it allows Discord members to watch YouTube videos together. A test of a similar Discord feature started 10 months ago before disappearing and resurfacing as Watch Together today, and we understand the company has re-prioritized this particular feature due to the recent music bot shutdowns. Discord’s new Watch Together feature in action. Watch Together... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge YouTube is testing an official way to download videos on your desktop web browser (via Android Police). If you want to see if you’re eligible for the test, which runs through October 19th, check out YouTube’s experimental features page, which lists tests available for Premium subscribers. I was able to opt in to the test, but a colleague of mine wasn’t, which seems to indicate that not everyone is able to try the feature just yet.If you’re opted-in and on a supported browser (“the latest versions of Chrome, Edge, or Opera,” according to Google), when you’re watching a video, you should see an option to download the video under the player. When you click it, YouTube will download the video, which you can then watch from the Downloads... Continue reading…

Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images Since leaving Microsoft, ex-CEO Steve Ballmer has devoted his life to the Los Angeles Clippers, transferring his enthusiastic, often scary keynote energy into pure, sport-oriented hype. But what about his passions? What’s replaced Windows “developers, developers, developers” in the heart of the man who’s spending around $1.8 billion to build the new Intuit Dome arena in Inglewood? One word: toilets (via ZDNet).“I’ve become a real obsessive about toilets,” Ballmer shared at the groundbreaking for the new arena. “Toilets, toilets, toilets.” To be fair to the enterprise software evangelist turned NBA chairman, it does seem like the Intuit Dome will have a lot of them — one toilet for every 27 seats in the arena’s upper deck, The Washington... Continue reading…

Ohio-based electric vehicle startup Workhorse is suspending deliveries of its C-1000 electric delivery vans and recalling 41 vehicles that have already been sent to customers, telling regulators the vans need “additional testing and modifications” in order to comply with federal safety standards.It was the latest setback for the company, which recently abandoned its effort to overturn the US Postal Service’s decision to let a different company build the next-generation mail truck. That contract was awarded to defense manufacturer Oshkosh earlier this year.It was the latest setback for the companyThe C-1000 is meant to be Workhorse’s flagship vehicle, with 1,000 cubic feet of cargo space. The company said it was continuing to tinker... Continue reading…

The 128GB and 256GB variants of the Surface Duo 2 come in either black or white. | Image: Microsoft As expected, Microsoft announced the new Surface Duo 2 during what was an otherwise laptop-focused Surface event. The tech giant debuted the new Android phone alongside four new Surface devices, including the Surface Pro X, Surface Pro 8, and Surface Go 3.Packed with some major updates, the successor to last year’s Surface Duo is faster and comes equipped with an improved camera and support for contactless payments. Pricing starts at $1,499.99, and the dual-screen, hinged device will launch on October 20th. However, you can preorder the phone — as well as the other Surface hardware — from several retailers now, and check out our hands-on to see if it’s worth the purchase here.How to preorder the Surface Duo 2Unlike its predecessor,... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Fortnite will not be returning to the iOS App Store anytime soon, according to a series of emails published on Twitter on Wednesday by Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney.Epic’s iOS developer account had been suspended as a result of the company’s intentional violations of the App Store guidelines in August 2020, which set the stage for the companies’ court battle. But in the wake of the ruling earlier this month, the state of Epic’s iOS apps — particularly Fortnite — has been unclear.“Apple lied,” says Epic CEOThe emails published on Wednesday, both on Twitter and an Epic blog post, indicate Epic Games’ various apps are unlikely to return to the App Store for the foreseeable future. One letter published by Sweeney — dated September 21st and... Continue reading…

Microsoft’s Panos Panay at Wednesday’s Surface event. | Image: Microsoft Microsoft just wrapped up its latest Surface event, and it was packed with news — including the redesigned Surface Pro 8, a camera-equipped Surface Duo 2, and even a new flagship laptop that puts a hinge behind the screen.If you weren’t able to watch the show live, catch up with all of the biggest announcements from the event right here. And if you’re interested in buying any of the products, they’re all available for preorder Wednesday ahead of release on October 5th. Image: Microsoft Microsoft’s Surface Pro 8, which has a new design. The Surface Pro 8 redesigns the Surface Pro lineMicrosoft’s Surface Pro 8 brings a big redesign to the popular Surface Pro line, with thinner bezels, a larger 13-inch... Continue reading…

Microsoft Microsoft recently held its fall Surface event to debut new hardware, and the company essentially refreshed its entire lineup, plus some. Microsoft recently held its fall Surface event to debut new hardware, and the company essentially refreshed its entire lineup, plus some. There’s a Wi-Fi version of the Surface Pro X, followed by the Surface Pro 8, Surface Go 3, and the all-new Surface Laptop Studio. Microsoft picked a good time to release a bunch of new gadgets, as they’ll be among the first to run Windows 11, the next iteration of the OS that launches on October 11th.The improvements made to each of these products seem substantial, with the Surface Pro 8 featuring faster 120Hz refresh rate displays. Last but not least, there’s... Continue reading…

Brydge, the accessories manufacturer best known for its lineup of excellent iPad keyboards, has announced a wireless keyboard for Microsoft’s newly announced Surface Pro 8, as well as a new Thunderbolt 4 dock.The Brydge SP Plus keyboard has similar specs to the company’s existing Surface keyboards but with a design tailored towards Microsoft’s redesigned tablet. The keyboard features up to six months of battery life, backlighting, connects via Bluetooth 5.0, and has a trackpad measuring 4 x 2.2 inches in size.The advantage of using Brydge’s keyboard over Microsoft’s first-party version is that you’re left with a computer that has a much more traditional laptop form factor, which a lot of people find easier to use in portable... Continue reading…

Microsoft The Microsoft Surface Pro X now comes in a Wi-Fi-only version. Microsoft is offering a version of its ARM-based Surface device that does away with cellular connectivity.Cellular connectivity on the Surface Pro X has been a bit of a thorny issue. The higher-end version of the Surface Pro X rocks a custom SQ2 processor based on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2 processor. That 8cx can support 5G, but the Surface Pro X limits cellular connectivity to 4G LTE. The new model almost feels like it’s taking a step backwards by doing away with cellular connectivity entirely.Until you remember that the future is much more work from home than the past, and the demand for a Windows 2-in-1 capable of connecting anywhere might not be as big as one... Continue reading…

Microsoft has refreshed its Slim Pen to magnetically fit into the Surface Pro 8’s keyboard. Notably, the Slim Pen 2 has a custom chip called Microsoft G6 and haptic functionality that aims to make writing and drawing feel more realistic. Microsoft says that it’s extending the haptic tech to work in several apps, and it showcased the stylus being used in Adobe Photoshop.The artist on display claimed that its sharper tip makes it easier to use and more responsive. It can work with every product announced today, including the Surface Pro 8, the Surface Go 3, the Pro X, and the Surface Duo 2 via its pen cover. It can attach magnetically to the side of the new Surface Laptop Studio.Microsoft says the Slim Pen 2 offers increased accuracy... Continue reading…

The Surface Laptop Studio | Photo by Becca Farsace / The Verge That’s one way to put something on a pedestal Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Google will start giving users more information about who’s running the ads they see. The company’s “About this ad” menu will show basic information about advertisers, as well as any other ads they’ve run in the past 30 days. The goal is to help users better judge whether a given ad buyer is trustworthy, following criticism about scams on the platform.Google mentioned that more ad disclosures would be coming last year, when it started verifying the identities and locations of all advertisers. (It had previously reserved verification requirements for political ads.) The company says it’s started verifying advertisers in 90 countries, but the disclosure option is launching only in the US in the coming months, then expanding to more... Continue reading…

The Microsoft Surface Duo 2. | Photo by Becca Farsace / The Verge Duo, part deux Continue reading…

The Surface Pro 8. | Photo by Becca Farsace / The Verge A new screen, new keyboard, new processors, and more Continue reading…

Microsoft is announcing the Surface Pro 8 today, the biggest upgrade to its Intel-powered Surface Pro lineup since the Surface Pro 3 in 2014. While we’ve seen tweaks to the design of the Surface Pro for seven years, the Surface Pro 8 jumps to a 120Hz display with thinner bezels, Thunderbolt 4 support, and a new keyboard that neatly houses an upgraded Surface Slim Pen 2.Microsoft’s Surface Pro 8 has taken most of the best parts of the Surface Pro X and paired them with an Intel chip. It’s the Surface Pro we’ve been waiting years for.Developing… we’re adding more to this post, but you can follow along with our Surface hardware event live blog to get the news even faster. Continue reading…

A selection of microfliers imposed on top of their inspiration from nature: a propeller seed, used for dispersal by trees including maple, sycamore, and ash. | Image: F. Frankel When trees and plants disperse their seeds, they often rely on the wind to carry them to pastures new. Different seeds adopt different methods of flight: some glide through the air, others parachute to the ground, and some spin like helicopters on the breeze. For scientists, these aerodynamics have provided the inspiration for a new sort of airborne sensor — tiny fliers, some smaller than a grain of sand and others electronically equipped, that could, in the future, float into the atmosphere for tasks like environmental monitoring.Microfliers could be dispersed by drone to monitor atmospheric dataThese fliers, which range in size from around 40mm across (the largest) to 0.4mm across (the smallest), do not move under their own power.... Continue reading…

New World. When Amazon makes a new movie or TV show, the reason is pretty clear: the tech giant needs to build out its streaming service Prime Video. One of the best ways to do that is to make (or buy) exclusive series and films. But when Amazon develops a new video game, the reasons aren’t so clear. The company’s upcoming MMO, New World, isn’t exclusive to Amazon’s Luna cloud service or Twitch (which Amazon also owns). It’s a regular PC game you can buy on Steam.But according to Amazon Games VP Christoph Hartmann, the reason is pretty simple: if you want to be involved in entertainment in any way, you can’t ignore games. “It’s almost impossible to imagine a world where you have a foot in entertainment without considering games,” he tells The... Continue reading…

Image: Microsoft Surface Go, Surface Book, Surface Duo, Surface Pro X... a lot of Surfaces Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Tim Cook sent an email to Apple employees Tuesday evening about an all-hands meeting that leaked to The Verge last week. He said the company is doing “everything in our power to identify those who leaked” and noted that “people who leak confidential information do not belong” at Apple.On September 17th, Tim Cook announced during an internal company-wide meeting that Apple would be requiring frequent testing for unvaccinated employees — but was stopping short of a vaccine mandate. He also said that he was “looking forward to moving forward” after the Epic v. Apple antitrust case. Shortly after the meeting, both pieces of news leaked to The Verge.Now, Cook is tying the news to product leaks — which the company has historically gone to... Continue reading…

Image: Square Enix Guardians of the Galaxy, Square Enix’s latest attempt at adapting a Marvel franchise into a successful video game, is best described as — and I mean this as a glowing compliment — a Dysfunctional Family Management Sim. As Peter Quill, your job is to motivate, reassure, comfort, and lead your merry band of found-family misfits through dialogue choices designed to profoundly impact gameplay and story. I had the opportunity to play a full chapter of the game ahead of its release, and I gotta say, I’m impressed.It is, however, fair to say that my enthusiasm for what I’ve seen of Guardians so far is because I kept my expectations in check. There have been excellent Marvel games in the past — one need only look over yonder to what Insomniac... Continue reading…

A saltwater marsh on Cumberland Island, Georgia | Photo by: Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images Is the FAA licensing spaceports that are doomed to fail? Continue reading…

The 49-inch Samsung CRG9 is a stunning gaming monitor. Boasting an immersive 1800R curvature, it’s capable of more deeply immersing you in whatever it is you’re doing, gaming or otherwise. As you can imagine, however, its price is usually just as jaw-dropping as its size. Today, however, it’s a little less so.Right now, you can get the best bang for your buck with a gaming monitor that does the work of three. Instead of $1,100, the 49-inch Samsung CRG9 is currently $900 at Amazon, matching the monitor’s lowest price to date. As one of the most immersive monitors on the market, it offers a curved screen with a 32:9 aspect ratio, as well as bright 1,000 nit HDR, and low input lag. The 1440p monitor also supports AMD FreeSync 2, in... Continue reading…

The Gitamini uses machine vision and AI to follow its owner. | Image: Piaggio Fast Forward Piaggio Fast Forward, a subsidiary of storied Italian automotive firm Piaggio, has launched its second robot, a compact version of its cargo-carrying bot Gita named Gitamini.The form and function of Gitamini remain the same as that of full-sized Gita (the name is Italian for a small trip or outing). The robot consists of two large wheels, a central trunk, and a machine vision system that it uses to identify and follow its owner. Gitamini weighs 28 pounds and can carry up to 20 pounds in its interior for 21 miles. That makes an interesting comparison to Gita, which can carry more — 40 pounds but only for 12 miles.Gitamini uses an array of cameras and sensors, including radar (not available for the original Gita), to navigate and... Continue reading…

Microsoft is holding an online hardware event on Wednesday, September 22nd, at 11AM ET / 8AM PT, where it’s expected to announce redesigned Surface tablets and laptops (and potentially a new phone). The Verge will be covering any announcements from the event and running a world-class live blog, and here’s how you can watch along with us, too.It’s simple: Microsoft will have a livestream on the events page of its website, and you’ll also be able to watch it on on Microsoft’s Surface Twitter account. You can follow @verge on Twitter to see news from the event as it happens.Looming over the event is the upcoming release of Windows 11, which will be coming out on October 5th. While it’s almost a given that anything Microsoft announces at... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Uber says it may be profitable this quarter for the first time in its history. The disclosure came in a new filing made with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Whereas the company previously expected to make a net loss of under $100 million, it now believes it could make an adjusted profit of up to $25 million.“We believe Uber is now tracking towards Adjusted EBITDA [earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation] breakeven in Q3, well ahead of our prior guidance,” said the company’s CFO, Nelson Chai, in the filing.In a worst case scenario, the company cautions that it could still make a loss of $25 million.However, criticism has been levelled at the way Uber calculated its adjusted profits. Gizmodo notes that... Continue reading…

iRobot recently launched a new robot vacuum cleaner that uses AI to avoid dog poop, but the company’s Roombas have long struggled with a more basic problem: confusing dark patterns on carpets and rugs for perilous drops.A video recently shared on Twitter by IBM researcher Dmitry Krotov shows exactly the problem: a Roomba rolling around inside a rectangular box pattern on a rug, refusing to drive over the lines as if were physical walls. Usually, iRobot’s software flags this sort of problem as a dangerous “cliff,” and a quick search on Twitter for “roomba rug cliff” shows it’s a pretty common error. As one user complains: “I swear that Robby the Roomba is a right drama queen!! This is NOT a cliff Robby. It’s a rug!”The actual mechanics... Continue reading…

Image: Netflix Nearly three years after Netflix signed a deal with The Roald Dahl Story Company to create a universe of animated features based on the author’s books, the company has acquired the works outright. Netflix made the deal official on Wednesday after news of the impending acquisition was first reported by Bloomberg on Tuesday.There’s no word on exactly how much it costs to own Willy Wonka, the BFG, Matilda, and all the rest, but in 2018, The Hollywood Reporter cited sources claiming that simply licensing 16 titles from the catalog cost Netflix more than $100 million. A deal for this catalog would likely rank as Netflix’s largest.Reed Hastings and the Giant AcquisitionUnder the previous deal, Taika Waititi is working on Roald Dahl... Continue reading…

Image: Apple SharePlay has returned in the iOS 15.1 beta, according to 9to5Mac, after Apple delayed the major iOS 15 feature to “later this fall” instead of having it launch alongside the OS upgrade as planned. It’s not the only feature that’s hasn’t made it to release yet, but it could be a useful one during the ongoing pandemic — it lets you watch videos, screen share, or listen to music with other people over a FaceTime call. Its existence in Tuesday’s new beta could indicate that it could be coming sooner than later, though that’s not a sure thing.MacRumors reports that the 15.1 beta also lets users add their COVID vaccine card to the Wallet app, once you’ve first added it to Health. Similar to how Google’s version of this feature works, you’ll... Continue reading…

Theranos founder and CEO Elizabeth Holmes. | Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images ‘You can’t provide accurate patient care with inaccurate results.’ Continue reading…

Deathloop is the big triple-A game of the moment, and it’s an amazing experience — assuming you’re not fighting your gaming PC to get it to run smoothly. Bethesda is aware, and a patch seems to be on the way. But as Digital Foundry’s Alex Battaglia explains in this in-depth video, there may be a few things you can try right now to fix it, including one weird, counterintuitive trick that instantly made my seemingly stuttery performance smooth.Also, there’s a new patch as of September 21st that Bethesda says might partially fix the issues.Here’s the TL;DR.

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge The Oversight Board, a semi-independent body that reviews Facebook’s moderation policies, announced on Tuesday that it wants more information about the “cross-check” system Facebook uses to “review content decisions relating to some high-profile users.” Cross-check is getting called into question because of a report from The Wall Street Journal that claimed the system lets high-profile users break the rules.“In light of recent developments, we are looking into the degree to which Facebook has been fully forthcoming in its responses in relation to cross-check, including the practice of whitelisting,” the board writes. “We expect to receive a briefing from Facebook in the coming days and will be reporting what we hear from this as part of... Continue reading…

Image: Wyze Ubiquitous budget smart home company Wyze has released yet another new product — the Wyze Cam Pan v2. As the name implies, this is the second generation of one of Wyze’s earliest products — the Wyze Cam Pan that debuted three years ago. This new model is available now, costs $39.99 (plus $9.99 shipping), and adds color night vision, improved motion-tracking, and a siren to the mix.There’s no change in form factor, and the Wyze Cam Pan v2 camera looks virtually identical to its (now-discontinued) predecessor. It’s a wired, indoor camera with 1080p HD video and two-way talk. But its main party trick is the ability to rotate on its base and capture a 360-degree view of your home from side-to-side and a 93-degree view vertically, so you can... Continue reading…

Photo: Marvel Studios Disney is making Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings available to stream at no additional cost for subscribers as part of its newly announced Disney Plus Day, celebrating the second anniversary of Disney Plus on November 12th. Along with its latest Marvel blockbuster, the company is introducing new movies, shows, and Marvel and Star Wars specials as part of “a grand-scale celebration of our subscribers across the entire company,” says Disney CEO Bob Chapek.Disney tells The Verge that both Shang-Chi and Jungle Cruise will be available to stream at no additional cost for subscribers on November 12th. (Jungle Cruise is currently available on Premiere Access; Shang-Chi is only in theaters.) There will also be a special “celebrating... Continue reading…

Image: Google Google got ahead of any possible news leaks about the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro by announcing the phones back in August, including that they would run on the company’s long-in-development Tensor chip. But it’s possible that some leakers have recently got hold of an actual unit. A video posted to Twitter by @thisistechtoday may be showing off a pre-production version of the Pixel 6 Pro, complete with its triple rear camera array.Of course, Google hasn’t been coy about sharing what the device will look like — even installing dummy units in its NYC store for people to ogle. To that end, the device that’s spun around in this short clip looks like what we’ve seen so far — the strange Google logo placeholder notwithstanding. The phone in this... Continue reading…

Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images The body of NASA tasked with managing human spaceflight is being split into two distinct directorates, the agency’s chief announced on Tuesday, embarking on a major reorganization that past officials have tried and failed to execute for years. The move comes as private companies like SpaceX demonstrate leaner methods of putting people in space and as NASA pushes ahead with ambitious plans to build settlements on the surface of the Moon in the next decade.The breakup of NASA’s human exploration wing, called Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, will spawn two new bodies: first, the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate, which will manage NASA’s most ambitious development programs like the Artemis program... Continue reading…

Image: Paramount Plus Paramount Plus announced today that it’s launching a new streaming bundle for both its ad-supported and premium tiers that include Showtime.Paramount Plus offers two subscription options: a pared-down essential plan with limited ads for $5 per month and an ad-free premium plan for $10 per month. ViacomCBS’s Showtime is offering the bundle at special introductory pricing of $10 per month and $13 per month, respectively.Like other services similarly looking to lure subscribers by offering, for example, limited free-to-stream content or slashed promotional pricing, Paramount Plus hopes the package will help it win new customers. Tom Ryan, president and CEO of ViacomCBS streaming, said the company expects the “competitively priced bundle... Continue reading…

Photo by Chaim Gartenberg / The Verge iOS 15 is finally here, and while it can’t be called a revolutionary update, there are enough cool new features that you may not want to wait until Apple notifies you that the update is ready. It’s easy enough to get the update without waiting, though. Here’s what you do.

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Twitch is attempting to mend fences with a big pillar of the music industry by announcing an agreement to “work together” with the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA). Details are vague right now, but the agreement says they plan to “build productive partnerships between the service and music publishers” after a year of conflict over music rights.Twitch has long had a contentious relationship with the music industry, which has accused the company of allowing streamers to play copyrighted music without the appropriate licenses. Streamers have come under the eye of music publishers as well, with some being subject to waves of Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) takedown notices that resulted in Twitch deleting content from... Continue reading…

Image: Microsoft Today, Microsoft officially reinstated its PC Health Check app for anyone to download, letting you easily see whether your computer is ready for Windows 11 ahead of its October 5th debut. (The company had previously removed the app because it was somewhat misleading, and when a more robust version returned in late August, it was only available to Windows Insiders.) You can find the app at the very bottom of this page if you scroll down, or click here if you don’t mind direct downloads.But in some ways, the new PC Health Check app is still misleading because it suggests my perfectly good 7th-gen Core i7 desktop gaming PC isn’t ready for Windows 11, despite the fact that I’ve already installed Windows 11 and am running it with no major... Continue reading…

Apple has released a redesigned version of Safari for macOS Big Sur and Catalina. The update, announced as part of the upcoming macOS Monterey, was released the same day as iOS and iPadOS 15, bringing the web browser’s new look and features across Apple’s platforms.To update to the new Safari 15, you can go to System Preferences > Software Update, where it should automatically refresh and show up. Unlike updates to macOS, you shouldn’t have to reboot your computer after updating Safari.The development behind this version of Safari has been interesting. The full OS update that it was originally a part of, which also brings features like Universal Control and Quick Notes, isn’t here yet, but Apple decided to ship the new Safari anyway.... Continue reading…

Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge I’m generally a big fan of the Sonos Roam, but in the months since the portable speaker was released, I’ve definitely come across one downside: subpar power management. When the device is sitting around idle, its battery drains much faster than I’d like — and more rapidly than most Bluetooth speakers. Sometimes that means a dead Roam at the very moment you want to use it most. This has led me to completely power off the speaker when it’s not being used, which is less than ideal for something that’s meant to slot into a multi-room sound system.Thankfully, today, Sonos has made some improvements to address battery drain.After installing the latest software update (with the Sonos app on Android or iOS), the Roam should last longer on a... Continue reading…

Mercedes-Benz just announced the pricing of its all-electric luxury sedan, the EQS, and not surprisingly, it starts north of $100,000. What is surprising, though, is that the starting price is cheaper than a gas-powered S-Class.When it arrives at dealerships this fall, the EQS will start at $102,310. By comparison, the 2022 Mercedes-Benz S-Class starts at $111,350. This is a rare case of an electric vehicle selling cheaper than its gas equivalent.This is a rare case of an electric vehicle selling cheaper than its gas equivalent.Mercedes is offering three trim levels: Premium, Exclusive, and Pinnacle. Each trim comes in two versions, depending on the size of the infotainment screen: the 450+ sedan with a 12.8-inch portrait... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Another high-level Activision Blizzard employee has left the company. Claire Hart, Blizzard’s chief legal officer, announced in a LinkedIn post that her last day was Friday, September 17th.“The past three years have been full of unexpected twists and turns, but I feel honored to have worked with and met so many great people at Blizzard and across the Activision Blizzard businesses,” Hunt said.Those “unexpected twists and turns” might be an allusion to the series of legal troubles Activision Blizzard faces due to allegations of harassment, abuse, and discrimination. To date, Activision Blizzard is facing suits from:

Roblox’s age verification process involves scanning government-issued ID. | Image: Roblox Roblox is rolling out an age verification feature that will allow players to confirm their age and gain access to features reserved for older players. Age verification will be optional, and Roblox tells The Verge it will “not retain any data” from the verification process, which requires showing a form of ID.For now, only one feature requires age verification: Roblox’s new voice chat feature, Spacial Voice. During its initial beta test, it will only be available to players who verify they are at least 13 years old. (Roblox didn’t say whether it would later be available to users regardless of verification status.)But the implication seems to be that other features — perhaps specific Roblox games or community tools — could be age-gated... Continue reading…

Facebook’s Portal Go and Portal Plus | Image: Facebook Facebook on Tuesday announced two new Portal video calling devices, the first major refresh of the hardware lineup since 2019.The new devices, the Portal Go and updated Portal Plus, retail for $199 and $349, respectively. The 10-inch Portal Go is an all-new, portable form factor wrapped in fabric with a standalone battery, while the latest Portal Plus introduces a sleeker design of the most expensive, 14-inch Portal that first debuted three years ago. Both devices are available now for preorder and start shipping on October 19th.Like the rest of the lineup, the Portal Go features a wide-angle camera that automatically follows whoever is in focus, zooming and panning as they move in and out of the center of the frame. It’s the first... Continue reading…

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge If your PS5 is already running out of speedy solid state storage, there’s a fix. Sony’s new update for the PS5, released in full on September 14th, allows you to expand your paltry 667GB of usable space by popping in the same sort of M.2 SSD stick you might slip into your laptop or desktop PC. My colleague Mitchell has a PS5 SSD buying guide right here that meets all of Sony’s recommendations, such as speeds of at least 5,500MB/s. That might leave you wondering, though: what about slower SSDs?That’s why we tracked down an ADATA XPG Gammix S50 Lite, one of the slowest compatible PCIe Gen4 drives we could find at 3,900MB/s reads and 3,200MB/s writes, and stuck it into a PS5 in August. And this week, Digital Foundry corroborated our... Continue reading…

The new e-reader is still waterproof and adds new features for an increased price. | Image: Amazon Amazon has officially taken the wraps off of the 11th-gen Kindle Paperwhite ahead of the company’s fall event on September 28th, and preorders are now open directly from the retail giant. The new Kindle comes in three flavors: a standard model (with or without ads), a Signature Edition, and one designed for kids. All versions of the 2021 Kindle Paperwhite will launch on October 27th. Preorders are only open at Amazon as of right now, but we’ll update this post with more retailers as they become available.The new baseline Kindle Paperwhite is the 11th-gen ad-supported model, which starts at $140. The price represents a $10 increase over its predecessor, though, the last-gen model has seen some larger discounts in recent months. We will... Continue reading…