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Microsoft's holiday lineup of new Xbox consoles. | Image: Microsoft Microsoft is making the white version of the Xbox Series X official today. The new console option won't include a disc drive, and will be entirely all-digital. Inside it's identical to the Xbox Series X, with the same performance for existing Xbox games. This new white model will be available with 1TB of storage later this year, priced at $449.99.Xbox president Sarah Bond revealed the new white Xbox Series X during the Xbox Games Showcase today, alongside a 2TB Galaxy Black" version of the original Xbox Series X. There's also a $349.99 1TB Xbox Series S coming in white, too. Image: Microsoft The Xbox Series X will soon come in a white option. The white coating on the exterior of this new Xbox Series X matches... Continue reading...

Image: Microsoft It's been four years since we first found out that a new Perfect Dark game was on the way, and now Microsoft has revealed the first gameplay during the Xbox Games Showcase today.The new Perfect Dark is a reboot of the original game, being developed by The Initiative and Crystal Dynamics. In the gameplay trailer we got a first look at Joanna Dark in a near-future Cairo setting. Team Perfect Dark has pulled inspiration from elements of the first two games, but crafted an entirely new story and universe around them for this reboot," says Xbox wire editor in chief Joe Skrebels.Perfect Dark is the usual first-person secret agent shooter, and it will be a single-player experience with a set amount of missions. There will be choices in how... Continue reading...

Image: Bethesda Softworks The Fallout games have seen a big boost in popularity since the live-action TV series, and Fallout 76 is primed to take advantage of that with its next major expansion. It's called Skyline Valley, and for the first time, it will actually expand the game's map, introducing a new Shenandoah region in the south. Bethesda says that players will investigate the cause of an electrical storm circling overhead and unveil the mystery around Vault 63 where they will meet its dwellers and discover a shocking new Ghoul type - The Lost."You can get a feel for the expansion in the trailer above, though it won't be long before you can play it, as Skyline Valley launches on June 12th. The trailer also teased a much-requested feature coming to the game... Continue reading...

Image: Activision Activision's Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 will debut on October 25th, according to an Xbox store listing. The next installment in the popular franchise will be set in the early '90s, and it will launch day one on Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass subscription service. Developed by Treyarch and Raven Software, Black Ops 6 will include a new campaign, a multiplayer mode with 16 new maps at launch, and a new zombies experience.The main campaign is set in the early 1990s after the end of the Cold War and the rise of the United States as a single superpower," according to the store listing. The campaign includes a focus on spy missions, but little else is shared on the store listing. Activision plans to detail Black Ops 6 fully after the Xbox Games... Continue reading...

Image: Microsoft Microsoft has a big summer showcase planned. Continue reading...

This could be you. | Image: Ikea Corporate publicity stunts involving virtual reality are almost always bad, but Ikea's new Roblox store feels especially silly. The company announced last week that it plans to pay 10 people 13.15 or 14.80 per hour to work in The Co-Worker Game, a virtual Ikea store in Roblox. The company is taking applications until June 16th, only from candidates in the UK or Ireland who are 18 or older.Being paid to be an NPC. What a world. The virtual employees will carry out tasks like serving meatballs or helping people find fake furniture or other Ikea items. They can also get promoted to move departments, just like in the real world." Image: Ikea A look at Ikea's Co-Worker Game virtual store. I wouldn't assume... Continue reading...

Image: David Pierce / The Verge Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 41, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you're new here, welcome, hope you like gaming gadgets and silly spy movies, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.)This week, I've been reading about the tough times at Humane and how Suicide Squad flopped, watching the TikTok dancing cult documentary and Furiosa, swapping my crappy Roku for a slightly less crappy Apple TV, listening to a lot of WikiHole, mixing up new mocktail recipes, and testing the Phanpy app for all things fediverse.I also have for you a new Raspberry Pi accessory, an incredibly well-liked movie to watch this weekend, a couple of fun tech books, some gaming gear, and lots more.... Continue reading...

Deadpool and Wolverine in Deadpool & Wolverine. | Screenshot: YouTube There's virtually no indication in the trailers for Deadpool & Wolverine so far that Wolverine feels anything but disgust and irritation at Deadpool as they get down to whatever fourth wall-breaking multiverse shenanigans the film holds in store. That's made all the more apparent by a Hugh Jackman whose increasingly craggy face only seems to be more fit to represent Logan as time goes on.The new trailer leans way more into bits and one-liners than the previous two. Maybe that's because Marvel and Disney have already set up the movie's emotional stakes, first for Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) and then for Wolverine. This one is all dick jokes and a cranky Jackman scowling and raging and glaring with everything he has.This is not Deadpool 3,... Continue reading...

Lost and Found Co. | Image: Bit Egg Despite its cozy appearance, Wholesome Direct 2024 is actually shaping up to be the most packed event of Summer Game Fest. The hour-long presentation featured more than 70 different games. Some were brand-new announcements, some were previously known games that got a fresh trailer or release date, and a handful of titles even launched during the event.Now, 70 is a large number, so to help, I've curated the games that stood out to me the most. You can also watch the full presentation right here to soak in every detail. Even better: many of the games have demos on Steam that you can check out. Anyway, here are my picks, in no particular order.Kamaeru: A Frog RefugeLaunching today on PC and SwitchKamaeru looks like a more interactive... Continue reading...

If you have this power bank, you should stop using it. | Image: Anker Anker says it's recalling its 321 Power Bank (PowerCore 5K, model number A1112), citing a fire risk posed by a manufacturing defect. The 321 is a compact power bank with two ports - one for USB-C and one for USB-A. Anker says only a small number" produced after March 2023 are affected, but it's recalling all of them anyway.Look for Anker 321 Power Bank (PowerCore 5K, Black), Model: A1112" in the white text printed on the bottom to see if you have this model. If you do, Anker urges you to stop using it immediately. Fill out this form, including the serial number, to stake your claim for a replacement 533 Power Bank the company is offering affected owners. Try to track down your proof of purchase before you head over there, as it says... Continue reading...

We are Venom! | Screenshot: YouTube Two of my favorite trailers for this week share a common theme: parasitic aliens. The trope has given us some of the finest moments in cinema history; consider the whole Alien franchise, the horrifying dog transformation in The Thing, or that scene from Spaceballs. You could make a convincing argument that Star Trek's Borg race are parasites of a kind, too.It's a versatile premise that lets a movie be as heady or grotesque or action-packed as its creators want. And two of sci-fi's most beloved fictional freeloaders are showing up this week.Venom: The Last DanceVenom doesn't like being called a parasite, but that's still basically what it is. In the case of the Klyntar symbiote and Tom Hardy's Eddie Brock, though, the two are more... Continue reading...

Image: Lucasfilm Ltd. Kevin Jenkins is a Star Wars veteran at this point, having worked in a variety of design roles across multiple films, ranging from Rogue One to The Rise of Skywalker. But as production designer on the Disney Plus series The Acolyte, he faced an entirely new challenge: finding a look that doesn't rely on Star Wars staples like Stormtroopers or Star Destroyers. Unlike other Star Wars, this wasn't to be found in a book," Jenkins tells The Verge. When I did the sequels, and even when the prequels were done, we had that template of Star Wars to go from. And [on The Acolyte], we took away 75 percent of the template."That's because the show jumps back in time to a century before The Phantom Menace. It's the first live-action project to take... Continue reading...

Phil Schiller may have slightly overstated Siri's initial abilities. | Photo by Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images When Apple first launched Siri in 2011 alongside the iPhone 4S, the company made a series of very compelling ads showing how you might use this newfangled voice assistant thing. In one, Zooey Deschanel asks her phone about delivering tomato soup; in another, John Malkovich asks for some existential life advice. There's also one with Martin Scorsese shuffling his schedule from the back of a New York City taxi. They showed reminders, weather, alarms, and more. The point of the ads was that Siri was a useful, constant companion, one that could tackle whatever you needed. No apps or taps necessary. Just ask.Siri was a big deal for Apple. At the launch event for the 4S, Apple's Phil Schiller said Siri was the best feature of the new device.... Continue reading...

Cult of the Lamb. | Image: Devolver Digital Devolver Digital's keynote events tend to be, let's say, unique. And the publisher's presence at Summer Game Fest 2024 was no exception. Like last year, Devolver focused on just a handful of really interesting indie games, which ranged from a game about fighting through an interdimensional catastrophe to an expansion that somehow makes Cult of the Lamb even weirder. There was both a first-person kicker and a thirst-person shooter. If you missed it live, here are all the reveals.PossessorComing to PC and console in 2025A slick side-scrolling action game from the creators of Solar Ash and the Hyper Light games, Possessor looks absolutely gorgeous. It also sounds like it'll be plenty challenging. Here's the official setup:

Image: iam8bit The most exciting showcase of Summer Game Fest 2024 is here. Continue reading...

Image: Riot Games Riot's tactical shooter Valorant has been a PC-exclusive since it launched in 2020 - but that's changing very soon. The developer has finally provided some details on the console version of the game, which will be available in a limited beta on the PS5 and Xbox Series X / S starting on June 14th. You can register right here. The beta will be limited to the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Europe, and Japan, and Riot says that it will be possibly rolling out to remaining global regions shortly thereafter." There's no word on when a full launch might happen.Riot says the console versions of Valorant feature custom-built gameplay" and that crossplay between console and PC will not be available for competitive reasons. That... Continue reading...

A better symbiosis between smart technology and our favorite kitchen gadgets is part o the future of the smart kitchen. | Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge A new moment for connected cooking emerges at the Smart Kitchen Summit in Seattle. Continue reading...

Image: CBS Studio The title sequence for the Among Us animated series made its debut during the Summer Game Fest on Friday. During the sneak peek, we got a glimpse at each of the characters and their various roles aboard the Skeld.We first heard about the Among Us series last year, which is made in collaboration with CBS Studios, Among Us developer Innersloth, and Titmouse, the animation studio behind Big Mouth and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.We already know some of the characters - and their voice actors - that will appear in the show. Some of the biggest names include Randall Park as the captain Red; Ashley Johnson as the security chief Purple; Patton Oswalt as the contest winner White; Elijah Wood as the unpaid intern Green; Phil LaMarr as... Continue reading...

Image: Alex Choi A YouTuber was arrested after posting a video showing two people in a helicopter shooting fireworks at a Lamborghini. On Thursday, the US Department of Justice charged Suk Min Choi - known as Alex Choi on YouTube - for allegedly breaking the law against having an explosive or incendiary device on an aircraft.The now-deleted video, titled Destroying a Lamborghini With Fireworks," was posted on July 4th, 2023. Choi, who has more than 924,000 YouTube subscribers, is shown driving the Lamborghini as two women begin shooting fireworks in the direction of the car. Law enforcement officials believe Choi filmed the video at El Mirage, a dry lake bed in San Bernardino County, California.The Federal Aviation Administration began... Continue reading...

Photo by Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images The Biden administration released another vehicle emission rule that was not as strict as the one the president originally proposed.Under the new rules, fuel economy will increase 2 percent per year for model years 2027-2031 for passenger cars, while light trucks will increase 2 percent per year for model years 2029-2031. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), these increases will bring the average light-duty vehicle fuel economy up to approximately 50.4 miles per gallon of gas by model year 2031.That's less ambitious than the rules President Joe Biden first proposed in 2022, in which passenger vehicles would be required to achieve an average of 55 miles per gallon by 2026. And in 2023, NHTSA proposed... Continue reading...

Creatives are fearful of how Adobe's adoption of generative AI will impact their privacy and rights over their work. | Illustration by Haein Jeong / The Verge A recent notification from Adobe about a terms of service update caused outrage online once many people - forced to accept the new terms for continued access to its apps and services - interpreted it to mean Adobe was permitting itself free rein to access and use their work to train AI models.Specifically, the notification said Adobe had clarified that we may access your content through both automated and manual methods" within its TOS, directing users to a section that says techniques such as machine learning" may be used to analyze content to improve services, software, and user experiences. The update went viral after creatives took Adobe's vague language to mean that it would use their work to train Firefly - the company's... Continue reading...

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Meta now allows users to create giant group chats without having an associated Facebook page, as reported by TechCrunch.The groups, called Communities," allow admins to add up to 5,000 people, even if they're not part of the same Facebook group. Meta previously introduced that feature in 2022, allowing Facebook group admins to create Discord-like chatrooms for members. This new type of chat, meanwhile, is open to anyone - users could make one for their neighborhood, school, or an event, for example.Meta notes that creating Messenger Communities" isn't yet available to everyone and that users should be aware there's a different level of privacy that they typically associate with personal messages.The gradual updates to Messenger... Continue reading...

Image: Microsoft Microsoft says it's making its new Recall feature in Windows 11 that screenshots everything you do on your PC an opt-in feature and addressing various security concerns. The software giant first unveiled the Recall feature as part of its upcoming Copilot Plus PCs last month, but since then, privacy advocates and security experts have been warning that Recall could be a disaster" for cybersecurity without changes.Thankfully, Microsoft has listened to the complaints and is making a number of changes before Copilot Plus PCs launch on June 18th. Microsoft had originally planned to turn Recall on by default, but the company now says it will offer the ability to disable the controversial AI-powered feature during the setup process of new... Continue reading...

National Samsung Electronics Union members strike outside of Samsung's office building in Seoul, South Korea. | Photo by Anthony Wallace / AFP via Getty Images Samsung Electronics workers went on a strike on Friday for the very first time in the company's history. The move comes at a time when the Korean corporation faces increased competition from other chipmakers, particularly as demand for AI chips grows.The National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU), the largest of the company's several unions, called for the one-day strike at Samsung's Seoul office building as negotiations over pay bonuses and time off hit a standstill. The New York Times reports that the majority of striking workers come from Samsung's chip division. (Samsung Electronics is technically only a subsidiary comprising its consumer tech, appliances, and semiconductor divisions; Samsung itself is a conglomerate that controls... Continue reading...

Image: Adata Adata has become the latest company to join the hype surrounding PC gaming handhelds - but the XPG Nia prototype it revealed during Computex 2024 is completely different from what we've seen so far. The handheld is the first to come with LPCAMM2 memory, making it far easier to swap out and upgrade RAM.As reported by Liliputing, you'll be able to access the device's storage beneath the kickstand on the back of the device. You can also remove and replace the device's M.2 2230 SSD. These aren't the only things you'll be able to mod, either.During an interview with YouTuber GGF Events, XPG product head Luca Di Fiore said the company is building the handheld for the modding market" and will use a circular computing platform." This means... Continue reading...

Photo by Sarah Stier / Getty Images for Netflix Netflix's fight between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul, which was originally set to take place in July, will now stream live on Friday, November 15th. Last week, they announced the event would be postponed after Tyson suffered an ulcer flare-up during a flight, affecting his ability to train ahead of the original date.Although we had to postpone the fight, I will resume training shortly," Tyson said in a statement. While we have a new date, the result will be the same no matter when we fight. Jake Paul is getting knocked out." The fight will still be held in the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, marking Tyson's first officially sanctioned match since 2005.

Fiona Harvey is suing Netflix and Baby Reindeer creator Richard Gadd, saying her life has been destroyed" by the show after being identified as the inspiration for Martha (pictured, portrayed by Jessica Gunning). | Image: Netflix A Scottish woman who says it only took thousands of Reddit and TikTok users a matter of days" to identify her as the inspiration behind a stalker in Netflix's Baby Reindeer series has filed a $170 million defamation lawsuit against Netflix and the show's creator, Richard Gadd. Fiona Harvey alleges her identity and likeness" were used for the character Martha Scott, played by Jessica Gunning, telling brutal lies" out of greed and lust for fame" that have destroyed her reputation, her character, and her life."In the series, which claims in its title card that it's a true story" based on Gadd's personal experiences, the comedian plays a fictionalized version of himself being stalked by Martha. While Harvey isn't mentioned in the show... Continue reading...

Let's normalize not paying $100-plus for these Qi2 chargers. | Image: Anker As might have been expected, mobile accessory makers used Qi2's arrival as an opportunity to fill out their charger lineup with the new wireless fast charging standard. Equally predictable was that many of those products started in a price tier quite a bit higher than their equivalent previous generation models - and that prices would eventually drop. Anker was one of the earliest to appear, and it's one of the first to bring its 3-in-1 MagGo Wireless Charging Station well under $100 - you can now pick the charging station up for $69.99 ($30 off) at Amazon when clipping the coupon or directly from Anker with code WSCPV2KWZ3XE.The tree-like design props up your Qi2 / MagSafe iPhone at an angle, and ditto for your Apple Watch - it... Continue reading...

Image: Summer Game Fest It's that time of year again. Summer Game Fest kicks off this week, and we're expecting to see new game trailers and other exciting updates during the two-hour-long presentation.There might not be as many new game reveals as previous years, as Summer Game Fest host Geoff Keighley says this event is largely focused on announced stuff." Even still, the event is bound to have a few surprises. Here's how and when you can catch the show.What time does Summer Game Fest start?Summer Game Fest starts on Friday, June 7th, at 5PM ET / 2PM PT.That's not the only gaming-focused show happening, either, as the indie game showcase Day of the Devs will air right after Summer Game Fest, followed by Devolver Digital's game presentation at 8PM ET /... Continue reading...

Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge Apple is gearing up to reveal a new AI system on the iPhone, iPad, and Mac next week at WWDC 2024 - and it will be called Apple Intelligence, according to a report from Bloomberg. In addition to providing new beta" AI features across Apple's platforms and apps, it will reportedly offer access to a new ChatGPT-like chatbot powered by OpenAI.Apple reportedly won't focus on buzzy AI features like image or video generation and will instead focus on adding AI-powered summarizations, reply suggestions, and an AI overhaul for Siri that could give it more control over apps while chasing applications with broad appeal."Apple will use its own technology and tools from OpenAI" to power its new AI features, according to Bloomberg. The company... Continue reading...

Image: Alex Parkin / The Verge Starting this fall, it appears Siri is going to be much more powerful. Whether this is good news or a harbinger of infinite technological frustration depends on how you feel about Siri, AI, virtual assistants, and the whole idea that your devices should be able to do stuff on your behalf. Either way, it seems virtually certain that at Apple's WWDC event on Monday, we're going to hear an awful lot about how Siri can make your life better.This year's WWDC is actually an important one for Apple. CEO Tim Cook and others have been hinting that this is when Apple will reveal its grand plans for AI and end the notion that Apple is somehow behind Google, OpenAI, and the rest. What will it look like, though? Who knows! But it's going to be AI,... Continue reading...

Image: The Verge Every year, Apple's WWDC comes third after Google's I/O and Microsoft's Build developer conferences, and Apple has hardly ever needed to announce a product in response. This time, however, things are different.Over the past month, Apple's biggest rivals presented bold plans for AI, with Google showing its latest Gemini models and Microsoft revealing powerful Copilot features like Recall. Now, Apple has to step up to the plate and show that it isn't far behind in bringing its customers useful generative AI experiences.Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference starts on Monday, June 10th with a presentation at 1PM ET / 10AM PT. Here's what you can expect at Apple's WWDC 2024 keynote.AI, AI, and more AIAt WWDC, Apple is rumored to infuse... Continue reading...

Workers plant trees at an ecological afforestation demonstration zone on April 11, 2023. | Photo: Getty Images Big tech companies are increasingly turning to nature to do the dirty work of cleaning up their greenhouse gas emissions. The idea is to use plants and ecosystems that naturally absorb CO2 to compensate for industry pollution, a tactic brands have come to call nature-based carbon removal."At first glance, these attempts sound a lot like carbon offset projects that have a checkered past. For decades, companies have purchased credits from offset projects to try to cancel out some portion of their carbon footprint, typically by planting trees, restoring or protecting ecosystems that sequester CO2 through photosynthesis.It all sounds green and dandy on paper. But studies have shown that this strategy repeatedly fails to have any... Continue reading...