The Verge

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Hackers successfully infiltrated the computer system controlling a water treatment facility in the city of Oldsmar, Florida, according to a report from the Tampa Bay Times. In doing so, the hackers were able to remotely control a computer to change the chemical levels of the water supply, increasing the amount of sodium hydroxide before a supervisor was able to catch the act in real time and revert the changes.“At no time was there a significant adverse effect on the water being treated,” Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said during a press conference on Monday, which was later posted to YouTube. “Importantly, the public was never in danger.” Sodium hydroxide, commonly known as lye, is used in water to regulate acidity levels, the... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge The Justice Department dropped its 2018 lawsuit challenging California’s state net neutrality rules on Monday, removing one of the law’s major roadblocks preventing it from going into effect.In 2017, the Trump Federal Communications Commission voted to repeal the Obama-era internet regulations banning internet service providers, like AT&T and Verizon, from throttling or blocking traffic and implementing paid fast lanes. The following year, California passed its own law instituting net neutrality rules at the state level. That law was quickly challenged by the Trump-led Justice Department, which argued that California’s law was preempted by the FCC’s 2017 repeal.“I am pleased that the Department of Justice has withdrawn this lawsuit. ... Continue reading…

EA is making a big move into the world of mobile gaming with the acquisition of Glu Mobile, a developer best known for its work on celebrity-focused titles, based on stars like Katy Perry and Kim Kardashian. Its portfolio also includes popular titles like Design Home, Covet Fashion, and MLB Tap Sports Baseball. EA says that once the deal is closed, it will have acquired Glu for “$2.1 billion in enterprise value.”“We’re doubling the size of our mobile business.”“Mobile continues to grow as the biggest gaming platform in the world, and with the addition of Glu’s games and talent, we’re doubling the size of our mobile business,” EA CEO Andrew Wilson said in a statement. EA says that it currently has a mobile audience of more than 100... Continue reading…

Salad vending machine company Chowbotics is now part of DoorDash DoorDash has acquired salad-making robot startup Chowbotics, the companies announced Monday. Financial terms of the deal weren’t disclosed, but the Chowbotics team have all become DoorDash employees, and the company will operate independently within DoorDash.“We have long admired the work that Chowbotics has done to increase access to fresh meals, with its groundbreaking robotics product and vision,” DoorDash co-founder Stanley Tang said in statement emailed to The Verge. “With the Chowbotics team on board, we can explore new use cases and customers, providing another service to help our merchants grow.”Chowbotics was founded in 2014, and its fresh food robot Sally — a rectangular machine that’s essentially a salad vending machine —... Continue reading…

Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images On Monday, California state Senator Connie Leyva introduced the Silenced No More Act, a bill that advocates say will protect employees who speak out about discrimination at work, even if they’ve signed nondisclosure agreements.“SB 331 will prevent workers from being forced to sign non-disclosure and non-disparagement agreements that would limit their ability to speak out about harassment and discrimination in the workplace,” Leyva said in a statement. “It is unacceptable for any employer to try to silence a worker because he or she was a victim of any type of harassment or discrimination—whether due to race, sexual orientation, religion, age or any other characteristic.”The newly introduced legislation builds on work by Ifeoma Ozoma, a... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Mobile app developer Kosta Eleftheriou has a new calling that goes beyond software development: taking on what he sees as a rampant scam problem ruining the integrity of Apple’s App Store.Eleftheriou, who created the successful Apple Watch keyboard app FlickType, has for the last two weeks been publicly criticizing Apple for lax enforcement of its App Store rules that have allowed scam apps, as well as apps that clone popular software from other developers, to run rampant. These apps enjoy top billing in the iPhone marketplace, all thanks to glowing reviews and sterling five-star ratings that are largely fabricated, he says.

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge An Amazon warehouse in Alabama could become the first to unionize in the US Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro The Entertainment Software Association has announced that E3 2021 is happening this year, and it could be going digital, according to Video Games Chronicle. The event will be held from June 15th through June 17th.“We can confirm that we are transforming the E3 experience for 2021,” an ESA spokesperson told The Verge. “And will soon share exact details on how we’re bringing the global video game community together.”According to Video Games Chronicle, the ESA has outlined its plans for E3 2021, with intentions to hold multiple two-hour keynote sessions from games partners, an awards show, a preview night on June 14th, plus some small streams from various game publishers, influencers, and media partners.Video Games Chronicle also notes... Continue reading…

‘Is meatball an fruit?’ Continue reading…

The Pokémon Center is selling a Gigantamax Meowth that, while not true to size, is still pretty damn big. This Long Meowth measures 65 inches, which is just over five feet, and has a “dangerous smile.” A bad boy.Gigantamax Meowth is a 1:20 scale version of its Pokémon Sword and Shield counterpart, and it costs $299.99 for the pleasure of its company. Now the bad news: it’s currently sold out. Will it restock? I have no idea, but kudos to the unknown number of people who dropped $300 for a 5-foot-something body pillow. If this isn’t love, I don’t know what is: I’m not thrilled that there is no light in Meowth’s eyes, but who can blame him. At least it’s better than Pikachu centipede. Continue reading…

Illustration by Grayson Blackmon / The Verge The real questions behind Section 230 reform Continue reading…

Microsoft is bringing Forza Horizon 4 to Steam on March 9th. It marks the first time the Forza franchise has been available on Steam, and it will include crossplay with players on Xbox consoles, the regular Windows 10 version, and those streaming Forza Horizon 4 through xCloud.Playground Games has been gradually improving Forza Horizon 4 with expansions and a battle royale-like mode. A Halo driving experience even appeared in the game a few years ago, and the Lego Speed Champions expansion includes brick cars and scenery. A new Hot Wheels car pack is also coming soon, which will include a number of new cars for $10.Microsoft’s Forza embrace of Steam comes after the company reversed course nearly three years ago, promising to distribute... Continue reading…

Photo: Apple Apple’s former hardware leader, Dan Riccio, is now overseeing the company’s still-secretive work on augmented and virtual reality products, according to Bloomberg. Riccio stepped back from Apple last month, after serving as senior vice president of hardware engineering since 2012. At the time, Riccio said he would remain at the company with a focus on “creating something new,” but he didn’t say what that would be.Mike Rockwell, who runs Apple’s AR / VR group, is still responsible for day-to-day development of these upcoming products, according to Bloomberg. But Riccio reportedly has “ultimate oversight” of Apple’s first hardware to enter the space.There have been reports for years indicating that Apple is working on AR and VR hardware.... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Today, TikTok and Universal Music Group (UMG) have announced the formation of what they’re calling an “expanded global alliance.” It’s a continuation and deepening of the agreement that allows TikTok’s massive user base to use songs from UMG artists. “The companies have additionally pledged to experiment with exciting new features,” the companies write in a press release. “TikTok users will now be able to incorporate clips from UMG’s full catalog of music, spanning the company’s iconic labels, songwriters and global territories.”It’s a smart move. TikTokers get to use more of the music they love as the soundtrack for their videos, the artists behind the works get paid, and UMG gets greater access to a proven viral hit-making machine.... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge iOS 14.5 looks like it will be packed with features, including the ability to use your Apple Watch to unlock an iPhone with Face ID while you’re wearing a mask and support for next-gen console controllers. But users who have already installed the beta discovered another great feature: you’ll be able to select a third-party default music service when you ask to play a song using Siri — including Spotify (via MacRumors).When you ask Siri to play a song on iOS 14.5, you may be prompted to select which app you want to use to play it, according to a screenshot shared on Reddit. Image: u/matejamm1 on Reddit The menu to select an app. I’m on the iOS 14.5 beta, but interestingly, the feature worked a bit differently... Continue reading…

Andrew Spinks, the co-creator of Terraria, announced that his studio would no longer be working on a Google Stadia port of the game, he announced on Twitter earlier today. The reason: his studio, Re-Logic, has been locked out of its associated Google and YouTube accounts for “over three weeks” without any explanation and with little recourse from the company.Early Monday, Spinks tweeted that he had “not done anything to violate your terms of service, so I can take this no other way than you deciding to burn this bridge.” In the thread, Spinks says the lockout has cost him access to “thousands of dollars of apps” he purchased, and his Gmail account, which he used for more than 15 years, is gone, too.

Photo by Tom Williams / CQ Roll Call Rep. Ron Wright (R-TX) has died after two weeks in the hospital with COVID-19, his office announced today. Wright was the first sitting member of Congress to die from the disease.Wright was 67 years old and had a number of comorbidities. He was sick with lung cancer and was hospitalized for complications related to that condition in September. He announced that he’d tested positive for COVID-19 on January 21st after coming into contact with someone who had the virus the week before.Over 60 members of Congress have tested positive for COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic. That includes three other Texas Republican representatives: Kevin Brady, Louie Gohmert, and Kay Granger. A number of lawmakers contracted the disease after the r... Continue reading…

Photo By Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images/Pool Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), chair of the House Oversight Committee, is demanding documents from the free speech social network Parler related to its financing after last month’s deadly attack on the Capitol.In her letter to Parler’s chief operating officer Jeffrey Wernick Monday, Maloney called on the company to hand over documents outlining who or what entities have ever had any control over the company, a list of some of its creditors, and any documents or communications tying the company to a Russian individual or entity.“Since the attacks, numerous Parler users have been arrested and charged for their roles, with the Department of Justice citing in several instances the threats that individuals made through Parler in the days... Continue reading…

Mark Cuban is getting in on the audio and podcasting hype. Alongside co-founder Falon Fatemi, he’s planning to launch Fireside, a “next-gen podcast platform” that facilitates live conversation, according to an email sent to possible creator partners seen by The Verge. The app idea is similar to the buzzy live audio startup Clubhouse, except with the ability to natively record conversations. A source close to Fireside says the app plans to launch publicly this year.Fatemi, who co-founded and sold the AI customer relations service Node, promises a platform where creators will be able to broadcast, record, and monetize conversations while using Fireside’s built-in analytics tools to figure out what content performs best. The app, according... Continue reading…

Photo by Chaim Gartenberg / The Verge Samsung’s new line of Galaxy S21 smartphones launched less than two weeks ago, but Amazon, B&H Photo, and Best Buy have already marked down the phones to their lowest prices to date, with up to $200 in savings.If the Galaxy S21 is the phone you’re looking for, you can grab an unlocked model with 128GB of storage for only $700 or a 256GB model for $750. It includes a 6.2-inch 1080p screen with refresh rates of up to 120Hz and is equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888. My colleague, Dieter Bohn, praised the Galaxy S21 in his review for having a fast processor, nice screen, and good battery life.The S21 Plus normally starts at $1,000, but you can grab an unlocked model with 128GB of storage for $800 or a 256GB model for $850. It... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Teams inside Twitter are researching ways for the company to offer paid subscriptions, which could include charging money for access to TweetDeck, Bloomberg reports. TweetDeck is a popular alternative to the main Twitter website and mobile app that allows users to more efficiently manage multiple accounts and organize Twitter into a series of easier-to-read vertical feeds.Alongside charging for TweetDeck, the teams are said to be exploring other ideas, including charging for new features like an “undo send” button or more profile customization options. Another idea involves introducing “tipping” to Twitter, where users could pay accounts for exclusive content.Twitter is thought to be exploring these plans as a way to reduce its... Continue reading…

While most of us wouldn’t say no to a $6,000 Apple Mac Pro or a $1,100 electric bike, sometimes it’s just as much fun to be gifted a low-cost gadget that is just fun or useful. It may not let you edit your latest video or take you to the store, but it will help your computing be easier, keep your tech clean, cook a healthy meal, or just make you smile.We asked some of the staff at The Verge to tell us about stuff they like that costs less than $50. We’ve divided their responses into two categories: tech gadgets and household items. Take a look.Tech Gadgets8BitDo M30 wireless controller Photo: 8BitDo 8BitDo M30 8BitDo makes a lot of wireless gamepads. There are wireless NES pads, wireless Super Nintendo... Continue reading…

If you’re lucky, you can save on both the LOTR Trilogy and The Hobbit Trilogy on 4K Blu-ray Amazon and Target are hosting “buy two, get one free” promotions on video games, movies, and more. If you’re interested in getting more for your money, especially when it comes to buying games, these are good opportunities to do that. You won’t find all of the latest titles looped in at either store, but games like Cyberpunk 2077, Call of Duty Black Ops: Cold War, and NBA 2K21 for the PS5 and Xbox Series X are among them.If you’re interested in movies, Amazon’s promotion includes some pricey collections that you can save on, like The Hobbit Trilogy and Game of Thrones: The Complete Collection, both on 4K UHD Blu-ray, and more. Here’s a quick link that’ll take you to Target’s discounted movies. Photo by Chris Welch /... Continue reading…

Marvel/Disney Plus We had an inkling that there might be big movie news during the Super Bowl and there was: Marvel released a new trailer for The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, a six-episode series that debuts on Disney Plus March 19th.The show takes place after the events of Avengers: Endgame. Steve Rogers has retired from as Captain America, in an attempt to live a simple life in an alternate reality with his love, Peggy Carter. Sam Wilson (Falcon) has picked up the Captain’s shield.The show had been delayed a few times, and fans have only been able to see a brief, 30-second teaser before now. Filming shut down in March because of the pandemic, Disney said at the time, and was forced to remain shut down until a couple of months ago.The trailer... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Tesla says it has invested $1.5 billion in the bitcoin cryptocurrency. The electric car manufacturer filed its annual 10-K report with the SEC this morning, and revealed the new bitcoin investment. Tesla says it will also “begin accepting bitcoin as a form of payment for our products in the near future.”Tesla customers have been calling on founder and CEO Elon Musk to accept bitcoin for vehicle purchases recently. Musk has been vocal about backing the cryptocurrency on Twitter, even adding #bitcoin to his profile recently. Musk has also been backing Dogecoin on Twitter over the past week, sending its value up just moments after his tweets.

Xiaomi is announcing the international version of its Mi 11 flagship phone today after an earlier release in China. No wild waterfall displays or sci-fi wireless charging here — this device is very much in keeping with the Mi series’ MO of offering high specs at a competitive price.The Mi 11 has a Snapdragon 888 processor, making it the first phone to launch with Qualcomm’s latest high-end chip (though Samsung’s Galaxy S21 series beat it to market outside China). The 888 has 5G connectivity built in, of course, and the phone has 8GB of RAM and 128GB or 256GB of storage.The screen appears to be the same panel — or very similar — to what’s found in the Galaxy S21 Ultra. It’s a slightly curved 6.8-inch 1440p OLED with a refresh rate of... Continue reading…

The test shows the maximum resolution your internet connection can stream. | Image: Ookla SpeedTest’s iOS app can now benchmark your internet’s video streaming quality, Ookla announced today. While the service typically checks general connection metrics like maximum download and upload speeds and latency, the new test is focused specifically on video. It attempts to stream at a variety of resolutions, and then measures load times and buffering.Ookla explains that it added the new test because of how much of our time spent on the internet involves streaming video. While its standard speed tests give a general idea of your overall network bandwidth, Ookla points out that internet service providers often “prioritize video traffic differently than other traffic.” This means the best way to benchmark video streaming performance... Continue reading…

Image: Dave2D Leaked images of the unannounced OnePlus 9 Pro suggest the flagship smartphone will include a Hasselblad-branded camera array. The images shared in a recent Dave Lee YouTube video show four cameras on the rear of the phone. These include wide-angle, ultra-wide, and telephoto lenses, the latter of which appears to offer up to a 3.3x optical zoom.At this point it’s unclear exactly what this Hasselblad branding could mean for the OnePlus 9 Pro’s cameras. The Swedish manufacturer, which is majority owned by Chinese company DJI, is best known for its expensive medium format cameras, and has previously worked with Lenovo on a modular camera accessory for Moto Z devices, as well as Vertu for its Signature Touch smartphone. Hopefully the... Continue reading…

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge The PC industry response to Apple’s new M1 chips has been rather quiet, until now. Intel is hitting back at Apple’s new M1 MacBooks with some benchmarks of its own, after early reviews showed impressive performance and battery life from Apple’s ARM-based chips.In benchmarks published by Tom’s Hardware, Intel compares its 11th Gen Core i7 processor with the M1 CPU found in the latest MacBook Pro. Intel claims its latest chips beat Apple’s M1 performance by 30 percent in overall Chrome browsing tasks, and every one of its carefully selected Office 365 tasks. Image: Intel Intel’s productivity benchmarks. Intel’s benchmarks also include comparisons between HandBrake transcoding, Adobe Premiere Pro exports, and... Continue reading…

Photo by Maja Hitij/Getty Images Elon Musk is putting up $100 million as part of a new X Prize Foundation competition focused on carbon removal technology. The contest, announced Monday morning, will run for four years and is open to teams around the globe.Fifteen teams will be selected for the competition within 18 months. They will each get $1 million, and 25 separate $200,000 scholarships will be given to student teams who enter. The grand prize winner will be awarded $50 million, second place will receive $20 million, and third place will get $10 million.Winners will have to “demonstrate a solution that can pull carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere or oceans and lock it away permanently in an environmentally benign way,” according to the X Prize... Continue reading…

You could have been forgiven for missing Reddit’s Super Bowl ad tonight — it was only five seconds long. The ad mostly consisted of a text message that would’ve been pretty difficult to read in the moment, claiming that the company spent its “entire marketing budget on five seconds of airtime.”“One thing we learned from our communities last week is that underdogs can accomplish anything when they come together around a common idea,” Reddit says by way of explanation, in a clear nod to the GameStop stocks saga that was driven by posters on the r/WallStreetBets subreddit. “Who knows, maybe you’ll be the reason finance textbooks have to add a chapter on ‘tendies.’”

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge After weeks of speculation, Hyundai and subsidiary Kia have again sought to downplay rumors and reporting that they are working with Apple on an autonomous electric car project. The companies say they are no longer in talks, according to Reuters and Bloomberg, though that doesn’t mean the discussions won’t reopen later.Hyundai’s comments as reported by Bloomberg are essentially the same as what the company said last month in a statement that mentioned Apple before being confusingly walked back. The carmaker says it’s been discussing potential autonomous electric car projects with various partners but is yet to reach a decision. Bloomberg reported last week that the talks with Apple had “paused.”Renowned Apple analyst Ming-chi Kuo b... Continue reading…

CBS All Access app appeared to be having problems as users tried to watch Super Bowl LV on Sunday. Users reported seeing an error message that read the app was “experiencing technical difficulties” and that “an error has occurred.”Down Detector showed a spike in complaints for CBS All Access at around 6PM ET Sunday. Numerous users were complaining on Twitter that they could not see the game at all.Todd Spangler of Variety reported shortly after 7PM ET that CBS was telling subscribers the issues were resolved and to restart the app.

Pacific Rim: The Black | Netflix So I watched the latest episode of Servant and can’t decide whether it’s the slow pacing or the suspension of disbelief (how long can Julian and Sean keep up the plot’s central ruse before they do real damage to Dorothy?) keeping it from being genuinely frightening. I won’t spoil the latest episode, but it feels like for all the disconcerting camera angles and Dorothy’s bizarre behavior, this week’s episode didn’t move the needle all that much. I’m hanging in there, but I think the show needs M. Night Shyamalan to ramp up the scary a li’l bit.This week’s trailers include a little sci-fi, some teen empowerment, and the third in the Pacific Rim franchise, this time an anime flick.The Nevers A group of women in Victorian-era London... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Police in Minneapolis got a search warrant that ordered Google to provide account data on people who were near a protest that turned violent two days after the killing of George Floyd last year, TechCrunch reported.The search warrant required Google to provide account data for anyone “within the geographical region” of an AutoZone store on May 27th, 2020, to police, according to TechCrunch. Photos of a protest outside that store two days after Floyd’s death showed a man in a mask smashing the store windows with an umbrella. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported at the time that police believed the so-called “Umbrella Man” was actually a white supremacist trying to spark violence at the protest.According to TechCrunch, a police... Continue reading…

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge Every DualSense controller has 40,000 tiny PlayStation symbols Continue reading…

Photo: Motto. How Ninjas in Pyjamas created a new identity Continue reading…

Super Bowl 2021 — the 55th Super Bowl — is happening today.The championship game pits the Kansas City Chiefs, the defending Super Bowl champs, against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Eric Church and Jazmine Sullivan will sing the national anthem, while The Weeknd will perform in the halftime show.If you are planning to watch the football game, you have a few options, and many of them are free. Below, we have listed a few ways you can watch this year’s Super Bowl. Keep in mind that, due to production limits imposed by the pandemic, Super Bowl 2021 will not be streaming in 4K resolution.Where is the Super Bowl being played? Super Bowl 2021 will take place at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, the home field of the Buccaneers.What... Continue reading…

Photo by Ben Hasty/MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle via Getty Images Look I know this pandemic has been a long, depressing slog, and even if you’ve masked up, done the social distancing, and have managed to stay virus-free, we’re all good and frazzled at this point. So it’s understandable that now that we have vaccines available, everyone’s impatient to get one.But when you finally get the jab, resist the urge to post a humblebrag on Instagram or any other social media platform, because identity thieves may be watching. And, you don’t want to be the newly-vaccinated person whose selfie provides scammers with a template to make fake vaccination record cards (because if you think isn’t already happening, you would be mistaken).“Some of you are celebrating your second COVID-19 vaccination with the giddy... Continue reading…

Photo Illustration by Rafael Henrique/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images The Consumer Finance Protection Bureau is investigating money transfer app Venmo over the way it handles collections, a new regulatory filing shows. First reported by The Wall Street Journal, the filing shows Venmo owner PayPal received a Civil Investigative Demand from the CFPB on January 21st, “related to Venmo’s unauthorized funds transfers and collections processes, and related matters.”PayPal said in a statement emailed to The Verge that it was working “productively with the CFPB to provide information, as requested, on our practices and processes.” The statement added that Venmo “remains deeply committed to its compliance obligations and the company works closely with regulators around the world.”A Venmo user’s account may be... Continue reading…

A protester makes three-finger salute as another holds up a poster of de-facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi during an anti-coup march February 6th in Yangon, Myanmar | Photo by Getty Images/Getty Images Not long after it blocked Facebook, Myanmar has now ordered mobile networks and internet service providers to block Twitter and Facebook-owned Instagram in the country as well. The southeast Asian country’s military seized power in a coup earlier this week, detaining its civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi along with other government officials.Facebook users had reportedly been using the social media platform to protest the coup, sharing photos of themselves giving the three-finger salute that’s become associated with resistance in the area.“All mobile operators, international gateways and internet service providers in Myanmar received a directive on 5 February 2021 from the Myanmar Ministry of Transport and Communications (MoTC) to,... Continue reading…

Photo Illustration by Pavlo Gonchar/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images A billion years ago last summer, people were getting antsy about vaccines. They wanted things to move faster, maybe skip a few steps in clinical trials to speed things up. This was, at the time, generally considered a bad idea that would result in less accurate data and cause people to lose trust in the vaccines. Now, exactly 1.589 trillion years later, recklessly speeding things up for speed’s sake remains a poor choice, but some people on Twitter like journalist Nate Silver, seem to think we should do it anyways.They take particular issue with the fact that while Johnson and Johnson submitted their data from their giant clinical trial this week, the Food and Drug Administration will take until February 26th to review the data.Three... Continue reading…

Square-Enix Final Fantasy XIV is coming to PlayStation 5, developer Square-Enix announced Friday. An open beta will start April 13th.A teaser trailer shows the game running in 4K resolution, and the company says it will have significantly improved frame rates and faster load times. If you’re registered in the PS4 version of the game, the new optimized version will be playable at no extra cost during the beta.Final Fantasy XIV also will get a new expansion pack called Endwalker:

A screengrab from Destruction All-Stars, a PS5 game you can get for free with a PS Plus subscription | Image: Sony How has the first week of February been for you? Good, I hope. We’re keeping it simple with the weekend deals post by providing a variety of the best discounts we’ve seen this week. Whether you just got a PS5 and want an affordable way to get a PS Plus membership, your home is in desperate need of better Wi-Fi coverage and speed, or you need an affordable Sonos speaker, you might find something you want below.Save big on a PS Plus membershipThis deal has been very popular with readers, and it’s easy to see why. A one-year subscription to PS Plus, Sony’s online service that allows multiplayer and complimentary titles each month, usually costs $60. But digital key seller Eneba is offering it to Verge readers for $28 when they put in... Continue reading…

Image: The Boring Company Elon Musk told Miami’s mayor Friday that The Boring Company could dig a two-mile tunnel under the city for as little as $30 million — a fraction of the $1 billion price tag once quoted by local transit officials. Musk also told the Mayor that The Boring Company could complete the job in six months, versus the original four year estimate.Mayor Francis Suarez shared these details about his “wonderful call” with Musk in a video posted to Twitter. “He’s focused on trying to deliver a project that will have the maximum utility for our residents for the least amount of money,” Suarez said. “The order of magnitude in terms of savings is significant.”

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Reddit’s r/WallStreetBets has grown significantly due to the community’s role in driving up the stock prices of companies like GameStop, AMC, and Nokia, and the whole saga has garnered so much attention that there are currently many movies and a TV show in the works. But that increased attention has also put strain on the r/WallStreetBets community itself, forcing Reddit to step in to help sort things out.The trouble started Wednesday night, according to The New York Times, as some r/WallStreetBets moderators talked with each other about trying to get a movie deal. On Thursday morning, “the WallStreetBets moderators who were considering the film deal began booting out other moderators who had questioned them for secretly trying to... Continue reading…

Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge Sonos is preparing for the release of a new product that, according to FCC documentation, is likely to be the company’s second portable speaker with a rechargeable battery. The unannounced device, listed at the FCC as model number S27, is shown in testing diagrams to have a wireless charging dock and offer both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) wireless technology. Image: FCC FCC diagrams reveal a wireless charging dock. The mandatory FCC label reveals that this new product uses less power than existing Sonos speakers like the Sonos Move, lending more credence to a smaller overall size. The circular label design, and the fact that Sonos says the label is visible on the bottom surface of the product hints that... Continue reading…

SAN PEDRO SULA, CORTES, HONDURAS - 2020/11/07: In the aftermath of Hurricane Eta, hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced due to flooding. | Photo by Seth Sidney Berry/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images Joe Biden’s administration is crafting a report that will include proposals for how the US might respond to global migration due to climate change. Biden commissioned the report as part of a broader executive order he signed yesterday aimed at overhauling the US refugee resettlement program, which was gutted under the Trump administration.“I’ve worked on this very intersection of issues for over a decade, and I never thought that this would be a part of any American president’s priorities, especially within the first 30 days of their administration,” says Kayly Ober, climate displacement manager at the humanitarian organization Refugees International. “So I am delighted and surprised.”A game-changer for people who’ve fled their homes... Continue reading…

Image: Otto Climan Most people who have used the Apple TV Siri remote have probably craved something that isn’t so darn frustrating to use — but most of us haven’t modded a Game Boy Color to work as one (via Gizmodo). That’s exactly what Italian YouTuber Otto Climan did, and while his project looks sleek as all get-out, it’s surprising how well it works using the Game Boy’s original hardware. Photo by Otto Climan Wow, that custom case. Photo by Otto Climan That screen is looking nice. First off, we have to talk about the case he used. It was apparently made by a company called Retro Modding, specifically for the project, and it looks incredible with its blend of ‘90s Apple and Nintendo aesthetics.... Continue reading…

Characters from Destruction AllStars. | Image: Sony Sony released the car-smashing game Destruction AllStars exclusively for the PlayStation 5 on Tuesday, but it shipped with one very annoying feature: voice chat in multiplayer matches was turned on by default, meaning you could be subject to the unfiltered comments and background noise from your opponents. And worse, it wasn’t immediately obvious how to turn voice chat off.On Friday, however, developer Lucid Games addressed the issue by releasing a hotfix for the game that disables voice chat in multiplayer lobbies by default (via Kotaku).I jumped into a couple of matches with the hotfix installed to test things out, and I was greeted with glorious silence from my fellow players. However, it seems there’s no option for public voice... Continue reading…