The Verge

Image: LG LG has unveiled three new gaming monitors as part of its CES 2021 announcements, following its introduction of a new flagship entry in its UltraFine series earlier this week. The new batch of displays includes a model refresh on LG’s 27GN950 gaming monitor with HDMI 2.1 support, a 32-inch 1440p display, and a 34-inch 1440p ultrawide monitor.The LG UltraGear 27GP950 is a 27-inch 4K gaming monitor, which uses a Nano IPS panel and supports a rapid refresh rate of 144Hz, though LG says it does offer 160Hz through overclocking. It also supports an HDMI 2.1 and variable refresh rate, allowing gamers to experience 4K gaming on both PC and consoles at a 120Hz refresh rate, which could be appealing to new owners of the PlayStation 5 or Xbox... Continue reading…

The HU810P includes support for AirPlay 2 and other streaming standards. | Image: LG LG’s HU810P is a new $2,999 4K laser projector which supports Apple’s AirPlay 2 standard and runs webOS 5.0. It’ll be available worldwide on January 18th. The projector was originally announced in August, AVSForum previously reported.According to LG, the HU810P is able to generate a screen as big as 300 inches corner to corner, and it offers 2,700 ANSI lumens of brightness. It supports the HDR10 and HLG HDR standards, and it’s able to adjust its picture depending on the content you’re watching or the room in which you’re watching it. For example, it has Bright Room and Dark Room modes that can detect the amount of ambient light in a room and adjust its picture accordingly, and it’s also able to adjust its frame rate to 24Hz for films.... Continue reading…

Rich Fury/Getty Images for Visible Attending an actual concert still isn’t a good idea in the United States, so Bandsintown is launching a monthly subscription service that will stream a number of exclusive shows directly into customers’ homes.Called Bandsintown Plus, the $10 monthly service pays for 25 shows a month, according to the company. Artists signed on to play shows include Phoebe Bridgers, Tycho, Flying Lotus, Soccer Mommy, Chromeo, and Little Dragon to name a few. Customers will also receive additional perks, including “intimate chats with artists” and access to performances on other platforms, according to the company. The first show kicks off this month, with artists scheduled through January and February.Musicians will receive a flat fee for each... Continue reading…

Leaked images show a case for the Galaxy S21 Ultra with space for its optional stylus. | Image: WinFuture Samsung is announcing its Galaxy S21 smartphones tomorrow, but thanks to dozens of leaks, most of the details are already public. Today saw yet more images of the upcoming handsets leak online, offering more details on their specs, key features, and accessories.First up is this report from WinFuture. It contains images of a case for the Galaxy S21 Ultra, which includes space for its optional stylus. This case appears to differ from one shown in a previous leak that included a flip cover designed to protect the front of the phone. Cases like these are believed to be an important accessory for the new Galaxy device since it reportedly won’t include a built-in carrying slot for the optional stylus.Evan Blass has also shared a host of... Continue reading…

Photo by GLENN CHAPMAN/AFP via Getty Images Facebook Reality Labs head Andrew Bosworth on evolving for a new medium Continue reading…

Image: CD Projekt Red Cyberpunk 2077 released in early December 2020, and — controversy surrounding its notoriously poor performance on consoles aside — it’s a fun, gorgeous game on PC, especially if you have Nvidia hardware that enables ray-traced graphics. If you’re still thinking about picking it up, you can snag the DRM-free version of the PC game that’s redeemable on GOG.com from Eneba (a marketplace that sells codes — we’ve featured it several times for its excellent deals on PS Plus memberships). Normally a full $60, it costs $35.18 at the time of publishing. It’s worth noting that this key will work globally, according to Eneba, not just in the US.The game might not be in the best state right now (though its many glitches do make for wonderful... Continue reading…

The Pokémon franchise celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, and to mark the occasion, The Pokémon Company International is launching a series of musical events. Pop singer Katy Perry headlines P25, which will feature yet unnamed “rising artists to award-winning global superstars.”Few other details have been shared about the program, aside from a brief teaser video. The company will also hold activations for the anime, games, and more.Perry’s had a brief, however unique presence in games before. In 2012, she recorded a garbled version of her hit “Last Friday Night” in Simlish for The Sims 3 and appears in-game with an expansion pack. It seems that she’ll at least be singing her own music for Pokémon. Continue reading…

The GP66 Leopard starts at $1,799. | MSI MSI has introduced its early 2021 lineup of portable gaming laptops during CES on Wednesday. The big news is that all the new releases have been outfitted with Nvidia’s brand-new GeForce RTX 3000 series graphics cards. In addition to improved frame rates and ray tracing, these chips will deliver Nvidia’s latest features, including its resizable BAR technology. They’re also getting support for Wi-Fi 6E.Headlining the thin-and-light lineup is the new GS66 Stealth. Last year’s GS66 Stealth, powered by Nvidia’s RTX 2000 graphics, was a capable 15.6-inch rig, but it couldn’t quite produce the frame rates to compete with Razer’s Blade 15.MSI says you’ll be able to play games in 4KPresumably, MSI hopes to keep gaining on Razer with these new... Continue reading…

Photo: Ring Ring is starting to add support for end-to-end encryption to its cameras. The feature will keep video streams encrypted from the camera all the way to the device it’s being streamed to, so it won’t be accessible to anyone in between. The feature, which was first announced in September, will start rolling out today as a “technical preview” on eight Ring cameras, including doorbell, indoor, and outdoor models.“End-to-end encryption is really about user choice, to create that advanced layer of security,” Josh Roth, Ring’s chief technical officer, told The Verge. “Some people like a second or third deadbolt on their house.”“Some people like a second or third deadbolt on their house.”Footage from Ring cameras is currently encrypted when... Continue reading…

This is the touchscreen model of the MSI Creator 15. | MSI MSI has introduced its 2021 Creator 15, a portable laptop designed for creative work. It includes Nvidia’s brand-new RTX 3000 mobile graphics cards.The new Creator 15 starts at $1,899 — a 21 percent increase from the 2020 model, which started at $1,499. It will start shipping on January 26th. MSI calls the Creator 15 “an excellent all-around laptop, built for the most demanding creations.”A color-accurate display is an important aspect of any creator-focused laptop. This 15.6-inch 4K panel covers 100 percent of the Adobe RGB gamut, and MSI says it’s “guaranteed to provide a true-to-life visual experience.” The chassis also includes a UHS-III SD slot for easy transfer.Here’s a video MSI made to show off the new Creator:The intent... Continue reading…

Here’s the lid of the GE76 Raider Dragon Edition, which MSI says represents “the fusion of old and new spirits.” | MSI MSI has announced the GE76 Raider Dragon Edition Tiamat (yes, that’s the full name), which undoubtedly has one of the most unique laptop designs you’ll see this year. Take a look at the eye-catching pattern in the picture above — it’s actually engraved into the 17.3-inch GE76’s lid. MSI says the design is inspired by the ancient goddess Tiamat, who was known in Mesopotamia as the mother of all gods. Why Tiamat? Like her, MSI claims, the GE76 Raider represents “supreme power.”If you’re confused, settle in — this kind of thing is MSI’s shtick. Last year, the company released a “Dragonshield Edition” of its GE66 Raider designed to look like a spaceship. (Or rather, a panel that fell off a spaceship. There’s a story and it comes with a... Continue reading…

Airbnb is blocking all reservations in the Washington, DC metro area during inauguration week after regional officials asked people not to travel to the city due to concerns of additional violence. The company said it was aware of reports “regarding armed militias and known hate groups” attempting to travel to the region to disrupt the inauguration.Existing Airbnb reservations in the area are being canceled, and Airbnb is blocking any future bookings. Guests will receive full refunds, and Airbnb says it will pay hosts what they would have earned for canceled bookings.Reservations made through HotelTonight, a hotel reservation site owned by Airbnb, are also being canceled.“Due to the unique circumstances surrounding the 59th... Continue reading…

It’s hard to think of a licensed game that fit its source material better than Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game. First released in 2010, the game felt exactly like an interactive version of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s cult comic book. The story was pared down, but the vibe was the same, thanks to incredible character sprites from Paul Robertson, a banging chiptune soundtrack from Anamanaguchi, and classic beat ‘em up action from a small team at Ubisoft. The problem was actually playing it: a few years after it debuted on the PS3 and Xbox 360, the game was delisted from digital stores.This week, that finally changes. More than a decade after it first came out, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game is coming to a huge range of new... Continue reading…

A render of the Propel Center. | Image: Propel Center Apple is announcing the next big investments to come out of its $100 million commitment to racial equity and justice today: the launch of an Apple Developer Academy in Detroit; founding support for an Atlanta tech hub for historically Black colleges and universities; and new grants, scholarships, and investments for Black and brown students and entrepreneurs.The Apple Developer Academy in Detroit will be the “first of its kind in the US,” Apple wrote in a press release, after previously partnering on a similar program in Italy. The academy is focused on “young Black entrepreneurs, creators, and coders” and will offer training in iOS app development. The plan is to offer a shorter 30-day program that introduces students to “what it means... Continue reading…

Taking a dip in the new business of relaxation Continue reading…

Image: Intel Intel CEO Bob Swan is stepping down from the position on February 15th, the company has announced. He will be replaced by VMware CEO Pat Gelsinger. Swan was named Intel’s permanent CEO two years ago in January 2019. He initially took on the role on an interim basis in June 2018 following the resignation of Intel’s previous CEO Brian Krzanich.Gelsinger, who previously worked at Intel for 30 years, will step into the CEO role at a crucial time for the chipmaker. Intel is facing renewed competition across its portfolio. It sustained a serious blow last year when Apple announced it would be transitioning its Mac lineup away from Intel’s processors and toward Apple’s own Arm-based designs. The first Macs based on Apple’s processors released... Continue reading…

Photo Illustration by Pavlo Gonchar/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images In the aftermath of the Great Deplatforming of the past week, we’ve seen a thoughtful debate over the power and limits of taking away a person’s ability to post online. It’s a blunt but powerful tool for punishing people who would use your platform to incite violence or commit other crimes. But building healthy, happy communities requires much more than removing their worst users. You don’t have a healthy media ecosystem just because Donald Trump no longer dominates it.With that in mind — and in an effort to turn our attention to some constructive ideas after a terrifying week — today I want to talk about an effort to design better digital spaces. For those of you who work on platforms, or hope to someday, I hope it will spark a sense... Continue reading…

capitoldome-congress On January 13th, Congress will begin proceedings for the impeachment of President Donald Trump, based on his incitement of the January 6th mob attack on the US Capitol.The official articles of impeachment, filed Tuesday night, charge the president with “incitement of insurrection,” based on his comments to the crowd, as well as previous calls made to election officials in Georgia that sought to alter the state’s election results.“He threatened the integrity of the democratic system, interfered with the peaceful transition of power, and imperiled a coequal branch of Government,” the articles allege. “He thereby betrayed his trust as President, to the manifest injury of the people of the United States.”National guard troops have been d... Continue reading…

Photo by Budrul Chukrut/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images The studio behind The Division is making a game set in a galaxy far, far away, according to a report from Wired. Today, Ubisoft announced that its Swedish studio Massive Entertainment is making an open-world video game that’s set in the Star Wars universe.There are no details on when the game will launch, on what platforms, or what slice of the Star Wars universe it will explore. The game will be built using Ubisoft’s own Snowdrop engine, which is best known as the tech behind The Division series.Earlier this week, Disney rebranded its game division to Lucasfilm Games for what it described as “a new era.” Since then, the company announced not only Ubisoft’s Star Wars game, but also an Indiana Jones title from Bethesda studio... Continue reading…

The Neat Microphones Beecaster and Bumblebee (not all of its mics are bee-themed) | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Gaming peripheral company Turtle Beach is acquiring Neat Microphones, makers of eclectic-looking desktop USB microphones that stray from the industry standard. Neat’s leadership has plenty of experience in the market. They were the original founders of popular brand Blue Microphones, now owned by Logitech. Turtle Beach declined to share financial terms of the acquisition.In a press release shared with The Verge, Turtle Beach CEO Juergen Stark says Neat’s technology will “further enhance our future industry-leading Turtle Beach and Roccat products.” Though the deal also represents Turtle Beach’s expansion beyond gaming with “[Neat’s] broader assortment of consumer and prosumer audio products.”You may disagree, but I hope Neat gets to... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Over a dozen devices including the original OnePlus 1 and Sony Xperia Z3 won’t be able to connect to T-Mobile’s network from January 29th, the carrier has announced in a support document. T-Mobile says this is the result of a network update, and that the affected devices are not able to receive a software update to allow them to stay connected.“As a result of a network update going into place on 1/29/2021, we identified a small number of older devices that are not able to receive a manufacturer software update and as a result, these devices will be unable to establish a network connection,” the document reads. “T-Mobile and Metro customers utilizing these older devices will lose all network connectivity if they do not replace their... Continue reading…

Razer Blade 15 Advanced | Razer Yesterday, AMD and Nvidia took to the CES virtual stage to announce their respective updates. AMD headlined with a new series of CPUs, the 7nm Ryzen 5000 series, that is going to be a really compelling gaming laptop option. Nvidia headlined with new graphics for laptops, bringing some performance that was previously exclusive to desktop machines.With all the parts from AMD, Nvidia, and Intel out, the laptops made up of those parts were free to be announced. And so we had a very, very large pile of gaming laptops to sift through from Asus, Razer, Acer, Lenovo, Gigabyte, Dell, and Origin.They’re all linked below and taken in sum I am optimistic that it is going to be a very good year for gaming laptops. I wouldn’t go so far as to say... Continue reading…

Photo by Becca Farsace / The Verge Which tech made it to our homes, and which will stay only in our hearts Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge When a young teenager signs up for TikTok, their account will now be more private by default. TikTok said today that it’s updating the default settings for users aged 13 to 15, limiting who can see and comment on their videos. Only users who they add as friends will be able to view their videos, and their account won’t be suggested to other users.TikTok will also completely disable the option to let anyone comment on these users’ videos, even if they make their account public. Users between 13 and 15 will only be able to allow their friends to comment on their videos, or they can turn off comments altogether.TikTok has been gradually adding more privacy controls and restrictions for younger usersThe app’s Duet and Stitch features,... Continue reading…

Nvidia and AMD addressed the great GPU shortage today, revealing it may take many months before you’ll easily find a card like the RTX 3080 on shelves. They didn’t say how much a renewed Trump import tax on graphics cards might impact their prices — but now, Nvidia partners EVGA and Zotac may have done that for usBoth graphics card manufacturers have now raised their prices across the board, with EVGA following Asus’s lead by openly admitting at the top of its website that it’s making these adjustments. Zotac, on the other hand, appears to have quietly raised prices not once, but twice in recent weeks — and thanks to the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine, we can show you how both company’s prices have changed (at their own stores,... Continue reading…

Joshua Roberts/Getty Images YouTube has removed a new video uploaded to President Trump’s account for violating the company’s content policies on inciting violence. The account has also been issued a “strike” and is unable to upload new content for at least a week. It’s presently unclear exactly which video prompted the action on Trump’s account, or what the offending material was. YouTube declined to provide specific details on the video’s content.“After careful review, and in light of concerns about the ongoing potential for violence, we removed new content uploaded to the Donald J. Trump channel and issued a strike for violating our policies for inciting violence.” YouTube says in a statement to The Verge. “As a result, in accordance with our long-standing... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge DarkMarket, reportedly the world’s largest dark web marketplace, has been taken offline by a Europol-coordinated international operation, according to authorities (via Gizmodo). German law enforcement arrested the Australian man believed to be the operator of the illegal site, and seized 20 servers that hosted it, bringing an end to what had become a hotbed of illegal activity.Before its closure, DarkMarket hosted close to 500,000 users and had facilitated over 320,000 transactions, according to Europol. The dark web marketplace traded everything from drugs and counterfeit money to stolen credit card details and malware. Per Europol’s estimate, the site traded the equivalent of €140 million in today’s money, in a mix of bitcoin and... Continue reading…

Photo Illustration by Pavlo Gonchar/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images You should go read this Gizmodo report that uses Parler’s leaked GPS data to show that its users were among the mob that stormed the Capitol last Wednesday. The report comes in the wake of the social network’s near-complete removal from the Internet, and is a good read for anyone who’s been following the story. The reporters, Dell Cameron and Dhruv Mehrotra, had to sift through tons of posts to build a map of the riot:

Photo by Sean Hollister / The Verge Nvidia’s new RTX 3080, 3070, 3060 Ti and 3090 and the AMD RX 6800 and 6800 XT are all incredibly hard to find, selling out instantly whenever they appear, due to an incredible level of demand that makes these GPUs worth many hundreds of dollars more than MSRP. A Trump tax and surging cryptocurrency prices may be about to make them even more expensive, too. Many older graphics cards are sold out online as well.This week, Nvidia and AMD finally have some updates — and it’s bittersweet news.On the plus side, AMD tells The Verge it expects to sell more of its own reference design RX 6800, 6800 XT and RX 6900 XT cards on its own website in the first quarter of 2021 at their sticker prices, which should mean $579, $649 and $999 instead of... Continue reading…

The Galaxy S21 Ultra lineup. | Image: Roland Quandt on Twitter Samsung’s next top-of-the-line smartphone may come in brown, according to leaked marketing renders of the entire Galaxy S21 lineup shared by WinFuture writer Roland Quandt, and I have to say that it’s giving me some serious Microsoft Zune vibes.The phone won’t just come in brown, though — it appears there are five colors planned for Samsung’s Galaxy S21 Ultra, including that brown, and you can see all of them at the top of this post and pictured below. Image: Roland Quandt on Twitter Another render of the S21 Ultra lineup. Other notable phones have been brown-ish. I’d argue that the gold iPhone 8’s aluminum could look like a very light brown in the right light, and the gold iPhone XS’s back has some brown... Continue reading…

There aren’t many good ways to lose $220 million, but this New York Times article highlights a particularly egregious one — losing millions of dollars in bitcoin because you forgot the password to your digital wallet.Stefan Thomas’ 7,002 bitcoin (worth roughly $220 million) are locked away in an IronKey hard drive, according to NYT’s Nathaniel Popper. The problem is he can’t remember the password, and he’s just two failed password attempts closer to losing them forever due to IronKey’s strict security protocols. There is the possibility of paying someone to crack the drive, but Thomas would have to have the time and money to make that happen.It’s a darkly comedic scenario, and Popper’s story hits all of the cryptocurrency classics to... Continue reading…

Image: AMD If you’ve yearned for the power of the Threadripper Pro, but haven’t wanted to buy a ThinkStation, you’re in luck: starting in March, AMD will begin selling the CPUs directly to consumers, ending Lenovo’s exclusive access to the processor line.While the vanilla Threadripper seems like the peak of computing power to many (myself included), there are certain benefits the Pro line offers that would be seriously beneficial to those who need them:

Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images Anyone traveling to the United States on an international flight will have to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test within three days before the trip, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Tuesday. The order will go into effect on January 26th.The sweeping requirement comes a few weeks after the CDC mandated that anyone flying in from the United Kingdom must receive a negative test result within the 72 hours prior to their flight. That order was based on concerns about a more contagious coronavirus variant spreading through the UK. That variant is already present in the United States.Testing “can make travel safer, healthier, and more responsible by reducing spread on planes, in airports, and at destinations,”... Continue reading…

Image: Canoo Apple held meetings with California EV startup Canoo in the first half of 2020 as part of the Silicon Valley giant’s secretive effort to advance its own electric vehicle project, three people familiar with the talks have told The Verge. The two companies discussed options ranging from investment to an acquisition, according to two of the people.Canoo’s scalable electric vehicle platform, or “skateboard,” is largely what drew Apple’s interest, the people said. The platform is different from ones developed by other startups and larger automakers because it integrates more of the car’s electronics, allowing for greater flexibility in cabin design. It also features steer-by-wire technology, which also increases design flexibility and is not... Continue reading…

Here’s the Origin EVO15-S, now available with RTX 3000 graphics. | Image: Origin Origin has upgraded its EVO15-S and EVO17-S gaming notebooks and its NT-15 and NT-17 workstations to include Nvidia’s latest GeForce RTX 3000 mobile graphics cards (up to an RTX 3080 with Max-Q design).You can configure both lines with 10th Gen Core i7 Intel processors, up to 64GB of RAM, and up to 2 x 2TB of storage. You can select a 300Hz 1080p display (a new option for the 2021 models), a 144Hz 1080p display, or a 60Hz UHD display (which is an OLED on the 15-inch models).All models have a useful selection of connections, including three USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports, one Thunderbolt 3 port, one microSD Push-Push card reader, one Mini DisplayPort 1.3, one HDMI output, and one RJ-45 Ethernet jack. Image: Origin If you... Continue reading…

Photo Illustration by Chesnot/Getty Images GitHub reportedly fired a Jewish employee after he posted a message in Slack that said “stay safe homies, Nazis are about” the day of the attack on the US Capitol, according to Business Insider.The message sparked controversy inside the company, with one colleague criticizing him for using divisive language. GitHub’s HR team chastised the employee for using the word “Nazi” in a company Slack channel. Two days later, GitHub allegedly fired him, citing vague patterns of behavior. The employee asked Business Insider to remain anonymous for fear of online harassment.The move shows a lack of understanding on the part of GitHub management, both about the gravity of the attack on the US Capitol and the contextual use of the word Nazi. After... Continue reading…

No, not like this. (This is Arlo’s previous doorbell.) | Image: Arlo “Finally, a doorbell for the pandemic era,” we remarked, as Alarm.com introduced its sub-$200 Touchless Video Doorbell yesterday. But what was once a curiosity has now become a trend: Netgear spinoff Arlo now has its own Touchless Video Doorbell too, right down to the same product name.Arlo doesn’t have a price, release date, or even a picture of the new doorbell, which got me to thinking: why does it need to be any different than the doorbells that Arlo (and Google’s Nest and Amazon’s Ring, etc.) already offer today?Here’s how Arlo describes the idea:

Tesla’s vehicles have been acing the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) crash tests for years, and the Model Y is now the latest to join those ranks, with the midsize SUV scoring five stars in every category that the group tests for crash safety.NHTSA grades cars on a variety of crash test metrics, including frontal crashes (with subcategories for both the driver and passenger seats), side crashes (for crashes into both a barrier and a pole), and rollover scenarios. The Model Y scores five-star results across the board — although, as with the NHTSA’s previous tests, these results are only for regular, human-piloted scenarios, not Tesla’s self-driving Autopilot mode.Of course, pictures and star ratings are all... Continue reading…

Photo by Sarah Silbiger / AFP via Getty Images The Justice Department has received over 100,000 pieces of digital evidence following last week’s deadly attack on the US Capitol.Shortly after a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol last Wednesday, the FBI posted a tweet requesting any information that could help identify people who participated in the riot. As of Tuesday, the FBI said it received more than 100,000 pieces of digital evidence in the wake of that request.

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Weber has acquired June, a smart oven startup that sells countertop ovens with a camera and temperature sensor built in so that they can automatically bake, roast, and otherwise cook foods in a variety of ways.June, founded in 2013, has introduced three generations of its smart oven, with the latest being announced in October 2020. You can’t actually buy one currently — June’s website says they’re only available on a waitlist.Weber wants to offer digital products that “make grilling more dynamic and exciting”Development of the June Oven and other June products will continue after the acquisition, Weber says. June will operate as a distinct business unit within Weber, led by Matt Van Horn, a June co-founder and the current CEO. Weber... Continue reading…

Photo by Kena Betancur / AFP via Getty Images Buggy websites and complex online tools are being used to schedule COVID-19 vaccine appointments across the United States. The systems are hard to navigate for many people, but they’re particularly inaccessible for older adults. People over the ages of 65 and 75 are prioritized for early waves of vaccination and are most at risk from COVID-19 — but they’re also often uncomfortable and unfamiliar with technology.“The most vulnerable people are left behind even more so than if we hadn’t used more of a technology-oriented solution,” says Ethan Basch, a medical oncologist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and physician-in-chief at the North Carolina Cancer Hospital.Across the country, registration websites for vaccine... Continue reading…

Here’s the Zephyrus G15 in “moonlight white.” | Image: Asus The ROG Zephyrus G14 is one of the best laptops we saw in 2020, in part due to its exceptional Ryzen 9 4900HS processor. Asus has updated the Zephyrus G14 (plus its larger sibling, the Zephyrus G15) with the latest chips from AMD and Nvidia.In addition to the chip upgrades, both models have new display options. The G14 now comes with a 144Hz panel. There’s a 2K 120Hz model as well, which Asus says covers the full DCI-P3 color gamut. The G15 has a 165Hz QHD display, also with 100 percent DCIP-3 coverage.Asus has also added new animations to its Anime Matrix (the grid of LED lights that cover the lid of the G14). There’s now a virtual pet that can live on the display and interact with you. That sounds very cute (and also potentially... Continue reading…

Alienware m15 R4 | Photo: Dell Alienware is upgrading its m15 and m17 gaming laptops with some boosted specs at CES 2021, with the new R4 models offering Nvidia’s latest RTX 3000 series GPUs for laptops, faster memory options, more internal storage, and — for the m17 R4, specifically — an optional 360Hz display, a first for Alienware.Both the 15-inch and 17-inch models still offer Intel’s 10th Gen Intel Core i7-10870H and Core i9-10980HK CPU options, but they can now be configured with up to 32GB of 2,933MHz memory and up to 4TB of PCIe storage. There’s newly added HDMI 2.1 support for better output to your fancy new TV — especially for gaming. And the aforementioned 360Hz display option gives the 17-inch model a 1080p, 360Hz panel with G-Sync for folks who need the... Continue reading…

If you’re interested in learning about the Lenovo Legion 5i gaming laptop, I now have much more than a mere written review to share with you. Swedish metal band Iron Savages was paid by an ad agency that’s representing Lenovo to scream a few choice lines from my review, and producer Claudio Marino made the video above.To be clear, this is an ad. The agency asked for my permission to use some quotes from our review, and I said yes. That was in early November, and I quite honestly forgot about what I had agreed to. Then today, at the height of our collective CES 2021 grind at The Verge, it appeared in my inbox. It gave all of us some much-needed dumb delight, and maybe you’ll get a laugh out of it, too. There’s nothing like... Continue reading…

AT&T TV Now is no more. New customers can no longer sign up for telecom’s skinny bundle TV service, similar to YouTube TV or Hulu with Live TV.Instead, customers can only sign up for AT&T TV. Simply put: AT&T now has one virtual TV service instead of two. Existing customers will be able to continue accessing the service and shouldn’t experience any disruptions, a spokesperson told Variety.AT&T has rolled in parts of AT&T TV Now into AT&T TV, including getting rid of the annual contract and not requiring people to own the AT&T TV hardware. Instead, people can use their own compatible devices (Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, etc.) to stream, according to AT&T’s website. There are three different pricing tiers that customers can choose from... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge The first Vergecast of 2021 focuses on the topic we’re thinking about the most at The Verge this month (and probably the foreseeable future): content moderation on the internet.The Verge’s Nilay Patel, Dieter Bohn, Adi Robertson, and Casey Newton chronicle the past week of social media platforms taking action since the Capitol riot: Trump getting banned from sites like Twitter and Facebook and social app Parler being removed from app stores.The crew also dives into what this means for the future of content moderation for Big Tech, regulation surrounding Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, and the role of competition for social media platforms.You can listen here or in your preferred podcast player to hear the full... Continue reading…

Razer claims to have made the world’s smartest mask: its new reusable N95 respirator called Project Hazel. It’s a concept design with a glossy outside shell made of waterproof and scratch-resistant recycled plastic, which is transparent to allow for lip-reading and seeing facial cues when you chat with people.Currently, there isn’t a price or release date attached. Razer refers to Project Hazel as a surgical N95, but it hasn’t yet earned any of the necessary approvals and certifications from the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or Occupational Safety and Health Administration. In a statement to The Verge, Razer said it is working with a team of medical experts and scientists who are helping... Continue reading…

Image: Asus Asus announced a new mechanical keyboard at CES 2021 called the ROG Claymore II. It’s designed for gamers, with customizable macro keys and per-key RGB backlighting. It’s also the first device to feature Asus’ own ROG RX Blue or Red optical switches with a claimed 100 million keypress lifespan.This model gives a nod to people who just can’t totally quit the numpad: you can detach it to make the Claymore II an 80 percent keyboard if you need to save space or magnetically attach it when you need to crunch some numbers. The numpad also offers more intuitive media controls, like a volume dial.The ROG Claymore II connects either via a USB-C cable or wireless via 2.4GHz. If you use it wirelessly, its 4,000mAh battery is supposed to last for... Continue reading…

ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images Created “exclusively for the U.S. Hispanic audience,” PrendeTV is Univision’s entry into the streaming wars, offering a collection of free Spanish programming.PrendeTV, which gets its name for the Spanish phrase for “switch on,” will launch this quarter, according to Univision. The service will have “an unprecedented collection of high-quality, curated Spanish-language series [and] movies,” as well as some other entertainment. PrendeTV will also offer 30 live channels and more than 10,000 hours of on-demand content at launch, according to the company, with the goal to expand that offering once launched. It will be available on desktop and mobile, as well as a free app on connected TVs.Univision’s biggest competitor in the Spanish... Continue reading…

The ROG Swift PG32UQ will be a G-Sync-compatible gaming monitor | Asus Asus is gearing up to release its first gaming monitor to support HDMI 2.1, which boasts enough bandwidth to display up to 4K resolution at 120 frames per second when connected to a compatible Windows PC, Xbox Series X, or PS5. The ROG Swift PG32UQ is, according to Asus, the world’s first 32-inch HDMI 2.1 gaming monitor, and both of its HDMI ports support the latest standard.Connecting via DisplayPort 1.4 allows this monitor to display 4K at a 144Hz refresh rate on PC if you have components capable enough to soar that high. For this feature, Asus credits a technology called Display Stream Compression (DSC) that compresses UHD streams without a perceptible drop in visual quality.Like the Acer Nitro XV28 announced last week, the ROG... Continue reading…