The Verge

It's been a bit of a wait, but a big new game from Pokemon developer Game Freak is almost here. During the Xbox Developer Direct showcase, the studio showed off more gameplay for its action RPG Beast of Incarnation, and confirmed that it will be launching in the summer of 2026 on the PS5, Xbox, [...]

Forza Horizon 6 will launch on Xbox Series X / S and PC on May 19th, Xbox and developer Playground Games announced during Thursday's Developer Direct showcase. If you preorder the Premium Edition, you can play starting May 15th. The game will come to PS5 later this year. The game has the largest map in [...]

In a now-annual tradition, Microsoft is kicking off the year with a showcase of some of its biggest upcoming games. Last year's edition of the Xbox Developer Direct had some big names, like Doom: The Dark Ages and a little game called Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. And we already know the three main titles that [...]

Sony is releasing a new turntable for the first time since 2019. Two, in fact. The entry-level PS-LX3BT ($399.99) and step-up PS-LX5BT ($499.99) are designed for easy operation with both wired and Bluetooth hi-res audio. Both turntables include one-button automatic playback - which starts the turntable, raises and lowers the tonearm on the vinyl, and [...]

This is Lowpass by Janko Roettgers, a newsletter on the ever-evolving intersection of tech and entertainment, syndicated just for The Verge subscribers once a week. When free TV startup Telly came out of stealth in 2023, it did so with big promises: Company executives told the media at the time that Telly would ship 500,000 [...]

Developers have been comparing the strengths and weaknesses of Anthropic's Claude Code, Anysphere's Cursor, and Microsoft's GitHub Copilot for months now, looking for a winner. While no individual AI coding tool manages to be the best at every task that software developers do each day, Claude Code is increasingly coming out on top for its [...]

Today's episode of Decoder is about X, Grok, and Elon Musk. By now we're several weeks into one of the worst, most upsetting, and most stupidly irresponsible AI controversies in the short history of generative AI. Grok, the chatbot made by Elon Musk's xAI, is able to make all manner of AI-generated images, including nonconsensual [...]

Google is helping AI Mode to provide more personalized responses in Search by allowing the chatbot to analyze your Gmail and Google Photos accounts. After launching for Gemini AI last week, "Personal Intelligence" is now coming to tailor AI Mode search results to your interests and daily life by gathering information from your emails and [...]

Two years ago, Lenovo introduced a collection of modular Magic Bay accessories for its ThinkBook 16p. They attached to a magnetic pin connector at the top of the laptop's display and added functionality like an improved 4K webcam, or LTE connectivity. The company has since expanded Magic Bay compatibility to more of its laptops and [...]

AMD announced an improved version of its popular Ryzen 7 9800X3D processor at CES earlier this month, and it's now confirming a release date and pricing today. The new Ryzen 7 9850X3D will debut on January 29th, priced at $499. That's $20 more than the initial retail pricing of the 9800X3D, and this faster 9850X3D [...]

A new tool aims to help AI chatbots generate more human-sounding text - with the help of Wikipedia's guide for detecting AI, as reported by Ars Technica. Developer Siqi Chen says he created the tool, called Humanizer, by feeding Anthropic's Claude the list of tells that Wikipedia's volunteer editors put together as part of an [...]

A successful phishing attack can cost a business an average of $4.8 million, according to research from IBM. To help reduce the risk of one succeeding, either at work or at home, 1Password is introducing a new phishing prevention feature that will watch for telltale signs of an attack, such as a website URL that's [...]

Waymo is kicking off the new year with a new city: Miami. Starting today, anyone on the company's waitlist of approximately 10,000 people can hail one of its robotaxis for trips within a 60-square-mile service area that includes popular neighborhoods like the Design District and Wynwood, Brickell, and Coral Gables - but not popular tourist [...]

As Hollywood continues to embrace generative AI, Adobe is taking steps to make its Firefly suite of creative tools the go-to for studios' entertainment production needs. Timed to this year's Sundance Film Festival, Adobe has announced that it is working with a number of studios, directors, and talent agencies to develop "private, IP-safe" Firefly Foundry [...]

Ubisoft is making some massive changes to its business: As part of a reorganization, the company will focus its efforts on the big open-world games it's famous for along with live service titles, and it has canceled six in-development games, including Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake. It's all part of a recent [...]

Around 800 artists, writers, actors, and musicians signed on to a new campaign against what they call "theft at a grand scale" by AI companies. The signatories of the campaign - called "Stealing Isn't Innovation" - include authors George Saunders and Jodi Picoult, actors Cate Blanchett and Scarlett Johansson, and musicians like the band R.E.M., [...]

SpaceX has the most internet-beaming satellites in its constellation, but the competition is coming, and now Jeff Bezos' space company, Blue Origin, has announced the TeraWave network. It says TeraWave will offer bandwidth of up to 6Tb available anywhere on Earth, for both upload and download. The only wrinkle? Even after satellite deployments are scheduled [...]

As we've previously lamented, one of Bluetooth's best modern features isn't being embraced by the tech world, but that's changing. Sennheiser has announced a new pair of wireless headphones and a transmitter designed for private TV watching that both use a Bluetooth feature called Auracast. Like tuning into a radio station broadcast from a tower, [...]

When it comes to finding a device to read ebooks, you have a few options to choose from. You can always buy a tablet or use your phone, but those devices are multipurpose and can be used for a ton of things, like surfing the web or doomscrolling on X or Bluesky. If you are [...]

Apple is working on an AI-powered wearable pin with cameras and microphones designed to pick up a user's surroundings, according to a report from The Information. The rumored device is reportedly the size of an AirTag, with a "thin, flat, circular" housing made from aluminum and glass. The Information reports that Apple's rumored AI pin [...]

Anthropic is overhauling Claude's so-called "soul doc." The new missive is a 57-page document titled "Claude's Constitution," which details "Anthropic's intentions for the model's values and behavior," aimed not at outside readers but the model itself. The document is designed to spell out Claude's "ethical character" and "core identity," including how it should balance conflicting [...]

Apple is planning a big Siri overhaul that will transform the voice assistant into an AI chatbot built directly into its iPhone and Mac, according to Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman. The update is reportedly coming later this year and will replace the existing Siri interface, allowing users to interact with the assistant by both typing [...]

It looks like Samsung is preparing to launch a new Qi2 battery pack for the upcoming Galaxy S26, which is rumored to support the upgraded charging standard. A report from Winfuture shows off leaked images of what appears to be the new accessory, outfitted with a magnetic Qi2 charging ring that delivers up to 15W [...]

Volvo's EX60, with fast-charging capabilities and a brand-new electric architecture, made its official debut today, with the Swedish automaker positioning the crossover EV as a new direction for its battery-powered lineup. With up to 400 miles of estimated range and an 800-volt architecture for ultra-fast charging, the EX60 feels like a concerted effort by Volvo [...]

Ubisoft is announcing a major reorganization, and with the changes, it's refocusing its portfolio and canceling some games, including the beleaguered remake of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. With the reorganization, Ubisoft will focus its efforts on big open worlds and live service games and is making "accelerated investments" in "player-facing Generative AI." [...]

ElevenLabs has released an album of AI-generated songs in its latest attempt to separate itself from the ethical concerns surrounding AI music. The Eleven Album aims to showcase "how artists can use AI to expand their creative range while maintaining full authorship and commercial rights," according to ElevenLabs. ElevenLabs is using the album to market [...]

The Trump administration took the next step toward unilaterally jumpstarting deep-sea mining this week, announcing a "consolidated" permitting process for both searching for and commercially extracting minerals that have so far remained relatively untouched. These minerals are found so deep in the sea that they're beyond any single nation's national jurisdiction - which is why [...]

If you want better audio than your phone can deliver while creating content on the go but a high-end wireless mic isn't in the budget, DJI's Mic Mini is worth a look. It'll improve your audio without putting much of a dent in your wallet, especially today now you can buy it with a single [...]

Nex Computer, a company that makes hardware designed to turn your phone into a laptop, is working on something new: the NexPhone. It's a midrange phone that's designed to double as your computer and comes with Android and Linux installed, both of which will offer desktop experiences when plugged into a monitor. But the NexPhone's [...]

Sony is the latest company to announce a pair of open-style wireless earbuds that clip onto the back of your ear instead of resting inside it. The new Sony LinkBuds Clip Open earbuds are similar to the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds, JVC's Nearphones, and Shokz' OpenDots One, with a design that doesn't block the ear [...]

It's been just one week since Verizon got permission to lift its 60-day phone unlocking period, and the carrier is already making changes to its policy. Now, Verizon says customers who activate a phone on one of its subbrands, including Visible, TracFone, Straight Talk, and Total Wireless, will have to pay for service for 365 [...]

A couple of weeks ago, Adam Mosseri posted to his grid. In a series of messages, Instagram's top exec laid out his concerns for the platform in the coming year, largely around AI. The post was equal parts Working Through It, a sounding of alarms, and a rallying cry to creators who use the platform: [...]

YouTube TV is getting ready to launch two major updates that will allow you to watch multiple non-sports channels simultaneously, as well as choose from 10 new paid plans focused on a range of topics, including sports, entertainment, and news. In his annual letter to users, YouTube CEO Neal Mohan says both of these changes [...]

Your YouTube Shorts feed might soon be filled with a lot more AI-generated content from your favorite creators - including AI-generated versions of the creators themselves. In his annual letter released today, YouTube CEO Neal Mohan says that sometime this year, creators will be able to make Shorts using their "own likeness." Mohan didn't share [...]

Adobe has added new generative AI features to Acrobat that aim to help you quickly edit PDFs and summarize them in audio and visual formats. These updates include chat-based editing and the ability to generate personalized podcasts and presentations based on your docs, which are now available in Acrobat Studio - the AI-infused document workspace [...]

We're living in a pretty great time for detective games. Over the last few years, developers have been experimenting with all kinds of different ways of turning the act of investigation into a compelling game, which has led to the likes of Her Story, Return of the Obra Dinn, and the Golden Idol series, to [...]

On a blustery afternoon late last year, on the lawn just outside City Hall in Rowlett, Texas, a strange-looking craft cleared the trees just before me. It hovered overhead for a moment before lowering a second craft on a thin rope all the way to a parched patch of grass. The little, white thing deposited [...]

I'm not sure anyone saw this news coming, but the TV landscape as we know it could change considerably over the next year or two. Sony, the storied Japanese TV brand, has announced that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with its Chinese competitor TCL. This potential partnership - with TCL set to hold [...]

OpenAI says it will minimize water use and pay for energy infrastructure upgrades needed to power its data centers. "We're being good neighbors," the company said, directly addressing the growing opposition to AI projects amid rising utility bills. "We commit to paying our own way on energy, so that our operations don't increase your electricity [...]

OpenAI has added age prediction features to ChatGPT, meant to identify and bolster protections for underage users. These age detection plans were announced in December alongside updated guidelines for interacting with teens and follow a rise in similar age-gating efforts from online platforms, including Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and Roblox. ChatGPT's age prediction model works by [...]

Welcome to Regulator, a newsletter for Verge subscribers about the technology and the tech bros upending American politics and the Trump administration. If you're not a subscriber yet, and you're interested in Silicon Valley's adventures in sausage-making, you should do so here! It's Q1! Surely the corporate budget will allow for it. Precisely one year [...]

Whether you're buying your first pair of AirPods or replacing a well-used older pair, it's easy to understand why so many iPhone owners prefer Apple's earbuds and headphones over other options. Apple has spent years gradually adding new features that work best - and sometimes only work at all - with the company's own devices. [...]

Netflix's advertising business more than doubled its advertising revenue to $1.5 billion from 2024 to 2025 - and it's on track to keep growing. "We expect that [advertising] business to roughly double again in '26 to about $3 billion," Netflix co-CEO Greg Peters said during an earnings call on Tuesday, hours ahead of its live [...]

Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) staffers working at the Social Security Administration (SSA) broke protocols, had more access to sensitive data on Americans than previously disclosed, and were in touch with a political advocacy group hunting for election fraud, the Trump administration admitted in a recent court filing. Justice Department officials told a federal court [...]

Netflix is working on a new mobile UI set to roll out later this year that will "better serve the expansion of our business over the decade to come," co-CEO Greg Peters said in an earnings call on Tuesday. The new mobile UI follows last year's big TV revamp that put a new banner front [...]

The Federal Trade Commission will appeal its loss in a landmark antitrust case against Meta, the agency announced Tuesday. US District Court Judge James Boasberg ruled in November that the government failed to prove that Meta had an illegal monopoly over a subset of social networking services meant for connecting with friends and family online. [...]

Last year, Nova Launcher founder and sole developer Kevin Barry announced he had left Branch Metrics, Nova's parent company at the time - which followed an announcement from 2024 that nearly everyone working on the project had been laid off. But the launcher is getting new life: in a blog post on Tuesday, the Swedish [...]

Did you save your Google Stadia controller like I told you last month? It's still not too late. This week, Google has finally removed the tool that converts the now-useless controller into a decent Bluetooth gamepad. But there's another way. Christopher Klay, who previously developed the Stadia Enhanced browser extension, is one of many who [...]

If you buy digital games for the Nintendo Switch 2, Samsung's P9 microSD Express card offers an easier way to expand your storage without constantly deleting games to make room. It's cheaper than other microSD cards, and it's an even better value right now, with the 512GB version priced at $79.99 ($40 off) - just [...]

A little over a decade ago, Life is Strange burst onto the scene with a unique blend of teen drama and interactive storytelling. That first game told the story of Max Caulfield, who had the supernatural ability to reverse time, and her best friend Chloe Price. Now developer Deck Nine Games is finally bringing their [...]