Chris Pratt is Mario in Nintendo’s animated movie, coming December 21st, 2022

Nintendo and Illumination’s upcoming Mario movie just got a big update during today’s Nintendo Direct presentation: it’ll hit theaters on December 21st, 2022, with Chris Pratt set to voice Mario.

The upcoming film will also feature a ridiculously star-studded cast of voice actors, including Anya Joy-Taylor as Princess Peach, Charlie Day as Luigi, Jack Black as Bowser, Seth Rogan as Donkey Kong, Keegan-Michael Key as Toad, and Fred Armisen as Cranky Kong. Charles Martinet, who’s voiced Mario in Nintendo’s games for over three decades, will also appear in the film for “surprise cameos.” Also set to appear in the film are Kevin Michael Richardson as Kamek, and Sebastian Maniscalco as Spike.

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Nintendo Switch Online is getting an ‘expansion pack’ with N64 and Genesis games

The upcoming Nintendo 64 and Sega Genesis controllers for Switch. | Image: Nintendo

Nintendo is adding a new membership tier to Nintendo Switch Online that lets you play Nintendo 64 games and Sega Genesis games. The new tier, called Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack, will be officially released in late October.

Nintendo didn’t share pricing, and promised it will share more news ahead of the official launch date. But the company did share the games you’ll be able to play when it launches, which include some of the biggest hits across both of the classic consoles.

Here’s the launch lineup of N64 games:

• Super Mario 64
• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
• Mario Kart 64
• Star Fox 64
• Sin and Punishment
• Dr. Mario 64
• Mario Tennis 64
• WinBack
• Yoshi’s Story

Here are the N64 games coming in the future:

• Banjo-Kazooie
• Pokémon...

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The original Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is coming to the Switch on November 11th

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic may be getting an exciting new remake for the PlayStation 5 and PC sometime in the future, but for fans looking to revisit the original, the classic RPG is making its way to the Nintendo Switch on November 11th, Nintendo announced today.

The original Knights of the Old Republic was first released for the Xbox in 2003, but it’s since been ported to a variety of other platforms, including PC, macOS, and even iOS and Android phones. It’s also the latest in a series of classic Star Wars games that have made their way to the Switch in recent years, including Star Wars Episode 1: Racer, Star Wars: Republic Commando, and Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy.

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic...

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Kirby and the Forgotten Land is coming to the Switch next year

One of the bigger surprises of Nintendo’s latest Direct was a brand-new Kirby game — one that throws the cute pink ball into a post-apocalyptic world.

It’s called Kirby and the Forgotten Land, and it looks to be a 3D exploration title about a world that’s been largely abandoned. Nintendo describes is as “a mysterious world full of abandoned structures from a past civilization.” It certainly looks less bright and cheerful compared to his previous adventures, though Kirby still has the ability to absorb other’s powers and wear cute outfits, and is fighting some familiar foes along the way.

News of the game actually leaked out a bit earlier in the day. When it debuts, the game will join a growing list of Kirby titles on the Switch including...

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You’re not allowed to use the Apple Watch Series 7’s secret wireless dock

Image: Apple

The Apple Watch Series 7 has a new 60.5GHz module that works with a secret, corresponding dock, according to FCC filings (via MacRumors). The new wireless data transfer feature is designed to pair with a corresponding dock that Apple will use for currently unknown internal purposes. When the Series 7 watch is placed on that pad, it’ll activate the module — customers won’t actually be able to use it.

Now, this is technically nothing new for the Apple Watch, which has included a hidden physical diagnostic port since its inception. Without actually seeing an Apple Watch Series 7 in person (and checking to see if Apple is removing the physical port), it’s hard to say whether this is some new, nascent Apple technology or just a more...

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If audio is missing from your Instagram Stories, a fix is on the way

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Following the release of Apple’s iOS 15 update, some users have reported strange behavior on Instagram — when an iPhone’s ringer switch is set to silent mode, stories play without audio. Currently, you can even silence a video while it’s still playing by flipping the switch, even though the switch shouldn’t mute the rest of an iPhone’s sounds.

Silent videos might sound like a blessing for friends who love to put every new song Spotify suggests to them in their Instagram Story, but that’s not exactly how the switch is supposed to work. Silent mode is primarily meant to control system sounds like ringtones and text tones, not the audio you hear inside apps.

Facebook is working on a fix

I was able to recreate the behavior on my own iPhone...

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How to pair Bluetooth headphones with your Nintendo Switch

Two controllers is the maximum amount you’ll be able to use while Bluetooth headphones are connected. | Nintendo

Setting up a pair of wireless Bluetooth headphones with a Nintendo Switch used to be a multistep — and somewhat costly — process. First, you needed headphones, then you needed a Bluetooth audio transmitter that’d either plug into your Switch’s headphone jack or its bottom-facing USB-C port. Well, after about four years, Nintendo surprised us with a system update that finally enables said feature natively — no accessories required.

Some Bluetooth transmitters, like Genki’s Switch adapter, may still be worth investing in if you want to be able to connect multiple headphones simultaneously (the Switch only allows one set of headphones to be paired at once). But if it’s just you and your Switch, the newer process is no more complicated than...

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Babies’ poop has way higher levels of microplastic than adults’

Baby with cloth diapers on March 13, 2020 in Bonn, Germany. | Photo by Ute Grabowsky/Photothek via Getty Images

When it comes to babies, a considerable amount of plastic appears to be both going in one end and out the other, according to new research that involved spatulas, diapers, and poop. In particular, the averageconcentration of one pervasive type of microplastic in baby stool was a whopping ten times higher than that in adult stool in a small pilot study published this week. The plastic, calledPET, or polyethylene terephthalate, is widely used in bottles and polyester textiles.

The results suggest that infants could be exposed to even higher levels of microplastics than adults, the study authors say. When babies shove toys or clothing in their mouths, they might end up ingesting tiny fibers or pieces of plastic. Then there are plastic...

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New FTC memo calls for a focus on ‘structural dominance’ from big companies

In a memo to staff, Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan outlined issues she wants to prioritize at the agency | Getty Images

In a memo to staff this week, FTC Chair Lina Khan outlined her new priorities for the agency: to focus on power imbalance, reduce harms to consumers, and address “rampant consolidation.” Khan wrote that the agency should focus its efforts and adjust its strategic approach to deal with the issues created by “next-generation technologies, innovations, and nascent industries across sectors.”

And without mentioning Amazon, Apple, or Facebook by name, Khan’s list of priorities for the FTC signals that the tech giants are likely to face much closer scrutiny from the agency.

First, Khan said, the FTC should take a “holistic” approach to how it considers antitrust violations, which can prove harmful to independent businesses and workers as well...

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New York City passes new protections for delivery workers

Photograph by Philip Montgomery

On Thursday, New York’s city council passed a package of six bills establishing new rights and protections for delivery workers, making it the first major city to address the intense working conditions associated with food delivery. Mayor DeBlasio has previously expressed support for the provisions and is expected to sign them into law without delay.

Passage of the bills was first reported by The City, a local non-profit newsroom.

A Verge feature earlier this month detailed the intense conditions faced by delivery drivers who serve apps like Grubhub and Uber Eats. Wage theft is common, as is physical assault, and pay can fluctuate wildly. Because of the gig work model, there is little security against on-the-job injuries or earnings...

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Clubhouse launches ‘Wave,’ a new way to pull friends into audio chats

Image: Clubhouse

After the feature was leaked last week, Clubhouse is officially launching a new way to invite people to audio chats called “Wave.” The company announced the news at a surprise town hall on Thursday and is enabling the feature today for all users on iOS and Android.

With Wave, you can invite friends to a live audio room just by tapping a waving hand emoji. Once they receive their invitation, they can choose to join your call and immediately get added to an audio room. The company’s blog explains in a bit more detail:

To send a Wave, swipe right on the Hallway or tap the dots icon at the bottom left of the screen. Then tape the wave button next to the person you’d like to chat with. They’ll get a notification that you said hello, and know...

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California passes law targeting Amazon labor algorithms

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed a bill Wednesday that would block Amazon and other companies from punishing warehouse workers who fail to meet certain performance metrics for taking rest or meal breaks. The California Senate approved the measure earlier this month.

The law allows warehouse workers to challenge performance goals that many say discourage them from taking bathroom breaks or other rest breaks throughout the work day. The bill was written in response to high rates of reported injuries at Amazon warehouses where performance quotas are algorithmically enforced.

“The bill is the first attempt to create transparency and protections”

The law does not explicitly name Amazon in its text, but both Republican and Democratic...

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Google’s Nest Hub and Nest Hub Max can now show visual responses and the UI in Spanish

A Google Duo call with the UI in Spanish. | Image: Google

Google is expanding Spanish language support for its Nest Hub and Nest Hub Max devices in the US. Perhaps the biggest change is that the entire UI for the Nest Hub and Nest Hub Max has been translated into Spanish. That means things like visual answers to your queries and control panels now appear in Spanish, Google tells The Verge.

Image: Google

The Nest Hub’s UI in Spanish.

Google has added a handful of new commands that might be useful around the house. One lets you add items to a shopping list — Google gives the example command, “Hey Google, agrega huevos a mi lista de compras” (which translates to “Hey Google, add eggs to my shopping list”). Another lets you call friends and family on Google Duo by saying...

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The Surface Laptop Studio isn’t as original as Microsoft would have you believe

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

Okay, I know this might be partially my fault. When I reviewed Microsoft’s 13.5-inch Surface Book 3 last year, I complained that the design was dated. I complained that my biggest nitpicks about the Surface Book 2 (which I’ve owned for years, by the way) hadn’t been fixed. Microsoft still hadn’t figured out how to do anything new or fun with the detachable, I lamented. “This form factor might be a dead end.”

I love the Surface Book and am a staunch defender of the line. I couldn’t see myself using anything else as my primary driver. I hoped — prayed — that my words would result in Microsoft releasing a slimmer, sleeker, better Surface Book 4. I hoped they’d spur Microsoft into pushing the full-sized detachable workstation, a form factor...

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Microsoft says the original Surface Duo will get Android 11 before the end of the year

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

Microsoft announced a new Surface Duo 2 this week that’s shipping with Android 11, and now the company is committing to release the OS update for original devices this year. “We remain committed to providing updates to Surface Duo, and we’re working to bring Android 11 to existing customers before the end of this year,” says a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to The Verge.

That’s not a firm release date, but then we’ve never had one for Android 11 on the Surface Duo. Previous reports suggested it would land in the summer, but as we move closer to fall and there was no mention at Microsoft’s Surface event, it’s clearly taking longer than expected.

Photo by Becca Farsace / The Verge

The Surface Duo 2 has larger...

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Google Calendar events now include a way to start group chats with attendees

Illustration: Alex Castro / The Verge

Google is adding a new button to Google Calendar events on mobile and the web that will immediately open a chat with meeting attendees. Google launched its rebranded version of Hangouts Chat to customers earlier this year and has slowly added more features to the main Gmail landing page, including its Zoom-like Google Meet video chat.

The new Chat button appears next to the attendee list in a Calendar event. Previously, Google only offered the ability to email attendees about a meeting, but since the company has closely integrated Chats and Gmail — seemingly to popularize Chats — this new addition makes sense. You can start a chat before, during, or after the meeting with attendees, and the feature will be toggled on by default.

...

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Twitter enables tipping with Bitcoin, plans to let users authenticate NFTs

People will be able to mark their NFTs as legitimate on Twitter. | Twitter

Twitter is turning on the ability to ask for tips in Bitcoin through its app, making it the first major social network to embrace the cryptocurrency as a method of payment. The company also plans to let users connect their crypto wallets and authenticate the ownership of NFTs they tweet with a special badge.

Tipping was leaked in Twitter’s app code recently, but the company hasn’t made tips available until Thursday, when the feature is rolling out globally on iOS with Android to follow. Besides Bitcoin, Twitter will let users connect nine traditional payment providers, including Venmo and Cash App, to their profiles to accept tips. Twitter isn’t processing the payments itself.

The Bitcoin tips are facilitated by Strike, a Bitcoin wallet...

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E-bike maker Cowboy finally moseys its way to the US from Europe

Photo by Andrew Hawkins / The Verge

Belgium’s finest electric bike maker, Cowboy, is crossing the pond and expanding its operations to the US. Cowboy will only have one model available to American customers: its fourth-generation e-bike, aptly named the C4. The C4 comes in a high-step or step-through frame and is available for pre-order for the early bird price of $1,990.

This is a very big deal for Cowboy, which has quickly grown into one of the more interesting and impressive e-bike companies in Europe since its launch in 2017. Cowboy has raised $42 million in venture capital funding and sold over 25,000 bikes across 11 different European markets. And now they’re saddling up and heading to the US.

“I’ve never done business in the US”

“I’ve never done business in the...

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Facebook will open its fiber networks to expand broadband access in rural Virginia

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Facebook announced a new project on Thursday that will bring broadband service to thousands of households in Virginia this fall, in partnership with a local ISP and utility company.

The project began with fiber networks Facebook was already building to connect its data centers in Virginia, Ohio, and North Carolina. With that fiber already laid, Facebook partnered with Appalachian Power and GigaBeam Networks to extend the networks to roughly 6,000 households in Grayson County, VA. The homes are projected to have high-speed broadband access by the end of this fall.

“These are really complicated problems that we’re trying to solve”

“These are really complicated problems that we’re trying to solve. If they weren’t complicated, then we still...

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Most dermatology algorithms don’t have transparent data

Photo by: BSIP/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Most algorithms designed to help people identify skin problems don’t let experts see the datasets they were developed with and don’t share information on the skin tone or ethnicity of the patients in those datasets, according to a new review. That could make it hard for people to evaluate the programs before using them and to understand if they might not work as well for certain groups of people, the authors argue.

These types of tools use pictures of skin conditions to teach a system to recognize those same conditions in new images. Someone could upload a picture of a rash or mole, and the tool would be able to tell what type of rash or mole it was.

The paper, published in JAMA Dermatology, analyzed 70 studies that either developed a...

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Unagi reveals ‘The Eleven,’ an electric scooter that plays music, avoids potholes, and looks incredible

Unagi, maker of Iggy Pop’s favorite electric scooters, is releasing its second model called “The Eleven.” (Yes, it’s a Spinal Tap reference.) As such, the company is taking everything that was cool and stylish about the Model One scooters, and dialing it up to, well, eleven.

The number of new, high-tech features on this scooter is truly impressive: swappable batteries, motion-detector alarm system, camera-based advanced driver assistance, and front and rear suspension to help cushion those potholes. But it won’t come cheap; customers can pre-order the Model Eleven for $2,860 including object detection, or for $2,440 without that feature.

“a full on urban assault vehicle”

The Eleven is meant to be the company’s new flagship vehicle....

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Samsung’s new Galaxy Watch 4 is $20 off and comes with a free wireless charger today

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 runs Watch OS 3. | Photo by Dieter Bohn / The Verge

Today only, the new Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 is not only discounted to its best price to date, but the smartwatch also comes with a free dual wireless charging pad. Amazon has the combo on sale for $230, which is $20 cheaper than the watch would normally sell for on its own. The deal encompasses all available colorways, as well as the larger 44mm version for $260 if you prefer a bigger watch. The wireless charging pad you get with it fast charges both the watch and a phone, and it would normally sell for $60 on its own.

The Galaxy Watch 4 launched just over one month ago, and it’s the first device to run the new Wear OS 3 platform that Google and Samsung collaborated on. In our review, we found that even with the software promises of Wear...

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Android adds facial gesture controls and handwriting recognition accessibility features

Image: Google

Google’s raft of new features coming to Android this fall includes some interesting new accessibility features. There are new facial gesture controls designed for people with motor impairments, as well as a new handwriting recognition feature for Lookout, a Google app that uses a phone’s camera to help people with low vision or blindness. There are also improvements coming for Google Assistant, Digital Wellbeing, Nearby Share, and Google’s Android keyboard.

There are two parts to Android’s facial gesture controls. Camera Switches (which has previously been spotted in Android 12’s beta) sits within Android’s existing Accessibility Suite and lets you use gestures like opening your mouth or raising your eyebrows to activate various...

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Google Photos’ nude-friendly folders coming to all Android phones soon

The feature lets you hide photos and videos behind a passcode or biometric security. | Image: Google

Google Photos’ Locked Folder feature, which lets you hide sensitive photos and videos from your main library and secure them in a passcode- or biometric-protected folder, is coming to all devices running Android 6 and above. The feature was released exclusively on newer Pixel phones in June. Google hasn’t provided an exact date for when the feature is releasing more widely, noting only that it’s “rolling out soon.”

When it announced the feature onstage at Google I/O in May, Google gave the wholesome example of the feature being used by parents hiding photos of a newly purchased puppy from their children. But I think it’s fair to say that most people are going to have very different photos stored in their Locked Folder. I don’t know about...

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Here’s how to watch the latest Nintendo Direct

The new Switch with an OLED screen. | Image: Nintendo

Nintendo is hosting one of its Direct streams later today, September 23rd, where it will showcase Switch games launching this winter. Though, that doesn’t mean there won’t be some news on games coming out later in 2022. There’s also a possibility that Nintendo might show off the mysterious device that recently popped up in FCC filings. We think it’s a controller, but given that the company makes so many strange devices, ranging from the Ring Fit Adventure exercise ring to Labo and modern Game & Watch handhelds, who’s to say what’s in store?

Parts of the presentation will likely be focused on what’s coming in the immediate future, which for Nintendo includes its new Switch console that has an OLED screen, along with Metroid Dread. Both...

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Google TV mercifully launches mobile remote for Android users

Image: Google

A new Google TV feature will allow users to use their Android mobile devices as remotes for those moments when your streaming box’s wand disappears without a trace.

Android mobile remote support for Google TV arrives today after the company initially announced the feature during Google I/O back in May. (A spokesperson told _The Verge_the tool will only be available for Android at this time and did not have anything further to share about future iOS support.)

Image: Google

Support for a mobile remote should be a tremendous help to those of us constantly losing our wands beneath mountains of blankets and pillows, but it should also streamline processes for things like entering long or complicated passwords, search...

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Honda will use Google’s embedded Android Automotive in its cars starting in 2022

Photo by Vlad Savov / The Verge

Google nabbed another big automaker in its quest to become the default operating system for cars. Honda will soon begin rolling out vehicles with Google’s embedded Android Automotive OS, which includes Google’s voice-activated Assistant, Google Maps, and other automotive-approved Android apps as the default infotainment.

The first Honda vehicles with embedded Android will start rolling out in 2022. The Japanese automaker wouldn’t say which models it expects to get the new infotainment systems first.

“We will collaborate with Google to better integrate Google in-vehicle services in our vehicles including the ability to more-easily use features like Google Assistant, Google Maps functionality and other in-vehicle apps offered through...

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Android Auto is getting a new look to make futzing with your car less distracting

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

Google announced a few updates to Android Auto, including a new dashboard for Google Assistant driving mode.

Earlier this year, Google shut down the standalone “Android Auto for Phone Screens” app with Android 12. Instead, Android phone owners are now recommended to use the Google Assistant driving mode available within Google Maps or the native Android Auto interface available in select cars.

For Android customers with older cars who use their phones for navigation and other functions, Google Assistant driving mode now includes “glanceable, tappable cards” with music, text messages, and other frequently used apps collected all in one place. Customers will be able to use voice commands like “Hey Google, let’s drive” to open the new...

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The Halo-themed Xbox Series X and PS5 are now available through Walmart

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Walmart is hosting a big console restock event today, September 23rd, at 12PM ET / 9AM PT. It’s going to have the PS5 consoles, along with the standard Xbox Series X and the limited edition Halo Infinite-themed Series X.

In case you’re after that Halo-themed console, try your luck at getting one through this link. Spec-wise, it’s no different than the standard model, but it has a more alluring design, both on the console and the included wireless controller. Two things to note: it’s $549.99, costing $50 more than the regular Series X. Another thing is that you won’t receive this until the game launches on November 15th.

Or, you can try to get the $499.99 Xbox Series X console, which has a Blu-ray disc drive, around 800GB of useable...

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Judge orders Facebook to hand over Myanmar officials’ hate posts for genocide case

Photo by ROBIN VAN LONKHUIJSEN/ANP/AFP via Getty Images

A District of Columbia judge ordered Facebook to let the Gambia government access deleted posts where Myanmar officials promoted hate against the Rohingya people. The order comes more than a year after Facebook rejected a request for the data — which Gambia seeks to use in a genocide case before the International Court of Justice.

Facebook has acknowledged that Myanmar’s military used its app — the country’s de facto portal to the internet — to portray the Rohingya Muslim minority as a terrorist group. Their now-deleted posts encouraged mass murder, displacement, and other human rights abuses. Facebook has provided information separately to the United Nations Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar, but it called Gambian...

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