Epic says it’s ‘open’ to blockchain games after Steam bans them

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Epic tells The Verge that it’s “open to games that support cryptocurrency or blockchain-based assets” on its game store, unlike its competitor Valve which has banned games that feature blockchain technology or NFTs from Steam. When we asked about allowing games that featured NFTs, Epic told us there’d be some limitations, but that it’s willing to work with “early developers” in the “new field.”

Epic says that the games would have to comply with financial laws, make it clear how the blockchain is used, and have appropriate age ratings. It also says that developers won’t be able to use Epic’s payment service to accept crypto; they would have to use their own payment systems instead.

Epic will clarify its rules in the future

Epic’s CEO Tim...

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McDonald’s is testing the McPlant, a Beyond Meat meatless burger

Photo by McDonald’s

McDonald’s new plant-based burger, aptly named the McPlant, is coming to eight restaurants across the US (via CNBC). The fast-food chain teamed up with Beyond Meat to make the meatless option. This comes about a year after McDonald’s ended its P.L.T. pilot, another Beyond Meat branded burger.

It’s still unclear what the differences are between the McPlant and the P.L.T., other than the name. A post on McDonald’s website says that the McPlant patty will contain peas, rice, and potatoes and will also be topped with tomatoes, lettuce, onions, pickles, mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, and American cheese. That sounds a lot like the P.L.T., but we won’t really know until the start of its test on November 3rd. It’s also important to note that the...

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Human rights activist suing Twitter for allegedly giving Saudi spies access to his info

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

A Saudi human rights activist has filed a lawsuit against Twitter, alleging that the company hired two people who spied on behalf of the government of Saudi Arabia and accessed his personal information.

Ali Al-Ahmed, head of the human rights advocacy organization Institute for Gulf Affairs, has frequently been critical of the Saudi government. Twitter, Al-Ahmed claims, did not have the right to disclose or share his private information under its own privacy policy and should have done more to protect his information. He names two men in the suit who were indicted last year (.pdf) by federal prosecutors for working as agents of the Saudi government while working for Twitter several years ago.

Al-Ahmed also claims in the lawsuit that his...

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Moscow adds facial recognition payment system to more than 240 metro stations

Photo by TASS\TASS via Getty Images

Moscow launched “Face Pay” on Friday, a facial recognition payment system implemented in more than 240 Mosmetro stations, “the largest use of facial recognition technology in the world,” officials claim (via The Guardian). The service relies on stored photographs to validate metro payments, an obvious privacy concern given the previous uses of facial recognition technology by the Russian capital’s law enforcement.

Face Pay requires metro riders to upload a photo and connect their bank and metro cards to the Mosmetro mobile app. With everything uploaded, all you need to do is look at the camera posted above the turnstiles to make it in time for your next train. Moscow authorities expect 10 to 15 percent of riders to use Face Pay...

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Busta Rhymes has questions about NFTs, and he has NFTs for sale

Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage

You can’t always take Busta Rhymes literally, and sometimes you shouldn’t take his questions seriously at all, but a tweet from this morning about NFTs is solidly in line with the disturbing reality of 2021.

SHOULD I BUY A HOUSE… or.. A LINK TO A PICTURE OF A PIXELATED MONKEY

— Busta Rhymes (@BustaRhymes) October 15, 2021

I won’t give you, or Busta, any help with your investment or trading decisions. However, understanding that some NFTs are a link to a picture on a server that could change or disappear is information worth knowing before you spend your hard-earned cryptocurrency on a digital collectible.

And yes, Busta Rhymes is talking about crypto and NFTs for the same reason almost anyone else is. Just like every TV network, s...

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Netflix just fired the organizer of the trans employee walkout

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Netflix has fired a leader of the trans employee resource group who was organizing the upcoming October 20th walkout. The employee, who is Black and currently pregnant, asked not to be named for fear of online harassment. They have been encouraging trans employees and allies to walk out of work in protest of Netflix’s handling of the Dave Chappelle special The Closer.

“All these white people are going around talking to the press and speaking publicly on Twitter and the only person who gets fired is the Black person who was quiet the entire time,” says a former employee in an interview with The Verge. “That’s absurd, and just further shows that Black trans people are the ones being targeted in this conversation.”

The employee was...

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Valve says no blockchain games or NFTs on Steam

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Games that use blockchain technology or let users exchange NFTs or cryptocurrencies won’t be allowed on Steam, according to a rule added to Valve’s “What you shouldn’t publish on Steam” list. The change was pointed out by SpacePirate, a developer working on an NFT-based game, who said that the change was because the company doesn’t allow game items that could have real-world value. But Steam could also be avoiding controversy with the move.

Looking at a Wayback Machine capture of the rule page from late August, there are only 12 rules and no mention of cryptocurrencies or NFTs. The new rule is also missing from other documents — it currently doesn’t show up on the Joining the Steamworks Distribution Program page.

Steam's point of view...

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Apple removed a popular Quran app in China

Image: Pakistan Data Management Services

Apple has removed Quran Majeed, a popular app for reading and listening to the Quran, from the App Store in China, the BBC reports. The company reportedly removed the app at the request of government officials, a somewhat surprising move given Islam is a protected religion in the People’s Republic of China.

Quran Majeed is available for free and “recognized by 25 million Muslim users around the world” according to the app’s developer Pakistan Data Management Services. The app’s removal apparently had nothing to do with its religious content, “according to Apple, our app Quran Majeed has been removed from the China App Store because it includes content that is illegal,” the developer told the BBC. The developer says it’s now attempting to...

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Qualcomm is salty about Pixel’s switch to Tensor but really shouldn’t be

Image: Google

The Google Pixel 6 phones will ditch Snapdragon chips for an in-house design, and Qualcomm is clearly feeling a little hurt about it. Qualcomm couldn’t help but throw some shade at Google — in the form of a red flag meme on Twitter (via 9to5Google). In August, Google revealed its Tensor chip, which will make a proper debut at the Pixel 6 event on Tuesday. This marks the end of an era where Pixel phones — and most of Google’s earlier Nexus line — relied on Snapdragon SoCs.

The red flag meme started as a way to identify silly “warning signs” when dating but has since evolved to the point where it can apply to almost anything. Qualcomm came up with this questionable take on the meme, implying that Google’s choice to swap out the Snapdragon...

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Tesla rolls out Safety Score-based insurance product in Texas

Image: Tesla

Tesla is now selling insurance to customers in Texas, two years after first launching the offering in its now-former home state of California. But the version in Texas is different. The company says it will evaluate driving behavior in real-time using the “Safety Score” feature that it recently launched to screen drivers who want to join the beta test of the company’s “Full Self-Driving” beta software.

That means drivers might wind up paying less — or more — per month based on how many forward collision warnings they rack up, how hard they brake, how “aggressively” they turn, how much distance they leave to the car in front, and whether they keep their hands on the wheel when using Autopilot. Tesla used some driving behavior metrics to...

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China launches latest crew of three en route to nation’s Tianhe space station

(L to R) Ye Guangfu, Wang Yaping and Zhai Zhigang, the second crew for China’s new space station, ahead of their launch. | Photo by -/CCTV/AFP via Getty Images

China successfully launched a new crew of three taikonauts into orbit this afternoon, sending them en route to the country’s primary space station, dubbed Tianhe. The crew will meet up with the station in roughly eight hours, sparking a six-month stay in orbit. It’s set to be the longest mission taikonauts have ever taken in space.

The three taikonauts include commander Zhai Zhigang, Wang Yaping, and Ye Guangfu, part of China’s Shenzhou 13 mission. Zhai has been to space before and even performed the first spacewalk for China back in 2008 during the Shenzhou 7 mission. This will be Wang’s second spaceflight, and she will become the first woman to visit the Tianhe station.

Wang will become the first woman to visit the Tianhe station

While...

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Tether will pay $41 million over ‘misleading’ claims it was fully backed by US dollars

Tether will be fined $41 million | Getty Images

Tether will pay $41 million to settle allegations by the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) that it made untrue or misleading statements when it claimed its stablecoins were fully backed by fiat currencies.

The CFTC said in a statement Friday that between June 2016 and February 2019, Tether misrepresented to customers and the cryptocurrencies markets that it had “sufficient US dollar reserves” to back every token when, in fact, its reserves were not fully backed the majority of the time.

In addition, the CFTC said, Tether failed to disclose that it included unsecured receivables and non-fiat assets as part of its reserves, falsely telling investors it would conduct routine audits to show it maintained 100 percent of...

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Batman is getting another Fortnite comic crossover with one of the game’s most mysterious characters

Epic and DC Comics are teaming up again for another crossover with the one-shot comic Batman/Fortnite: Foundation #1, which will arrive in comic book stores on Tuesday, October 26th. The physical comic will also include a bonus code for a Batman Who Laughs skin (which will also be available for purchase in the in-game store) and an exclusive loading screen.

The new comic will pick up after the six-issue Batman: Zero Point crossover comics released earlier this year. But unlike last time, where the Caped Crusader was transported to Fortnite’s uniquely violent island, in the upcoming Batman/Fortnite: Foundation one-shot, the island — or at least, one of its most mysterious denizens — is coming to face off against Batman in Gotham City:

R...

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The best budget laptop of 2021

Photography by Monica Chin / The Verge

The best cheap laptops for video editing, gaming, and more

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Apple just fired a leader of the #AppleToo movement

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Apple has fired Janneke Parrish, a leader of the #AppleToo movement, amid a broad crackdown on leaks and worker organizing. Parrish, a program manager on Apple Maps, was terminated for deleting files off of her work devices during an internal investigation — an action Apple categorized as “non-compliance,” according to people familiar with the situation. The files included apps like Robinhood, Pokémon GO, and Google Drive.

Internally, some employees expressed disbelief that Parrish’s firing could be anything other than retaliation for organizing.

It’s the second time in recent months that an employee has been terminated after speaking out about Apple’s company culture. In September, the tech giant fired Ashley Gjøvik for allegedly...

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Twitch says passwords weren’t exposed in massive data breach

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Twitch has definitively stated that passwords weren’t exposed in last week’s major data breach.

“Twitch passwords have not been exposed,” Twitch said in an update to its webpage about the security incident. “We are also confident that systems that store Twitch login credentials, which are hashed with bcrypt, were not accessed, nor were full credit card numbers or ACH / bank information.”

Last week, what appeared to be leaked source code for Twitch hit the web, and in Friday’s update, Twitch confirmed that was the case. “The exposed data primarily contained documents from Twitch’s source code repository, as well as a subset of creator payout data,” the company said. Twitch claims that the information exposed “only affected a small...

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ZmBIZI’s $550 Z2 phone pays you for your data usage

The ZmBIZI Z2 is a the $550 4G phone that pays you for the personal data you share on your phone.

We live so much of our lives on our smartphones these days that our mobile devices are just full of valuable data that we often unknowingly and freely give to all the major tech companies: our spending habits, our personal preferences, our locations, and much more. Since we can’t really live without our phones, and tech companies aren’t going to stop monetizing our data without a fight, we might as well get our cut of the data pie.

That’s the premise of ZmBIZI phones, the LA-based and minority-owned startup backed by the fintech lender Street Cred Capital that is trying to make our phones work for us. Both its new phone, the Z2, and its proprietary software are designed to share the profit that your mobile data generate, back with you.

I...

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Mobile app helps people manage their blood pressure

Hello Heart

People with high blood pressure who used a smartphone app and at-home monitor were able to drive down their blood pressure, a new study showed. The program, called Hello Heart, lets people track their blood pressure, weight, and physical activity and offers tips on how to manage blood pressure.

Around half of adults in the United States have high blood pressure, but only around a quarter of those people have the condition under control. It can be a tricky condition to manage, particularly if people are only getting measurements taken in the doctor’s office — where it can be higher (from the stress of a doctor’s visit) or lower (through a condition called masked hypertension) than it is at home. But it can be dangerous and puts people at...

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You can now order the new Nintendo 64 and Sega Genesis controllers for Switch

To faithfully play the Nintendo 64 and Sega Genesis games coming to Nintendo Switch Online, you’re going to want the original controllers. Nintendo has posted pages for both the revised Nintendo 64 and Genesis controllers, and you can buy one right now if you’re a Nintendo Switch Online subscriber.

Each one costs $49.99 and includes USB-C charging. In the case of the N64 controller, it includes built-in rumble for games that support it, like Star Fox 64. Both controllers are set to ship on October 25th, and Nintendo is limiting account holders to four of each.

Nintendo Switch Online is the paid service that nets you cloud save backups and access to Tetris 99, retro SNES and NES games, and other content. The cost of that membership is...

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Animal Crossing is getting a big update and paid DLC on November 5th

Brewster is back. | Image: Nintendo

Nintendo just wrapped up a huge Direct presentation focused on new content coming to Animal Crossing: New Horizons, including the game’s major 2.0 update and a significant paid DLC expansion. Both will be available on November 5th.

Let’s start first with the free update, which brings back a lot of familiar faces for longtime Animal Crossing fans. You’ll be able to visit Brewster in his coffee shop, The Roost, Kapp’n will be able to whisk you away to mysterious islands (while serenading you along the way), Katrina the fortune-teller will appear on Harv’s Island, and the odd, noise-making Gyroids have returned.

There are also some great new features for people who have already sunk hours (or hundreds of hours) into New Horizons. There are...

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Roku Streaming Stick 4K review: keeping it simple, now with Dolby Vision

Now with Dolby Vision and slightly faster performance

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How to use iOS 15’s new Focus modes

Image: Apple

These days, it is way too easy to be pulled from your work by notifications and other distractions. In order to help you keep your attention where you want it, Apple has added new Focus features to iOS 15.

The idea is to keep you “in the moment” by filtering out apps or notifications that you don’t want popping up during specific times. The nice thing is that you can create different profiles to keep you from being disturbed, depending on whether you’re at home, at work, getting ready for bed, driving, or for any other activity.

When you first start to set Focus up, it can seem a little daunting. There are a lot of choices, and a lot of ways you can tweak it. In fact, it may take a while before you get the combination of settings that...

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Nintendo Switch Online’s N64 and Sega Genesis ‘expansion pack’ launches October 25th for $49.99 per year

Nintendo has announced the price and release for its upcoming Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscription tier, which adds Nintendo 64 games, Sega Genesis games, and bundled access to the new paid Animal Crossing: New Horizons — Happy Home Paradise DLC. It’ll cost $49.99 per year for an individual subscription or $79.99 for a shared family membership. The service will officially launch on October 25th.

Those prices are a big jump from the regular Switch Online subscription, which costs $19.99 per year for a single membership or $34.99 per year for a family subscription. The Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscription tier offers the same benefits as the standard Switch Online service — including online multiplayer,...

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The US has set a date to reopen its borders to vaccinated foreign visitors

The US-Canada border reopened to vaccinated visitors | Photo by Jason Redmond/AFP via Getty Images

The White House is expected to announce Friday that the US is reopening its land and air borders to vaccinated foreign nationals on November 8th, Reuters reported.

As part of COVID-19 restrictions, non-essential travelers from more than 30 countries have been barred from entering the US since March 2020. This latest news comes as the White House announced Tuesday that the US was ending restrictions at the borders and ferry crossings with Mexico and Canada for foreign nationals vaccinated against COVID-19.

Canada began allowing vaccinated US visitors into the country for non-essential travel in August. Travelers seeking to enter Canada will be required to fill out a questionnaire using the ArriveCAN app and need to demonstrate a...

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Xbox Series X mini fridge preorders begin on October 19th for $99.99

Microsoft’s Xbox Series X-shaped mini fridge will be available to preorder next week. The Xbox Mini Fridge will be priced at $99.99 and available to preorder on October 19th in the US, UK, Canada, and Europe.

The mini fridge is expected to ship at some point in December, and Microsoft has partnered with Target in the US and Canada, Game in the UK, and Game Stop EU, Micromania, or Toynk in Europe.

The Xbox Mini Fridge can hold up to 12 cans of drink.

Inside the mini fridge.

The Xbox Mini Fridge can hold up to 12 cans of drink, and has two shelves inside the door. It even has a USB at the front to charge devices, and also comes equipped with a DC power adapter so it can be portable. The mini...

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NASA is sending a spacecraft on a 12-year journey to explore swarms of asteroids around Jupiter

An artistic rendering of NASA’s Lucy spacecraft visiting a Trojan asteroid | Image: Southwest Research Institute

Lucy is on a mission to see seven Trojan asteroids up close

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Vergecast: HTC’s new VR headset, and what to expect at next week’s tech events

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

Every Friday, The Verge publishes our flagship podcast, The Vergecast, where co-hosts Nilay Patel and Dieter Bohn discuss the week in tech news with the reporters and editors covering the biggest stories.

This week on The Vergecast, Nilay and Dieter start the show with _Verge_senior reporter Adi Robertson and managing editor Alex Cranz to discuss HTC’s new VR headset, the Vive Flow. Adi was able to try out the $499 entertainment-focused headset and shares experience and first impressions.

Second half of the show, we turn it back to event season. Apple, Google, and Samsung have all scheduled product release events for next week. The crew discusses what to expect from each of the companies.

There’s a whole lot more in between all of...

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The M1 Mac Mini has dropped to its lowest price ever at Amazon

Amazon’s $150 discount on the 512GB Mac Mini brings the 2020 desktop down to its lowest price to date.

The Mac Mini is already Apple’s most affordable desktop computer, which makes today’s discount an even better deal. Right now, you can grab the 2020 Mac Mini with 512GB of storage and 8GB of RAM for its lowest price to date. Typically $899, Amazon is currently taking $150 off in total and bringing the price down to $750, a discount you’ll see at checkout. Note, however, that the 256GB version is also on sale for $600 instead of its typical $700.

In our review, we dubbed Apple’s M1-equipped Mac Mini an “overperformer,” praising how it outperforms other Intel-based Macs. While it has the same, blazing-fast M1 chip as last year’s 13-inch MacBook Pro, we noted it’s technically the better performer thanks to its efficiently cooled chassis....

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Windows 11’s new emoji isn’t as 3D as Microsoft promised

Microsoft originally promised new 3D emoji for Windows 11 and various other products earlier this year. Now the company has gone for a 2D flat look instead, with the new emoji debuting in Dev Channel builds of Windows 11 this week.

The style is a lot different to the 3D emoji that Microsoft promised in July, and even in recent tweets from the official Windows Twitter accounts. Microsoft appears to have changed its mind on going 3D inside Windows 11. “For Windows 11 we’re using the 2D versions,” says Brandon LeBlanc, a senior program manager on the Windows Insider team. LeBlanc also says Microsoft “used the wrong graphics” in recent tweets.

Microsoft’s emoji was supposed to be more 3D.

It’s not clear why Microsoft...

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Go read this investigation into Amazon’s sprawling empire of in-house brands

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

It’s no secret that Amazon owns a wealth of in-house brands that sell everything from affordable tech accessories (Amazon Basics) to e-readers (Kindle). But a new investigation from The Markup sheds new light on just how big this empire has gotten, and makes some troubling allegations about the advantages these brands seem to have over third-party competitors selling on Amazon. It’s a fascinating report that’s well worth a read.

For starters, just working out how many brands Amazon owns is a process that required The Markup to analyse public records from the US Patent and Trademark office. According to its reporting, the ecommerce giant has registered or owns over 150 brands, including some where their connection to Amazon isn’t obvious....

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