How to make a modern slasher movie

There’s Someone Inside Your House. | Image: David Bukach / Netflix

When Stephanie Perkins sat down to write her first horror novel, There’s Someone Inside Your House, she looked somewhere very specific for inspiration: slasher movies. “I loved those movies as a teenager, and they had a huge influence on me,” she says. “There actually aren’t a ton of slashers in novel form, and I learned while trying to write one that there’s a pretty good reason for that: it’s a really visual and auditory medium.”

The book tells the story of a killer in a small Nebraska town who loves a gruesome murder and centers on high school student Makani, who recently moved from Hawaii for a fresh start after a tragic incident. The book has since been turned into a slasher movie itself, which debuted this month on Netflix. There’s...

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Toyota’s new electric SUV has a solar roof and a steering yoke like Tesla

Toyota released new details about its upcoming electric compact SUV, the BZ4X, which includes an optional solar roof and a steering yoke similar to the one featured in the latest version of the Tesla Model S.

The steering yoke, which Toyota describes as having a “wing-shape,” employs a steer-by-wire system, where there is no mechanical connection between the steering wheel and tires. The yoke only needs to turn up to 150 degrees from side to side and the driver doesn’t ever need to remove their hands. This will eliminate the need to change grips when steering, which the company argues will make U-turns and other maneuvers easier.

Toyota first revealed the BZ4X earlier this year at the Shanghai Auto Show, along with an electric vehicle...

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How to watch SpaceX’s Crew-3 mission to the International Space Station

(From L to R) ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer, along with NASA astronauts Tom Marshburn, Raja Chari, and Kayla Barron during a dress rehearsal ahead of flight. | Image: NASA/Joel Kowsky

SpaceX is launching another crew to space this weekend, sending four astronauts to the International Space Station for a six-month-long stay in orbit. Traveling inside SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft, the crew will get an early start on their mission, with liftoff scheduled for 2:21AM ET on October 31st out of Cape Canaveral, Florida.

The mission is called Crew-3, and it will carry NASA astronauts Thomas Marshburn, Raja Chari, and Kayla Barron, as well as European Space Agency astronaut Matthias Maurer. This will be the first trip to space for Maurer, Barron, and Chari — the mission’s commander. For Marshburn, this will be his third flight to space, and for each of his missions, he’s flown on a different vehicle. His first flight was on...

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Geralt fights giant monsters, and Jaskier befriends rats in new Witcher season 2 trailer

The Witcher’s second season has gotten its official, full-length, real trailer today, giving the best look yet at the monsters, magic, and mayhem that await Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill), Ciri (Freya Allan), and Yennefer of Vengerberg (Anya Chalotra) when the show arrives on Netflix on December 17th.

The new trailer teases a lot more about what to expect from the upcoming second season, including the upcoming war with the Nilfgaardian Empire, Ciri’s training to become a witcher, Geralt’s usual monster hunting, and the long-awaited return of everyone’s favorite bard, Jaskier (Joey Batey).

It’s also the latest salvo in Netflix’s marketing bombardment for the show, which has so far included the teaser trailer, first look...

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India will get this $87 JioPhone Next instead of the Pixel 6

The new JioPhone Next is a collaboration between Google and Indian telecom Jio Platforms. | Jio Platforms

Google and Indian telecom company Jio Platforms finally unveiled their budget smartphone for India on Friday, the JioPhone Next. The phone is designed as an affordable 4G device to serve “the unique needs of the Indian consumer,” Android India engineering lead Ram Papatla said in a blog post.

India won’t be getting Google’s new Pixel 6 and 6 Pro, and those phones’ premium prices put them out of reach of many smartphone consumers in the country. But Google and Jio have designed this new device as a more affordable 4G option. It’s priced at 1,999 Indian rupees, or $87, and is available at Jio Mart retailers in India or on Jio’s website.

The JioPhone runs Pragati OS, which Google says is an optimized version of Android, and can access apps...

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Cricket Wireless removes speed caps from several plans and offers 5G to everyone

Photo by JOSEP LAGO/AFP via Getty Images

Cricket Wireless suddenly has several more options if you’re looking for access to 5G on a prepaid wireless plan. That’s because starting today, it will offer nationwide 5G access across all of its plans, which launched a year ago with support for only one device and only on its more expensive unlimited plans. Cricket Wireless also revealed it’s added 2 million customers in the last two years and is now serving some 12.4 million subscribers.

The other big change for Cricket Wireless is removing an 8Mbps speed cap on its cheaper $30, $40, and $55 plans. How much bandwidth Cricket Wireless can reliably provide — using AT&T’s network — after the caps go away is something we’ll only find out as people try it out. Reading the fine print at...

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Apple MacBook Pro 14 and 16 review: return to form

Apple’s new pro laptops right the wrongs of the past half decade

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Microsoft acquires Two Hat, a moderation company that helps keep Xbox clean

Photo by Sam Byford / The Verge

Microsoft has acquired Two Hat, a content moderation provider that’s helped keep harmful content off Xbox. Founded nearly 10 years ago by a former Disney Interactive security specialist, Two Hat uses AI to classify and filter billions of human interactions across messages, images, usernames, videos, and more. Microsoft has been working with Two Hat for the past few years to improve its Xbox communities, but the terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“For the past few years, Microsoft and Two Hat have worked together to implement proactive moderation technology into gaming and non-gaming experiences to detect and remove harmful content before it ever reaches members of our communities,” explains Dave McCarthy, head of Xbox product...

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Apple’s latest iPad Pro and Pencil are cheaper than ever today

You can pick up the second-gen Apple Pencil today at Verizon for $100 instead of $130. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

The latest 11-inch iPad Pro with an M1 processor is more affordable than ever before today at Amazon. The retail giant is currently selling the Wi-Fi version with 1TB for $1,299 (the space gray color sadly costs $1,429). As noted in our review, we loved the 2021 iPad Pro’s blazing-fast M1 processor, its smaller form factor, and Apple’s Center Stage feature, which tracks you in the frame while on video calls to keep you centered. It compensates for the fact that Apple still puts its selfie cam at the top of the tablet instead of along its side bezel. Read our review.

If you want a capable stylus that’s compatible with the latest iPad Pro, iPad Mini, or iPad Air, you can find the second-gen Apple Pencil for $100 instead of $130 at Amazon,...

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Boston Dynamics’ Spot robot looks like a scary Jim Henson puppet in this Rolling Stones tribute

Old snake hips, Mick Jagger, has met his robotic match. Boston Dynamics has released a tribute to The Rolling Stones’ iconic music video for their 1981 hit “Start Me Up,” with band members replaced by the company’s quadrupedal Spot robots.

It is, as with most things Boston Dynamics, either:

• cool
• creepy
• a harbinger of a terrible future in which people are hunted in the streets by robot dogs armed with knives
• a harbinger of a wonderful future in which people, I don’t know, go to a dance party with robot dogs?

Just take your pick and please don’t mention that Black Mirror episode. You know the one I mean. At this point, everybody has made the same comparison and nobody cares.

More prosaically, this video is both a demonstration of...

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SteelSeries’ latest headsets have better battery life and USB-C charging

The Arctis 7P Plus is available in white or black. | SteelSeries

SteelSeries’ new Arctis 7 Plus and 7P Plus wireless headsets have two key improvements over their predecessors: better battery life, going up to 30 hours per charge from 24 hours with three hours of use from a 15-minute fast charge, and USB-C charging. Most other major headset makers have used that connector for years now, but SteelSeries has been oddly slow to adopt it, even though it has shipped its clever USB-C audio transmitter with select headsets since 2019. With previous SteelSeries wireless headsets, you always needed to make sure that an archaic Micro USB cable was never too far away. But not anymore with these new headsets.

SteelSeries also touts that both headsets are compatible with the Oculus Quest 2, adding another platform...

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Microsoft PowerToys get Windows 11 UI updates, universal mic mute, and find my mouse feature

Microsoft is updating its PowerToys for Windows with new UI changes for Windows 11, a universal video conference mute, and a find my mouse feature. The software maker has been gradually improving PowerToys ahead of the Windows 11 launch, with a settings interface to match the OS and now changes to its PowerRename feature that better match the Windows 11 design improvements.

PowerRename, a feature to make it easier to rename files, no longer looks like it has a dialog box from the Windows 7 era. Microsoft has updated PowerRename with a far more modern interface, and easier to find options for renaming files in bulk.

Old vs. new UI for PowerToys Rename! Go get it now in #PowerToys 0.49.. https://t.co/x7xLB6YZygpic.twitter.com/YjIL2vavfZ

—...

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LG TVs can now automatically disable motion smoothing for Prime Video

LG + Prime Video + Filmmaker Mode. | Image: LG

LG’s 2020 and 2021 4K and 8K TVs can now turn on Filmmaker Mode automatically when you’re watching content from Amazon’s Prime Video streaming service, LG has announced. Filmmaker mode was launched in 2019 as a convenient way to turn off picture processing features like motion smoothing and image sharpening, which can create a horrid unnatural look often referred to as the “soap opera effect.”

LG calls Prime Video’s ability to automatically trigger Filmmaker Mode an “industry first.” It delivers on a promise the company made when it first introduced the setting to its TVs back at CES 2020, when it said it would be offering an API to streaming apps to enable the mode automatically. Although it’s previously been possible to manually turn...

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Canon’s PowerShot PX is a home surveillance camera for happy memories

Parents take a lot of photos of their kids, but who wants to be constantly lingering on the fringes of family gatherings with their phone out? That’s the problem Canon’s new PowerShot PX is trying to solve. It’s essentially a home surveillance camera for happy memories. Stick it somewhere near you and it will automatically snap photos and videos, using built-in “subject recognition” to frame and select shots that you can browse later.

It’s not exactly a new concept. Google promised similar functionality with its Clips camera in 2018 (though the company leaned more heavily than Canon on the promise of machine learning to select the right moment). But reactions were mixed, to say the least. Some thought Clips was creepy or invasive, while...

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Nude-friendly Google Photos folders coming to iOS next year

The Locked Folders feature was announced at this year’s Google I/O. | Image: Google

Google is expanding several of its privacy and security features including Google Photos’ secure Locked Folder feature, the VPN offered alongside Google One, and the Pixel’s new centralized security hub. The plans were detailed in a blog post rounding up the company’s security initiatives.

For starters, Google Photos’ Locked Folder feature, which currently lets Pixel owners hide sensitive photos and videos in a passcode- or biometric-protected folder, is coming to iOS “early next year.” The feature launched for the Pixel 3 and later in June, and in late September Google said it would be releasing for all Android phones “soon.” Now we have a timeframe for when Google Photos users on iOS will be able to protect sensitive images like nudes.

...

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TikTok is testing a new tipping feature for some creators

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

TikTok is experimenting with a new tool that allows TikTok users to tip some creators directly on their profiles.

According to a video of the tips feature shared this week by TikTok creator Jera Bean, who noticed the feature in-app and applied for approval, any money tipped to creators will go directly to that individual (meaning TikTok won’t take a cut).

A screenshot of the application screen stated that in order to qualify for the feature, accounts must be in good standing on the platform, have at least 100,000 followers, meet an age requirement, and agree to TikTok’s tips terms. If creators meet these criteria, they can then apply for the tool — though it's unclear whether everyone who applies will be approved.

@jera.bean

✨TIKTOK...

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Facebook’s Meta watch has a camera notch, according to first leaked image

Image: Bloomberg

In the first leaked images of Facebook’s smartwatch, it’s clear: there’s a notch, which is the kind of thing people love to make fun of, and what appears to be a front-facing camera. In the photo, the watch’s screen is off, but the beady little camera eye is clearly visible.

The photo, which was first reported on by Bloomberg, was found inside the company’s app for its Ray-Ban Stories smart glasses. The watch, referred to as “Milan” in the code, has a large display like the Apple Watch — but that smartwatch doesn’t have a camera. The picture today may not be a version that consumers ever see, according to _Bloomberg._Still, it confirms earlier reporting about Facebook’s work.

If this is the same watch as the one we reported on in June,...

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Will the Oculus Quest still require a Facebook account? It’s complicated

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

Facebook (which is now called Meta) knows a lot of virtual reality headset owners hate logging in with Facebook. Requiring Facebook logins created bad blood almost immediately and even accidentally locked some people out of their Quest VR hardware in late 2020. And at today’s Connect keynote, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg hinted the restriction might be ending. But his comments raised more questions than they answered, and we still don’t know exactly what they mean.

Zuckerberg mentioned the changes while talking about work applications for VR. Here’s what he said:

“As we’ve focused more on work, and frankly as we’ve heard your feedback more broadly, we’re working on making it so you can log into Quest with an account other than your personal...

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Google makes waitlists for Pixel 6 Pro because it can’t keep the phone in stock

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales

After what seems like an eternity of leaks, teases, and tworeveals, the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro are finally on sale. But Google seems to be running very low on inventory, as the company now offers waitlists so you can be notified of when the phone will be available again.

Right at the top of the Pixel 6 Pro page on the Google Store, there’s a now banner advertising the waitlist. “Due to high demand, some Pixel 6 Pro models may be out of stock or have long delivery times,” the company says. “Get notified when they’re back in stock, or check out other authorized retailers who may have them available.” The banner includes buttons to join the waitlist and see other retailers where you can try to get the phone instead. After clicking the buy...

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Here’s an incredible life-size Ghostbusters Proton Pack prop you can actually buy

There’s a hook for the wand, but it’s sold separately. | Hasbro

You’ve always wanted your very own Ghostbusters Proton Pack. Your options have been: find a cheap toy, 3D print, sand and paint your own, pay for someone to do it for you, start with a premade kit, or painstakingly build something even more intricate from scratch.

Here’s a sixth way that might be the easiest and most cost-effective yet: pay Hasbro $400 for this incredible-looking thing:

Hasbro

The pack at an angle, covered in lovely shiny bits.

Tactical shoulder and belt straps plus what looks like a lumbar pad.

Hasbro says the Ghostbusters Plasma Series Spengler’s Proton Pack is based on 3D scans of the actual movie prop from Ghostbusters: Afterlife, and it’s complete with lights, sounds...

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Amid the fluff, Meta showed an impressive demo of its Codec Avatars

Meta, the company formerly known as Facebook, held a presentation today where it announced its rebranding and showed off what it imagines the future of computing will look like — but amid all the fluff, it actually had some interesting tech demos. The first showed off its life-like Codex avatars and an environment for them to exist in, which the company says was rendered in real-time and reacted to real-world objects. Mark Zuckerberg also talked about the company’s work with neural interfaces that let you control a computer just by moving your fingers.

We’ll discuss the demos in just a moment, but it’s really worth seeing them for yourself. You can check them out on the Facebook keynote archive or on Reuters’ YouTube stream if you prefer...

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Apple lost $6 billion to chip shortage and manufacturing delays in Q4, Tim Cook says

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Apple today posted strong earnings for its fourth fiscal 2021 quarter, reporting all-time highs for its services and Mac divisions. The company says it took in revenue of $83.4 billion, a year-over-year increase of 29 percent, and earnings per share of $1.24. That earnings number came in below Wall Street expectations of $84.85 billion.

CEO Tim Cook told CNBC that supply chain constraints had a clear impact on financial results this quarter. “We had a very strong performance despite larger than expected supply constraints, which we estimate to be around $6 billion,” Cook said, attributing the supply issues to “the industry-wide chip shortages that have been talked about a lot and COVID-related manufacturing disruptions in Southeast...

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Amazon will spend ‘several billion dollars’ to avoid holiday shipping delays

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Amazon wants to avoid holiday shipping delays as much as you do. The company said today that it plans to spend “several billion dollars” to avoid problems during the holidays, which might extend from product delivery issues to keeping items in stock. The money will be spent on increased pay for workers, heightened shipping costs, and mitigating supply chain issues.

“It’ll be expensive for us in the short term, but it’s the right prioritization for our customers and partners,” Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said today in the company’s third-quarter earnings release.

The big spending comes as both a promise and a warning. Amazon’s earnings disappointed investors with a significant dip in quarterly profits from last year. That’s largely due to...

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Facebook Connect: all the news about ‘Meta’ and Mark Zuckerberg’s VR dream

Vjeran Pavic/The Verge

The company unveiled a new name and vision for the future in its keynote

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New Biden plan would give e-bike buyers up to $1,500 in tax credits

Photo by Erin Clark/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

There’s good news in the latest version of the White House budget deal: the proposed federal tax credit for new electric bike purchases has survived the most recent round of Congressional bloodletting. Not only that, but it’s been restored to its former glory of 30 percent, after the House of Representatives slashed it to 15 percent.

Still, it’s a hugely important proposal for a product that is still struggling to reach mass adoption. If the deal passes in its current form, e-bikes would become significantly cheaper for most Americans. In turn, that could mean a significant change in the transportation options for millions of people around the country.

The legislation would offer Americans a refundable tax credit worth 30 percent of a...

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With Facebook’s change to Meta, what’s the new Big Tech acronym?

A collage of Meta logos. | Image: Meta

The company formerly known as Facebook just revealed its new name, Meta. And while that change brings a whole lot of questions, there’s one that many of us at The Verge have been pondering for about 30 minutes: how does the Meta name change the acronym used to refer to the biggest tech companies in one fell swoop?

Before Thursday, FAANG — Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix, and Google — was perhaps the most commonly used one. But that acronym already doesn’t quite work. Google is technically a part of Alphabet now, so there should be a third A. (FAAAN?) It’s missing Microsoft, which is just as mind-bogglingly huge as some of the other companies. And you could argue that Tesla should be part of the acronym conversation, especially now that...

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Dropbox clarifies that a native Apple Silicon app is coming in 2022 after forum outrage

Dropbox will finally be updating its Mac app to natively support Apple Silicon sometime in the first half of 2022, the company confirmed today. A previous forum thread saw Dropbox staffers claim that a native app would require “a bit more support before we share your suggestion with our team.”

The months-old thread was resurfaced in a post by developer Mitchell Hashimoto on Twitter (spotted by MacRumors), sparking complaints from Dropbox users who were disappointed by the impression that the company would only develop the app if enough customers asked for it. While Dropbox technically does work with Apple Silicon hardware thanks to Apple’s Rosetta 2 software translation layer, it’s not as power or memory efficient as it could be if it...

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Facebook’s Oculus Quest will soon be called the Meta Quest

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

Meta, formerly known as Facebook, is rebranding its hardware to match its new name. Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth announced that the company is phasing out its Oculus branding, including on the Oculus Quest virtual reality headset. Starting in 2022, the Oculus Quest product line will be known as the Meta Quest, while the Oculus App will become the Meta Quest App. The Facebook Portal video device is also getting rebranded to “Meta Portal” sometime in the next few months.

“When people buy our products, we want them to clearly understand that all of these devices come from Meta and ladder up to our metaverse vision,” Bosworth’s post reads. That means retiring the name Facebook took on when it acquired Oculus in 2014. “We all have a strong...

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Facebook’s famous thumbs-up HQ sign has been replaced with Meta

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

Facebook just announced that it will change its company name to Meta. The new name comes with a new logo, a blue M that looks kind of like a pretzel, and now that logo has replaced the iconic thumbs-up Like icon at the company’s global headquarters in Menlo Park.

Here are two more images of it, taken by The Verge’s own Vjeran Pavic:

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

It did not take long before people began to pose for photos.

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

A larger group.

For comparison, here’s what the old sign looked like:

Photo by Yalonda M James/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images

The new sign had been teased ahead of its official reveal. At one point,...

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White House unveils $1.75 trillion budget package with billions for climate

Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

After months of negotiations, President Joe Biden released the latest version of his Build Back Better framework on Thursday, advancing the landmark proposal into what will likely be its final phase before approval. The plan’s original $3.5 trillion budget resolution now sits at $1.75 trillion, unveiling scaled-back initiatives to tackle climate change and other social services.

In its latest budget proposal, the White House’s total investment in fighting climate change remains relatively the same, sitting at $550 billion. What’s changed the most is how those funds will be used: focusing on manufacturing, electric power, and transportation.

The White House’s total investment in fighting climate change remains relatively the same,...

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