Activision Blizzard investigated Activision Blizzard and found Activision Blizzard didn’t do anything wrong

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Amid all the news on Overwatch 2 and Diablo Immortal, Activision Blizzard has filed a document with the US Securities and Exchange Commission in which it affirms that, after an internal investigation, it concluded its own board did not fail to act when presented with allegations of harassment.

“Contrary to many of the allegations, the board and its external advisors have determined that there is no evidence to suggest that Activision Blizzard senior executives ever intentionally ignored or attempted to downplay the instances of gender harassment that occurred and were reported,” Activision Blizzard wrote in the filing.

The report does acknowledge there were problems within the company and that such a conclusion does little to address the...

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You can 3D print an iPhone Continuity Camera mount before the actual ones arrive

Image: Jonathan Wight

Apple’s upcoming Continuity Camera feature, which lets you wirelessly use your iPhone as a webcam, is quietly one of the features I’m most excited about in the next version of macOS and iOS — and it seems like I’m not alone in that. Jonathan Wight, a software engineer at Apple, has already made 3D-printable mounts that let you stick your phone to your computer instead of waiting for the official accessories to hit the market or even for the operating systems that enable the feature to officially launch (via 9to5Mac).

The mounts, which Wight has made for the iMac Pro and MacBook Pro, are relatively simple. They have hooks for mounting onto your computer and a slot for a MagSafe charging puck that will handle actually holding your phone...

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Dead End: Paranormal Park’s one of those fantastic queer cartoons you’re always hearing about

Barney, Pugsley, and Norma. | Netflix

Hamish Steele’s DeadEndia lives on in Netflix’s new series

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Elon Musk tells employees he wants Twitter to be more like WeChat and TikTok

Illustration by Kristen Radtke / The Verge; Getty Images

Elon Musk told Twitter employees on Thursday that the company needs to become more like WeChat and TikTok if it wants to achieve his goal of hitting 1 billion users.

When asked how Twitter could grow its user base and increase engagement, Musk explained that the app should offer more utility and make sure “people are very entertained and informed,” according to employees who heard the remarks during his first internal all-hands. He drew a comparison to WeChat, the super app in China that mixes social media with payments, games, and even ride-hailing.

“There’s no WeChat equivalent outside of China,” Musk said after dialing in 10 minutes late to the virtual meeting via his phone camera. “You basically live on WeChat in China. If we can...

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After making it worse, Amazon has plans to fix Comixology

You’ll be able to filter comics out of your Kindle reading list!

Approximately four months after Amazon incorporated Comixology into the Kindle app and kind of broke both in the process, it has outlined a number of plans to fix things. io9 noted that a thread was posted to the Comixology account on Twitter yesterday.

“We understand that the current experience needs improvements, and want you to know that we’re working hard to get those out the door as quickly as possible,” the eleven-tweet thread begins.

1./ We’ve been combing through your feedback, and continue to be grateful for all the comics lovers out there. We understand that the current experience needs improvements, and want you to know that we’re working hard to get those out the door as quickly as possible.

— Comixology (@comiXology) June...

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Meet the unique group of polar bears living with less sea ice

A polar bear in Southeast Greenland. | Image: Thomas W Johansen NASA

Researchers have identified a special group of polar bears described in a paper published today in the journal Science. The bears might have found a unique sort of refuge from the effects of climate change in Southeast Greenland, the authors write, where their group has become genetically distinct from other polar bears. Scientists are now pushing to recognize the bears as their own unique “subpopulation,” a move that could help keep them protected from potential threats like hunting and habitat loss.

Over the past decade, the researchers surveyed polar bears across 1,800 miles of Greenland’s eastern coastline in an effort to better understand the animals’ health and movements. Although that’s a big range, they thought they were dealing...

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Instagram is chasing TikTok with a new full-screen experience test

Instagram is testing out a new full-screen mode for its feed and an updated navigation bar in hopes of making content on the platform more discoverable and immersive. The test, which has been rolled out to “a limited number of people,” according to Meta spokesperson Seine Kim, is the latest effort from the company to compete with TikTok when it comes to social video.

If you’re a part of that group, you’ll be able to see videos almost entirely full screen as you scroll through your feed (the navigation bar will still appear underneath them). The description, as well as buttons that let you favorite or comment on the video, will appear along the bottom, and the Instagram logo and other top buttons will appear floating above the top.

...

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Everything we know about Overwatch 2

Activision Blizzard

Overwatch 2 is going free-to-play, ditching loot boxes, and committing to a more consistent content schedule

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Elon Musk will allow ‘outrageous’ comments on Twitter but says they shouldn’t be amplified

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

In an all-hands meeting with Twitter’s staff on Thursday, Elon Musk gave more detail on how he would deal with moderation on the platform, leaving the door open for a more hands-on approach than many have assumed he would take.

Responding to an employee-submitted question about his views on content moderation, Musk said he believed people should be able to “say pretty outrageous things within the law” but that such speech shouldn’t necessarily be amplified, according to employees who heard the remarks. In particular, he leaned on a distinction between freedom of speech and freedom of reach, popularized by disinformation researcher Renée DiResta.

Reiterating past comments he has made publicly, Musk also said he wants Twitter to take a...

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Overwatch 2 will get rid of loot boxes

Activision Blizzard

In Overwatch 2, loot boxes are no more.

Contained within the salvo of information Blizzard just launched about Overwatch 2, one of the more interesting bits is the fact the game will transition from a retail model to a free-to-play model. Also included in the Overwatch 2 strategy is a concerted effort to deliver content on a regular basis with a new seasonal content structure. That new seasonal structure will include a premium battle pass not unlike the kind prominent in other live-service games, whereby there will be separate, exclusive rewards available for subscribers.

With the arrival of the battle pass also comes an in-game shop making the Overwatch loot boxes a thing of the past.

“Players will have a lot more control about how...

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Netflix’s Spiderhead makes its dystopic sci-fi vision seem playful

Chris Hemsworth in Spiderhead. | Image: Netflix

There’s something devious about the playfulness of Netflix’s Spiderhead. The sci-fi thriller, led by a dapper Chris Hemsworth, takes place at a remote prison slash research center, where inmates are given a surprising amount of freedom in exchange for being subjected to experimental pharmaceutical treatments that do everything from making them feel terrified to creating an impossible-to-satiate hunger. It’s bleak stuff. And yet much of the film has a light tone to help mask its devious nature; Hemsworth dances to ’80s pop, and inmates spend their free time playing arcade games and creating snacks with prosciutto and nectarines.

The whiplash between these moments and the dark premise is delightful, though ultimately, Spiderhead doesn’t...

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Elon Musk hints that layoffs are in Twitter’s future

Illustration by Kristen Radtke / The Verge; Getty Images

Elon Musk told Twitter employees on Thursday that the company “needs to get healthy” financially and bring down costs, suggesting that job cuts are likely in store if his deal to buy the social media service goes through.

“Right now costs exceed revenue,” Musk said when asked about the possibility of layoffs during an internal Q&A, according to employees who heard the remarks. “That’s not a great situation.”

The question of layoffs has been top of mind for Twitter’s more than 7,000 employees since Musk first said he wanted to buy the company. Current CEO Parag Agrawal told staffers in an earlier meeting that layoffs weren’t being planned “at this time.” Though Musk didn’t explicitly say if there would be job cuts Thursday, his comments...

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Google’s Matter update for the Nest Hub Max will break direct Nest x Yale Lock integration

The Nest x Yale smart lock that was introduced in 2018. | Photo by Florence Ion for The Verge

The Google Nest Hub Max is getting an update to prepare it for Matter support (hooray!) but will lose the ability to connect directly to the Nest x Yale Lock (boo). Next month, a “small number” of people could find themselves temporarily disconnected until they add another dongle (ugh), but at least the dongle will be free (hooray again).

Per a post on the company’s Nest community page, Google says:

Once this software update rolls out, Nest Hub Max will no longer support bridging or range extension. At that time, users whose locks are connected to Wi-Fi via a Nest Hub Max, or that are out of range of their Nest Connect or Nest Guard will not be able to lock or unlock their door with the Nest app. Users will still be able to lock and...

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Elon Musk says Twitter employees doing ‘excellent’ work can continue working from home

Illustration by Kristen Radtke / The Verge; Getty Images

Aspiring Twitter owner Elon Musk said that Twitter employees doing “excellent” work should be allowed to continue working from home. But Musk clarified that he strongly prefers work in person and would confirm with managers that remote employees were contributing positively to the company.

“If someone can only work remotely, and they’re exceptional, it wouldn’t make sense to fire them,” Musk said in response to a question about his stance on the policy, according to a person who heard the call. “Definitely not in favor of things that are mad.”

The response came during a virtual all-hands meeting with Twitter employees today, during which the Tesla CEO addressed workers for the first time and answered pre-submitted questions, read by a...

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LG’s tall DualUp monitor is now available for $699

Image: LG

One of the boldest product announcements at CES 2022 was LG’s DualUp monitor, which is now available for $699. That’s pricey but somehow less expensive than some of us were expecting it to cost.

Instead of doubling the width of a monitor, as most display makers have tried already, LG’s DualUp effectively stacks two 21.5-inch QHD monitors on top of each other, totaling 27.6 inches measured diagonally (2560 x 2880) with a 16:18 aspect ratio. The design is jarring at first, but it could be the tall order that content creators and productivity sickos have been waiting for.

The DualUp houses LG’s Nano IPS panel, and it supports HDR and covers 98 percent of the DCI-P3 color gamut. In terms of ports, the DualUp includes two HDMI ports, one...

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Here are the best Kindle deals right now

Amazon’s ad-supported base Kindle from 2019 remains the cheapest Kindle you can buy at $59.99. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

When it comes to finding a device to use to read your ebooks, you have a few options to choose from. You can always buy a tablet or use your smartphone, but those devices are multipurpose and can be used for a ton of things, like surfing the web or doom-scrolling on Twitter. If you are looking for something to strictly read books, e-readers, while niche, are designed to store all of your books in a virtual library with limited functionality.

Amazon, one of the pioneers of the e-reader, has dominated the space for years with its Kindle lineup, which consists of several unique models with their own pros and cons.

Below, we’ve listed each model currently available for purchase. Sometimes, there isn’t a deal for one, or any, of the...

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The Verge’s favorite camera gear

Photo by Becca Farsace / The Ve

When it comes to taking photographs, the range of interest and knowledge among practitioners — and the range of the equipment they use — can be immense. You can be happy just taking the occasional snapshot with your phone; you can own a reasonably priced camera and a couple of decent lenses; you can save up your salary for your dream camera along with some really good lenses, straps, and tripods; or you can be a pro whose expertise demands a major investment in top-line equipment.

So, when we asked a staff as diverse as The Verge’s about their favorite camera gear, it wasn’t surprising that we got back a wide variety of answers. Recommendations ranged from $37 backpacks and $58 mini tripods to $450 roller bags and $2,000 lenses.

Whether...

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The best gaming headset deals you can get right now

Logitech’s budget-friendly G435 boasts color and comfort as well as a host of solid features. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

A good gaming headset is practically a necessity these days. Clean and precise audio is essential for competitive gaming, allowing you not just to pinpoint your enemies but also to communicate effectively with your teammates. Moreover, recent developments in spatial audio and virtual surround sound have allowed headsets to meet — and occasionally surpass — more expensive audio setups, allowing even the most budget-conscious gamer to obtain a competitive edge at a fraction of the price.

While you could always invest in a massive pair of speakers, they’re likely to earn you the dubious distinction of the worst roommate of the decade. Thankfully, the right headset will allow you to keep the running and gunning to yourself, which is why...

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The Razer Blade 14 with an RTX 3080 is over $1,000 off

The Razer Blade 14 includes an RTX 3080 and is available for its lowest price ever. | Photo by Monica Chin / The Verge

Everyone may be buzzing about the imminent release of Apple’s new M2-equipped laptops, but if Windows is your preferred OS, there are a handful of dope laptop deals you should check out, starting with the 2021 Razer Blade 14. This laptop originally costs $2,799.99, but it has been steeply discounted to $1,797.99 at Microsoft. This configuration of Razer’s 14-inch gaming laptop pairs an AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX processor with an RTX 3080 graphics card, allowing it to easily tackle modern AAA titles and take full advantage of its 2560 x 1440 resolution display that has a 165Hz refresh rate.

While we wouldn’t recommend paying full price for a year-old Razer Blade 14, this discount makes it far more appealing. At this price, it’s next to...

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Vergecast: Dish’s 5G network, Apple’s Major League Soccer deal, and Google’s AI debate

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Every Friday, The Verge publishes our flagship podcast, The Vergecast, where Verge editor-in-chief Nilay Patel, editor-at-large David Pierce, and managing editor Alex Cranz discuss the week in tech news with the reporters and editors covering the biggest stories.

Right before the final deadline from the US government, Dish Network says they have finally launched their 5G service in America. The Vergecast dedicates some time on the show this week to analyze Dish’s press release and talk about the obstacles The Verge must go through to test out this service.

Later in the show, the topic shifts to Google’s LaMDA model that was accused of being sentient by a Google engineer. The crew pushes back on the idea of a chatbot being sentient...

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Quick fixes: grouping Sonos speakers without the app

Want to hear your TV’s audio in the shower? Here’s how.

ISSUE

You want to play music on multiple Sonos speakers in your home, but your phone — and the Sonos app you normally use to control everything — are out of reach.

QUICK FIX

Tap and hold the play / pause button on any idle Sonos speaker, and it will automatically be grouped with whatever other speakers are currently playing.

THE FULL STORY

Being able to envelop your entire living space in music is one of the best things about owning a Sonos system. Whether you’ve got speakers in every room or just a few strategically placed where they matter most, having the flexibility to get your whole system playing in harmony — or to send your TV’s audio to the Roam in your shower — is a huge convenience.

A shortcut that all Sonos owners should...

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Discord gets autonomous moderation tool to fight spam and slurs

Today, Discord is announcing widespread availability of AutoMod, an autonomous moderation tool built directly into the platform to take the strain off human moderators. Alongside the official launch of AutoMod, Discord is also letting more servers offer paid memberships to their users and is adding new features to manage these premium subscriptions.

AutoMod is designed to scan servers for select words and phrases and can then automatically dole out responses like blocking messages, alerting admins, and timing out offending users. The feature has been available to a “small group of servers” for a couple of months but is now available on any Community Server across Discord.

Image: Discord

AutoMod comes with...

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Self-driving cars crash, too, but figuring out what it means requires much better data

Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

This week, for the first time ever, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released data on crashes involving cars equipped with advanced driver-assist systems and automated driving technology. A lot of headlines — including The Verge’s — focused on the number of Tesla vehicles that crashed, which is understandable because Tesla had a lot of crashes.

But the numbers themselves don’t tell us the whole story. In fact, they don’t really tell us much of any story at all. Not yet.

That’s because we’re still missing a lot of key details, like the number of vehicle miles driven or the prominence of advanced driver-assist technology in each manufacturer’s fleet. NHTSA receives the data through varying sources, including customer...

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Hospital websites are sending medical information to Facebook

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

Many hospital websites have a tracking tool that sends sensitive medical information to Facebook when people schedule appointments, according to an investigation by The Markup. Experts say that the hospitals using the tool may be violating the medical privacy law the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA.

The Markup found that 33 of the top 100 hospitals in the United States were using a tracker called the Meta Pixel on their websites. Installing the Meta Pixel gives groups access to analytics about Facebook and Instagram ads but also tracks how people are using their websites: the buttons they click, the information they put in forms, and so on.

On hospital websites, that could include sensitive health...

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The Xbox app now lets you know if games play well on your PC before you download them

Image: Microsoft

Microsoft is adding a new game performance indicator to its Xbox app on Windows today that will let you know if a title plays well on your PC before you go ahead and download it. While system requirements have always been listed, this simple label makes it far easier to get a good idea of whether a game is suitable for your PC at a glance.

The Xbox app compares a game’s performance on PCs with similar specs to your own and generates a prediction as to how well the game will run. “If your PC isn’t up to the task of running a graphically demanding game, you’ll be able to view the game’s system requirements to get more details on what you need to run the game,” explains Tila Nguyen, senior product manager lead on Xbox experiences at...

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How researchers are using old phones to screen for Alzheimer’s

When we talk about health and tech, usually the conversation is around newer devices like wearables. But newer isn’t always better, especially for onegroup of researchers using an old Pixel 4 to screen for neurological diseases using just the selfie cam from the phone.

The DigiHealth Lab at UC San Diego, directed by Professor Edward Wang, looks at ubiquitous technology like smartphones to figure out how they can be used to monitor our health. The idea is that, by building digital health tools that work on more commondevices, they can increase access to more people — particularly people who might not be able to afford the latest smartwatch or fitness tech.

We spoke with Colin Barry from the lab to tell us more about how the modified...

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Microsoft Defender launches on Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android

Image: Microsoft

Microsoft is launching a new Defender cybersecurity app across Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android today. While the software giant has used the Defender moniker for its antivirus protection for years, this new cross-platform Microsoft Defender app is designed for individuals as more of a simplified dashboard that taps into existing antivirus software or offers additional device protections.

Microsoft Defender will be available for Microsoft 365 Personal and Family subscribers today, and the features will vary by platform. On iOS and iPadOS, for example, there’s no antivirus protection, and the app offers some web phishing protections instead alongside a dashboard that includes alerts for other devices.

Over on Android, Microsoft Defender...

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Gas discounts and international data: here’s what T-Mobile’s adding to your plan

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

T-Mobile is announcing some updated benefits it offers to customers who subscribe to its wireless plans, which it calls “Coverage Beyond.” Perhaps the most timely is a 25 cent per gallon discount on gas at Shell stations, which it’s offering via its T-Mobile Tuesday program. The company is also bringing upgrades to the international and in-flight data benefits for customers.

For the gas discount, T-Mobile’s fine print says it’s good for “up to 20 gallons,” which is the same limit the company put on its fuel rewards for Shell in the past (though those only knocked 10 or 15 cents off per gallon). The promotion will last from June 21st “through the week of Labor Day,” according to T-Mobile spokesperson Brandy Sloan and is available to...

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The best floodlight camera to buy right now

These security cameras will shed some light on your smart home

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SpaceX employees draft open letter to company executives denouncing Elon Musk’s behavior

Photo by Paul Hennessy/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

An open letter to SpaceX decrying CEO Elon Musk’s recent behavior has sparked open discussion among the company’s employees in an internal chat system. Employees are being encouraged to sign onto the letter’s suggestions, either publicly or anonymously, with a signed version of the letter to be delivered to the desk of SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell.

The letter, reviewed by The Verge, describes how Musk’s actions and the recent allegations of sexual harassment against him are negatively affecting SpaceX’s reputation. The document claims that employees “across the spectra of gender, ethnicity, seniority, and technical roles have collaborated on” writing the letter. It’s not known which SpaceX employees wrote the letter; the employees...

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