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F. Murray Abraham in Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities_._ | Image: Netflix
From black-and-white superhero stories to stop-motion family films, the streaming services have plenty of new stuff to freak you out this spooky season.
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Image: Activision
Xbox and PC players are quickly discovering that they can’t disable crossplay in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II. Activision’s latest Call of Duty installment launched early this morning, with PlayStation players able to freely toggle crossplay on or off. Xbox and PC players are rightly not happy about this.
There are a variety of reasons why Xbox players want to disable crossplay, including trying to keep away from PC cheaters or simply avoiding PC players with the mobility advantages of mouse and keyboard. Likewise, PC players often want to steer clear of controller players and their aim assist.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 players on Xbox and PC are discovering they can't disable crossplay through the game's settings. The toggle...
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“My life has not been ruined by having to write about Elon Musk on Saturdays.” | Laura Normand / The Verge
Matt Levine would like you to know that Elon Musk does not actually ruin all of his vacations. Sure, he was at Sesame Place, the theme park just outside Philadelphia, with his kids when Musk announced his Twitter bid, and then stayed up until midnight that night to get his newsletter, Money Stuff, out. But that was kind of fun! “My life has not been ruined by having to write about Elon Musk on Saturdays,” the former mergers and acquisitions lawyer told me. And in M&A, everything happens on the weekend.
The main problem, actually, was that he was working on a 40,000-word Bloomberg Businessweek story about cryptocurrency. “I’m doing a bit,” he says. “I don’t really take vacations.” The summer is usually slow for Levine, so he’d blocked out...
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Players battling it out in Dark Souls 2. | Screenshot: Dark Souls 2: Scholar of the First Sin
If you’re still playing Dark Souls or Dark Souls 2 on PC, then I have both good and bad news for you.
The good news is that online features for Dark Souls 2: Scholar of the First Sin, a remastered version of the second game in the series, are back online. They were disabled back in January after an exploit was discovered that had the potential to allow an attacker to take over your PC remotely. It means Scholar of the First Sin PC players will once again be able to play cooperatively and competitively online, Polygon notes.
We have determined that we will not be able to support online services for the PC version of Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition that was released in 2012, due to an aging system.
We apologize for the long wait and...
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Photo by RONNY HARTMANN/AFP via Getty Images
European Union lawmakers have reached a political agreement on legislation that will effectively ban the production of new combustion engine cars and vans from 2035.
As one of the world’s largest trading blocs and home to some of the world’s biggest car manufacturers, the EU’s decision will have a huge impact on global transport, pushing the industry even more firmly towards a fully electric future. The legislation will now have to be formally approved by the EU Council and the Parliament, though it’s expected only minor changes will be made.
The key requirements are that, by 2030, new cars reduce their C02 emissions by 55 percent and new vans by 50 percent (in both cases these emissions are compared to 2021 levels). Then, by 2035,...
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A full recharge in the time in takes to watch a few TikToks. | Image: Xiaomi
Xiaomi subsidiary Redmi has just announced its new Note 12 lineup headed by the Note 12 Discovery Edition, a midrange smartphone that supports its 210W HyperCharge fast charging standard. That’s enough wattage to fully charge the phone’s 4,300mAh battery in just nine minutes. Put the handset on to charge and hop into the shower, and the phone’s battery will likely be completely replenished before you’ve had a chance to towel yourself off.
In recent years, there’s been fierce competition to offer faster and faster charging speeds for mobile phones. Xiaomi offered 120W fast charging on its 11T Pro handset last year, before competitor Oppo announced its own 150W SuperVOOC standard. Arguably we’ve quickly reached a point of diminishing...
The VergeNothing has ironed out the kinks of its debut pair of earbuds with the Ear Stick. But in the process it’s dropped some of the features that made the Ear 1s competitive.
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It also improves the list of shorts. | Image: YouTube
YouTube is updating its website and app so Shorts, live streams, and regular videos each have their own tab on a creator’s channel, instead of being thrown together in a single list (via 9to5Google). In a support post, the company says the change is based on user feedback, and that it’ll “make it easier for viewers to discover the kinds of content they’re most interested in when exploring a creator’s channel page.”
Before the update, if you went to a channel you’d see a single tab labeled “videos,” which showed you a list of all the user’s uploads, including shorts, live streams, and regular-length videos. While there is a filter that lets you change which format the list shows, it gets reset every time you leave the page, so when you...
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Rihanna at the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever premiere at Dolby Theatre. | Photo by Axelle / Bauer-Griffin / FilmMagic
It’s been six long years since Rihanna blessed the world with new solo music for Star Trek Beyond,of all things, but the wait’s finally over with “Lift Me Up,” an original song from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’s forthcoming soundtrack.
Co-written by Rihanna, Tems, Ryan Coogler, and producer Ludwig Göransson, “Lift Me Up” is both a moving ballad and a tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman, star of the first Black Panther film who passed away in 2020 at the age of 43 following a battle with colon cancer. In a press release about the song, Tems said that she wanted it to feel like a “warm embrace” to all the loved ones she’s lost personally — a theme present throughout Wakanda Forever.
“I tried to imagine what it would feel like if I...
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Stay up to date with the latest in the Musk-Twitter saga
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Millie Bobby Brown and Helena Bonham Carter in Enola Holmes 2. | Image: Netflix
The sequel doesn’t do all that much new, but it’s a solid take on a dying breed of film
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Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
The deal is done — Elon Musk owns Twitter now.
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Laura Normand / The Verge
Elon Musk, Twitter’s most important shitposter, has added the company to his business empire after months of legal skirmishes,according to CNBC,The Washington Post_. a_nd Insider.
Musk’s first move on Thursday was to oust Parag Agrawal, who was Twitter’s last CEO as a public company. Chief financial officer Ned Segal and Vijaya Gadde, the company’s policy chief whom Musk had publicly criticized have also reportedly left the building. Sean Edgett, the general counsel, is also gone, The New York Times reports, adding that at least one of these executives was walked out by security. Chief customer officer Sarah Personette was also fired, Insider reports.
The execs received handsome payouts for their trouble, Insider reports: Agrawal got...
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Photo illustration by William Joel / The Verge, photo by Christian Marquardt / Getty Images
On the eve of Elon Musk’s $44 billion, chaotic acquisition of Twitter, employees are wondering what their new “Chief Twit” has in store for them.
Musk’s takeover is expected to close on Friday, with Twitter going private and delisting from the New York Stock Exchange. Despite a message from CMO Leslie Berland on Wednesday saying they’d “hear from him directly on Friday,” an employee all-hands with Musk has yet to be scheduled as of press time. Meanwhile, Twitter’s current CEO, Parag Argawal, hasn’t addressed employees in weeks.
While employees wait for more from Musk, the reality of the acquisition is starting to set in. On Thursday afternoon, an internal memo seen by The Verge said that Twitter’s code would be frozen until Tuesday,...
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Walmart and Netflix are expanding their partnership. | Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Walmart and Netflix are expanding their digital Netflix merch shop to physical stores, the two companies announced on Thursday. The shop, called The Netflix Hub, will be coming to more than 2,400 Walmart locations.
At the in-store Netflix zones, you’ll be able to buy things like “music, apparel, collectibles, games, and seasonal items” from big Netflix franchises like Stranger Things, Squid Game, and even the upcoming Knives Out sequel. Walmart and Netflix will also be selling “concession kits” of goodies like popcorn and candy to make watching Netflix at home feel like you’re at the movies. (Though in the case of the Knives Out sequel, you could just go see it at a theater.) Walmart will also be selling a $19.99 Netflix gift card, which...
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Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
Intel has confirmed that it will lay off workers soon as part of its plan to cut billions of dollars in spending. The announcement comes after reports that Intel is planning on cutting thousands of jobs.
As part of its Q3 earnings, the company announced plans to cut around $3 billion in costs over the course of next year, and CEO Pat Gelsinger told Reuters that part of that would come from “people costs.” He also confirmed the job cuts to Bloomberg and added that the company was reducing factory work hours for some employees. By the end of 2025, the company hopes to have cut its costs by $8 to $10 billion a year.
Intel is faced with an industry-wide shift in semiconductor availability as the pandemic shortages give way to overproduction...
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Illustration by Kristen Radtke / The Verge
Apple reported its fiscal fourth quarter earnings on Thursday, tallying $90.1 billion in revenue and earnings per share of $1.29 — both above Wall Street expectations — in a period when other tech giants aren’t faring so well. Practically all of Apple’s divisions, including iPhone, Mac, services, and wearables, were up year over year, with the exception of the iPad. But despite YOY growth, iPhone revenue came in beneath estimates.
There’s been conjecture among analysts and other reports that the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus are underperforming Apple’s expectations for the “regular” lineup, with most upgraders favoring the 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max. The Pro phones include a faster processor, upgraded camera system, and the new Dynamic Island...
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Amazon just reported its third quarter earnings for 2022. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
Amazon’s sales finally picked up in the third quarter following three consecutive quarters of single-digit growth, according to the company’s earnings released Thursday. But it’s expecting a tighter holiday season amid an uncertain economic environment, and the company’s stock fell more than 4 percent in after-hours trading.
Sales hit $127.1 billion last quarter, up 15 percent year over year. That number was likely buoyed by Amazon’s successful Prime Day event in July, which it has called its “biggest Prime Day event ever.” Despite that growth, the company is predicting a slower holiday season. In its guidance, Amazon said net sales should grow between 2 and 8 percent year over year next quarter; last year, Amazon saw 9 percent growth in...
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The beta UI’s homescreen certainly looks more modern.
Valve is officially letting users try out a new version of Steam’s Big Picture mode, which makes the game client look like its popular Steam Deck handheld. The long-awaited change (we were hearing rumblings about it in July 2021) is a big upgrade for the gamepad-friendly version of the Steam user interface.
In a news post, the company warns that the new UI has “rough edges” but says it’s looking to gather feedback from the community on it. In addition to the updated look, the test also includes new features, including a universal search that’ll surface results from your library, friends list, and the store as well as updates to the quick access and system menus and controller configurator.
It’s likely to be a welcome change for people...
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Apple’s updated App Store rules could have a big impact on developers. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
Apple’s most impactful changes this week weren’t new iPads or operating systems. The company also shook up the App Store with new rules and ad slots designed to wring more money out of its tight grip over the iOS ecosystem. The changes have big ramifications for developers, either forcing them to share more of their money with Apple or deal with ads they don’t like. And as developers have found in the past, they don’t have much room to push back.
In its changes this week, Apple updated its App Store rules to give itself a cut of some advertising revenue in social media apps and purchase revenue from Web3 apps. The company also expanded the scope of its App Store advertising in ways that further intrude on the presentation of developers’...
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Kat introducing herself to her new classmates | Image: Netflix
Netflix’s Wendell & Wild, starring Lyric Ross, Jordan Peele, and Kegan-Michael Key, feels like an instant classic tailor-made for all the young punks too cool for school
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Photo by Scott Olson / Getty Images
Who knew left-hand turns were so dangerous? Well, anyone who drives in a city, like an Uber driver, for example, has probably encountered their fair share of dangerous left turns. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 22 percent of crashes involve a vehicle making a left turn at an intersection. Uber has a novel solution to this problem: fewer left turns.
Uber announced today that its in-app navigation system will now recommend fewer left turns in an effort to reduce crashes and make trips safer overall. The adjustments are expected to be “minor” with little impact on trip time, but the effect will hopefully make for a less stressful experience for drivers.
Uber
Video recording presents...
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It seems like we’re getting a Sonic multiverse show. | Image: Netflix
Netflix’s Sonic Prime, a new animated series starring Sega’s iconic blue hedgehog, will premiere on December 15th, Netflix announced on Thursday. The streaming company released some new plot details that indicate Sonic will have to deal with some major multiverse shenanigans.
“It’s the Sonic you know and love until an incredible twist thrusts Sonic into a new adventure featuring a reinvented cast and Sonic like you’ve never seen him before, where the fate of the multiverse rests in his gloved hands,” according to the Sonic Prime synopsis. A new poster littered with shards (from Chaos Emeralds?) hints at some of the “reinvented” characters to come. In one, you can see a reflection of what appears to be a Metal Sonic-ized Amy. In another —...
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In an aerial view, some pumpjacks operate while others stand idle in the Belridge oil field on November 3rd, 2021, near McKittrick, California. | Photo by Mario Tama / Getty Images
Concentrations of a super potent greenhouse gas in the atmosphere — methane — grew tremendously in 2021. It’s still something of a mystery why the world saw such an “exceptional increase” last year, says the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), which released the numbers yesterday.
The reasons for the big leap last year are unclear because methane in the atmosphere can come from many different sources. But we do know who’s consistently responsible for huge amounts of methane pollution. Every year, the oil and gas industry leaks tremendous amounts of methane. There are also natural sources of methane emissions, and climate change can make that a bigger problem. So it’s no wonder methane is building up at astonishing levels in our...
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It won’t just be another one of these, they claim. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
Laptops are a mature category, and foldable screens are arguably one of the last frontiers. Several companies have attempted to bite that pie this year — notorious chaos agent Asus put out a surprisingly decent foldable Zenbook in August, and rumors of an HP model continue to swirl. But it’s easy to forget (and perhaps the company would like us to) that Lenovo was actually the first to the punch on this form factor, with the 2020 ThinkPad X1 Fold that had, shall we say, a number of problems.
Lenovo is making its second attempt at an X1 Fold this year, with the second-gen model slated for release this quarter. And Brian Leonard, the company’s VP of design, would like us all to know that our complaints have been heard and addressed.
“We...
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You can return a critical component for a $1,900 refund. | Image: Tesla
The $1,900 Tesla Cyberquad for kids is being recalled after the Consumer Product Safety Commission determined that it doesn’t meet safety standards for youth ATVs. Although the vehicle is designed to look like the one Tesla announced alongside its Cybertruck and was sold on the automaker’s online store, it was actually made by Radio Flyer. That company, most famous for its classic red wagons, is the one handling the recall.
The Cyberquad for kids features a “full steel frame” and electric powertrain and can go up to 10 miles per hour. According to the CPSC, it failed to meet federal standards for mechanical suspension and maximum tire pressure on ATVs for kids and doesn’t have a “CPSC-approved ATV action plan” meant to dictate things...
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Tesla is issuing a safety recall on over 24,000 Model 3 vehicles that can’t be fixed with a software update this time. The affected cars may have an improperly fastened rear-left seat belt buckle and center seat belt anchor (via Electrek). All model years are affected (2017–2022) but it’s not an issue from the factory — it’s caused by a previous service visit where the seat belt anchor was removed for another repair.
Tesla submitted a safety recall report to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on October 21st. In the report, it says Tesla service technicians noticed that second-row center seat belt anchors weren’t being secured properly after previous repairs that require its disassembly and reassembly. Both...
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DC Attorney General Karl Racine appears before the US Supreme Court. | Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images
DC Attorney General Karl Racine sued Shipt, a gig delivery company, Thursday for misclassifying full-time workers as independent contractors in order to “cheat” them out of wages and avoid payroll taxes.
In the Thursday complaint, Racine accuses Shipt of unlawfully denying full-time delivery workers basic employment benefits and protections by wrongfully classifying them as contractors. Specifically, the suit claims that Shipt misrepresents the nature of a delivery driver’s work, suggesting that the worker acts as their “own boss.” But in reality, drivers are required to sign up for hourly shifts, and the amount of money they make depends on the number of orders placed within that timeframe. If no orders are placed, drivers don’t turn a...
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This update is “just the beginning” for the driver assist system, Ford says. | Image: Ford
When Ford announced yesterday that it was pulling its support for Argo AI, the autonomous driving startup it had financed since 2017, it cited as one of its reasons a belief that driver-assist technology will have more near-term payoffs.
The automaker said it will be shifting its resources from the Level 4 autonomous technology that was under development at Argo to “internally developed L2+/L3 technology.”
“So it’s taking that investment and putting it towards a business where we think we will have a sizable return in the near term relative to one that’s going to have a long arc,” said John Lawler, Ford’s chief financial officer, during a call with investors Wednesday.
“So it’s taking that investment and putting it towards a business...
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Nick Barclay / The Verge
An update for Spotify’s iOS app released Thursday had a big change for its audiobooks vertical — and not for the better. The app no longer indicates how you can buy any of the audiobooks in its store, posing a major roadblock for its new business.
Now when you go to make a purchase, the app displays a mostly empty screen saying, “Want to listen? You can’t buy audiobooks in the app. We know, it’s not ideal.” There’s no indication of where you might be able to buy the book.
The update follows a statement from Spotify on Tuesday in which the audio streamer accused Apple of “choking competition” with its app rules for audiobook purchasing. It is worth noting that Apple also sells individual audiobooks through its Books app, which can be...