Riot Games warns of new game cheats following security breach

Riot doesn’t believe that user data was compromised during the cyberattack but warns of wider consequences as a result of leaked source codes. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Riot Games has revealed that the source codes for its popular League of Legends and Teamfight Tactics, or TFT, video games were stolen in a recent security breach, alongside the code for one of its anti-cheat platforms. Riot disclosed the breach earlier this week on Twitter as a “social engineering attack” and reassured players that it would provide an update on the situation following an investigation.

Now, in a statement posted on Twitter, the California-based video game developer says that the source code for League of Legends, Teamfight Tactics, and a legacy version of the company’s anti-cheat platform were exposed in a cyberattack conducted by an unnamed group. Riot says that it also received a ransom email earlier today, which the...

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Strava will add high-res 3D maps for outdoor activities

This is what Fatmap’s 3D outdoor maps on Strava could look like. | Image: Strava

Strava routes are about to get three-dimensional. The popular fitness social network announced today that it’s acquired Fatmap, a mobile app known for its 3D maps for outdoor sports like hiking, trail running, skiing, and mountain biking.

“Fatmap tech will power Strava maps for both free members and subscribers,” Strava spokesperson Brian Bell told The Verge, noting that subscribers will get more maps, discovery, and route planning features. It’s likely that’s to provide extra value to premium membership, especially since several Strava users were put off by a recent price hike. As for when the Fatmap integration will go live, Bell says that the company is aiming for the middle of the year.

Image: Strava

A mockup...

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Aliens Abducted My Parents and Now I Feel Kinda Left Out has a long name and a lot of heart

Jacob Buster and Emma Tremblay in Aliens Abducted My Parents and Now I Feel Kinda Left Out_._ | Image: Sundance Institute

It’s pretty easy to look at a film title like Aliens Abducted My Parents and Now I Feel Kinda Left Out — which, from now on, I’m just calling Aliens Abducted My Parents — and roll your eyes. It’s just so goofy. (And admittedly makes it really hard to write a headline for.) But it’s also incredibly fitting and does a great job of selling what this movie is all about. Director Jake Van Wagoner’s Aliens Abducted My Parents, which premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, is a lighthearted mashup of a family-friendly caper and coming-of-age tale, one that does just enough weird sci-fi stuff to help it get away with an otherwise formulaic story.

Ten years ago, a young Calvin (Jacob Buster) was waiting on his roof with his dad (Will...

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We are now 90 seconds to our doom

Dr. Leonard Rieser, chairman of the board of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, moves the hand of the Doomsday Clock back to 17 minutes before midnight at offices near the University of Chicago on November 26th, 1991. | Photo by Carl Wagner / Chicago Tribune / Tribune News Service via Getty Images

Fellow humans, we are now just 90 seconds away from our doom — also known as midnight on the Doomsday Clock. It’s “a metaphor for how close humanity is to self-annihilation,” according to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, which sets the time each year. And we’ve never been closer to the apocalypse.

While it’s just a metaphor, the decision to move the clock’s hands closer to midnight reflects real-world risks. This year, that included the war in Ukraine, heightened nuclear tensions, worsening climate change, and proliferating disinformation campaigns.

While it’s just a metaphor, the decision to move the clock’s hands closer to midnight reflects real-world risks.

But the biggest factor this year, according to the Bulletin, was the...

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Taylor Swift versus Ticketmaster: the latest on the tour that may break up a giant

It’s me, hi. I’m the problem, it’s me.

After Ticketmaster’s site crumbled under the load of Taylor Swift fans trying to get concert tickets, the DOJ is reportedly investigating whether it’s part of an entertainment monopoly.

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Infinity Pool is a surreal and chaotic descent into depravity

Alexander Skarsgård and Mia Goth (wearing masks, obviously) in Infinity Pool_._ | Image: Sundance Institute

Even the worst vacation you’ve ever had — screaming kids, delayed flights, cruise ship food poisoning — has nothing on Infinity Pool, the latest from director Brandon Cronenberg (son of body horror master David Cronenberg). What starts as an escape to a picturesque resort swiftly turns into a bizarre and gruesome game of violence and brutality, with a little existential horror thrown in for good measure. Infinity Pool doesn’t fully explore the elements that kick off its high-concept premise, but it’s worth it to watch two talented actors absolutely lose their shit.

The film takes place in the fictional country of Li Tolqa, where James (Alexander Skarsgård) and his wife Em (Cleopatra Coleman) are taking an all-inclusive vacation at a...

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Oscars 2023 nominations: everything, everywhere, all the noms

Stephanie Hsu in Everything Everywhere All At Once_._ | Image: A24

Just a few weeks after the Golden Globes wrapped up, here we are talking about awards again thanks to the nominations for the 2023 Oscars.

As expected, Everything Everywhere All At Once got a lot of love, nominated for best picture as well as directing (the Daniels), lead actress (Michelle Yeoh), supporting actress (Jamie Lee Curtis and Stephanie Hsu), and supporting actor (Ke Huy Quan). Elsewhere, there weren’t too many surprises, with the likes of The Banshees of Inisherin, The Fabelmans, and Tár getting plenty of nominations.

On the blockbuster front, Avatar: The Way of Water got lots of technical award nominations — visual effects, sound, and production design — in addition to a best picture nod, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever...

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Apple’s latest M2 iPad Pro is back down to its lowest price

The iPad Pro has a wide range of accessories, including the pricey Magic Keyboard shown here. | Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge

B&H Photo has a great deal on the 11-inch iPad Pro that has the new M2 processor. The 128GB Wi-Fi version of the tablet in space gray costs $729 (originally $799), which matches the lowest price that we’ve seen so far. We last saw this price cut in mid-December right before the holidays, and B&H Photo is currently the only place you can get it (unless you ask, say, Best Buy to price match).

We’ve hosted several iPad deals recently because they’ve been very good, even though some of the lower-cost options have caveats. This deal, however, is mostly caveat-free. The iPad Pro is for people who want The Best iPad in terms of performance, design, and features. It has the same M2 chip that’s found in Apple’s latest range of computers, though m...

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Amazon launches a $5 monthly subscription for unlimited prescription medications

The flat monthly $5 fee for RxPass doesn’t increase even if users need multiple prescription medications each month. | Image: Amazon

Amazon is launching RxPass in the US, a new drug subscription exclusive to Prime members that charges users a $5 monthly fee to ship eligible prescription medications to their doorstep. Announced on Tuesday in a press release, the Amazon RxPass subscription program provides generic medications to treat over 80 common health conditions, including high blood pressure, hair loss, anxiety, and acid reflux.

The $5 charge includes the cost of delivery and is added to Prime customers’ existing monthly subscription fee. The RxPass fee is a flat rate and doesn’t increase even if users require multiple prescriptions each month. Medications can be delivered on either a monthly or quarterly basis depending on the prescription requirements....

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Polestar 2 gets a facelift, goes both faster and farther for 2024

Polestar 2 is looking like a new car in the front, but the rest remains familiar. | Image: Polestar

Polestar has given its Polestar 2 EV a facelift, plus some other improvements for model year 2024. The maker of the fastback electric sedan has improved its drivable range (up to 300 miles on a single charge), and added more powerful motors. It’s also introducing a rear-wheel drive model alongside several smaller changes like wireless phone charging and driver awareness features now included as standard.

The new Polestar 2’s most visible change comes in the form of a new flat front grille design, one that matches the looks of the automaker’s latest Polestar 3 SUV. Polestar calls this new grille the “SmartZone,” which houses components and sensors that are used for the car’s advanced safety and driver assistant features. SmartZone...

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Garmin adds FDA-cleared EKGs to its Venu 2 Plus smartwatch

The Venu 2 Plus is getting an FDA-cleared EKG app. | Image: Garmin

While smartwatch makers like Apple and Samsung are delving into rugged fitness, Garmin is shoring up its advanced health features. Today, the company announced that it’s adding FDA-cleared EKGs to its Venu 2 Plus smartwatch.

The EKG app will allow Venu 2 Plus owners to record a 30-second electrocardiogram to screen for abnormal heart rhythms, which may be an indicator of atrial fibrillation. The results will be available immediately on the watch or can be viewed later in the Garmin Connect app. Venu 2 Plus owners will also be able to create historical EKG reports that can be shared with their doctor. To get the EKG feature, you’ll need to make sure the Venu 2 Plus and Garmin Connect app are updated to versions 10.06 and 4.56,...

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Microsoft Edge will soon let you split two tabs in a single window

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Microsoft has started testing a new split-screen feature for Edge that lets you compare two tabs side-by-side. The feature was first discovered by Leopeva64-2 on Reddit, and it’s available in an experimental flag in the beta, dev, and canary versions of Microsoft Edge. Once enabled, a new button appears alongside the address bar that lets you split an Edge window into two separate tabs side-by-side.

While you can already compare tabs next to each other in Windows by dragging a tab and then using built-in Windows split views to place them side-by-side, it can be fiddly to achieve this unless you drag the tab all the way to the right- or left-hand side of your monitor. This built-in split view in Edge makes it easier in a single click,...

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Tuesday’s top tech news: Lightyear’s buzz fizzles

The Lightyear 0 at its unveiling last year. | Image: Lightyear

Plus more details about Apple’s long-rumored VR / AR headset.

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Logitech hardware sales fall as inflation rises and covid bump subsides

Webcams and other home office equipment were in short supply during global Covid lockdowns due to the shift towards working from home. Now, it seems the market is stabilizing, with Logitech sales falling by 22 percent YoY. | Image: Logitech

Logitech published its quarterly financial results today, revealing that the company’s third-quarter sales fell 22 percent compared to Q3 last year. The decline confirms most of the preliminary results announced by the computer peripherals maker on January 11th, indicating a slowdown in customers buying home office and business equipment amid growing global inflation and the lifting of Covid restrictions.

Logitech’s revenue for the third quarter ending December 31st, 2022 fell to $1.27 billion, compared to the company’s preliminary figures showing that sales had fallen to between $1.26 and $1.27 billion. The company noted a decline in sales across all categories, with gaming falling 16 percent, video collaboration (conferencing...

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WhatsApp’s new native Mac app is now in open beta

Illustration: The Verge

WhatsApp’s new macOS app is now widely available for download, WABetaInfo reports, and can be grabbed from the official WhatsApp website.

The messaging service has previously offered a web wrapped version of its web app as a macOS app, but the new version is a native app that makes more efficient use of system resources. It also features a tweaked three-panel interface that offers easier access to archived chats, starred messages, and calls. Although it’s now widely available, the new app is still in beta for the time being.

WABetaInfo reports that the new Mac app is built using Catalyst, Apple’s cross-platform development framework that’s mainly talked about as a way of easily bringing iPad apps to the Mac. But despite an official...

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Surprise, surprise: the cell carriers didn’t get rid of passwords

Remember this logo? I bet you don’t. | Image: ZenKey

Do you remember ZenKey, the app that AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and Sprint (gone, but not forgotten) pushed as the future of logging in to services without a password? If you do, you may be one of the only ones — as LightReading points out, it appears as though the joint venture quietly crumbled after the service started rolling out in 2019.

Originally announced as “Project Verify” in 2018, ZenKey was meant to be a single sign-on system, similar to the sign in with Google or Apple buttons that you see on various websites. The idea was that each carrier would offer an app that could verify your identity, then act as a pass whenever you went to log into a supported website or carry out something like a bank transfer. In theory, it could be...

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The Meta Quest’s improved hand tracking is now the default

Hand tracking could become a big battleground for virtual reality headsets. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

In April 2022, Meta released Hand Tracking 2.0, its upgraded system that can detect things like high fives and clapping, but the company is now making 2.0 the default hand tracking technology for Quest apps, according to a Friday blog post. Meta announced in September that it would be deprecating 1.0 in April 2023, and it says the shift to 2.0 as the default is a “first step” toward that deprecation.

“Updating to Hand Tracking 2.0 doesn’t require any action from developers, and we believe this change will enhance the quality and capabilities of hand tracking across our app ecosystem,” Meta wrote in the post. “Hand Tracking 2.0 allows you to take full advantage of the many hands-driven interactions available with Interaction SDK.”

Meta...

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Samsung Galaxy A13 5G review: functional, no-frills 5G

A low-cost phone with meaningful 5G connectivity

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Elon Musk gets serious about 420 at securities fraud trial

Illustration by Laura Normand / The Verge

Elon Musk insists that 420 isn’t a joke to him.

In testimony during his ongoing securities fraud trial on Monday, Musk argued that the $420-a-share price he proposed back in his infamous “funding secured” tweet from 2018 wasn’t a weed joke but actually just a coincidence — with a dash of karma.

Musk was asked about the proposed share price by Nicholas Porritt, an attorney for a class of Tesla investors who are suing the billionaire CEO for the loss of millions of dollars that they say resulted from his bungled attempt to take Tesla private. And it prompted an eyebrow-raising response from Musk regarding what he considered a serious proposal despite nearly everyone else taking it as an obvious reference to cannabis.

“You rounded up to...

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Harley Quinn wants you to get yours this Valentine’s Day

Harley Quinn and her girlfriend Poison Ivy.

Unlike the oral sex-averse Gothamites of DC’s mainline comic books, the animated deviants over on HBO Max’s Harley Quinnseries will go down in history as being some of the horniest takes on characters like Batman, Kite Man (hell yeah), and Poison Ivy. Usually, the show’s found really thoughtful ways to dig into the sex lives of its heroes and villains while revealing interesting things about them. But from the looks of Harley Quinn’s upcoming Very Problematic Valentine’s Day Special, it seems like everyone’s going to be getting it on for the most comic book-y reason possible: superpowers gone haywire.

By the end of Harley Quinn’s third season, Harley (Kaley Cuoco) and Poison Ivy (Lake Bell) had made it through their first major rough...

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Lightyear has stopped production on its solar-powered EV after three months

One of the first Lightyear 0s being made. | Image: Lightyear

Electric vehicle company Lightyear has announced that it’s halting production on the Lightyear 0, its €250,000 (around $270,000 USD) solar-powered car that the company started making just three months ago (via Electrek). The setback is part of a “strategic restructuring,” according to a Monday blog post, and the company will instead focus on making the Lightyear 2, a car that it says will cost under $40,000 and go into production in late 2025.

The company says it didn’t take the decision lightly, given that it’ll impact its employees, as well as “investors, clients, suppliers and the government.” It’ll also presumably have an impact on Valmet Automotive, the company Lightyear contracted to build the 0 (and which announced potential...

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Blizzard games go offline in China

Key Art: Blizzard

Today’s the day most Blizzard games go offline in China. After failing to reach a deal with publishing partner NetEase, Blizzard has shuttered most of its games in the country, including World of Warcraft, Overwatch 2, and Diablo. (Diablo Immortal remains unaffected, distributed through a separate publishing deal with NetEase.)

The closure comes after reports that Blizzard tried to extend the current deal by six months to keep games in players’ hands while it shopped for a new publishing partner. According to a post on Blizzard’s Weibo account, the company said NetEase rejected the extension deal. A translation of the post on World of Warcraft site Wowhead read:

We approached NetEase again last week for assistance in exploring a...

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Here are the best Amazon Echo deals right now

Like Amazon’s Echo speakers, its various smart displays come in a range of sizes. | Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge

Amazon’s current Echo lineup offers a broad selection of smart speakers and displays that can fit just about anywhere in your home. Whether you want to place a voice assistant in your living room, replace the bulletin board in your office, or pick up a touchscreen-enabled device to showcase recipes in the kitchen, there's an Echo device for just about every occasion and use case.

Regardless of why you might want one, there’s always a way to save on Echo devices, from the last-gen Dot to the wall-mounted Echo Show 15. Even when they’re selling at full price, for instance, Amazon offers a 25 percent discount when you trade in select devices, meaning there are still other ways to save money when none of the models are on sale.

Below,...

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Two new Wyze cameras appear to be in the works

Technologist Dave Zatz has discovered some clues about new Wyze security cameras. | Image: Zatznotfunny.com

Wyze already announced three new cameras this month, but it looks like the company has even more up its sleeves. Tech blogger Dave Zatz dug up information on two not-yet-announced cameras: a new Wyze outdoor cam and an updated Wyze Cam Floodlight.

The Wyze Cam Outdoor Pro (or possibly Wyze Battery Cam Pro) looks to be an upgrade of the Wyze Cam Outdoor v2, adding 2K video resolution. The new Wyze Cam Floodlight Pro also appears to be getting a 2K resolution bump over the original 1080p model, in keeping with Wyze’s new line of Pro cameras, as well as possibly more flood lighting.

Zatz says his info comes from details hidden in the Wyze Android app APK, filings at the Bluetooth SIG, and from other sources. The Verge was able to confirm...

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Today I learned the Xbox can run Nintendo GameCube and Wii games

Photo by Tom Warren / The Verge

When Microsoft first announced the Xbox would run Windows apps, I don’t think it was thinking of this! You can play Nintendo GameCube and Wii games with a beta version of the Dolphin Emulator built as a Universal Windows Platform app (via Windows Central).

SirMangler’s fork of the excellent emulator runs on the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, and even the lesser of Microsoft’s two modern consoles reportedly does an excellent job. In the video above, Modern Vintage Gamer shows off impressively smooth performance on GameCube titles upscaled to 1440p, even when you add HD texture packs to games like Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem and load everything off a USB thumb drive.

(Never played Eternal Darkness? Let’s just say Modern Vintage...

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No Straight Lines celebrates the radical queer artists who dared to change the face of comics

While there’s still much progress to be made when it comes to queer comics representation, it isn’t very hard to find lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender characters saving the world, falling in love, or simply existing in graphic novels these days. In fits and starts, mainstream and indie publishers alike have come to embrace queer stories, and the comics space as a whole is more vibrant for it. This hasn’t always been the case, though, and documentarian Vivian Kleiman’s No Straight Lines wants us to understand how the queer comic books of today wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for the radical creators of the past who changed history with their art and voices.

Inspired by editor Justin Hall’s 2013 Fantagraphics anthology by the same name,...

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The best tech gifts for under $25

These sub-$25 items, like this cleanly designed desk mat from KBDFans, make for some very nice gifts. | Image: KBDFans

Wanting to treat a friend or a loved one to some tech or a cool gadget while on a very lean budget can feel like an impossible task. Most of the everyday devices we use cost multiple hundreds of dollars, so what do you get when you just want a nice birthday or “just because” kind of gift but can’t break the bank? Sure, you can default to something basic like socks or a scarf, but that gets boring quick.

Here, we’ve assembled a bunch of cool tech ideas on a budget of just $25 that are worth your money, including a dual headphone stand ($19.99), a quality USB-C charging cable ($9.99), and other essentials. That may not sound very exciting at first, but when that cable is 10 feet long and sustains 100 watts of power — which is enough to...

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The big banks that brought you Zelle are building a new digital wallet

Banks are working to add another option for online shoppers. | Image: Umar Shakir / The Verge

Several of America’s biggest banks, including the likes of Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase, are joining forces to launch their own digital payment wallet that can be used for online shopping, according to The Wall Street Journal. The planned new wallet is a response to increased consumer usage of digital payments — particularly Apple Pay, PayPal, and ones from other tech companies, including Google Pay and Amazon Pay.

The currently nameless wallet will be handled by Early Warning Services (EWS), the company behind the direct money transfer service Zelle — though the two products will reportedly not intersect. EWS is a bank-owned joint venture between Capital One, PNC, US Bancorp, Truist, Bank of America, and JPMorgan Chase.

The new...

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The US certifies the first small modular nuclear reactor design

An artist’s rendering of NuScale Power’s small modular nuclear reactor plant. | Image: NuScale

For the first time, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has certified a design for an advanced small modular reactor (SMR). The certification allows utilities to choose the advanced reactor design when applying for a license to build and operate a new power plant.

The NRC’s certification is a significant stamp of approval for a potential climate solution that’s still controversial among environmental advocates. Essentially, it’s a green light for an entirely new generation of nuclear reactors.

“SMRs are no longer an abstract concept,” Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy Kathryn Huff said in a Department of Energy press release.

“SMRs are no longer an abstract concept”

Whether these advanced reactors can overcome challenges...

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The Razer Kishi V2 is now compatible with touchscreen-only games

The latest firmware update for the Razer Kishi V2 makes the controller more versatile. | Image: Razer

Thanks to a recent firmware update to Razer’s Kishi V2 mobile gaming controller and the Razer Nexus app, the controller can now support games that were previously touchscreen-only on Android. There is currently no firm launch window for a similar rollout for iOS devices, but the Virtual Controller Mode is slated to come to Razer’s Edge tablet controller sometime in Q1 2023.

This new feature is accessible through Razer’s free Nexus app, which in addition to now letting you remap controller inputs to touchscreen controls, provides a centralized hub to launch games and stream them on Facebook Live or YouTube. Nexus may not be quite as capable as the Backbone app but is entirely free, whereas the Backbone Plus app requires an annual...

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