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New device types, including robot vacuums, smoke alarms, washing machines and refrigerators are coming to Matter. | Photo Illustration by Cath Virginia / The Verge
One year in, and Matter is adding support for fridges, robot vacuums, smoke alarms, and more. It’s a major step toward a complete smart home, but success hinges on platform and manufacturer follow-through.
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Now your mom and dad can help you find your next potential partner and stop dunking on your questionable dating choices. | Image: Tinder
If you’re the kind of person who asks friends and family for help with your love life, Tinder is aiming to make things a little easier by letting them suggest potential partners for you directly within the app. Tinder’s new Matchmaker feature lets users invite their loved ones, regardless of whether they have a Tinder profile or not, to view and recommend potential matches, essentially integrating a “friend test” into the dating app.
Tinder Matchmaker is available now in 15 countries including the US, UK, Australia, Canada, France, and Germany, with a global rollout expected “in the coming months.” Users can start a Matchmaker session either directly from a profile card, or within the app settings — creating a link that can be shared...
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Metal Gear Solid 3 protagonist “Naked Snake.” | Image: Konami
It’s hard to fault the breadth of content Konami has included in its tantalizingly-named ‘Vol. 1’ collection. Just don’t go in expecting many modern upgrades to these decades-old titles.
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Image: The Verge
Whether you want everything but the kitchen sink or top-tier performance for a midtier price, you’ve got options.
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Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
October starting to slip away, and so far, all we’ve gotten was a very confusing Apple Pencil, despite rumors of iMacs and iPads. Well, it sounds like that new 24-inch M3-powered iMac is on its way this month after all. Mark Gurman thinks so, having written in his Power On newsletter for Bloomberg today that it’s coming very soon — as early as October 30th, in fact. That would end, as Gurman notes, an over 900-day drought since the M1 iMac launched in the first half of 2021.
Gurman writes that he was “told that Apple is planning a Mac-centered product launch around the end of this month.” He adds that if you try to order the iMac, 13-inch MacBook Pro, and either of the other higher-end Pro models, several of their configurations aren’t...
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Image: William Joel / The Verge
Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 11, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you’re new here, welcome to the _Installer_verse, which is officially a thing now — we did it, everybody — and you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.)
I’m traveling this week, so I’ve got a slightly abbreviated issue for you. But there’s just way too much good stuff not to share.
This week, I’m spending all my free time playing Subpar Pool, testing Twine as my new go-to Android RSS reader, watching Zane Lowe talk music with Blink-182, learning about the incredible work of the masters of film set design, reading Cory Doctorow’s new book, The Internet Con, finally for real canceling some too-expensive streaming...
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Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
In 2020, scientists decided just to rework the alphanumeric symbols they used to represent genes rather than try to deal with an Excel feature that was interpreting their names as dates and (un)helpfully reformatting them automatically. Yesterday, a member of the Excel team posted that the company is rolling out an update on Windows and macOS to fix that.
Excel’s automatic conversions are intended to make it easier and faster to input certain types of commonly entered data — numbers and dates, for instance. But for scientists using quick shorthand to make things legible, it could ruin published, peer-reviewed data, as a 2016 study found.
Microsoft detailed the update in a blog post this week, adding a checkbox labeled “Convert continuous...
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Illustration: The Verge
A jury found Google guilty of sexual discrimination and awarded female Google Cloud executive Ulku Rowe, who filed the complaint, $1.1 million. Rowe’s lawsuit alleged that the company gave higher pay to less-experienced male cohorts and that it later denied her promotions in retaliation for her complaints, both internal and later in court.
Bloomberg Law reports the jury ruled that Google owes Rowe for both punitive damages and pain and suffering. Rowe said before the trial started that her time at Google was “overshadowed by what I believe are unfair compensation and treatment due to my gender.” She alleged that, after the company passed her over for a promotion to vice president that was given to a man who had neither applied nor was...
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Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
Great news for the dedicated few Apple Home folks who use YouTube Music (I know you’re out there!) — you can now integrate the service with your HomePods and either ask Siri to play songs using YouTube Music or set the service as your default source. 9to5Google spotted a Reddit post from YouTube Music product head Brandon Bilinski announcing the update. You can find instructions for setting up the integration on a support page for the service.
The list of third-party music services that you can integrate with HomePods is still pretty lean. Until now, the biggest alternatives to Apple Music that have added that support were probably Deezer and Pandora. You can finally ask Siri to play music with Spotify on HomePods, but the company still...
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Courtesy of the Toronto International Film Festival
Director Ali Kalthami’s debut feature film, Mandoob, takes a fascinating look into the world of Saudi Arabia’s rideshare and delivery drivers.
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Diablo IV_, the spookiest of dungeon crawlers, will be steeply discounted through Halloween._ | Blizzard
It’s hard to believe, but Halloween is now just a little over a week away. Luckily, if you haven’t had a chance to celebrate spooky season, a bunch of horror games are on sale this weekend. Now through October 31st, for example, Nintendo is taking up to 85 percent off digital Bethesda titles like the remastered Quake 2 (now $3.99)and Doom Eternal(now $15.99). Amazon Prime subscribers, meanwhile, can snag a free copy of Doom 3 — an Xbox 360-era classic — for PC until November 18th.
Yet perhaps the best Halloween sale comes courtesy of Microsoft, which is taking up to 75 percent off hundreds of digital horror games through October 31st as a part of its Shocktober sale. The ongoing promo extends to newer Xbox titles like Blasphemous 2...
The Verge
Image: Microsoft
Microsoft and Sony have both spent thousands of dollars this week in marketing campaigns at The Sphere in Las Vegas. The $2.3 billion attraction has been lighting up social media for weeks now, after U2 played the first-ever show at The Sphere last month. On Thursday night Microsoft lit up The Sphere with its new Xbox marketing campaign, and just a day later Sony chose The Sphere to showcase Spider-Man 2.
Both companies may have paid as much as $450,000 to get their campaigns displayed on The Sphere, after pricing for creative spots at the attraction leaked earlier this month. Microsoft worked with BCN Visuals to create its Xbox Sphere takeover on Thursday night, with a fully anamorphic 3D billboard on display that was similar to the...
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The 2013 Moto X, Nexus 4, and iPhone 13 Mini. I pine for the days this size was normal. | Photo by Sean Hollister / The Verge
Ever Googled for “Best Small Phones”? I’ll save you the click: the guides you’ll find feature phones that are old, underpowered, or simply not small to begin with.
I’ve long been a small phone guy. I loved my 2013 Moto X, with its 4.7-inch screen, and I’ve used a 5.4-inch iPhone Mini for years. But when Apple discontinued the Mini last month, I decided it was time to jump ship. I saved my money for the Pixel 8, figuring I’d eventually learn to live with a “new normal” of 6.2-inch handsets.
But for gadget enthusiasts like me, Google had other plans: it’s arbitrarily pushing buyers to the ginormous Pixel 8 Pro instead, bragging about how its larger handset can handle niftier features even though both phones have the same cameras and chips....
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Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge
Twitch will now let its creators simultaneously stream across any live streaming service, the company announced on Friday as part of a big batch of news from TwitchCon. Previously, streamers could simulcast on mobile platforms like TikTok and Instagram, but as of Friday, Twitch is significantly broadening where streamers can simultaneously go live. (Well, assuming the streamers don’t have a Twitch exclusivity agreement in place.)
As of late, some Twitch streamers have been exploring options on other platforms. Big names like xQc, Amouranth, and Nickmercs have signed major deals with Twitch competitor Kick this year; xQc’s and Nickmercs’ deals are non-exclusive, and given that Amouranth has a video on her Twitch account from a couple...
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Illustration by Kristen Radtke / The Verge; Getty Images
This is Hot Pod_,_ The Verge’s newsletter about podcasting and the audio industry. Sign up here for more.
Well, this is a weird email to write — today is technically my last day at Hot Pod. But you’ll still see my byline around from time to time because I’m joining The Verge’s news team in November. Starting next week, the newsletter will entirely be back in the very capable hands of lead Hot Pod reporter Ariel Shapiro. Although I’m sad to leave, I’m also really excited to see her take the reins again and continue to churn out the coverage that Hot Pod is known for.
It’s probably not a surprise to most of you that I knew very little about podcasts before taking this job back in April — a time that also coincided with some seismic changes...
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Illustration: Beatrice Sala
Here’s where we’ll keep track of late-in-the-week news companies really wish you wouldn’t read.
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Image: iFixit via YouTube
We’ve already seen a teardown of the standard Pixel 8 model, but now iFixit has taken apart the $999 Pixel 8 Pro, offering a close look at the new temperature sensing tech that lives beneath the phone’s display.
iFixit’s Shahram Mokhtari starts by removing the Pixel 8 Pro’s screen using a heating mat, a clamp, and a pick. After disconnecting the display from the device, Mokhtari folds back the 5G mmWave antenna cable and unscrews the main frame. From there, Mokhtari attempts to remove the 5,050mAh battery by pulling at the plastic tabs beneath the component.
Image: iFixit via YouTube
iFixit offers a look at the Pixel 8 Pro’s camera setup.
However, Mokhtari runs into the same issue as PBKreviews, the YouTube...
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How many motors have you got? | Photo by Sean O’Kane / The Verge
Tesla’s Cybertruck is finally nearing its first delivery event on November 30th, and yet we still don’t have key details on configurations, prices, and other specifications of the unconventionally designed pickup truck.
But today, we got some insight for the launch, including initial Cybertruck powertrain options and Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR), thanks to new VIN info from the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
A required VIN decoder submission that Tesla and other automakers must provide to NHTSA before vehicles are delivered to customers is now available for all to see and decipher. A Verge tipster pointed us to a Cybertruck Owners Club forum post where user Throwcomputer provided an analysis of Tesla’s...
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Image: SharkNinja
Can you heat up a pan to 30,000 degrees Fahrenheit? That’s the burning question at the center of this proposed class action lawsuit, which claims the advertising for SharkNinja’s nonstick cookware violates the laws of physics and thermodynamics.
While SharkNinja is the company best known for its Shark robovacs and Ninja kitchen gadget, this lawsuit takes issue with the Ninja NeverStick Premium Cookware collection, a line of pots and pans it advertises as having superior nonsticking and nonflaking qualities thanks to its manufacturing process.
Instead of making its pans at a measly 900-degree temperature that other brands use, SharkNinja says it heats up the cookware to a maximum of30,000 degrees Fahrenheit. That process, according to...
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Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
The Washington Post reported Friday that Reddit might cut off Google and force users to log in to Reddit itself to read anything if it can’t reach deals with generative AI companies to pay for its data. But the company tells The Verge that’s not true. “Nothing is changing,” says Reddit spokesperson Courtney Geesey-Dorr.
The Washington Post’s report wasn’t just focused on Reddit — it’s about how more than 535 news organizations have opted to block their content from being scraped by companies like OpenAI to help train products such as ChatGPT. According to the original report, Reddit is in negotiations with AI companies to get them to pay to use its data, and if it couldn’t strike those agreements, it might require logins to see content....
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The Asus ROG Ally handheld PC in a Dbrand Killswitch case. | Images: Dbrand
Your Asus ROG Ally gaming handheld is brilliantly white, and that will not stand: you’ve decided your gadgets must be black. Or... maybe you just want a rugged case that’ll survive a drop or three? Either way, Dbrand thinks it’s got what you need — a $60 Killswitch case like the one it makes for the Steam Deck that’ll ship early next year.
“But wait,” I will pretend to hear some of you thinking, “Didn’t Dbrand royally screw that up? Didn’t The Verge trigger a million-dollar recall when you folks discovered it interfered with a Steam Deck fan?”
Yes — but Dbrand did rapidly recall them, admitted its mistake, then shipped a replacement Killswitch 2.0 that I’ve been testing for months with no issue. It’s still an impressively rugged,...
The Verge
Faze Clan team winning Halo World Championship 2023. | Image: Faze Clan via X
Gaming analytics and esports brand company Gamesquare, which counts Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones as one of its investors, is acquiring the struggling gaming influencer group Faze Clan. The all-stock deal is worth about $17 million, Bloomberg reports, a steep drop-off from Faze’s $725-million valuation at the time of its special purpose acquisition company, SPAC, merger in July of 2022.
Since the SPAC made it publicly traded on the Nasdaq exchange, Faze Clan, like much of the esports industry, has struggled, with the company posting a $28.4-million loss “through the first half of 2023,” according to Bloomberg. Last month, Faze Clan’s troubles reached an inflection point that led to the firing of CEO Lee Trink, who once compared the...
The Verge
If Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse taught us anything, it’s that two spider-men are better than one. | Image: Sony Interactive Entertainment
There are few types of deals better than a launch day promo, especially when it concerns a sequel that has been five years in the making. Thankfully for those looking to delve back into the sunset-tinged world of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Insomniac’s latest action-adventure title for the PlayStation 5 is available at Newegg through the rest of today, October 20th, with a $10 PlayStation Store e-gift card for $69.99.
In many ways, the follow-up to the original open-world game and its more recent spinoff focused on Miles Morales doesn’t reinvent the formula. It still has you swinging around New York City and engaging in a hodgepodge of side quests in addition to the game’s narrative-heavy main storyline, which focuses on Kraven the Hunter...
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Image: GameMill Entertainment
According to developers who worked on the project, Skull Island: Rise of Kong only had a year’s worth of development time.
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One of the unlockable badges basically gives you a grappling hook. | Image: Nintendo
When it comes to difficulty, most games like to put you in a bucket. At the start of the experience, you have to choose whether you want to play on a hard or easy mode, and usually, over the course of the game, you can move between these as you see fit, which is good because it’s hard to really know what mode is right for you at the beginning. Super Mario Bros. Wonder doesn’t force you to make this decision. It doesn’t have traditional difficulty settings at all. And yet, its approach to difficulty is one of the most refreshing I’ve ever seen — it’s both subtle and powerful and as playful as the rest of the game.
The most obvious form this takes is in the characters you can play as. The main cast of Mario and friends are all basically...
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Your private web browser might have come with a side of unwanted VPN service downloads. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
Brave’s privacy-centric browser has been downloading VPN services to some customers’ computers without their consent. Noted by Ghacks, starting in 2022, downloading Brave to a Windows PC meant you were also downloading the company’s VPN service, regardless of whether you wanted it. The Firewall + VPN service is an extra paid subscription and would remain dormant unless the user subscribed to it. Still, that’s not the most transparent move from a company based on transparency.
The behavior is limited to the Windows version of Brave, and a post on GitHub from the company’s VP of engineering details the current behavior and a plan to change it. You can check for the VPN services on your machine in the services manager on Windows — they’re...
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Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
This is Platformer_, a newsletter on the intersection of Silicon Valley and democracy from Casey Newton and Zoë Schiffer._ Sign up here.
Today, let’s talk about how the traditional platform justice system is seeing signs of a new reform movement. If it’s successful at Discord, its backers hope that the initiative could lead to better behavior around the web.
I.
Discord’s San Francisco campus is a tech company headquarters like many others, with its open-plan office, well stocked micro-kitchens and employees bustling in and out of over-booked conference rooms.
But step through the glass doors at its entrance and it is immediately apparent that this is a place built by gamers. Arcade-style art decks the walls, various games hide in...
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Illustration by Samar Haddad / The Verge
Chatting with someone while wearing your AirPods Pro has never been difficult: all it takes is a quick press-and-hold of the earbuds’ stem to activate transparency mode, and then it’s easy to hear anyone in your vicinity. But now Apple is taking things a step further and attempting to remove any and all friction from interacting with other people. This fall, the company rolled out a new feature called Conversation Awareness to the second-generation AirPods Pro.
When you enable this setting, the earbuds will detect whenever you’ve started speaking. And once you do, the volume of your music will automatically get dialed down, and the AirPods Pro will “enhance voices in front of you while reducing additional background noise,” according to...
The VergeWhile Meta hasn’t reinvented the category, it’s nailed the execution. But culturally, is the timing right for smart glasses?
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Image: Nintendo
Even though he doesn’t speak, in Super Mario Bros. Wonder, Mario says more than he ever has in any game previous. Beyond his “wahoos” and “okey dokeys,” this Mario has a real personality, facilitated by a suite of power-ups and Nintendo’s meticulous attention to detail. Though we’ve seen a bit of this new personality in the movie, the Mario in Wonder is the most expressive I’ve ever seen him, reinventing a character that has largely remained a blank-ish slate for the last 30 years.
_Wonde_r’s positive reviews will undoubtedly make it a staple on every game of the year ballot. As my colleague Andrew Webster wrote, “Wonder manages to pull from classics like Super Mario World and Super Mario Bros. 3, while firmly updating the formula with a...