Ubisoft blames ‘technical error’ for showing pop-up ads in Assassin’s Creed

Image: triddell24 (Reddit)

Ubisoft is blaming an unspecified “technical error” for a fullscreen pop-up ad that appeared in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey this week. Reddit users say they spotted the pop-up on Xbox and PlayStation versions of the game, with an ad appearing just when you navigate to the map screen. “This is disgusting to experience while playing,” remarked one Reddit user, summarizing the general feeling against such pop-ups in the middle of gameplay.

“We have been made aware that some players encountered pop-up ads while playing certain Assassin’s Creed titles yesterday,” says Ubisoft spokesperson Fabien Darrigues, in a statement to The Verge. “This was the result of a technical error that we addressed as soon as we learned of the issue.”

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Peloton CEO apologizes after Thanksgiving ride struggles with demand

Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images

Many Peloton users were unable to get into Thursday’s Thanksgiving ride, prompting the company’s CEO to apologize. At 10AM ET Peloton kicked off its 10th annual “Turkey Burn” event, with the goal of breaking the Guiness World Record for “largest live cycling class.” But the company struggled with the demand, and many users were unable to participate at all. “We let you down,” CEO Barry McCarthy said in a statement.

According to McCarthy, over 37,000 people were able to participate, while it’s unclear how many couldn’t get in. “The number of members trying to join the ride overwhelmed our technical infrastructure and we were unable to support all those attempting to participate in the class,” he said. The Peloton status page notes...

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A few cool things to play and watch over the long weekend

Scavengers Reign. | Image: Max

Thanksgiving is a time to spend with friends and family, and also a time full of periods where you definitely don’t want to move from the couch. You could spend that time mindlessly scrolling on your phone, or you could squeeze in a game or streaming show that fits nicely into a long weekend. If you aren’t planning to catch up some of the big recent TV shows or video games, here are a few things that I’ve been digging lately.

Scavengers Reign

Streaming on Max

This show manages to be silly, scary, and strange all at once. It’s a story about a group of humans stranded on an alien planet, but it’s the latter that’s really the star here. Each episode of Scavengers Reign is packed with absolutely bizarre alien life, from hypnotic killer...

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The Verge’s 2023 home tech holiday gift guide

Photo Illustration by Amelia Holowaty Krales and Cath Virginia / The Verge

From color-changing lights to gadgets that’ll take care of dinner for you and your pets, here are some of our favorite smart home gifts.

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The Verge’s 2023 digital gift guide

Photo Illustration by Amelia Holowaty Krales and Cath Virginia / The Verge

We’ve assembled a collection of quick-hit gifts that can be issued within seconds, freeing you of shipping concerns and in-store shopping.

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The Verge’s favorite holiday gifts under $100

Photo Illustration by Amelia Holowaty Krales and Cath Virginia / The Verge

The world can be an expensive place. Fortunately, we’ve assembled 30-odd gifts that are designed to keep your holiday spending (mostly) in check.

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Unicorn Overlord aims to bring tactical RPGs back to the ‘90s

Image: Atlus

More than just about any other game studio, Vanillaware is known for its style. At the same time, the developer is constantly shifting between genres. It originally made waves with the side-scrolling action RPG Odin Sphere, and more recently released the sci-fi epic 13 Sentinels, which is part visual novel, part turn-based mech-vs-kaiju combat. Holding all of these disparate ideas together is Vanillaware’s incredible 2D art, along with a clear to desire to experiment.

Given how the studio loves to jump around so much, it’s probably not too surprising that its next project, Unicorn Overlord, will be a grand-scale tactical RPG inspired by the classics. Ahead of the game’s launch next March (it’s coming to PlayStation, Xbox, and the Switch)...

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Pokémon is no longer just a game — it’s a lifestyle

PokéTsume. | Image: TV Tokyo

The new live-action show PokéTsume is a full-circle moment for the franchise.

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The best Black Friday deals you can get for under $25

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

Every Black Friday and Cyber Monday, there’s always a ton of hype about the discounts on big-ticket items — you know, the deals on the OLED TVs, game consoles, and tablets of the world. But it never fails that many of the ultra-cheap items make for some of the most clutch deals, namely because spending very little on a small accessory you end up using all the time can be the most gratifying.

This year, we’re once again keeping an eye out for the best tech deals on those little gadgets and gizmos under $25. We’ve also got a roundup for those working with a $100 budget, but the items below are pretty much as cheap as you can get in the tech world without simply buying absolute crap that’s destined to end up as e-waste.

Some of these...

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Persona 5 Tactica makes the wait for Persona 6 a little easier

Image: Atlus

Persona 5 Tactica pleasantly surprised me.

I have been anxious for a good tactical RPG all year. Fire Emblem Engage failed to live up to its title, winding up as a shallower Three Houses. (Yes, friend, Engage did indeed come out this year.) And the Advance Wars reboots bored me to tears. While I wasn’t exactly looking to Persona 5 Tactica to fill the hole Marvel’s Midnight Suns left behind — please go play that game, just...please! — nevertheless, the first handful of hours with the game have been a delight.

Persona 5 Tactica is a tactics RPG that builds upon your love of Persona 5 and its Phantom Thieves. If you’ve played Persona 5 / Royal / Strikers, you already know most what you’re in store for: personas, fusing personas, coffee,...

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The best Black Friday deals on Apple devices

The Apple Watch Series 9 is on sale in a variety of colors — including the new pink color — starting at $329. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

With more than two billion people using its products, it’s safe to say Apple’s gadgets are some of the most popular in the world. It’s no surprise, then, that they also make for terrific holiday gifts — so long as you can look beyond the hefty price tag oft-associated with them.

Fortunately, the Black Friday deals have already arrived at several retailers, dropping the price of the latest AirPods Pro, the new Apple Watch Series 9, and other Apple devices to an all-time low. You can also score discounts on some of our more budget-friendly picks, including AirTags and the entry-level AirPods, as well as a host of MagSafe-compatible chargers from the likes of Belkin, Nomad, and others.

Below, we’ve rounded up the best Apple deals you can...

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A cookbook helped me understand Dragon Age’s origins

Insight Editions/BioWare

Food, fine dwarven food straight from Orzammar!

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Dbrand’s new X-Ray skins let you ‘see inside’ 125 different gadgets

Dbrand’s “Light” X-Ray skins. There are “Dark” ones too. | Image: Dbrand

Dbrand just sued a rival casemaker for copying its “Teardown” skins that let you see under the back cover of your phone, laptop, or handheld gaming machine.

It’s also — purely coincidentally, I’m sure! — announcing a brand-new set of skins that take the idea even farther. No, I don’t mean “further”; I’m talking about going literally millimeters deeper into a device’s components with a 450-kilovolt X-ray, showing details you can’t get just by photographing a gadget with its back cover off.

Image: Dbrand

An Google Pixel with an X-ray skin.

And D-Brand’s new X-Ray skins aren’t just for a few iPhones and Samsung Galaxys, either. The company has X-rayed 125 different devices including Dell XPS, Razer Blade and...

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Dbrand is suing Casetify for ripping off its Teardown designs

Image: Dbrand

Dbrand, the device skin company known for trolling brands like Sony and Nintendo, is waging a legal battle of its own. The company is suing rival Casetify over claims it blatantly copied Dbrand’s Teardown device skins and cases, which are made to look like the internals of whatever phone, tablet, or laptop you’ve purchased them for. (It’s also introducing some new X-Ray skins on the same day it’s revealing the lawsuit.)

Dbrand first revealed its Teardown products in 2019 in partnership with JerryRigEverything, a YouTuber who breaks down new devices and sometimes even gives them transparent mods. The Teardown skins and cases make it look as if you’ve taken your entire device apart and slapped on a transparent backing — when in reality,...

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Microsoft, can we please just call it Windows 11.1 already?

Image: Microsoft

Every time I see a big Windows 11 update I wonder why it wasn’t a Windows 11.1 or Windows 11.2 release. Instead, Microsoft has used a number of confusing ways to name Windows updates in recent years instead of a simple method like point releases.

Let me illustrate my point to you:

• Windows 10 Anniversary Update
• Windows 10 Creators Update
• Windows 10 Fall Creators Update
• Windows 10 October 2020 Update
• Windows 10 May 2021 Update
• Windows 11 22H2
• Windows 11 2023 Update

As you can see, Microsoft is gradually getting to a more understandable naming strategy for Windows releases, but it still regularly uses 22H2 and 23H2 monikers that sound like weird codenames to regular people. If you head into Windows Update you’re also more likely to see a...

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Screensharing mistake gets Nvidia sued over alleged stolen trade secrets

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

If you’ve ever embarrassed yourself by publicly sharing a part of your screen you weren’t supposed to, spare a thought for Mohammad Moniruzzaman, who’s alleged to have shown off the source code he stole from a former employer during a Microsoft Teams call with that same company. The incident has come to light in a lawsuit filed by Moniruzzaman’s old employer, automotive technology company Valeo, which is suing Nvidia — the company Moniruzzaman moved on to — and accusing it of having benefited from these stolen trade secrets.

Nvidia has spent the better part of a decade attempting to branch out into the automotive market. Valeo is alleging that Moniruzzaman “downloaded without authorization the entirety of Valeo’s advanced parking and...

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Apple denied unionized workers better benefits, NLRB claims

Illustration: The Verge

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) claims Apple denied a set of new benefits to unionized employees at its Towson, Maryland store, according to a complaint filed on Tuesday.

In the complaint, the NLRB alleges Apple didn’t extend enhanced benefits to Towson workers with the goal of “discouraging” other employees from unionizing. Some of those new benefits include new healthcare options, a free Coursera subscription, and prepaid tuition at some colleges.

The Apple store in Towson became the first Apple retail location in the US to unionize last year with a historic vote to join the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM). Apple first introduced its new benefits in October 2022. Once the workers in Towson...

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The best smart locks you can buy right now

Illustration: The Verge

Never get locked out again with a smart lock you can control from your phone, with your voice, or with just a touch of your finger.

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A look inside both the Legion Go and Steam Deck OLED

The Legion Go (top) and the Steam Deck OLED (bottom), disassembled. | Images: iFixit

iFixit published a dual teardown of Valve’s Steam Deck OLED and the Lenovo Legion Go today, giving a nice, detailed look inside both handhelds with all of the site’s usual meticulous detail. This being iFixit, the focus is on the consoles’ repairability, and it gave both high marks — a 9 / 10 for the Steam Deck OLED and 8 / 10 for the Lenovo Legion.

The article has a nice summary of the process, but we recommend watching the video for the full effect and some nice close-up shots of the components. It’s also a great way to see how things come apart if you’re interested in doing this yourself.

Valve has said it made it easier to carry out DIY fixes for the Steam Deck OLED, and iFixit agrees — as did we in our review. Lenovo has made...

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The Verge’s 2023 holiday gift guide for dads

Photo Illustration by Amelia Holowaty Krales and Cath Virginia / The Verge

We’ve pulled together a king’s ransom of fun and unique gift ideas for all the dads in your life so you can spoil them no matter your budget.

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Here are the best iPad deals right now

Select iPad models go on sale quite regularly. | Image: Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

With Black Friday nearly here, it’s a great time to score a deal on all kinds of iPads. Whether you’re after the high-end iPad Pro or the affordable entry-level iPad, there are all kinds of discounts on offer right now in the form of early Black Friday deals — with possibly more to come on the day-of and then after on Cyber Monday. Be sure to check out all of our Black Friday and Cyber Monday coverage to let us help you find the best-of-the-best for all tech deals.

As for current deals on iPads, we’ve listed here the biggest discounts that you can get right now on each iPad model, including the latest ones equipped with Apple’s powerful M1 and M2 chips.

The best iPad (2021) and iPad (2022) deals

Announced alongside the iPhone 13, the 2...

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The Verge’s 2023 holiday gift guide

A selection of great tech and non-tech gifts aimed at the tinkerer, the creative, and the kid in all of us.

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The Verge’s 2023 PC gift guide

Photo Illustration by Amelia Holowaty Krales and Cath Virginia / The Verge

The best tech gifts for those who spend way too much time sitting at a laptop or desktop PC — whether for work or leisure.

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The Verge’s favorite holiday gifts under $50

Photo Illustration by Amelia Holowaty Krales and Cath Virginia / The Verge

Gift-giving doesn’t have to eat up all of your time and money — and we’ve rounded up an assortment of inexpensive gifts to prove it.

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The best gaming deals for Black Friday 2023

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

There’s no better time to stock up on games and gaming accessories than Black Friday, and this year, we’re seeing sizable discounts on some of the biggest titles released this year — a year, need I remind you, that’s been inundated with many excellent games.

While not all of this year’s biggest games are getting significant discounts, titles like Final Fantasy XVI and the Resident Evil 4 remake are. And when it comes to slightly older games, many, like Doom Eternal, can be had for a pittance, making this a great time to stock up on the releases you might have missed months or even years ago.

As for gaming accessories and peripherals, Black Friday and Cyber Monday always present a cornucopia of worthwhile discounts on things like...

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Bard can now watch YouTube videos for you

Bard continues to tap into Google’s constellation of services and platforms in increasingly useful ways. | Image: Google

Bard, Google’s AI chatbot, has steadily been getting more useful after a lackluster introduction. Now, as noted by Android Authority, the bot’s YouTube integration is getting a handy upgrade so it can analyze individual videos to surface specific information for you — like key points or recipe ingredients — without ever pressing play. That’s potentially a hugely useful tool, but could spell more worry about generative AI for creators.

To try it out, I turned Bard on a YouTube video I regularly reference for spiritual guidance: America’s Test Kitchen’s recipe for an Espresso Martini. Seriously, it’s really good. I often find myself in my kitchen with half the ingredients in a cocktail shaker trying to remember how much Benedictine I’m...

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Ford shrinks its EV battery factory plans in Michigan

Closeup of an all-electric F-150 Lightning. | Photo by Andrew Hawkins / The Verge

Ford announced it is cutting production capacity on its upcoming electric vehicle battery plant, amid cooling customer demand for purchasing EVs and rising labor costs. The automaker says it will reduce its original $3.5 billion planned investments to build the Michigan plant to somewhere around $2 billion and is now only expecting to hire 1,700 workers instead of 2,500.

Ford had originally announced the ambitious Michigan battery plant in February in partnership with China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL), a company that makes LFP (lithium iron phosphate) batteries. The plant will now only produce about 20 gigawatt-hours of batteries per year, which is about a 43 percent cut.

In order for EVs to qualify for up to $7,500 in...

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The best Black Friday deals under $100

The Kindle Paperwhite is a popular gift that’s going for less than $100 when you buy the nearly identical kid-friendly model. | Photo by Chaim Gartenberg / The Verge

It’s the most wonderful time of the year? Pfft, more like the most expensive. Gifts, travel, decorations, parties, delicious meals… these all add up and can put a real dent in your wallet. That’s why we’re working hard to help you save in every way, from curating budget-friendly gift guides to offering deal-hunting tips. And now, below, we’re rounding up the best Black Friday deals under $100 — many of which are featured in our gift guides.

We found a range of discounted gadgets and goods that’ll make for great presents, from the Echo Pop and Fitbit Charge 6 to the Fujifilm Instax Mini 12 and even a pair of AirPods. Yet there are also deals that’ll help you save on other expenses, like color-changing smart string lights for holiday...

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The WiiM Amp is a stream-everything receiver with Mac Mini vibes

The $299 WiiM Amp has outputs for passive stereo speakers and plenty of streaming support. | Image: Linkplay Technology

Linkplay Technology announced a new addition to its lineup today: the WiiM Amp. The $299 device serves as a receiver with a decidedly vintage focus, even more so than the WiiM Pro Plus that the company launched earlier this year, thanks to physical outputs that let you output directly to a set of old-school passive stereo speakers.

The WiiM Amp is now the priciest streaming box from the company, but it’s possible it earns it for the right person. It’s more versatile than most compact AirPlay 2 receivers thanks to plentiful streaming standard support and the unique set of outputs for the bring-your-own speakers crowd. That’s probably a very small chunk of the population, but there just aren’t that many wireless receivers like this that...

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Read Microsoft’s internal memo about the chaos at OpenAI

Photo by Berke Bayur/Anadolu via Getty Images

In the early hours of Wednesday morning, OpenAI announced that Sam Altman is returning as CEO, following a shock firing on Friday. Over the weekend, it looked like Altman and OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman might end up at Microsoft, leading a new AI research lab. But after days of negotiation, that’s no longer the case and OpenAI has appointed a new board of directors and brought back Altman as CEO of the company.

After a weekend of chaotic scenes, including hundreds of OpenAI employees threatening to quit and join Microsoft, things seem to be settling down. Microsoft CTO and EVP of AI Kevin Scott has now addressed Microsoft employees about the OpenAI turmoil. It’s the first company-wide communication to Microsoft employees about the...

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