PlayStation 5 update blocks Cronus Zen cheat devices

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

The PlayStation 5’s latest update blocks players from using the Cronus Zen — a device cheaters use to get an unfair advantage in first-person shooters and other games — as spotted by Call of Duty news site CharlieIntel. A notice on the Cronus website warns players that the 24.01-08.60.00 update for the PS5 no longer allows the Cronus Zen to connect to the console.

Although Cronus bills the device as a “controller emulator,” cheaters have been using it to perform all sorts of digital tweaks to their controllers, like reducing recoil and setting macros. Some players using a keyboard and mouse also employ the Cronus Zen to trick their console into thinking they’re using a controller for the benefit of their aim and movement abilities.

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Rivian’s R2 vehicle launch date appears to leak in town council minutes

Photo by Daniel Golson for The Verge

City council members in Laguna Beach, California met last night prepared to approve a request (PDF) from Rivian to park six vehicles on the grass in a city park for a March 7th “R2 launch.” The company appears to be planning to officially announce its forthcoming electric SUV, the R2, which is supposed to be smaller and more affordable than its current lineup of EVs.

A local community publication called Stu News Laguna reported yesterday that a small item on the city council’s consent calendar showed that it was planning to approve the event in a single motion along with many other agenda items. The six vehicles Rivian wants to park are “for informational purposes only,” Stu News writes.

Although the filing itself doesn’t...

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This Qi2 car mount is cheaper than a MagSafe charger and can fast-charge your iPhone 15

Image: ESR

A new car mount for your smartphone just launched that offers a rare combo: Qi2 wireless charging at high speeds — and at a reasonable price. The Qi2 car mount, from accessories maker ESR, offers 15W wireless charging to fast-charge your iPhone 15 and 15 Pro at its maximum capacity while you’re en route.

With a launch price of $30.99, the new car mount is less costly than many other 15W MagSafe-compatible chargers on the market. For comparison, Apple’s standard MagSafe Charger (not meant for in-car) is priced at $39. Many MagSafe car mounts (such as this one by Belkin) cost twice that amount.

ESR’s new car mount is Qi2-certified by the Wireless Power Consortium, meaning it’ll work with any Qi2-compatible device. The company states its...

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Tesla’s profits improved slightly, but still down compared to last year

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

Tesla reported earnings of $7.9 billion in net income on $25.2 billion in revenue during the fourth quarter of 2023. The figures represent an increase in revenue, up from $24.3 billion the same time last year.

The company’s profit margins improved slightly but are still down compared to last year’s. The company reported margins of 8.2 percent, up slightly from 7.6 percent the previous quarter but down from last year’s 16 percent.

Tesla used to have historic profit margins, sometimes as much as 20 percent, but a series of price cuts have caused its once-vaunted margins to drop into more earthly territory, worrying investors.

The company’s profit margins continued to shrink

Also fewer Tesla vehicles qualify for the federal EV tax...

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Netflix Premium and Starz is $25.99 per month for Verizon customers

Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge

As predicted, Verizon has swooped in with a new streaming bundle deal — and now that Netflix has once again raised prices for some customers, this one might be worth a look.

Right now, Verizon customers can get Netflix Premium and Starz together for $25.99 per month, the company announced. Even better, Verizon myPlan unlimited subscribers can get an extra $5 off using their additional myPlan Plus Play perk, which is a $15 Plus Play credit members can buy for $10 every month. The offer applies to both new and existing Netflix Premium subscribers as well as new Starz subscribers.

Given Netflix Premium costs $22.99 per month (and, in all likelihood, will probably increase at some point this year) and Starz typically costs $9.99 a month,...

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Samsung is making DIY fixes easier for some of its TVs

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Samsung is making parts and repair guides available for a bunch more of its devices, including three sizes of this year’s The Frame TV and both of its flagship foldable phones. The company says that for many of the TV and other display repairs, you’ll only need simple tools like a screwdriver to make a fix happen.

Samsung says DIYers will be able to replace “parts related to picture, power, WiFi connection, [and] sound” for various display types. Users can also buy repair guides and parts for some of the company’s 2023 soundbars. Samsung even says all it takes to do any of these repairs are “common tools like a Phillips-head screwdriver.” (From experience, I urge you to be careful popping the bezel off the TV. The “TAB” connections from...

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Joe Biden’s big AI science project gets pledges from Microsoft, Nvidia and others

Illustration: Alex Castro / The Verge

The National Science Foundation (NSF) and 10 other agencies are partnering with artificial intelligence developers to fulfill part of President Joe Biden’s executive order on AI, launching a pilot program the administration says will democratize access to research.

The National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR) provides access to AI models, computing power, datasets, software, and training for US-based AI researchers, the NSF said in a statement. Researchers can apply for access to the NAIRR pilot through its website, and NAIRR plans to open a second call for research proposals in the spring of this year. If they’re granted access, researchers can use expensive, processing-power-heavy services like Microsoft Azure or...

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Klarna will now let you pay them so you can pay them less money

Dollars and sense? | Illustration by Hugo Herrera / The Verge

Great news for those of you already experiencing subscription fatigue: you can subscribe to buy now, pay later (BNPL) service Klarna for $7.99 a month.

At first glance, this seemed pretty fucking weird to me. I mean, the entire point of Klarna is that you can essentially do layaway without paying any kind of interest; Klarna has partnered with a wide array of retailers — from Dolce & Gabbana to 1-800-Flowers.com to Macy’s — to create this service. So what’s the consumer value in the subscription?

The subtext of the announcement is, “Hey look, another revenue stream!”

Well, let’s say you shop at, I dunno, Target or Kroger or Safeway. These retailers aren’t affiliated with Klarna, so if you try to use the service there, you have to pay a...

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Insta360’s auto-swiveling Link webcam has fallen to its best price to date

Who says webcams can’t be fun? | Photo by Cameron Faulkner / The Verge

At this point, I think it’s pretty safe to say that remote work is here to stay in at least some capacity, even if Meta, Apple, Google, and a host of other companies have rolled out more stringent WFH policies over the past year. Thankfully for those of us who work from home and still find ourselves knee-deep in Zoom calls, Insta360’s Link is on sale at Amazon, B&H Photo, and direct from Insta360 for $249.99 ($50 off), which marks a new low on the auto-swiveling webcam.

Although auto-framing is nothing new — Apple introduced its Center Stage feature with the iPad Pro in 2021 — Insta360 has taken a more novel approach to keeping you centered in the frame with its latest webcam. Whereas most digitally pan and zoom, the 0.5-inch Sony...

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Looking back on 40 years of Macintosh

The Apple we know today is far removed from the one that created the first Macintosh computer that Steve Jobs showed off in a very silly presentation on January 24th, 1984. It’s been the most valuable company in the world for most of the last decade. It has a global, meticulously curated supply chain, retail stores around the world, and near-constant legal and regulatory trouble. And its primary hardware driver is a phone.

But Apple still makes the Macintosh, and some would argue that we’re living in a new golden age for the machines. They’re faster than ever and as sleek as any made during Jony Ive’s time going ham on the company’s industrial design, but they’re also practical in a way they haven’t been since MacBooks...

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Fight monsters with the help of your past lives in Lysfanga: The Time Shift Warrior

Image: Sand Door Games

I distinctly remember the first time I saw Lysfanga: The Time Shift Warrior. It was during Summer Game Fest last year, and the game’s brief minute-long reveal trailer was enough to leave a lasting impression. I’ve been looking forward to playing it ever since. My patience has been rewarded with the news that Lysfanga: The Time Shift Warrior will launch on February 13th on PC.

Lysfanga’s trailer gives you a good idea of what you can expect — this is a game where you’ll make use of time travel and your past lives to fight monsters — but it can’t quite capture how interesting and deep those time travel powers are. In the lead-up to this announcement, I spoke with Lysfanga’s developers at Sand Door Studio and had a chance to get a hands-on...

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Ring steps back from sharing video with police — mostly

Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge

Ring will no longer let local police publicly ask people for doorbell footage through its Neighbors app. The Amazon-owned company announced it’s going to sunset its Request for Assistance tool this week, forcing police to obtain a warrant for most of its video requests.

This change might seem like a step in the right direction, but it may actually make the clip-requesting process less transparent, as police can still request clips from Ring during what they consider “emergencies.” In a statement to The Verge, Amazon spokesperson Yassi Yarger confirmed that on “rare occasions,” Ring will provide information to law enforcement “when there is an imminent danger of death or serious physical injury, such as a kidnapping or an attempted...

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Streamers who rely on Twitch Prime Gaming subs are getting a slight pay cut

Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge

Twitch is making big monetization changes again in an attempt to make a more sustainable system, lowering earnings in some places and raising them in others. This new batch of changes includes expanding its Partner Plus program and changing the way its integral Twitch Prime Gaming subscription pays out creators.

In a blog post, CEO Dan Clancy outlined three major changes coming to the ways streamers make money from Twitch.

First, Twitch is eliminating the $100,000 cap on its 70 / 30 revenue split for the platform’s highest-earning creators. Last year, Twitch implemented a plan in which the highest-earning streamers would have their subscription revenue beyond $100,000 reduced from 70 / 30 to 50 / 50.

“We are removing the US$100K cap on...

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Microsoft is now a $3 trillion company

Illustration: The Verge

Microsoft has reached a $3 trillion market cap, the first time in its 48-year history. It’s the second company, after Apple, to reach the milestone valuation after stock in Microsoft climbed 1.5 percent in trading on the NASDAQ on Wednesday.

Apple first hit the $3 trillion market cap two years ago, more than a year after it surpassed the $2 trillion mark in 2020. Microsoft and Apple have been trading places for the world’s most valuable company in recent weeks, with Microsoft briefly overtaking Apple earlier this month.

Microsoft’s stock has been rallying in recent months, as the company continues to ride an AI hype train from investors. Microsoft announced the pricing for its Copilot for Microsoft 365 service last year, with investors...

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AI and crypto mining are driving up data centers’ energy use

A view of Meta’s data center in Clonee Co Meath, Ireland. Picture date: Tuesday June 13, 2023. | Photo by Niall Carson/PA Images via Getty Images

Data centers could gobble up twice as much electricity by 2026 thanks in large part to cryptocurrencies and artificial intelligence, according to a new report from the International Energy Agency (IEA).

We rely on data centers to store all our emails, photos, cat videos, and everything else floating around in the cloud. More and more, data centers are cropping up to mine Bitcoin and train AI.

That’s already triggered backlash over the environmental impact of cryptocurrencies and AI tools like ChatGPT, since all those data centers are responsible for greenhouse gas emissions tied to their electricity use. The world will need a lot more renewable energy to clean up pollution from power grids and satiate skyrocketing electricity demand...

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Jon Stewart’s coming back to The Daily Show, but only on Mondays

Image: Comedy Central

Just months after Jon Stewart’s sudden departure from Apple TV Plus, the comedian is set to make his return to The Daily Show on Comedy Central.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, The Daily Show’s yearlong search for a new host following Trevor Noah’s departure in 2022 has culminated in Stewart’s return this February. In a statement about the news, Showtime / MTV Entertainment Studios president Chris McCarthy described Stewart as “the voice of our generation,” whose political perspectives are going to be invaluable as we get deeper into the 2024 presidential election cycle.

“In our age of staggering hypocrisy and performative politics, Jon is the perfect person to puncture the empty rhetoric and provide much-needed clarity with his...

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Microsoft Teams now supports 3D and VR meetings

Image: Microsoft

Microsoft is launching its immersive 3D meetings inside Microsoft Teams today. Microsoft Mesh, the company’s mixed reality platform, is coming out of preview and being integrated into Teams to let people gather in virtual spaces with or without a VR headset.

I got to try out Mesh inside Microsoft Teams late last year, and it feels a lot like a corporate version of AltspaceVR, the social VR platform Microsoft acquired in 2017 and shut down a year ago. The 3D Mesh meetings in Teams work best with a VR headset, with Microsoft only supporting Meta’s Quest devices currently.

You can participate in virtual 3D meetings, and the impressive spatial audio feature mimics the ability to have the type of private conversations you’d have in an office...

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Amie is a beautiful, simple calendar app with really big dreams

Amie does tasks and calendar side by side, which is delightful. | Image: Amie

There’s another company vying to be the place you go to manage your time. It’s called Amie, and it’s one of the best-looking calendar apps I’ve used. It’s available today for iOS, Mac, and the web after four years in development and many months in beta testing. I’ve been using it off and on for a long time, and I like it a lot.

The first thing that drew me to Amie was that it’s set up to be a combination of a task list and a calendar. You have lists of tasks in the left sidebar, and you then drag tasks into the calendar to give them a time slot. Each calendar event is like its own task, too, and you can check them off as you go through your day. A lot of smart productivity people will tell you that time blocking is the best strategy for...

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Apple thought it dealt with Epic v. Apple — has it really?

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Apple has started letting developers link to third-party payment processors, but only if it’s on Apple’s own terms.

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Pokémon with guns? All the latest on viral gaming hit Palworld

Image: Pocketpair

The multiplayer survival game has become 2024’s biggest surprise.

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The Verge’s favorite mobile phone gadgets

Image: Moft

Every year, major phone manufacturers such as Apple, Google, and Samsung hold elaborate events meant to introduce and publicize their upcoming phones. Well, buying a new phone is all well and good, but things don’t stop there. Once you’ve got the phone, you have to buy yourself a case (so you won’t crack that shiny new device the first time you drop it on the sidewalk), some earbuds, a charging stand — all sorts of gadgets.

The staff of The Verge is as prone to buying neat accessories for their phones as anyone, so we asked them what they were using to enhance their mobile tech. Here’s what some of them answered.

Cases

A fabric back with rubber sides

Nathan Edwards, senior reviews editor

My favorite iPhone case. It looks good for how...

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The Mac turns 40 — and keeps on moving

Twenty years ago, on the Mac’s 20th anniversary, I asked Steve Jobs if the Mac would still be relevant to Apple in the age of the iPod. He scoffed at the prospect of the Mac not being important: “of course” it would be.

Yet, 10 years later, Apple’s revenue was increasingly dominated by the iPhone, and the recent success of the new iPad had provided another banner product for the company. When I interviewed Apple exec Phil Schiller for the Mac’s 30th anniversary, I found myself asking him about the Mac’s relevance, too. He also scoffed: “Our view is, the Mac keeps going forever,” he said.

Today marks 40 years since Jobs unveiled the original Macintosh at an event in Cupertino, and it once again feels right to ask what’s next...

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Nvidia’s RTX GPUs can now upgrade SDR content to HDR using AI

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Nvidia is launching a new feature for all RTX GPU owners today: RTX Video HDR. Much like how Nvidia’s RTX Video Super Resolution can upscale old, blurry web videos, RTX Video HDR uses AI to convert SDR color space video to HDR. You just need an HDR10-compatible monitor with HDR enabled in Windows.

RTX Video HDR is part of today’s 551.23 Game Ready driver release for the new RTX 4070 Ti Super launch. The Video HDR feature works in both Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome, and during my testing on an HDR600 monitor, I noticed it added subtle color detail to 4K YouTube videos that weren’t uploaded in HDR. The effect might be more obvious on a better HDR monitor, but it was difficult to notice unless I toggled it on and off multiple times. I...

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Google Pixel users are again suffering from a storage bug

Several Pixel models, including the Pixel 8 series (pictured) have been impacted by the issues. | Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

Multiple Google Pixel owners are reporting issues with their devices after installing the new January 2024 Google Play system update, resulting in access issues to data kept on internal storage. Symptoms include crashing apps, an inability to play music or videos, and being unable to access the phone camera.

Google told 9to5Google that it’s “aware of this issue and are looking into it.” Several Pixel users facing problems with their phones have drawn similarities to the Android 14 multiple profile update bug that blighted devices last October. “The symptoms are all the same,” said Reddit user Liv-lyf. “Internal storage not getting mounted, camera crashes, Files app shows no files, screenshots not getting saved, internal storage shows up...

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AMD’s new frame generation technology can boost FPS on most PC games

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

AMD is adding its own frame generation technology to any DirectX 11 or 12 game to boost frame rates for its Radeon RX 6000, RX 7000, and 700M GPUs. AMD Fluid Motion Frames (AFMF) is now available as part of the company’s latest Adrenalin GPU driver, which also includes support for a new AMD Video Upscaling technology.

AMD says Fluid Motion Frames can boost fps by up to 97 percent in some DirectX 11 / 12 games at 1080p resolution, with the company’s FidelityFX Super Resolution 2 (FSR 2) enabled. The performance bump at 1440p is “up to 103 percent average” in select titles. AMD has tested this all on the company’s latest $329 RX 7600 XT GPU, which it claims is “ready to take on 1440p.”

Much like Nvidia’s DLSS 3, Fluid Motion Frames “may...

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Palworld is getting raid bosses, PvP, and crossplay support in the future

Image: Pocket Pair

Palworld, a new multiplayer monster-collecting survival game, has sold more than 7 million copies in just five days, and now the developers behind it are sharing a roadmap of what’s to come. Dubbed “Pokémon with guns” by many, Palworld is set to get player-vs-player (PvP) fights, raid bosses, a PvP arena mode, and Steam / Xbox crossplay support.

Developer Pocket Pair revealed the planned future updates in a post on X (formerly Twitter) today with no time frame for when they will arrive. Palworld is also getting “various Xbox feature improvements,” alongside server transfers and migrations, improvements to the game’s building system, and new islands, pals, bosses, and technologies.

[The Future of Palworld]
We would like to share with...

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Spotify plans to launch in-app purchases, if Apple gets out of the way

Image: The Verge

For years, Apple’s App Store policies have made it impossible for apps to sell digital services and goods on their own terms. A new law in the EU could change all of that — and Spotify is prepared.

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Tesla’s new compact crossover is reportedly coming in 2025, but will it cost $25,000?

Concept Tesla design images shown off in a recent corporate video. | Image: Tesla

Tesla is eying a June 2025 kickoff for production of a new mass-market compact crossover, Reuters reports. The company has apparently invited suppliers to bid to work on the car, and is forecasting producing 10,000 vehicles weekly. Tesla did not respond to The Verge’s request for comment on Reuters’ report.

News that production of the next-generation vehicle could be just a year and a half away comes as Tesla is facing intense competition in the electric vehicle market from BYD, a Chinese automaker that Reuters reports overtook Tesla to become the world’s top EV maker by sales in the fourth quarter of 2023. While BYD has grown rapidly off the back of its affordable cars, The Wall Street Journal notes that it’s moving into selling more...

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Nintendo has set the April shutdown date for 3DS and Wii U online play

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

We now know the date and time when Nintendo will disconnect online services for 3DS and Wii U software, which is scheduled for April 8th, 2024, at 4PM PT / 7PM ET. If you’re in Japan, it will be the morning of April 9th, at 9AM.

If you’ve been using one of those systems, you should note this support page warning users that if you have an unused eShop balance tied to a Nintendo Network ID, you have until March 11th at 10PM PT to link the wallet with a Nintendo Account so that those funds can be used to buy items for use with the Nintendo Switch.

Even if you don’t have a Switch, you can still create an account and merge the funds.

Nintendo announced the spring shutdown a few months ago, explaining that while StreetPass, Pokémon Bank,...

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The X iPhone app added passwordless logins with passkeys

Illustration: The Verge

X is now supporting passkey log-ins on iPhones and iPads, granting members access to the security feature regardless of their “Premium” status. Generating a passkey for X allows users to completely skip entering a password when they log in to their accounts and instead rely on the device’s security (with Face ID, Touch ID, or your device’s passcode).

For now, passkeys are only available in the US, and X hasn’t revealed when it’s rolling out the login technology on Android, for desktop operating systems, or in other countries. Also, X’s rollout of passkeys doesn’t seem to be complete yet (some users reported still not having access as of Tuesday night on the East Coast), so don’t fret if the feature hasn’t popped up yet.

Today we’re...

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