The Verge
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth: all the news and updates
Image: Square Enix
In Rebirth, our heroes get to explore beyond the confines of Midgar.
The VergeThe VergeNew Google Pixel Fold 2 leak points to redesigned camera
Image: OnLeaks via Smartprix
The Google Pixel Fold 2 could trade a prominent camera bar for a new square-shaped camera bump nestled in the corner of the device, as shown in a new set of renders reliable leaker OnLeaks shared with Smartprix.
Since the launch of the Pixel 6, Google has shipped every Pixel device with a prominent camera bar that stretches across the rear of the device — and the first-gen Pixel Fold is no exception. It seems like Google might want to change things up for the Pixel Fold 2, however, as these renders track with the leaked Pixel Fold 2 image Android expert Mishaal Rahman shared earlier this month, which also shows the absence of a camera bar.
Image: OnLeaks via Smartprix
Aside from this design change, the renders...
The VergeNvidia’s finally replacing GeForce Experience with this all-in-one ‘Nvidia app’
Image: Nvidia
Nvidia’s desktop software situation has felt disjointed for a while. There’s the Nvidia Control Panel that controls many basic display settings, but is separate from the GeForce Experience that requires an Nvidia account to download driver updates and automatically optimize game settings for performance targets.
Starting today, all of that changes with the brand-new Nvidia app, which merges the Control Panel and GeForce Experience into one, along with connections to other Nvidia apps and features. The user interface looks like it got a complete redesign, and perhaps most importantly, you’ll no longer need to log into an Nvidia account just to get driver updates through the app. Nvidia says the login is optional now, meant for users who...
The VergeFinal Fantasy VII Rebirth is a modern open-world RPG with the soul of 1997
Image: Square Enix
The second game in the remake trilogy expands on the original in terms of both story and gameplay, and — despite a little filler — the additions are very welcome. Plus, it’s still super weird.
The VergeArtificial investment
Illustration by Erik Carter
The frenzied hype around AI kept expectations high. The earnings calls disappointed. 2024 is going to be a year of reckoning.
The VergeHonda Prologue first drive: a pretty good start
Image: Emme Hall / The Verge
The new long-range EV from Honda comes with some Chevy Blazer DNA, but don’t hold that against it.
The VergeNuro gets a leg up from Arm in launching its third-generation delivery robot
Image: Nuro
Delivery robot company Nuro is reaching out to chip designer Arm for help developing its third-generation vehicle, the companies announced today. The partnership is expected to enhance the capabilities and range of Nuro’s electric-powered robots as well as fast-track the production and commercialization of the company’s delivery service.
The Nuro Driver, which is the company’s branding for the hardware and software needed to power one of its autonomous delivery vehicles, will use Arm’s Automotive Enhanced technology. That’s the chip designer’s branding for the portfolio of intellectual property “dedicated to the safety and specialized computing needs of the automotive market,” Arm says.
The news of the partnership comes at a perilous...
The VergeXiaomi’s back with another big photography-focused smartphone
The Xiaomi 14 Ultra in its blue, white, and black color schemes. | Image: Xiaomi
Xiaomi’s phone lineup has a new leader. The Xiaomi 14 Ultra has just launched in China and features a range of impressive photography specs including a main camera with a large one-inch-type sensor (specifically the Sony LYT-900) and a variable aperture with 1,024 stops between f/1.63 and f/4.0. Prices start at ¥6,499 (around $904) for 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, rising to ¥7,799 (around $1,084) for 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage when the phone goes on sale on February 27th. There’s also a special-edition titanium model that’ll retail for ¥8,799 (around $1,224).
Although Xiaomi only shared Chinese release details of the 14 Ultra today, it won’t be long before the phone’s international launch. Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun has said that the...
The VergeSony is now testing PSVR 2 support for PC
Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
Sony’s PlayStation VR2 headset is designed to work exclusively with a PS5, but the company is now testing out support for PC. While the original PSVR headset got unofficial support for PC, Sony now says it’s working on allowing PSVR 2 owners to connect the headset to a PC gaming rig.
“We’re pleased to share that we are currently testing the ability for PS VR2 players to access additional games on PC to offer even more game variety in addition to the PS VR2 titles available through PS5,” says Sony in a blog post today. “We hope to make this support available in 2024, so stay tuned for more updates.”
Up until now, Sony had been dodging questions about getting the PlayStation VR2 headset working on a PC. We asked Sony about PSVR 2 support...
The VergeAT&T customers report nationwide service disruptions
The Verge
AT&T’s cellular network began experiencing major service problems for customers across the United States early on Thursday morning. Wireless customers took to the carrier’s forums, Reddit (1) (2) (3), and elsewhere to report that they’d lost all voice and mobile data service — with some of those impacted unable to reach 911 emergency services.
FirstNet, the AT&T-powered communications network used by some first responders and health providers, is also affected by the disruptions according to some customers.
“We are aware of an outage currently impacting our mobility users and are working to resolve it ASAP,” the company wrote in a banner notification on its support forum. But its other support channels on social media were surprisingly...
The VergeGoogle pauses Gemini’s ability to generate AI images of people after diversity errors
Gemini’s response to the prompt: “Can you generate an image of a 1943 German Soldier for me it should be an illustration.” | Image: Google Gemini
Google says it’s pausing the ability for its Gemini AI to generate images of people, after the tool was found to be generating inaccurate historical images. Gemini has been creating diverse images of the US Founding Fathers and Nazi-era German soldiers, in what looked like an attempt to subvert the gender and racial stereotypes found in generative AI.
“We’re already working to address recent issues with Gemini’s image generation feature,” says Google in a statement posted on X. “While we do this, we’re going to pause the image generation of people and will re-release an improved version soon.”
We're already working to address recent issues with Gemini's image generation feature. While we do this, we're going to pause the image...
The VergeAvatar: The Last Airbender is everything that’s disappointing about Netflix’s live-action cartoon shows
Image: Netflix
Netflix’s live-action Avatar has its heart in the right place, but its pacing and uneven performances leave a lot to be desired.
The VergeThe Samsung Galaxy S23 series will get AI features in late March
The Galaxy AI features that launched with Samsung’s S24 flagships are coming to older phones, as promised. | Photo by Allison Johnson / The Verge
Right now, you need a Galaxy S24 phone to use the very latest AI features from Samsung, but that’s changing next month. In late March, Samsung will extend Galaxy AI features to the S23 series — including the S23 FE — as well as recent foldables and tablets as part of the One UI 6.1 update. It’s all free for now, but after 2025 you might have to pay up.
The Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Z Flip 5 are slated to get the update, as well as the Galaxy Tab S9, S9 Plus, and S9 Ultra. If Samsung wants to ship Galaxy AI to 100 million phones this year like it says it will, that’s a solid start. The One UI 6.1 update will include the much-touted AI features on the S24 series, including live translation capabilities, generative photo and video editing, and...
The VergeMicrosoft and Intel strike a custom chip deal that could be worth billions
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
Intel will be producing custom chips, designed by Microsoft for Microsoft, as part of a deal that Intel says is worth more than $15 billion.Intel announced the partnership during its Intel Foundry event today. Although neither company specified what the chips would be used for, Bloomberg noted today that Microsoft has been planning in-house designs for both processors and AI accelerators.
“We are in the midst of a very exciting platform shift that will fundamentally transform productivity for every individual organization and the entire industry,” said Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella in the official press release.
The chips will use Intel’s 18A process, which has been a big part of its road map since the company brought CEO Pat Gelsinger...
The VergeFrom ChatGPT to Gemini: how AI is rewriting the internet
Álvaro Bernis / The Verge
How we use the internet is changing fast thanks to the advancement of AI-powered chatbots that can find information and redeliver it as a simple conversation.
The VergeSpotify needs every win against Apple it can get
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.
Hello! Today, I have a look at what Europe’s regulatory moves against Apple mean for Spotify, and podcasting more broadly. Plus, a lightning round featuring all kinds of audio stories from the purely business (a cash influx at iHeart) to the delightfully criminal (a missing radio tower).
As a heads-up, I will not be publishing Hot Pod next week due to Hot Pod Summit and On Air Fest. Insiders, I’ll be back on Friday. As for the rest of you, I’ll see you in March.
EU expected to slap Apple with $540 million fine
If this turns out to be true, it would be a big win for Spotify in its perpetual battle with Apple. In 2019, Spotify filed a...
The VergeFramework is selling a cheap modular laptop
A picture of the Framework 13 from The Verge_’s 2021 review._ | Photo by Monica Chin / The Verge
Framework is now selling a $499 version of its modular 2021 Laptop 13, a “barebones configuration” equipped with an 11th-generation Intel i7-1165G7 CPU (Intel is now on its 14th generation for mobile processors). The company says this is a first for its affordable “B-stock Factory Seconds” machines that use leftover parts and ship without memory or storage included. So it’s cheap, but you’ll need to provide a couple of parts on your own.
Framework writes in its announcement that it’s also selling refurbished DDR4 RAM for half what it would cost new “to reduce the all-in price.” The base B-stock Laptop 13 configuration is one step up from the version that Monica Chin said in her Verge review was “uniquely friendly to user upgrades,” but...
The VergeNo, smartwatches and smart rings can’t measure blood glucose yet
Don’t believe smartwatches or smart rings that claim to noninvasively measure blood sugar levels. | Image: Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
If you see a smartwatch or smart ring for sale that claims to noninvasively measure your blood glucose levels, don’t believe it. Today, the Food and Drug Administration has issued a safety communication that warns consumers, patients, and healthcare professionals that the agency has “not authorized, cleared, or approved any smartwatch or smart ring that is intended to measure or estimate blood glucose values on its own.”
To be crystal clear, no major wearable maker has a smartwatch or smart ring that’s currently capable of this. The most any Apple Watch, Fitbit, Samsung watch, or Oura Ring can do is support integrations with an FDA-authorized continuous glucose monitor (CGM), which are wearable devices that use needles to read blood...
The VergeGoogle apologizes for ‘missing the mark’ after Gemini generated racially diverse Nazis
The results for “generate an image of the Founding Fathers,” as of February 21st. | Screenshot: Adi Robertson / The Verge
Google has apologized for what it describes as “inaccuracies in some historical image generation depictions” with its Gemini AI tool, saying its attempts at creating a “wide range” of results missed the mark. The statement follows criticism that it depicted specific white figures (like the US Founding Fathers) or groups like Nazi-era German soldiers as people of color, possibly as an overcorrection to long-standing racial bias problems in AI.
“We’re aware that Gemini is offering inaccuracies in some historical image generation depictions,” says the Google statement, posted this afternoon on X. “We’re working to improve these kinds of depictions immediately. Gemini’s AI image generation does generate a wide range of people. And that’s...
The VergeRivian says it is laying off 10 percent of its workforce as EV woes deepen
Photo by Mitchell Clark / The Verge
Rivian said it was laying off 10 percent of its workforce as concerns about slower electric vehicle sales continue to reverberate across the industry.
The company made the announcement as part of its fourth quarter earnings report, in which it said it likely wouldn’t make any more vehicles this year than it did in 2023. Rivian’s stock price fell on the news.
Rivian has gone through several rounds of layoffs in its short history. The company let go 6 percent of its workforce both in July 2022 and May 2023. This current round of layoffs is expected to affect over a thousand workers at the Irvine, California-based company, which has a combined workforce of 16,700 salaried and hourly employees.
A spokesperson said the layoffs would mostly...
The VergeApple says the iPhone 15’s battery got better — but won’t say exactly how
The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max are the subject of some new and improved battery health claims. | Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge
iPhone 15 owners seemingly got some great news yesterday: long-term battery health is better than Apple initially claimed. Twice as good, in fact! The company is now advertising a much larger number to represent how long its batteries will last. The trouble is, we’re not exactly sure if the batteries have gotten that much better — or if Apple has just changed how it talks about and tests them.
As reported by 9to5Mac, Apple retested the batteries in the iPhone 15 and 15 Pro and now claims they can maintain at least 80 percent of their original capacity for 1,000 charging cycles — double its initial claim of 500 cycles. Batteries naturally degrade over time, so the added longevity is welcome news. It’s particularly notable since iPhone 14...
The VergeMeet the new Google sign-in page
The new Google sign-in page that starts rolling out today, February 21st. | Image: Google
If you’ve logged in to your Google account recently, you might have seen a message that “a new look is coming soon,” and now, Google is showing off the “more modern look and feel” of its new sign-in page.
Of course, if that screenshot feels incredibly familiar, that’s because it’s mostly the same as the old one. The sign-in steps are all the same, except it has a light Material Design makeover that’s now aligned horizontally to work better across many screen types, including large and wide screens, like the ones found inside a Pixel Fold or on a Pixel Tablet.
Image: Google
Images of the old and new sign-in pages.
It’s also still ready to prompt users for their passwords, passkeys, or other authentication, just...
The VergeDell is throwing in a $75 gift card when you buy a Nintendo Switch OLED
The Nintendo Switch OLED sports a seven-inch display and a sturdy, adjustable kickstand. | Photo by Cameron Faulkner / The Verge
Nintendo’s so-called Switch 2 might be in the works, but it reportedly won’t arrive until early 2025 despite having originally been pegged for release later this year. Fortunately, if you were hoping to jump on recent standouts like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom or any of the indie titles announced during Nintendo’s latest Direct event sooner rather than later, Dell has you covered.
Right now, Dell is offering a $75 gift card when you buy a Nintendo Switch OLED with white Joy-Con. That’s money you can use toward a variety of Switch games and accessories, including Nintendo’s Switch Pro Controller and Super Mario Bros. Wonder, as well as non-gaming electronics like Philips Hue’s Lightstrip Plus, Google’s third-gen Nest...
The VergeWaymo’s robotaxi expansion plans in California put on hold by regulators
Photo by JASON HENRY/AFP via Getty Images
Waymo’s plan to expand its robotaxi service in Los Angeles and San Francisco has been put on hold by state regulators. The move follows several incidents involving the Alphabet-owned company’s driverless vehicles, including one in which an autonomous Waymo vehicle struck a cyclist, causing minor injuries.
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), which voted in favor of allowing robotaxi companies to operate 24/7 last summer, put a hold on Waymo’s application for expanded service “for further staff review,” according to the agency’s website. The hold is set to expire on June 19th, 2024 — 119 days from today.
The suspension does not affect the company’s ability to operate in its current service area, which includes most of San...
The VergeThe LTE-enabled Apple Watch Series 8 is nearly half off
The Apple Watch Series 8 offers similar health and fitness features to its successor. | Image: Apple
We’re officially one month away from spring. For a lot of us, that means the weather will finally be nice enough that we can exercise outside. If you want to continue to keep a close on eye on fitness and health metrics while away from indoor gym equipment, right now Walmart is selling the LTE-enabled Apple Watch Series 8 for $299.99 ($200 off) in select colors with a small / medium-sized band.
Apple’s last-gen flagship wearable isn’t dramatically different from the newer Apple Watch Series 9. You’ll miss out on the Series 9’s double-tap feature and on-device Siri. However, you’ll still be able to take advantage of many of the same health features, including EKGs, menstrual cycle tracking, irregular heartbeat alerts, fall detection, and...
The VergeThe first Borderlands movie trailer has a real Guardians vibe to it
It has been hard to pin down what sort of tone Lionsgate wanted to strike with its new Borderlands adaptation from director Eli Roth, but judging from the film’s first trailer, it seems as if the studio’s gunning for a Guardians of the Galaxy vibe.
Based on the game series by the same name, Borderlands tells the story of alien outlaw Lilith (Cate Blanchett), a wanted woman from the planet Pandora who returns to her homeworld in search of a fabled vault rumored to be filled with invaluable treasures.
Though Lilith knows her way around Pandora, she also knows that her best bet at finding the vault is to go hunting with a team. Lilith’s got little in common with mercenary Roland (Kevin Hart), mad scientist Dr. Tannis (Jamie Lee Curtis),...
The VergeComfort isn’t just a Vision Pro problem — it’s a wearable one
Every human body is unique — and that’s a major design challenge for wearable makers.
As I sit here writing this in the Apple Vision Pro, I’m acutely aware of how the light seal presses against my forehead and cheekbones. It was relatively comfy when I slipped it on an hour ago. But now, every so often, I push up on the bridge — as if I’m a cartoon nerd saying, um, well, actually — just to give my face a break. This is despite the fact that I’ve done the scan to figure out my perfect light seal fit (33W, in case you’re wondering). So no, I’m not surprised that many Apple fans who returned their Vision Pros cited comfort as a major issue.
But this isn’t exclusively a Vision Pro problem. It’s a wearable problem.
I say this a lot in my reviews, but comfort is king. For other gadget categories, comfort is mostly a question of...
The VergeXbox-exclusive Hi-Fi Rush is officially coming to PS5
Image: Microsoft
Bethesda is confirming today that Hi-Fi Rush is coming to PS5 on March 18th. The reveal came in a video from Bethesda LATAM, which briefly appeared and then went private on YouTube. In the description of the video Bethesda says March 19th, but the video mentions March 18th.
We’ve reached out to Bethesda for official confirmation on the exact release date.
Image: Bethesda
The Hi-Fi Rush release date on Bethesda’s now deleted video.
The revelation of Hi-Fi Rush launching on PS5 comes hours after Nintendo revealed Grounded and Pentiment are the first previously Xbox-exclusive games to arrive on Nintendo Switch.
Microsoft revealed last week that it would be taking four previously Xbox-exclusive games to rival...
The VergeChatGPT spat out gibberish for many users overnight before OpenAI fixed it
Illustration: The Verge
ChatGPT users began reporting odd responses from the chatbot last night that included switching between languages, getting stuck in loops, or even repeatedly correcting itself. Some of the responses were just pure gibberish.
While discussing the Jackson family of musicians, the chatbot explained to a Reddit user that “Schwittendly, the sparkle of tourmar on the crest has as much to do with the golver of the ‘moon paths’ as it shifts from follow.”
At 10:40PM ET, OpenAI acknowledged on its status page that it was “investigating reports of unexpected responses from ChatGPT,” and a few minutes later said it had found the issue and was working on a fix.
As of this writing, the status page still features a yellow-bordered box at the top...
The VergeApple is already defending iMessage against tomorrow’s quantum computing attacks
Illustration: The Verge
Apple’s security team claims to have achieved a breakthrough “that advances the state of the art of end-to-end messaging.” With the upcoming release of iOS 17.4, iPadOS 17.4, macOS 14.4, and watchOS 10.4, the company is bringing a new cryptographic protocol called PQ3 to iMessage that it purports to offer even more robust encryption and defenses against sophisticated quantum computing attacks.
Such attacks aren’t yet a broad threat today, but Apple is preparing for a future where bad actors try to unwind current encryption standards and iMessage’s security layers with the help of massively powerful computers. Such scenarios could start playing out by the end of the decade, but experts agree that the tech industry need to start defending...