Tesla slashes Full Self-Driving price after Elon Musk said it would only get more expensive

The price of Tesla’s Full Self-Driving package is trending downward. | Image: Owen Grove / The Verge

The price for Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) software package was supposed to get more expensive over time — but instead, it’s getting cheaper.

Tesla has discounted the $12,000 feature — that has been marketed as eventually enabling fully autonomous capabilities despite just being a Level 2 driver-assist system — to $8,000. The price cut comes ahead of Tesla’s earnings on April 23rd, in which Elon Musk is sure to face questions about the adjustment. For years, Musk has insisted that the software package would only grow in value, possibly to a price over $100,000.

In reality, the cost of FSD peaked in 2022 when it was raised to $15,000 and later fell to $12,000. Earlier this month, Tesla also reduced the price of the subscription version...

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Discord CEO Jason Citron makes the case for a smaller, more private internet

Photo illustration by The Verge / Photo: Discord

For teens and gamers, Discord has become their entire online social lives. Co-founder Jason Citron thinks the internet is headed more in that direction.

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Deadpool and Wolverine whip out the big guns in latest trailer

Deadpool & Wolverine has seemed fairly lighthearted in most of the teasers Marvel has dropped so far, but the movie’s latest trailer has a promising edge to it.

Rather than focusing on Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds), Deadpool & Wolverine’s new trailer is actually more about a Wolverine variant (Hugh Jackman) who somehow failed his universe’s team of X-Men before the whole thing was obliterated. It’s still wildly unclear how Wolverine and Deadpool manage to end up fighting in the ruins of the 20th Century Fox lot or which reality the movie’s Wolverine comes from.

But the trailer makes it seem like it all has something to do with Cassandra Nova (Emma Corrin), a powerful mutant with a complicated relationship to Charles Xavier and a penchant...

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The best smartwatches for Android

Photo illustration by William Joel / The Verge

Wear OS is much better than it used to be, so there’s never been a better time to consider a smartwatch.

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The great conundrum of campaigning on TikTok

Cath Virginia / The Verge | Photo from Getty Images

Political strategists aren’t throwing away TikTok, even after their election candidates try to force its sale on national security grounds.

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Want to restore a forest? Give it back to Indigenous peoples who call it home

Doris Ríos is a Cabécar leader who has fought to reclaim Indigenous territory in Costa Rica. | Collage by Israel Vargas | Photos by Justine Calma

These women took back their land in Costa Rica, and now they plan to reforest it.

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Microsoft makes it easier to install Windows store apps from the web

Photo by Becca Farsace / The Verge

Microsoft is starting to improve the experience of downloading Windows store apps from the web. The software giant has built what it calls an “undocked version of the [Microsoft] Store” that works like a typical executable to install apps from the Microsoft Store. It should cut down on the complexity involved in finding Windows store apps on the web and installing them.

Instead of launching the Microsoft Store and a mini window, now when you download apps from the web version of the Microsoft Store it will download a standalone installer instead. This means you don’t have to click install on the web, then allow Chrome or Edge to open the Microsoft Store, and finally hit install to actually install the app. A lightweight installer will be...

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Gaming giant Embracer Group is splitting into three companies

Embracer Group will house major properties like the Lord of The Rings under its new Middle-earth Enterprises & Friends company. | Image: Warner Bros.

Swedish gaming conglomerate Embracer Group announced plans on Monday to split itself into three distinct games and entertainment companies: Asmodee Group, Coffee Stain & Friends, and Middle-earth Enterprises & Friends. These will be separate, publicly listed companies, according to Embracer’, which says the move will allow “each entity to better focus on their respective core strategies and offer more differentiated and distinct equity stories for existing and new shareholders.”

“This move towards three independent companies reinforces Embracer’s vision of backing entrepreneurs and creators with a long-term mindset,” says Lars Wingefors, co-founder and Embracer Group CEO, “allowing them to continue to deliver unforgettable experiences...

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Why is Windows 11 so got dang annoying?

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

A couple of weeks ago, I ran out of screen on the one external monitor my work-issued MacBook Air can run. So I switched to my five-year-old Windows desktop and plugged in another monitor. Love it. Productivity through the roof. But it means that I’m finally spending significant time in Windows 11, and gosh, is it janky.

There are some things that Windows does very well compared to macOS and Linux. All the games are there, for one thing, and Windows runs on all sorts of hardware without a lot of fiddling. You do not have to spend a thousand dollars minimum on a non-upgradable machine to use it. You also generally do not have to download a bunch of drivers or spend six hours in the command line hand-assembling the goddamn operating...

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Gentler Streak quieted my evil brain goblin so I could run in peace

Streaks aren’t the only way to be consistent. | Photo by Victoria Song / The Verge

Six weeks ago, I was having a tough time sticking to my running routines and goals. Physically, I was mostly fine. Mentally, the thought of running — a sport I usually love — made me roll into a blanket burrito and never leave my bed. I started hating myself, but none of my usual fitness apps and trackers were helping. After building a weeklong streak, I couldn’t muster the energy to get out of bed one Saturday. I broke it and spent the next day wallowing in guilt and self-pity.

Fed up, I went digging around the internet and ended up downloading the Gentler Streak app.

Gentler Streak is what it sounds like. It’s an iOS and Apple Watch app with a more compassionate approach toward building a fitness habit. You can set an activity status:...

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The future of AI gadgets is just phones

It’s phones, y’all. | Photo by Allison Johnson / The Verge

At any given time, there are between five and eight phones on my desk. And by “my desk,” I mean any combination of tables and countertops throughout my house. So when I watched the Humane AI Pin reviews start pouring in last week, I did what any logical person would do: grab the closest phone and try to turn it into my own AI wearable.

Humane would like you to believe that its AI Pin represents consumer tech at its most cutting edge. The reviews and the guts of the pin say otherwise: it uses a Snapdragon processor from four years ago and seems to run a custom version of Android 12.

“It’s a midrange Android phone!” I declared at our next team meeting, waving around a midrange Android phone for effect. “You could just download Gemini and...

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The game emulator your phone has been missing

Image: The Verge

Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 35, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you’re new here, welcome, get ready to open some tabs, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.)

This week, I’ve been rewatching Killing Eve now that it’s on Netflix, reading about Maggie Rogers and flying cars and the Today in Tabs newsletter, nodding along as MKBHD talks about gadget reviews, testing the Godspeed to-do list app, talking to everyone I know about the Papyrus 2 sketch, listening on repeat to The Tortured Poets Department, and playing with the Plaud AI voice recorder.

I also have for you a surprisingly gadget-y week! We have a new set of earbuds to try, a new handheld camera, an AI memory...

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This is Tesla’s riveting fix for recalled Cybertruck accelerator pedals

Tesla’s drilling holes in Cybertruck accelerator pedals. | Image: Tesla (PDF)

Tesla temporarily halted deliveries and recalled every single Cybertruck after a viral video showed how the pad on its accelerator pedal could slip off and get stuck in the interior trim, leaving the pedal depressed “down 100 percent, full throttle.” Now, video from a Tesla event in California taken today and Tesla’s own documentation confirm the riveting installation that secures the pad with a rivet, and they show us exactly how it’s done.

While Aaron Cash’s video posted to X says it’s a “35 second recall fix,” demonstrated at the “Cyber Takeover” event in Long Beach, the video starts with the required drilling jig already in place.

Here is the @cybertruck 35 second recall fix at the Cyber takeover event pic.twitter.com/XGsINAEFHQ

—...

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The little smart home platform that could

With a new ownership structure, Home Assistant is making big plans for the future. | The Verge

How Home Assistant plans to transition from an enthusiast platform to a mainstream consumer product.

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TikTok ‘ban’ passes in the House again, moving to the Senate in foreign aid package

Cath Virginia / The Verge | Photos from Getty Images

The House once again passed a bill that could ban TikTok from the US unless its Chinese parent company ByteDance divests it — but this time, it’s in a way that will be harder for the Senate to stall.

The bill passed 360-58 as part of a larger bill related to sanctions on foreign adversaries like Russia. It’s part of a package of foreign aid bills that seek to provide military aid to Ukraine and Israel and humanitarian aid to Gaza. Due to the urgency of the funds, packaging the TikTok bill with these measures means that the Senate will need to consider the proposal more swiftly than it would as a standalone bill. The earlier TikTok bill, which passed the House 352-65 just last month, has so far lingered in the Senate, with lawmakers...

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Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon movies are a fandom menace

Image: Netflix

Netflix’s Rebel Moon films both feel like Zack Snyder trying to celebrate sci-fi classics by gently riffing on them in some of the least inspired ways possible.

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The self-possessed horrors of Late Night with the Devil

Courtesy of IFC Films and Shudder

Horror films live and die by their conceits. And sometimes, the best way to make a movie scary is to place it in an environment that’s not scary at all.

Is there anything further from spooky than a brightly lit TV studio? The surprise box office darling Late Night with the Devil, which hit horror streamer Shudder this weekend (and might be more suited to home viewing), tries to make one of the most innocuous American broadcast traditions into a terror. David Dastmalchian, a character actor who you’ll recognize from the margins of half a dozen Christopher Nolan and Denis Villeneuve movies, gets a rare star turn as Jack Delroy, the host of late-night talk show Night Owls. But in an era where Johnny Carson rules after-hours broadcast,...

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DJI’s pint-sized Mini 3 is on sale with a DJI RC controller for its best price yet

It may not offer obstacle avoidance and the same specs as the Pro model, but the Mini 3 still easily folds down when it’s time to hit the road. | Image: DJI

Happy Saturday, dear readers! The big news on the drone beat this month was the official launch of DJI’s Avata 2, a new FPV drone that’s slicker, more stable, and longer-lasting than the original model released in 2022. That said, I wouldn’t consider it a beginner drone at $999, even if it is noticeably cheaper than its last-gen counterpart. If you are after a true beginner drone, however, the DJI Mini 3 is currently on sale at Amazon and Best Buy with DJI’s screen-equipped RC controller for around $549 ($60 off) — an all-time low.

While not as capable as the DJI Mini 4 Pro or even the DJI Mini 3 Pro, the consumer-focused Mini 3 remains an excellent entry-level drone for budding aerial photographers or anyone who is simply...

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Is Crossrope’s smart jump rope worth $200?

Photo by Sheena Vasani / The Verge

Skip Crossrope unless you really love skipping rope.

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How to change or cancel your music streaming services

The Verge

There are more digital subscriptions around than ever, and among them, you may well have a music streaming service (or two or three). What with “free” trials and trying to find a service you really like, it’s easy to suddenly realize you’re oversubscribed. Luckily, canceling a music subscription — or switching to a free tier — isn’t too difficult. And remember that you can always sign up again. It doesn’t have to be goodbye forever.

Here’s how it’s done on the four best-known platforms. The options will be similar on other services.

Spotify

Spotify has a variety of plans for individuals, families, and even two people.

Spotify has a free tier with ads, without downloads, and with limits on playlists, while the...

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Controversial US surveillance program (briefly?) lapses amid congressional dysfunction

Cath Virginia / The Verge | Photos from Getty Images

The Senate has passed a bill reauthorizing Section 720 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), a controversial program that allows warrantless spying on foreign “targets,”but a long, knock-down, drag-out fight over amendments kept the Senate in session past midnight on Friday, when the surveillance program officially expired.

To be clear, the spying wasn’t actually going to stop. As Sen. Mike Lee (R-OH) pointed out on the Senate floor on Friday afternoon, the FISA court recently granted a government request to allow the program to continue until April 2025.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) claimed that the FISA court’s extension of Section 702 certification “doesn’t mean the program can continue uninterrupted for another year.”

“...

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You can buy a refurbished Steam Deck for almost half off

Valve says each unit has received over 100 tests and meets the same performance standards as new Steam Decks. | Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

It’s not often we see an excellent portable gaming PC like the Steam Deck on sale for nearly half off, but today’s your lucky day. So long as you don’t mind buying it in certified refurbished condition, you can save hundreds when you purchase it directly (with a one-year warranty included) from Valve right now.

The refurbished Steam Deck starts at $279 for the base model with 64GB of storage, which is about $120 cheaper than buying it in new condition. And if you need more storage, the 256GB and 512GB models are both on sale, too, for $319 and $359, respectively. Given they both start at $529 and $649 in new condition, that’s almost like getting them for up to half off. What’s great, too, is that Value says it’s thoroughly tested each...

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Applying the mathematical principles of Pareto to Mario Kart 8

Image: Nintendo

If you’re the kind of Mario Kart 8 player who cares about winning and not just playing their favorite characters (Daisy and Peach supremacy), choosing the best combination of driver, vehicle, and wheels gets tricky.

Luckily, thanks to data science and 19th-century Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto, there’s a way to figure that out. Data scientist Antoine Mayerowitz applies one of Pareto’s principles, the Pareto front, to plot the best combination among the 703,560 possible decisions players must make in Mario Kart. Eurogamer helpfully explains that a Pareto front finds the best possible solution to a problem with different objectives.

In a cool piece of data visualization you should definitely check out, Mayerowitz narrows down the...

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Kia’s more affordable EV2 is getting ready to undercut Tesla

Kia’s lineup of electric vehicles are growing. | Image: Kia

The Kia EV2, the automaker’s small, affordable electric crossover, has been spotted on the street in camouflage. It’s the first time the model has been seen in the wild, although the EV2 is not currently confirmed for the US.

The timing of the sighting is particularly significant given recent news that Tesla may have canned its plans for a $25,000 mass-market “Model 2” vehicle. Elon Musk reportedly mothballed the affordable EV in favor of going all in on the company’s plans for a fully autonomous robotaxi.

No official price has been set for the Kia EV2, but Electrek says it could be 20 million won, or about $15,000. Other reports have it under $30,000 — which would be considerably more affordable than the current average retail price...

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Target confirms it’s all but completely ditching DVDs in physical stores

Image: Target

Target is scaling back the presence of physical media in its stores. A spokesperson for Target tells IGN that the company is “transitioning the limited assortment of DVDs” it sells in stores to its website.

“Moving forward, we’ll offer select DVDs in stores when they are newly released or during key times throughout the year when they are more popular, like for gift giving during the holidays,” Target says. That will make Target’s physical DVD section even smaller and only available during specific times. You’ll still be able to buy “thousands” of DVDs on Target’s website, but I have to wonder how broad its selection will be.

Reports about Target backing away from DVDs first emerged on Wednesday, when the X account @PhysicalMedia posted...

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How Phish turned Las Vegas’ Sphere into the ultimate music visualizer

Image: Alive Coverage

Four nights of unique set lists and long jams presented a much different production challenge than U2’s 40-show residency.

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The Hades 2 technical test is a trial in self-control

Image: Supergiant Games

Imagine the most perfect barbecue — a prolific spread of smoked meats, all the right sides, every pie, type of cookie or cake, and even your grandmother’s famous dinner rolls. But there’s a catch: most of the food is kept behind glass to be unlocked at a later date, and you are starving. That’s what it’s like playing the Hades 2 technical test.

Spoilers for the Hades 2 technical test.

Hades 2, like its predecessor, is a roguelike. You play as Melinoë, the long-lost daughter of Hades and sister of Zagreus, the first game’s protagonist. Unlike her brother, Melinoë isn’t trying to break out of hell. Instead, she’s trying to break into it as Chronos, Titan of Time, has taken over, kidnapping Melinoë’s mother, brother, and father. Reaching...

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You may not need Apple Pay to tap and pay with your EU iPhone soon

Photo by Victoria Song / The Verge

Apple could soon let developers in the European Union use its tap-to-pay technology. A report from Reuters reveals that EU regulators could sign off on Apple’s proposal to open the payment system next month, putting a two-year-long legal battle to rest.

In 2022, the European Commission accused Apple of abusing “its dominant position in markets for mobile wallets.” It claimed Apple prevented third-party payment apps from using the iPhone’s NFC (near-field communication) hardware “to the benefit of its own solution,” Apple Pay.

The European Commission announced earlier this year that Apple committed to allowing third-party payment providers to freely use the iPhone’s NFC capabilities. Apple’s proposal would also give developers access to...

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Google’s HD Chromecast is going for just $20

Google’s latest streaming dongle offers a cheap way to add smart features and apps to any TV. | Image: Google

Almost any TV you can buy these days supports streaming in some form or fashion, but what if you don’t like its user interface or it doesn’t have all of the apps you need? That’s where a streaming device like the Chromecast with Google TV (HD) comes in. We usually recommend jumping for the 4K version if you have the budget for it, but the HD model is only $19.99 ($10 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and the Google Store. It’s a great opportunity to see whether a Chromecast is a better fit for you than Amazon or Roku’s offerings or to access your favorite streaming apps on a secondary TV in your home.

Like its pricier sibling, the Google TV platform it uses offers recommendations across a variety of streaming services and provides an array of...

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Twitter alternative Post News is shutting down

Image: Post News

Post News, a Twitter alternative that emerged in the wake of Elon Musk’s takeover, is shutting down. Noam Bardin, the platform’s founder and former CEO of Waze, writes that Post News “is not growing fast enough to become a real business or a significant platform.”

The Andreessen Horowitz-backed platform launched in a closed beta in November 2022, but now it’s set to shutter “within the next few weeks.” It serves as a social platform that also offers users ad-free access to paywalled content from publishers such as Fortune, Business Insider, Wired, The Boston Globe, and others. All users have to do is pay a “few cents” per article instead of signing up for a subscription to each publication.

Screenshot by Emma Roth / The...

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