The latest tech news about the world's best (and sometimes worst) hardware, apps, and much more. From top companies like Google and Apple to tiny startups vying for your attention, Verge Tech has the latest in what matters in technology daily.
Featured stories
An anti-deepfake declaration may have been written by AI
A disinformation expert submitted an affidavit citing sources that don’t exist — and may be the result of LLM ‘hallucinations.’
Steam is adding support, and more rules, for ‘season pass’ content
Valve says video game developers ‘shouldn’t offer a Season Pass’ if they aren’t ready to clearly communicate what’s included in the DLC.
Saw this news on 9to5Mac. I honestly didn’t know landscape video wasn’t previously possible.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 has had a pretty rough launch, and now Microsoft has put out a hotfix aimed at addressing some of the performance and stability issues. “We will continue to investigate any issues and keep the community informed,” says game lead Jorg Neumann.
[Microsoft Flight Simulator]
“We don’t have anything there this year,” Meta told the Financial Times.
The annual UN summit is arguably the biggest climate event of the year, and typically an opportunity for tech companies to grandstand. But Big Tech’s obsession with AI has led to growing greenhouse gas emissions, pushing companies further away from climate goals.
A federal judge denied OpenAI’s bid to force The New York Times to reveal how its reporters use AI tools, ruling that the discovery request was overly broad. The ruling’s final metaphor gives you a hint of how silly the judge found the whole thing:
“If a copyright holder sued a video game manufacturer for copyright infringement ... the video game manufacturer would not be entitled to wide-ranging discovery concerning the copyright holder’s employees’ gaming history.”
After receiving a cease and desist letter from The New York Times, the owner of a Connections creator that also had a full archive of the NYT’s puzzles has removed it. You can still make puzzles on the site and play other creations, if you want.
Erin Kissane’s take on “the dark forest” idea of the internet suggests that context collapse is what makes the internet deranging. So how do you build a network where people matter?
[wreckage/salvage]
The $15 SoundSlide solves a problem that few would consider an actual problem. It replaces a computer’s volume buttons with a customizable touch-sensitive slider that can be operated using finger swipes. For those who miss volume wheels, it might be worth the upgrade. For everyone else, sacrificing a USB-C port for the SoundSlide might be too big an of an ask.
Reviews
SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds review: earbuds for your PlayStation or Xbox
Peak Design’s Outdoor Backpack is a more versatile everyday bag
Samsung Galaxy Watch FE review: a bogus bargain
I got a desk treadmill to relieve stress — instead, it stressed me out
The government’s plan to break up Google
On The Vergecast: what will come of Chrome and Search, AI woes for Amazon, and the Threads / Bluesky battle rages.
The TikTok show Boy Room tours the disgusting bedrooms of men, cigarette butts, dirty clothes, and all. It’s gross, funny, and weirdly revealing — and now much more sanitized via an Amazon partnership.
In an HGTV-esque reboot, the show will now give home makeovers featuring Amazon furniture and decor. It serves as a front end to Amazon: Boy Room is also promoting the products via affiliate marketing.
Shōgun was the most watched show on Google TV devices in 2024 while Road House was the most watched movie. And starting today you’ll find a curated “best of 2024” collection under the “For You” tab on the Google TV Streamer (4K), Google TV built-in devices, and the Google TV apps.