Today I’m talking with Harvey Mason Jr., who is CEO of the Recording Academy — that’s the outfit that puts on the Grammy Awards. I last talked to Harvey in 2024, when it was obvious that generative AI would upend the music industry, but still not exactly clear how that would happen. Well, it’s been … Read more
The popular fitness-tracking platform, Strava, is restricting access to its API as part of efforts to clamp down on AI scraping, as reported earlier by TechCrunch. Developers who want to build an app using Strava’s data now need to pay for a flat $11.99 / month subscription. In an update on its developer hub, Strava … Read more
Things are bad out there. Despite 2026 shaping up to be a great year when it comes to actual games, it couldn’t really be worse for the people that make them or the industry as a whole. Hardware prices keep going up, layoffs have shown no signs of stopping, and even big-budget titles backed by … Read more
A lot of details are still under wraps, but at least we know what the new Nvidia Spark laptops look like. | Image: Nvidia Nvidia has officially entered the world of consumer laptop chips with the RTX Spark, and several device makers already have hardware lined up for it. Microsoft, Asus, HP, MSI, Lenovo, and … Read more
The Xbox Ally X20, and the glasses you’ll have to buy with it. | Image: Asus If you asked me what I’d change about the Xbox Ally X handheld – aside from fixing Windows, I mean – I’d tell you two key things. First, give me a bigger, better screen. Even a little bit bigger, … Read more
This shadowy render is the best glimpse Microsoft is giving us so far. | Image: Microsoft Once upon a time, Microsoft had to write off $900 million betting an Arm-based Nvidia chip could power its first flagship Windows portable, the original Microsoft Surface. But today, it’s trying again. Microsoft and Nvidia have just announced the … Read more
This fall, Nvidia will officially become a consumer PC chipmaker like Intel, AMD, Apple, and Qualcomm, putting a complete computing chip – not just graphics – into the very heart of laptops and mini-PCs. After many months of leaks, it’s finally announcing the RTX Spark, the first in a family of chips that will meet … Read more
AMD CEO Lisa Su holds a Ryzen chip. | Image: AMD Computex 2026 is underway in Taiwan, and we’re expecting all manner of flashy computers with jaw-dropping pricetags (or no pricetags at all) as the entire industry navigates RAMageddon. But for desktop PC gamers, AMD has a different pitch. It’s relaunching three old components alongside … Read more
The AW3426DW familiar specs, updated design language, and a bunch of QD-OLED enhancements. | Image: Alienware Alienware is taking to this year’s Computex 2026 in Taipei to announce some cool gaming monitors, most notably two exciting OLED options that are coming at different points this year. First off, the company is debuting the successor to … Read more
Dell is aiming for students like Apple did with the MacBook Neo. | Image: Dell Dell is making good on its tease from CES and finally announcing a new XPS 13. The XPS 13 returns as a budget-friendly option, launching in July at a promotional student price of $599 – though that introductory deal only … Read more
Apple isn’t just looking to take on Meta in the smart glasses market; it’s looking to upend eyewear as a whole, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. When the Apple Watch launched, it wasn’t simply competing against the Pebbles and the Motorolas of the world. The company also had Swatch, Fossil, and Seiko in its crosshairs. … Read more
Watch the stream below. | Image: NVIDIA NVIDIA’s CEO Jensen Huang is set to take the stage for his GTC Taipei keynote at 8PM PT / 11PM ET. You can watch all the announcements here and embedded below. Rumors have been flying about what to expect from today’s presentation, but the big one is the … Read more
Squared. Get it? | Image: Mojang The A Minecraft Movie sequel officially has a title: A Minecraft Movie Squared. What’s more, we now know that Kirsten Dunst will star as Alex, the game’s female character option, and that Matt Berry is set to play an even bigger role in this film. He voiced Nitwit in … Read more
Even the cover revels in a low-bit digital aesthetic. | Image: Saddle Creek / Feeble Little Horse From the opening moments of bitknot, it’s obvious that Feeble Little Horse has found an entirely new gear. Where on Girl with Fish the blown-out textures were more ’90s indie rock and shoegaze, on their latest LP, there’s … Read more
An hour in flight UA236 returned to Newark. | Screenshot: The Verge United flight 236 from Newark to Palma de Mallorca on Saturday night was forced to turn around just an hour after takeoff due to security concerns around a Bluetooth signal. Multiple Redditors claimed to be on the flight and reported that the crew … Read more
A speedy 18-inch Mini LED that needs to be seen to be believed. | Photo: Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge My eyes have seen the PC gaming promised land, and it’s a beautifully bright world without a shred of blurriness. It’s warm, it looks lovely, and it’s impeccably sharp. Also, it’s expensive as … Read more
IO Interactive’s 007 First Light is here, and it’s just as stunning a James Bond mov — err, video game — as we hoped it would be. Pardon the confusion, the title’s engaging tutorial really feels like you’re watching a great Bond movie at times. Whether you’re a longtime Hitman fan who’s been eagerly waiting … Read more
Earlier this month, I finally achieved the elusive goal I had set for myself in Bungie’s Marathon. I collected six of the game’s rarest items, allowing me to attempt and then successfully clear the raid-style Compiler boss. I felt a massive weight lift off my shoulders – nearly 185 hours of playtime and I had … Read more
Traveling at 75,000 miles an hour, breaking up 40 miles above the ground. | Image: CIRA On Saturday, at around 2:06 pm ET, a meteor streaked over the northeastern US and exploded north of Cape Cod Bay. The fireball was caught on camera by several people, shook houses, and can even be seen clearly in … Read more
The crypto weed vape found me on 4/20, the high holiday of cannabis enthusiasts everywhere. It arrived over Slack with the thumbnail of a man exhaling a plume of vapor, the words “every hit delivers Bitcoin” emblazoned across it. It claimed to be advertising a device called Gudtrip, and I thought everything about it sounded … Read more
This is The Stepback, a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world. For more news about gadgets and smartphones, follow Dominic Preston. The Stepback arrives in our subscribers’ inboxes at 8AM ET. Opt in for The Stepback here. How it started In 2023, the European Union agreed on two landmark pieces … Read more
Despite headwinds from the current administration, automakers continue to release well-equipped EVs with bigger battery packs and increasingly faster charging speeds. For those who want to travel further between plugging in, the future is still bright, just slightly tinted. But there haven’t been many sedans starting around or below $50,000, as crossover SUVs have largely … Read more
The Kane Parsons’ film Backrooms is expected to earn up to $90 million in its opening weekend after pulling down $38 million on Friday alone. That’s not only above expectations, but absolutely obliterates A24’s previous opening weekend record of $25.5 million for Alex Garland’s Civil War. It’s also a better opening day than The Mandalorian … Read more
Cecil Baldwin is a busy man with some dope boots. | Image: Cecil Baldwin Cecil Baldwin’s résumé includes appearances on Gravity Falls, narrating the documentary Scream, Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street, and performing as part of the New York Neo-Futurists theater company. But he is best known as the host of the podcast Welcome … Read more
Microsoft is facing criticism for its handling of zero-day exploits. Someone going by the name Nightmare Eclipse has been publicly feuding with the company, posting proof-of-concept exploit code. Some of their posts suggest that they’re a disgruntled former employee. But what caught cyber security researcher Kevin Beaumont’s eye was how Microsoft has responded. Microsoft suggests … Read more
Art TVs aren’t exactly known for being affordable, which is why Woot’s latest sale is notable. Now through June 26th, the retailer is discounting Samsung’s 2025 Frame TV and Hisense’s 2025 CanvasTV. The 65-inch CanvasTV is down to $779.99 ($520 off) — its best price of the year — while Samsung’s like-minded Frame TV is … Read more
You may have heard that Valve’s new Steam Controller can ring like a telephone or do the Wilhelm scream. But did you know it can sing songs, too? Let me show you. Here’s the new Steam Controller performing the “Ground Theme” from Super Mario Bros. 2: Here is “Still Alive” from Portal – fitting for … Read more
I live in a part of Los Angeles where I feel safer bringing pepper spray on walks. The problem is, I don’t always remember to bring it with me, and it’s not legal to carry it everywhere I go. Pebblebee’s $59.99 Halo Bluetooth tracker surprised me by being a suitable replacement because it doubles as … Read more
The Arduboy FX-C squeezes a lot of entertainment into a thin, credit card-sized handheld. As handheld consoles continue to grow and push the limits of what you can actually hold in your hands, the Arduboy FX-C comes in a refreshingly pocketable package. It manages to squeeze the best features of past models and some welcome … Read more
A good time with old maps. | Image: Past Maps Craig Campbell walked away from the river of investor money flowing into AI to create, of all things, a website. Sure, Campbell probably could have started an AI company. He’s a former engineer at Meta and an experienced tech founder who in 2022 sold his … Read more