The best Qi2 batteries for iPhone and Pixel

Compact power banks have gotten a lot faster in the past year — and it’s not just their USB-C charging speeds that have received a boost. The newest Qi2.2-certified models can wirelessly charge an iPhone 16 or later at up to 25W. Combine that with their ability to magnetically snap on via MagSafe, and you’ve … Read more

As AI gets better, it reveals an empty promise

This week we’ve got tandem hands-ons with Google’s new Gemini AI agent – Spark – from my colleagues David Pierce and Jay Peters. Their takeaways are similar: It’s so effective that it’s scary. Spark knew that David’s dog is named Frida and knew the first name of Jay’s wife, even though neither of them explicitly … Read more

PlayStation is getting back to what it’s good at

PlayStation used its most recent State of Play showcase to make it clear where its focus is. After a series of costly live-service stumbles, it’s getting back to focusing on premium, narrative-driven, single-player games. That statement was made clear with how it started and ended the hourlong show. The showcase began with an extended look … Read more

Supernatural isn’t dead after all

DeeDee Henry works out using VR at her home in Ventura, California. | Photo by Maggie Shannon / The Verge A few months ago, Meta effectively handed Supernatural, a popular VR fitness game on the Meta Quest, a death sentence. As part of overarching VR layoffs, the company announced the game would no longer get … Read more

SwitchBot’s acquisition of Nanoleaf is about more than lighting

Nanoleaf has made a name for itself by developing smart color-changing LED lighting products, including wall panels, TV mirroring, and display cases. | Image: Nanoleaf Smart lighting company Nanoleaf has been acquired by OneRobotics, the parent company of SwitchBot. In an exclusive interview with The Verge, Nanoleaf CEO Gimmy Chu says the company will remain … Read more

Trans teens have something to say

By the time the Children’s Hospital closed its doors to trans patients, Sage had already stopped taking testosterone. A nonbinary high school student, they originally received treatment for the rapid onset of puberty. The changes their body experienced felt frightening and sudden. They developed PMOS, a relatively common hormonal disorder that can lead to hair … Read more

AI has a water problem. Google thinks it has a fix

In the face of widespread backlash to the AI data center buildout throughout the US, Google is touting its efforts to minimize the environmental impact by actually increasing water for local communities. The company laid out five commitments around water use in a new blog post published Wednesday, including a goal to replenish more water … Read more

God of War Laufey is coming to the PS5

Sony ended its big State of Play showcase with a major reveal: the next God of War. The new title is called God of War Laufey, and is once again developed by Sony’s Santa Monica Studio. Currently, the game doesn’t have a date, but it’s coming to the PS5 whenever it does launch. This time, … Read more

Remedy’s Control sequel launches in September

Control Resonant, the upcoming sequel to Remedy Entertainment’s Control, will be released on September 24th, 2026, according to a trailer that premiered during Tuesday’s PlayStation State of Play show. The trailer also gave a preview of the game’s story, which stars Dylan Faden, who was imprisoned for much of the first game. He will be … Read more

I held the next-gen handheld

The new MSI Claw with Intel Arc G3 Extreme. | Photo by Sean Hollister / The Verge Intel couldn’t catch a break. Layoffs. Shakedowns. Crashing CPUs torpedoing its reputation, sending desktop gamers fleeing to AMD. Apple and Qualcomm pushing Intel out of multiple flagship laptops. A gaming graphics card going MIA. But its Panther Lake … Read more

Microsoft Build 2026: the 7 biggest announcements

Microsoft just kicked off Build 2026 with a keynote from CEO Satya Nadella and other company leaders. As expected, it was filled with announcements, ranging from new Surface hardware to an always-on personal assistant and updates across Microsoft’s in-house AI models. If you didn’t watch the event live, you can catch up on all the … Read more

Trump signs executive order to review AI models before they’re released

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Tuesday creating a “voluntary framework” for AI companies to share their frontier models with the federal government before they’re released “to promote secure innovation and strengthen the cybersecurity of critical infrastructure.” The order says the US AI industry has succeeded in part “because we refuse to stifle this … Read more

Microsoft’s next-gen quantum chip cuts timeline to useful quantum computing

Microsoft’s new Majorana 2 quantum chip. | Image: Microsoft Microsoft claimed last year that it had made a key breakthrough in quantum computing with Majorana 1, the company’s first quantum processor. While physicists were immediately skeptical of Microsoft’s claims, the software giant is announcing Majorana 2 today, the next generation of its topological quantum chip. … Read more

Microsoft’s first advanced reasoning AI is here

Microsoft announced a bunch of new in-house AI models at Build 2026, including a new “flagship” model: MAI-Thinking-1. It’s an ambitious step into model development for Microsoft, which introduced its initial in-house models last year – before then, it had relied on OpenAI’s models. The two companies recently renegotiated their deal to loosen ties. According … Read more

Microsoft Scout is a new AI personal assistant built on OpenClaw

Much like Google, Microsoft is launching its own version of OpenClaw. Microsoft Scout is an always-on assistant that integrates into Microsoft 365 apps like Outlook, OneDrive, and Microsoft Teams, allowing businesses to assign a virtual assistant to employees to help with organizing calendars, expense reporting, email drafts, and much more. Unlike Copilot that lives inside … Read more