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Image: Playstack I’m sorry, there’s simply no escape. The addictive magic roguelike poker game Balatro, which grossed $1M in eight hours, sold 500,000 copies in 10 days, and has now been played for 1,742 years, is now coming to iPhone and Android too.That’s the word directly from the game’s anonymous solo developer LocalThunk and their publisher Playstack Games, who participated in a verified Reddit AMA earlier this week.The game originally shipped for consoles and Window

Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge This week, Spotify announced a new feature to let audiobook authors and publishers tease their new releases. Countdown Pages, which debuted for music artists last year and has been used by the likes of Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift, let fans pre-save an upcoming title and have it pop into their library when it’s released. The page is adorned with a large countdown clock — with a timer going down to the second — to get listeners excited. Th

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge Sony is reportedly working on a PlayStation 5 Pro model that may well include a far more powerful GPU that’s up to three times faster than the existing PS5 models. YouTuber Moore’s Law is Dead claims to have gotten access to a technical overview document for the PS5 Pro, codenamed Trinity, and now Tom Henderson at Insider Gaming reports that the leaked specifications are accurate and the console is currently set to release during the holiday 2024 per

Do you remember Ajit Pai? The former FCC Chairman handpicked by then-president Donald Trump? You know, the one who was infamous for drinking out of a giant Reese's coffee mug and…oh yeah, killing net neutrality?In 2021, when he was on the way out of the agency, Pai declared that a paltry 25 megabits per second (mbps) minimum speed requirement for broadband in the U.S. was more than enough for Americans.Now, just 3 years, one new U.S. President, and a new Chairman of the FCC later…t

The feature directorial debut of comedy writer Kobi Libii, The American Society of Magical Negroes has a fiery premise, but tepid execution leaves its satire feeling lukewarm. However, thanks to an impeccable lead performance from Justice Smith, Libii's more straightforward dramatic material still manages to strike a chord.The film's title echoes a well-worn American media trope — though the term was first coined by filmmaker Spike Lee in 2001, as the "magical, mystical negro" — 

Image: Google Google Meet is rolling out filters you can use to “lightly” touch up your complexion before you head into a meeting. The company first launched the feature on mobile last year, but now it’s coming to Google Meet’s web app.
You can choose from two different filters: subtle and smoothing. While Google says the subtle filter applies “very light” complexion smoothing, under-eye lightening, and eye whitening, the smoothing filter makes all three effec

Pornhub, you can take away Texans' porn, but what you won't do is take away their determination to get their NSFW content — come hell or high water.As we reported on Friday, Pornhub went dark in Texas. Why? The state has new age verification laws. As such, anyone who has a Texas IP is blocked from accessing the adult website."[W]e have made the difficult decision to completely disable access to our website in Texas," Pornhub said in a notice. "In doing so, we are complying with the law, as

Cath Virginia / The Verge | Photos via Getty Images In an opinion signed by Justice Amy Coney Barrett, the Supreme Court established a test to determine when a public official can be considered to be engaging in state action in blocking someone from their social media account. The official must have both “(1) possessed actual authority to speak on the State’s behalf on a particular matter, and (2) purported to exercise that authority when speaking in the relevant social-media posts.&

From AAA blockbusters to indie cult classics, there are tons of games up to 95 percent off. | Valve / Steam You’d think most gamers would have indulged enough over the long winter season that they wouldn’t want to spend the first moments of spring doing the same, but rainy days are still a thing, yeah? And the grind never truly stops for many of us. That’s why I can appreciate the Steam spring sale, happening now through March 21st. It happens around this time every year and of

Black Mirror season 7 is coming back, Netflix announced on X. "Six new stories, but one looks a little familiar. Black Mirror returns 2025," the post said.Most are excited for its return. However, there's no shortage of criticism, with many X users expressing disappointment with Black Mirror season 6. Still, fans still have hope that it will have its moment of redemption.SEE ALSO:We told you. Netflix is using your photos in a 'Black Mirror' ad campaign.
1. Make 'Black Mirror' great againAcross s

Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images Until relatively recently, Rep. Jeff Jackson, a freshman Democratic congressman from North Carolina, had more than 2.5 million followers on TikTok. Jackson’s follower count dropped by over 100,000 virtually overnight — as did his esteem among some of TikTok’s young users — after he voted to ban the app.The bill passed with 352 votes, but to the legions of TikTokers who called their representatives to urge them not to ban the

BeReal is in a real bind.According to Business Insider, employees were told at a February all-hands meeting that the app had about ten months of runway left before running out of money. While BeReal has maintained a relatively low head count of 60 employees, its server costs are significant. Now, leadership is scrambling to make the app appealing to investors.SEE ALSO:BeReal unveils its latest attempt to Be Relevant again
BeReal's unique, in-the-moment photo-sharing feature transformed it into a

A new feature just might be headed for your Instagram feeds.If you know anything about new features on Instagram, you might guess that by "new," we mean "it already exists on another platform, but now it will also exist on Instagram." But this is actually a new feature. If you can believe it, it doesn't exist in its current functionality on TikTok — or anywhere else — already.SEE ALSO:Say 'bye' to Mark Zuckerberg: How to delete your Instagram account. Tweet may have been deletedWhat

It's easy to say "goodbye" to Facebook. Most of your friends left long ago and you're already trying to avoid your conspiracy theory-posting great aunt like the plague. However, Facebook is just one part of Mark Zuckerberg's social networking giant, Meta. And you very likely use one of its other popular, more media-centric platforms.That's right, I'm talking about Instagram.SEE ALSO:Can the government regulate what you say on Facebook?
Meta's photo and video sharing social network, Instagram, ca

Screenshot by Tom Warren / The Verge Microsoft is once again injecting pop-ups into Google’s Chrome browser in a bid to get people to switch to Bing. The software giant first introduced malware-like pop-up ads last year with a prompt that appeared over the top of other apps and windows. After pausing that notification to address “unintended behavior,” the pop-ups have returned again on Windows 10 and 11.
Windows users have reported seeing the new pop-up in recent days, advertis

SAVE 49%: Today, Mar. 15, the Fitbit Ace 3 is on sale for just $39.95 at Amazon. This limited-time deal sheds $30.05 off the activity tracker's regular list price of $70.Opens in a new windowCredit: FitbitFitbit Ace 3$39.95 at Amazon $79.00 Save $39.05Get DealThe benefits of having a wearable fitness tracker aren't reserved for adults only. With the Fitbit Ace 3, kids can enjoy forming healthy habits, too, with the help of a watch that's durable enough for all of their adventures. As of today, M

UP TO 45% OFF: As of March 15, you can get up to 45% off Marshall speakers at Amazon. Our top picks:Best deal overall Marshall Stanmore II Wireless Bluetooth Speaker$274.49 at Amazon (save $75.50) Get DealBest portable speaker deal Marshall Emberton II Portable Bluetooth Speaker$128.99 at Amazon (save $41 ) Get DealBest budget pick Marshall Willen Portable Bluetooth Speaker$87.20 at Amazon (save $32.79) Get Deal
If you're looking for a way to amp up (pun intended) your audio experience, Marshall

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Uber and Lyft are pulling their services out of Minneapolis after the city council passed an ordinance that will increase drivers’ pay. Both companies say they will no longer offer ridesharing services in the city when the ordinance goes into effect on May 1st.
The ordinance, which guarantees drivers a minimum rate of $1.40 per mile and 51 cents per minute while carrying a rider, was first passed last week but later vetoed by Minneapolis Mayor Jacob

When it comes to rigging your home with top-notch speakers, Sonos is one of the most trustworthy brands to turn to. However, these powerful speakers come with price tags to match. That's why we're excited about today's limited-time Sonos deals on soundbars, speakers, and subwoofers at Amazon. Today's best Sonos speakers deals as of Mar. 15:Best soundbar dealSonos Sound Ray$223.20(save $55.80) Get DealBest portable speaker dealSonos Move 2$359.20(save $69.80) Get DealBest subwoofer dealSonos Sub

SAVE $300: As of March 15, the 13-inch MacBook Air (M1, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) is on sale for $699 at Walmart. That's $300 off competitors' prices at $999 and a discount of 34%.Opens in a new windowCredit: Walmart13-inch MacBook Air (M1, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD)$699.99 at Walmart $999.99 Save $300.00Get DealIf you're in the market for a new laptop, a MacBook is a great option, especially when you can get it for a much lower price than usual. Now, you can snag one at an unexpected retailer for a great di

Ncuti Gatwa as The Doctor, and Millie Gibson as Ruby Sunday. | BBC / Disney Plus Doctor Who’s most recent Christmas Special gave us a interesting taste of what showrunner Russell T Davies has been dreaming up for Ncuti Gatwa’s run as the time traveling alien, and it won’t be long until we get to see what’s coming next.
Disney Plus announced today that Doctor Who season 14 starring Ncuti Gatwa as the Fifteenth Doctor and Millie Gibson as his companion Ruby Sunday will prem

Samar Haddad for The Verge | Photo by Apple Now that you’ve got your $3,500 Apple Vision Pro, gone through the tutorial, and gotten the hang of things, it’s time to do the next best thing: make a Persona.
Personas are Apple’s name for a digital avatar of yourself for video calls. Or, in Apple’s words, a “natural representation of you that you can use to connect with others.” Aside from FaceTime, your Persona is also used with the EyeSight feature — you k

Remember when Wordle first took the world by storm? Well, just a few years later and there have been 1,000 puzzles already. Friday marked the 1,000th edition of Wordle, which is now owned and ran by the New York Times. While perhaps Wordle is past it's viral peak — folks are super into the NYT's Connections these days — the 1,000th puzzle had folks talking and sharing online. It was trending on X Friday morning. SEE ALSO:Wordle today: Here's the answer and hints for March 15
1,000th

Mercedes also eventually plans to assess how Apollo handles delivering totes of kitted parts. | Image: Apptronik Mercedes-Benz is the latest automotive company to trial how humanoid robots could be used to automate “low skill, physically challenging, manual labor.” On Friday, robotics company Apptronik announced it had entered into a commercial agreement with Mercedes to pilot how “highly advanced robotics” like Apollo — Apptronik’s 160-pound bipedal robot &md

The ruling aims to make it easier to accurately compare subscription prices against other providers. | Illustration by Hugo Herrera / The Verge Cable and satellite TV providers will need to ensure they show the total price of subscription plans as a “prominent single line item” — including costs described as extra fees — under a rule adopted by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Thursday. The FCC says the new rule (pdf) for “all-in” pricing will ma

SAVE OVER 40%: As of March 15, HBO's Max streaming service is offering over 40% off its yearly subscription plans for new, existing, and returning subscribers.Opens in a new windowCredit: MaxMax streaming subscription$69.99 at Max Get annual subscriptions With Ads (42% off), Ad-Free (45% off), or Ultimate Ad-Free (42% off)Get DealIt's March, and you know what that means: in just a few days, the biggest NCAA games of the year will be taking place. Time to fill out those brackets and make sure you

Swedish gaming company Embracer Group has sold a big chunk of one of its biggest subsidiaries, US-headquartered Saber Interactive, in a deal totalling $500mn.  The buyer is Beacon Interactive, a holding company recently formed by none other than Saber’s own co-founder Matthew Karch. In a letter shared with Bloomberg, Karch said he was buying back the rights to his company and many of its studios because “they represent the best of what Saber is and can be.”  Saber In

Image: Alex Parkin / The Verge The TikTok ban might be for real this time. Nearly four years after the first attempt to get the ByteDance-owned company either sold or barred from the US, a new bill is flying through congressional votes, and President Joe Biden has already said he’ll sign it if it comes to his desk.On this episode of The Vergecast, we talk about what’s inside the Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (everybody calls it PAFFACAA, just

It's that time of year again — tax season. File your taxes like a pro with 2023 tax software from Turbotax and H&R Block for up to half off.OverviewBest for self-employed peopleTurboTax Home & Business 2023 Tax Software, Federal & State$95.99(save $24) Get DealBest for homeownersTurboTax Deluxe 2023 Tax Software, Federal & State$55.99(save $14) Get DealBest for investorsTurboTax Premier 2023 Tax Software, Federal & State$82.99(save $22) Get Deal
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