Technology news

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge The leaked lineup for last week’s PlayStation State of Play surfaced shortly after the event was scheduled on YouTube. This has added to concerns over the kind of access Google employees have to videos before they go live, an issue highlighted in recent reports from Insider Gaming’s Tom Henderson and 404 Media.
One incident, as noted by Henderson, occurred in 2022 when KSI attempted to give away over $10,000 in Amazon gift cards. However, KSI l

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Instagram is testing “ad breaks” that force you to stop and look at an ad for a period of time before you can continue scrolling. Several X and Reddit users reported seeing the feature, and Instagram spokesperson Matthew Tye confirmed to The Verge that ad breaks are being tested. Tye said Instagram would “provide updates should this test result in any formal product changes.”
One Redditor spotted the feature when scrolling through s

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Amazon’s Project PI, or “Private Investigator,” setup combines generative AI and computer vision to “see” damage on products or determine if they are the wrong color or size before the item gets sent to customers.
The way it works is that products on their way to customers go through a tunnel that scans the items. The computer vision program — a type of AI that looks at images and understands what’s in them —

Samsung isn’t waiting for Oura to hit it with patent suits. | Photo by Allison Johnson / The Verge Samsung isn’t waiting around for Oura to file any patent claims over its forthcoming smart ring. Instead, it’s preemptively filed its own suit against Oura, seeking a “declaratory judgment” that states the Galaxy Ring doesn’t infringe on five Oura patents.The suit alleges that Oura has a pattern of filing patent suits against competitors based on “features

The ModRetro Chromatic | Image: ModRetro Before he brought VR headsets out of the dark ages with Oculus, before he founded defense contractor Anduril, Palmer Luckey was a Nintendo Game Boy modder.It’s true. There’s photo evidence — and today, he’s revealing his own take on the ultimate cartridge-playing Nintendo Game Boy, one that you can actually buy for $199.
Shipping this holiday, the ModRetro Chromatic sounds incredible: magnesium alloy case, sapphire crystal cover gl

You can buy the set for just $80. | Image: Lego Update, June 3rd: Amazon’s Lightning Deal has ended, and the Lego set has returned to its full retail price.
Lego’s just-released massive Barad-dûr set is pretty cool, I’m not going to lie. Yet, at $460 and with over 5,000 pieces, it’s not for everybody. If you’re looking for a good Father’s Day gift that’ll eat up less money and time, Lego’s NASA Apollo 11 lunar lander set might be a better alt

You can buy the set for just $80. | Image: Lego Lego’s just-released massive Barad-dûr set is pretty cool, I’m not going to lie. Yet, at $460 and with over 5,000 pieces, it’s not for everybody. If you’re looking for a good Father’s Day gift that’ll eat up less money and time, Lego’s NASA Apollo 11 lunar lander set might be a better alternative. Normally $99.99, right now, it’s available on sale as an Amazon Lightning Deal for $79.99 ($20 off)

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Peacock may not be the biggest streaming service, but with deals like this, it definitely feels like one of the thirstiest (and to your benefit). That’s because a one-year subscription to NBCUniversal’s streamer is available to new subscribers for just $19.99 ($30 off) through June 30th when you use coupon code STREAMTHEDEAL.The current promo is for the ad-supported Peacock Premium tier, which includes all the 2024 Paris Olympics coverage, the

A Long March 5 carrier rocket launched the Chang ‘e 6 probe into space on May 3rd. | Photo: CFOTO / Future Publishing via Getty Images China’s Chang’e 6 spacecraft successfully landed on the far side of the Moon — and it plans to bring back soil and rock samples to Earth for the first time.
The probe touched down on the Moon’s South Pole–Aitken Basin, which faces away from Earth, at 6:23AM Beijing time, according to the China National Space Administration (CNS

Microsoft plans to invest $3.2bn (€2.9bn) to expand its AI and cloud infrastructure in Sweden, marking the company’s biggest single investment in the Nordic nation. The initiative aims to help boost Sweden’s competitiveness in the burgeoning artificial intelligence sector. As part of this goal, Microsoft will deploy 20,000 of the most advanced GPUs — needed for AI training — to its three existing data centres located in Sandviken, Gävle, and Staffanstorp. The t

Illustration: The Verge As spotted by TechCrunch, X updated its guidelines to let users “share consensually produced and distributed adult nudity or sexual behavior” as long as it’s labeled and not in a prominent location, such as a profile picture or banner.
In the past, X — formerly known as Twitter — didn’t explicitly ban porn. It became a home for some NSFW creators following the launch of Twitter Blue (now X Premium), as creators could encourage followers

A Dutch startup has devised a way to convert mountains of plastic waste into chemicals essential for the production of a wide range of goods, from bottles to batteries.  BioBTX has patented the process — known as Integrated Cascading Catalytic Pyrolysis — and just secured €80mn to scale it up.  Armed with the fresh funds, the company will build a factory in Groningen capable of converting 20,000 tonnes of plastic waste a year into chemicals like benzene, toluene, and

Image: Larian Studios It’s gonna get pretty funky in Faerûn with official mod support coming to Baldur’s Gate 3. Larian Studios announced that official mod support will roll out in phases, starting today with a closed alpha, before a closed beta test in July, culminating with the official release of Patch 7 in September. According to Larian, the staggered testing phases will give the community ample time to test the new mod tools before making them available across PC and conso

The new Multi-Cam feature is only available to iPadOS users. | Image: Sony Sony has released a new update for its Monitor & Control (M&C) mobile app that makes it easier for users to remotely observe and operate camera feeds on smartphones and tablets. Most notably, version 2.0.0 of the M&C app introduces a new Multi-Camera Monitoring feature that allows users to control and preview up to four cameras at once, much like the Final Cut Camera iOS app that Apple released in May.
While t

Image: Sony The PlayStation VR2’s PC adapter is now official. Just a few days after a certification revealed that Sony was working on the adapter, which would add PC support to the PS5-exclusive headset, the company officially unveiled the connector. It launches on August 7th and will cost $59.99.
Sony says the device will support all Steam VR games, including big-name titles like Half-Life: Alyx. In addition to the new adapter, Sony says players will need a DisplayPort cable to work with

Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge; Photo by STR / NurPhoto, Getty Images The fight for Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s enormous pay package is heating up.On June 13th, Tesla shareholders will decide the fate of Musk’s compensation package, which is estimated to be worth as much as $56 billion. It will be the second time that shareholders will vote on the CEO’s pay, after a Delaware judge voided the first one earlier this year on the grounds that the approval process was “deeply flaw

Image: Sony The extraterrestrial bromance between Eddie Brock and Venom is set to conclude — and it looks like the trilogy is going out with a bang. Sony released the first trailer for The Last Dance, which will conclude the story, and it’s got everything: ultraviolence, one-liners, ballroom dancing, alien armies, and even a symbiote horse.
The movie follows Let There Be Carnage and puts Eddie (Tom Hardy) and Venom (also Hardy) in a tough spot. Not only are they fugitives being chase

Image: Microsoft Microsoft is about to launch a new AI-powered Recall feature that screenshots everything you do on your PC. Recall is part of the new Copilot Plus PCs that are debuting on June 18th, but experts who have tested the feature are already warning that Recall could be a “disaster” for cybersecurity.
Recall is designed to use local AI models to screenshot everything you see or do on your computer and then give you the ability to search and retrieve anything in seconds. The

A carpenter has provided police with the key to cracking a multi-million dollar theft case — and it all happened thanks to some hidden Apple AirTags.The 43-year-old from Virginia, who spoke anonymously to the Washington Post, said he decided to hide the Bluetooth tracking devices – which are typically used to help people keep tabs on things like luggage and keys – after he'd been the victim of previous tool thefts.SEE ALSO:How to get alerts for unknown AirTags on an Android
The

Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge A year after Spotify first increased the price of Spotify Premium in the US, it’s happening again. Next month subscribers to Spotify in the US will start receiving an email detailing the price increases to Premium, Duo, and Family plans. Spotify Premium will now cost $11.99 a month, up from the $10.99 increase announced last year.
If you’re a subscriber to Spotify Duo then it’s jumping $2 a month, from $14.99 to $16.99 a month. Family wi

TL;DR: Live stream Coco Gauff vs. Ons Jabeur in the 2024 French Open for free on 9Now, France TV, RTBF, ORF, or Servus TV. Access these free streaming platforms from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.Coco Gauff vs. Ons Jabeur will be one of the most intriguing quarter finals of this year's Roland-Garros. Gauff is the American sweetheart of tennis and she's got the skills to back up the reputation. At just 20 years old she's the No. 3 seed and she's already a French Open finalist and US Open

TL;DR: Live stream Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. Carlos Alcaraz in the 2024 French Open for free on 9Now, France TV, RTBF, ORF, or Servus TV. Access these free streaming platforms from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.As the second week of Roland-Garros rolls on, the tournament is serving up some exciting quarter final action as comeback kid Stefanos Tsitsipas faces last year's Wimbledon winner, Carlos Alcaraz. This should be an excellent game.No. 9 seed Tsitsipas fought back in the fourth round,

TL;DR: Live stream Iga Swiatek vs. Marketa Vondrousova in the 2024 French Open for free on 9Now, France TV, RTBF, ORF, or Servus TV. Access these free streaming platforms from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.On paper this quarter final is the biggest women's fixture yet at Roland-Garros in 2024. From Poland, Swiatek is the No. 1 in the world — a three time French Open winner (including a victory last year) and a US Open winner.Vondrousova meanwhile is the No. 5 seed and the winner of

TL;DR: Live stream Alexander Zverev vs. Holger Rune in the 2024 French Open for free on 9Now, France TV, RTBF, ORF, or Servus TV. Access these free streaming platforms from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.In terms of rankings, this is one of the most closely matched contests in the fourth round of Roland-Garros — the No. 4 seed Alexander Zverev vs. No. 13 seed Holger Rune. Zverev battled Tallon Griekspoor is a five-set classic in the previous round, while Rune scored in straight sets

TL;DR: Live stream Emma Navarro vs. Aryna Sabalenka in the 2024 French Open for free on 9Now, France TV, RTBF, ORF, or Servus TV. Access these free streaming platforms from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.We're into week two of Roland-Garros and the competition is heating up. The quarter finals are just one win away and the pressure's on for the remaining players, including fourth round opponents Emma Navarro and Aryna Sabalenka.You have to be impressed by Sabalenka's performance so far. T