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Nintendo’s Switch 2 is here — sort of

Image: The Verge, Nintendo The Switch 2 exists . We know that for sure. It’s bigger — seems like we know that, too. But what else do we know about the sequel to one of Nintendo’s most innovative and bestselling consoles? Maybe not as much as you might think. On this episode of The Vergecast , we run down everything we know, and don’t know, about the Switch 2. The Verge ’s Richard Lawler , Ash Parrish , and Andrew Webster join the show to explain all the new stuff we saw in Nintendo’s trailer , all the things we’re still wondering about, and why exactly Nintendo chooses to launch its consoles this way. It’s all a little odd, but let’s be honest: it’s the Switch 2. What else did you need to know? After that, The Verge ’s Adi Robertson joins the show to talk about the week’s whipsawing policy news. The TikTok ban — or non-ban , or later-ban , or kinda-sorta ban — is closer than ever, and there’s another tech-related case in front of the Supreme Court that could prove just as...
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6 TikTok creators on where they’ll go if the app is banned

Cath Virginia / The Verge | Photo by Brendan Hoffman, Getty Images It’s been more than four years since Donald Trump first moved to expel TikTok from the US — and now, just days before a second Trump presidency begins, it just might happen. President Joe Biden signed legislation last April that officially began the countdown that would force TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to divest from the US business. But even afterward, the atmosphere on the video powerhouse was mostly nonchalant, with a handful of stray jokes about “this app disappearing” slotted between the usual fare. In the last week, though, the vibe has shifted — my favorite creators are posting links to their other social accounts, audiences are making highlight reels of the most viral moments on the app, and they’re saying goodbye to their “Chinese spy” and threatening to hand over their data to the Chinese government . A Chinese-owned app Xiaohongshu, known as RedNote, topped the App Store this week, driven b...
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Google rejects EU fact checking commitments for Search and YouTube

Illustration: The Verge Google has notified the European Union that it won’t integrate work from fact-checking organizations into Search or YouTube, ahead of the bloc’s plans to expand disinformation laws. Google had previously signed a set of voluntary commitments that the EU introduced in 2022 to reduce the impact of online disinformation, which are in the process of being formalized into law under the Digital Services Act (DSA ). The pushback comes as the emboldened leaders of US tech companies, including Google CEO Sundar Pichai , have been courting President-elect Donald Trump, with Tim Cook and Mark Zuckerberg urging him directly to combat EU regulatory enforcement . In a letter written to the European Commission’s content and technology czar Renate Nikolay seen by Axios , Google’s global affairs president Kent Walker affirmed that Google won’t commit to the fact-checking requirement as it “simply isn’t appropriate or effective for our services.” Google will also “pull out o...
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ChargePoint is doing something about all the EV charger cable-cutting crooks

Photo by Andrew Liptak / The Verge ChargePoint has had enough of vandalizing thieves who saw through EV charger cables to steal valuable copper — so now it’s making new “cut-resistant” cables and adding alarm systems in an attempt to mitigate the damage. ChargePoint’s VP of product management Steve Farrell tells The Verge the cable uses a patent-pending technology that includes strategically placed steel to provide protection. Although the design may make the cables a bit larger and less flexible, Farrell wrote that usability won’t be impacted, and that most users “will not notice the difference” with the changes. The new cable can be retrofitted on commercial and fleet charging stations (both AC and DC models) made by the company. Farrell also says the cables were tested against “commonly used devices,” including wirecutters, bolt cutters, and battery powered tools. ChargePoint was “satisfied with its ability to significantly increase the time, effort, and resources (i.e. tools)...
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Realme’s new phone changes color in the cold, but it won’t last forever

Realme’s 14 Pro and 14 Pro Plus turn blue in the cold, even underwater. | Image: Realme Realme just launched its 14 Pro phones in India, and they come with a party trick: the phones can change color in the cold. That’s in addition to a triple camera flash and a triple IP rating that should protect the phone from extreme water conditions. Both the Realme 14 Pro and 14 Pro Plus share the color-sensitive tech, though it’s limited to the pearl white versions, with purple and gray models stuck on one lousy color. Co-designed with Danish studio Valeur Designers, the pearlescent phones include thermochromic pigments that start out as white, but pick up blue hues when the temperature drops below 16 degrees Celsius (about 61 degrees Fahrenheit), reversing as it warms up again. Image: Realme Realme says that the colder the temperature, the faster the phone will change. It’s even possible to create short-lived patterns by only cooling specific spots, which Indian YouTubers are already en...
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Biden warns nation about the rise of American tech oligarchs

Some big concerns for Biden to raise in his final days in office. | Cath Virginia / The Verge | Photos from Getty Images, Nathan Howard President Biden used his final public address from the Oval Office to warn the nation about the dangers presented by the spread of misinformation and power-hungry tech leaders. “Today, an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power, and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedoms, and a fair shot for everyone to get ahead.” In his farewell message on Wednesday , Biden called back to warnings that President Dwight Eisenhower gave about the military-industrial complex causing a “disastrous rise of misplaced power.” “Six decades later, I’m equally concerned about the potential rise of a tech industrial complex that could pose real dangers for our country as well,” Biden said. Despite praising US technology leadership for its innovation and ability to transform lives, Biden said he was con...
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Drake withdraws accusation that UMG and Spotify illegally boosted Kendrick Lamar’s diss track

Photo by Prince Williams/Wireimage Drake has withdrawn the petition he raised accusing Spotify and Universal Music Group (UMG) of illegally boosting Kendrick Lamar‘s diss track “Not Like Us.” According to documents filed with the New York Supreme Court on Tuesday, the pre-action case is being discontinued with no financial cost to any of the parties involved. The petition, or “pre-action case,” isn’t a full lawsuit — it refers to a stage of litigation that seeks information from each party and allows time for issues to be resolved before disputes are escalated to court. The legal petition filed by Drake (real name: Aubrey Graham) in November alleged that Spotify and UMG — the parent label that represents both him and Lamar — used “bots,” discounted licensing rates, and pay-to-play agreements to artificially inflate the streaming numbers for Lamar’s song. The diss track, aimed at Drake, became a viral hit following a feud between the two artists last year that attracted significa...
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