Skip to main content

Posts

Xbox’s weirdest studio is on a roll

For a while there, it seemed like Double Fine might be struggling under the Microsoft corporate umbrella. The game studio led by Tim Schafer is beloved for offbeat titles like Brütal Legend and Broken Age , but after being acquired by Microsoft in 2019 , its only new release for years was a long-awaited sequel to Psychonauts . Of late, though, Double Fine is on something of a roll. Last year the studio released the wonderfully strange Keeper , a game about a sentient lighthouse. This week, it launched Kiln , a multiplayer brawler with adorable spirits and a whole lot of pottery. It's yet another oddball delight that could only come out of Double … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/g2e6nxG
Recent posts

The most exciting laptop I’ve seen in forever

Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 125, your guide to the best and Verge -iest stuff in the world. (If you're new here, welcome, send me cereal recommendations, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage .) This week, I've been reading about NASA seamstresses and friction and Muskism and scooters , highlighting the heck out of Jeff VanderMeer's terrific new short story , listening to the Dissect podcast's new season about Daft Punk, giving Firefox another run as my go-to browser, having my mind blown by amazing music video directors , and nodding along to John Oliver on prediction markets . I've also been dealing wit … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/cTMrqey

The US gets the worst phones

Apple and Samsung dominate the US phone market, and they've done so for years. Together with Google, they've shaped our sense of what a smartphone is and what it can do, pushing the boundaries of mobile photography, software, and processing power. But over the last few years, they've sat back, content to iterate rather than innovate - and in the interim, China's tech giants have plowed ahead. Now a gulf is growing between the phones on sale in the US and those available in the rest of the world. US phone buyers are missing out. Some of the blame for that gap lies with Apple. Where it goes, the market follows, and in recent years it's gone s … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/jM0GY5w

Instagram has launched another Snapchat clone

Instagram is testing a new dedicated app that's focused around Snapchat-like photo sharing features. The app, called "Instants," was launched in Italy and Spain yesterday, Business Insider reports , and allows users to send each other disappearing photos that are available for 24 hours and can be viewed only once during that window. The app is currently available on both iOS and Android . Meta hasn't announced if a desktop version will follow, or whether Instants will be launched in other regions, including the US. It resembles the "Shots" instant photo sharing feature that is already baked into Instagram messages (and was later rebranded to … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/Bo654JV

Prestigious photo contest answers ‘what is a photo?’

The three finalists for the World Press Photo of the year. | Image: World Press Photo We love to muse over how " real " photography is defined here at The Verge now that generative AI is so prolific, and the World Press Photo competition might have the answer. The prestigious award celebrates the best of photojournalism, where capturing reality is paramount. The winning entry for 2026 - " Separated by ICE ," captured by photojournalist Carol Guzy - was announced yesterday. The harrowing photograph shows children clinging to their father after an immigration hearing. The photo had to abide by specific rules around the use of AI tools to be eligible for the competition, with the independent, nonprofit organization behind the awar … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/UgjntZH

You’re about to feel the AI money squeeze

Earlier this month, millions of OpenClaw users woke up to a sweeping mandate: The viral AI agent tool, which this year took the worldwide tech industry by storm, had been severely restricted by Anthropic. Anthropic, like other leading AI labs, was under immense pressure to lessen the strain on its systems and start turning a profit. So if the users wanted its Claude AI to power their popular agents, they'd have to start paying handsomely for the privilege. "Our subscriptions weren't built for the usage patterns of these third-party tools," wrote Boris Cherny, head of Claude Code, on X . "We want to be intentional in managing our growth to … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/sdwVUZK

Govee’s new colorful outdoor lights are its first with solar power

Eight bulbs are powered by a rechargeable battery built into a 6W solar panel. | Image: Govee Govee announced its first solar-powered lights today. They include a 6W panel with an integrated 4,800mAh battery that can be recharged with a single full day of sunlight (though if the weather's looking a little overcast, you can still charge it over USB-C). The Govee Outdoor Solar String Lights are available now through the company's online store and Amazon for $99.99 and feature eight color-changing bulbs on a 34-foot cable. On a full charge the bulbs will run for up to 13 hours, Govee claims, but that's with their brightness limited to just 10 lumens. The bulbs have a maximum brightness of up to 50 lumens, but you can expect the battery … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/xl7uOyK