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The MCON includes an adhesive-backed ring for phones that aren’t MagSafe- or Pixelsnap-ready. | Image: OhSnap The MCON is the closest to a Swiss army knife that a controller can be. No, it doesn’t contain a can opener, but it makes up for it with a surprising array of features. Once you attach your MagSafe- or Pixelsnap-ready phone to the top plate, pressing a button along its top edge satisfyingly pops your phone up to reveal a full suite of controls, including TMR sticks made by GameSir. The MCON launched for $150, but you can get it for $99.99 through its manufacturer, OhSnap — the same amount that backers paid for the “super early bird” discount during the MCON’s 2025 Kickstarter campaign. OhSnap MCON controller Where to Buy: $149.99 $99.99 at OhSnap I only recently received an MCON controller for testing, but it didn’t take long to appreciate that its button layout is a bit more ergonomically-friendly than other phone controllers I’ve tried. I’m also a fan of the MCO...

For almost two hours last week, Meta employees had unauthorized access to company and user data thanks to an AI agent that gave an employee inaccurate technical advice, as previously reported by The Information . Meta spokesperson Tracy Clayton said in a statement to The Verge that "no user data was mishandled" during the incident. A Meta engineer was using an internal AI agent, which Clayton described as "similar in nature to OpenClaw within a secure development environment," to analyze a technical question another employee posted on an internal company forum. But the agent also independently publicly replied to the question after analyzin … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/HUvWAFi

It’s 2026, and that means Apple sells MacBooks equipped with not just its capable M-series processors but A-series chips that were previously exclusive to the iPhone. With the MacBook Neo starting at $599, the company now offers a wider range of options with more sizes and price points than ever before, all of which run the company’s newest operating system, macOS 26 . Purchasing a new MacBook is easy if all you want is an affordable laptop. But if you have more specific needs and use cases that require a lot of power, or if you want to connect multiple 6K displays, it gets more complicated. That said, finding a deal on a relatively speedy model is surprisingly easy if you know where to look. These days, it’s not uncommon to see various MacBooks discounted by up to $800, although the quality of deals fluctuates frequently. Alternatively, purchasing refurbished options directly from Apple is another way to save money without waiting for the changing deal winds to blow your way. It’...

Robinhood is now beta testing a Twitter-like social media platform it calls Robinhood Social. The trading-focused platform was announced last September at the company's HOOD Summit, but it's rolling out to 1,000 people who attended the event and will expand to "an additional 10,000 customers over the coming weeks," according to Robinhood. On Robinhood Social, which, based on screenshots, looks a lot like Twitter or Threads, users will be able to create a profile, make posts about their trades, and complete trades from their feed. The company is also promising to launch additional features during the beta, including news feeds and "the abili … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/HOu8miZ

Earlier this week, Apple unveiled the AirPods Max 2 . The forthcoming over-ear headphones build on their predecessor with an H2 chip that powers a range of new features; however, they still don’t offer the sort of cross-OS compatibility you’ll get with a modern pair of Beats headphones — including the Beats Studio Pro , which are on sale at Amazon , Walmart , and Best Buy for an all-time low of around $169.95 ($180 off) in the run-up to Amazon’s annual Big Spring Sale . Beats Studio Pro Where to Buy: $349.99 $169.95 at Amazon $349.99 $169.99 at Best Buy $349.99 $169.95 at Walmart Although they’re undoubtedly getting a little long in the tooth — the Beats design hasn’t fundamentally changed since 2017 — the Beats Studio Pro remain a solid pair of platform-agnostic headphones, particularly at this price. They offer one-touch pairing with both iOS and Android devices, along with support for Apple’s Find My and Google’s Find Hub networks, allowing you to locate them a litt...

Starting Tuesday, Spotify users will have access to "Exclusive Mode," a new feature in the streaming service's Windows app that can help maximize audio quality by giving the Spotify app full control over your device's audio processing. According to Spotify, "your computer may alter audio before it reaches your DAC by resampling it, mixing other system sounds in, and changing the volume." Turning on Exclusive Mode prevents this, which Spotify says allows for "Bit Perfect playback." Exclusive Mode is currently only available to Spotify Premium users on Windows, but Spotify says it will also be coming to the Mac app "in a future release." To … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/LU5Mfc8

Ikea’s new smart bulbs, sensors, and remotes use Matter-over-Thread to connect to any compatible ecosystem — including Apple Home and Amazon Alexa. In theory. | Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge Ikea's new Matter-over-Thread products were supposed to prove that the smart home could be cheap, accessible, and reliable. The highly anticipated line - which includes sensors , remotes , smart plugs, air-quality monitors , and smart bulbs - has most everything you need to build a smart home, with prices starting at $6. It's an exciting idea, but it's still not ready for primetime. When I first got the Ikea devices in January, I had a lot of problems connecting them to my main platform, Apple Home. And it turned out I was not alone. Reddit forums and user reviews were full of reports of onboarding and connectivity issues. Many people were str … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/lzNsAJ7

The Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni offer a range of smarts for a relatively affordable price. | Image: Ecovacs If you like the idea of spring cleaning but not the part where you actually have to clean, both the Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni and newer  X9 Pro Omni  have dropped to their lowest prices to date ahead of Amazon’s Big Spring Sale , which officially kicks off on March 25th. The X8 Pro Omni is available for $599 ($501 off) from Amazon , Best Buy , and Ecovacs , while the X9 Pro Omni is on sale for $679 ($621 off) at the same retailers ( Amazon , Best Buy , Ecovacs ). Deebot X8 Pro Omni Where to Buy: $1099.99 $599 at Amazon $1099.99 $599 at Ecovacs $1099.99 $599 at Best Buy Ecovacs Deebot X9 Pro Omni Where to Buy: $1299.99 $679 at Amazon $1299.99 $679 at Ecovacs $1299.99 $679 at Best Buy Both robot vacuums are packed with smart features designed to reduce the time you spend cleaning. Using lidar and a 3D camera for mapping, they can deftly nav...

Olaf, a Disney Imagineering robot that will greet guests at Disney parks. | Photo by Sean Hollister / The Verge You know Olaf. Before KPop Demon Hunters , before the Wicked movies, it was Disney's Frozen that blasted show tunes like "Let It Go" and "Into the Unknown" into our lives. My little girls loved belting those tunes. So when I met Olaf, the Disney Imagineering robot, I kept thinking: I can't wait for my kids to meet him too. It's a weird thought, really, because this Olaf isn't a "he" and can't carry on a conversation. Why do I keep thinking "I met him" when he's largely a remote-controlled puppet teleoperated by a Steam Deck gaming handheld? @verge Is this the best robot Disney's ever made? Frozen's snowman Olaf will soon greet guests … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/w7xQkSV

So when exactly is smut considered porn? | Cath Virginia / The Verge | Photos from Getty Images OpenAI's delayed "adult mode" for ChatGPT is expected to support saucy text conversations at launch, but not the chatbot's ability to generate images, voice, or video. Speaking to The Wall Street Journal , an unnamed OpenAI spokesperson described content that will be provided by the upcoming feature as smut rather than pornography, allowing ChatGPT users to generate textual chats with adult themes. The feature was initially announced in October, with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman claiming that the company had managed to mitigate enough of the "serious mental health issues" with its AI model to relax safety restrictions and introduce " erotica for ver … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/wb7Fxgk

Arielle Duhaime-Ross does a bike tune-up. | Photo by Evan Ortiz / The Verge One of the first major crashes I experienced as a chronically ill person happened on an unusually sunny January day in New York City. It was 2023, and I was riding my bike with a friend, flying high from the exercise. We'd covered just over 40 miles on mostly flat ground, a longish ride, but not out of ordinary for me. And that's when it started. About 15 minutes from my apartment, my body gave out. At first it was just my head - it grew hot, and within minutes, my brain felt like it was on fire. Pretty soon, the rest of my insides were burning up, too. As the skin on my arms and face turned red, and my limbs grew heavy, I felt bewildered. … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/FbX27dU

Aether OS puts a full-fledged desktop in your browser that ties directly into the AT Protocol . That means it connects to your Bluesky account and other public records. It offers a pretty full suite of apps , 42 in total, covering text editing, task management, and social media. There's even a rudimentary tracker for making chiptunes, a DAW, and a video editor. Of course, part of the appeal is also the cyberpunk good looks that draw obvious inspiration from The Matrix . Right now, the project is in alpha, and there are a lot of rough edges. Documentation is also basically non-existent. So, if you get stuck trying to use an app, you're kind … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/HRcAikt

This is The Stepback , a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world. For more on the slow-motion disaster of live-service games, follow Andrew Webster . The Stepback arrives in our subscribers' inboxes at 8AM ET. Opt in for The Stepback here . How it started Two years ago, I stood at the top of the iconic red stairs in Times Square to experience the weirdest concert of my life. As glowing butterflies flitted about the various screens, a crowd steadily grew, knowing something was happening, but unsure of what. Then a countdown started, and a minute later one of the screens opened up, revealing Ice Spice and, later, … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/zUQR5O9

Last fall, President Donald Trump's executive order raising the fee for H-1B visas to $100,000 - like many of his immigration policies - led to near-immediate chaos. Thousands of workers who had flown overseas to renew their visas ended up stranded abroad . Details about who would be affected only emerged after the fact. Six months later, the disorder from the initial announcement has mostly subsided. The H-1B registration season for the next fiscal year has just begun. With H-1B applications open until March 19th, it's unclear what effect, if any, the new rules will have on hiring, immigration, and the workforce, but experts are warning the … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/aqy3isd

In September, Donald Trump claimed that "the United States is getting a tremendous fee " for brokering the TikTok deal. Now sources tell the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times that fee is expected to be in the range of $10 billion. The money is supposedly being paid by new investors, including Oracle and Silver Lake. Reports are that $2.5 billion was already paid to the Treasury when the deal closed on January 22nd. The rest will be paid out in installments. This is the latest example of the Trump administration inserting itself into private business in unprecedented ways, including taking on a 10-percent stake in Intel last August, … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/i6ocpgN

According to Reuters , Meta is looking to offset spending on AI and data centers with a massive round of layoffs. Sources familiar with the matter say the company could lay off as much as 20 percent of its staff, eliminating roughly 15,800 positions. That would be the largest series of layoffs at the company since it terminated 22,000 workers over just a few months between November 2022 and early 2023 . Word of the potential downsizing comes after Meta signaled that it was all but giving up on VR and the Metaverse , slashing budgets and closing studios . Instead, the company has been spending big to attract AI talent , build data centers , and ac … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/V7RMywf

It's only been a year since Digg founder Kevin Rose, Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian, and a few others announced the link-sharing site would relaunch, promising a "social discovery built by communities, not by algorithms." Now, two months after opening its Reddit-like platform to the public, Digg is announcing a "hard reset" that's shutting down operations and will "significantly downsize the Digg team." When they announced its relaunch, Rose told The Verge that AI could "remove the janitorial work of moderators and community managers." Now, the new Digg's CEO Justin Mezzell writes in a note pinned to the homepage that, "We knew bots were … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/AHgoLN4

Instagram will no longer support end-to-end encrypted messages starting May 8th. In a statement to The Verge , Meta spokesperson Dina El-Kassaby Luce says the platform is discontinuing the feature because "very few people" were using E2EE in their DMs. Instagram has begun notifying impacted users about the change inside its app, and has also posted an update to its support page , suggesting that users download E2EE chats and images before it discontinues the feature, as spotted earlier by PiunikaWeb . "Anyone who wants to keep messaging with end-to-end encryption can easily do that on WhatsApp," El-Kassaby Luce adds. After bringing E2EE to Wh … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/Ytw6IPh

I'm not entirely sure why the Pixel 10A exists. Google hasn't upgraded the chipset, cameras, or battery in the new phone, and the tweaks it's made elsewhere are minimal at best. The flatter camera island is good, I guess! In one sense this isn't a big problem: The Pixel 9A is an excellent device , and for the last year was easily the best phone you could buy for $500 in the US . The new 10A is available to buy now at that same great price ($499 for 128GB of storage or $100 more for 256GB), but with the 9A still on sale, and dropping in price, there's one big question: Why not just buy the 9A - which is almost the same phone - for $50 less? G … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/vYMgdwy

You can download Chrome for Linux, and you can download Chrome for Arm devices - but if you've got a computer running Linux on Arm, not so much ! Now, Google says it's finally bringing Chrome to ARM64 Linux machines in Q2 2026, following Chrome for Arm Macs in 2020 and Chrome for Windows on Arm in 2024 . Why Arm + Linux now? In a blog post , Google only says that it "addresses the growing demand for a browsing experience that combines the benefits of the open-source Chromium project with the Google ecosystem of apps and features." What we're left wondering is whether Google's talking about existing demand, or demand yet to come. There's cert … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/GYS8Mt6

The girl group is coming back. Get ready to get even more K-pop, demonier, and as huntery as possible. Netflix's smash-hit, Oscar-nominated animated film KPop Demon Hunters is returning for a sequel, with the fictional Korean girl group HUNTR/X coming back to lay down pop hits and smash evil boy bands (and/or other demons). Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans will once again direct their first project in an "exclusive multiyear writing and directing partnership" with Netflix. Seeing as the first movie was Netflix's self-reported most-popular film of all time, the company's widest theatrical release and first ever box office No. 1, nominated in both the Best Animated Film a … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/WOYiSrx

Valve wants players to know that it plans on fighting New York Attorney General Letitia James' lawsuit, which last month accused the company of promoting "illegal gambling" through its in-game loot boxes . In an email sent to Counter-Strike 2 , Dota 2 , and Team Fortress 2 players in New York, Valve says it's "disappointed" in the lawsuit's claims , arguing that mystery boxes are "widely used" across other games and also exist in the physical world with baseball cards, Pokémon, and Labubu. Since 2023, Valve says it has worked with the AGs to explain how its virtual items and mystery boxes work. It argues that players "don't have to open mystery … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/F5qcz6S

Instead of moving forward with a jury trial against Live Nation-Ticketmaster as expected, the Justice Department announced a settlement Monday that omitted what used to be on the top of its wish list: a breakup . What the DOJ did get was a series of concessions that some industry stakeholders found unsatisfying and even baffling. There are a few bright spots, those who spoke to The Verge said: a 15 percent cap on Ticketmaster service fees at Live Nation-owned or operated amphitheaters, for instance, and a pledge to give artists more transparency on their own ticket sales. But they remained unconvinced the deal would usher in the large-scale … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/O3Me0La

Superhuman says it has disabled Grammarly's "expert review" AI feature that said its edit suggestions were "inspired by" real writers, including our editor-in-chief and other Verge staff members. "After careful consideration, we have decided to disable Expert Review as we reimagine the feature to make it more useful for users, while giving experts real control over how they want to be represented - or not represented at all," Ailian Gan, Superhuman's director of product management, said in a statement to The Verge . "Based on the feedback we've received, we clearly missed the mark. We are sorry and will do things differently going forward." … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/sVjZbmz

If you choose to get an extra controller for your Nintendo Switch 2, you can spend a lot — and get a lot in return. Buying Nintendo’s own $89 Switch 2 Pro Controller , for instance, will net you the console’s only wireless controller with a 3.5mm headphone jack for private listening, not to mention great-feeling rumble and a slick design. It’s not perfect, but it’s otherwise the total package in terms of features.  But it’d be a disservice to you to call it a day there. There are several third-party models that are cheaper, yet don’t make too many compromises in terms of features. In fact, there’s now an affordable option that replicates the Switch 2 Pro’s OS-level rear button customization on a per-game basis, which was previously exclusive to Nintendo’s first-party gamepad. I’ve spent time testing a handful of these gamepads, including new ones as they release, and there’s a small batch of models that I think will satisfy most people, with a range of styles, prices, and featur...

The Razer BlackShark V2 Pro is a lightweight gaming headset you can pair with multiple devices. | Image: Razer If you’re looking for a reliable wireless gaming headset under $100, the Xbox version of the Razer BlackShark V2 Pro is worth a look. Right now, it’s down to a new low of $89.99 ($110 off) at Amazon in black and white. Razer BlackShark V2 Pro Where to Buy: $199.99 $89.99 at Amazon (for Xbox) Despite being designed for Xbox consoles, the esports-inspired headset can connect wirelessly to your PC, phone, tablet, Nintendo Switch 2, and other devices via Bluetooth or the included USB-C wireless dongle (with a USB-C–to–USB-A adapter), which allows for low-latency wireless audio while gaming. The headset additionally features large 50mm drivers designed to deliver clear sound, along with a detachable boom mic for chatting with your friends. Razer also includes a volume knob and mic mute button on the earcup, along with a SmartSwitch button that lets you switch audio p...

The Live Nation trial is not over yet. Several states look to be headed to trial on their own as soon as Monday unless they hash out a settlement in the next few days. On Tuesday, a day after the Justice Department revealed in court it had reached a settlement with Live Nation that a handful of states had agreed to, Judge Arun Subramanian held a hearing on the future of the case. He ordered Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino, DOJ Antitrust Division acting chief Omeed Assefi, and representatives of states that hadn't settled to stay at the Manhattan courthouse and attempt to reach a broader deal. Subramanian has not yet ruled on a mistrial motio … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/qQAI6Lo

Want to make real money just by clicking on virtual trees? Starting today at 1PM PT / 4PM ET, residents of the United States can begin an online hunt for golden apples in a cutesy web game - collect enough of them, and Cash App will send you $40. You can repeat that five times per day. The game's called Cash Apples , and it's an intriguing ploy (in partnership with MSCHF ) to drive Cash App signups, with $500,000 up for grabs over the next five days. According to the official rules , you can earn a max of $200 per day each of those days between 4PM ET and 8PM ET, for a maximum of $1,000 over the week - so while it sounds like real cash, no i … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/B6a1mie

SeatGeek was close to a deal that would bring its ticketing business to the next level. The company was in negotiations with the Dallas Cowboys, aiming to take over first-party sales at its stadium. But there was one sticking point: "the concert issue." The team feared that if it dropped SeatGeek's rival Ticketmaster, Ticketmaster's parent company Live Nation could pull concerts from the team's stadium, damaging an important revenue stream. That's how SeatGeek CEO Jack Groetzinger remembers things. The deal was ultimately successful, resulting in a primary ticketing partnership that was announced in 2018 . But for a while, Groetzinger recall … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/HNkgIBL

There is so much art out there that it’s absolutely impossible to keep up. Whether it’s a slept-on post-punk album from the ‘80s, a new sci-fi novel, or a cult classic horror movie, we’re always finding new obsessions here at The Verge — and we want to share those obsessions with you. Sometimes that might be a new release, but often it’s going to be something a little older, something not necessarily plastered all over TikTok or sitting at the top of the charts on Spotify. We’ve said it before, b ut the best way to find new music, a new show to binge, or a self-help book that isn’t pure trash is to  skip the algorithm  and get a recommendation from actual humans. And it just so happens that The Verge employs a number of those (humans, that is). So checkback regularly for new art to fall in love with, and tell us about your latest obsessions in the comments. Maybe your new favorite album will become one of our new favorites, too. You need to listen to Laurie Spiegel’s mas...

The pink option is one of the prettiest controllers I’ve used. | Image: Cameron Faulkner / The Verge Crowning the EasySMX S10 the best Switch 2 controller last fall was easy. The $60 wireless gamepad, which is often well below $50, mimics or improves on many of the $90 Switch 2 Pro controller's best features. The S10 has great-feeling rumble in games, TMR joysticks that will last longer than Nintendo's, plus amiibo support, comfortable grips, and buttons and triggers that offer satisfying clicks. The new S10 Lite trims away some of those, but builds on EasySMX's lead with one big, new feature that I expect other companies to copy. EasySMX S10 Lite Where to Buy: $39.99 $34 at EasySMX (code VergeS10lite) The EasySMX S10 Lite is the first thi … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/Cdf6aOW