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Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Signal is being blocked in Venezuela and Russia. The app is a popular choice for encrypted messaging and people trying to avoid government censorship, and the blocks appear to be part of a crackdown on internal dissent in both countries.
In Venezuela, the blockage follows the disputed results of the country’s presidential election last month, which have led to protests and arrests as president Nicolás Maduro clings to power, according to MSNBC. (The US has recognized opposition candidate Edmundo González as the winner of the election.) Internet monitoring service NetBlocks said Thursday evening that Signal had become “unreachable on multiple internet providers” in the country. Maduro has also ordered a block on X, The Associated Press reports.
In Russia, the country’s communications regulator, Roskomnadzor, says that Signal violated Russian legislation, reports Interfax. People in Russia also can’t register a new Signal account without using a VPN, Reuters reports. Russia has “restricted Signal messaging app backends on most internet providers” as of Friday afternoon, NetBlocks says.
“We’re aware of reports that access to Signal has been blocked in some countries,” Signal says. If you are affected by the blocks, the company recommends turning on its censorship circumvention feature. (NetBlocks reports that this feature lets Signal “remain usable” in Russia.) Signal didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment.

We’re aware of reports that access to Signal has been blocked in some countries. As a reminder, Signal’s built-in censorship circumvention feature might be able to help if your connection is affected:Signal Settings > Privacy > Advanced > Censorship circumvention (on)— Signal (@signalapp) August 9, 2024

Users in Russia have also reported a mass YouTube outage in the country, according to VOA News. “We are aware of reports of some people not being able to access YouTube in Russia,” YouTube spokesperson Ciaran Ward tells The Verge. “That is not as a result of any technical issues on our side or action taken by us.”

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Signal is being blocked in Venezuela and Russia. The app is a popular choice for encrypted messaging and people trying to avoid government censorship, and the blocks appear to be part of a crackdown on internal dissent in both countries.

In Venezuela, the blockage follows the disputed results of the country’s presidential election last month, which have led to protests and arrests as president Nicolás Maduro clings to power, according to MSNBC. (The US has recognized opposition candidate Edmundo González as the winner of the election.) Internet monitoring service NetBlocks said Thursday evening that Signal had become “unreachable on multiple internet providers” in the country. Maduro has also ordered a block on X, The Associated Press reports.

In Russia, the country’s communications regulator, Roskomnadzor, says that Signal violated Russian legislation, reports Interfax. People in Russia also can’t register a new Signal account without using a VPN, Reuters reports. Russia has “restricted Signal messaging app backends on most internet providers” as of Friday afternoon, NetBlocks says.

“We’re aware of reports that access to Signal has been blocked in some countries,” Signal says. If you are affected by the blocks, the company recommends turning on its censorship circumvention feature. (NetBlocks reports that this feature lets Signal “remain usable” in Russia.) Signal didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment.

Users in Russia have also reported a mass YouTube outage in the country, according to VOA News. “We are aware of reports of some people not being able to access YouTube in Russia,” YouTube spokesperson Ciaran Ward tells The Verge. “That is not as a result of any technical issues on our side or action taken by us.”

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Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Disney’s D23 showcase of new projects from Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm, Pixar, and more is upon us. Disney’s biennial D23 showcase of its upcoming projects is back, and with so many Marvel and Star Wars projects in the pipeline, it feels like the studio will have a lot to show off over the weekend. Out of the in-person Anaheim event, we’re expecting trailers and announcements about new shows and movies destined to make their way to theaters and Disney Plus in the not-too-distant future.
But one of the more promising parts of the expo is happening online where you can watch it unfold up close if you’ve got a Fortnite account.
While we’re expecting most of the big Marvel, Star Wars, and Pixar news during Friday’s massive Disney Entertainment Showcase, the studio is also focusing on Marvel’s upcoming animated projects with a panel on Saturday afternoon. It’s likely that we’ll hear updates about X-Men ‘97, the final season of What If …?, Eyes of Wakanda, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, and Marvel Zombies.
But we’re definitely going to be learning a bit more about Disney’s new partnership with Epic Games during the Horizons: Disney Experiences Showcase, which will be streamable through a special island within Fortnite. A lot of what’s coming are things we’ve known about for a while, so hopefully, Disney’s got some surprises in store.
We’ll be posting updates here all weekend, so you can check back as interesting things pop up.

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Disney’s D23 showcase of new projects from Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm, Pixar, and more is upon us.

Disney’s biennial D23 showcase of its upcoming projects is back, and with so many Marvel and Star Wars projects in the pipeline, it feels like the studio will have a lot to show off over the weekend. Out of the in-person Anaheim event, we’re expecting trailers and announcements about new shows and movies destined to make their way to theaters and Disney Plus in the not-too-distant future.

But one of the more promising parts of the expo is happening online where you can watch it unfold up close if you’ve got a Fortnite account.

While we’re expecting most of the big Marvel, Star Wars, and Pixar news during Friday’s massive Disney Entertainment Showcase, the studio is also focusing on Marvel’s upcoming animated projects with a panel on Saturday afternoon. It’s likely that we’ll hear updates about X-Men ‘97, the final season of What If …?, Eyes of Wakanda, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, and Marvel Zombies.

But we’re definitely going to be learning a bit more about Disney’s new partnership with Epic Games during the Horizons: Disney Experiences Showcase, which will be streamable through a special island within Fortnite. A lot of what’s coming are things we’ve known about for a while, so hopefully, Disney’s got some surprises in store.

We’ll be posting updates here all weekend, so you can check back as interesting things pop up.

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Final Fantasy VI is a hallmark of the series thanks in part to its dark story. | Image: Square Enix

It’s wild to think that the Final Fantasy series is nearly four decades old, but it’s thankfully less hard to believe you can get all six of the original games in cleaned-up remastered form for just $60. That’s exactly what’s happening now with this weekend deal discounting the Final Fantasy 1-6 Pixel Remaster bundle to $59.99 ($15 off) at Humble (PC), the Nintendo eShop, and PlayStation. (Humble’s offer ends August 12th at 1PM ET while the Nintendo and PlayStation deals run through August 14th.)

The collection offers all the original Nintendo and SNES Final Fantasy games with revamped pixel graphics and gameplay tweaks, allowing you to play the games more flexibly and with rearranged orchestral soundtracks (but you can switch to the original tunes). So it’s easier than ever to see why these seminal games were such a landmark for RPGs, and how they laid the groundwork for the worlds, characters, and creatures we still see in the latest installments of Square Enix’s franchise.
And if you prefer a physical copy over today’s deal on the digital versions, the Final Fantasy I-VI Collection Anniversary Edition can be preordered for $74.99 on Nintendo Switch or PlayStation 4 at Best Buy, GameStop, and directly from Square Enix. The physical version is due out October 8th.

Final Fantasy VI is a hallmark of the series thanks in part to its dark story. | Image: Square Enix

It’s wild to think that the Final Fantasy series is nearly four decades old, but it’s thankfully less hard to believe you can get all six of the original games in cleaned-up remastered form for just $60. That’s exactly what’s happening now with this weekend deal discounting the Final Fantasy 1-6 Pixel Remaster bundle to $59.99 ($15 off) at Humble (PC), the Nintendo eShop, and PlayStation. (Humble’s offer ends August 12th at 1PM ET while the Nintendo and PlayStation deals run through August 14th.)

The collection offers all the original Nintendo and SNES Final Fantasy games with revamped pixel graphics and gameplay tweaks, allowing you to play the games more flexibly and with rearranged orchestral soundtracks (but you can switch to the original tunes). So it’s easier than ever to see why these seminal games were such a landmark for RPGs, and how they laid the groundwork for the worlds, characters, and creatures we still see in the latest installments of Square Enix’s franchise.

And if you prefer a physical copy over today’s deal on the digital versions, the Final Fantasy I-VI Collection Anniversary Edition can be preordered for $74.99 on Nintendo Switch or PlayStation 4 at Best Buy, GameStop, and directly from Square Enix. The physical version is due out October 8th.

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Image: Netflix

Several upcoming anime titles from Netflix have shown up on X and 4Chan, including season two of Arcane and Terminator Zero. Today Netflix confirmed the leaks, as reported earlier by IGN.
“One of our post production partners has been compromised and footage from several of our titles has unfortunately leaked online. Our team is aggressively taking action to have it taken down,” Netflix spokesperson Sabryna Phillips said in a statement provided to The Verge.
Netflix’s Arcane anime is supposed to conclude with its second and final season this November, while Terminator Zero will stream on the platform starting August 29th. The leaks first started surfacing earlier this week, revealing screenshots, clips, and full episodes of several anime series coming to Netflix, such as Dandadan, Ranma ½, and Mononoke the Movie.
Meanwhile, the first episode of Re: Zero’s third season, which is headed to Crunchyroll, also appeared online. Other content unrelated to anime, like Heartstopper season 3, Jentry Chau vs. The Underworld, Plankton: The Movie, and Spellbound leaked as well, IGN reports. Last week, scenes from Max’s House of the Dragons season 2 finale appeared online as well, with Warner Bros. Discovery blaming “an unintentional release from an international third-party distributor,” according to Variety.
This most recent breach is reminiscent of “thedarkoverlord” attacks from 2017, when the fifth season of Netflix’s Orange is the New Black leaked after a hacker breached a post-production studio and stole dozens of titles crossing multiple networks.

Image: Netflix

Several upcoming anime titles from Netflix have shown up on X and 4Chan, including season two of Arcane and Terminator Zero. Today Netflix confirmed the leaks, as reported earlier by IGN.

“One of our post production partners has been compromised and footage from several of our titles has unfortunately leaked online. Our team is aggressively taking action to have it taken down,” Netflix spokesperson Sabryna Phillips said in a statement provided to The Verge.

Netflix’s Arcane anime is supposed to conclude with its second and final season this November, while Terminator Zero will stream on the platform starting August 29th. The leaks first started surfacing earlier this week, revealing screenshots, clips, and full episodes of several anime series coming to Netflix, such as Dandadan, Ranma ½, and Mononoke the Movie.

Meanwhile, the first episode of Re: Zero’s third season, which is headed to Crunchyroll, also appeared online. Other content unrelated to anime, like Heartstopper season 3, Jentry Chau vs. The Underworld, Plankton: The Movie, and Spellbound leaked as well, IGN reports. Last week, scenes from Max’s House of the Dragons season 2 finale appeared online as well, with Warner Bros. Discovery blaming “an unintentional release from an international third-party distributor,” according to Variety.

This most recent breach is reminiscent of “thedarkoverlord” attacks from 2017, when the fifth season of Netflix’s Orange is the New Black leaked after a hacker breached a post-production studio and stole dozens of titles crossing multiple networks.

Read More 

Illustration by Cath Virginia / The Verge

Google might be having a big Pixel phone event next week, but this week the company had to reckon with a major loss to the Department of Justice, who found the company liable for violating US antitrust law.
Naturally we had to break the entire case down on The Vergecast. So Lauren Feiner, who covered the case, and Alex Heath, who has been reporting on the reactions from the tech world, joined Nilay and myself to cover the best bits of the judge’s decisions and try to figure out what this all means.

Then, keeping with the legal theme, we talked about Elon Musk’s very silly lawsuit against advertisers who *checks notes* don’t want to advertise on X. That’s a thing they’re allowed to do! But it hasn’t stopped Musk from lobbing a lawsuit at the companies.
But really what we really wanted to talk about, and eventually get to in the lightning round, is a very cool shootout of TVs that Nilay got to judge in upstate New York alongside some of the nerdiest and techiest people in TV design and calibration. That’s when we’re not talking about Disney finally making money on streaming (by increasing prices), the end of the Chromecast dongle, the Delta CEO’s inability to check his email, and Humane’s inability to sell its AI Pin.

If you want to know more about everything we discuss in this episode, here are some links to get you started, beginning with Google v United States:

Judge rules that Google ‘is a monopolist’ in US antitrust case
All the spiciest parts of the Google antitrust ruling

DOJ antitrust chief is ‘overjoyed’ after Google monopoly verdict

And on the latest Elon Musk lawsuit:

X files antitrust lawsuit against advertisers over ‘illegal boycott’

The Global Alliance for Responsible Media is ‘discontinuing’ after Elon Musk’s X filed an antitrust lawsuit against it

And in the lightning round:

Disney’s password-sharing crackdown starts ‘in earnest’ this September
Disney’s streaming business turned a profit for the first time
The price of Disney Plus is about to go up
Google is discontinuing the Chromecast line
The Google TV Streamer might be the Apple TV 4K rival we’ve been waiting for
Humane’s daily returns are outpacing sales
Microsoft says Delta ignored Satya Nadella’s offer of CrowdStrike help

Illustration by Cath Virginia / The Verge

Google might be having a big Pixel phone event next week, but this week the company had to reckon with a major loss to the Department of Justice, who found the company liable for violating US antitrust law.

Naturally we had to break the entire case down on The Vergecast. So Lauren Feiner, who covered the case, and Alex Heath, who has been reporting on the reactions from the tech world, joined Nilay and myself to cover the best bits of the judge’s decisions and try to figure out what this all means.

Then, keeping with the legal theme, we talked about Elon Musk’s very silly lawsuit against advertisers who *checks notes* don’t want to advertise on X. That’s a thing they’re allowed to do! But it hasn’t stopped Musk from lobbing a lawsuit at the companies.

But really what we really wanted to talk about, and eventually get to in the lightning round, is a very cool shootout of TVs that Nilay got to judge in upstate New York alongside some of the nerdiest and techiest people in TV design and calibration. That’s when we’re not talking about Disney finally making money on streaming (by increasing prices), the end of the Chromecast dongle, the Delta CEO’s inability to check his email, and Humane’s inability to sell its AI Pin.

If you want to know more about everything we discuss in this episode, here are some links to get you started, beginning with Google v United States:

Judge rules that Google ‘is a monopolist’ in US antitrust case
All the spiciest parts of the Google antitrust ruling

DOJ antitrust chief is ‘overjoyed’ after Google monopoly verdict

And on the latest Elon Musk lawsuit:

X files antitrust lawsuit against advertisers over ‘illegal boycott’

The Global Alliance for Responsible Media is ‘discontinuing’ after Elon Musk’s X filed an antitrust lawsuit against it

And in the lightning round:

Disney’s password-sharing crackdown starts ‘in earnest’ this September
Disney’s streaming business turned a profit for the first time
The price of Disney Plus is about to go up
Google is discontinuing the Chromecast line
The Google TV Streamer might be the Apple TV 4K rival we’ve been waiting for
Humane’s daily returns are outpacing sales
Microsoft says Delta ignored Satya Nadella’s offer of CrowdStrike help

Read More 

Image: Neon

Director Tilman Singer’s Cuckoo feels tailor-made for this summer of atmospheric, unsatisfying horror. Coming on the heels of Longlegs and Immaculate, director Tilman Singer’s Cuckoo feels like the next phase of Neon’s plan to dominate this summer of horror. The movie’s haunting atmosphere and gorgeous cinematography make it seem primed to tap into Hollywood’s current obsession with unsettling features running on spooky vibes alone. But for all of its hype and a solid performance from its leads, Cuckoo suffers from a lack of thematic coherence. It’s definitely the strongest of Neon’s recent scary movies, but that isn’t exactly a high bar to clear.
Set in a corner of the German Alps where few foreigners tend to wander, Cuckoo follows as sullen, American teenager Gretchen (Hunter Schafer) is forced to move in with her estranged father, Luis (Marton Csokas), and his new family. With all of Gretchen’s beloved bandmates and treasured possessions back in the States, she can’t help but feel alone living with her stepmother Beth (Jessica Henwick) and mute half-sister Alma (Mila Lieu). And while Gretchen doesn’t try to hide her distaste at being uprooted for Luis’ job expanding a secluded resort owned by Herr König (Dan Stevens), she only feels comfortable expressing the depths of her sadness in voicemails to her unseen mother.
As Cuckoo first opens, Gretchen’s already dead set on fleeing from her new home where everyone seems a bit off — especially Stevens’ hammy König, who insists on the moody teen working as his receptionist. The way the resort’s handful of guests sometimes wander around in stupors before becoming violently ill is enough to make Gretchen suspect something is amiss. But it isn’t until she has a strange run-in with a shrieking woman (Kalin Morrow) that Gretchen realizes leaving her family behind might be a matter of life and death.

Singer and cinematographer Paul Faltz take their time infusing Cuckoo with a hazy sense of dread reminiscent of Rosemary’s Baby and Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala’s Goodnight Mommy, another film about children distrustful of their parents’ bizarre behavior. Gretchen’s the only person who can see past the resort’s picturesque environment to appreciate how weird everything about the sterile, largely empty place is. And after her encounter with the screaming woman, Gretchen’s sense of alienation from her family only intensifies because of how difficult it is for them to understand (or believe) her confusing account of what happened.
Cuckoo uses time loops to leave Gretchen (and viewers) disoriented — one of the film’s more novel tricks and one that becomes increasingly effective because of how cool those sequences look. Just as moments of panic sweat-drenched action seem to be winding down, reality begins to pulsate, and Cuckoo flings you back right into the thick of Gretchen being chased by …something. But as that something gets closer and closer to finally getting its hands on Gretchen, Cuckoo starts to overexplain itself in a way that makes the film feel uncertain of how to reveal its muddled central mystery.
As a series of alarming chases through the woods, Cuckoo is a fantastic showcase of Singer’s ability to conjure atmospheric unease and Schafer’s chops as a rough-and-tumble final girl armed with a switchblade. But as a story — one that gestures toward ideas about reproductive horror, paternalism, and returning to nature — Cuckoo doesn’t exactly hang together the way it could if Singer focused more on narrative cohesion than disturbing lore.

Image: Neon

In its final act, as it pulls out all the stops to make Gretchen’s fight for her life feel perilous, Cuckoo tries to weave all of its themes together by spelling them out. This makes the film feel excessively complicated, convoluted by half-baked details that would have been better shown rather than explicated,
In Neon’s growing canon of arthouse thrillers, Cuckoo stands out as one of the studio’s more original features, and the movie’s visual artistry might be enough to convince some horror lovers that its last-minute expositional denseness is actually a sign of brilliance. But in its dizzied rush to tell you everything that’s on its mind, Cuckoo ends up revealing itself to be a shining example of how, sometimes, movies like this are served better by doing a little less.
Cuckoo also stars Jan Bluthardt, Greta Fernández, Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey, Konrad Singer, and Proschat Madani. The film is in theaters now.

Image: Neon

Director Tilman Singer’s Cuckoo feels tailor-made for this summer of atmospheric, unsatisfying horror.

Coming on the heels of Longlegs and Immaculate, director Tilman Singer’s Cuckoo feels like the next phase of Neon’s plan to dominate this summer of horror. The movie’s haunting atmosphere and gorgeous cinematography make it seem primed to tap into Hollywood’s current obsession with unsettling features running on spooky vibes alone. But for all of its hype and a solid performance from its leads, Cuckoo suffers from a lack of thematic coherence. It’s definitely the strongest of Neon’s recent scary movies, but that isn’t exactly a high bar to clear.

Set in a corner of the German Alps where few foreigners tend to wander, Cuckoo follows as sullen, American teenager Gretchen (Hunter Schafer) is forced to move in with her estranged father, Luis (Marton Csokas), and his new family. With all of Gretchen’s beloved bandmates and treasured possessions back in the States, she can’t help but feel alone living with her stepmother Beth (Jessica Henwick) and mute half-sister Alma (Mila Lieu). And while Gretchen doesn’t try to hide her distaste at being uprooted for Luis’ job expanding a secluded resort owned by Herr König (Dan Stevens), she only feels comfortable expressing the depths of her sadness in voicemails to her unseen mother.

As Cuckoo first opens, Gretchen’s already dead set on fleeing from her new home where everyone seems a bit off — especially Stevens’ hammy König, who insists on the moody teen working as his receptionist. The way the resort’s handful of guests sometimes wander around in stupors before becoming violently ill is enough to make Gretchen suspect something is amiss. But it isn’t until she has a strange run-in with a shrieking woman (Kalin Morrow) that Gretchen realizes leaving her family behind might be a matter of life and death.

Singer and cinematographer Paul Faltz take their time infusing Cuckoo with a hazy sense of dread reminiscent of Rosemary’s Baby and Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala’s Goodnight Mommy, another film about children distrustful of their parents’ bizarre behavior. Gretchen’s the only person who can see past the resort’s picturesque environment to appreciate how weird everything about the sterile, largely empty place is. And after her encounter with the screaming woman, Gretchen’s sense of alienation from her family only intensifies because of how difficult it is for them to understand (or believe) her confusing account of what happened.

Cuckoo uses time loops to leave Gretchen (and viewers) disoriented — one of the film’s more novel tricks and one that becomes increasingly effective because of how cool those sequences look. Just as moments of panic sweat-drenched action seem to be winding down, reality begins to pulsate, and Cuckoo flings you back right into the thick of Gretchen being chased by …something. But as that something gets closer and closer to finally getting its hands on Gretchen, Cuckoo starts to overexplain itself in a way that makes the film feel uncertain of how to reveal its muddled central mystery.

As a series of alarming chases through the woods, Cuckoo is a fantastic showcase of Singer’s ability to conjure atmospheric unease and Schafer’s chops as a rough-and-tumble final girl armed with a switchblade. But as a story — one that gestures toward ideas about reproductive horror, paternalism, and returning to nature — Cuckoo doesn’t exactly hang together the way it could if Singer focused more on narrative cohesion than disturbing lore.

In its final act, as it pulls out all the stops to make Gretchen’s fight for her life feel perilous, Cuckoo tries to weave all of its themes together by spelling them out. This makes the film feel excessively complicated, convoluted by half-baked details that would have been better shown rather than explicated,

In Neon’s growing canon of arthouse thrillers, Cuckoo stands out as one of the studio’s more original features, and the movie’s visual artistry might be enough to convince some horror lovers that its last-minute expositional denseness is actually a sign of brilliance. But in its dizzied rush to tell you everything that’s on its mind, Cuckoo ends up revealing itself to be a shining example of how, sometimes, movies like this are served better by doing a little less.

Cuckoo also stars Jan Bluthardt, Greta Fernández, Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey, Konrad Singer, and Proschat Madani. The film is in theaters now.

Read More 

Photo by Tom Warren / The Verge

Intel has a big update on its crashing 13th and 14th Gen desktop CPUs — including a hint that maybe, just maybe, it might be able to do something about chips that are already failing instead of requiring you to return them.
You can read its statement below in full, but here are the parts I find interesting:

Intel says it’s now distributing the microcode that addresses elevated voltage issues to all its partners, not just Asus and MSI. (Updating your BIOS should help CPUs from deteriorating prematurely but doesn’t fix ones that already have.)
Intel says it’s “investigating” possible “mitigations” for systems that are already showing symptoms, too — but the company’s stance is still that you should exchange any symptomatic CPU, Intel spox Thomas Hannaford tells me. I agree.
The microcode update will primarily help K, KF, and KS series processors. We don’t have an answer on any other Raptor Lake chip yet.
Intel says that no future chips should be affected by these issues — not desktop, not laptop, not embedded, Hannaford tells me.

Note: We still do not yet have an official answer on whether Raptor Lake laptop chips are vulnerable to the instability issues.
Here’s the whole statement:

Intel is currently distributing to its OEM/ODM partners a new microcode patch (0x129) for its Intel Core 13th/14th Gen desktop processors which will address incorrect voltage requests to the processor that are causing elevated operating voltage.
For all Intel Core 13th/14th Gen desktop processor users: This patch is being distributed via BIOS update and will not be available through operating system updates. Intel is working with its partners to ensure timely validation and rollout of the BIOS update for systems currently in service.
Instability Analysis Update – Microcode Background and Performance Implications
In addition to extended warranty coverage, Intel has released three mitigations related to the instability issue – commonly experienced as consistent application crashes and repeated hangs – to help stabilize customer systems with Intel Core 13th and 14th gen desktop processors:
1. Intel default settings to avoid elevated power delivery impact to the processor (May 2024)
2. Microcode 0x125 to fix the eTVB issue in i9 processors (June 2024)
3. Microcode 0x129 to address elevated voltages (August 2024)
Intel’s current analysis finds there is a significant increase to the minimum operating voltage (Vmin) across multiple cores on affected processors due to elevated voltages. Elevated voltage events can accumulate over time and contribute to the increase in Vmin for the processor.
The latest microcode update (0x129) will limit voltage requests above 1.55V as a preventative mitigation for processors not experiencing instability symptoms. This latest microcode update will primarily improve operating conditions for K/KF/KS processors. Intel is also confirming, based on extensive validation, all future products will not be affected by this issue.
Intel is continuing to investigate mitigations for scenarios that can result in Vmin shift on potentially impacted Intel Core 13th and 14th Gen desktop processors. Intel will provide updates by end of August.
Intel’s internal testing – utilizing Intel Default Settings – indicates performance impact is within run-to-run variation (eg. 3DMark: Timespy, WebXPRT 4, Cinebench R24, Blender 4.2.0) with a few sub-tests showing moderate impacts (WebXPRT Online Homework; PugetBench GPU Effects Score). For gaming workloads tested, performance has also been within run-to-run variation (eg. Cyberpunk 2077, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Total War: Warhammer III – Mirrors of Madness) with one exception showing slightly more impact (Hitman 3: Dartmoor). However, system performance is dependent on configuration and several other factors.
For unlocked Intel Core 13th and 14th Gen desktop processors, this latest microcode update (0x129) will not prevent users from overclocking if they so choose. Users can disable the eTVB setting in their BIOS if they wish to push above the 1.55V threshold. As always, Intel recommends users proceed with caution when overclocking their desktop processors, as overclocking may void their warranty and/or affect system health. As a general best practice, Intel recommends customers with Intel Core 13th and 14th Gen desktop processors utilize the Intel Default Settings.
In light of the recently announced extended warranty program, Intel is reaffirming its confidence in its products and is committed to making sure all customers who have or are currently experiencing instability symptoms on their 13th and/or 14th Gen desktop processors are supported in the exchange process. Users experiencing consistent instability symptoms should reach out to their system manufacturer (OEM/System Integrator purchase), Intel Customer Support (boxed processor), or place of purchase (tray processor) further assistance.
FURTHER READING:
June 2024 Intel Default Settings Guidance
August 2024 Warranty Extension Details

Photo by Tom Warren / The Verge

Intel has a big update on its crashing 13th and 14th Gen desktop CPUs — including a hint that maybe, just maybe, it might be able to do something about chips that are already failing instead of requiring you to return them.

You can read its statement below in full, but here are the parts I find interesting:

Intel says it’s now distributing the microcode that addresses elevated voltage issues to all its partners, not just Asus and MSI. (Updating your BIOS should help CPUs from deteriorating prematurely but doesn’t fix ones that already have.)
Intel says it’s “investigating” possible “mitigations” for systems that are already showing symptoms, too — but the company’s stance is still that you should exchange any symptomatic CPU, Intel spox Thomas Hannaford tells me. I agree.
The microcode update will primarily help K, KF, and KS series processors. We don’t have an answer on any other Raptor Lake chip yet.
Intel says that no future chips should be affected by these issues — not desktop, not laptop, not embedded, Hannaford tells me.

Note: We still do not yet have an official answer on whether Raptor Lake laptop chips are vulnerable to the instability issues.

Here’s the whole statement:

Intel is currently distributing to its OEM/ODM partners a new microcode patch (0x129) for its Intel Core 13th/14th Gen desktop processors which will address incorrect voltage requests to the processor that are causing elevated operating voltage.

For all Intel Core 13th/14th Gen desktop processor users: This patch is being distributed via BIOS update and will not be available through operating system updates. Intel is working with its partners to ensure timely validation and rollout of the BIOS update for systems currently in service.

Instability Analysis Update – Microcode Background and Performance Implications

In addition to extended warranty coverage, Intel has released three mitigations related to the instability issue – commonly experienced as consistent application crashes and repeated hangs – to help stabilize customer systems with Intel Core 13th and 14th gen desktop processors:

1. Intel default settings to avoid elevated power delivery impact to the processor (May 2024)

2. Microcode 0x125 to fix the eTVB issue in i9 processors (June 2024)

3. Microcode 0x129 to address elevated voltages (August 2024)

Intel’s current analysis finds there is a significant increase to the minimum operating voltage (Vmin) across multiple cores on affected processors due to elevated voltages. Elevated voltage events can accumulate over time and contribute to the increase in Vmin for the processor.

The latest microcode update (0x129) will limit voltage requests above 1.55V as a preventative mitigation for processors not experiencing instability symptoms. This latest microcode update will primarily improve operating conditions for K/KF/KS processors. Intel is also confirming, based on extensive validation, all future products will not be affected by this issue.

Intel is continuing to investigate mitigations for scenarios that can result in Vmin shift on potentially impacted Intel Core 13th and 14th Gen desktop processors. Intel will provide updates by end of August.

Intel’s internal testing – utilizing Intel Default Settings – indicates performance impact is within run-to-run variation (eg. 3DMark: Timespy, WebXPRT 4, Cinebench R24, Blender 4.2.0) with a few sub-tests showing moderate impacts (WebXPRT Online Homework; PugetBench GPU Effects Score). For gaming workloads tested, performance has also been within run-to-run variation (eg. Cyberpunk 2077, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Total War: Warhammer III – Mirrors of Madness) with one exception showing slightly more impact (Hitman 3: Dartmoor). However, system performance is dependent on configuration and several other factors.

For unlocked Intel Core 13th and 14th Gen desktop processors, this latest microcode update (0x129) will not prevent users from overclocking if they so choose. Users can disable the eTVB setting in their BIOS if they wish to push above the 1.55V threshold. As always, Intel recommends users proceed with caution when overclocking their desktop processors, as overclocking may void their warranty and/or affect system health. As a general best practice, Intel recommends customers with Intel Core 13th and 14th Gen desktop processors utilize the Intel Default Settings.

In light of the recently announced extended warranty program, Intel is reaffirming its confidence in its products and is committed to making sure all customers who have or are currently experiencing instability symptoms on their 13th and/or 14th Gen desktop processors are supported in the exchange process. Users experiencing consistent instability symptoms should reach out to their system manufacturer (OEM/System Integrator purchase), Intel Customer Support (boxed processor), or place of purchase (tray processor) further assistance.

FURTHER READING:

June 2024 Intel Default Settings Guidance

August 2024 Warranty Extension Details

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Screenshot by Jay Peters / The Verge

Warner Bros. Discovery has updated Cartoon Network’s website to remove basically everything and turn it into a page pointing to the Max streaming service. Before the change, the website let you watch free episodes of shows like Adventure Time and Steven Universe. The switchover appears to have happened on Thursday, Variety reports, and follows Warner Bros.’ announcement last week that it would be shutting down Boomerang, its streaming service for classic Warner Bros. cartoons.
“Looking for episodes of your favorite Cartoon Network shows?” reads a message that pops up on Cartoon Network’s website. “Check out what’s available to stream on Max (subscription required).”

Screenshot by Jay Peters / The Verge

“We are focusing on the Cartoon Network shows and social media where we find consumers are the most engaged and there is a meaningful potential for growth,” a Cartoon Network spokesperson said to Variety. Warner Bros. Discovery didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment from The Verge.
In 2022, Warner Bros. Discovery announced that it would merge Warner Bros. Animation and Cartoon Network Studios. With the change to Cartoon Network’s website, Warner Bros. Discovery is watering down the brand even more.
Warner Bros. Discovery also has a history of pulling classic Warner Bros. cartoons from Max, removing hundreds of Looney Tunes episodes and nearly 80 episodes of The Flintstones at the end of 2022. Late last year, Looney Tunes and The Looney Tunes Show appeared on a list of titles leaving the streaming service, but the company quickly said their inclusion was “in error.”

Screenshot by Jay Peters / The Verge

Warner Bros. Discovery has updated Cartoon Network’s website to remove basically everything and turn it into a page pointing to the Max streaming service. Before the change, the website let you watch free episodes of shows like Adventure Time and Steven Universe. The switchover appears to have happened on Thursday, Variety reports, and follows Warner Bros.’ announcement last week that it would be shutting down Boomerang, its streaming service for classic Warner Bros. cartoons.

“Looking for episodes of your favorite Cartoon Network shows?” reads a message that pops up on Cartoon Network’s website. “Check out what’s available to stream on Max (subscription required).”

Screenshot by Jay Peters / The Verge

“We are focusing on the Cartoon Network shows and social media where we find consumers are the most engaged and there is a meaningful potential for growth,” a Cartoon Network spokesperson said to Variety. Warner Bros. Discovery didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment from The Verge.

In 2022, Warner Bros. Discovery announced that it would merge Warner Bros. Animation and Cartoon Network Studios. With the change to Cartoon Network’s website, Warner Bros. Discovery is watering down the brand even more.

Warner Bros. Discovery also has a history of pulling classic Warner Bros. cartoons from Max, removing hundreds of Looney Tunes episodes and nearly 80 episodes of The Flintstones at the end of 2022. Late last year, Looney Tunes and The Looney Tunes Show appeared on a list of titles leaving the streaming service, but the company quickly said their inclusion was “in error.”

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The last-gen bot vacuums well, mops hardwood floors, and comes with an auto-empty dock for $679. | Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge

Basic robot vacuums can speed up the cleaning process, but they don’t do much for hard floors. If you want a robovac that requires less work, consider the Roomba Combo j7 Plus, which can mop your floors and features an auto-empty dock. Now through August 10th, it’s down to a new low at Wellbots, where Verge readers can buy the Roomba Combo j7 Plus for $679 ($320 off) with promo code VERGE320.

The j7 Plus offers similar capabilities to our favorite Roomba, the Roomba Combo j9 Plus, which is also on sale at Wellbots for $979 ($420 off) when you use offer code VERGE420 at checkout. Both feature a retractable mop that can lift itself up to keep your carpets dry, along with dual rubber roller brushes that can dig up dirt from carpets extremely well. Plus, they both boast AI obstacle avoidance, allowing them to deftly navigate shoes, clothes, and anything else you may have left on the floor. The only notable differences between the Combo j7 Plus and its newer counterpart are that the Combo j9 Plus can refill its own mop tank, offers slightly longer battery life, and features iRobot’s newer dirt detection feature, which lets it home in on messier areas of your home.
Admittedly, neither mops as well as premium models like the Dreame X40 or Roborock’s S8 MaxV Ultra, both of which cost close to $2,000. That being said, the Combo j7 Plus and j9 Plus currently retail for far less and have a history of being easy to repair, making them a great investment that should last for years to come.

Some more ways to save

Now through August 16th, Woot is selling the PlayStation edition of the second-gen Backbone One controller with a 90-day warranty for $69.99 ($30 off), which matches its best price to date. Like the original version of the mobile controller, the latest Lightning model supports passthrough charging and features a 3.5mm headphone jack so you can use wired headphones. However, it also improves upon its excellent predecessor with an improved D-pad and face buttons as well as magnetic adapters that let you use the controller while your phone is in a compatible case.
The rose gold Beats Solo 3 are down to $89.99 ($110 off) from Woot until August 17th, which is one of the better prices we’ve seen on the headphones. They don’t last as long as the newer Beats Solo 4 and lack support for USB-C and 3.5mm wired audio, but they still offer good battery life and sound quality. Plus, they allow for seamless switching between Apple devices, making them a good budget buy if you own an iPhone, iPad, or MacBook. Read our review.
Speaking of Apple, you can buy a four-pack of AirTags for $74.99 (about $25 off) at Amazon and Best Buy, which matches the bundle’s Prime Day low. If you’re an iPhone owner, Apple’s ultra wideband location trackers offer exceptionally precise tracking via the company’s vast Find My network. They also carry an IP67 rating and allow you to share them with up to five users, assuming you’re using an iPhone running iOS 17. Read our review.

The last-gen bot vacuums well, mops hardwood floors, and comes with an auto-empty dock for $679. | Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge

Basic robot vacuums can speed up the cleaning process, but they don’t do much for hard floors. If you want a robovac that requires less work, consider the Roomba Combo j7 Plus, which can mop your floors and features an auto-empty dock. Now through August 10th, it’s down to a new low at Wellbots, where Verge readers can buy the Roomba Combo j7 Plus for $679 ($320 off) with promo code VERGE320.

The j7 Plus offers similar capabilities to our favorite Roomba, the Roomba Combo j9 Plus, which is also on sale at Wellbots for $979 ($420 off) when you use offer code VERGE420 at checkout. Both feature a retractable mop that can lift itself up to keep your carpets dry, along with dual rubber roller brushes that can dig up dirt from carpets extremely well. Plus, they both boast AI obstacle avoidance, allowing them to deftly navigate shoes, clothes, and anything else you may have left on the floor. The only notable differences between the Combo j7 Plus and its newer counterpart are that the Combo j9 Plus can refill its own mop tank, offers slightly longer battery life, and features iRobot’s newer dirt detection feature, which lets it home in on messier areas of your home.

Admittedly, neither mops as well as premium models like the Dreame X40 or Roborock’s S8 MaxV Ultra, both of which cost close to $2,000. That being said, the Combo j7 Plus and j9 Plus currently retail for far less and have a history of being easy to repair, making them a great investment that should last for years to come.

Some more ways to save

Now through August 16th, Woot is selling the PlayStation edition of the second-gen Backbone One controller with a 90-day warranty for $69.99 ($30 off), which matches its best price to date. Like the original version of the mobile controller, the latest Lightning model supports passthrough charging and features a 3.5mm headphone jack so you can use wired headphones. However, it also improves upon its excellent predecessor with an improved D-pad and face buttons as well as magnetic adapters that let you use the controller while your phone is in a compatible case.
The rose gold Beats Solo 3 are down to $89.99 ($110 off) from Woot until August 17th, which is one of the better prices we’ve seen on the headphones. They don’t last as long as the newer Beats Solo 4 and lack support for USB-C and 3.5mm wired audio, but they still offer good battery life and sound quality. Plus, they allow for seamless switching between Apple devices, making them a good budget buy if you own an iPhone, iPad, or MacBook. Read our review.
Speaking of Apple, you can buy a four-pack of AirTags for $74.99 (about $25 off) at Amazon and Best Buy, which matches the bundle’s Prime Day low. If you’re an iPhone owner, Apple’s ultra wideband location trackers offer exceptionally precise tracking via the company’s vast Find My network. They also carry an IP67 rating and allow you to share them with up to five users, assuming you’re using an iPhone running iOS 17. Read our review.

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Image: Stellantis

Dodge has let rip the final version of its virtual engine sound profile for its upcoming Charger Daytona electric muscle car, and it sounds like a gallon of gasoline combusting in a hot flash.
The new Charger Daytona is, of course, an EV that does not burn any gas. But that isn’t stopping Dodge from trying to trick owners and onlookers with its new “Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust” system that sounds like it’s carrying some sort of Hemi engine but built expressly for a spaceship.

“We know our Dodge enthusiasts want that visceral feel,” Dodge brand CEO Matt McAlear says in a press release. “The Charger’s new Fratzonic system delivers the adrenaline-pumping spirit that they expect.” And Dodge might be on to something: a recent survey suggests people don’t like the inorganic “flying saucer” type sounds many EVs make compared to ones that sound like combustion engines.
Instead of pistons and fumes disturbing the peace and quiet in your neighborhood, the car has a separate, dedicated amplifier capable of delivering up to 600 watts of power. The Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust design includes “dual bespoke, high-efficiency extreme bandwidth transducers coupled with dual Fratzonic Chamber-loaded passive radiators, all housed in a custom enclosure.” There are also four custom elastomer isolator bushings to support the hardware that help make it sound like a real exhaust.
Switch to a silent mode in case the frenzied cacophony gets too much
Dodge is demonstrating the electric vehicle’s new “signature rumble and tactile sound wave output” available in the R/T and Scat Pack models today at a press conference. The automaker also released a video with the Daytona going through its paces in and out of a tunnel, down a road, and doing figure-eights in a parking lot.
The Fratzonic system output is responsive to the way you drive. It gets more intense in special Drag, Drift, and Donut track modes and drops it a notch to medium-level noise on the standard Sport Mode. You can adjust the Fratzonic settings on the infotainment screen and even switch to a silent mode in case the frenzied cacophony gets too much.
Although the Daytona has some odd screechy sounds in drift, it at least does not sound like a constipated jungle cat — as the original prototype of the Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust seemed to suggest.

Image: Stellantis

Dodge has let rip the final version of its virtual engine sound profile for its upcoming Charger Daytona electric muscle car, and it sounds like a gallon of gasoline combusting in a hot flash.

The new Charger Daytona is, of course, an EV that does not burn any gas. But that isn’t stopping Dodge from trying to trick owners and onlookers with its new “Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust” system that sounds like it’s carrying some sort of Hemi engine but built expressly for a spaceship.

“We know our Dodge enthusiasts want that visceral feel,” Dodge brand CEO Matt McAlear says in a press release. “The Charger’s new Fratzonic system delivers the adrenaline-pumping spirit that they expect.” And Dodge might be on to something: a recent survey suggests people don’t like the inorganic “flying saucer” type sounds many EVs make compared to ones that sound like combustion engines.

Instead of pistons and fumes disturbing the peace and quiet in your neighborhood, the car has a separate, dedicated amplifier capable of delivering up to 600 watts of power. The Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust design includes “dual bespoke, high-efficiency extreme bandwidth transducers coupled with dual Fratzonic Chamber-loaded passive radiators, all housed in a custom enclosure.” There are also four custom elastomer isolator bushings to support the hardware that help make it sound like a real exhaust.

Dodge is demonstrating the electric vehicle’s new “signature rumble and tactile sound wave output” available in the R/T and Scat Pack models today at a press conference. The automaker also released a video with the Daytona going through its paces in and out of a tunnel, down a road, and doing figure-eights in a parking lot.

The Fratzonic system output is responsive to the way you drive. It gets more intense in special Drag, Drift, and Donut track modes and drops it a notch to medium-level noise on the standard Sport Mode. You can adjust the Fratzonic settings on the infotainment screen and even switch to a silent mode in case the frenzied cacophony gets too much.

Although the Daytona has some odd screechy sounds in drift, it at least does not sound like a constipated jungle cat — as the original prototype of the Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust seemed to suggest.

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