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Nintendo now offers its own Joy-Con charger. | Image: Nintendo Europe

Nintendo has announced its own standalone charger for the Switch’s Joy-Con controllers arriving on October 17th. It’s an accessory that many Switch gamers would have welcomed seven years ago when the handheld launched, and while third parties have long offered alternatives, Nintendo’s arrives with some extra flexibility.
Unlike most wireless controllers that can be charged with a USB-C cable, the Nintendo Joy-Con, as well as the company’s retro wireless NES and Famicom gamepads, can only charge when attached to the Switch. A separate charger makes it easier to keep more than two Joy-Con controllers powered up, so it’s an odd move for the company to release an accessory like this as the original Switch’s lifecycle winds down and its successor is expected to be revealed early next year.

Charge your #NintendoSwitch Joy-Con controllers and Nintendo Entertainment System controllers with the Joy-Con Charging Stand (Two-Way) accessory, available October 17th. pic.twitter.com/qv6k8GAm6e— Nintendo of Europe (@NintendoEurope) July 18, 2024

Nintendo’s Joy-Con Charging Stand (Two-Way) accessory can accommodate two controllers at a time, drawing power from the Switch dock’s USB-C port or another power adapter. The charger’s vertical support can also be removed, improving its portability.
Nintendo hasn’t revealed pricing for the accessory yet. The Verge has also reached out to the company to confirm that the charging stand will be available in North America, as so far, it has only been announced in Europe and Japan.
The new accessory will be part of what is probably Nintendo’s last big holiday push for the aging console, joining the “Hyrule Edition” Nintendo Switch Lite and The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, which both release on September 26th, as well as new Mario & Luigi and Mario Party titles.

Nintendo now offers its own Joy-Con charger. | Image: Nintendo Europe

Nintendo has announced its own standalone charger for the Switch’s Joy-Con controllers arriving on October 17th. It’s an accessory that many Switch gamers would have welcomed seven years ago when the handheld launched, and while third parties have long offered alternatives, Nintendo’s arrives with some extra flexibility.

Unlike most wireless controllers that can be charged with a USB-C cable, the Nintendo Joy-Con, as well as the company’s retro wireless NES and Famicom gamepads, can only charge when attached to the Switch. A separate charger makes it easier to keep more than two Joy-Con controllers powered up, so it’s an odd move for the company to release an accessory like this as the original Switch’s lifecycle winds down and its successor is expected to be revealed early next year.

Nintendo’s Joy-Con Charging Stand (Two-Way) accessory can accommodate two controllers at a time, drawing power from the Switch dock’s USB-C port or another power adapter. The charger’s vertical support can also be removed, improving its portability.

Nintendo hasn’t revealed pricing for the accessory yet. The Verge has also reached out to the company to confirm that the charging stand will be available in North America, as so far, it has only been announced in Europe and Japan.

The new accessory will be part of what is probably Nintendo’s last big holiday push for the aging console, joining the “Hyrule Edition” Nintendo Switch Lite and The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, which both release on September 26th, as well as new Mario & Luigi and Mario Party titles.

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Image: Shira Inbar for The Verge

Amazon’s discount extravaganza might technically be over, but if you still have cash to spare, these leftover deals are worth a second look. Another Prime Day is officially in the books. And while it’s true that many of the best deals have since disappeared, The Verge’s deals team has picked through what remains to find an assortment of our tried-and-tested gems — all of which we can vouch for. As it turns out, quite a few of the discounts we saw over the last few days have stuck around, allowing you to save on the Insta360 Link webcam, a set of Philips Hue smart bulbs, the AirPods Max headphones, and a bunch more. Not all of them require a Prime subscription, either, which is a real boon if you experienced any Prime Day FOMO.

Here, we’ve compiled a comprehensive list of the best post-Prime Day deals you can still get, regardless of your interest or price point. Not all of them are going to rival the all-time lows we saw on Echo devices and the Pixel Buds Pro, but hey, here’s hoping they’ll tide you over until Black Friday or Amazon’s next Prime Day event, whichever comes first.

Prime Day deals spotlight

The best Prime Day deals on headphones and earbuds

The Beats Studio Pro are down to $169.95 (a massive $180 off) at Amazon. The noise-canceling headphones may have a slightly outdated look (they look like many prior sets of Beats), but they’re an excellent value if you want flexibility across Android and iOS. Read our review.
The Beats Studio Buds are still a serviceable pair of noise-canceling earbuds even if they’re a few years old since they’re just $79.95 ($70 off) at Amazon. Just keep in mind that the newer Studio Buds Plus have a variety of improvements and an even more fun seethrough design for $129.95 ($40 off).

Google’s Pixel Buds A-Series are selling for their usual all-time low of $69 ($30 off) at Amazon. They’re a little long in the tooth for a midrange pair of wireless earbuds, but they remain a great low-cost option for Pixel phone owners. Read our review.
The donut-shaped Sony LinkBuds are selling for $128 ($50 off) at Amazon, matching the best price we’ve seen on the open-style earbuds. Their unique design offers a comfy fit that allows outside noise in, helping keep you aware of your surroundings. Read our review.
Are you on a tighter budget but still want some noise-canceling headphones? Check out the Sony WH-CH720N, which are selling for $89.99 ($60 off) at Amazon. They’re not as fancy as the pricier XM models, but they have up to 35 hours of battery life and weigh just 192 grams.

The best Prime Day deals on tablets and e-readers
Apple’s latest iPad Mini is on sale at Amazon starting at $379.99 ($120 off) in its base configuration with Wi-Fi and 64GB of storage. The Mini was redesigned back in 2021 with a USB-C port and A15 Bionic processor, and it remains the go-to option if you want a smaller tablet from Apple. Read our review.

The best Prime Day deals on TVs and streaming devices

The best Prime Day deals on phones

The best Prime Day deals on laptops and computer accessories

If you need a basic, no-frills way to elevate your laptop to eye level, then this Nulaxy laptop stand is likely to get the job done. It’s on sale for just $13.99 ($8 off) when you click the on-page coupon at Amazon.

Logitech’s Litra Glow is on sale for $49.99 ($10 off) at Amazon. The compact streaming light has controllable brightness and a simple foot for mounting atop a laptop or monitor.
If you need a larger light for streaming or videoconferencing, Elgato’s Key Light is $129.99 ($30 off) at Amazon for Prime members. The bright 2,800-lumen LED panel comes with an adjustable height desk mount and connects to Elgato’s software on your computer or phone via Wi-Fi, allowing you to control its brightness and color temperature.
Sometimes you just need a high-quality extension cord with a low profile, three outlets, two USB-A ports, and a USB-C port. This five-foot cord from Tessan does all that and is currently just $16.99 ($6 off) at Amazon. While it’s not the most powerful extension cord, it’s handy for road trips and bridging the gap in rooms where you don’t have enough outlets.

The best Prime Day deals on smart home tech

A four-pack of Matter-compatible Kasa smart plugs is $36.99 ($34 off) at Amazon after clicking the on-page coupon. Since these are certified for use with Matter, they are interoperable with Apple Home, Alexa, and Google Home ecosystems, allowing you to control various non-smart appliances around your house with whichever compatible app you choose.
Amazon is selling the Google Nest Wifi Pro mesh router as a single unit for $149.98 ($50 off), a two-pack for $219.98 ($80 off), or a three-pack for $299.99 ($100 off). They’re easy to set up with the Google Home app and include support for Wi-Fi 6E — which is still great unless you want to be at the cutting edge with Wi-Fi 7. Read our review.

The best Prime Day deals on robot vacuums

The best Prime Day deals on smartwatches and fitness trackers

The best Prime Day Bluetooth speaker deals

It’s hard to beat the JBL Clip 4 in handiness and affordability, especially since the travel-friendly lock-shaped Bluetooth speaker is going for $48.30 ($31 off) at Amazon. The compact, water-resistant speaker sounds good for its size, and its built-in carabiner allows it to clip to all kinds of bags and straps. Read our buying guide.

The best Prime Day deals on games and gaming accessories

Amazon is offering the 2TB version of Western Digital’s WD_Black SN850X NVMe SSD for $132.99 ($58 off). This internal drive is very speedy, with 7,300MBps read speeds / 6,600MBps write speeds, making is a good fit for gaming PCs or a PlayStation 5 (with an added heatsink).

Samsung’s 512GB Pro Plus microSD card is down to $39.99 (about $15 off) at Amazon and can add a ton of storage to a Steam Deck, Asus ROG Ally, or Nintendo Switch.

Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon is selling for $39.99 ($20 off) at Amazon. Last year’s Action Game of the Year is a return to form for FromSoftware, one that resurrects its long-dormant mech combat game with the right mix of nostalgia and Dark Souls-like difficulty.

The best Prime Day deals on charging accessories

Anker’s 150W 747 GaNPrime USB four-port charger is selling for $59.99 ($50 off) at Amazon, exclusive for Prime members. It’s got three USB-C ports and one USB-A, and 150W is enough to charge even larger laptops or fast-charge multiple smaller devices at once.
The best Prime Day deals on Verge favorites

The D&D Essentials Kit, which is aimed at those new to Dungeons & Dragons, is on sale for $14.99 ($10 off) at Amazon, which is one of its better prices to date. It includes a rule book, 11 dice, blank character sheets, a poster map, and even a few cards to represent magic items.

Samsung’s Galaxy SmartTag2 is on sale for $21.99 ($8 off) at Amazon. The ultra wideband location tracker works with the Galaxy Find network, making it a great option for those who own Samsung devices. It also sports a user-replaceable battery that lasts up to 700 days, along with a beefier IP67 rating than its predecessor.

Catan is selling for $37.49 (around $12 off) at Amazon. The iconic tabletop game of trading and building is one of those games that can easily consume many game nights if it really clicks with your family or friend group. Just try not to argue over sheep too much.

The Solo Stove Bonfire + Stand 2.0 is selling for $241.49 ($103 off) at Amazon. The Bonfire 2.0 makes a great backyard addition for outdoor gatherings, and it also travels well if you want to light up some marshmallows at the beach.
If you’re looking for a basic charger for your car, the iOttie Easy One Touch Wireless 2 is on sale for $41.85 ($8 off) at Amazon. It can wirelessly deliver up to 7.5W of power to iPhones and up to 10W of power to Android phones, and it firmly attaches to most car vents.

Love Letter, a tabletop card game that’s a mainstay in our gift guides, is on sale for just $10.99 ($4 off) at Amazon. This game is the perfect ice breaker at parties, as it’s simple to pick up and play and it gets people casually competing with a fun card-counting mechanic.
The 14-ounce Yeti Rambler can keep your hot drinks hot and your cold drinks cold for hours on end, and it’s currently just $19.50 ($10.50 off) at Amazon. It’s the humble, logical alternative to those pricey Ember mugs many of us love so much.

The best deals on Lego sets you might have been eyeing

Lego Icons Bonsai Tree for $39.99 (normally $49.99) Do you know what’s more satisfying than diligently trimming and caring for a living Bonsai tree that could potentially still die? Building this 878-piece alternative that never needs watering or any of your attention once you’re done. It will be green forever, or at least until you upgrade it with (included) buildable pink blossoms for the spring.

Lego Classic Large Creative Brick Box for $33.12 (normally $59.99) Although themed sets now dominate Lego’s lineup, the building toy is still about letting your imagination run wild. There’s an assortment of 790 colorful pieces inside this Lego Creative Brick Box you can use to build anything you want. Get creative with a rocket ship, or get practical and build yourself a Lego smartphone stand for your desk.

Lego Jurassic World Dinosaur Fossils: T. rex Skull for $31.99 (normally $39.99) Scratch your paleontological itch without having to get your hands dirty or work in a desert. This 577-piece buildable T.rex skull with a jaw bone that opens and closes is small enough to display on a shelf and includes a display stand with a brick-built fossilized T.rex footprint.

Lego Speed Champions Lamborghini Countach for $15.99 (normally $19.99) An icon of ’70s automotive design, the Lamborghini Countach can make the leap from the wall of your childhood bedroom to the desk in your grown-up office with this 262-piece set. It even comes with a minifigure driver and mechanic so you’ll never need to pop the hood yourself.

Lego Technic Lamborghini Huracán Tecnica for $39.99 (normally $49.99) Looking for a Lego Lambo with a more challenging build? If you manage to get all 806 pieces of this Lamborghini Huracán Tecnica assembled, you’ll be left with a detailed model featuring working doors and steering, plus a tiny V10 engine with pistons that move up and down.

Lego Icons Wildflower Bouquet for $47.99 (normally $59.99) If filling your home with vibrant flowers also leaves you reaching for your allergy meds, Lego’s 939-piece alternative is completely free of pollen. It comes with eight buildable species of wildflowers, including lavender, Welsh poppies, cornflowers, lupins, larkspur, cow parsley, and leatherleaf ferns.

Image: Shira Inbar for The Verge

Amazon’s discount extravaganza might technically be over, but if you still have cash to spare, these leftover deals are worth a second look.

Another Prime Day is officially in the books. And while it’s true that many of the best deals have since disappeared, The Verge’s deals team has picked through what remains to find an assortment of our tried-and-tested gems — all of which we can vouch for. As it turns out, quite a few of the discounts we saw over the last few days have stuck around, allowing you to save on the Insta360 Link webcam, a set of Philips Hue smart bulbs, the AirPods Max headphones, and a bunch more. Not all of them require a Prime subscription, either, which is a real boon if you experienced any Prime Day FOMO.

Here, we’ve compiled a comprehensive list of the best post-Prime Day deals you can still get, regardless of your interest or price point. Not all of them are going to rival the all-time lows we saw on Echo devices and the Pixel Buds Pro, but hey, here’s hoping they’ll tide you over until Black Friday or Amazon’s next Prime Day event, whichever comes first.

Prime Day deals spotlight

The best Prime Day deals on headphones and earbuds

The Beats Studio Pro are down to $169.95 (a massive $180 off) at Amazon. The noise-canceling headphones may have a slightly outdated look (they look like many prior sets of Beats), but they’re an excellent value if you want flexibility across Android and iOS. Read our review.
The Beats Studio Buds are still a serviceable pair of noise-canceling earbuds even if they’re a few years old since they’re just $79.95 ($70 off) at Amazon. Just keep in mind that the newer Studio Buds Plus have a variety of improvements and an even more fun seethrough design for $129.95 ($40 off).

Google’s Pixel Buds A-Series are selling for their usual all-time low of $69 ($30 off) at Amazon. They’re a little long in the tooth for a midrange pair of wireless earbuds, but they remain a great low-cost option for Pixel phone owners. Read our review.
The donut-shaped Sony LinkBuds are selling for $128 ($50 off) at Amazon, matching the best price we’ve seen on the open-style earbuds. Their unique design offers a comfy fit that allows outside noise in, helping keep you aware of your surroundings. Read our review.
Are you on a tighter budget but still want some noise-canceling headphones? Check out the Sony WH-CH720N, which are selling for $89.99 ($60 off) at Amazon. They’re not as fancy as the pricier XM models, but they have up to 35 hours of battery life and weigh just 192 grams.

The best Prime Day deals on tablets and e-readers

Apple’s latest iPad Mini is on sale at Amazon starting at $379.99 ($120 off) in its base configuration with Wi-Fi and 64GB of storage. The Mini was redesigned back in 2021 with a USB-C port and A15 Bionic processor, and it remains the go-to option if you want a smaller tablet from Apple. Read our review.

The best Prime Day deals on TVs and streaming devices

The best Prime Day deals on phones

The best Prime Day deals on laptops and computer accessories

If you need a basic, no-frills way to elevate your laptop to eye level, then this Nulaxy laptop stand is likely to get the job done. It’s on sale for just $13.99 ($8 off) when you click the on-page coupon at Amazon.

Logitech’s Litra Glow is on sale for $49.99 ($10 off) at Amazon. The compact streaming light has controllable brightness and a simple foot for mounting atop a laptop or monitor.
If you need a larger light for streaming or videoconferencing, Elgato’s Key Light is $129.99 ($30 off) at Amazon for Prime members. The bright 2,800-lumen LED panel comes with an adjustable height desk mount and connects to Elgato’s software on your computer or phone via Wi-Fi, allowing you to control its brightness and color temperature.
Sometimes you just need a high-quality extension cord with a low profile, three outlets, two USB-A ports, and a USB-C port. This five-foot cord from Tessan does all that and is currently just $16.99 ($6 off) at Amazon. While it’s not the most powerful extension cord, it’s handy for road trips and bridging the gap in rooms where you don’t have enough outlets.

The best Prime Day deals on smart home tech

A four-pack of Matter-compatible Kasa smart plugs is $36.99 ($34 off) at Amazon after clicking the on-page coupon. Since these are certified for use with Matter, they are interoperable with Apple Home, Alexa, and Google Home ecosystems, allowing you to control various non-smart appliances around your house with whichever compatible app you choose.
Amazon is selling the Google Nest Wifi Pro mesh router as a single unit for $149.98 ($50 off), a two-pack for $219.98 ($80 off), or a three-pack for $299.99 ($100 off). They’re easy to set up with the Google Home app and include support for Wi-Fi 6E — which is still great unless you want to be at the cutting edge with Wi-Fi 7. Read our review.

The best Prime Day deals on robot vacuums

The best Prime Day deals on smartwatches and fitness trackers

The best Prime Day Bluetooth speaker deals

It’s hard to beat the JBL Clip 4 in handiness and affordability, especially since the travel-friendly lock-shaped Bluetooth speaker is going for $48.30 ($31 off) at Amazon. The compact, water-resistant speaker sounds good for its size, and its built-in carabiner allows it to clip to all kinds of bags and straps. Read our buying guide.

The best Prime Day deals on games and gaming accessories

Amazon is offering the 2TB version of Western Digital’s WD_Black SN850X NVMe SSD for $132.99 ($58 off). This internal drive is very speedy, with 7,300MBps read speeds / 6,600MBps write speeds, making is a good fit for gaming PCs or a PlayStation 5 (with an added heatsink).

Samsung’s 512GB Pro Plus microSD card is down to $39.99 (about $15 off) at Amazon and can add a ton of storage to a Steam Deck, Asus ROG Ally, or Nintendo Switch.

Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon is selling for $39.99 ($20 off) at Amazon. Last year’s Action Game of the Year is a return to form for FromSoftware, one that resurrects its long-dormant mech combat game with the right mix of nostalgia and Dark Souls-like difficulty.

The best Prime Day deals on charging accessories

Anker’s 150W 747 GaNPrime USB four-port charger is selling for $59.99 ($50 off) at Amazon, exclusive for Prime members. It’s got three USB-C ports and one USB-A, and 150W is enough to charge even larger laptops or fast-charge multiple smaller devices at once.

The best Prime Day deals on Verge favorites

The D&D Essentials Kit, which is aimed at those new to Dungeons & Dragons, is on sale for $14.99 ($10 off) at Amazon, which is one of its better prices to date. It includes a rule book, 11 dice, blank character sheets, a poster map, and even a few cards to represent magic items.

Samsung’s Galaxy SmartTag2 is on sale for $21.99 ($8 off) at Amazon. The ultra wideband location tracker works with the Galaxy Find network, making it a great option for those who own Samsung devices. It also sports a user-replaceable battery that lasts up to 700 days, along with a beefier IP67 rating than its predecessor.

Catan is selling for $37.49 (around $12 off) at Amazon. The iconic tabletop game of trading and building is one of those games that can easily consume many game nights if it really clicks with your family or friend group. Just try not to argue over sheep too much.

The Solo Stove Bonfire + Stand 2.0 is selling for $241.49 ($103 off) at Amazon. The Bonfire 2.0 makes a great backyard addition for outdoor gatherings, and it also travels well if you want to light up some marshmallows at the beach.
If you’re looking for a basic charger for your car, the iOttie Easy One Touch Wireless 2 is on sale for $41.85 ($8 off) at Amazon. It can wirelessly deliver up to 7.5W of power to iPhones and up to 10W of power to Android phones, and it firmly attaches to most car vents.

Love Letter, a tabletop card game that’s a mainstay in our gift guides, is on sale for just $10.99 ($4 off) at Amazon. This game is the perfect ice breaker at parties, as it’s simple to pick up and play and it gets people casually competing with a fun card-counting mechanic.
The 14-ounce Yeti Rambler can keep your hot drinks hot and your cold drinks cold for hours on end, and it’s currently just $19.50 ($10.50 off) at Amazon. It’s the humble, logical alternative to those pricey Ember mugs many of us love so much.

The best deals on Lego sets you might have been eyeing

Lego Icons Bonsai Tree for $39.99 (normally $49.99) Do you know what’s more satisfying than diligently trimming and caring for a living Bonsai tree that could potentially still die? Building this 878-piece alternative that never needs watering or any of your attention once you’re done. It will be green forever, or at least until you upgrade it with (included) buildable pink blossoms for the spring.

Lego Classic Large Creative Brick Box for $33.12 (normally $59.99) Although themed sets now dominate Lego’s lineup, the building toy is still about letting your imagination run wild. There’s an assortment of 790 colorful pieces inside this Lego Creative Brick Box you can use to build anything you want. Get creative with a rocket ship, or get practical and build yourself a Lego smartphone stand for your desk.

Lego Jurassic World Dinosaur Fossils: T. rex Skull for $31.99 (normally $39.99) Scratch your paleontological itch without having to get your hands dirty or work in a desert. This 577-piece buildable T.rex skull with a jaw bone that opens and closes is small enough to display on a shelf and includes a display stand with a brick-built fossilized T.rex footprint.

Lego Speed Champions Lamborghini Countach for $15.99 (normally $19.99) An icon of ’70s automotive design, the Lamborghini Countach can make the leap from the wall of your childhood bedroom to the desk in your grown-up office with this 262-piece set. It even comes with a minifigure driver and mechanic so you’ll never need to pop the hood yourself.

Lego Technic Lamborghini Huracán Tecnica for $39.99 (normally $49.99) Looking for a Lego Lambo with a more challenging build? If you manage to get all 806 pieces of this Lamborghini Huracán Tecnica assembled, you’ll be left with a detailed model featuring working doors and steering, plus a tiny V10 engine with pistons that move up and down.

Lego Icons Wildflower Bouquet for $47.99 (normally $59.99) If filling your home with vibrant flowers also leaves you reaching for your allergy meds, Lego’s 939-piece alternative is completely free of pollen. It comes with eight buildable species of wildflowers, including lavender, Welsh poppies, cornflowers, lupins, larkspur, cow parsley, and leatherleaf ferns.

Read More 

Image: Voicemod

Popular voice changing software Voicemod is finally going to work with game consoles like the PS5, Xbox Series X, and Nintendo Switch. While Voicemod has been available as an app on Windows PCs for more than five years, platform limitations have forced Voicemod to create dedicated hardware to bring its popular voice changer and soundboard to game consoles.
Voicemod Key is a tiny USB-C dongle that turns your regular gaming headset and mobile phone into a voice changer and soundboard for game consoles, phones, and tablets. “The original idea was from the community, we found it on YouTube,” explains Voicemod chief operating officer Jochen Doppelhammer in an interview with The Verge.
Voicemod can’t build an app for Xbox or PlayStation, so Voicemod users had been using headsets within headsets to get the voice changer working with their phones and consoles. One person even put together a bunch of audio splitters that fed the output of a microphone into Voicemod and then back out into the microphone input on a console. “They put it together and I was like, I need to try that! That was the initial idea, and with the splitter you find problems and to solve them we needed electronic components,” says Doppelhammer.
Voicemod Key works by using two audio jacks and a USB-C port to route your gaming headset into the Voicemod app on mobile and back out into your console. You plug your wired headset into one port, a stereo cable into the other, and then connect up the other end of the stereo cable to your game console. The dongle then plugs into the USB-C or Lightning port on your phone, where you can launch voice changing features or the soundboard.

Image: Voicemod
How Voicemod Key connects to a console.

Voicemod’s AI voices and real-time voice changing features will all be available, alongside buttons to launch custom soundboard audio that your friends will hear in a party chat. Voicemod is also planning to get its Key hardware working with voice chat apps on a phone in the future. Voicemod will turn its Key dongle into a virtual device so it loops back the audio and any iOS or Android apps will then receive the modified voice changing audio as if it were the real microphone. It’s similar to how Voicemod works on macOS or Windows, with virtual audio devices.
Doppelhammer and the Voicemod team have had to create hardware to solve a software restriction in closed platforms like iOS, Xbox, PlayStation, and Switch. You can publish apps on many of these platforms, but Apple, Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo don’t let developers get deep access to the audio components.
I get the sense that Voicemod Key is a solution that Doppelhammer and the team are reluctantly having to build to try and prove to platform holders that they should open up and allow apps like Voicemod.
Voicemod Key will only work with wired headsets, largely because of the way it captures the audio and modifies it. Proprietary solutions like Xbox Wireless won’t be supported, and the latency of Bluetooth would make a real-time voice changer like Voicemod challenging. Doppelhammer says the “vast majority of our target audience” is more inclined to use a wired headset or have access to one, so he’s not too concerned about the lack of support for wireless headsets at launch.

Image: Voicemod
The Voicemod Key hardware will be bundled with subscriptions.

If Voicemod were able to build a native app on Xbox and PlayStation consoles, the wireless problem would be solved. “We don’t want to build our own device. This will enable a lot of conversations, because people will see how it works, what it takes, and that there’s a market,” says Doppelhammer. “This whole thing made me realize one thing: PC and Mac are the only platforms left that are half-way open. Everything else is locked down.”
Voicemod has grown in popularity in recent years as people look to real-time voice changing software and soundboards to be more expressive in online words like Fortnite or Roblox. Voicemod was once a niche app for Twitch streamers, but Voicemod Key aims to bring the software to people who play Fortnite on console or Roblox on a tablet or mobile phone.
The first version of Voicemod Key, with support for a console mode, will soon be available for registered beta testers. Voicemod is planning to bundle the hardware with its Voicemod Pro subscription, so you won’t need to purchase it separately. The team is targeting a launch later this year in the US, with a second version supporting both console and mobile early next year.

Image: Voicemod

Popular voice changing software Voicemod is finally going to work with game consoles like the PS5, Xbox Series X, and Nintendo Switch. While Voicemod has been available as an app on Windows PCs for more than five years, platform limitations have forced Voicemod to create dedicated hardware to bring its popular voice changer and soundboard to game consoles.

Voicemod Key is a tiny USB-C dongle that turns your regular gaming headset and mobile phone into a voice changer and soundboard for game consoles, phones, and tablets. “The original idea was from the community, we found it on YouTube,” explains Voicemod chief operating officer Jochen Doppelhammer in an interview with The Verge.

Voicemod can’t build an app for Xbox or PlayStation, so Voicemod users had been using headsets within headsets to get the voice changer working with their phones and consoles. One person even put together a bunch of audio splitters that fed the output of a microphone into Voicemod and then back out into the microphone input on a console. “They put it together and I was like, I need to try that! That was the initial idea, and with the splitter you find problems and to solve them we needed electronic components,” says Doppelhammer.

Voicemod Key works by using two audio jacks and a USB-C port to route your gaming headset into the Voicemod app on mobile and back out into your console. You plug your wired headset into one port, a stereo cable into the other, and then connect up the other end of the stereo cable to your game console. The dongle then plugs into the USB-C or Lightning port on your phone, where you can launch voice changing features or the soundboard.

Image: Voicemod
How Voicemod Key connects to a console.

Voicemod’s AI voices and real-time voice changing features will all be available, alongside buttons to launch custom soundboard audio that your friends will hear in a party chat. Voicemod is also planning to get its Key hardware working with voice chat apps on a phone in the future. Voicemod will turn its Key dongle into a virtual device so it loops back the audio and any iOS or Android apps will then receive the modified voice changing audio as if it were the real microphone. It’s similar to how Voicemod works on macOS or Windows, with virtual audio devices.

Doppelhammer and the Voicemod team have had to create hardware to solve a software restriction in closed platforms like iOS, Xbox, PlayStation, and Switch. You can publish apps on many of these platforms, but Apple, Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo don’t let developers get deep access to the audio components.

I get the sense that Voicemod Key is a solution that Doppelhammer and the team are reluctantly having to build to try and prove to platform holders that they should open up and allow apps like Voicemod.

Voicemod Key will only work with wired headsets, largely because of the way it captures the audio and modifies it. Proprietary solutions like Xbox Wireless won’t be supported, and the latency of Bluetooth would make a real-time voice changer like Voicemod challenging. Doppelhammer says the “vast majority of our target audience” is more inclined to use a wired headset or have access to one, so he’s not too concerned about the lack of support for wireless headsets at launch.

Image: Voicemod
The Voicemod Key hardware will be bundled with subscriptions.

If Voicemod were able to build a native app on Xbox and PlayStation consoles, the wireless problem would be solved. “We don’t want to build our own device. This will enable a lot of conversations, because people will see how it works, what it takes, and that there’s a market,” says Doppelhammer. “This whole thing made me realize one thing: PC and Mac are the only platforms left that are half-way open. Everything else is locked down.”

Voicemod has grown in popularity in recent years as people look to real-time voice changing software and soundboards to be more expressive in online words like Fortnite or Roblox. Voicemod was once a niche app for Twitch streamers, but Voicemod Key aims to bring the software to people who play Fortnite on console or Roblox on a tablet or mobile phone.

The first version of Voicemod Key, with support for a console mode, will soon be available for registered beta testers. Voicemod is planning to bundle the hardware with its Voicemod Pro subscription, so you won’t need to purchase it separately. The team is targeting a launch later this year in the US, with a second version supporting both console and mobile early next year.

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Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge

Meta says it won’t be launching its upcoming multimodal AI model — capable of handling video, audio, images, and text — in the European Union, citing regulatory concerns. The decision will prevent European companies from using the multimodal model, despite it being released under an open license.
“We will release a multimodal Llama model over the coming months, but not in the EU due to the unpredictable nature of the European regulatory environment,” Meta spokesperson Kate McLaughlin said to The Verge.
Just last week, the EU finalized compliance deadlines for AI companies under its strict new AI Act. Tech companies operating in the EU will generally have until August 2026 to comply with rules around copyright, transparency, and AI uses like predictive policing.
Meta’s decision follows a similar move by Apple, which recently said it would likely exclude the EU from its Apple Intelligence rollout due to concerns surrounding the Digital Markets Act. Meta has also halted plans to release its AI assistant in the EU and paused its generative AI tools in Brazil — both due to concerns raised about data protection compliance.
A text-only version of Meta’s Llama 3 model will still reportedly launch in the EU
Meta says its multimodal AI models will be utilized in products like the Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses. According to Axios, Meta’s EU snub will also extend to future multimodal AI model releases but excludes a larger, text-only version of the Llama 3 model that Meta says will be available for EU customers.
That still leaves a difficult situation for companies outside the EU who were hoping to provide products and services that use these models, as they’ll be prevented from offering them in one of the world’s largest economic markets.
The EU hasn’t commented on Meta’s decision at the time of writing. Apple’s decision to potentially restrict its AI deployment was blasted by the EU’s competition commissioner, Margrethe Vestager.

Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge

Meta says it won’t be launching its upcoming multimodal AI model — capable of handling video, audio, images, and text — in the European Union, citing regulatory concerns. The decision will prevent European companies from using the multimodal model, despite it being released under an open license.

“We will release a multimodal Llama model over the coming months, but not in the EU due to the unpredictable nature of the European regulatory environment,” Meta spokesperson Kate McLaughlin said to The Verge.

Just last week, the EU finalized compliance deadlines for AI companies under its strict new AI Act. Tech companies operating in the EU will generally have until August 2026 to comply with rules around copyright, transparency, and AI uses like predictive policing.

Meta’s decision follows a similar move by Apple, which recently said it would likely exclude the EU from its Apple Intelligence rollout due to concerns surrounding the Digital Markets Act. Meta has also halted plans to release its AI assistant in the EU and paused its generative AI tools in Brazil — both due to concerns raised about data protection compliance.

Meta says its multimodal AI models will be utilized in products like the Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses. According to Axios, Meta’s EU snub will also extend to future multimodal AI model releases but excludes a larger, text-only version of the Llama 3 model that Meta says will be available for EU customers.

That still leaves a difficult situation for companies outside the EU who were hoping to provide products and services that use these models, as they’ll be prevented from offering them in one of the world’s largest economic markets.

The EU hasn’t commented on Meta’s decision at the time of writing. Apple’s decision to potentially restrict its AI deployment was blasted by the EU’s competition commissioner, Margrethe Vestager.

Read More 

Image: Kepler Interactive

It has some clever ideas but struggles with a lack of polish and repetitive gameplay. In a world terrorized by gods, Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn sees you step into the vengeful boots of Nor Vanek — armed with a cutlass, a flintlock, and a tiny magic god. The steampunk, open world of Kian needs saving as the armies of the dead flood from a magical doorway. But despite some clever ideas, an intriguing cast with excellent performances, and varied environments, this third-person souls-“lite” action RPG can’t escape the trappings of a clearly limited budget and lack of polish — which is a shame because it could’ve been an excellent way into the genre.
Players are thrust into the shoes of Nor during a battle that looks like it’s straight from both World War I and every generic dark fantasy. There are soldiers in uniform, with muskets and flintlocks, firing at zombies pouring out from some strange gateway in the distance. There are trenches and barbed wire, helmets on infantry, and medals on generals, while magical beings tear apart Nor’s comrades.
While the game does an acceptable job of introducing you to its mechanics, it does absolutely nothing when it comes to the setting. Even now, I cannot tell you much about the world. I can’t even tell you what “gods’’ are, aside from the fact that you are tasked with killing them.

Kills earn Nor reputation points that linger like “souls” or Bloodborne’s Blood Echoes. However, unlike soulsborne games, you can immediately claim the reputation. If you do not claim the reputation, you bolster a multiplier, which exponentially increases how much reputation you then earn, through each subsequent kill. However, if you’re hit even once, you lose it all. It’s a brilliant risk-reward system, balancing the unfairness of losing everything against the safety of immediate usage. You can use reputation points on upgrades, to purchase items, and so on.

The combat is fast-paced, like the new God of War games, allowing Nor to use a variety of melee weapons, her flintlock, or a sniper rifle on the fly. She also gains access to magic after she meets an adorable god called Enki. He is in the shape of a cute fox with a soothing voice and wants to assist Nor in her goal of defeating the other gods. Like God of War, you have a constant companion, with whom Nor exchanges charming dialogue, commenting on the world or situation. Their relationship grows from one of distrust to friendship and proved the golden thread for me throughout the experience.
With Enki as both the source of magic and a wielder himself, combat turns into a balletic foray into weapon usage, dodging, and spells. Unfortunately, unlike soulsbornes or God of War, the animations are stiff and do not feel responsive. Fluidity and timing are key in such games, and the lack of polish isn’t merely “nice to have” but essential, given the split-second decisions and sense of flow constitutive of these experiences. This is especially felt in boss or miniboss fights, or against larger enemies, where their stiff animation is readily apparent.
The game is also cursed by repetition: similar enemies resulting in similar fights, with only the background changing. Dying and respawning alongside enemies is of course a key staple of soulsborne games, but enemy variety helped undermine sterility. Flintlock does not really have this.

Image: Kepler Interactive

The lack of polish is most damning here. You can see it in the game’s dated graphics, even if the designs remain creative. Stiff animations are compounded by faces that lack expression. The environments — ranging from snowy mountains to rock lands, deep caves to magic arenas — are varied, but it’s hard to ignore the ugly textures, poorly drawn nature, and questionable lighting.
It’s a pity because the game relies a lot on dialogue and interaction with NPCs. For example, Nor travels initially with her surrogate father Baz (with the iconic voice of Elias Toufexis). He’s a merchant and smith of sorts who assists Nor in her travels, having injured himself in an initial foolish raid that led to many soldiers’ deaths. But, due to the poor character details, it was often hard to tell his emotions and feelings. The voice acting did all the lifting.
The frustration also rests with how the game communicates information. Those of us who suffer through FromSoftware games are used to obfuscation. However, those games don’t rely on dialogue, as they do not even feature a voiced protagonist (unless you count your choice of screaming and ignoring Sekiro for now). But Flintlock drips in dialogue, yet provides no background, introduction, or setup that allowed me to understand who Nor is or what the fight is about.
Much of that can be conveyed through well-designed cutscenes, with silence and expression doing a lot of work as with Kratos and Atreus in the new God of War. But, because Flintlock does not have that level of polish, we are denied that. Cutscenes are generally spartan and devoid of frills, simply guiding you from one area to the next.

Image: Kepler Interactive

I felt like I was playing the sequel to a game that had introduced me to this world and these characters. Like I’d opened up to a late chapter in a thick fantasy book, without a glossary. While it was wonderful uncovering the weird world of Kian, I still felt detached from it.
I did love that Nor and Enki’s journey to defeat the gods does tangibly change the world. Villages can be rescued from bandits and others, returned — in the blink of an eye, with zero cutscenes — to the people. This opens up merchants and quests. Nor can also recruit NPC who provide permanent bonuses and equipment on her quest.
Flintlock makes for a comfortable introduction to the intimidating soulsborne genre and even creates its own unique spin with its risk-reward mechanic. However, I am hesitant to outright recommend it, given its lack of polish and repetitive play. Its varied environments and the central relationship between Nor and Enki deserve praise, but it doesn’t quite stick the landing for veterans of such action RPGs, let alone for newcomers.
Flintlock launches July 18th on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC.

Image: Kepler Interactive

It has some clever ideas but struggles with a lack of polish and repetitive gameplay.

In a world terrorized by gods, Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn sees you step into the vengeful boots of Nor Vanek — armed with a cutlass, a flintlock, and a tiny magic god. The steampunk, open world of Kian needs saving as the armies of the dead flood from a magical doorway. But despite some clever ideas, an intriguing cast with excellent performances, and varied environments, this third-person souls-“lite” action RPG can’t escape the trappings of a clearly limited budget and lack of polish — which is a shame because it could’ve been an excellent way into the genre.

Players are thrust into the shoes of Nor during a battle that looks like it’s straight from both World War I and every generic dark fantasy. There are soldiers in uniform, with muskets and flintlocks, firing at zombies pouring out from some strange gateway in the distance. There are trenches and barbed wire, helmets on infantry, and medals on generals, while magical beings tear apart Nor’s comrades.

While the game does an acceptable job of introducing you to its mechanics, it does absolutely nothing when it comes to the setting. Even now, I cannot tell you much about the world. I can’t even tell you what “gods’’ are, aside from the fact that you are tasked with killing them.

Kills earn Nor reputation points that linger like “souls” or Bloodborne’s Blood Echoes. However, unlike soulsborne games, you can immediately claim the reputation. If you do not claim the reputation, you bolster a multiplier, which exponentially increases how much reputation you then earn, through each subsequent kill. However, if you’re hit even once, you lose it all. It’s a brilliant risk-reward system, balancing the unfairness of losing everything against the safety of immediate usage. You can use reputation points on upgrades, to purchase items, and so on.

The combat is fast-paced, like the new God of War games, allowing Nor to use a variety of melee weapons, her flintlock, or a sniper rifle on the fly. She also gains access to magic after she meets an adorable god called Enki. He is in the shape of a cute fox with a soothing voice and wants to assist Nor in her goal of defeating the other gods. Like God of War, you have a constant companion, with whom Nor exchanges charming dialogue, commenting on the world or situation. Their relationship grows from one of distrust to friendship and proved the golden thread for me throughout the experience.

With Enki as both the source of magic and a wielder himself, combat turns into a balletic foray into weapon usage, dodging, and spells. Unfortunately, unlike soulsbornes or God of War, the animations are stiff and do not feel responsive. Fluidity and timing are key in such games, and the lack of polish isn’t merely “nice to have” but essential, given the split-second decisions and sense of flow constitutive of these experiences. This is especially felt in boss or miniboss fights, or against larger enemies, where their stiff animation is readily apparent.

The game is also cursed by repetition: similar enemies resulting in similar fights, with only the background changing. Dying and respawning alongside enemies is of course a key staple of soulsborne games, but enemy variety helped undermine sterility. Flintlock does not really have this.

The lack of polish is most damning here. You can see it in the game’s dated graphics, even if the designs remain creative. Stiff animations are compounded by faces that lack expression. The environments — ranging from snowy mountains to rock lands, deep caves to magic arenas — are varied, but it’s hard to ignore the ugly textures, poorly drawn nature, and questionable lighting.

It’s a pity because the game relies a lot on dialogue and interaction with NPCs. For example, Nor travels initially with her surrogate father Baz (with the iconic voice of Elias Toufexis). He’s a merchant and smith of sorts who assists Nor in her travels, having injured himself in an initial foolish raid that led to many soldiers’ deaths. But, due to the poor character details, it was often hard to tell his emotions and feelings. The voice acting did all the lifting.

The frustration also rests with how the game communicates information. Those of us who suffer through FromSoftware games are used to obfuscation. However, those games don’t rely on dialogue, as they do not even feature a voiced protagonist (unless you count your choice of screaming and ignoring Sekiro for now). But Flintlock drips in dialogue, yet provides no background, introduction, or setup that allowed me to understand who Nor is or what the fight is about.

Much of that can be conveyed through well-designed cutscenes, with silence and expression doing a lot of work as with Kratos and Atreus in the new God of War. But, because Flintlock does not have that level of polish, we are denied that. Cutscenes are generally spartan and devoid of frills, simply guiding you from one area to the next.

I felt like I was playing the sequel to a game that had introduced me to this world and these characters. Like I’d opened up to a late chapter in a thick fantasy book, without a glossary. While it was wonderful uncovering the weird world of Kian, I still felt detached from it.

I did love that Nor and Enki’s journey to defeat the gods does tangibly change the world. Villages can be rescued from bandits and others, returned — in the blink of an eye, with zero cutscenes — to the people. This opens up merchants and quests. Nor can also recruit NPC who provide permanent bonuses and equipment on her quest.

Flintlock makes for a comfortable introduction to the intimidating soulsborne genre and even creates its own unique spin with its risk-reward mechanic. However, I am hesitant to outright recommend it, given its lack of polish and repetitive play. Its varied environments and the central relationship between Nor and Enki deserve praise, but it doesn’t quite stick the landing for veterans of such action RPGs, let alone for newcomers.

Flintlock launches July 18th on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC.

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Image: Lilium

Lilium, an electric aviation company based in Germany, says it has secured a binding sales agreement for up to 100 electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft with Saudia Group, which operates the largest airline carrier in Saudi Arabia and is wholly owned by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The agreement is a “firm order” for 50 Lilium jets, with an option to purchase up to 50 more, the company said. The deal follows a 2022 memorandum of understanding between Lilium and Saudia to explore ways in which battery-powered multi-rotor aircraft can address the region’s transportation challenges.
The terms of the deal were not disclosed, but it has the potential to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Lilium has said it will sell its Pioneer aircraft for $10 million to individual buyers in the US looking to swap their polluting private jets with something more environmentally friendly.

Lilium is one of a handful of companies that wants to replace noisy, polluting helicopters and regional aircraft with all-electric, multi-rotor vehicles designed for short hops between nearby airports or quick trips from a dense, urban core to a local airport.
The Lilium jet features an egg-shaped fusillade with two wings, one fore and the other aft. A total of 30 batter-electric motors are built into the wings, which can tilt downward for vertical takeoff and hovering and then move flush with the wing for forward flight.
Lilium is not the first eVTOL company to see a potential market in the Middle East. China’s Ehang has been testing its own vehicles in Mecca for a possible future air taxi service. Two others, Eve and Joby, have both signed similar agreements with Saudi-based aviation companies for future sales.

Image: Lilium

Lilium, an electric aviation company based in Germany, says it has secured a binding sales agreement for up to 100 electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft with Saudia Group, which operates the largest airline carrier in Saudi Arabia and is wholly owned by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The agreement is a “firm order” for 50 Lilium jets, with an option to purchase up to 50 more, the company said. The deal follows a 2022 memorandum of understanding between Lilium and Saudia to explore ways in which battery-powered multi-rotor aircraft can address the region’s transportation challenges.

The terms of the deal were not disclosed, but it has the potential to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Lilium has said it will sell its Pioneer aircraft for $10 million to individual buyers in the US looking to swap their polluting private jets with something more environmentally friendly.

Lilium is one of a handful of companies that wants to replace noisy, polluting helicopters and regional aircraft with all-electric, multi-rotor vehicles designed for short hops between nearby airports or quick trips from a dense, urban core to a local airport.

The Lilium jet features an egg-shaped fusillade with two wings, one fore and the other aft. A total of 30 batter-electric motors are built into the wings, which can tilt downward for vertical takeoff and hovering and then move flush with the wing for forward flight.

Lilium is not the first eVTOL company to see a potential market in the Middle East. China’s Ehang has been testing its own vehicles in Mecca for a possible future air taxi service. Two others, Eve and Joby, have both signed similar agreements with Saudi-based aviation companies for future sales.

Read More 

Image: Dyson

With replaceable ear cushions and outer caps, there are over 2,000 ways to customize these $500 noise-canceling headphones — without the Bane mask this time. Dyson is today announcing its second pair of headphones. The company’s weird-as-hell first effort, the Dyson Zone, focused on combining air purification and noise-canceling headphones into a single product. But this time, Dyson is nixing the Bane mask and betting everything on customization.
The new $499.99 OnTrac headphones have replaceable ear cushions and ear cups, letting you completely switch up their style far beyond what’s possible with products from other manufacturers. I’ve seen enough silicone covers and stickers on Apple’s AirPods Max to know that people are eager to put their own stamp on their headphones.
The foundation of the OnTrac — the headband, the pivoting gimbal arms, and the controls (with a joystick) — are quite similar to the Zone. The headband still has three lumps; the left and right contain battery cells, while the middle one is just regular soft cushioning for your head. It’s the outer caps where Dyson starts to mix things up.

The headphones come in four different colorways. Essentially, you’re choosing what color you want the headband to be — because practically everything else can be personalized later. “CNC Aluminum” has a gray finish with bright yellow ear cushions; “CNC Copper” features a purple headband and matching ear cushions with shiny copper ear cups; “Ceramic Cinnabar” has a light red (bordering on pink) headband, matte ear cups in the same color, and dark ear cushions. Then, there’s “CNC Black Nickel,” and as the name implies, this one has black everything and looks tame compared to the rest of the lineup.

This is the CNC Copper style.

From the ones I saw at a briefing in New York, I was most drawn to CNC Aluminum. The silver and yellow combo just gives off a fun audiophile vibe to me. The OnTrac ear cushions are foam, and Dyson will offer seven different colors of them in all, plus seven different styles of outer cups. The caps come off with a twisting motion that only took a couple tries to get down. There are both metallic and matte options to pick from, priced at $49.99 per pair. You’re free to mix colors as you see fit for some pretty zany combinations. Dyson says there are “over 2,000 customizable color combinations for outer caps and ear cushions.”

Nothing’s stopping you from using different colors.

So, the name of the game here is a never-before-seen level of customization. But it takes more than just that to justify a $500 pair of headphones. To that end, Dyson claims that the OnTrac deliver “best-in-class” noise cancellation using an eight-microphone system, and as was the case with the Zone, you can monitor how much noise is around you using the companion smartphone app.
Lengthy battery life is another strength: these headphones can last for up to 55 hours of continuous listening on a charge. That easily blows away Apple, Bose, and Sony but falls a tad short of the 60-hour Sennheiser Momentum 4, which also provide active noise cancellation. There’s on-head detection, so the headphones will automatically pause music when you take them off.

Both the outer caps and ear cushions are easy to swap out.

As always, Dyson puts attention on the small details.

The OnTracs feature 40-millimeter drivers that “reproduce frequencies from as low as 6Hz to as high as 21,000Hz, providing deep sub-bass that you can feel, and clear highs at the upper end of the frequency range.” And those speakers are tilted toward your ears for more direct audio delivery. You can plug in for wired listening with a 3.5mm-to-USB-C adapter, but there’s no standalone headphone jack. As for Bluetooth codecs, the OnTrac support SBC, AAC, and the lesser-known LDHC for higher-quality wireless audio. Unfortunately, the latter only works with select phones from Motorola, OnePlus, Nothing, and a few other brands. The Samsung and Google crowds are out of luck.
Dyson includes a collapsible carrying case with the OnTrac cans that offers limited protection; there’s plenty of room for water or dirt to get inside, so that’s something to keep in mind.

The OnTrac have a collapsible carrying case. It doesn’t provide full coverage, though.

Dyson clearly isn’t ready to give up on the headphones market after its very unconventional first swing. I think the OnTrac headphones make a lot more sense for broader appeal. They have that same “I’ve never seen headphones like that” effect as the Zone — but without the “I’d never be seen in public wearing those” part. I’m very curious to discover how they fare once you factor out the unique style and focus on sound quality and ANC. Can they really hang with the heavyweight competition? I’ll share more on that soon.
For now, here are some more photos for those who would never entertain buying the OnTrac but still want a close look at ‘em.

The OnTrac share some design traits in common with the Zone.

Dyson says the outer caps are “inspired by the CNC process.”

I’m a fan of CNC Aluminum’s silver and yellow combo.

Those left and right headband lumps contain the battery.

These are just a few of the available colors.

The joystick is used for controlling your music.

Ceramic Cinnabar is the boldest of the default styles.

Replacement outer caps cost $50 per pair.

Photography (except for lead image) by Chris Welch / The Verge

Image: Dyson

With replaceable ear cushions and outer caps, there are over 2,000 ways to customize these $500 noise-canceling headphones — without the Bane mask this time.

Dyson is today announcing its second pair of headphones. The company’s weird-as-hell first effort, the Dyson Zone, focused on combining air purification and noise-canceling headphones into a single product. But this time, Dyson is nixing the Bane mask and betting everything on customization.

The new $499.99 OnTrac headphones have replaceable ear cushions and ear cups, letting you completely switch up their style far beyond what’s possible with products from other manufacturers. I’ve seen enough silicone covers and stickers on Apple’s AirPods Max to know that people are eager to put their own stamp on their headphones.

The foundation of the OnTrac — the headband, the pivoting gimbal arms, and the controls (with a joystick) — are quite similar to the Zone. The headband still has three lumps; the left and right contain battery cells, while the middle one is just regular soft cushioning for your head. It’s the outer caps where Dyson starts to mix things up.

The headphones come in four different colorways. Essentially, you’re choosing what color you want the headband to be — because practically everything else can be personalized later. “CNC Aluminum” has a gray finish with bright yellow ear cushions; “CNC Copper” features a purple headband and matching ear cushions with shiny copper ear cups; “Ceramic Cinnabar” has a light red (bordering on pink) headband, matte ear cups in the same color, and dark ear cushions. Then, there’s “CNC Black Nickel,” and as the name implies, this one has black everything and looks tame compared to the rest of the lineup.

From the ones I saw at a briefing in New York, I was most drawn to CNC Aluminum. The silver and yellow combo just gives off a fun audiophile vibe to me. The OnTrac ear cushions are foam, and Dyson will offer seven different colors of them in all, plus seven different styles of outer cups. The caps come off with a twisting motion that only took a couple tries to get down. There are both metallic and matte options to pick from, priced at $49.99 per pair. You’re free to mix colors as you see fit for some pretty zany combinations. Dyson says there are “over 2,000 customizable color combinations for outer caps and ear cushions.”

So, the name of the game here is a never-before-seen level of customization. But it takes more than just that to justify a $500 pair of headphones. To that end, Dyson claims that the OnTrac deliver “best-in-class” noise cancellation using an eight-microphone system, and as was the case with the Zone, you can monitor how much noise is around you using the companion smartphone app.

Lengthy battery life is another strength: these headphones can last for up to 55 hours of continuous listening on a charge. That easily blows away Apple, Bose, and Sony but falls a tad short of the 60-hour Sennheiser Momentum 4, which also provide active noise cancellation. There’s on-head detection, so the headphones will automatically pause music when you take them off.

The OnTracs feature 40-millimeter drivers that “reproduce frequencies from as low as 6Hz to as high as 21,000Hz, providing deep sub-bass that you can feel, and clear highs at the upper end of the frequency range.” And those speakers are tilted toward your ears for more direct audio delivery. You can plug in for wired listening with a 3.5mm-to-USB-C adapter, but there’s no standalone headphone jack. As for Bluetooth codecs, the OnTrac support SBC, AAC, and the lesser-known LDHC for higher-quality wireless audio. Unfortunately, the latter only works with select phones from Motorola, OnePlus, Nothing, and a few other brands. The Samsung and Google crowds are out of luck.

Dyson includes a collapsible carrying case with the OnTrac cans that offers limited protection; there’s plenty of room for water or dirt to get inside, so that’s something to keep in mind.

Dyson clearly isn’t ready to give up on the headphones market after its very unconventional first swing. I think the OnTrac headphones make a lot more sense for broader appeal. They have that same “I’ve never seen headphones like that” effect as the Zone — but without the “I’d never be seen in public wearing those” part. I’m very curious to discover how they fare once you factor out the unique style and focus on sound quality and ANC. Can they really hang with the heavyweight competition? I’ll share more on that soon.

For now, here are some more photos for those who would never entertain buying the OnTrac but still want a close look at ‘em.

Photography (except for lead image) by Chris Welch / The Verge

Read More 

One of the best deals of Prime Day doesn’t require a premium membership. It’s funny how that works. | Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge

Short of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, you probably won’t find a better opportunity to save on an iPad than during Amazon Prime Day. Right now, for instance, the 10th-gen iPad with Wi-Fi and 64GB of storage has dropped to an all-time low of $299 ($49 off) at Amazon and Best Buy — no membership required. The 256GB variant is also on sale at Amazon and Best Buy for a record low of $449 ($50 off), though some colors do require a Prime subscription at Amazon.

Apple’s latest entry-level iPad feels a bit more modern than the outgoing ninth-gen model, and with the current discount, it probably makes more sense to go for the newer kid on the block. Apple stretched the screen a bit to 10.9 inches and updated its design to make it look more akin to the newer iPad Air, iPad Pro, and iPad Mini models. However, in the process, it traded its Lightning connector for a USB-C port and lost the home button (the Touch ID sensor is now embedded in the power button). It also repositioned the front-facing 12MP camera so it’s centered while in landscape orientation and removed the 3.5mm audio jack, for better or worse (mostly worse).

Unless you fetishize smaller devices or have a specific need for the pro-oriented features on the iPad Air and iPad Pro, the standard iPad is an ideal choice for most people. It uses Apple’s A14 Bionic chipset, which is more than powerful enough for basic tasks like browsing, productivity, multimedia, and running a vast majority of games from the App Store. It can’t do everything the M-series chips can, however, which will exclusively support the Apple Intelligence features that will arrive as part of iPadOS 18 later this year.
If you’re coming from a ninth-gen or older iPad and you use the first-gen Apple Pencil, you won’t need to upgrade it. If you don’t already have a stylus and would appreciate the ability to write and draw, however, you can leapfrog to the Apple Pencil (USB-C), which is also on sale right now for its all-time low of $69 ($10 off) at Amazon. It’s the only other Apple Pencil that’s compatible with the newer iPad; however, it cannot magnetically charge while docked to the side of your iPad as the second-gen version can with newer tablets. Instead, you charge it by plugging it directly into your iPad. It’s not pretty, but it works.

One of the best deals of Prime Day doesn’t require a premium membership. It’s funny how that works. | Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge

Short of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, you probably won’t find a better opportunity to save on an iPad than during Amazon Prime Day. Right now, for instance, the 10th-gen iPad with Wi-Fi and 64GB of storage has dropped to an all-time low of $299 ($49 off) at Amazon and Best Buy — no membership required. The 256GB variant is also on sale at Amazon and Best Buy for a record low of $449 ($50 off), though some colors do require a Prime subscription at Amazon.

Apple’s latest entry-level iPad feels a bit more modern than the outgoing ninth-gen model, and with the current discount, it probably makes more sense to go for the newer kid on the block. Apple stretched the screen a bit to 10.9 inches and updated its design to make it look more akin to the newer iPad Air, iPad Pro, and iPad Mini models. However, in the process, it traded its Lightning connector for a USB-C port and lost the home button (the Touch ID sensor is now embedded in the power button). It also repositioned the front-facing 12MP camera so it’s centered while in landscape orientation and removed the 3.5mm audio jack, for better or worse (mostly worse).

Unless you fetishize smaller devices or have a specific need for the pro-oriented features on the iPad Air and iPad Pro, the standard iPad is an ideal choice for most people. It uses Apple’s A14 Bionic chipset, which is more than powerful enough for basic tasks like browsing, productivity, multimedia, and running a vast majority of games from the App Store. It can’t do everything the M-series chips can, however, which will exclusively support the Apple Intelligence features that will arrive as part of iPadOS 18 later this year.

If you’re coming from a ninth-gen or older iPad and you use the first-gen Apple Pencil, you won’t need to upgrade it. If you don’t already have a stylus and would appreciate the ability to write and draw, however, you can leapfrog to the Apple Pencil (USB-C), which is also on sale right now for its all-time low of $69 ($10 off) at Amazon. It’s the only other Apple Pencil that’s compatible with the newer iPad; however, it cannot magnetically charge while docked to the side of your iPad as the second-gen version can with newer tablets. Instead, you charge it by plugging it directly into your iPad. It’s not pretty, but it works.

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Image: NASA/Daniel Rutter

NASA isn’t moving forward with its VIPER program — short for Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover — which aimed to put a rover on the far side of the Moon to search for water. On Wednesday, NASA cited cost increases and several delays as its reasons for canceling the project.
VIPER was originally expected to launch at the end of 2023. However, NASA pushed the date to September 2025 due to supply chain and scheduling delays.
Astrobotic, the same company behind the ill-fated Peregrine Moon lander, was supposed to launch the VIPER aboard its Griffin spacecraft. Despite VIPER’s cancellation, Astrobotic will continue its contract with NASA to land the Griffin lander on the Moon without the rover “no earlier than” fall 2025.

After a comprehensive review, we are discontinuing development of our VIPER (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover) project. We are committed to studying and exploring the Moon, and will pursue other methods to accomplish many of VIPER’s goals: https://t.co/oMyngdoUKc pic.twitter.com/UJXmf0gnRv— NASA (@NASA) July 17, 2024

NASA says continued development of VIPER would “result in an increased cost that threatens cancellation or disruption” to other missions under the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program. The agency has spent $450 million to develop the rover so far, according to Bloomberg. Instead of dedicating more resources to the craft, it has chosen to disassemble and reuse the rover’s instruments for future missions to the Moon.
“The agency has an array of missions planned to look for ice and other resources on the Moon over the next five years,” Nicola Fox, NASA’s associate administrator of the science mission directorate, said in a statement. “Our path forward will make maximum use of the technology and work that went into VIPER, while preserving critical funds to support our robust lunar portfolio.”

Image: NASA/Daniel Rutter

NASA isn’t moving forward with its VIPER program — short for Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover — which aimed to put a rover on the far side of the Moon to search for water. On Wednesday, NASA cited cost increases and several delays as its reasons for canceling the project.

VIPER was originally expected to launch at the end of 2023. However, NASA pushed the date to September 2025 due to supply chain and scheduling delays.

Astrobotic, the same company behind the ill-fated Peregrine Moon lander, was supposed to launch the VIPER aboard its Griffin spacecraft. Despite VIPER’s cancellation, Astrobotic will continue its contract with NASA to land the Griffin lander on the Moon without the rover “no earlier than” fall 2025.

NASA says continued development of VIPER would “result in an increased cost that threatens cancellation or disruption” to other missions under the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program. The agency has spent $450 million to develop the rover so far, according to Bloomberg. Instead of dedicating more resources to the craft, it has chosen to disassemble and reuse the rover’s instruments for future missions to the Moon.

“The agency has an array of missions planned to look for ice and other resources on the Moon over the next five years,” Nicola Fox, NASA’s associate administrator of the science mission directorate, said in a statement. “Our path forward will make maximum use of the technology and work that went into VIPER, while preserving critical funds to support our robust lunar portfolio.”

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Illustration: The Verge

Microsoft is integrating Nvidia’s GeForce Now service into its store pages for Xbox games. The integration will allow you to pick between either Xbox Cloud Gaming or Nvidia’s GeForce Now service when you view a game listing on the web.
Currently, Microsoft only lists its own Xbox Cloud Gaming service under “play with cloud gaming” on game listings, so it’s surprising to see the company add Nvidia’s GeForce Now service. At the time of publication, the new “play with cloud” button isn’t available just yet, so it’s not clear whether this is simply a link to the main homepage of GeForce Now or whether this deep links and launches the game directly on Nvidia’s cloud gaming service.

Play your games the way you want, where you want! Starting today, we’ve enabled GeForce NOW integration which allows you to launch supported games on GeForce NOW via https://t.co/Nf3xumC9vw game pages: https://t.co/rNVwXNU6gw pic.twitter.com/TBrfsiDoCe— Xbox (@Xbox) July 17, 2024

Nvidia’s GeForce Now RTX 4080 tier is the most impressive cloud gaming service available right now, with Nvidia even claiming the end-to-end latency beats an Xbox Series X running locally on a 60Hz TV.
Microsoft and Nvidia are no strangers when it comes to cloud gaming partnerships, though. Both companies signed a 10-year deal to allow Nvidia to license Xbox PC games for GeForce Now, including Activision Blizzard titles. Nvidia also rolled out an update to GeForce Now earlier this year that allows members to sync their Xbox accounts and Microsoft Store purchases to the cloud gaming service. You can even stream Xbox PC games through PC Game Pass on GeForce Now.

Illustration: The Verge

Microsoft is integrating Nvidia’s GeForce Now service into its store pages for Xbox games. The integration will allow you to pick between either Xbox Cloud Gaming or Nvidia’s GeForce Now service when you view a game listing on the web.

Currently, Microsoft only lists its own Xbox Cloud Gaming service under “play with cloud gaming” on game listings, so it’s surprising to see the company add Nvidia’s GeForce Now service. At the time of publication, the new “play with cloud” button isn’t available just yet, so it’s not clear whether this is simply a link to the main homepage of GeForce Now or whether this deep links and launches the game directly on Nvidia’s cloud gaming service.

Nvidia’s GeForce Now RTX 4080 tier is the most impressive cloud gaming service available right now, with Nvidia even claiming the end-to-end latency beats an Xbox Series X running locally on a 60Hz TV.

Microsoft and Nvidia are no strangers when it comes to cloud gaming partnerships, though. Both companies signed a 10-year deal to allow Nvidia to license Xbox PC games for GeForce Now, including Activision Blizzard titles. Nvidia also rolled out an update to GeForce Now earlier this year that allows members to sync their Xbox accounts and Microsoft Store purchases to the cloud gaming service. You can even stream Xbox PC games through PC Game Pass on GeForce Now.

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