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Illustration: The Verge

If you’re disappointed that the only AI model that will integrate with Apple devices so far will be ChatGPT, it sounds like you won’t have to wait long for that to change. Apple will announce “at least” one other deal — to add Google Gemini, too — this fall, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman in his Power On newsletter today.
Gemini has been part of the iOS 18 chatbot rumors for as long as OpenAI has. Apple software boss Craig Federighi even hinted at a Google deal shortly after the keynote was over. Anthropic has been mixed up in these rumors as well, and Gurman also suggests Apple could announce a deal with that company at some point, if not this fall. Meta, though, was quickly rejected because its Llama chatbot just isn’t good enough, he writes.

Beyond chatbot integration lies Apple Intelligence, which is only supposed to emerge, initially, in beta form this fall. Apple reportedly wants to make AI an avenue for direct profits, not just as a set of features aimed at moving hardware products. As part of that, Gurman suggests that the company “could eventually” roll out subscription-only Apple Intelligence features.
But it seems like that won’t happen for a while, and although Apple Intelligence is only available for the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max for now, who knows if the version of it that comes first will be enough to drive a big iPhone upgrade cycle. We don’t even know if the features will be good, after all. In the meantime, he points out that Apple will still get at least some AI money when it gets its in-app purchases cut of sign-ups to its AI partners’ chatbot subscriptions.
Third-party AI services might serve as a nice stopgap for the Cupertino company while it slowly rolls out its own generative AI system. For the rest of us, that will mean more choice, even if having the choice, in a lot of ways, just means variations on the theme of algorithmic reconstruction of compressed data (or at least the possibility of entertainingly wrong cooking suggestions).

Illustration: The Verge

If you’re disappointed that the only AI model that will integrate with Apple devices so far will be ChatGPT, it sounds like you won’t have to wait long for that to change. Apple will announce “at least” one other deal — to add Google Gemini, too — this fall, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman in his Power On newsletter today.

Gemini has been part of the iOS 18 chatbot rumors for as long as OpenAI has. Apple software boss Craig Federighi even hinted at a Google deal shortly after the keynote was over. Anthropic has been mixed up in these rumors as well, and Gurman also suggests Apple could announce a deal with that company at some point, if not this fall. Meta, though, was quickly rejected because its Llama chatbot just isn’t good enough, he writes.

Beyond chatbot integration lies Apple Intelligence, which is only supposed to emerge, initially, in beta form this fall. Apple reportedly wants to make AI an avenue for direct profits, not just as a set of features aimed at moving hardware products. As part of that, Gurman suggests that the company “could eventually” roll out subscription-only Apple Intelligence features.

But it seems like that won’t happen for a while, and although Apple Intelligence is only available for the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max for now, who knows if the version of it that comes first will be enough to drive a big iPhone upgrade cycle. We don’t even know if the features will be good, after all. In the meantime, he points out that Apple will still get at least some AI money when it gets its in-app purchases cut of sign-ups to its AI partners’ chatbot subscriptions.

Third-party AI services might serve as a nice stopgap for the Cupertino company while it slowly rolls out its own generative AI system. For the rest of us, that will mean more choice, even if having the choice, in a lot of ways, just means variations on the theme of algorithmic reconstruction of compressed data (or at least the possibility of entertainingly wrong cooking suggestions).

Read More 

Photo by Ivan “Porkchop44” for Games Done Quick

It’s summer, which means it’s time for sun and speedruns. The 2024 edition of Summer Games Done Quick (SGDQ), the annual speedrunning marathon for charity, kicks off on Sunday and runs until July 6th. This year’s lineup is once again packed with runs for some of my favorite games, including Balatro, Alan Wake 2, Elden Ring, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1, 2, 3, and 4 (all in one run), a glitchless Baldur’s Gate 3 Honour Mode run, and a shipless Outer Wilds run (how???).
But my most anticipated run is a live speedrun from Peanut Butter, the shiba inu who performed a remote run of the NES game Gyromite at Awesome Games Done Quick in January. At SGDQ, Peanut Butter will be live at the event playing Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball for the Super NES. Peanut Butter’s goal is to win a game in 30 minutes. The run is scheduled for July 4th at 8:43PM ET.

SGDQ’s first run, Yoshi’s Story, happens today at 1PM ET. You can stream the entire event from the Games Done Quick Twitch channel, and Games Done Quick typically posts runs after they happen on its YouTube channel. The event, which will be streamed from Minneapolis, is raising money for Doctors Without Borders.

Photo by Ivan “Porkchop44” for Games Done Quick

It’s summer, which means it’s time for sun and speedruns. The 2024 edition of Summer Games Done Quick (SGDQ), the annual speedrunning marathon for charity, kicks off on Sunday and runs until July 6th. This year’s lineup is once again packed with runs for some of my favorite games, including Balatro, Alan Wake 2, Elden Ring, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1, 2, 3, and 4 (all in one run), a glitchless Baldur’s Gate 3 Honour Mode run, and a shipless Outer Wilds run (how???).

But my most anticipated run is a live speedrun from Peanut Butter, the shiba inu who performed a remote run of the NES game Gyromite at Awesome Games Done Quick in January. At SGDQ, Peanut Butter will be live at the event playing Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball for the Super NES. Peanut Butter’s goal is to win a game in 30 minutes. The run is scheduled for July 4th at 8:43PM ET.

SGDQ’s first run, Yoshi’s Story, happens today at 1PM ET. You can stream the entire event from the Games Done Quick Twitch channel, and Games Done Quick typically posts runs after they happen on its YouTube channel. The event, which will be streamed from Minneapolis, is raising money for Doctors Without Borders.

Read More 

Image: David Pierce / The Verge

Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 44, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you’re new here, welcome, so psyched you found us, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.)
This week, I’ve been writing about why I love the Boox Palma, reading about hot dog contests and the history of Markdown and the future of streaming, watching Shoresy and Federer and a lot of soccer (it’s been a very sports-y week), mourning the end of the Longform podcast, developing a strange obsession with salt water taffy, retesting the Apple Vision Pro, and trying every method I can find for making good iced coffee at home.
I also have for you a couple of great new Bluetooth speakers, the new season of Hulu’s best show, an app for turning everything into audio, and much more.
Also, quick housekeeping news: no Installer next week. It’s a holiday here in the US (and also my birthday), so I’ll be outside grilling things and getting sunburned. But keep sending recommendations, and we’ll be back with a big one right after.
Okay, let’s dive in.
(As always, the best part of Installer is your ideas and tips. What do you want to know more about? What awesome tricks do you know that everyone else should? What app should everyone be using? Tell me everything: installer@theverge.com. And if you know someone else who might enjoy Installer, forward it to them and tell them to subscribe here.)

The Drop

The UE Wonderboom 4. A few weeks ago, I said the best speaker advice I can give you was to buy a UE Wonderboom. I stand by this, especially now that there’s a new one that charges with USB-C! The new Everboom, with a built-in carabiner and some extra sound oomph, is very tempting, but you can’t beat this for $100.

The Beats Pill. More new speakers! I have a weakness for a nice-looking portable sound system, and the new Pill looks pretty great. Chris Welch likes how it sounds, and I love that it does wired audio and charges other gadgets through the USB-C port. Beats did well here, even if I’m still Wonderboomin’.

Verge apparel. I really try not to shill for Verge stuff too much here, but I’m genuinely psyched about the new stuff we’ve been working on. I’m into the hoodie in particular, and the (finally properly sized) mug. Retooling our store has been a fun project, and I hope you like the stuff, too!

“Death of the Follower & the Future of Creativity on the Web.” I always like hearing Jack Conte talk about the internet and stumbled on this SXSW talk in which he basically explains how “follow” and “subscribe” changed the world — and how we need to change it again.

ElevenLabs Reader. ElevenLabs does AI voices better than any product I’ve ever seen and built this iPhone app (with Android coming soon, apparently) in a really clever way. You just share any article or book or PDF to the app, pick a voice, and it’ll read it aloud.

Blackmagic Camera for Android. There is a truly annoying lack of great third-party camera apps for Android, but this is a good one, with lots of manual controls and instant feedback. It’s only on a few phones for now, but I’ll take what I can get.

Notion Sites. This is a small but very clever thing: build a Notion page and, with one click, publish it to the web. If you want, like, a one-page personal website or a quick and easy event page. This is way easier than just about anything else out there.

The Bear season 3. I agree with everyone who’s annoyed that Hulu dropped this season all at once instead of a week at a time — drag it out, give us time to obsess over it! That said, I will be watching every second of it this weekend. And then rewatching all three seasons as soon as I’m done.

Figma Slides. Figma got some really big updates across the board this week: a redesign, a bunch of AI stuff, and more. But Slides is particularly cool. It’s a mix of design tool and presentation tool, and it looks a whole lot more fun to play with than PowerPoint.

Screen share
I think the first Sara Dietschy video I ever saw was the one where she perfectly explained How To Casey Neistat a Vlog. (That title, by the way, is like a perfect 2016 time capsule, and I still miss that era of YouTube.) Since then, she’s become one of my favorite creators, talking about everything from cameras to creativity to cars to just… life. And more recently, as a new parent myself, it’s been really cool to watch her go through so much of the same stuff as is happening in my house.
I asked Sara to share her homescreen with us, curious to see how she was balancing life stuff with creator stuff. Both are really demanding, and we’ve all only got one homescreen, you know? Turns out, there’s a bit of both in there — but mostly life stuff.
Here’s Sara’s homescreen, plus some info on the apps she uses and why:

The phone: iPhone 15 Pro.
The wallpaper: My wallpaper is always a rotation of cute baby pics. She is my entire life right now. I mean, look at her… right? I love widgets so I always have stonks I’m watching and the weather front and center.
The apps: Phone, Clock, Settings, Camera, Photos, Drive, Amazon, Blackmagic Camera, YouTube, Tesla, DoorDash, Apple Notes, Google Authenticator, Vivint, WhatsApp, Nanit, Messages, Hatch Baby, Safari, Gmail.
My homescreen is reserved for the apps I use multiple times every single day.
The to-do widget is from the Things app — where all of my to-dos go to die 🙂 But at least they’re super organized.
I also asked Sara to share a few things she’s into right now. Here’s what she sent back:

Blackmagic Camera. An AMAZING camera app that allows you to shoot Apple Log at a reasonable file size. (Shooting Log in Apple’s camera will leave you with massive ProRes HQ files.)

Apple Notes. I recently scaled down my team and have been obsessed with the speed and simplicity of Notes over Notion, which I used to religiously use. Now, Notion is only used for projects I’m working on that require other people.

Nanit. The best baby monitor of all time. The feature-heavy app makes the overpriced hardware worth it. The PiP works perfectly, and you can monitor the baby monitor audio in the background while you’re listening to a podcast or music.
I am so into 3D printing right now. It has led me to a lot of “maker” YouTube channels. I am currently binge-watching Adam Savage’s Tested channel.

Crowdsourced
Here’s what the Installer community is into this week. I want to know what you’re into right now as well! Email installer@theverge.com or message me on Signal — @davidpierce.11 — with your recommendations for anything and everything, and we’ll feature some of our favorites here every week. And for more great recommendations than I could fit here, check out the replies to this post on Threads.
“Seeing chess in Installer made me think of another great chess game! Really Bad Chess by Zach Gage is apparently really good for my brain. It’s available on iOS and Android with an in-app purchase, and it’s free if you pay for Apple Arcade!” – Harvey
“I’m sad that more people don’t know about “17776” and “20020,” stories from the far future about football and sapient satellites.” – Lego
“I just finished Temptation of the Force by Tessa Gratton. It’s the latest novel in the Star Wars: The High Republic storyline, and these continue to be some of my favorite books of the last 10 years, definitely in the Star Wars universe. They’re set a few hundred years before the movies, and I’d recommend them to any fan.” – Justin
“Starting to cure a pancetta and capicola using Umai Dry vacuum bags. I don’t have a great place to cure and dry meats in our city home, so it’s nice to be able to do it in the fridge. Bonus: I get to use the new vacuum sealer my family got me for Father’s Day!” – Timothy
“Anil Dash wrote up two posts on what a board of directors does, and it’s fascinating! Required reading if you’re into how corporate governance works.” – Richard
“I’ve been getting into sideloading. It’s amazing what you can get with a developer ID and the cracked iPhone apps that are out there.” – Dawit
“I cannot stop playing Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor on PC. In this roguelike, you’re a dwarf mining precious minerals and battling hordes of bugs on an alien planet. It’s ridiculously fun, easy to pick up, and the weapon and skill systems are ​thoroughly satisfying to navigate.” – Abhimanyu
“A while back, I went through the same journey you seem to be on: ‘I want a Light Phone, but… what if I just turned my iPhone into a Light Phone?’ The option I like most is building my own with Widgy Widgets. It’s a very powerful app that allows you to build your own widgets. It’s not intuitive and it has way more power than I’d ever need, but it’s amazing to build your own Light Phone.” – Tom
“I’m about halfway through Adrian Tchaikovsky’s new sci-fi book, Service Model, and it’s a great story about AI and our reliance on technology. Can’t put it down!” – Sighjinks

Signing off
Before we go to bed, my wife and I sit down almost every night to watch something together. Sometimes we talk through the whole thing, sometimes we watch the show, sometimes we sit and stare at our phones the whole time. It’s nice all three ways! I suspect a lot of people have their wind-down shows, but allow me to tell you about ours: The Great Food Truck Race on Food Network. (Well, now Max, but you know what I mean.) It’s like a cooking show meets The Amazing Race, there are 16 seasons — and season 17 starts this weekend! — and it’s all silly and fantastic. My wife and I have developed several hundred food truck ideas while watching the show, too, which is also very fun.
If you’re in need of a new show to watch forever without working your brain too hard, check out the food trucks. (And if you have other shows like this I should watch, please let me know. We’re caught up on food trucks, and it’s a problem.)
Have a great holiday to all those celebrating. See you in two weeks!

Image: David Pierce / The Verge

Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 44, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you’re new here, welcome, so psyched you found us, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.)

This week, I’ve been writing about why I love the Boox Palma, reading about hot dog contests and the history of Markdown and the future of streaming, watching Shoresy and Federer and a lot of soccer (it’s been a very sports-y week), mourning the end of the Longform podcast, developing a strange obsession with salt water taffy, retesting the Apple Vision Pro, and trying every method I can find for making good iced coffee at home.

I also have for you a couple of great new Bluetooth speakers, the new season of Hulu’s best show, an app for turning everything into audio, and much more.

Also, quick housekeeping news: no Installer next week. It’s a holiday here in the US (and also my birthday), so I’ll be outside grilling things and getting sunburned. But keep sending recommendations, and we’ll be back with a big one right after.

Okay, let’s dive in.

(As always, the best part of Installer is your ideas and tips. What do you want to know more about? What awesome tricks do you know that everyone else should? What app should everyone be using? Tell me everything: installer@theverge.com. And if you know someone else who might enjoy Installer, forward it to them and tell them to subscribe here.)

The Drop

The UE Wonderboom 4. A few weeks ago, I said the best speaker advice I can give you was to buy a UE Wonderboom. I stand by this, especially now that there’s a new one that charges with USB-C! The new Everboom, with a built-in carabiner and some extra sound oomph, is very tempting, but you can’t beat this for $100.

The Beats Pill. More new speakers! I have a weakness for a nice-looking portable sound system, and the new Pill looks pretty great. Chris Welch likes how it sounds, and I love that it does wired audio and charges other gadgets through the USB-C port. Beats did well here, even if I’m still Wonderboomin’.

Verge apparel. I really try not to shill for Verge stuff too much here, but I’m genuinely psyched about the new stuff we’ve been working on. I’m into the hoodie in particular, and the (finally properly sized) mug. Retooling our store has been a fun project, and I hope you like the stuff, too!

“Death of the Follower & the Future of Creativity on the Web.” I always like hearing Jack Conte talk about the internet and stumbled on this SXSW talk in which he basically explains how “follow” and “subscribe” changed the world — and how we need to change it again.

ElevenLabs Reader. ElevenLabs does AI voices better than any product I’ve ever seen and built this iPhone app (with Android coming soon, apparently) in a really clever way. You just share any article or book or PDF to the app, pick a voice, and it’ll read it aloud.

Blackmagic Camera for Android. There is a truly annoying lack of great third-party camera apps for Android, but this is a good one, with lots of manual controls and instant feedback. It’s only on a few phones for now, but I’ll take what I can get.

Notion Sites. This is a small but very clever thing: build a Notion page and, with one click, publish it to the web. If you want, like, a one-page personal website or a quick and easy event page. This is way easier than just about anything else out there.

The Bear season 3. I agree with everyone who’s annoyed that Hulu dropped this season all at once instead of a week at a time — drag it out, give us time to obsess over it! That said, I will be watching every second of it this weekend. And then rewatching all three seasons as soon as I’m done.

Figma Slides. Figma got some really big updates across the board this week: a redesign, a bunch of AI stuff, and more. But Slides is particularly cool. It’s a mix of design tool and presentation tool, and it looks a whole lot more fun to play with than PowerPoint.

Screen share

I think the first Sara Dietschy video I ever saw was the one where she perfectly explained How To Casey Neistat a Vlog. (That title, by the way, is like a perfect 2016 time capsule, and I still miss that era of YouTube.) Since then, she’s become one of my favorite creators, talking about everything from cameras to creativity to cars to just… life. And more recently, as a new parent myself, it’s been really cool to watch her go through so much of the same stuff as is happening in my house.

I asked Sara to share her homescreen with us, curious to see how she was balancing life stuff with creator stuff. Both are really demanding, and we’ve all only got one homescreen, you know? Turns out, there’s a bit of both in there — but mostly life stuff.

Here’s Sara’s homescreen, plus some info on the apps she uses and why:

The phone: iPhone 15 Pro.

The wallpaper: My wallpaper is always a rotation of cute baby pics. She is my entire life right now. I mean, look at her… right? I love widgets so I always have stonks I’m watching and the weather front and center.

The apps: Phone, Clock, Settings, Camera, Photos, Drive, Amazon, Blackmagic Camera, YouTube, Tesla, DoorDash, Apple Notes, Google Authenticator, Vivint, WhatsApp, Nanit, Messages, Hatch Baby, Safari, Gmail.

My homescreen is reserved for the apps I use multiple times every single day.

The to-do widget is from the Things app — where all of my to-dos go to die 🙂 But at least they’re super organized.

I also asked Sara to share a few things she’s into right now. Here’s what she sent back:

Blackmagic Camera. An AMAZING camera app that allows you to shoot Apple Log at a reasonable file size. (Shooting Log in Apple’s camera will leave you with massive ProRes HQ files.)

Apple Notes. I recently scaled down my team and have been obsessed with the speed and simplicity of Notes over Notion, which I used to religiously use. Now, Notion is only used for projects I’m working on that require other people.

Nanit. The best baby monitor of all time. The feature-heavy app makes the overpriced hardware worth it. The PiP works perfectly, and you can monitor the baby monitor audio in the background while you’re listening to a podcast or music.
I am so into 3D printing right now. It has led me to a lot of “maker” YouTube channels. I am currently binge-watching Adam Savage’s Tested channel.

Crowdsourced

Here’s what the Installer community is into this week. I want to know what you’re into right now as well! Email installer@theverge.com or message me on Signal — @davidpierce.11 — with your recommendations for anything and everything, and we’ll feature some of our favorites here every week. And for more great recommendations than I could fit here, check out the replies to this post on Threads.

“Seeing chess in Installer made me think of another great chess game! Really Bad Chess by Zach Gage is apparently really good for my brain. It’s available on iOS and Android with an in-app purchase, and it’s free if you pay for Apple Arcade!” – Harvey

“I’m sad that more people don’t know about “17776” and “20020,” stories from the far future about football and sapient satellites.” – Lego

“I just finished Temptation of the Force by Tessa Gratton. It’s the latest novel in the Star Wars: The High Republic storyline, and these continue to be some of my favorite books of the last 10 years, definitely in the Star Wars universe. They’re set a few hundred years before the movies, and I’d recommend them to any fan.” – Justin

“Starting to cure a pancetta and capicola using Umai Dry vacuum bags. I don’t have a great place to cure and dry meats in our city home, so it’s nice to be able to do it in the fridge. Bonus: I get to use the new vacuum sealer my family got me for Father’s Day!” – Timothy

“Anil Dash wrote up two posts on what a board of directors does, and it’s fascinating! Required reading if you’re into how corporate governance works.” – Richard

“I’ve been getting into sideloading. It’s amazing what you can get with a developer ID and the cracked iPhone apps that are out there.” – Dawit

“I cannot stop playing Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor on PC. In this roguelike, you’re a dwarf mining precious minerals and battling hordes of bugs on an alien planet. It’s ridiculously fun, easy to pick up, and the weapon and skill systems are ​thoroughly satisfying to navigate.” – Abhimanyu

“A while back, I went through the same journey you seem to be on: ‘I want a Light Phone, but… what if I just turned my iPhone into a Light Phone?’ The option I like most is building my own with Widgy Widgets. It’s a very powerful app that allows you to build your own widgets. It’s not intuitive and it has way more power than I’d ever need, but it’s amazing to build your own Light Phone.” – Tom

“I’m about halfway through Adrian Tchaikovsky’s new sci-fi book, Service Model, and it’s a great story about AI and our reliance on technology. Can’t put it down!” – Sighjinks

Signing off

Before we go to bed, my wife and I sit down almost every night to watch something together. Sometimes we talk through the whole thing, sometimes we watch the show, sometimes we sit and stare at our phones the whole time. It’s nice all three ways! I suspect a lot of people have their wind-down shows, but allow me to tell you about ours: The Great Food Truck Race on Food Network. (Well, now Max, but you know what I mean.) It’s like a cooking show meets The Amazing Race, there are 16 seasons — and season 17 starts this weekend! — and it’s all silly and fantastic. My wife and I have developed several hundred food truck ideas while watching the show, too, which is also very fun.

If you’re in need of a new show to watch forever without working your brain too hard, check out the food trucks. (And if you have other shows like this I should watch, please let me know. We’re caught up on food trucks, and it’s a problem.)

Have a great holiday to all those celebrating. See you in two weeks!

Read More 

Willem Dafoe in Nosferatu. | Screenshot: YouTube

I’m stuck in a weird spot when it comes to movies and TV, these days. On one hand, the constant churn of remakes, reboots, franchise movies, and sequels often feels like it comes at the expense of original storytelling. But on the other, I am unabashedly looking forward to Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, I’m really enjoying The Acolyte, and I’m sorry, but I’m the reason Nintendo just keeps remaking games, and I will continue to be. (Also, I feel I must apologize to my friends and family in advance for my absence when Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is released.)
Thankfully, the trailers that showed up this week look as promising as any of the best of those.
Deadpool & Wolverine

It’s another Deadpool & Wolverine trailer; what am I going to do, not watch it five times and then tell you about it? This one almost doesn’t have anything we haven’t had before. Almost, that is, until it reveals that Tyler Mane will reprise his role as Sabretooth from the first X-Men film. We’ve got just under a month to go before the movie’s July 26th release.
Batman: The Caped Crusader

Things were looking dicey for Batman: Caped Crusader after the Warner Bros. Discovery merger and the show’s move to Amazon Studios. But it finally got a release date (August 1st), and now, a trailer full of every bit of the dark, 1940s-era art deco style that creator Bruce Timm’s 1990s series was dripping with.
Actor Hamish Linklater’s Batman voice was shown off in a teaser earlier this month, clearly nodding at the late Kevin Conroy’s portrayal of the character. In it, he listed the show’s stellar cast, which includes Christina Ricci, Jamie Chung, Diedrich Bader, John DiMaggio, Minnie Driver, and Mckenna Grace.
Nosferatu

Nosferatu’s first teaser trailer offers only a dim look at the vampire known as Count Orlok, once played by Max Schreck in the 1922 silent horror film the movie is remaking. But it does a great job setting the mood for the grim remake of Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror, itself an unofficial retelling of Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
Starring Willem Dafoe, Lily Rose-Depp, and Bill Skarsgård, the Robert Eggers movie is due to hit theaters, merrily, on December 25th.
Heretic

It feels like Hugh Grant’s been having a moment lately. His turn as the Mr. Reed, a man who traps two young Mormon missionaries come to spread the gospel to him, seems just as compellingly off-brand as his portrayals of Lofty the Oompa Loompa in Wonka and the con artist Forge Fitzwilliam in Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.
Heretic also bucks the retread trend of the other trailers from this week by being its own story. It’s written and directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, the team behind A Quiet Place.

Willem Dafoe in Nosferatu. | Screenshot: YouTube

I’m stuck in a weird spot when it comes to movies and TV, these days. On one hand, the constant churn of remakes, reboots, franchise movies, and sequels often feels like it comes at the expense of original storytelling. But on the other, I am unabashedly looking forward to Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, I’m really enjoying The Acolyte, and I’m sorry, but I’m the reason Nintendo just keeps remaking games, and I will continue to be. (Also, I feel I must apologize to my friends and family in advance for my absence when Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is released.)

Thankfully, the trailers that showed up this week look as promising as any of the best of those.

Deadpool & Wolverine

It’s another Deadpool & Wolverine trailer; what am I going to do, not watch it five times and then tell you about it? This one almost doesn’t have anything we haven’t had before. Almost, that is, until it reveals that Tyler Mane will reprise his role as Sabretooth from the first X-Men film. We’ve got just under a month to go before the movie’s July 26th release.

Batman: The Caped Crusader

Things were looking dicey for Batman: Caped Crusader after the Warner Bros. Discovery merger and the show’s move to Amazon Studios. But it finally got a release date (August 1st), and now, a trailer full of every bit of the dark, 1940s-era art deco style that creator Bruce Timm’s 1990s series was dripping with.

Actor Hamish Linklater’s Batman voice was shown off in a teaser earlier this month, clearly nodding at the late Kevin Conroy’s portrayal of the character. In it, he listed the show’s stellar cast, which includes Christina Ricci, Jamie Chung, Diedrich Bader, John DiMaggio, Minnie Driver, and Mckenna Grace.

Nosferatu

Nosferatu’s first teaser trailer offers only a dim look at the vampire known as Count Orlok, once played by Max Schreck in the 1922 silent horror film the movie is remaking. But it does a great job setting the mood for the grim remake of Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror, itself an unofficial retelling of Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

Starring Willem Dafoe, Lily Rose-Depp, and Bill Skarsgård, the Robert Eggers movie is due to hit theaters, merrily, on December 25th.

Heretic

It feels like Hugh Grant’s been having a moment lately. His turn as the Mr. Reed, a man who traps two young Mormon missionaries come to spread the gospel to him, seems just as compellingly off-brand as his portrayals of Lofty the Oompa Loompa in Wonka and the con artist Forge Fitzwilliam in Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.

Heretic also bucks the retread trend of the other trailers from this week by being its own story. It’s written and directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, the team behind A Quiet Place.

Read More 

An Uber and Lyft vehicle in New York. | Photo: Lindsey Nicholson / UCG / Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Rideshare drivers in Massachusetts will soon get company-provided benefits, as well as a minimum pay of $32.50 per hour, starting on August 15th. That’s thanks to a new settlement between the state and rideshare companies Uber and Lyft, four years after Attorney General Andrea Campbell sued the companies, asserting their drivers ought to be considered employees under state law.
The two companies also agreed to pay a combined $175 million, the bulk of which will be paid out to “current and former drivers who were underpaid by the companies,” Campbell’s office announced yesterday. The office says it will release details about who qualifies and how to apply “in coming weeks.” Despite the settlement and the original thrust of the suit, drivers will still be considered independent contractors.

For years, we have heard from drivers about the difficulties and struggles they face daily without access to fair pay and benefits, despite the role they play in our transportation system and even our economy. This settlement is a win for working people. Plain and simple. pic.twitter.com/rUEZZrL5JH— Andrea Joy Campbell (@MassAGO) June 29, 2024

Still, drivers in the state will get yearly inflation-based pay raises and other employee-style benefits, such as being able to earn up to 40 hours of sick leave a year, paid at $20 per hour. Uber and Lyft will also give drivers stipends so they can buy healthcare and sign up for the state’s family and medical leave program, and will cover work-related injuries.
To ensure they’re complying with the agreement, the companies have to carry out annual audits and submit reports to the Attorney General’s office. Punishment for violations could include “any applicable restitution, fines, and penalties,” according to the published settlement.
The rideshare companies have mostly avoided being regulated this way in California after successfully persuading voters there to pass a 2020 law that exempted businesses from being required to treat gig workers as employees; that’s been winding its way through state courts. The Massachusetts settlement accounts for that, requiring them to stop supporting a similar ballot initiative campaign. DoorDash and Instacart have also said they’re backing off, according to local reporting by WBUR.

An Uber and Lyft vehicle in New York. | Photo: Lindsey Nicholson / UCG / Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Rideshare drivers in Massachusetts will soon get company-provided benefits, as well as a minimum pay of $32.50 per hour, starting on August 15th. That’s thanks to a new settlement between the state and rideshare companies Uber and Lyft, four years after Attorney General Andrea Campbell sued the companies, asserting their drivers ought to be considered employees under state law.

The two companies also agreed to pay a combined $175 million, the bulk of which will be paid out to “current and former drivers who were underpaid by the companies,” Campbell’s office announced yesterday. The office says it will release details about who qualifies and how to apply “in coming weeks.” Despite the settlement and the original thrust of the suit, drivers will still be considered independent contractors.

Still, drivers in the state will get yearly inflation-based pay raises and other employee-style benefits, such as being able to earn up to 40 hours of sick leave a year, paid at $20 per hour. Uber and Lyft will also give drivers stipends so they can buy healthcare and sign up for the state’s family and medical leave program, and will cover work-related injuries.

To ensure they’re complying with the agreement, the companies have to carry out annual audits and submit reports to the Attorney General’s office. Punishment for violations could include “any applicable restitution, fines, and penalties,” according to the published settlement.

The rideshare companies have mostly avoided being regulated this way in California after successfully persuading voters there to pass a 2020 law that exempted businesses from being required to treat gig workers as employees; that’s been winding its way through state courts. The Massachusetts settlement accounts for that, requiring them to stop supporting a similar ballot initiative campaign. DoorDash and Instacart have also said they’re backing off, according to local reporting by WBUR.

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The 10th-gen Kindle Paperwhite may lack USB-C and don a smaller display, but it still nails the basics. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

Lately, it seems as though the biggest happenings in the E Ink world revolve around large note-taking devices like the Kindle Scribe and color offerings such as the apt-titled Kobo Libra Colour. That said, if you’re looking for a basic ebook reader to burn through your summer reading list, there’s nothing wrong with picking up a last-gen e-reader like the 2018 Kindle Paperwhite — which happens to be on sale at Amazon (via Woot) in used condition with ads for $49.99.

Amazon’s last-gen Paperwhite has become more difficult to find since the arrival of the 2021 model, even if it isn’t a dramatic step down in terms of features. It still carries an IPX8 rating for full resistance against water immersion, as well as a crisp six-inch, 300ppi display and support for Audible audiobooks via Bluetooth headphones. The newer Paperwhite sports a bigger display and better backlighting — not to mention wireless charging, if you opt for the 32GB Signature Edition — but it rarely drops below $100 in price, even when on sale. The real travesty here is the fact that the 10th-gen Paperwhite only offers a mere 8GB of storage in its base configuration and uses Micro USB for charging instead of USB-C, which, even in 2018, felt like a miss.

Read our Kindle Paperwhite (2018) review.

More deals, discounts, and ways to save

The recent discontinuation (RIP) of the last-gen iPad means the 10th-gen iPad is now the de facto choice for anyone seeking an entry-level tablet from Apple. That’s not such a bad thing, though, especially when you consider the base model is on sale at Amazon for $321 ($28 off). It features an older A14 Bionic chip, yet it’s still great at handling basic tablet things, from reading to streaming. Plus, it cribs many design elements from the iPad Air, including a larger 10.9-inch display and support for USB-C. Read our review.
Although Prime Day doesn’t officially kick off until July 16th, that hasn’t stopped Amazon from dropping an array of Prime exclusives ahead of the two-day event. Right now, for example, you can pick up the latest Echo Dot Kids at Amazon for $27.99 ($32 off), which matches its lowest price to date. The kid-friendly smart speaker is nearly indistinguishable from the standard version, only it includes a year of Amazon Kids Plus service and one of two animal-themed configurations. Read our Echo Dot (2020) review.
You can currently pick up a used pair of the Sonos Ace in like-new condition at Best Buy for $381.99 ($67 off). Their marque trick still needs a bit of work — the TV Audio Swap feature that allows you to transfer sound from a Sonos soundbar to the headphones is a bit spotty, to say the least — but they remain an impressive pair of first-gen headphones with superb comfort, great noise cancellation, and a helpful transparency mode that’s second only to Apple’s in how natural it sounds. Read our review.

The 10th-gen Kindle Paperwhite may lack USB-C and don a smaller display, but it still nails the basics. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

Lately, it seems as though the biggest happenings in the E Ink world revolve around large note-taking devices like the Kindle Scribe and color offerings such as the apt-titled Kobo Libra Colour. That said, if you’re looking for a basic ebook reader to burn through your summer reading list, there’s nothing wrong with picking up a last-gen e-reader like the 2018 Kindle Paperwhite — which happens to be on sale at Amazon (via Woot) in used condition with ads for $49.99.

Amazon’s last-gen Paperwhite has become more difficult to find since the arrival of the 2021 model, even if it isn’t a dramatic step down in terms of features. It still carries an IPX8 rating for full resistance against water immersion, as well as a crisp six-inch, 300ppi display and support for Audible audiobooks via Bluetooth headphones. The newer Paperwhite sports a bigger display and better backlighting — not to mention wireless charging, if you opt for the 32GB Signature Edition — but it rarely drops below $100 in price, even when on sale. The real travesty here is the fact that the 10th-gen Paperwhite only offers a mere 8GB of storage in its base configuration and uses Micro USB for charging instead of USB-C, which, even in 2018, felt like a miss.

Read our Kindle Paperwhite (2018) review.

More deals, discounts, and ways to save

The recent discontinuation (RIP) of the last-gen iPad means the 10th-gen iPad is now the de facto choice for anyone seeking an entry-level tablet from Apple. That’s not such a bad thing, though, especially when you consider the base model is on sale at Amazon for $321 ($28 off). It features an older A14 Bionic chip, yet it’s still great at handling basic tablet things, from reading to streaming. Plus, it cribs many design elements from the iPad Air, including a larger 10.9-inch display and support for USB-C. Read our review.
Although Prime Day doesn’t officially kick off until July 16th, that hasn’t stopped Amazon from dropping an array of Prime exclusives ahead of the two-day event. Right now, for example, you can pick up the latest Echo Dot Kids at Amazon for $27.99 ($32 off), which matches its lowest price to date. The kid-friendly smart speaker is nearly indistinguishable from the standard version, only it includes a year of Amazon Kids Plus service and one of two animal-themed configurations. Read our Echo Dot (2020) review.
You can currently pick up a used pair of the Sonos Ace in like-new condition at Best Buy for $381.99 ($67 off). Their marque trick still needs a bit of work — the TV Audio Swap feature that allows you to transfer sound from a Sonos soundbar to the headphones is a bit spotty, to say the least — but they remain an impressive pair of first-gen headphones with superb comfort, great noise cancellation, and a helpful transparency mode that’s second only to Apple’s in how natural it sounds. Read our review.

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A Redbox machine from 2015.

Redbox’s owner, Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, filed for bankruptcy protection overnight. This comes at the tail end of a month in which the DVD rental company defaulted on loans, saw an order for its cars to be repossessed, and missed payroll for employees.
Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment informed employees of the filing late Friday, writing in an email seen by The Verge that it had filed for a debtor-in-possession loan — a way for companies that are reorganizing after filing for bankruptcy to secure additional working capital to meet payroll.
It’s a pressing matter for the company, as employees have been waiting for paychecks since June 21st. The company also promised to reinstate health insurance for his employees, which had lapsed in May.
However, it’s not certain that the company will be able to secure such a loan. Chicken Soup’s bankruptcy filing shows that the company owes money to a number of retailers including Walmart and Walgreens, as well as major Hollywood studios like Universal, Sony, Lionsgate and Warner Bros.
Other creditors include smaller studios, streaming platforms, and smart TV manufacturers, with the list of names including the BBC, Vizio, and Plex; Redbox and Chicken Soup-owned Crackle have been operating their own free, ad-supported streaming services on a variety of platforms. The company also owes money to its landlords, the vendor it rents its car fleet from, and others.
Chicken Soup took on $325 million in debt when it acquired Redbox in 2022 and has since been sued over a dozen times over unpaid bills. The company recently settled one of those lawsuits with NBCUniversal but promptly missed the first agreed-upon payment, leading to a court order to pay the entire $16.7 million balance. Altogether, Chicken Soup has $970 million in debt, according to the bankruptcy filing.

A Redbox machine from 2015.

Redbox’s owner, Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, filed for bankruptcy protection overnight. This comes at the tail end of a month in which the DVD rental company defaulted on loans, saw an order for its cars to be repossessed, and missed payroll for employees.

Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment informed employees of the filing late Friday, writing in an email seen by The Verge that it had filed for a debtor-in-possession loan — a way for companies that are reorganizing after filing for bankruptcy to secure additional working capital to meet payroll.

It’s a pressing matter for the company, as employees have been waiting for paychecks since June 21st. The company also promised to reinstate health insurance for his employees, which had lapsed in May.

However, it’s not certain that the company will be able to secure such a loan. Chicken Soup’s bankruptcy filing shows that the company owes money to a number of retailers including Walmart and Walgreens, as well as major Hollywood studios like Universal, Sony, Lionsgate and Warner Bros.

Other creditors include smaller studios, streaming platforms, and smart TV manufacturers, with the list of names including the BBC, Vizio, and Plex; Redbox and Chicken Soup-owned Crackle have been operating their own free, ad-supported streaming services on a variety of platforms. The company also owes money to its landlords, the vendor it rents its car fleet from, and others.

Chicken Soup took on $325 million in debt when it acquired Redbox in 2022 and has since been sued over a dozen times over unpaid bills. The company recently settled one of those lawsuits with NBCUniversal but promptly missed the first agreed-upon payment, leading to a court order to pay the entire $16.7 million balance. Altogether, Chicken Soup has $970 million in debt, according to the bankruptcy filing.

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Illustration by Samar Haddad / The Verge

Most of the time when you delete a file, it’s actually not wiped from existence immediately — as recently discovered by a man whose wife came across illicit texts he’d been sending (and which he thought he had got rid of on his iPhone). The man is now suing Apple.

Marital infidelity aside, the safety net that’s put in place for deleted files can help you recover data you’ve erased in error — however, it can also leave your data exposed to other people (if you’re selling a device, for example). It’s important to know where your deleted files are and how to get them back or erase them permanently.
Checking sync status

Screenshot: Apple
Before you try to delete any files, you should check your iCloud syncing status.

By default, all of the Apple devices you’re signed in to with your Apple ID should be syncing files through iCloud, but it’s worth double-checking — otherwise, you can be leaving files you thought you’d deleted.
On an iPhone or iPad:

Open Settings, then tap your name at the top and then iCloud.
Under Saved to iCloud, you should see entries for Photos, iCloud Drive, iCloud Mail, and the other apps that make use of iCloud (which is probably most of the ones you’ve got installed).
Select See All for a list of all of your apps and whether they are synced.
To make sure files are deleted across the board, keep sync switched on.

On a macOS device:

Open System Settings via the Apple menu, then your name > iCloud.
As on mobile, the Photos and iCloud Drive entries should be switched on. You can find other apps (like Messages, Contacts, Calendar, and Safari) by clicking Show More Apps or Show All (depending on your version of macOS).
Tap the iCloud Drive entry to see if you’re syncing your desktop and documents folders, and to see which apps iCloud is and isn’t syncing from your Mac.

Deleting files on iOS and iPadOS

Screenshot: Apple
The Photos app has its own Recently Deleted folder (under Utilities).

Screenshot: Apple
Photos and videos can be recovered or permanently erased.

Any file you delete from your iPhone or iPad goes to the Recently Deleted folder for 30 days before being permanently wiped. To find the folder, open up the Files app, then tap Browse and Recently Deleted.

Tap and hold on any item to bring up the options for Delete Now (erase it forever) and Recover (restore it to its previous place).
To select multiple files, tap the three dots (top right), then Select. As you make your choice, Recover and Delete options show up below.

If you’ve deleted a photo or video through the Photos app, it has its own Recently Deleted folder that’s separate, though the same 30-day window applies.

Open Photos on your iPhone or iPad, then scroll down to and tap Utilities > Recently Deleted (iOS) or just Recently Deleted from the left-hand navigation pane (iPadOS).
Tap on any photo or video to bring up options to Recover the file (put it back where it was) or Delete the file (permanently erase it).
To select multiple items, tap the Select button (top right), then tap the three dots on the lower right corner to bring up the Recover and Delete options.

If you are syncing everything through iCloud, all of these changes will be applied on your other devices, too, including permanent deletions and file recoveries.
Deleting files on macOS

Screenshot: Apple
You can opt to have the macOS Trash auto-empty after 30 days.

When you delete a file on your Mac, it goes to the Trash folder.

You can open Trash from the dock or from Finder (choose Go > Go to Folder, then search for “trash”).
If you’d rather permanently delete a file the first time around, highlight the file or files in the Finder, use the Option+Cmd+Delete keyboard shortcut, and confirm your choice when the dialog box pops up.

Files usually stay in the Trash until you manually empty them.

To delete one or more files in Finder, Ctrl+click on them and pick Delete Immediately.
To empty everything out of the Trash at once, click Empty (top right).
You can also click and hold (or right-click) on the Trash icon in the dock, and then pick Empty Trash.

If you prefer, you can have macOS automatically clean up files after they’ve been in the Trash for a month.

Open the Finder menu and select Settings.
Under Advanced, check the Remove items from the Trash after 30 days.

As on iPhones and iPads, the Photos app has its own Trash folder, called Recently Deleted. Deleted photos and videos stay here for 30 days before being fully erased.

From the macOS Photos app, click Recently Deleted on the left. (Note: if you don’t have any recently deleted photos, you won’t see the folder.)
Choose Delete All to permanently wipe everything in the folder.
To bring back or wipe individual files, select them as needed, and the Recover and Delete buttons will become active in the top-right corner.

Again, all of these changes will be synced to other devices via iCloud, if you’ve enabled it. The only exceptions would be file changes in folders on your Mac that iCloud doesn’t cover (head back to the instructions in the first section to check).
Finding deleted files and apps in iCloud

Screenshot: Apple
iCloud on the web gives you another place to find deleted files.

If you go to iCloud on the web, you won’t find anything different from what you can already see on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac in terms of deleted files. However, you might find it easier to check up on them from here.

Click Drive > Recently Deleted to see files that have been recently deleted across your devices, as well as how long is left before they’re permanently erased. Use the Recover and Delete buttons underneath to restore or wipe them.
Click Photos and then Recently Deleted to see photos and videos that have been deleted in the last 30 days. Here, the Recover and Delete buttons are in the top right corner.

Finally, bear in mind that other apps across the Apple ecosystem have their own folders of recently deleted items, usually with the same 30-day time limit. Apple Mail and Apple Notes, for example, have their own trash folders where you can view deleted items, restore them, or erase them forever.

Illustration by Samar Haddad / The Verge

Most of the time when you delete a file, it’s actually not wiped from existence immediately — as recently discovered by a man whose wife came across illicit texts he’d been sending (and which he thought he had got rid of on his iPhone). The man is now suing Apple.

Marital infidelity aside, the safety net that’s put in place for deleted files can help you recover data you’ve erased in error — however, it can also leave your data exposed to other people (if you’re selling a device, for example). It’s important to know where your deleted files are and how to get them back or erase them permanently.

Checking sync status

Screenshot: Apple
Before you try to delete any files, you should check your iCloud syncing status.

By default, all of the Apple devices you’re signed in to with your Apple ID should be syncing files through iCloud, but it’s worth double-checking — otherwise, you can be leaving files you thought you’d deleted.

On an iPhone or iPad:

Open Settings, then tap your name at the top and then iCloud.
Under Saved to iCloud, you should see entries for Photos, iCloud Drive, iCloud Mail, and the other apps that make use of iCloud (which is probably most of the ones you’ve got installed).
Select See All for a list of all of your apps and whether they are synced.
To make sure files are deleted across the board, keep sync switched on.

On a macOS device:

Open System Settings via the Apple menu, then your name > iCloud.
As on mobile, the Photos and iCloud Drive entries should be switched on. You can find other apps (like Messages, Contacts, Calendar, and Safari) by clicking Show More Apps or Show All (depending on your version of macOS).
Tap the iCloud Drive entry to see if you’re syncing your desktop and documents folders, and to see which apps iCloud is and isn’t syncing from your Mac.

Deleting files on iOS and iPadOS

Any file you delete from your iPhone or iPad goes to the Recently Deleted folder for 30 days before being permanently wiped. To find the folder, open up the Files app, then tap Browse and Recently Deleted.

Tap and hold on any item to bring up the options for Delete Now (erase it forever) and Recover (restore it to its previous place).
To select multiple files, tap the three dots (top right), then Select. As you make your choice, Recover and Delete options show up below.

If you’ve deleted a photo or video through the Photos app, it has its own Recently Deleted folder that’s separate, though the same 30-day window applies.

Open Photos on your iPhone or iPad, then scroll down to and tap Utilities > Recently Deleted (iOS) or just Recently Deleted from the left-hand navigation pane (iPadOS).
Tap on any photo or video to bring up options to Recover the file (put it back where it was) or Delete the file (permanently erase it).
To select multiple items, tap the Select button (top right), then tap the three dots on the lower right corner to bring up the Recover and Delete options.

If you are syncing everything through iCloud, all of these changes will be applied on your other devices, too, including permanent deletions and file recoveries.

Deleting files on macOS

Screenshot: Apple
You can opt to have the macOS Trash auto-empty after 30 days.

When you delete a file on your Mac, it goes to the Trash folder.

You can open Trash from the dock or from Finder (choose Go > Go to Folder, then search for “trash”).
If you’d rather permanently delete a file the first time around, highlight the file or files in the Finder, use the Option+Cmd+Delete keyboard shortcut, and confirm your choice when the dialog box pops up.

Files usually stay in the Trash until you manually empty them.

To delete one or more files in Finder, Ctrl+click on them and pick Delete Immediately.
To empty everything out of the Trash at once, click Empty (top right).
You can also click and hold (or right-click) on the Trash icon in the dock, and then pick Empty Trash.

If you prefer, you can have macOS automatically clean up files after they’ve been in the Trash for a month.

Open the Finder menu and select Settings.
Under Advanced, check the Remove items from the Trash after 30 days.

As on iPhones and iPads, the Photos app has its own Trash folder, called Recently Deleted. Deleted photos and videos stay here for 30 days before being fully erased.

From the macOS Photos app, click Recently Deleted on the left. (Note: if you don’t have any recently deleted photos, you won’t see the folder.)
Choose Delete All to permanently wipe everything in the folder.
To bring back or wipe individual files, select them as needed, and the Recover and Delete buttons will become active in the top-right corner.

Again, all of these changes will be synced to other devices via iCloud, if you’ve enabled it. The only exceptions would be file changes in folders on your Mac that iCloud doesn’t cover (head back to the instructions in the first section to check).

Finding deleted files and apps in iCloud

Screenshot: Apple
iCloud on the web gives you another place to find deleted files.

If you go to iCloud on the web, you won’t find anything different from what you can already see on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac in terms of deleted files. However, you might find it easier to check up on them from here.

Click Drive > Recently Deleted to see files that have been recently deleted across your devices, as well as how long is left before they’re permanently erased. Use the Recover and Delete buttons underneath to restore or wipe them.
Click Photos and then Recently Deleted to see photos and videos that have been deleted in the last 30 days. Here, the Recover and Delete buttons are in the top right corner.

Finally, bear in mind that other apps across the Apple ecosystem have their own folders of recently deleted items, usually with the same 30-day time limit. Apple Mail and Apple Notes, for example, have their own trash folders where you can view deleted items, restore them, or erase them forever.

Read More 

Image: Epic Games

Last weekend, Metallica graced the virtual stage in Fortnite, but the event was more than just a heavy metal concert. It was one piece in a weeks-long rollout of modes and content, which really drove home just how large and complex the game has become. The battle royale has steadily morphed into an entire ecosystem of games and experiences, and the Metallica crossover might’ve been the most complex to date.
The concert was the showcase moment, and it was like going through an interactive version of heavy metal album art. Players were whisked away in a hot rod to a pyro-heavy concert stage before moving on to a gothic bell tower and a fight with a menacing puppet master. Like past virtual concerts featuring Eminem and Ariana Grande, it was an attempt to mix the feel of going to a live show with something fantastical. “It couldn’t just be all crazy escapism,” says Daryl Atkins, executive creative director at Magnopus, the studio that designed the experience. “So we plotted a journey that started with the real — and then we went to somewhere impossible.”

According to Atkins, trying to nail the feel of an authentic live show was the starting point. “They’re not a high concept band like Iron Maiden, with big visuals to draw from that we could translate directly,” he explains. “Metallica are super low-key, it’s all about the music and the performance.” For this reason, the band was involved from the early stages of the design process, which included figuring out the set list and contributing motion capture footage for the developers to work with. The studio pitched the initial idea with concept art, but from there, Magnopus was largely left to figure things out. “We were given a lot of trust,” says Atkins.

Image: Epic Games

The Metallica event was also an attempt to build on past shows with more interactivity pulled from various Fortnite modes. Players raced around in a car before platforming through the tower, literally riding lightning, and picking up a gun for a boss fight. This led to some design challenges. Unlike in a traditional video game, players couldn’t be left behind or else they’d miss being at the show with everyone else. “We have a dynamic respawning system so that it moves the spawn point with the music,” says creative director Dan Taylor. “So if you die, you respawn at the right point in the track. There are players trailing behind who will be pulled forward, and those who are ahead get pulled back. It balances everything out in a way that’s quite organic.”
The concert was the centerpiece of a busy period for Fortnite. The game introduced its current Mad Max-inspired season in May, which teased the band’s appearance. But things really kicked off in earnest in mid-June, when a Metallica guitar was added as a battle royale weapon, a Metallica-themed race track appeared in Rocket Racing, and the band took over for Billie Eilish as the lead act in the music mode Fortnite Festival. After the first concert, Epic launched a new mode called Reload, which had more than 1 million players over the weekend.
It’s a far cry from the simpler days of Marshmello appearing onstage. Fortnite is a more complex beast now, and every element — whether it’s the appearance of a character or a new mode — seems to be carefully planned. Emily Levy, director of strategic partnerships at Epic, says the goal is “to create moments that feel impactful and meaningful.” The latest concert was similar to how Eminem’s appearance was preceded by the throwback Fortnite OG, which lured many lapsed players back. Right now, no moment in Fortnite exists in isolation.

Image: Epic Games

Last weekend, Metallica graced the virtual stage in Fortnite, but the event was more than just a heavy metal concert. It was one piece in a weeks-long rollout of modes and content, which really drove home just how large and complex the game has become. The battle royale has steadily morphed into an entire ecosystem of games and experiences, and the Metallica crossover might’ve been the most complex to date.

The concert was the showcase moment, and it was like going through an interactive version of heavy metal album art. Players were whisked away in a hot rod to a pyro-heavy concert stage before moving on to a gothic bell tower and a fight with a menacing puppet master. Like past virtual concerts featuring Eminem and Ariana Grande, it was an attempt to mix the feel of going to a live show with something fantastical. “It couldn’t just be all crazy escapism,” says Daryl Atkins, executive creative director at Magnopus, the studio that designed the experience. “So we plotted a journey that started with the real — and then we went to somewhere impossible.”

According to Atkins, trying to nail the feel of an authentic live show was the starting point. “They’re not a high concept band like Iron Maiden, with big visuals to draw from that we could translate directly,” he explains. “Metallica are super low-key, it’s all about the music and the performance.” For this reason, the band was involved from the early stages of the design process, which included figuring out the set list and contributing motion capture footage for the developers to work with. The studio pitched the initial idea with concept art, but from there, Magnopus was largely left to figure things out. “We were given a lot of trust,” says Atkins.

The Metallica event was also an attempt to build on past shows with more interactivity pulled from various Fortnite modes. Players raced around in a car before platforming through the tower, literally riding lightning, and picking up a gun for a boss fight. This led to some design challenges. Unlike in a traditional video game, players couldn’t be left behind or else they’d miss being at the show with everyone else. “We have a dynamic respawning system so that it moves the spawn point with the music,” says creative director Dan Taylor. “So if you die, you respawn at the right point in the track. There are players trailing behind who will be pulled forward, and those who are ahead get pulled back. It balances everything out in a way that’s quite organic.”

The concert was the centerpiece of a busy period for Fortnite. The game introduced its current Mad Max-inspired season in May, which teased the band’s appearance. But things really kicked off in earnest in mid-June, when a Metallica guitar was added as a battle royale weapon, a Metallica-themed race track appeared in Rocket Racing, and the band took over for Billie Eilish as the lead act in the music mode Fortnite Festival. After the first concert, Epic launched a new mode called Reload, which had more than 1 million players over the weekend.

It’s a far cry from the simpler days of Marshmello appearing onstage. Fortnite is a more complex beast now, and every element — whether it’s the appearance of a character or a new mode — seems to be carefully planned. Emily Levy, director of strategic partnerships at Epic, says the goal is “to create moments that feel impactful and meaningful.” The latest concert was similar to how Eminem’s appearance was preceded by the throwback Fortnite OG, which lured many lapsed players back. Right now, no moment in Fortnite exists in isolation.

Read More 

The Solos AirGo Vision glasses, with camera module. | Image: Solos

If you want a pair of glasses with hands-free video recording and an AI voice assistant, there aren’t a lot of options, and the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses are the clear leader. But Solos, whose smart glasses currently only feature audio, says it’ll sell a camera-equipped version later this year — with OpenAI’s new GPT-4o AI model to let the camera recognize objects and answer questions about what you’re seeing.
The Solos AirGo Vision also include the same swappable frame system as Solos’ other glasses so you can swap out the camera — if you’re going somewhere a camera wouldn’t be socially acceptable, or if you’d just rather have a different look or some sun shades instead. Additional frames cost between $89 and $129.

The Vision will also have notification LEDs to warn you of incoming calls or emails, the company says, and the company claims they can also be integrated with Google Gemini and Anthropic’s Claude AI models. Like Meta’s Ray-Bans, they’ll answer questions over audio — they don’t have a display other than the LEDs.

The AirGo Vision don’t have a price or specific release date yet, but you can expect them to cost more than $249.99 — because that’s how much Solos will charge for a pair without the camera this July. The Ray-Bans currently still start at $299.
Disclosure: Vox Media, The Verge’s parent company, has a technology and content deal with OpenAI.

The Solos AirGo Vision glasses, with camera module. | Image: Solos

If you want a pair of glasses with hands-free video recording and an AI voice assistant, there aren’t a lot of options, and the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses are the clear leader. But Solos, whose smart glasses currently only feature audio, says it’ll sell a camera-equipped version later this year — with OpenAI’s new GPT-4o AI model to let the camera recognize objects and answer questions about what you’re seeing.

The Solos AirGo Vision also include the same swappable frame system as Solos’ other glasses so you can swap out the camera — if you’re going somewhere a camera wouldn’t be socially acceptable, or if you’d just rather have a different look or some sun shades instead. Additional frames cost between $89 and $129.

The Vision will also have notification LEDs to warn you of incoming calls or emails, the company says, and the company claims they can also be integrated with Google Gemini and Anthropic’s Claude AI models. Like Meta’s Ray-Bans, they’ll answer questions over audio — they don’t have a display other than the LEDs.

The AirGo Vision don’t have a price or specific release date yet, but you can expect them to cost more than $249.99 — because that’s how much Solos will charge for a pair without the camera this July. The Ray-Bans currently still start at $299.

Disclosure: Vox Media, The Verge’s parent company, has a technology and content deal with OpenAI.

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