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The Apple Watch Series 10 is bigger, thinner, and brighter than previous models — including the rugged Apple Watch Ultra 2. | Image: Apple

Earlier this week, during Apple’s “It’s Glowtime” event, the tech giant introduced the new Apple Watch Series 10 and a new look for the Apple Watch Ultra 2. The smartwatches start at $399 and $799, respectively, and both are available for preorder ahead of their forthcoming release on Friday, September 20th.

The new Series 10 is both bigger and slimmer than its predecessor, and both the Ultra 2 and Series 10 now come in a slick black color. This is the first time Apple is offering the Ultra in a second shade, but it’s not the only change Apple announced for the watch. Both watches will offer new capabilities, including notifications for sleep apnea (pending FDA approval), a disorder that makes people stop breathing while sleeping. You’ll also be able to use their built-in speakers to play music and podcasts, as opposed to just using them as a speakerphone for calls.
We’ve yet to publish our review of the Series 10, but we can confirm that the larger display does make a difference. But is it enough to warrant an upgrade or the extra cash over the Series 9? To help you decide, we’ve highlighted the key differences between the Series 10, Ultra 2, and other Apple Watch models — including the second-gen Apple Watch SE and last-gen Series 9. We’ve also rounded up all the raw specs in a chart at the end, so you can dive deeper if you want to.

Image: Victoria Song / The Verge
The Apple Watch Series 10 features the largest display Apple has ever put in a smartwatch.

Price and size
Understandably, each wearable differs significantly in price. The budget-friendly Apple Watch Series SE starts at $249 for the 40mm model with GPS or $299 with cellular connectivity. In comparison, the Apple Watch Series 10 starts at $399 with GPS, and you’ll have to pay $100 more for cellular connectivity. At $799, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is the most expensive in the lineup and does not include an entry-level GPS configuration.
Except for the Ultra 2, which is the largest wearable in the lineup at 49mm, all of the wearables also come in two sizes. The Series 10 is available in 42mm and 46mm configurations, which are slightly larger than the Series 9’s (41mm, 45mm) and the SE’s (40mm, 44m). The larger sizes also cost slightly more than their smaller counterparts; the 46mm Series 10 costs $50 more, while the 44m SE runs $30 extra.
That being said, you can almost always find the Apple Watch SE, Ultra 2, and Series 9 for far less than their original MSRP. Right now, for example, the Series 9 is on sale for $299 ($100 off) at Amazon, while the original Ultra 2 is down to just $689 ($110 off). We’ll probably not see any significant deals on the Series 10 anytime soon, though, given it’s a new model.
Design
All of the wearables are water-resistant up to 50 meters and IP6X-rated for dust resistance. However, the Ultra 2 offers enhanced durability, with water resistance up to 100 meters. It’s also certified to the MIL-STD-810H US military standards for durability, which means it’s built to withstand extreme heat, cold, moisture, and falls from as high as four feet.

Given it’s designed for athletes, the Ultra 2 also comes with a few extra hardware features — including an Action Button you can customize for various activities. The wearable sports three mics and a pair of speakers, as well, along with an 86dB siren with a range of up to 600 feet should you get in trouble. And, just like the Apple Watch Series 10, the watch’s built-in speakers will soon be capable of playing music and podcasts.

Image: Victoria Song / The Verge
The Apple Watch Ultra 2, now in black.

Display tech
All of the smartwatches offer OLED screens, with the display on the Apple Watch Series 10 being the most spacious, followed by the screen on the Ultra 2. Each wearable also features an always-on display, except for the Apple Watch SE. In terms of brightness, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 can reach a peak brightness of 3,000 nits, making it brighter than the Series 10 (2,000 nits), Series 9 (2,000 nits), and SE (1,000 nits.) Only the Apple Watch Series 10 offers a wide-angle display, however. Apple says this allows pixels to emit more light at a wider angle, thus improving brightness when viewed from the side.
Features
No matter which wearable you choose, you’ll get features like heart rate monitoring, ECG, and fall detection. You also get other non-health-related features, including crash detection, emergency calling, Fitness Plus, Apple Pay, and Family Setup. Plus, all of the wearables will support watchOS 11 upon its release, so you’ll be able to take advantage of features like Training Load measurement and the ability to pause your Activity Rings.
However, the most significant difference between the models is that the SE lacks temperature and EGG sensors. The SE also won’t support the sleep apnea feature should it get FDA approval. Available only in the Series 10, Series 9, and Ultra 2, the wearables use an accelerometer to monitor your sleep and send alerts if it detects the condition. They can also produce detailed reports for your doctor to give you an official diagnosis.
Lastly, compared to the Series 9 and SE, the Apple Watch Series 10 and Ultra 2 offer more features for swimmers. Both sport built-in water temperature and depth sensors that let snorkelers and divers know how deep they are, for example. That being said, the Ultra 2 can measure at a depth of 40 meters compared to the Series 10, which is limited to six meters.

Image: Apple
Apple’s latest wearables can send sleep apnea alerts to your smartwatch and iPhone.

Processing Power
The forthcoming Series 10 runs on Apple’s new S10 SiP (System in Package), while the Ultra 2 runs on the last-gen S9 chip, both of which allow for features not possible on the Apple Watch SE. These include support for Apple’s newer double tap gesture, as well as on-device Siri processing. The SE is also the only wearable that lacks Apple’s second-gen ultrawide band chip, too, meaning you can’t use Apple’s Precision Finding feature to locate newer iPhone models.
By the numbers
That’s just an overview of how each model compares to the other, but there are other differences. If you’d like to explore how the wearables differ in greater detail, check out the raw specs in the table below.

The Apple Watch Series 10 is bigger, thinner, and brighter than previous models — including the rugged Apple Watch Ultra 2. | Image: Apple

Earlier this week, during Apple’s “It’s Glowtime” event, the tech giant introduced the new Apple Watch Series 10 and a new look for the Apple Watch Ultra 2. The smartwatches start at $399 and $799, respectively, and both are available for preorder ahead of their forthcoming release on Friday, September 20th.

The new Series 10 is both bigger and slimmer than its predecessor, and both the Ultra 2 and Series 10 now come in a slick black color. This is the first time Apple is offering the Ultra in a second shade, but it’s not the only change Apple announced for the watch. Both watches will offer new capabilities, including notifications for sleep apnea (pending FDA approval), a disorder that makes people stop breathing while sleeping. You’ll also be able to use their built-in speakers to play music and podcasts, as opposed to just using them as a speakerphone for calls.

We’ve yet to publish our review of the Series 10, but we can confirm that the larger display does make a difference. But is it enough to warrant an upgrade or the extra cash over the Series 9? To help you decide, we’ve highlighted the key differences between the Series 10, Ultra 2, and other Apple Watch models — including the second-gen Apple Watch SE and last-gen Series 9. We’ve also rounded up all the raw specs in a chart at the end, so you can dive deeper if you want to.

Image: Victoria Song / The Verge
The Apple Watch Series 10 features the largest display Apple has ever put in a smartwatch.

Price and size

Understandably, each wearable differs significantly in price. The budget-friendly Apple Watch Series SE starts at $249 for the 40mm model with GPS or $299 with cellular connectivity. In comparison, the Apple Watch Series 10 starts at $399 with GPS, and you’ll have to pay $100 more for cellular connectivity. At $799, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is the most expensive in the lineup and does not include an entry-level GPS configuration.

Except for the Ultra 2, which is the largest wearable in the lineup at 49mm, all of the wearables also come in two sizes. The Series 10 is available in 42mm and 46mm configurations, which are slightly larger than the Series 9’s (41mm, 45mm) and the SE’s (40mm, 44m). The larger sizes also cost slightly more than their smaller counterparts; the 46mm Series 10 costs $50 more, while the 44m SE runs $30 extra.

That being said, you can almost always find the Apple Watch SE, Ultra 2, and Series 9 for far less than their original MSRP. Right now, for example, the Series 9 is on sale for $299 ($100 off) at Amazon, while the original Ultra 2 is down to just $689 ($110 off). We’ll probably not see any significant deals on the Series 10 anytime soon, though, given it’s a new model.

Design

All of the wearables are water-resistant up to 50 meters and IP6X-rated for dust resistance. However, the Ultra 2 offers enhanced durability, with water resistance up to 100 meters. It’s also certified to the MIL-STD-810H US military standards for durability, which means it’s built to withstand extreme heat, cold, moisture, and falls from as high as four feet.

Given it’s designed for athletes, the Ultra 2 also comes with a few extra hardware features — including an Action Button you can customize for various activities. The wearable sports three mics and a pair of speakers, as well, along with an 86dB siren with a range of up to 600 feet should you get in trouble. And, just like the Apple Watch Series 10, the watch’s built-in speakers will soon be capable of playing music and podcasts.

Image: Victoria Song / The Verge
The Apple Watch Ultra 2, now in black.

Display tech

All of the smartwatches offer OLED screens, with the display on the Apple Watch Series 10 being the most spacious, followed by the screen on the Ultra 2. Each wearable also features an always-on display, except for the Apple Watch SE. In terms of brightness, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 can reach a peak brightness of 3,000 nits, making it brighter than the Series 10 (2,000 nits), Series 9 (2,000 nits), and SE (1,000 nits.) Only the Apple Watch Series 10 offers a wide-angle display, however. Apple says this allows pixels to emit more light at a wider angle, thus improving brightness when viewed from the side.

Features

No matter which wearable you choose, you’ll get features like heart rate monitoring, ECG, and fall detection. You also get other non-health-related features, including crash detection, emergency calling, Fitness Plus, Apple Pay, and Family Setup. Plus, all of the wearables will support watchOS 11 upon its release, so you’ll be able to take advantage of features like Training Load measurement and the ability to pause your Activity Rings.

However, the most significant difference between the models is that the SE lacks temperature and EGG sensors. The SE also won’t support the sleep apnea feature should it get FDA approval. Available only in the Series 10, Series 9, and Ultra 2, the wearables use an accelerometer to monitor your sleep and send alerts if it detects the condition. They can also produce detailed reports for your doctor to give you an official diagnosis.

Lastly, compared to the Series 9 and SE, the Apple Watch Series 10 and Ultra 2 offer more features for swimmers. Both sport built-in water temperature and depth sensors that let snorkelers and divers know how deep they are, for example. That being said, the Ultra 2 can measure at a depth of 40 meters compared to the Series 10, which is limited to six meters.

Image: Apple
Apple’s latest wearables can send sleep apnea alerts to your smartwatch and iPhone.

Processing Power

The forthcoming Series 10 runs on Apple’s new S10 SiP (System in Package), while the Ultra 2 runs on the last-gen S9 chip, both of which allow for features not possible on the Apple Watch SE. These include support for Apple’s newer double tap gesture, as well as on-device Siri processing. The SE is also the only wearable that lacks Apple’s second-gen ultrawide band chip, too, meaning you can’t use Apple’s Precision Finding feature to locate newer iPhone models.

By the numbers

That’s just an overview of how each model compares to the other, but there are other differences. If you’d like to explore how the wearables differ in greater detail, check out the raw specs in the table below.

Read More 

Klipsch’s Flexus Core 300 soundbar will leverage Dirac’s room correction calibration tools. | Image: Klipsch

Klipsch has announced its new Flexus Core 300 soundbar, which it claims is the industry’s first to utilize Dirac’s Live Room correction technology to optimize its sound specifically for the room where it’s installed and where listeners are sitting. Dirac Live is typically only featured in amplifiers and receivers that are part of a more complex — and more expensive — home theater setup.
The $999 Flexus Core 300 will be “available this winter,” according to What Hi-Fi? and features eight side-firing, front-firing, and up-firing 2.25-inch speakers, plus four 4-inch subwoofers. Connectivity includes Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, ethernet, 8K passthrough HDMI, HDMI eARC, USB-C, and a digital audio port. Switching inputs and adjusting settings like EQ is handled through Klipsch’s Connect Plus mobile app available for iOS and Android.
Altering the sound output to compensate for the layout, size, and shape of a room isn’t a new feature for soundbars, but its execution varies. Samsung’s SpaceFit Sound relies on a microphone located on the soundbar itself to determine how sound is affected as it bounces around a room, while LG’s AI Room Calibration uses a mobile app and the built-in microphone on a smartphone to perform tests and determine what sound corrections need to be applied.

Image: Klipsch
Controls on the soundbar are limited, with additional functionality accessible through an iOS or Android mobile app.

The Dirac Live Room Correction technology is more comprehensive, relying on a Windows or macOS app and a microphone attached to a laptop to take sound measurements from several different locations in a room where listeners will sit. Dirac Live uses all of those measurements to calibrate the soundbar to create a “coherent and natural sound environment” that “enhances the clarity of dialogue in movies and the purity of vocals in music.”
Out of the box, the Klipsch Flexus Core 300 comes with the “Limited Bandwidth” license for the Dirac Live software, which only corrects frequencies up to 500Hz. Dirac also plans to eventually make a “Full Bandwidth” license available for the soundbar, which corrects frequencies it says extend across the entire range of human hearing — up to 20kHz — for an additional fee.

Klipsch’s Flexus Core 300 soundbar will leverage Dirac’s room correction calibration tools. | Image: Klipsch

Klipsch has announced its new Flexus Core 300 soundbar, which it claims is the industry’s first to utilize Dirac’s Live Room correction technology to optimize its sound specifically for the room where it’s installed and where listeners are sitting. Dirac Live is typically only featured in amplifiers and receivers that are part of a more complex — and more expensive — home theater setup.

The $999 Flexus Core 300 will be “available this winter,” according to What Hi-Fi? and features eight side-firing, front-firing, and up-firing 2.25-inch speakers, plus four 4-inch subwoofers. Connectivity includes Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, ethernet, 8K passthrough HDMI, HDMI eARC, USB-C, and a digital audio port. Switching inputs and adjusting settings like EQ is handled through Klipsch’s Connect Plus mobile app available for iOS and Android.

Altering the sound output to compensate for the layout, size, and shape of a room isn’t a new feature for soundbars, but its execution varies. Samsung’s SpaceFit Sound relies on a microphone located on the soundbar itself to determine how sound is affected as it bounces around a room, while LG’s AI Room Calibration uses a mobile app and the built-in microphone on a smartphone to perform tests and determine what sound corrections need to be applied.

Image: Klipsch
Controls on the soundbar are limited, with additional functionality accessible through an iOS or Android mobile app.

The Dirac Live Room Correction technology is more comprehensive, relying on a Windows or macOS app and a microphone attached to a laptop to take sound measurements from several different locations in a room where listeners will sit. Dirac Live uses all of those measurements to calibrate the soundbar to create a “coherent and natural sound environment” that “enhances the clarity of dialogue in movies and the purity of vocals in music.”

Out of the box, the Klipsch Flexus Core 300 comes with the “Limited Bandwidth” license for the Dirac Live software, which only corrects frequencies up to 500Hz. Dirac also plans to eventually make a “Full Bandwidth” license available for the soundbar, which corrects frequencies it says extend across the entire range of human hearing — up to 20kHz — for an additional fee.

Read More 

Photo by Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

Newsom has until September 30th to decide the bill’s fate, and both sides are lobbying hard. As California Governor Gavin Newsom weighs signing or vetoing the fiercely contested AI safety bill SB 1047, SAG-AFTRA and two women’s groups are pushing him to approve it — adding even more voices to an already frenzied debate. The performers union, the National Organization for Women (NOW), and Fund Her have each sent letters to Newsom, all of which have been obtained by The Verge and are being published here for the first time.
The letters from SAG-AFTRA, NOW, and Fund Her highlight concerns about AI’s potential to cause catastrophic harm if the technology is left unregulated. SAG-AFTRA outlines SB 1047’s mandate for developers to test for and safeguard against AI-enabled disasters, like cyberattacks on critical infrastructure or bioweapon development. NOW and Fund Her cite grave warnings from people at the forefront of AI and discuss the technology’s potentially disproportionate impacts on vulnerable groups.
SAG-AFTRA posted a call for support yesterday on X from its 160,000 members, which include stars like Scarlett Johansson and Tom Hanks. NOW, the largest feminist organization in the US with around 500,000 members, said it was motivated by expert claims “about how dangerous this incredible technology can be if it is not developed and deployed responsibly.” Fund Her, a PAC that has helped elect 12 progressive women to prominent positions in California in 2022, writes of the “race to develop the first independent thinking AI,” at which point “it will be too late to impose safety guardrails.”
SAG-AFTRA and NOW represent the latest power players to weigh in on the California bill, which has become the object of exceptional national interest and scrambled conventional partisan boundaries.
SB 1047, authored by state Senator Scott Wiener, would be the most significant AI safety law in the US. It establishes civil liability for developers of next-generation AI models like ChatGPT if they cause disasters without implementing appropriate safeguards. The bill also includes whistleblower protections for employees of AI companies, garnering support from OpenAI whistleblowers Daniel Kokotajlo and William Saunders.
“The AI safety standards set by California will change the world”
NOW writes in its letter that “the AI safety standards set by California will change the world,” a view echoed by bill cosponsor Dan Hendrycks, director of the Center for AI Safety. Hendrycks tells The Verge that SB 1047 could be Newsom’s “Pat Brown moment,” referring to California’s then-governor signing a groundbreaking auto tailpipe emissions law in 1966. He quotes what’s since become known as the California Effect: “where California leads on important regulation, the rest of the country follows.”
Having passed both houses of the state legislature with strong majorities in late August, the bill now awaits Governor Newsom’s decision, due by September 30th. The governor’s office said it doesn’t “typically comment on pending legislation. This measure will be evaluated on its merits.”
This comment notwithstanding, the fate of SB 1047 may come down to a political calculation — a reality each side appears to recognize as they marshal support in the bill’s final hours.
The odd political coalitions that have emerged in the fight over SB 1047 augur a topsy-turvy future for AI policy battles. Billionaire Elon Musk aligns with social justice groups and labor unions in supporting the bill, while former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, progressive House Congressman Ro Khanna, Trump-supporting venture capitalist Marc Andreessen, and AI “godmother” Fei-Fei Li are all opposed.
AI is the rare issue that hasn’t yet sorted into clear partisan camps. As the technology grows in importance, the debate over how to govern it is likely to grow in intensity and may continue to scramble the usual allegiances.
These recent letters join support for the bill from organizations like the nearly 2-million-strong SEIU and the Latino Community Foundation.
SAG-AFTRA has been home to some of the most organic anti-AI sentiment. Many screen actors see generative AI as an existential threat to their livelihoods. The use of the technology was a major sticking point in the 2023 actors strike, which resulted in a requirement that studios get informed consent from performers before creating digital replicas of them (actors must also be compensated for their use).
“SAG-AFTRA knows all too well the potential dangers that AI poses”
The union’s letter writes that “SAG-AFTRA knows all too well the potential dangers that AI poses,” citing problems experienced by its members in the form of nonconsensual deepfake pornography and theft of performers’ likenesses. It concludes that “policymakers have a responsibility to step in and protect our members and the public. SB 1047 is a measured first step to get us there.”
In a phone interview, organization president Christian Nunes said NOW got involved because the group is worried about how unregulated AI can affect women. She and NOW have previously supported efforts to ban nonconsensual deepfakes.
In the NOW letter, Nunes writes that the dangers warned of by AI experts “would disproportionately fall on vulnerable groups, including women.” She highlights Newsom’s “courageous support for us in the face of intense lobbying pressure” on reproductive rights, equal pay, and paid family leave, and that this support “is one of the reasons why women have voted for [him] time and time again.”
While SB 1047 isn’t explicitly designed to address these groups’ more central concerns, the organizations seem to see strategic value in joining the coalition behind it. Nunes told The Verge she views the bill as part of a broader project to hold Big Tech accountable.
This support for SB 1047 complements other pending AI legislation that more directly addresses these groups’ specific issues. For instance, the federal NO FAKES Act aims to combat deepfakes, while another AI bill on Newsom’s desk, endorsed by SAG-AFTRA, would regulate the use of digital replicas. By backing SB 1047 alongside these more targeted initiatives, these organizations appear to be taking a comprehensive approach to AI governance.
The NOW and Fund Her letters both draw parallels between unregulated AI and the history of social media. Fund Her founder and president Valerie McGinty writes to The Verge, “We have seen the incredible harm social media has imposed on our children and how difficult it is to reverse it. We won’t be stuck playing catch up again if Governor Newsom signs SB 1047 into law.”
It’s unclear if the letters will be enough for the bill to overcome the powerful forces arrayed against it. While Wiener and other advocates describe the regulation as “light-touch” and “common sense,” the industry is, by and large, freaking out.
The US currently relies almost entirely on self-regulation and nonbinding voluntary commitments to govern AI, and the industry would like to keep it that way. As the first US AI safety regulation with teeth, SB 1047 would set a powerful precedent, which is a likely motivation behind both these letters and the vigorous industry opposition.
Google, Meta, and OpenAI took the unusual step of writing their own letters opposing the bill. Resistance from AI investors has been even stiffer, with the prestigious startup incubator Y Combinator (YC) and the venture fund Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) leading a full-court press to kill SB 1047. These and other prominent opponents warn that the bill could prompt an exodus from California, cede the US lead in AI to China, and devastate the open source community.
Naturally, supporters dispute each of these arguments. In a July letter addressing YC and a16z’s claims about the bill, Wiener points out that SB 1047 would apply to any covered AI company doing business in California, the world’s AI hub and fifth-largest economy. Dario Amodei, CEO of leading AI company and eventual de facto SB 1047 supporter Anthropic, called the threat to leave “just theater” (it has nonetheless also been invoked by OpenAI, Meta, and Google).
Nancy Pelosi called the bill “well-intentioned but ill informed”
In her statement opposing the bill, Pelosi called it “well-intentioned but ill informed.” In a phone interview, Wiener said, “I have enormous respect for the Speaker Emerita. She is the GOAT,” but went on to call Pelosi’s statement “unfortunate” and noted that “some of the top machine learning pioneers on the planet support the bill,” citing endorsements from deep learning “godfathers” Geoffrey Hinton, Yoshua Bengio, and Yann LeCun. Wiener also highlights a supportive open letter published Monday from over 100 employees and alumni of the leading AI companies.
For evaluating SB 1047 on its merits, the most convincing letter might be one published by Anthropic, which broke from its peers to write that the revised legislation’s “benefits likely outweigh its costs.” This letter followed a round of amendments made directly in response to the company’s prior complaints. Anthropic’s Claude family of chatbots leads the world on some metrics, and the company will likely be one of the handful of AI developers directly covered by the law in the near future.
With key congressional leaders promising to obstruct substantive federal AI regulations and opposing SB 1047, California may go it alone, as it already has on net neutrality and data privacy. As NOW’s Nunes writes, the “AI safety standards set by California will change the world,” giving Governor Newsom a chance to make history and model “balanced AI leadership.”
Fund Her’s McGinty summed up the supporters’ stance in an email to The Verge: “We should listen to these experts more interested in our wellbeing than the Big Tech executives skimping on AI safety.”
As the September 30th deadline approaches, all eyes are on Governor Newsom to see how he’ll shape the future of AI governance in California and beyond. “My experience with Gavin Newsom is — agree or disagree — he makes thoughtful decisions based on what he thinks is best for the state,” says Wiener. “I’ve always appreciated that about him.”

Photo by Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

Newsom has until September 30th to decide the bill’s fate, and both sides are lobbying hard.

As California Governor Gavin Newsom weighs signing or vetoing the fiercely contested AI safety bill SB 1047, SAG-AFTRA and two women’s groups are pushing him to approve it — adding even more voices to an already frenzied debate. The performers union, the National Organization for Women (NOW), and Fund Her have each sent letters to Newsom, all of which have been obtained by The Verge and are being published here for the first time.

The letters from SAG-AFTRA, NOW, and Fund Her highlight concerns about AI’s potential to cause catastrophic harm if the technology is left unregulated. SAG-AFTRA outlines SB 1047’s mandate for developers to test for and safeguard against AI-enabled disasters, like cyberattacks on critical infrastructure or bioweapon development. NOW and Fund Her cite grave warnings from people at the forefront of AI and discuss the technology’s potentially disproportionate impacts on vulnerable groups.

SAG-AFTRA posted a call for support yesterday on X from its 160,000 members, which include stars like Scarlett Johansson and Tom Hanks. NOW, the largest feminist organization in the US with around 500,000 members, said it was motivated by expert claims “about how dangerous this incredible technology can be if it is not developed and deployed responsibly.” Fund Her, a PAC that has helped elect 12 progressive women to prominent positions in California in 2022, writes of the “race to develop the first independent thinking AI,” at which point “it will be too late to impose safety guardrails.”

SAG-AFTRA and NOW represent the latest power players to weigh in on the California bill, which has become the object of exceptional national interest and scrambled conventional partisan boundaries.

SB 1047, authored by state Senator Scott Wiener, would be the most significant AI safety law in the US. It establishes civil liability for developers of next-generation AI models like ChatGPT if they cause disasters without implementing appropriate safeguards. The bill also includes whistleblower protections for employees of AI companies, garnering support from OpenAI whistleblowers Daniel Kokotajlo and William Saunders.

NOW writes in its letter that “the AI safety standards set by California will change the world,” a view echoed by bill cosponsor Dan Hendrycks, director of the Center for AI Safety. Hendrycks tells The Verge that SB 1047 could be Newsom’s “Pat Brown moment,” referring to California’s then-governor signing a groundbreaking auto tailpipe emissions law in 1966. He quotes what’s since become known as the California Effect: “where California leads on important regulation, the rest of the country follows.”

Having passed both houses of the state legislature with strong majorities in late August, the bill now awaits Governor Newsom’s decision, due by September 30th. The governor’s office said it doesn’t “typically comment on pending legislation. This measure will be evaluated on its merits.”

This comment notwithstanding, the fate of SB 1047 may come down to a political calculation — a reality each side appears to recognize as they marshal support in the bill’s final hours.

The odd political coalitions that have emerged in the fight over SB 1047 augur a topsy-turvy future for AI policy battles. Billionaire Elon Musk aligns with social justice groups and labor unions in supporting the bill, while former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, progressive House Congressman Ro Khanna, Trump-supporting venture capitalist Marc Andreessen, and AI “godmother” Fei-Fei Li are all opposed.

AI is the rare issue that hasn’t yet sorted into clear partisan camps. As the technology grows in importance, the debate over how to govern it is likely to grow in intensity and may continue to scramble the usual allegiances.

These recent letters join support for the bill from organizations like the nearly 2-million-strong SEIU and the Latino Community Foundation.

SAG-AFTRA has been home to some of the most organic anti-AI sentiment. Many screen actors see generative AI as an existential threat to their livelihoods. The use of the technology was a major sticking point in the 2023 actors strike, which resulted in a requirement that studios get informed consent from performers before creating digital replicas of them (actors must also be compensated for their use).

The union’s letter writes that “SAG-AFTRA knows all too well the potential dangers that AI poses,” citing problems experienced by its members in the form of nonconsensual deepfake pornography and theft of performers’ likenesses. It concludes that “policymakers have a responsibility to step in and protect our members and the public. SB 1047 is a measured first step to get us there.”

In a phone interview, organization president Christian Nunes said NOW got involved because the group is worried about how unregulated AI can affect women. She and NOW have previously supported efforts to ban nonconsensual deepfakes.

In the NOW letter, Nunes writes that the dangers warned of by AI experts “would disproportionately fall on vulnerable groups, including women.” She highlights Newsom’s “courageous support for us in the face of intense lobbying pressure” on reproductive rights, equal pay, and paid family leave, and that this support “is one of the reasons why women have voted for [him] time and time again.”

While SB 1047 isn’t explicitly designed to address these groups’ more central concerns, the organizations seem to see strategic value in joining the coalition behind it. Nunes told The Verge she views the bill as part of a broader project to hold Big Tech accountable.

This support for SB 1047 complements other pending AI legislation that more directly addresses these groups’ specific issues. For instance, the federal NO FAKES Act aims to combat deepfakes, while another AI bill on Newsom’s desk, endorsed by SAG-AFTRA, would regulate the use of digital replicas. By backing SB 1047 alongside these more targeted initiatives, these organizations appear to be taking a comprehensive approach to AI governance.

The NOW and Fund Her letters both draw parallels between unregulated AI and the history of social media. Fund Her founder and president Valerie McGinty writes to The Verge, “We have seen the incredible harm social media has imposed on our children and how difficult it is to reverse it. We won’t be stuck playing catch up again if Governor Newsom signs SB 1047 into law.”

It’s unclear if the letters will be enough for the bill to overcome the powerful forces arrayed against it. While Wiener and other advocates describe the regulation as “light-touch” and “common sense,” the industry is, by and large, freaking out.

The US currently relies almost entirely on self-regulation and nonbinding voluntary commitments to govern AI, and the industry would like to keep it that way. As the first US AI safety regulation with teeth, SB 1047 would set a powerful precedent, which is a likely motivation behind both these letters and the vigorous industry opposition.

Google, Meta, and OpenAI took the unusual step of writing their own letters opposing the bill. Resistance from AI investors has been even stiffer, with the prestigious startup incubator Y Combinator (YC) and the venture fund Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) leading a full-court press to kill SB 1047. These and other prominent opponents warn that the bill could prompt an exodus from California, cede the US lead in AI to China, and devastate the open source community.

Naturally, supporters dispute each of these arguments. In a July letter addressing YC and a16z’s claims about the bill, Wiener points out that SB 1047 would apply to any covered AI company doing business in California, the world’s AI hub and fifth-largest economy. Dario Amodei, CEO of leading AI company and eventual de facto SB 1047 supporter Anthropic, called the threat to leave “just theater” (it has nonetheless also been invoked by OpenAI, Meta, and Google).

In her statement opposing the bill, Pelosi called it “well-intentioned but ill informed.” In a phone interview, Wiener said, “I have enormous respect for the Speaker Emerita. She is the GOAT,” but went on to call Pelosi’s statement “unfortunate” and noted that “some of the top machine learning pioneers on the planet support the bill,” citing endorsements from deep learning “godfathers” Geoffrey Hinton, Yoshua Bengio, and Yann LeCun. Wiener also highlights a supportive open letter published Monday from over 100 employees and alumni of the leading AI companies.

For evaluating SB 1047 on its merits, the most convincing letter might be one published by Anthropic, which broke from its peers to write that the revised legislation’s “benefits likely outweigh its costs.” This letter followed a round of amendments made directly in response to the company’s prior complaints. Anthropic’s Claude family of chatbots leads the world on some metrics, and the company will likely be one of the handful of AI developers directly covered by the law in the near future.

With key congressional leaders promising to obstruct substantive federal AI regulations and opposing SB 1047, California may go it alone, as it already has on net neutrality and data privacy. As NOW’s Nunes writes, the “AI safety standards set by California will change the world,” giving Governor Newsom a chance to make history and model “balanced AI leadership.”

Fund Her’s McGinty summed up the supporters’ stance in an email to The Verge: “We should listen to these experts more interested in our wellbeing than the Big Tech executives skimping on AI safety.”

As the September 30th deadline approaches, all eyes are on Governor Newsom to see how he’ll shape the future of AI governance in California and beyond. “My experience with Gavin Newsom is — agree or disagree — he makes thoughtful decisions based on what he thinks is best for the state,” says Wiener. “I’ve always appreciated that about him.”

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An AMD Strix Point laptop. | Photo by Joanna Nelius / The Verge

Many laptops and gaming handhelds share a single pool of memory between the CPU and GPU — and sometimes, you might want that RAM boosting your graphics instead. Now, AMD won’t make you dive into a BIOS to reroute that power. The company’s new Variable Graphics Memory lets you turn up to 75 percent of your system memory into dedicated video RAM, just by tapping a button in AMD’s desktop Adrenalin app.
It’s only currently available for AMD AI 300 “Strix Point” laptops, and how much RAM you’ll be able to divert depends on your system’s total — AMD explains that the “medium” setting will turn a 32GB laptop that came with 512MB of video memory into a 24GB one with 8GB of dedicated VRAM.

Image: AMD

You might be wondering: does that extra video memory actually make a difference? Well, it depends on the game. Some games, like Alan Wake II, require as many as 6GB of VRAM and will throw errors at launch if you’re short — Steam Deck, Asus ROG Ally, and Lenovo Legion Go buyers have been tweaking their VRAM settings for some time to take games to the threshold of playability.
But in early testing with the Asus Zenbook S 16, a Strix Point laptop that’s already shipped with this feature, my colleague Joanna Nelius saw that turning it on isn’t a silver bullet for every game. With 8GB of VRAM, the laptop played Control notably faster (65fps vs. 54fps), but some titles had smaller boosts, no boost, or even slight frame rate decreases.

Your mileage will vary — but I’m eager to find out if it’s a big boost in particular games!
AMD’s also bringing its Fluid Motion Frames 2 to Strix Point laptops in technical preview today, after previously opening it up to desktop GPUs and last-gen notebook GPUs. It increases frame rate by imagining new frames, now with less jitter and lag.

Image: AMD

There, AMD says you can get substantial boosts combined with VGM, assuming you’ve got at least 50fps to work with before you apply the frame-generating technique — though AMD doesn’t say whether you’re getting any more frames with AFMF 2 than you did with the original version of the tech.
The company does claim, though, that if your laptop can already manage 39fps in, say, Horizon Zero Dawn, you can now play it at a (theoretically) smooth 66fps on a 2880 x 1800 laptop screen if you combine AFMF2, VGM, and AMD’s FSR upscaling tech.

Image: AMD

In other AMD laptop gaming news, the company’s just announced the RX 7800M, a new up-to-180W chip that comes with 12GB of dedicated video memory. Tom’s Hardware calls it “essentially a stripped-down RX 7800 XT,” comparing it to the desktop GPU, but it’s also filling a huge hole in AMD’s lineup between the flagship RX 7900M and the RX 7600M XT, as you can see below.

Image: AMD

An AMD Strix Point laptop. | Photo by Joanna Nelius / The Verge

Many laptops and gaming handhelds share a single pool of memory between the CPU and GPU — and sometimes, you might want that RAM boosting your graphics instead. Now, AMD won’t make you dive into a BIOS to reroute that power. The company’s new Variable Graphics Memory lets you turn up to 75 percent of your system memory into dedicated video RAM, just by tapping a button in AMD’s desktop Adrenalin app.

It’s only currently available for AMD AI 300 “Strix Point” laptops, and how much RAM you’ll be able to divert depends on your system’s total — AMD explains that the “medium” setting will turn a 32GB laptop that came with 512MB of video memory into a 24GB one with 8GB of dedicated VRAM.

Image: AMD

You might be wondering: does that extra video memory actually make a difference? Well, it depends on the game. Some games, like Alan Wake II, require as many as 6GB of VRAM and will throw errors at launch if you’re short — Steam Deck, Asus ROG Ally, and Lenovo Legion Go buyers have been tweaking their VRAM settings for some time to take games to the threshold of playability.

But in early testing with the Asus Zenbook S 16, a Strix Point laptop that’s already shipped with this feature, my colleague Joanna Nelius saw that turning it on isn’t a silver bullet for every game. With 8GB of VRAM, the laptop played Control notably faster (65fps vs. 54fps), but some titles had smaller boosts, no boost, or even slight frame rate decreases.

Your mileage will vary — but I’m eager to find out if it’s a big boost in particular games!

AMD’s also bringing its Fluid Motion Frames 2 to Strix Point laptops in technical preview today, after previously opening it up to desktop GPUs and last-gen notebook GPUs. It increases frame rate by imagining new frames, now with less jitter and lag.

Image: AMD

There, AMD says you can get substantial boosts combined with VGM, assuming you’ve got at least 50fps to work with before you apply the frame-generating technique — though AMD doesn’t say whether you’re getting any more frames with AFMF 2 than you did with the original version of the tech.

The company does claim, though, that if your laptop can already manage 39fps in, say, Horizon Zero Dawn, you can now play it at a (theoretically) smooth 66fps on a 2880 x 1800 laptop screen if you combine AFMF2, VGM, and AMD’s FSR upscaling tech.

Image: AMD

In other AMD laptop gaming news, the company’s just announced the RX 7800M, a new up-to-180W chip that comes with 12GB of dedicated video memory. Tom’s Hardware calls it “essentially a stripped-down RX 7800 XT,” comparing it to the desktop GPU, but it’s also filling a huge hole in AMD’s lineup between the flagship RX 7900M and the RX 7600M XT, as you can see below.

Image: AMD

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The PS5 Pro looks like a slim that got a growth spurt. | Image: Sony

After various rumors and leaks, the PlayStation 5 Pro is finally official — complete with a new GPU, $700 price point, and no built-in disc drive. But is that pretty much it? What makes this new console 40 percent more expensive than the existing PS5 you can buy today for $500? The same one that’s bound to go on sale during the holidays, not long after the Pro’s November 7th launch date.

What are the differences between the PS5 and PS5 Pro that make it (depending who you ask) a worthwhile upgrade or a superfluous expense?
Spec and performance differences
The PS5 Pro has three core performance improvements over the standard PS5, according to Sony’s technical presentation announcement, hosted by PS5 lead architect, Mark Cerny. It’s got a new, more powerful GPU for more compute power and faster rendering; advanced ray tracing for improved in-game reflections and more immersive lighting; and a new PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR) upscaler to keep frame rates high without sacrificing resolution and image quality.
The GPU is really the star of the show, as Sony is saying it promises to have 67 percent more compute units and 28 percent faster memory yielding 45 percent faster rendering. But the CPU and storage speed in the PS5 Pro is unchanged, so while it should deliver 4K resolution and maintain 60 fps or greater, it’s possible the console won’t load or boot up games any faster.

Image: Sony
It’s still no looker like the PS4 and PS2 were.

The biggest change for current PS5 owners here is that playing on a PS5 Pro will no longer require choosing between Performance and Fidelity modes (the decision many current games force on users for either prioritizing frame rate smoothness or crisper visuals). But Sony could just move those goal posts with the PS5 Pro, since the upcoming console also supports 8K gaming. It’s possible Performance and Fidelity modes will still be with us if playing games in 8K means once again sacrificing frame rate — which it’s sure to do. The difference there is that most people will not care, because who the hell owns an 8K TV right now?
As for ray tracing, that’s a feature that’s been supported in the PS5 since launch. But the PS5 Pro’s advanced ray tracing is promising to make it better, with more dynamic reflections and light refractions. Basically, games with pretty lighting and lots of reflections should look a bit prettier (rejoice, Gran Turismo 7 fans). So far, ray tracing on the current PS5 has been a little lackluster compared to what’s possible on PCs with high-end GPUs (which, to be fair, cost more than a PS5 Pro on their own). But that’s more to do with the games themselves than the console. Many titles aren’t optimized for ray tracing on console, although there have been some PS5 standouts like Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 that have good ray tracing performance. The PS5 Pro should just make them look better without compromising for the sake of frame rates.

PSSR (no, don’t try to pronounce that) can tidy up details, like this background in Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, while the frame rates are kept high.

The PSSR AI-driven upscaler is the most technical software trick of the PS5 Pro’s features. It’s a lot like Nvidia’s popular DLSS feature on PCs, and it’s a post-processing asset that helps achieve higher frame rates at high resolutions. The standard PS5 uses more conventional anti-aliasing, while the PS5 Pro will utilize machine learning to scale things based on what’s being actively rendered on your screen. It’s one of those things that works in the background to tidy up small details.
Another way the PS5 Pro should be more performant than the current PS5 is its support for Wi-Fi 7 (the PS5 has Wi-Fi 6, and never even made the jump to 6E when the Slim came out). That may be helpful with downloading massive games to the Pro’s 2TB internal SSD at faster speeds, but only if your home network supports Wi-Fi 7 — which most people have not yet adopted due to the cost involved. Notably this feature will not help Remote Play on the PlayStation Portal, as Sony’s one-trick pony handheld for console streaming is bafflingly limited to Wi-Fi 5.
Physical hardware differences (what we know so far)
Outside of the new GPU and the remixed cooling system it will require, the biggest physical differences in the PS5 Pro are its design and the absence of a disc drive. The Pro will be tall and long like the original PS5, but with the thinness of the revised Slim model. It has a new finned design element across the side slashes on its removable plates (which Sony will sell customizable replacements for at a later time). Personally, I think it’s still a bit ugly, and I fear Sony’s refusal to show the front of the console in horizontal orientation means there’s another weird trick planned to let it rest on its side. The Slim used silly-looking little legs like a pizza saver to keep it balanced. I’d hate for the pricier Pro to do the same.

Image: Sony
This is the only view of the PS5 Pro in horizontal position we’ve got so far. I’m wagering there are some hilarious little removable legs under there like the slim.

The lack of a disc drive can be remedied by purchasing the same $79.99 modular drive Sony already sells for the PS5 slim. So instead of having the option for buying a PS5 Pro with or without a disc drive (the practice Sony started with the very first PS5 at launch), you’re only left high and dry to get your own. It’s fair to think a “pro” console calls for all the bells and whistles, including physical media that some diehards may prefer, but this may just be the start of the digital-only future for the next generation of consoles. And at least the M.2 slot is maintained on the Pro, for adding even more speedy storage.

Image: Sony
This time you have to supply your own ugly bump on the side that is the disc drive.

Another bit of ever-changing I/O on PS5 consoles are the USB ports, which on the PS5 Pro continues the slow march toward being nearly entirely USB-C. Here’s a simple breakdown of the USB ports on all three PlayStation 5 consoles since launch:

PlayStation 5 (original): One USB-C and one USB-A on the front / Two USB-A on the rear
PS5 (slim): Two USB-C on the front / Two USB-A on the rear
PS5 Pro: Two USB-C on the front / One USB-C and one USB-A on the rear

So you still get four USB ports in total on the PS5 Pro (thankfully) and most of them are USB-C. We don’t know how fast each of them are on the Pro, but considering both the original PS5 and the slim have three SuperSpeed 10Gbps ports and one slower port it’s likely a safe bet the Pro will follow suit.

Image: Sony
The four USB ports of the original PS5.

Image: Sony
The revised USB ports of the slim PS5. The asterisk denotes which port the PSVR 2 must use.

One thing that is not changing are the controllers. The PS5 Pro will ship with the same old white DualSense controller, complete with its potentiometer-based analog sticks that can develop drift over time. The Pro would have been a nice opportunity for the DualSense to switch to drift-free Hall effect sticks, but no such luck.
Who is the PlayStation 5 Pro for?
This is the second console generation with a mid-cycle “Pro” model release, and while the PS4 Pro seemed to be generally well received in 2016, let’s not forget it launched at the PS4’s original price of $400 alongside a cheaper slim model. The market is much different now, with the slim PS5 offering no price reduction (aside from the occasional bundled game) and the PS5 Pro coming at a steep $700 (or $780 with the add-on disc drive).
The PS5 Pro seems mostly for the PlayStation superfans who might just buy it at nearly any price. But there are other people who are looking for something they can just turn on and play — no messing with drivers or dealing with the configurations and costs of a gaming PC. For those people, the PS5 Pro feels like a great option, even if the cost might have them balking at first.

The PS5 Pro looks like a slim that got a growth spurt. | Image: Sony

After various rumors and leaks, the PlayStation 5 Pro is finally official — complete with a new GPU, $700 price point, and no built-in disc drive. But is that pretty much it? What makes this new console 40 percent more expensive than the existing PS5 you can buy today for $500? The same one that’s bound to go on sale during the holidays, not long after the Pro’s November 7th launch date.

What are the differences between the PS5 and PS5 Pro that make it (depending who you ask) a worthwhile upgrade or a superfluous expense?

Spec and performance differences

The PS5 Pro has three core performance improvements over the standard PS5, according to Sony’s technical presentation announcement, hosted by PS5 lead architect, Mark Cerny. It’s got a new, more powerful GPU for more compute power and faster rendering; advanced ray tracing for improved in-game reflections and more immersive lighting; and a new PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR) upscaler to keep frame rates high without sacrificing resolution and image quality.

The GPU is really the star of the show, as Sony is saying it promises to have 67 percent more compute units and 28 percent faster memory yielding 45 percent faster rendering. But the CPU and storage speed in the PS5 Pro is unchanged, so while it should deliver 4K resolution and maintain 60 fps or greater, it’s possible the console won’t load or boot up games any faster.

Image: Sony
It’s still no looker like the PS4 and PS2 were.

The biggest change for current PS5 owners here is that playing on a PS5 Pro will no longer require choosing between Performance and Fidelity modes (the decision many current games force on users for either prioritizing frame rate smoothness or crisper visuals). But Sony could just move those goal posts with the PS5 Pro, since the upcoming console also supports 8K gaming. It’s possible Performance and Fidelity modes will still be with us if playing games in 8K means once again sacrificing frame rate — which it’s sure to do. The difference there is that most people will not care, because who the hell owns an 8K TV right now?

As for ray tracing, that’s a feature that’s been supported in the PS5 since launch. But the PS5 Pro’s advanced ray tracing is promising to make it better, with more dynamic reflections and light refractions. Basically, games with pretty lighting and lots of reflections should look a bit prettier (rejoice, Gran Turismo 7 fans). So far, ray tracing on the current PS5 has been a little lackluster compared to what’s possible on PCs with high-end GPUs (which, to be fair, cost more than a PS5 Pro on their own). But that’s more to do with the games themselves than the console. Many titles aren’t optimized for ray tracing on console, although there have been some PS5 standouts like Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 that have good ray tracing performance. The PS5 Pro should just make them look better without compromising for the sake of frame rates.

PSSR (no, don’t try to pronounce that) can tidy up details, like this background in Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, while the frame rates are kept high.

The PSSR AI-driven upscaler is the most technical software trick of the PS5 Pro’s features. It’s a lot like Nvidia’s popular DLSS feature on PCs, and it’s a post-processing asset that helps achieve higher frame rates at high resolutions. The standard PS5 uses more conventional anti-aliasing, while the PS5 Pro will utilize machine learning to scale things based on what’s being actively rendered on your screen. It’s one of those things that works in the background to tidy up small details.

Another way the PS5 Pro should be more performant than the current PS5 is its support for Wi-Fi 7 (the PS5 has Wi-Fi 6, and never even made the jump to 6E when the Slim came out). That may be helpful with downloading massive games to the Pro’s 2TB internal SSD at faster speeds, but only if your home network supports Wi-Fi 7 — which most people have not yet adopted due to the cost involved. Notably this feature will not help Remote Play on the PlayStation Portal, as Sony’s one-trick pony handheld for console streaming is bafflingly limited to Wi-Fi 5.

Physical hardware differences (what we know so far)

Outside of the new GPU and the remixed cooling system it will require, the biggest physical differences in the PS5 Pro are its design and the absence of a disc drive. The Pro will be tall and long like the original PS5, but with the thinness of the revised Slim model. It has a new finned design element across the side slashes on its removable plates (which Sony will sell customizable replacements for at a later time). Personally, I think it’s still a bit ugly, and I fear Sony’s refusal to show the front of the console in horizontal orientation means there’s another weird trick planned to let it rest on its side. The Slim used silly-looking little legs like a pizza saver to keep it balanced. I’d hate for the pricier Pro to do the same.

Image: Sony
This is the only view of the PS5 Pro in horizontal position we’ve got so far. I’m wagering there are some hilarious little removable legs under there like the slim.

The lack of a disc drive can be remedied by purchasing the same $79.99 modular drive Sony already sells for the PS5 slim. So instead of having the option for buying a PS5 Pro with or without a disc drive (the practice Sony started with the very first PS5 at launch), you’re only left high and dry to get your own. It’s fair to think a “pro” console calls for all the bells and whistles, including physical media that some diehards may prefer, but this may just be the start of the digital-only future for the next generation of consoles. And at least the M.2 slot is maintained on the Pro, for adding even more speedy storage.

Image: Sony
This time you have to supply your own ugly bump on the side that is the disc drive.

Another bit of ever-changing I/O on PS5 consoles are the USB ports, which on the PS5 Pro continues the slow march toward being nearly entirely USB-C. Here’s a simple breakdown of the USB ports on all three PlayStation 5 consoles since launch:

PlayStation 5 (original): One USB-C and one USB-A on the front / Two USB-A on the rear
PS5 (slim): Two USB-C on the front / Two USB-A on the rear
PS5 Pro: Two USB-C on the front / One USB-C and one USB-A on the rear

So you still get four USB ports in total on the PS5 Pro (thankfully) and most of them are USB-C. We don’t know how fast each of them are on the Pro, but considering both the original PS5 and the slim have three SuperSpeed 10Gbps ports and one slower port it’s likely a safe bet the Pro will follow suit.

One thing that is not changing are the controllers. The PS5 Pro will ship with the same old white DualSense controller, complete with its potentiometer-based analog sticks that can develop drift over time. The Pro would have been a nice opportunity for the DualSense to switch to drift-free Hall effect sticks, but no such luck.

Who is the PlayStation 5 Pro for?

This is the second console generation with a mid-cycle “Pro” model release, and while the PS4 Pro seemed to be generally well received in 2016, let’s not forget it launched at the PS4’s original price of $400 alongside a cheaper slim model. The market is much different now, with the slim PS5 offering no price reduction (aside from the occasional bundled game) and the PS5 Pro coming at a steep $700 (or $780 with the add-on disc drive).

The PS5 Pro seems mostly for the PlayStation superfans who might just buy it at nearly any price. But there are other people who are looking for something they can just turn on and play — no messing with drivers or dealing with the configurations and costs of a gaming PC. For those people, the PS5 Pro feels like a great option, even if the cost might have them balking at first.

Read More 

BROOKSHIRE, TEXAS – APRIL 25: Solar cells are run through a PV cell soldering stringer at Elin Energys solar panel manufacturing facility. | Photo: Getty Images

The US has quadrupled its capacity for manufacturing solar panels in just a couple of years since passing the biggest federal spending package yet on climate and clean energy.
Domestic solar module manufacturing capacity grew to 31.3 gigawatts in the second quarter of 2024, according to a report published this week by Wood Mackenzie and the Solar Energy Industries Association. That’s a significant jump, comparable to around 80 percent of the roughly 40GW of solar the US installed last year.
It’s some welcome news as the US tries to meet goals it has set under the Paris agreement meant to keep climate disasters like wildfires and flooding from growing significantly worse. The Biden administration has made domestic manufacturing a priority in the country’s clean energy transition.
“The incentives in the IRA really catalyzed this growth.”
Congress passed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) in 2022, which included $369 billion for shoring up a clean energy economy. The bulk of the funding came as tax incentives for EVs, renewables, and more energy efficient appliances. The IRA established the Advanced Manufacturing Production Tax Credit (45X MPTC) for companies making certain clean energy technologies, including solar components.
“The incentives in the IRA really catalyzed this growth [in manufacturing capacity],” Michelle Davis, lead author of the report and head of global solar at Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables, said in an email to The Verge.
Nevertheless, there are some lingering clouds darkening solar energy’s forecast in the US. The US might be making more solar panels, but the rate at which people are installing them has slowed recently. After years of growth, Wood Mackenzie expects residential solar installations to fall 19 percent this year.
That’s largely driven by California’s decision to lower rates utilities pay to residents who sell them excess power from new home solar systems, according to the report. High financing rates and the bankruptcies of two major residential solar companies this summer have likely also taken their toll.
Utility-scale solar installations are also expected to decline two percent this year, although this sector is faring better than residential solar. Projects have struggled with securing enough labor and high-voltage equipment, the report says. Long wait times for connecting to the grid are another issue. Overall installations, including residential solar panels, are projected to drop by 4 percent this year.
When it comes to making more solar panels in the US, the key challenge American manufacturers still face is competition with cheap imported panels. US-based solar companies celebrated the a steep rise in tariffs on solar cells from China that the Biden administration announced in May. But American companies that make solar panels still have to use imported cells, raising some concerns about how petitions for potential new taxes on solar cells and modules imported from Southeast Asian countries could slow the growth of solar in the US.
This all makes financial incentives like those in the IRA crucial as the US tries to build up a domestic supply chain. By next year, installations are expected to start climbing again, growing 4 percent on average through 2029. Despite the challenges the industry faces, it still made up 67 percent of new generating capacity added to the power grid in the first half of this year.

BROOKSHIRE, TEXAS – APRIL 25: Solar cells are run through a PV cell soldering stringer at Elin Energys solar panel manufacturing facility. | Photo: Getty Images

The US has quadrupled its capacity for manufacturing solar panels in just a couple of years since passing the biggest federal spending package yet on climate and clean energy.

Domestic solar module manufacturing capacity grew to 31.3 gigawatts in the second quarter of 2024, according to a report published this week by Wood Mackenzie and the Solar Energy Industries Association. That’s a significant jump, comparable to around 80 percent of the roughly 40GW of solar the US installed last year.

It’s some welcome news as the US tries to meet goals it has set under the Paris agreement meant to keep climate disasters like wildfires and flooding from growing significantly worse. The Biden administration has made domestic manufacturing a priority in the country’s clean energy transition.

Congress passed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) in 2022, which included $369 billion for shoring up a clean energy economy. The bulk of the funding came as tax incentives for EVs, renewables, and more energy efficient appliances. The IRA established the Advanced Manufacturing Production Tax Credit (45X MPTC) for companies making certain clean energy technologies, including solar components.

“The incentives in the IRA really catalyzed this growth [in manufacturing capacity],” Michelle Davis, lead author of the report and head of global solar at Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables, said in an email to The Verge.

Nevertheless, there are some lingering clouds darkening solar energy’s forecast in the US. The US might be making more solar panels, but the rate at which people are installing them has slowed recently. After years of growth, Wood Mackenzie expects residential solar installations to fall 19 percent this year.

That’s largely driven by California’s decision to lower rates utilities pay to residents who sell them excess power from new home solar systems, according to the report. High financing rates and the bankruptcies of two major residential solar companies this summer have likely also taken their toll.

Utility-scale solar installations are also expected to decline two percent this year, although this sector is faring better than residential solar. Projects have struggled with securing enough labor and high-voltage equipment, the report says. Long wait times for connecting to the grid are another issue. Overall installations, including residential solar panels, are projected to drop by 4 percent this year.

When it comes to making more solar panels in the US, the key challenge American manufacturers still face is competition with cheap imported panels. US-based solar companies celebrated the a steep rise in tariffs on solar cells from China that the Biden administration announced in May. But American companies that make solar panels still have to use imported cells, raising some concerns about how petitions for potential new taxes on solar cells and modules imported from Southeast Asian countries could slow the growth of solar in the US.

This all makes financial incentives like those in the IRA crucial as the US tries to build up a domestic supply chain. By next year, installations are expected to start climbing again, growing 4 percent on average through 2029. Despite the challenges the industry faces, it still made up 67 percent of new generating capacity added to the power grid in the first half of this year.

Read More 

Image: Bluesky

Bluesky, the decentralized X alternative, now supports video. The platform announced on Wednesday that you can share videos up to 60 seconds long on its desktop site and mobile app.
The videos will autoplay by default, but Bluesky says you can turn this feature off in the settings menu. You can also add subtitles to your videos, as well as apply labels for things like adult content. There are some limitations to Bluesky’s video feature, as the platform will only allow up to 25 video uploads (or 10GB of video) per day.

Bluesky now has video! Update your app to version 1.91 or refresh on desktop!

We’ve begun gradually rolling out the ability to post video. Thanks for your patience!

Estamos gradualmente implementando a capacidade de postar vídeos. Obrigado pela sua paciência!— Bluesky (@bsky.app) 2024-09-11T17:11:56.125Z

To protect Bluesky from harmful content or spam, it will require users to verify their email addresses before posting a video. Bluesky may also take away someone’s ability to post videos if they repeatedly violate its community guidelines. The platform will also run videos through Hive, an AI moderation solution, and Thorn, a nonprofit that fights child sexual abuse, to check for illegal content or media that needs a warning.

You can see if you have access to video sharing by refreshing Bluesky on the desktop site or by updating the mobile app to version 1.91. Bluesky is rolling out this feature gradually, so you might not see it right away.
Bringing video to Bluesky helps bridge the — gradually closing — gap between X and the decentralized platform. The move should help expand Bluesky’s community, as it will finally allow sports fans, meme-sharers, and news organizations to share video content across the platform.

Image: Bluesky

Bluesky, the decentralized X alternative, now supports video. The platform announced on Wednesday that you can share videos up to 60 seconds long on its desktop site and mobile app.

The videos will autoplay by default, but Bluesky says you can turn this feature off in the settings menu. You can also add subtitles to your videos, as well as apply labels for things like adult content. There are some limitations to Bluesky’s video feature, as the platform will only allow up to 25 video uploads (or 10GB of video) per day.

To protect Bluesky from harmful content or spam, it will require users to verify their email addresses before posting a video. Bluesky may also take away someone’s ability to post videos if they repeatedly violate its community guidelines. The platform will also run videos through Hive, an AI moderation solution, and Thorn, a nonprofit that fights child sexual abuse, to check for illegal content or media that needs a warning.

You can see if you have access to video sharing by refreshing Bluesky on the desktop site or by updating the mobile app to version 1.91. Bluesky is rolling out this feature gradually, so you might not see it right away.

Bringing video to Bluesky helps bridge the — gradually closing — gap between X and the decentralized platform. The move should help expand Bluesky’s community, as it will finally allow sports fans, meme-sharers, and news organizations to share video content across the platform.

Read More 

Don’t want to commit to a new color of paint? Glasst’s Unpaint can be peeled off after a couple of days. | Image: Glasst

Glasst has come up with an unusual solution for DIYers struggling to commit to a new wall color. Its Unpaint is a paint alternative that can be applied using standard tools like brushes, rollers, or even sprayers, but not permanently. When it dries, the company claims the paint can be easily peeled off instead of requiring laborious sanding or solvents to remove it.
Unpaint uses the Colombian-based company’s proprietary Glasstommer technology, which allows a quickly applied liquid material to become a thin removable film. Glasst considers the exact makeup of the material a trade secret but does divulge that it contains a “biodegradable elastic component” that “dries to create a film that removes as easily as peeling an adhesive.”
The Glasstommer technology was originally developed as an easier way to protect delicate surfaces such as windows, floor tiles, or even countertops from damage during construction or renovations. Instead of requiring surfaces to be painstakingly covered with paper and tape, Glasst’s Universal Protective Coating can be just quickly sprayed on.

Glasst says its Unpaint is just as easy to use, although the company does recommend applying two to three coats with up to an hour of drying time after each one for the best results. It takes about 24 hours for the material to fully dry, at which point it can be removed by grabbing a small area with a pinch and then peeling it off in a similar fashion to the protective plastic applied to new electronics.
The removable paint does come with some tradeoffs. It’s not as durable as regular paint and is more prone to being easily scratched, and Glasst recommends testing its Unpaint on a small area to ensure it adheres properly, can be easily removed once dry, and doesn’t leave a colored stain behind.
It’s also not a permanent finish. Glasst says the Unpaint material will naturally biodegrade after a few years when peeled off and discarded. But that process starts about 12 months after application, so the company doesn’t recommend leaving it on surfaces for longer than a year; otherwise, it could become more difficult to cleanly remove.
The company suggests its Unpaint could be a great solution for renters who want to customize a home or apartment without having to repaint when they move out or for those who really commit to holiday decorating and want a room color-matched to their seasonal decor.

Image: Glasst
Painting your furniture is a possibility with Glasst’s Unpaint, but it may not turn out as comfortable as you remember it.

Unpaint can be used on a variety of surfaces, including cement, marble, wood, metal, glass, granite, brick, stucco, and even some fabrics if you want your leather sofa to match your freshly painted walls.
The product is already available in Colombia, but Glasst is now selling its Unpaint in the US. A quart costs $29.98, while a full gallon is $59.98. That’s more expensive than a can of basic indoor paint, but it’s also not the most expensive way to finish a wall.

Don’t want to commit to a new color of paint? Glasst’s Unpaint can be peeled off after a couple of days. | Image: Glasst

Glasst has come up with an unusual solution for DIYers struggling to commit to a new wall color. Its Unpaint is a paint alternative that can be applied using standard tools like brushes, rollers, or even sprayers, but not permanently. When it dries, the company claims the paint can be easily peeled off instead of requiring laborious sanding or solvents to remove it.

Unpaint uses the Colombian-based company’s proprietary Glasstommer technology, which allows a quickly applied liquid material to become a thin removable film. Glasst considers the exact makeup of the material a trade secret but does divulge that it contains a “biodegradable elastic component” that “dries to create a film that removes as easily as peeling an adhesive.”

The Glasstommer technology was originally developed as an easier way to protect delicate surfaces such as windows, floor tiles, or even countertops from damage during construction or renovations. Instead of requiring surfaces to be painstakingly covered with paper and tape, Glasst’s Universal Protective Coating can be just quickly sprayed on.

Glasst says its Unpaint is just as easy to use, although the company does recommend applying two to three coats with up to an hour of drying time after each one for the best results. It takes about 24 hours for the material to fully dry, at which point it can be removed by grabbing a small area with a pinch and then peeling it off in a similar fashion to the protective plastic applied to new electronics.

The removable paint does come with some tradeoffs. It’s not as durable as regular paint and is more prone to being easily scratched, and Glasst recommends testing its Unpaint on a small area to ensure it adheres properly, can be easily removed once dry, and doesn’t leave a colored stain behind.

It’s also not a permanent finish. Glasst says the Unpaint material will naturally biodegrade after a few years when peeled off and discarded. But that process starts about 12 months after application, so the company doesn’t recommend leaving it on surfaces for longer than a year; otherwise, it could become more difficult to cleanly remove.

The company suggests its Unpaint could be a great solution for renters who want to customize a home or apartment without having to repaint when they move out or for those who really commit to holiday decorating and want a room color-matched to their seasonal decor.

Image: Glasst
Painting your furniture is a possibility with Glasst’s Unpaint, but it may not turn out as comfortable as you remember it.

Unpaint can be used on a variety of surfaces, including cement, marble, wood, metal, glass, granite, brick, stucco, and even some fabrics if you want your leather sofa to match your freshly painted walls.

The product is already available in Colombia, but Glasst is now selling its Unpaint in the US. A quart costs $29.98, while a full gallon is $59.98. That’s more expensive than a can of basic indoor paint, but it’s also not the most expensive way to finish a wall.

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Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

In case you missed the news, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscriptions recently went up in price with the rollout of a new “Standard” tier, which doesn’t include day-one access to first-party Xbox games. Thankfully, if you’re still keen on an Ultimate membership, CDKeys is offering one-month subscription codes for $11.19 ($9 off) and three-month codes for $29.79 (about $30 off). These aren’t the lowest prices we’ve seen, but they sure beat paying the subscription’s new price of $19.99 a month.

If you need a refresher, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate grants access to a massive library of downloadable games for Xbox consoles and PCs. Naturally, that includes first-party titles like Halo Infinite and Hi-Fi Rush but also great third-party games like Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and Starfield. It’ll also grant you access to highly anticipated games due to be released soon, like Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, Fable, Perfect Dark, and other games that’ll be available within the next year or so. An Ultimate subscription also provides access to other perks including exclusive deals, an EA Play membership, and online multiplayer, making it a great value overall, especially at this discounted price.
We’re aware CDKeys isn’t a well-known merchant, but it’s a trusted retailer here at The Verge that often sells discounted gaming codes. That being said, if you would feel more comfortable making a purchase from a more reputable seller, Woot is offering three-month subscription codes for $36.49 and one-month codes for $13.79 until 1:59AM PT on September 14th.

A few more ways to save

The black Apple Watch Ultra 2 is set to arrive on September 20th, but Amazon is currently selling it in its original color for $689 ($110 off). Aside from the color, the two wearables are identical, offering a more durable build than the forthcoming Series 10, more robust water resistance, and sensors for measuring various dive metrics. The Ultra 2 features Apple’s last-gen S9 SiP and second-gen ultra wideband chips, too, allowing you to take advantage of on-device Siri processing and Apple’s handy double tap gesture, among other features. Plus, it will soon support sleep apnea alerts (pending FDA clearance), just like the Series 10. Read our review.

Amazon’s latest Fire HD 8 has dropped to just $59.99 ($70 off) at Amazon, which is $5 shy of its all-time low. The budget-friendly tablet starts with 64GB of storage and ads and features an eight-inch 1280 x 800 screen. That’s not as crisp as the display found on Amazon’s higher-end Fire tablets, but it’s sharper than the Fire HD 7 and good enough for basic entertainment needs. It also sports a relatively long battery life, making it a decent buy if you’re looking for an inexpensive device for watching TV or surfing the web.
You can buy AeroGarden’s Harvest 2.0 on sale at Amazon for $72 ($18 off), which is its third-best price to date. If you’re new to gardening or are just looking for something relatively low-maintenance, I can’t recommend the AeroGarden enough. The LED-equipped planter is easy to use, with six pods that can grow vegetables, flowers, and herbs. You’ll have to buy most seed pods separately, but AeroGarden does include a complimentary starter kit and a bonus packet of lettuce seeds, so you can get started growing your indoor garden immediately.

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

In case you missed the news, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscriptions recently went up in price with the rollout of a new “Standard” tier, which doesn’t include day-one access to first-party Xbox games. Thankfully, if you’re still keen on an Ultimate membership, CDKeys is offering one-month subscription codes for $11.19 ($9 off) and three-month codes for $29.79 (about $30 off). These aren’t the lowest prices we’ve seen, but they sure beat paying the subscription’s new price of $19.99 a month.

If you need a refresher, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate grants access to a massive library of downloadable games for Xbox consoles and PCs. Naturally, that includes first-party titles like Halo Infinite and Hi-Fi Rush but also great third-party games like Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and Starfield. It’ll also grant you access to highly anticipated games due to be released soon, like Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, Fable, Perfect Dark, and other games that’ll be available within the next year or so. An Ultimate subscription also provides access to other perks including exclusive deals, an EA Play membership, and online multiplayer, making it a great value overall, especially at this discounted price.

We’re aware CDKeys isn’t a well-known merchant, but it’s a trusted retailer here at The Verge that often sells discounted gaming codes. That being said, if you would feel more comfortable making a purchase from a more reputable seller, Woot is offering three-month subscription codes for $36.49 and one-month codes for $13.79 until 1:59AM PT on September 14th.

A few more ways to save

The black Apple Watch Ultra 2 is set to arrive on September 20th, but Amazon is currently selling it in its original color for $689 ($110 off). Aside from the color, the two wearables are identical, offering a more durable build than the forthcoming Series 10, more robust water resistance, and sensors for measuring various dive metrics. The Ultra 2 features Apple’s last-gen S9 SiP and second-gen ultra wideband chips, too, allowing you to take advantage of on-device Siri processing and Apple’s handy double tap gesture, among other features. Plus, it will soon support sleep apnea alerts (pending FDA clearance), just like the Series 10. Read our review.

Amazon’s latest Fire HD 8 has dropped to just $59.99 ($70 off) at Amazon, which is $5 shy of its all-time low. The budget-friendly tablet starts with 64GB of storage and ads and features an eight-inch 1280 x 800 screen. That’s not as crisp as the display found on Amazon’s higher-end Fire tablets, but it’s sharper than the Fire HD 7 and good enough for basic entertainment needs. It also sports a relatively long battery life, making it a decent buy if you’re looking for an inexpensive device for watching TV or surfing the web.
You can buy AeroGarden’s Harvest 2.0 on sale at Amazon for $72 ($18 off), which is its third-best price to date. If you’re new to gardening or are just looking for something relatively low-maintenance, I can’t recommend the AeroGarden enough. The LED-equipped planter is easy to use, with six pods that can grow vegetables, flowers, and herbs. You’ll have to buy most seed pods separately, but AeroGarden does include a complimentary starter kit and a bonus packet of lettuce seeds, so you can get started growing your indoor garden immediately.

Read More 

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

T-Mobile, which is working with SpaceX to let people text and make phone calls over satellite, says it has successfully sent a test emergency alert via a Starlink satellite. Satellite alerts can help ensure that people receive critical communication when they’re out of wireless coverage range, and T-Mobile claims this is the first time a wireless emergency alert has been sent over satellite in the US.
“At 5:13 PM PT on Thursday, September 5th, T-Mobile initiated a test alert for a hypothetical evacuation notice,” according to T-Mobile. “The alert was sent 217 miles into space where it was received by one of the more than 175 Starlink direct-to-smartphone satellites currently in low earth orbit that effectively function as cell towers in space. The alert was then broadcast to a geographic area impacted by the hypothetical evacuation notice and received by a T-Mobile smartphone.” T-Mobile says it took “just seconds” to queue up the message and deliver it over satellite.

Image: T-Mobile

In 2022, T-Mobile and SpaceX announced a partnership that would let people text, make phone calls, and use data on their T-Mobile phones using Starlink’s satellites. According to Starlink’s Direct to Cell website, the ability to text over satellite will roll out starting this year, and T-Mobile said in January that the service will expand to voice and data “in the coming years.” In Wednesday’s blog post, T-Mobile said that it “intends to beta test the service before launching it commercially.”
AT&T and Verizon are also building out satellite-to-smartphone services, and Apple and Google offer satellite services for iPhone and Pixel smartphones.

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

T-Mobile, which is working with SpaceX to let people text and make phone calls over satellite, says it has successfully sent a test emergency alert via a Starlink satellite. Satellite alerts can help ensure that people receive critical communication when they’re out of wireless coverage range, and T-Mobile claims this is the first time a wireless emergency alert has been sent over satellite in the US.

“At 5:13 PM PT on Thursday, September 5th, T-Mobile initiated a test alert for a hypothetical evacuation notice,” according to T-Mobile. “The alert was sent 217 miles into space where it was received by one of the more than 175 Starlink direct-to-smartphone satellites currently in low earth orbit that effectively function as cell towers in space. The alert was then broadcast to a geographic area impacted by the hypothetical evacuation notice and received by a T-Mobile smartphone.” T-Mobile says it took “just seconds” to queue up the message and deliver it over satellite.

Image: T-Mobile

In 2022, T-Mobile and SpaceX announced a partnership that would let people text, make phone calls, and use data on their T-Mobile phones using Starlink’s satellites. According to Starlink’s Direct to Cell website, the ability to text over satellite will roll out starting this year, and T-Mobile said in January that the service will expand to voice and data “in the coming years.” In Wednesday’s blog post, T-Mobile said that it “intends to beta test the service before launching it commercially.”

AT&T and Verizon are also building out satellite-to-smartphone services, and Apple and Google offer satellite services for iPhone and Pixel smartphones.

Read More