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Image: Apple

Apple’s been talking about its next generation of CarPlay for two years now with very little to show for it — the system is designed to unify the interfaces on every screen in your car, including the instrument cluster, but so far only Aston Martin and Porsche have said they’ll ship cars with the system, without any specific dates in the mix.
And the public response from the rest of the industry towards next-gen CarPlay has been pretty cool overall. I talk to car CEOs on Decoder quite often, and most of them seem fairly skeptical about allowing Apple to get between them and their customers. “We have Apple CarPlay,” Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Källenius told me in April. “If, for some of the functions, you feel more comfortable with that and will switch back and forth, be my guest. But to give up the whole cockpit head unit — in our case, a passenger screen and everything — to somebody else? The answer is no.”
That industry skepticism seems to have hit home for Apple, which posted two WWDC 2024 videos detailing the architecture and design of next-gen CarPlay. Both made it clear that automakers will have a lot of control over how things look and work, and even have the ability to just use their own interfaces for various features using something called “punch-through UI.” The result is an approach to CarPlay that’s much less “Apple runs your car” and much more “Apple built a design toolkit for automakers to use however they want.”
See, right now CarPlay is basically just a second monitor for your phone – you connect to your car, and your phone sends a video stream to the car. This is why those cheap wireless CarPlay dongles work – they’re just wireless display adapters, basically.
But if you want to integrate things like speedometers and climate controls, CarPlay needs to actually collect data from your car, display it in realtime, and be able to control various features like HVAC directly. So for next-gen CarPlay, Apple’s split things into what it calls “layers,” some of which run on your iPhone, but others which run locally on the car so they don’t break if your phone disconnects. And phone disconnects are going to be an issue, because next-generation CarPlay only supports wireless connections. “The stability and performance of the wireless connection are essential,” Apple’s Tanya Kancheva says while talking about the next-gen architecture. Given that CarPlay connectivity issues are still the most common issue in new cars and wireless made it worse, that’s something Apple needs to keep an eye on.

Apple

There are two layers that run locally on the car, in slightly different ways. There’s the “overlay UI,” which has things like your turn signals and odometer in it. These can be styled, but everything about it is entirely run on your car, and otherwise untouchable. Then there is the “local UI,” which has things like your speedometer and tachometer — things related to driving that need to update all the time, basically. Automakers can customize these in several ways – there are different gauge styles and layouts, from analog to digital, and they can include logos and so on. Interestingly, there’s only one font choice: Apple’s San Francisco, which can be modified in various ways, but can’t be swapped out.
Apple’s goal for next-gen CarPlay is to have it start instantaneously — ideally when the driver opens the door — so the assets for these local UI elements are loaded onto the car from your phone during the pairing process. Carmakers can update how things look and send refreshed assets through the phone over time as well — exactly how and how often is still a bit unclear.
Then there’s what Apple calls “remote UI,” which is all stuff that runs on your phone: maps, music, trip info. This is the most like CarPlay today, except now it can run on any other screen in your car.
The final layer is called “punch-through UI,” and it’s where Apple is ceding the most ground to automakers. Instead of coming up with its own interface ideas for things like backup cameras and advanced driver-assistance features, Apple’s allowing carmakers to simply feed their existing systems through to CarPlay. When you shift to reverse, the interface will simply show you your car’s backup camera screen, for example:

Apple

But carmakers can use punch-through UI for basically anything they want, and even deeplink CarPlay buttons to their own interfaces. Apple’s example here is a vision of multiple colliding interface ideas all at once: a button in CarPlay to control massage seats that can either show native CarPlay controls, or simply drop you into the car’s own interface.

Apple
A lot of carmakers are going to take the easy way out here, I think.

Or a hardware button to pick drive modes could send you to either CarPlay settings, deeplink you into the automaker’s iPhone app, or just open the native car settings:

Apple

Messy!
Apple’s approach to HVAC is also what amounts to a compromise: the company isn’t really rethinking anything about how HVAC controls work. Instead, it’s allowing carmakers to customize controls from a toolkit to match the car system and even display previews of a car interior that match trim and color options. If you’ve ever looked at a car with a weird SYNC button that keeps various climate zones paired up, well, the next generation of CarPlay has a weird SYNC button too.

Apple

All of this is kept running at 60fps (or higher, if the car system supports it) by a new dedicated UI timing channel, and a lot of the underlying compositing relies on OpenGL running on the car itself.
All in all, it’s a lot of info, and what feels like a lot of Apple realizing that carmakers aren’t going to just give up their interfaces — especially since they’ve already invested in designing these sorts of custom interfaces for their native systems, many of which now run on Unreal Engine with lots of fun animations, and have Google services like Maps integrated right in. Allowing automakers to punch those interfaces through CarPlay might finally speed up adoption – and it also might create a mix-and-match interface nightmare.
All that said, it’s telling that no one has seen anything but renders of next-gen CarPlay anywhere yet. We’ll have to see what it’s like if this Porsche and Aston ever arrive, and if that tips anyone else into adopting it.

Image: Apple

Apple’s been talking about its next generation of CarPlay for two years now with very little to show for it — the system is designed to unify the interfaces on every screen in your car, including the instrument cluster, but so far only Aston Martin and Porsche have said they’ll ship cars with the system, without any specific dates in the mix.

And the public response from the rest of the industry towards next-gen CarPlay has been pretty cool overall. I talk to car CEOs on Decoder quite often, and most of them seem fairly skeptical about allowing Apple to get between them and their customers. “We have Apple CarPlay,” Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Källenius told me in April. “If, for some of the functions, you feel more comfortable with that and will switch back and forth, be my guest. But to give up the whole cockpit head unit — in our case, a passenger screen and everything — to somebody else? The answer is no.”

That industry skepticism seems to have hit home for Apple, which posted two WWDC 2024 videos detailing the architecture and design of next-gen CarPlay. Both made it clear that automakers will have a lot of control over how things look and work, and even have the ability to just use their own interfaces for various features using something called “punch-through UI.” The result is an approach to CarPlay that’s much less “Apple runs your car” and much more “Apple built a design toolkit for automakers to use however they want.”

See, right now CarPlay is basically just a second monitor for your phone – you connect to your car, and your phone sends a video stream to the car. This is why those cheap wireless CarPlay dongles work – they’re just wireless display adapters, basically.

But if you want to integrate things like speedometers and climate controls, CarPlay needs to actually collect data from your car, display it in realtime, and be able to control various features like HVAC directly. So for next-gen CarPlay, Apple’s split things into what it calls “layers,” some of which run on your iPhone, but others which run locally on the car so they don’t break if your phone disconnects. And phone disconnects are going to be an issue, because next-generation CarPlay only supports wireless connections. “The stability and performance of the wireless connection are essential,” Apple’s Tanya Kancheva says while talking about the next-gen architecture. Given that CarPlay connectivity issues are still the most common issue in new cars and wireless made it worse, that’s something Apple needs to keep an eye on.

Apple

There are two layers that run locally on the car, in slightly different ways. There’s the “overlay UI,” which has things like your turn signals and odometer in it. These can be styled, but everything about it is entirely run on your car, and otherwise untouchable. Then there is the “local UI,” which has things like your speedometer and tachometer — things related to driving that need to update all the time, basically. Automakers can customize these in several ways – there are different gauge styles and layouts, from analog to digital, and they can include logos and so on. Interestingly, there’s only one font choice: Apple’s San Francisco, which can be modified in various ways, but can’t be swapped out.

Apple’s goal for next-gen CarPlay is to have it start instantaneously — ideally when the driver opens the door — so the assets for these local UI elements are loaded onto the car from your phone during the pairing process. Carmakers can update how things look and send refreshed assets through the phone over time as well — exactly how and how often is still a bit unclear.

Then there’s what Apple calls “remote UI,” which is all stuff that runs on your phone: maps, music, trip info. This is the most like CarPlay today, except now it can run on any other screen in your car.

The final layer is called “punch-through UI,” and it’s where Apple is ceding the most ground to automakers. Instead of coming up with its own interface ideas for things like backup cameras and advanced driver-assistance features, Apple’s allowing carmakers to simply feed their existing systems through to CarPlay. When you shift to reverse, the interface will simply show you your car’s backup camera screen, for example:

Apple

But carmakers can use punch-through UI for basically anything they want, and even deeplink CarPlay buttons to their own interfaces. Apple’s example here is a vision of multiple colliding interface ideas all at once: a button in CarPlay to control massage seats that can either show native CarPlay controls, or simply drop you into the car’s own interface.

Apple
A lot of carmakers are going to take the easy way out here, I think.

Or a hardware button to pick drive modes could send you to either CarPlay settings, deeplink you into the automaker’s iPhone app, or just open the native car settings:

Apple

Messy!

Apple’s approach to HVAC is also what amounts to a compromise: the company isn’t really rethinking anything about how HVAC controls work. Instead, it’s allowing carmakers to customize controls from a toolkit to match the car system and even display previews of a car interior that match trim and color options. If you’ve ever looked at a car with a weird SYNC button that keeps various climate zones paired up, well, the next generation of CarPlay has a weird SYNC button too.

Apple

All of this is kept running at 60fps (or higher, if the car system supports it) by a new dedicated UI timing channel, and a lot of the underlying compositing relies on OpenGL running on the car itself.

All in all, it’s a lot of info, and what feels like a lot of Apple realizing that carmakers aren’t going to just give up their interfaces — especially since they’ve already invested in designing these sorts of custom interfaces for their native systems, many of which now run on Unreal Engine with lots of fun animations, and have Google services like Maps integrated right in. Allowing automakers to punch those interfaces through CarPlay might finally speed up adoption – and it also might create a mix-and-match interface nightmare.

All that said, it’s telling that no one has seen anything but renders of next-gen CarPlay anywhere yet. We’ll have to see what it’s like if this Porsche and Aston ever arrive, and if that tips anyone else into adopting it.

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Illustration: The Verge

Apple is shutting down Apple Pay Later, its buy now, pay later service, the company confirmed to 9to5Mac. The service, which lets you take out “pay later” loans that can be paid in four payments over six weeks, only launched fully in the US in October 2023. In its place, Apple says that users will be able to apply for “installment loans” from credit cards, debit cards, and lenders when checking out with Apple Pay later this year.
Here is Apple’s full unsigned statement, which was given to 9to5Mac:
Starting later this year, users across the globe will be able to access installment loans offered through credit and debit cards, as well as lenders, when checking out with Apple Pay. With the introduction of this new global installment loan offering, we will no longer offer Apple Pay Later in the U.S. Our focus continues to be on providing our users with access to easy, secure and private payment options with Apple Pay, and this solution will enable us to bring flexible payments to more users, in more places across the globe, in collaboration with Apple Pay enabled banks and lenders.
Apple didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment from The Verge.
Apple Pay Later was originally announced alongside iOS 16, but it wasn’t part of the initial iOS 16 release. The company rolled out in early access invitations to “randomly selected users” in March 2023 before finally launching the service widely in the US in October.

Illustration: The Verge

Apple is shutting down Apple Pay Later, its buy now, pay later service, the company confirmed to 9to5Mac. The service, which lets you take out “pay later” loans that can be paid in four payments over six weeks, only launched fully in the US in October 2023. In its place, Apple says that users will be able to apply for “installment loans” from credit cards, debit cards, and lenders when checking out with Apple Pay later this year.

Here is Apple’s full unsigned statement, which was given to 9to5Mac:

Starting later this year, users across the globe will be able to access installment loans offered through credit and debit cards, as well as lenders, when checking out with Apple Pay. With the introduction of this new global installment loan offering, we will no longer offer Apple Pay Later in the U.S. Our focus continues to be on providing our users with access to easy, secure and private payment options with Apple Pay, and this solution will enable us to bring flexible payments to more users, in more places across the globe, in collaboration with Apple Pay enabled banks and lenders.

Apple didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment from The Verge.

Apple Pay Later was originally announced alongside iOS 16, but it wasn’t part of the initial iOS 16 release. The company rolled out in early access invitations to “randomly selected users” in March 2023 before finally launching the service widely in the US in October.

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Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

After a change to its privacy policy drew a lot of attention last week, Sonos has responded and insists it’s still carefully protecting the personal data of its customers. The company removed a line — “Sonos does not and will not sell personal information about our customers” — from its US privacy statement earlier this month.
But Sonos claims the reason wasn’t scandalous; the company says it cut the sentence because it was overly broad and already could’ve been viewed as untrue depending on individual state privacy laws surrounding consumer data.
“Sonos uses several modern and industry-standard marketing tools, including third party service providers and social media platforms, to help us identify and display relevant ads and marketing communications,” spokesperson Julia Fasano told The Verge by email. “Any data that is shared in this process is hashed or otherwise pseudonymized, ensuring that our customers personal information remains protected and private and Sonos does not sell personal data.”
The statement goes on to address the specific change:
The Privacy Statement was updated to reflect that the use of these practices may fall within the definition of “sale / share” under US state privacy laws. To learn more about the specifics, customers can refer to the Communication, Marketing and Advertising section of the Privacy Statement and can always opt out of data sharing by sending an email to privacy@sonos.com.
In effect, the company is saying that nothing is materially different about the updated privacy policy, which was criticized by repair technician and consumer privacy advocate Louis Rossmann. This might not have become such a controversy if the change hadn’t followed Sonos’ much-criticized new mobile app, which is still seeing frequent updates to restore old functionality.
Just today, Sonos updated the app again and brought numerical values back to its volume sliders, among other tweaks (like a mute button returning on Android). The ability to queue songs, which was somehow lost in the redesign, also returned last week. CEO Patrick Spence has defended the overhauled app and told me it will ultimately allow the company to roll out improvements faster than ever before. “We basically took a monolith and broke it into modular parts, which allows us to move faster in certain elements,” he said.

Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

After a change to its privacy policy drew a lot of attention last week, Sonos has responded and insists it’s still carefully protecting the personal data of its customers. The company removed a line — “Sonos does not and will not sell personal information about our customers” — from its US privacy statement earlier this month.

But Sonos claims the reason wasn’t scandalous; the company says it cut the sentence because it was overly broad and already could’ve been viewed as untrue depending on individual state privacy laws surrounding consumer data.

“Sonos uses several modern and industry-standard marketing tools, including third party service providers and social media platforms, to help us identify and display relevant ads and marketing communications,” spokesperson Julia Fasano told The Verge by email. “Any data that is shared in this process is hashed or otherwise pseudonymized, ensuring that our customers personal information remains protected and private and Sonos does not sell personal data.”

The statement goes on to address the specific change:

The Privacy Statement was updated to reflect that the use of these practices may fall within the definition of “sale / share” under US state privacy laws. To learn more about the specifics, customers can refer to the Communication, Marketing and Advertising section of the Privacy Statement and can always opt out of data sharing by sending an email to privacy@sonos.com.

In effect, the company is saying that nothing is materially different about the updated privacy policy, which was criticized by repair technician and consumer privacy advocate Louis Rossmann. This might not have become such a controversy if the change hadn’t followed Sonos’ much-criticized new mobile app, which is still seeing frequent updates to restore old functionality.

Just today, Sonos updated the app again and brought numerical values back to its volume sliders, among other tweaks (like a mute button returning on Android). The ability to queue songs, which was somehow lost in the redesign, also returned last week. CEO Patrick Spence has defended the overhauled app and told me it will ultimately allow the company to roll out improvements faster than ever before. “We basically took a monolith and broke it into modular parts, which allows us to move faster in certain elements,” he said.

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An artist’s depiction of Google’s Soli radar. | Image: Google

We’ve been waiting for Google’s tiny radar to fulfill its potential for years. Now, it looks like the company’s at least giving Soli another chance. According to filings at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Google now has a mystery “wireless device” that features the short-range 60GHz radar tech — as well as 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and a “base plate” of some kind.
What could this device possibly be? One early educated guess is that it’s simply a new Nest Thermostat, and that could make sense. The FCC filings don’t show this device having any other radios beyond 2.4GHz and 60GHz; the 2020 Nest Thermostat was similarly light on radios, but it did use Soli radar to automatically detect when you’re in front of the thermostat and light up the display invisibly hidden behind its mirror. It’d also make sense for a thermostat to have a “base plate,” of course, whether wall mountable or possibly even a stand.

Image: FCC
The new device has a “base plate.”

An update to Google’s 2021 Nest Hub, which added Soli radar for sleep tracking, seems less likely — a smart home hub would certainly have a low-power radio tech like Thread or Zigbee to control other smart home gadgets, and there’s no mention of either here. But in 2024, I’d honestly expect any Google smart home gadget to have Thread, so would it really be a thermostat or smoke alarm or that sort of gadget?
It does seem to be something hardwired, since there’s no mention of batteries — not even the pair of AAA batteries that showed up in the FCC filing for the 2020 Nest Thermostat. Today’s filing shows the new mystery gadget was tested either plugged into AC power (via a “setup box”) or plugged into a USB cable plugged into a laptop. (Early Nest Thermostats do technically have USB ports that can be used for charging.)
I have a hard time imagining it could be a smart speaker with only 2.4GHz 802.11n Wi-Fi, as even Google’s cheapest Nest Mini speakers support the 5GHz band as well.
Could it possibly be the leaked Pixel Watch 3? One of Google’s earliest tech demos for Soli was in a smartwatch, and Google’s watches don’t use the 5GHz band; 2.4GHz, Bluetooth, and Soli would be enough for a Wi-Fi-only variant of the watch, and the “base plate” could be a charger. But no, Google claims this device will normally be at least 20cm away from a person and didn’t conduct radiation testing for that reason:

Image: FCC
Not a device you’d wear or hold.

That’s similar to what it said about the Nest Thermostat in 2020: “The antenna of this product, under normal use condition, is at least 20cm away from the body of the user. So, this device is classified as Mobile Device.”
Any FCC sleuths have a better idea? For now, I’m thinking it’s still a mystery.
By the way, Google isn’t the only company that’s tried tiny radar in gadgets. Amazon launched radar for sleep tracking in its Halo Rise smart lamp, too, before it axed that product alongside the entire Halo division.

An artist’s depiction of Google’s Soli radar. | Image: Google

We’ve been waiting for Google’s tiny radar to fulfill its potential for years. Now, it looks like the company’s at least giving Soli another chance. According to filings at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Google now has a mystery “wireless device” that features the short-range 60GHz radar tech — as well as 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and a “base plate” of some kind.

What could this device possibly be? One early educated guess is that it’s simply a new Nest Thermostat, and that could make sense. The FCC filings don’t show this device having any other radios beyond 2.4GHz and 60GHz; the 2020 Nest Thermostat was similarly light on radios, but it did use Soli radar to automatically detect when you’re in front of the thermostat and light up the display invisibly hidden behind its mirror. It’d also make sense for a thermostat to have a “base plate,” of course, whether wall mountable or possibly even a stand.

Image: FCC
The new device has a “base plate.”

An update to Google’s 2021 Nest Hub, which added Soli radar for sleep tracking, seems less likely — a smart home hub would certainly have a low-power radio tech like Thread or Zigbee to control other smart home gadgets, and there’s no mention of either here. But in 2024, I’d honestly expect any Google smart home gadget to have Thread, so would it really be a thermostat or smoke alarm or that sort of gadget?

It does seem to be something hardwired, since there’s no mention of batteries — not even the pair of AAA batteries that showed up in the FCC filing for the 2020 Nest Thermostat. Today’s filing shows the new mystery gadget was tested either plugged into AC power (via a “setup box”) or plugged into a USB cable plugged into a laptop. (Early Nest Thermostats do technically have USB ports that can be used for charging.)

I have a hard time imagining it could be a smart speaker with only 2.4GHz 802.11n Wi-Fi, as even Google’s cheapest Nest Mini speakers support the 5GHz band as well.

Could it possibly be the leaked Pixel Watch 3? One of Google’s earliest tech demos for Soli was in a smartwatch, and Google’s watches don’t use the 5GHz band; 2.4GHz, Bluetooth, and Soli would be enough for a Wi-Fi-only variant of the watch, and the “base plate” could be a charger. But no, Google claims this device will normally be at least 20cm away from a person and didn’t conduct radiation testing for that reason:

Image: FCC
Not a device you’d wear or hold.

That’s similar to what it said about the Nest Thermostat in 2020: “The antenna of this product, under normal use condition, is at least 20cm away from the body of the user. So, this device is classified as Mobile Device.”

Any FCC sleuths have a better idea? For now, I’m thinking it’s still a mystery.

By the way, Google isn’t the only company that’s tried tiny radar in gadgets. Amazon launched radar for sleep tracking in its Halo Rise smart lamp, too, before it axed that product alongside the entire Halo division.

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Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

Larry Hryb, aka “Major Nelson,” has his next job. Following his departure from Microsoft last year, where he was a public face for the Xbox brand, Hryb will be joining Unity’s Community team, he announced on Monday.
At Microsoft, he, among other things, hosted the Official Xbox Podcast and posted about Xbox to his large following on X. On LinkedIn, he lists his new job title as “Director of Community,” and based on a LinkedIn post, it seems like he’ll still be a brand ambassador in some form.
“Unity’s mission of empowering creative and business success of creators around the world across games, apps, and experiences aligns with my lifelong passion for innovation and community building,” Hryb wrote in the post. “I am eager to collaborate with the talented developers and creators who use Unity’s tools to bring their visions to life. Together, we’ll continue to transform the way stories are told and experiences are shared.”

Unity could use some help building its reputation back up. Last year, the company pissed off developers with a new pricing scheme that it changed in response to outcry. (Shortly after, former CEO John Riccitiello announced he would be stepping down, and Unity said in May that former Zynga and EA exec Matthew Bromberg would be its new CEO.) Unity also announced layoffs affecting about 25 percent of its employees in January.

Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

Larry Hryb, aka “Major Nelson,” has his next job. Following his departure from Microsoft last year, where he was a public face for the Xbox brand, Hryb will be joining Unity’s Community team, he announced on Monday.

At Microsoft, he, among other things, hosted the Official Xbox Podcast and posted about Xbox to his large following on X. On LinkedIn, he lists his new job title as “Director of Community,” and based on a LinkedIn post, it seems like he’ll still be a brand ambassador in some form.

“Unity’s mission of empowering creative and business success of creators around the world across games, apps, and experiences aligns with my lifelong passion for innovation and community building,” Hryb wrote in the post. “I am eager to collaborate with the talented developers and creators who use Unity’s tools to bring their visions to life. Together, we’ll continue to transform the way stories are told and experiences are shared.”

Unity could use some help building its reputation back up. Last year, the company pissed off developers with a new pricing scheme that it changed in response to outcry. (Shortly after, former CEO John Riccitiello announced he would be stepping down, and Unity said in May that former Zynga and EA exec Matthew Bromberg would be its new CEO.) Unity also announced layoffs affecting about 25 percent of its employees in January.

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Image: The Verge

Microsoft is losing another key Xbox executive at the end of the month. Xbox chief marketing officer Jerret West is leaving Microsoft to join Roblox as its new CMO and head of market expansion. Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer confirmed the move in an internal memo to Xbox employees today, which was obtained by The Verge.
West previously spent eight years at Microsoft on the Xbox marketing side, before previously departing in 2011 and then eventually spending seven years at Netflix as the head of marketing. West returned to Microsoft in late 2019, leading the marketing for the launch of the Xbox Series S / X consoles.
West’s team is responsible for developing marketing plans for games, hardware, and Xbox Game Pass. Microsoft is now shuffling around some of its marketing teams in the wake of West’s departure, and there will be a new expanded central gaming marketing team under Kirsten Ward, VP of Xbox integrated marketing.
Spencer says the Microsoft Gaming leadership team has “decided to place marketing closer to the businesses they support” as a result of West’s departure. Games marketing will now sit inside the game content and studios division that’s led by Matt Booty. Xbox marketing, led by Chris Lee, will move to the Xbox org and report up to Xbox president Sarah Bond.
This is the second key Xbox executive resignation this year, after former head of Xbox emerging tech, Kareem Choudhry, left Microsoft in early April. Choudhry’s departure triggered a similar shake-up, with his former team moving to the Xbox hardware side. A new Xbox experiences and platforms team was created after Choudhry departed, with a push to improve the Xbox experience across Windows and Xbox consoles.
This latest marketing shake-up also comes around eight months after a big shake-up of Xbox leadership and amid continued changes to Microsoft’s gaming strategy. Microsoft promoted Bond to Xbox president in October, leading all Xbox platform and hardware work. Booty also got promoted to the president of game content and studios, including overseeing Bethesda and ZeniMax studios.
Here’s Spencer’s marketing memo in full:

I have some news to share with all of you: Jerret West, who has served as the Chief Marketing Officer of Xbox for four and a half years, will be leaving Microsoft to join Roblox as their new CMO and Head of Market Expansion. His last day will be June 30th.
On behalf of Team Xbox, I’d like to thank Jerret for everything he accomplished. During his time here, Jerret was instrumental in launching and growing communities like our Xbox social universe to 120M followers strong, and product expansion like Game Pass which is now available in more than 80 countries worldwide. He oversaw the creation and delivery of global marketing campaigns for numerous games, platforms (console, PC, cloud) and brand moments such as this year’s momentous Xbox Games Showcase. Roblox is an important partner for Xbox, and we look forward to working with Jerret and the Roblox team to connect more people around the world through the power of play.
As a team we are committed to growing the strong marketing capability in Gaming. Going forward, the Gaming Leadership Team and I have decided to place marketing closer to the businesses they support. Games marketing will sit inside of Studios, Xbox marketing will sit inside the Xbox team, international marketing will sit inside of the Consumer Sales Org, and our centralized marketing team will report to me. The following organizational changes will be effective on July 1st:
The Integrated Marketing team led by Kirsten Ward and the Programming and Events team led by Tina Summerford will come together as an expanded Central Gaming Marketing team under Kirsten, who will report to me as a member of the Gaming Executive Leadership Team. Chief of staff Pav Bhardwaj and executive assistant Kim Nold will report to Kirsten.
The Bethesda Publishing Marketing team, led by Erin Losi, will move to Game Content and Studios, reporting to Matt Booty.
The 1P Games Marketing Team including Xbox Game Studios and Mojang, led by Aaron Greenberg, will also move to Game Content and Studios, reporting to Matt.
The Xbox Marketing team, led by Chris Lee, will move to the Xbox Org, reporting to Sarah Bond.
The International Marketing team, led by Jim McMullin and Florian Liewer, will move to the Consumer Sales Org, reporting to Ami Silverman.
The Bethesda International Marketing team, led by Adam Carter, will also move to the Consumer Sales Org. Adam will be taking on a new role leading Business Operations at Bethesda, reporting to Jill Braff. The Consumer Sales Org will work on backfilling his role and share more at a later date.
We’re fortunate to have a deep bench of talent and experience, and I’m excited to see how our marketing will evolve under their leadership.
Phil

Image: The Verge

Microsoft is losing another key Xbox executive at the end of the month. Xbox chief marketing officer Jerret West is leaving Microsoft to join Roblox as its new CMO and head of market expansion. Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer confirmed the move in an internal memo to Xbox employees today, which was obtained by The Verge.

West previously spent eight years at Microsoft on the Xbox marketing side, before previously departing in 2011 and then eventually spending seven years at Netflix as the head of marketing. West returned to Microsoft in late 2019, leading the marketing for the launch of the Xbox Series S / X consoles.

West’s team is responsible for developing marketing plans for games, hardware, and Xbox Game Pass. Microsoft is now shuffling around some of its marketing teams in the wake of West’s departure, and there will be a new expanded central gaming marketing team under Kirsten Ward, VP of Xbox integrated marketing.

Spencer says the Microsoft Gaming leadership team has “decided to place marketing closer to the businesses they support” as a result of West’s departure. Games marketing will now sit inside the game content and studios division that’s led by Matt Booty. Xbox marketing, led by Chris Lee, will move to the Xbox org and report up to Xbox president Sarah Bond.

This is the second key Xbox executive resignation this year, after former head of Xbox emerging tech, Kareem Choudhry, left Microsoft in early April. Choudhry’s departure triggered a similar shake-up, with his former team moving to the Xbox hardware side. A new Xbox experiences and platforms team was created after Choudhry departed, with a push to improve the Xbox experience across Windows and Xbox consoles.

This latest marketing shake-up also comes around eight months after a big shake-up of Xbox leadership and amid continued changes to Microsoft’s gaming strategy. Microsoft promoted Bond to Xbox president in October, leading all Xbox platform and hardware work. Booty also got promoted to the president of game content and studios, including overseeing Bethesda and ZeniMax studios.

Here’s Spencer’s marketing memo in full:

I have some news to share with all of you: Jerret West, who has served as the Chief Marketing Officer of Xbox for four and a half years, will be leaving Microsoft to join Roblox as their new CMO and Head of Market Expansion. His last day will be June 30th.

On behalf of Team Xbox, I’d like to thank Jerret for everything he accomplished. During his time here, Jerret was instrumental in launching and growing communities like our Xbox social universe to 120M followers strong, and product expansion like Game Pass which is now available in more than 80 countries worldwide. He oversaw the creation and delivery of global marketing campaigns for numerous games, platforms (console, PC, cloud) and brand moments such as this year’s momentous Xbox Games Showcase. Roblox is an important partner for Xbox, and we look forward to working with Jerret and the Roblox team to connect more people around the world through the power of play.

As a team we are committed to growing the strong marketing capability in Gaming. Going forward, the Gaming Leadership Team and I have decided to place marketing closer to the businesses they support. Games marketing will sit inside of Studios, Xbox marketing will sit inside the Xbox team, international marketing will sit inside of the Consumer Sales Org, and our centralized marketing team will report to me. The following organizational changes will be effective on July 1st:

The Integrated Marketing team led by Kirsten Ward and the Programming and Events team led by Tina Summerford will come together as an expanded Central Gaming Marketing team under Kirsten, who will report to me as a member of the Gaming Executive Leadership Team. Chief of staff Pav Bhardwaj and executive assistant Kim Nold will report to Kirsten.

The Bethesda Publishing Marketing team, led by Erin Losi, will move to Game Content and Studios, reporting to Matt Booty.

The 1P Games Marketing Team including Xbox Game Studios and Mojang, led by Aaron Greenberg, will also move to Game Content and Studios, reporting to Matt.

The Xbox Marketing team, led by Chris Lee, will move to the Xbox Org, reporting to Sarah Bond.

The International Marketing team, led by Jim McMullin and Florian Liewer, will move to the Consumer Sales Org, reporting to Ami Silverman.

The Bethesda International Marketing team, led by Adam Carter, will also move to the Consumer Sales Org. Adam will be taking on a new role leading Business Operations at Bethesda, reporting to Jill Braff. The Consumer Sales Org will work on backfilling his role and share more at a later date.

We’re fortunate to have a deep bench of talent and experience, and I’m excited to see how our marketing will evolve under their leadership.

Phil

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Image: Secret Mode

The sea is basically the blue skin of the world, yet we know so little of its depths. Much like the vastness of space, it is filled with mystery. With both comes the unknown — and, therefore, horror. In Still Wakes the Deep, the latest first-person horror from The Chinese Room, the sea births a mysterious terror that takes over an oil rig, and its workers must fight to survive.
Somewhere in the middle of the ocean, players are introduced to protagonist McLearly, a Scottish oil rig’s troublesome electrician. From the beginning, I was incredibly impressed by the voice acting, writing, and performance. Most of the crew are Glaswegians, who use colloquial terms and slang, which the game warns can be “translated” by turning on subtitles. McLearly (Alec Newman, who plays Cyberpunk 2077’s Adam Smasher and Divinity: Original Sin 2’s Beast, among others) is a very likable protagonist. When we first meet him, he’s fired for causing an onshore brawl that’d led police to the rig, much to his boss’s dismay. As he’s leaving via chopper, the rig strikes something — or something strikes the rig — far below the surface.
From there, everything turns to chaos, as bioluminescent tentacles and large leaves that look like seaweed begin covering the entire rig. But when it interacts with humans, it subsumes them, turning into horrific monsters out of John Carpenter’s The Thing.

McLearly must use his skills as an electrician to navigate his way out of the nautical nightmare. Environmental puzzles — involving turning levers and wheels, putting out fires, and pushing and pulling in the right sequence — make up the majority of your time, all the while the rig is groaning and coming apart and the screams of turned friends and colleagues echo through the metallic hallways.
The game is, at times, wonderfully terrifying, and I was impressed by the creature designs. Friends who you meet early in the game now scream and belt out threats and concerns they had while fully human, their flesh permanently tethered to the growing alien menace that has taken over the rig. (It’s never explained what the menace or monster or virus is, only that it comes from the sea.) When you’re stuck in these hallways with the monsters, McLearly can only hide, throw objects, and sneak past. There’s no combat and insta-death, which can prove somewhat frustrating. You’re never certain when or where a monster will hear you, and the game seems to have a very strict, internally consistent idea of how to succeed in cat-and-mouse levels.
The game is incredibly tactile. Intuitive button mapping meant I always felt embodied in McLearly, from pulling levers to climbing to sliding down ladders. The developers have done an excellent job putting you in McLearly’s shoes, allowing you to see his entire body as he climbs and crawls. McLearly unscrews vents, grabs to pull himself through dark water, slips and slides, cries out, and swears when trying to take leaps. Aside from feeling like I embodied him, McLearly’s reactions to what he was doing also seemed like he was embodying me: taking a huge leap meant I sometimes swore and, hilariously, found McLearly shouting the same when he landed.

Image: Secret Mode

As with previous Chinese Room titles, the original orchestral score is bold and loud when you eventually hear it. But unlike Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture, where Jessica Curry’s score did so much to tell that story, here, it’s muted, with few waves of music rushing in. Much of the ambience comes from the rig collapsing, the sound of destruction serving as the music of annihilation rather than a powerful choir. Jason Graves (composer for Supermassive’s horror titles and The Order: 1886) does a good job here, even if it does not live up to Curry’s work.
The oil rig itself is impressively detailed, with its lifelike textures and appropriate signage, old switch-operated phones, and realistic monitors. While you can’t interact with much of the world, it still feels lived in, a place people had occupied and made their own — especially when visiting individual crew’s quarters.
The level of detail, combined with excellent sound direction, really made me feel like I was in the rig. You will be forced to double back to areas, and your familiarity will assist in navigating a level: doors and passageways you walked through untouched are now blocked by debris, or your friend has turned into a giant, tentacled monster. I appreciated the developers’ strict focus on one specific location, with limited areas, allowing them to demonstrate slow destruction in a way that was tangible.
Though it doesn’t push the genre anywhere new, Still Wakes the Deep is a worthy addition to the horror canon — and further proof that the great void of the ocean is something I want to avoid.
Still Wakes the Deep launches June 18th on PS5, Xbox Series X / S, and PC.

Image: Secret Mode

The sea is basically the blue skin of the world, yet we know so little of its depths. Much like the vastness of space, it is filled with mystery. With both comes the unknown — and, therefore, horror. In Still Wakes the Deep, the latest first-person horror from The Chinese Room, the sea births a mysterious terror that takes over an oil rig, and its workers must fight to survive.

Somewhere in the middle of the ocean, players are introduced to protagonist McLearly, a Scottish oil rig’s troublesome electrician. From the beginning, I was incredibly impressed by the voice acting, writing, and performance. Most of the crew are Glaswegians, who use colloquial terms and slang, which the game warns can be “translated” by turning on subtitles. McLearly (Alec Newman, who plays Cyberpunk 2077’s Adam Smasher and Divinity: Original Sin 2’s Beast, among others) is a very likable protagonist. When we first meet him, he’s fired for causing an onshore brawl that’d led police to the rig, much to his boss’s dismay. As he’s leaving via chopper, the rig strikes something — or something strikes the rig — far below the surface.

From there, everything turns to chaos, as bioluminescent tentacles and large leaves that look like seaweed begin covering the entire rig. But when it interacts with humans, it subsumes them, turning into horrific monsters out of John Carpenter’s The Thing.

McLearly must use his skills as an electrician to navigate his way out of the nautical nightmare. Environmental puzzles — involving turning levers and wheels, putting out fires, and pushing and pulling in the right sequence — make up the majority of your time, all the while the rig is groaning and coming apart and the screams of turned friends and colleagues echo through the metallic hallways.

The game is, at times, wonderfully terrifying, and I was impressed by the creature designs. Friends who you meet early in the game now scream and belt out threats and concerns they had while fully human, their flesh permanently tethered to the growing alien menace that has taken over the rig. (It’s never explained what the menace or monster or virus is, only that it comes from the sea.) When you’re stuck in these hallways with the monsters, McLearly can only hide, throw objects, and sneak past. There’s no combat and insta-death, which can prove somewhat frustrating. You’re never certain when or where a monster will hear you, and the game seems to have a very strict, internally consistent idea of how to succeed in cat-and-mouse levels.

The game is incredibly tactile. Intuitive button mapping meant I always felt embodied in McLearly, from pulling levers to climbing to sliding down ladders. The developers have done an excellent job putting you in McLearly’s shoes, allowing you to see his entire body as he climbs and crawls. McLearly unscrews vents, grabs to pull himself through dark water, slips and slides, cries out, and swears when trying to take leaps. Aside from feeling like I embodied him, McLearly’s reactions to what he was doing also seemed like he was embodying me: taking a huge leap meant I sometimes swore and, hilariously, found McLearly shouting the same when he landed.

As with previous Chinese Room titles, the original orchestral score is bold and loud when you eventually hear it. But unlike Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture, where Jessica Curry’s score did so much to tell that story, here, it’s muted, with few waves of music rushing in. Much of the ambience comes from the rig collapsing, the sound of destruction serving as the music of annihilation rather than a powerful choir. Jason Graves (composer for Supermassive’s horror titles and The Order: 1886) does a good job here, even if it does not live up to Curry’s work.

The oil rig itself is impressively detailed, with its lifelike textures and appropriate signage, old switch-operated phones, and realistic monitors. While you can’t interact with much of the world, it still feels lived in, a place people had occupied and made their own — especially when visiting individual crew’s quarters.

The level of detail, combined with excellent sound direction, really made me feel like I was in the rig. You will be forced to double back to areas, and your familiarity will assist in navigating a level: doors and passageways you walked through untouched are now blocked by debris, or your friend has turned into a giant, tentacled monster. I appreciated the developers’ strict focus on one specific location, with limited areas, allowing them to demonstrate slow destruction in a way that was tangible.

Though it doesn’t push the genre anywhere new, Still Wakes the Deep is a worthy addition to the horror canon — and further proof that the great void of the ocean is something I want to avoid.

Still Wakes the Deep launches June 18th on PS5, Xbox Series X / S, and PC.

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The $130 Logitech MX Ink is compatible with both the Meta Quest 2 and 3, as well as “future” headsets. | Image: Logitech

Today, Logitech officially announced its MX Ink stylus, the company’s first mixed reality accessory for the Meta Quest 2 and Quest 3 headsets. The MX Ink will provide artists with a more natural alternative to the Quest’s controllers for content creation that feels like using a pencil or a paintbrush.
The tracking accuracy and low-latency performance of the Meta Quest’s native controllers have helped position the headset as more than just a gaming or media consumption device, but the controllers, which can feel like holding and working with a can of spray paint, don’t always offer the best interface for content creation. For many artists, a stylus is a preferable tool over a mouse or peripherals primarily designed for gaming, which is why companies like Wacom have thrived for decades and why Logitech is bringing the stylus into the third dimension.
Looking quite a bit thicker than the styluses Logitech sells for tablet devices (it weighs in at 29 grams, compared to 20.7 grams for the second-gen Apple Pencil), the MX Ink can be used like a traditional stylus for 2D content creation in a mixed reality environment with features that include swappable pressure-sensitive tips and multiple buttons that can be reprogrammed in the Quest’s native settings app. Confirming leaks over the weekend, the stylus also features 6DoF tracking in 3D space, similar to the Quest’s native controllers, haptic feedback, and a pressure-sensitive main button allowing artists to naturally sketch or manipulate models or objects in 3D space.

Image: Logitech
The Logitech MX Ink features multiple buttons, a pressure-sensitive tip, and an optional dock charger.

Logitech promises up to seven hours of battery life, and the MX Ink can be charged using either a built-in USB-C port or the more convenient MX Inkwell Charging Dock, which allows the stylus to simply be dropped in for charging to start. However, the dock will be an optional accessory, with pricing not revealed yet.

Five years ago, Magic Leap announced a partnership with Wacom to co-develop tools, allowing the latter company’s stylus technology to be used with the mixed reality headset in hopes of justifying the expensive Magic Leap One as a must-have content creation tool.
Unfortunately, that collaboration required artists to awkwardly hold a physical drawing tablet in one hand and a stylus in the other while also wearing the Magic Leap One and wrangling that headset’s awkward cable tethers.
The completely wireless MX Ink stylus appears to offer far more freedom of movement and convenience for artists, and Logitech has already announced compatibility with many Meta Quest apps, including Adobe Substance 3D Modeler, Open Brush, Gravity Sketch, and Realize Medical.
However, according to RoadtoVR, Logitech has confirmed that its new MX Ink stylus won’t support the more powerful Meta Quest Pro, which is also not listed as being compatible on the MX Ink product page.
Although Logitech hasn’t provided an exact release date for when the $129.99 MX Ink will be available, it’s promising a “later this year” release when it will be sold through Logitech, Meta, and Amazon.

The $130 Logitech MX Ink is compatible with both the Meta Quest 2 and 3, as well as “future” headsets. | Image: Logitech

Today, Logitech officially announced its MX Ink stylus, the company’s first mixed reality accessory for the Meta Quest 2 and Quest 3 headsets. The MX Ink will provide artists with a more natural alternative to the Quest’s controllers for content creation that feels like using a pencil or a paintbrush.

The tracking accuracy and low-latency performance of the Meta Quest’s native controllers have helped position the headset as more than just a gaming or media consumption device, but the controllers, which can feel like holding and working with a can of spray paint, don’t always offer the best interface for content creation. For many artists, a stylus is a preferable tool over a mouse or peripherals primarily designed for gaming, which is why companies like Wacom have thrived for decades and why Logitech is bringing the stylus into the third dimension.

Looking quite a bit thicker than the styluses Logitech sells for tablet devices (it weighs in at 29 grams, compared to 20.7 grams for the second-gen Apple Pencil), the MX Ink can be used like a traditional stylus for 2D content creation in a mixed reality environment with features that include swappable pressure-sensitive tips and multiple buttons that can be reprogrammed in the Quest’s native settings app. Confirming leaks over the weekend, the stylus also features 6DoF tracking in 3D space, similar to the Quest’s native controllers, haptic feedback, and a pressure-sensitive main button allowing artists to naturally sketch or manipulate models or objects in 3D space.

Image: Logitech
The Logitech MX Ink features multiple buttons, a pressure-sensitive tip, and an optional dock charger.

Logitech promises up to seven hours of battery life, and the MX Ink can be charged using either a built-in USB-C port or the more convenient MX Inkwell Charging Dock, which allows the stylus to simply be dropped in for charging to start. However, the dock will be an optional accessory, with pricing not revealed yet.

Five years ago, Magic Leap announced a partnership with Wacom to co-develop tools, allowing the latter company’s stylus technology to be used with the mixed reality headset in hopes of justifying the expensive Magic Leap One as a must-have content creation tool.

Unfortunately, that collaboration required artists to awkwardly hold a physical drawing tablet in one hand and a stylus in the other while also wearing the Magic Leap One and wrangling that headset’s awkward cable tethers.

The completely wireless MX Ink stylus appears to offer far more freedom of movement and convenience for artists, and Logitech has already announced compatibility with many Meta Quest apps, including Adobe Substance 3D Modeler, Open Brush, Gravity Sketch, and Realize Medical.

However, according to RoadtoVR, Logitech has confirmed that its new MX Ink stylus won’t support the more powerful Meta Quest Pro, which is also not listed as being compatible on the MX Ink product page.

Although Logitech hasn’t provided an exact release date for when the $129.99 MX Ink will be available, it’s promising a “later this year” release when it will be sold through Logitech, Meta, and Amazon.

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Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

The US government is suing Adobe for allegedly hiding expensive fees and making it difficult to cancel a subscription. In the complaint filed on Monday, the Department of Justice claims Adobe “has harmed consumers by enrolling them in its default, most lucrative subscription plan without clearly disclosing important plan terms.”
The lawsuit alleges Adobe “hides” the terms of its annual, paid monthly plan in the “fine print and behind optional textboxes and hyperlinks.” In doing so, the company fails to properly disclose the early termination fee incurred upon cancellation “that can amount to hundreds of dollars,” the complaint says.
When customers do attempt to cancel, the DOJ alleges that Adobe requires them to go through an “onerous and complicated” cancellation process that involves navigating through multiple webpages and pop-ups. It then allegedly “ambushes” customers with an early termination fee, which may discourage them from canceling.
Customers encounter similar obstacles when attempting to cancel their subscriptions over the phone or via live chats, the DOJ alleges. The complaint claims “subscribers have had their calls or chats either dropped or disconnected and have had to re-explain their reason for calling when they re-connect.” The lawsuit alleges that these practices break federal laws designed to protect consumers.
The lawsuit also targets Adobe executives Maninder Sawhney, the senior vice president of digital go-to-market and sales, as well as David Wadhwani, the president of the company’s digital media business. The complaint says both executives “directed, controlled, had the authority to control, or participated in the acts and practices of Adobe.” Adobe didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment.

“Adobe trapped customers into year-long subscriptions through hidden early termination fees and numerous cancellation hurdles,” Samuel Levine, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, said in a statement. “Americans are tired of companies hiding the ball during subscription signup and then putting up roadblocks when they try to cancel.” The federal government began looking into Adobe’s cancellation practices late last year.
In 2012, Adobe went from selling its creative software for lifetime use to charging users for a monthly or yearly subscription to its suite of products, including Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and others. The company’s subscription model has long frustrated creatives, who are often forced to stay subscribed to Adobe in order to keep doing their jobs. Earlier this month, Adobe’s new terms of service were met with backlash after some interpreted the move as an opportunity to train its AI on users’ art.
The lawsuit speaks to continued regulatory scrutiny of Adobe. In 2022, Adobe attempted to acquire the product design platform Figma for $20 billion, but it abandoned the deal last year after facing antitrust scrutiny from European regulators.

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

The US government is suing Adobe for allegedly hiding expensive fees and making it difficult to cancel a subscription. In the complaint filed on Monday, the Department of Justice claims Adobe “has harmed consumers by enrolling them in its default, most lucrative subscription plan without clearly disclosing important plan terms.”

The lawsuit alleges Adobe “hides” the terms of its annual, paid monthly plan in the “fine print and behind optional textboxes and hyperlinks.” In doing so, the company fails to properly disclose the early termination fee incurred upon cancellation “that can amount to hundreds of dollars,” the complaint says.

When customers do attempt to cancel, the DOJ alleges that Adobe requires them to go through an “onerous and complicated” cancellation process that involves navigating through multiple webpages and pop-ups. It then allegedly “ambushes” customers with an early termination fee, which may discourage them from canceling.

Customers encounter similar obstacles when attempting to cancel their subscriptions over the phone or via live chats, the DOJ alleges. The complaint claims “subscribers have had their calls or chats either dropped or disconnected and have had to re-explain their reason for calling when they re-connect.” The lawsuit alleges that these practices break federal laws designed to protect consumers.

The lawsuit also targets Adobe executives Maninder Sawhney, the senior vice president of digital go-to-market and sales, as well as David Wadhwani, the president of the company’s digital media business. The complaint says both executives “directed, controlled, had the authority to control, or participated in the acts and practices of Adobe.” Adobe didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment.

“Adobe trapped customers into year-long subscriptions through hidden early termination fees and numerous cancellation hurdles,” Samuel Levine, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, said in a statement. “Americans are tired of companies hiding the ball during subscription signup and then putting up roadblocks when they try to cancel.” The federal government began looking into Adobe’s cancellation practices late last year.

In 2012, Adobe went from selling its creative software for lifetime use to charging users for a monthly or yearly subscription to its suite of products, including Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and others. The company’s subscription model has long frustrated creatives, who are often forced to stay subscribed to Adobe in order to keep doing their jobs. Earlier this month, Adobe’s new terms of service were met with backlash after some interpreted the move as an opportunity to train its AI on users’ art.

The lawsuit speaks to continued regulatory scrutiny of Adobe. In 2022, Adobe attempted to acquire the product design platform Figma for $20 billion, but it abandoned the deal last year after facing antitrust scrutiny from European regulators.

Read More 

The Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are compact and come in Samsung’s excellent purple color (as well as the typical white and black). | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

Samsung’s excellent Galaxy Buds 2 Pro wireless earbuds have fallen to a new low price, selling for just $119.99 ($110 off) at Woot. That’s a screamer of a deal if I’ve ever seen one, as these flagship noise-canceling earbuds from Samsung are exceptionally light and comfy and sound great.

Samsung includes some extra features for Galaxy phone owners to take advantage of, like 24-bit audio, spatial audio head tracking, and auto-switching among Samsung devices, but anyone can enjoy how good these compact buds sound. And at this price, you’d normally be shopping for a midrange earbud like the third-gen AirPods, not something in the “Pro” tier with ANC. We’ve regularly seen the Buds 2 Pro fall as low as $160 (which is still a good value), but this blows away previous deals by a fair margin. Plus, Woot is offering all three colors for the duration of the deal — which is set to run for five more days (ending Saturday, June 22nd) or until the earbuds sell out.

More deals for your Monday

The original Blink Mini indoor camera is on sale at Amazon for just $14.99 ($15 off). The tiny security camera monitors with 1080p video, motion detection, and two-way audio. There’s a newer Mini 2 model offering weather resistance and a small spotlight for outdoor use, but it costs a higher $40 per unit. It’s hard to beat just how cheap the original Blink Mini is right now, especially if you only need a simple connected camera for a basic task like keeping an eye on a pet. Read our original review.
Vanillaware’s Unicorn Overlord for PS5 and Xbox Series X is $39.99 ($20 off) at Amazon. The new take on the classic tactical RPG (think Final Fantasy Tactics and Tactics Ogre games of the ’90s) has a dense story and lovely art style, complete with grand armies and a dense combat system. Read our interview with the producer, Akiyasu Yamamoto.
The Apple Watch Leather Link band for smaller watches in black, size medium-large, is just $24.99 ($75 off) at Woot. These two-piece magnetic leather bands are some of Apple’s nicer strap offerings and look much more refined than the typical silicone rubber.

The Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are compact and come in Samsung’s excellent purple color (as well as the typical white and black). | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

Samsung’s excellent Galaxy Buds 2 Pro wireless earbuds have fallen to a new low price, selling for just $119.99 ($110 off) at Woot. That’s a screamer of a deal if I’ve ever seen one, as these flagship noise-canceling earbuds from Samsung are exceptionally light and comfy and sound great.

Samsung includes some extra features for Galaxy phone owners to take advantage of, like 24-bit audio, spatial audio head tracking, and auto-switching among Samsung devices, but anyone can enjoy how good these compact buds sound. And at this price, you’d normally be shopping for a midrange earbud like the third-gen AirPods, not something in the “Pro” tier with ANC. We’ve regularly seen the Buds 2 Pro fall as low as $160 (which is still a good value), but this blows away previous deals by a fair margin. Plus, Woot is offering all three colors for the duration of the deal — which is set to run for five more days (ending Saturday, June 22nd) or until the earbuds sell out.

More deals for your Monday

The original Blink Mini indoor camera is on sale at Amazon for just $14.99 ($15 off). The tiny security camera monitors with 1080p video, motion detection, and two-way audio. There’s a newer Mini 2 model offering weather resistance and a small spotlight for outdoor use, but it costs a higher $40 per unit. It’s hard to beat just how cheap the original Blink Mini is right now, especially if you only need a simple connected camera for a basic task like keeping an eye on a pet. Read our original review.
Vanillaware’s Unicorn Overlord for PS5 and Xbox Series X is $39.99 ($20 off) at Amazon. The new take on the classic tactical RPG (think Final Fantasy Tactics and Tactics Ogre games of the ’90s) has a dense story and lovely art style, complete with grand armies and a dense combat system. Read our interview with the producer, Akiyasu Yamamoto.
The Apple Watch Leather Link band for smaller watches in black, size medium-large, is just $24.99 ($75 off) at Woot. These two-piece magnetic leather bands are some of Apple’s nicer strap offerings and look much more refined than the typical silicone rubber.

Read More