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Discord is making it easier for app developers to make money

Discord is updating its monetization terms. | Image: Discord

Discord is introducing new tools and monetization features that aim to make it easier for app developers to make money by selling premium perks via storefronts on the platform. After rolling out support for premium app subscriptions last year, Discord is now halving the 30 percent platform fee for the first $1 million that developers make in cumulative gross sales.
Described in its announcement blog as a new “Growth” tier for Discord’s monetization terms, the 15 percent fee will be available starting June 6th. The communications platform is also adding the ability to offer one-time purchases, allowing developers to sell products like games, cosmetic skins, and other premium assets without requiring a subscription.
These can be provided as both “durable” one-time purchase SKUs — which offer permanent benefits — or consumables that can expire or be used up. Developers can now also list their creations via a new store surface, which can be found via the app directory or profile on Discord. These changes follow the company’s decision to steer its app back to gaming after previously attempting to develop itself into a more generalized chatting app during the covid pandemic.
All of these new tools are currently being rolled out in the US, UK, and European Union but will be expanded to additional regions “later on.” Support to enable Discord developers to offer multiple subscription tiers for their products is also currently being developed, though Discord hasn’t mentioned when this will be available.

Discord is updating its monetization terms. | Image: Discord

Discord is introducing new tools and monetization features that aim to make it easier for app developers to make money by selling premium perks via storefronts on the platform. After rolling out support for premium app subscriptions last year, Discord is now halving the 30 percent platform fee for the first $1 million that developers make in cumulative gross sales.

Described in its announcement blog as a new “Growth” tier for Discord’s monetization terms, the 15 percent fee will be available starting June 6th. The communications platform is also adding the ability to offer one-time purchases, allowing developers to sell products like games, cosmetic skins, and other premium assets without requiring a subscription.

These can be provided as both “durable” one-time purchase SKUs — which offer permanent benefits — or consumables that can expire or be used up. Developers can now also list their creations via a new store surface, which can be found via the app directory or profile on Discord. These changes follow the company’s decision to steer its app back to gaming after previously attempting to develop itself into a more generalized chatting app during the covid pandemic.

All of these new tools are currently being rolled out in the US, UK, and European Union but will be expanded to additional regions “later on.” Support to enable Discord developers to offer multiple subscription tiers for their products is also currently being developed, though Discord hasn’t mentioned when this will be available.

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Here’s our in-depth Sonos Ace video review

Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

Hopefully, by now, you’ve read through my written review of the Sonos Ace headphones. They’re an extremely impressive first effort from the company, but with several features still in the “coming soon” column, it feels like they were rushed.
In this video review, I go deeper into what Sonos got right with the Ace and what still needs work. There’s also a segment where I cover why these aren’t quite the magical Wi-Fi headphones that many of the brand’s most loyal customers had long dreamed of. Crucially, the Ace can’t be grouped with other Sonos speakers, but at one point, the company prototyped headphones that could.
It turns out, they sucked — at least within the confines of today’s technology. This Reddit AMA post goes into more detail about the battery and CPU constraints. (The Ace have just a sliver of the CPU power compared to regular Sonos speakers, even including the Roam.) I hope we get there someday; it’d be wonderful to listen to vinyl through the Ace or have them seamlessly hand off music to my speakers when I walk through the door at home. Maybe next time.
Speaking of the Roam, I’ve got a short review of the new second-gen model coming up in the days ahead. After that, I’ll finally be able to come up for air and focus on non-Sonos products for a while — until the next leak that is.

Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

Hopefully, by now, you’ve read through my written review of the Sonos Ace headphones. They’re an extremely impressive first effort from the company, but with several features still in the “coming soon” column, it feels like they were rushed.

In this video review, I go deeper into what Sonos got right with the Ace and what still needs work. There’s also a segment where I cover why these aren’t quite the magical Wi-Fi headphones that many of the brand’s most loyal customers had long dreamed of. Crucially, the Ace can’t be grouped with other Sonos speakers, but at one point, the company prototyped headphones that could.

It turns out, they sucked — at least within the confines of today’s technology. This Reddit AMA post goes into more detail about the battery and CPU constraints. (The Ace have just a sliver of the CPU power compared to regular Sonos speakers, even including the Roam.) I hope we get there someday; it’d be wonderful to listen to vinyl through the Ace or have them seamlessly hand off music to my speakers when I walk through the door at home. Maybe next time.

Speaking of the Roam, I’ve got a short review of the new second-gen model coming up in the days ahead. After that, I’ll finally be able to come up for air and focus on non-Sonos products for a while — until the next leak that is.

Read More 

Why the video game industry is such a mess

Illustration: Cath Virginia / The Verge

Today, we’re talking about the state of the video game industry, which is honestly kind of all over the place. We don’t talk a lot about video games here on Decoder, but we should do more of it. Games are an enormous slice of both the tech and media industries. Here in the US, according to the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) — the big industry trade group — more than 212 million people played games last year, and they spent more than $47 billion on the games and the content inside of them.
A lot of those games get announced here in June, which is absolutely hype season for pretty much the entire video game industry. We’re about to hear about a lot of very cool projects. After the next few days, almost every major game maker will have announced what’s on their slate for this year and beyond.

But behind the flashy trailers and release dates, there’s something of a crisis: tens of thousands of workers in every part of the video game industry have been laid off since 2022. This year alone, there have already been more than 10,000 layoffs in video games, and we’re not even halfway through the year yet. Dozens of studios have closed, and countless projects have ended before we ever even got to hear about them.
It feels like a grim time to be in the business of making games, even though the art of video game design is flourishing. Huge global publishers and tiny indie studios alike are facing these financial pressures, and it doesn’t seem to be letting up anytime soon.
So, if sales are great, where did this enormous pressure on the business come from? How is the math working out so badly if there’s so much interest from consumers and players?
I invited Verge video game reporter Ash Parrish on the show to break this down and explain what’s happening in gaming and what these shifts — from a business, culture, and labor perspective — can tell us about what might happen next.

Illustration: Cath Virginia / The Verge

Today, we’re talking about the state of the video game industry, which is honestly kind of all over the place. We don’t talk a lot about video games here on Decoder, but we should do more of it. Games are an enormous slice of both the tech and media industries. Here in the US, according to the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) — the big industry trade group — more than 212 million people played games last year, and they spent more than $47 billion on the games and the content inside of them.

A lot of those games get announced here in June, which is absolutely hype season for pretty much the entire video game industry. We’re about to hear about a lot of very cool projects. After the next few days, almost every major game maker will have announced what’s on their slate for this year and beyond.

But behind the flashy trailers and release dates, there’s something of a crisis: tens of thousands of workers in every part of the video game industry have been laid off since 2022. This year alone, there have already been more than 10,000 layoffs in video games, and we’re not even halfway through the year yet. Dozens of studios have closed, and countless projects have ended before we ever even got to hear about them.

It feels like a grim time to be in the business of making games, even though the art of video game design is flourishing. Huge global publishers and tiny indie studios alike are facing these financial pressures, and it doesn’t seem to be letting up anytime soon.

So, if sales are great, where did this enormous pressure on the business come from? How is the math working out so badly if there’s so much interest from consumers and players?

I invited Verge video game reporter Ash Parrish on the show to break this down and explain what’s happening in gaming and what these shifts — from a business, culture, and labor perspective — can tell us about what might happen next.

Read More 

The Rogue Prince of Persia artfully changes up the roguelike format

Image: Ubisoft

It seems like roguelikes, early access games, and Prince of Persia are all the rage this year. So, it makes sense to release a game that combines all three. The Rogue Prince of Persia, developed by Dead Cells studio Evil Empire, released in early access late last month after being delayed by a week to get out of the way of the Hades 2 stealth drop.
The game takes the elements the Prince of Persia series is known for — combat, platforming, and time manipulation shenanigans — and remixes them to fit the roguelike format while also remixing the roguelike format itself into something interesting and different. You play as the Prince desperate to stop an invading force of Huns that have devastated his home and people. Whenever the Prince dies during his assault, he’s sent back in time to start over again, except each time, the landscape, enemy placement, and platforming hazards change.
Neither combat nor platforming gets as intensive as they do in Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. At first, I was tempted to think both elements were so simple as to be boring. But as I got further into the game, both improved to a pleasant level of difficulty. And unlike in The Lost Crown, you can be reasonably assured that you’ll always find something worthwhile like a powerful weapon upgrade or health at the end of an extensive platforming sequence instead of a measly collectible.

With roguelikes, there’s always an initial difficulty spike to surmount, getting used to the combat and learning what upgrades are worth my time. So, even though I was prepared to die a lot at the beginning, I still found myself getting annoyed battling my way through the starting area over and over — until the game switched up on me. I was so preoccupied with progressing that I didn’t take the time to explore the starting area each time it changed. After returning to the game after a short frustration break, I took my time to explore like I should have and wound up finding a special encounter that unlocked a new starting area.
Now when I died, I could choose a new location from which to begin my assault, injecting a bit of variety into each run. On top of that, the new area itself had another one of those special encounters that unlocked yet another new location. Evil Empire seemingly understood that the initial fight-die-repeat cycle can get grating and introduced a novel way to experience new areas that don’t require brute-forcing progression.

Image: Ubisoft
Some boss fight animations look like they’re missing.

The Rogue Prince of Persia is very clearly an early access game. I ran into some UI glitches that made it look like upgrades I picked up persisted through death (they don’t). And the first boss fight seems to be missing some attack animations as it frequently blinked in and out, making it hard to anticipate attacks. I’m also guessing more robust tutorials are coming in future updates because the game’s upgrade system feels a little opaque.
During each run, you can collect and equip medallions that grant special abilities and stat bonuses and can upgrade the medallions around it. Placing a medallion in one slot can upgrade adjacent slots, meaning that when a medallion is placed on that improved slot, you’ll get access to higher bonus levels. Medallion placement then becomes just as important as medallion choice, but the game doesn’t do a good job of explaining that, leaving me to piece all that together myself.
Overall, The Rogue Prince of Persia isn’t bad for a $20 early access game. I appreciate its attempt to do something different with the roguelike format, and I’m eager to see how future updates improve the little problems I had with the game.
The Rogue Prince of Persia is available in early access on Steam and another great example of a game made for the Steam Deck.

Image: Ubisoft

It seems like roguelikes, early access games, and Prince of Persia are all the rage this year. So, it makes sense to release a game that combines all three. The Rogue Prince of Persia, developed by Dead Cells studio Evil Empire, released in early access late last month after being delayed by a week to get out of the way of the Hades 2 stealth drop.

The game takes the elements the Prince of Persia series is known for — combat, platforming, and time manipulation shenanigans — and remixes them to fit the roguelike format while also remixing the roguelike format itself into something interesting and different. You play as the Prince desperate to stop an invading force of Huns that have devastated his home and people. Whenever the Prince dies during his assault, he’s sent back in time to start over again, except each time, the landscape, enemy placement, and platforming hazards change.

Neither combat nor platforming gets as intensive as they do in Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. At first, I was tempted to think both elements were so simple as to be boring. But as I got further into the game, both improved to a pleasant level of difficulty. And unlike in The Lost Crown, you can be reasonably assured that you’ll always find something worthwhile like a powerful weapon upgrade or health at the end of an extensive platforming sequence instead of a measly collectible.

With roguelikes, there’s always an initial difficulty spike to surmount, getting used to the combat and learning what upgrades are worth my time. So, even though I was prepared to die a lot at the beginning, I still found myself getting annoyed battling my way through the starting area over and over — until the game switched up on me. I was so preoccupied with progressing that I didn’t take the time to explore the starting area each time it changed. After returning to the game after a short frustration break, I took my time to explore like I should have and wound up finding a special encounter that unlocked a new starting area.

Now when I died, I could choose a new location from which to begin my assault, injecting a bit of variety into each run. On top of that, the new area itself had another one of those special encounters that unlocked yet another new location. Evil Empire seemingly understood that the initial fight-die-repeat cycle can get grating and introduced a novel way to experience new areas that don’t require brute-forcing progression.

Image: Ubisoft
Some boss fight animations look like they’re missing.

The Rogue Prince of Persia is very clearly an early access game. I ran into some UI glitches that made it look like upgrades I picked up persisted through death (they don’t). And the first boss fight seems to be missing some attack animations as it frequently blinked in and out, making it hard to anticipate attacks. I’m also guessing more robust tutorials are coming in future updates because the game’s upgrade system feels a little opaque.

During each run, you can collect and equip medallions that grant special abilities and stat bonuses and can upgrade the medallions around it. Placing a medallion in one slot can upgrade adjacent slots, meaning that when a medallion is placed on that improved slot, you’ll get access to higher bonus levels. Medallion placement then becomes just as important as medallion choice, but the game doesn’t do a good job of explaining that, leaving me to piece all that together myself.

Overall, The Rogue Prince of Persia isn’t bad for a $20 early access game. I appreciate its attempt to do something different with the roguelike format, and I’m eager to see how future updates improve the little problems I had with the game.

The Rogue Prince of Persia is available in early access on Steam and another great example of a game made for the Steam Deck.

Read More 

DuckDuckGo’s private AI chats don’t train on your data by default

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

DuckDuckGo has launched private AI chats, allowing you to anonymously access AI models like GPT-3.5 Turbo and Claude 3 Haiku. It won’t store your chats, nor can the companies behind each AI model use them for training — saving you from jumping through a settings menu just to opt out.
To keep your chats anonymous, DuckDuckGo calls the chat models on your behalf, replacing your IP address with its own. “This way it looks like the requests are coming from us and not you,” DuckDuckGo says. However, DuckDuckGo notes that the AI providers “may store chats temporarily,” but they can’t trace them back to you.

Image: DuckDuckGo

As noted in DuckDuckGo’s privacy policy page, it removes all metadata containing your personal information, including your IP address, before sending your query. The company also has agreements with the AI providers to delete saved chats within 30 days and to prevent them from being used to train their models. Similar to DuckDuckGo’s browser, you can use the fire button to clear your chat.
In addition to GPT-3.5 and Claude, DuckDuckGo’s AI chat also offers access to Meta’s Llama 3 70B model and Mixtral 8x7B. You can access DuckDuckGo’s AI chats by heading to duck.ai or by using the “!ai” or “!chat bang” shortcuts. It’s also on the right side of the DuckDuckGo search engine’s top menu bar (but you can disable this from your settings menu).
The feature is free to use “within a daily limit,” but DuckDuckGo says it may eventually launch a paid plan with higher limits and access to more advanced models. The company also plans on adding more chat models, including ones hosted by DuckDuckGo or users. Last year, DuckDuckGo launched DuckAssist inside its search engine, a feature that automatically surfaces AI-generated answers — similar to Microsoft Copilot and Google Gemini.

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

DuckDuckGo has launched private AI chats, allowing you to anonymously access AI models like GPT-3.5 Turbo and Claude 3 Haiku. It won’t store your chats, nor can the companies behind each AI model use them for training — saving you from jumping through a settings menu just to opt out.

To keep your chats anonymous, DuckDuckGo calls the chat models on your behalf, replacing your IP address with its own. “This way it looks like the requests are coming from us and not you,” DuckDuckGo says. However, DuckDuckGo notes that the AI providers “may store chats temporarily,” but they can’t trace them back to you.

Image: DuckDuckGo

As noted in DuckDuckGo’s privacy policy page, it removes all metadata containing your personal information, including your IP address, before sending your query. The company also has agreements with the AI providers to delete saved chats within 30 days and to prevent them from being used to train their models. Similar to DuckDuckGo’s browser, you can use the fire button to clear your chat.

In addition to GPT-3.5 and Claude, DuckDuckGo’s AI chat also offers access to Meta’s Llama 3 70B model and Mixtral 8x7B. You can access DuckDuckGo’s AI chats by heading to duck.ai or by using the “!ai” or “!chat bang” shortcuts. It’s also on the right side of the DuckDuckGo search engine’s top menu bar (but you can disable this from your settings menu).

The feature is free to use “within a daily limit,” but DuckDuckGo says it may eventually launch a paid plan with higher limits and access to more advanced models. The company also plans on adding more chat models, including ones hosted by DuckDuckGo or users. Last year, DuckDuckGo launched DuckAssist inside its search engine, a feature that automatically surfaces AI-generated answers — similar to Microsoft Copilot and Google Gemini.

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Leica’s new app lets your iPhone mimic its cameras and classic lenses

Screenshots from the Leica Lux camera app. | Images: Leica

Leica wants in on Fujifilm’s film simulation hype, so it’s bringing its own color profiles to iPhone users by way of a new Leica Lux app — complete with a paid subscription.
Leica Lux is a new camera app available on the App Store loaded with 11 color profiles (dubbed “Leica Looks”) designed to match current Leica cameras and classic film-inspired aesthetics. The Lux app can be used in a fully automatic mode like Apple’s own camera app, but it also has an “Aperture mode” using software to mimic the style and bokeh of multi-thousand-dollar lenses like the Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 ASPH and classic Noctilux-M 50mm f/1.2 ASPH of 1966.

Image: Leica
The Lux app’s manual exposure controls, which are restricted to paying subscribers.

If you use Leica Lux in free mode, you’ll get five Leica Looks and one lens imitation. Unlocking all the color profiles, software lenses, and pro-oriented features like manual exposure controls costs $6.99 per month or a nice $69.99 per year.
I’ve had a brief chance to use a prerelease beta version of Leica Lux on my iPhone 15 Pro, and the early results seem mixed at best. The interface is nicely put together, with a streamlined menu system and lightly customizable controls that center nifty features like exposure compensation and a live histogram. It’s sleek — and a bit reminiscent of another popular iOS third-party camera app, Halide. Leica Lux also sorts in your downloaded photos from Leica cameras, as I was greeted with some of my personal Leica Q2 images when I opened the in-app gallery.
The Leica Looks add some nice one-click-and-your-done drama to images, though some are a little heavy-handed with a “filtered” look that’s sure to polarize. The portrait mode / lens simulations are also pretty hit or miss, and when they miss, they can miss badly.

The photos often have a very cut-out look that seems more than a few generations behind the portrait modes you see from Apple and Google — and nothing touches Samsung right now. I’ve also seen it render some weird pixelated blockiness at the edges of the in-focus subject, but for now, I’ll concede to the app’s beta status.
Even when the lens simulation is done nicely, you have to contend with the fact that Apple’s own software isn’t always friendly to third-party apps. Leica Lux doesn’t allow you to reverse a portrait mode shot to bail yourself out with a regular-looking photo, unlike you can do on Apple’s own camera app. In fact, viewing Leica Lux photos in the iOS camera roll allows you to add Apple’s own portrait and bokeh effects, which is a weird anachronism that’s guaranteed to wreck any photo.

This isn’t Leica’s first foray in trying to milk its loyal fan base for that sweet sweet recurring revenue stream. For a period of time, it moved features of its Leica Fotos app behind a pro-tier paywall, forcing photographers who transfer images from actual Leica cameras to their phones to pay for things like an Adobe Lightroom integration. Full disclosure: I was working for Leica Camera USA at the time of this Fotos Pro rollout, and I can tell you photographers were far from thrilled. It didn’t take very long for Leica to reverse course and make all features of its Fotos app free again.

Leica Lux, on the other hand, is something wholly new — well, mostly. Leica Looks debuted previously in the Fotos app for owners of newer cameras like the Q3 and SL3, allowing transferred images to have profiles applied to them on an iPhone or Android device. What’s really new in the Lux app is the lens bokeh simulations and the fact that you can Leica-fy your iPhone camera experience. There are some fun ideas and a nice design here for Leica fans, but it requires some nickel-and-diming to take full advantage of it.

Screenshots from the Leica Lux camera app. | Images: Leica

Leica wants in on Fujifilm’s film simulation hype, so it’s bringing its own color profiles to iPhone users by way of a new Leica Lux app — complete with a paid subscription.

Leica Lux is a new camera app available on the App Store loaded with 11 color profiles (dubbed “Leica Looks”) designed to match current Leica cameras and classic film-inspired aesthetics. The Lux app can be used in a fully automatic mode like Apple’s own camera app, but it also has an “Aperture mode” using software to mimic the style and bokeh of multi-thousand-dollar lenses like the Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 ASPH and classic Noctilux-M 50mm f/1.2 ASPH of 1966.

Image: Leica
The Lux app’s manual exposure controls, which are restricted to paying subscribers.

If you use Leica Lux in free mode, you’ll get five Leica Looks and one lens imitation. Unlocking all the color profiles, software lenses, and pro-oriented features like manual exposure controls costs $6.99 per month or a nice $69.99 per year.

I’ve had a brief chance to use a prerelease beta version of Leica Lux on my iPhone 15 Pro, and the early results seem mixed at best. The interface is nicely put together, with a streamlined menu system and lightly customizable controls that center nifty features like exposure compensation and a live histogram. It’s sleek — and a bit reminiscent of another popular iOS third-party camera app, Halide. Leica Lux also sorts in your downloaded photos from Leica cameras, as I was greeted with some of my personal Leica Q2 images when I opened the in-app gallery.

The Leica Looks add some nice one-click-and-your-done drama to images, though some are a little heavy-handed with a “filtered” look that’s sure to polarize. The portrait mode / lens simulations are also pretty hit or miss, and when they miss, they can miss badly.

The photos often have a very cut-out look that seems more than a few generations behind the portrait modes you see from Apple and Google — and nothing touches Samsung right now. I’ve also seen it render some weird pixelated blockiness at the edges of the in-focus subject, but for now, I’ll concede to the app’s beta status.

Even when the lens simulation is done nicely, you have to contend with the fact that Apple’s own software isn’t always friendly to third-party apps. Leica Lux doesn’t allow you to reverse a portrait mode shot to bail yourself out with a regular-looking photo, unlike you can do on Apple’s own camera app. In fact, viewing Leica Lux photos in the iOS camera roll allows you to add Apple’s own portrait and bokeh effects, which is a weird anachronism that’s guaranteed to wreck any photo.

This isn’t Leica’s first foray in trying to milk its loyal fan base for that sweet sweet recurring revenue stream. For a period of time, it moved features of its Leica Fotos app behind a pro-tier paywall, forcing photographers who transfer images from actual Leica cameras to their phones to pay for things like an Adobe Lightroom integration. Full disclosure: I was working for Leica Camera USA at the time of this Fotos Pro rollout, and I can tell you photographers were far from thrilled. It didn’t take very long for Leica to reverse course and make all features of its Fotos app free again.

Leica Lux, on the other hand, is something wholly new — well, mostly. Leica Looks debuted previously in the Fotos app for owners of newer cameras like the Q3 and SL3, allowing transferred images to have profiles applied to them on an iPhone or Android device. What’s really new in the Lux app is the lens bokeh simulations and the fact that you can Leica-fy your iPhone camera experience. There are some fun ideas and a nice design here for Leica fans, but it requires some nickel-and-diming to take full advantage of it.

Read More 

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds are on sale for an all-time low of $239

The best deal is on the black version, but the white and blue options are also on sale right now. | Image: Bose

There are many wireless earbuds to choose from these days, but the best ones for those prioritizing noise cancellation are on sale for less than ever before. Right now, you can get the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds at Amazon in black for just $239 ($60 off), an all-time low. If you prefer a brighter shade, Amazon, Best Buy, and Target are selling the white and blue models starting at $249 — just $10 more.

The QC Ultra Earbuds are our top pick among wireless buds for drowning out loud noises and everyday sounds. They have the best ANC you’re going to find in a pair of wireless earbuds right now and are only eclipsed by full-size noise-canceling headphones that fully cover up your ears. Although they’re similar to the last-gen QuietComfort Earbuds II in fit and finish, they have a revised design that’s a little comfier thanks to onboard stabilizer fins, not to mention improved voice call quality and support for Bose’s new spatial audio feature. The sound quality for music is still rich and lively, too, if slightly bass-forward, but it’s their very capable noise-cancellation tech that makes them an ideal companion for commuting and travel.

Read our Bose QC Ultra Earbuds review.

Some deals that aren’t for your ears (unless you risk injury)

Father’s Day is fast approaching — we should know, having recently published our 2024 Father’s Day gift guide. Luckily, the new Super Mario RPG remake for the Nintendo Switch, which makes for an excellent gift, is currently on sale at Amazon and Walmart for $39.95 ($20 off). The revitalized version of the Square Enix (then SquareSoft) classic is a quirky, turn-based RPG, one that was bound to get its due at some point or another. Read our review.
The circular, typewriter-like keys on Logitech’s Pop Keys may not be for everyone, but the playful 75 percent mechanical keyboard is selling for $79.99 ($20 off) at Amazon and Best Buy. The wireless board comes in five vibrant color combos, each with a dedicated set of emoji keys. The black and yellow model is available for even less ($59.99), though it’s currently only available via a third-party retailer with Amazon fulfillment. Read our review.
You can pick up a pair of Sengled smart bulbs on clearance at Best Buy for just $17.99 ($17 off) right now. The 60W, 800-lumen color bulbs are compatible with both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. And, unlike many competing LED offerings, they can connect to your home Wi-Fi network without the need for a hub.

The best deal is on the black version, but the white and blue options are also on sale right now. | Image: Bose

There are many wireless earbuds to choose from these days, but the best ones for those prioritizing noise cancellation are on sale for less than ever before. Right now, you can get the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds at Amazon in black for just $239 ($60 off), an all-time low. If you prefer a brighter shade, Amazon, Best Buy, and Target are selling the white and blue models starting at $249 — just $10 more.

The QC Ultra Earbuds are our top pick among wireless buds for drowning out loud noises and everyday sounds. They have the best ANC you’re going to find in a pair of wireless earbuds right now and are only eclipsed by full-size noise-canceling headphones that fully cover up your ears. Although they’re similar to the last-gen QuietComfort Earbuds II in fit and finish, they have a revised design that’s a little comfier thanks to onboard stabilizer fins, not to mention improved voice call quality and support for Bose’s new spatial audio feature. The sound quality for music is still rich and lively, too, if slightly bass-forward, but it’s their very capable noise-cancellation tech that makes them an ideal companion for commuting and travel.

Read our Bose QC Ultra Earbuds review.

Some deals that aren’t for your ears (unless you risk injury)

Father’s Day is fast approaching — we should know, having recently published our 2024 Father’s Day gift guide. Luckily, the new Super Mario RPG remake for the Nintendo Switch, which makes for an excellent gift, is currently on sale at Amazon and Walmart for $39.95 ($20 off). The revitalized version of the Square Enix (then SquareSoft) classic is a quirky, turn-based RPG, one that was bound to get its due at some point or another. Read our review.
The circular, typewriter-like keys on Logitech’s Pop Keys may not be for everyone, but the playful 75 percent mechanical keyboard is selling for $79.99 ($20 off) at Amazon and Best Buy. The wireless board comes in five vibrant color combos, each with a dedicated set of emoji keys. The black and yellow model is available for even less ($59.99), though it’s currently only available via a third-party retailer with Amazon fulfillment. Read our review.
You can pick up a pair of Sengled smart bulbs on clearance at Best Buy for just $17.99 ($17 off) right now. The 60W, 800-lumen color bulbs are compatible with both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. And, unlike many competing LED offerings, they can connect to your home Wi-Fi network without the need for a hub.

Read More 

Humane is reportedly trying to sell itself to HP for $1 billion

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

Following rumors that Humane is hunting for a potential buyer for its AI Pin business, a new report suggests that HP may be a contender. According to The New York Times, Humane started talking to HP about selling itself for more than $1 billion around a week after reviews emerged that widely panned its $699 wearable AI computer pin.
That figure is also reflective of a similar report from Bloomberg last month that said the Humane is “seeking a price of between $750 million and $1 billion.” It also isn’t inconceivable for HP, which previously acquired Palm hardware and its webOS operating system for $1.2 billion in 2010. HP killed all Palm-related production and support the following year, citing poor sales. LG now owns webOS.
Humane executives reportedly had to chill the AI Pin with ice packs to keep it running longer
Humane — led by former Apple employees Imran Chaudhri and Bethany Bongiorno — has not responded well to criticism regarding its product, having slammed negative reviews for their lack of optimism. The AI Pin was widely criticized for not living up to its claimed expectations, with the company later emailing customers to warn them that the device’s charging case “may pose a fire safety risk.” The AI Pin’s laser display would also cause the device to overheat, with the Times reporting that Humane executives previously had to chill it with ice packs to keep it running longer.
The company reportedly fired a senior software engineer in February for questioning if the pin was ready for launch, which the Times says violates a policy restricting employees from talking negatively about Humane. Former and current employees told the publication that Chaudhri and Bongiorno disregarded warnings about the AI Pin’s poor battery life and power consumption, preferring “positivity over criticism.”
The Times reports that Humane had received around 10,000 orders for the AI Pin as of early April, significantly behind the 100,000 units it was aiming to sell this year. “You don’t know everything before you launch,” Bongiorno said in an interview with the Times, with Chaudhri adding they “definitely wish that we were able to resolve some of those things a little bit differently” regarding the AI Pin’s poor reviews.

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

Following rumors that Humane is hunting for a potential buyer for its AI Pin business, a new report suggests that HP may be a contender. According to The New York Times, Humane started talking to HP about selling itself for more than $1 billion around a week after reviews emerged that widely panned its $699 wearable AI computer pin.

That figure is also reflective of a similar report from Bloomberg last month that said the Humane is “seeking a price of between $750 million and $1 billion.” It also isn’t inconceivable for HP, which previously acquired Palm hardware and its webOS operating system for $1.2 billion in 2010. HP killed all Palm-related production and support the following year, citing poor sales. LG now owns webOS.

Humane executives reportedly had to chill the AI Pin with ice packs to keep it running longer

Humane — led by former Apple employees Imran Chaudhri and Bethany Bongiorno — has not responded well to criticism regarding its product, having slammed negative reviews for their lack of optimism. The AI Pin was widely criticized for not living up to its claimed expectations, with the company later emailing customers to warn them that the device’s charging case “may pose a fire safety risk.” The AI Pin’s laser display would also cause the device to overheat, with the Times reporting that Humane executives previously had to chill it with ice packs to keep it running longer.

The company reportedly fired a senior software engineer in February for questioning if the pin was ready for launch, which the Times says violates a policy restricting employees from talking negatively about Humane. Former and current employees told the publication that Chaudhri and Bongiorno disregarded warnings about the AI Pin’s poor battery life and power consumption, preferring “positivity over criticism.”

The Times reports that Humane had received around 10,000 orders for the AI Pin as of early April, significantly behind the 100,000 units it was aiming to sell this year. “You don’t know everything before you launch,” Bongiorno said in an interview with the Times, with Chaudhri adding they “definitely wish that we were able to resolve some of those things a little bit differently” regarding the AI Pin’s poor reviews.

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It’s Nerf darts or nothing for these slick new blasters

The first four Nerf N-Series blasters shipped to reviewers.

When I was a kid, “It’s Nerf or nothing” meant you couldn’t find a better dart blaster. Starting today, it means you’ll have to buy Hasbro’s own overpriced darts if you buy Hasbro blasters for your kids.
The company is revealing its new Nerf N-Series lineup today, and a new “N1” dart it’s calling “the future” of the Nerf brand — a future where Hasbro blasters for 8- to 14-year-olds only fire Hasbro darts that cost three to five times the competition. Lose a dart? That’ll be 25 cents, because only official darts have the patented nub that pushes a safety mechanism out of the way.

Nerf says it literally built 1,000 different darts to get the range, accuracy, and safety it wanted.

The integral nub at the back. If you squeeze it, air comes out the hole.

The blasters themselves are cool, but is it Nerf’s derided Ultra all over again? Not quite, for three important reasons.
First, while today’s new blasters for kids won’t support any existing dart or magazine, the company says the Nerf Pro brand — which does — will live on. “We are expanding on the [age] 14+ blaster line we launched with the Stryfe X,” Nerf product design manager John Falkowski confirms when I ask. “I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised with what you see when those items are announced.”

Second — see gallery above — the new N-Series blasters are big, bold, mostly satisfying designs that shoot darts notably further than Hasbro’s previous kid-friendly options! By making the new N1 dart shorter, wider, and squishier, Nerf can now fire them out at 90 feet per second, compared to 70fps for the Elite darts they’re replacing, without increasing the dart’s weight (still 1 gram) or their impact on a kid.
I measured four of the new blasters with my chronograph, and they’re all averaging 90fps — except the secondary barrel of the two-shot Ward pistol, which hit 83-84fps. The darts do still fly off target with the slightest crosswind, I immediately find, but many fly quite straight without it.

Nerf’s N1 dart (orange), compared to the Elite (deep blue), Ultra (black), Mega and Mega XL (red, light blue), and a Worker short dart (purple) favored by the nerf community.

Safety is the reason Nerf is breaking compatibility with a decade-plus of Elite darts, explains Falkowski. The new dart’s wider and shorter so it can be softer and safer, and the proprietary nub is there to “maintain the integrity of the Nerf brand” by guaranteeing a certain amount of safety at that speed. As a result, Hasbro won’t ship safety glasses with these blasters.

“There’s always pros and cons to a closed system,” admits Nerf global marketing director Patrick Schneider, hinting I should look out for new blasters this fall that appeal to an older age group.
The third reason this isn’t a repeat of Ultra is the prices — they aren’t outrageous for these new blasters. While it does feel a tad ridiculous to ship a two-shot blaster with just two darts (you need to buy more if you lose even one!), $40 for the flagship Infinite, which comes with 80 darts, is more kid firepower than Nerf has offered at that price for quite a while. The derided Ultra line shipped with a far less interesting blaster for $50.

Me, holding the Pinpoint. They’re all big enough for adults, with comfy grips.

None of this means Hasbro’s pulling ahead of the competition: rival companies have proven you don’t need to break compatibility with over a decade of Elite-sized darts in order to increase range and accuracy while satisfying requirements for safety. While Hasbro says these darts are better than its own Elite in every way, that’s an incredibly low bar, and the team dodged my question about how they stack up to rival darts that cost far less.
But I can’t deny these blasters look and feel pretty great — aside from the occasional jam on my Infinite review unit, not sure what’s going on there — and that I would have enjoyed them back when I was a kid.

A leaked image of the Sprinter.

In the US, Target will additionally get two exclusive blasters: the pump-action shotgun-like $25 Strikeback, with a six-dart internal clip and side panels that spring forward to provide a sense of recoil when fired; and the $30 Shadow Storm, a top-priming pistol with an eight-dart internal clip that comes with attachable barrel, stock, and sight.
Walmart will get the $30 Sprinter, the only motorized blaster in the line, which takes six AA batteries and has a 16-dart detachable magazine and semi-auto firing.
The first N-Series blasters will arrive in June and July.
Photography by Sean Hollister / The Verge

The first four Nerf N-Series blasters shipped to reviewers.

When I was a kid, “It’s Nerf or nothing” meant you couldn’t find a better dart blaster. Starting today, it means you’ll have to buy Hasbro’s own overpriced darts if you buy Hasbro blasters for your kids.

The company is revealing its new Nerf N-Series lineup today, and a new “N1” dart it’s calling “the future” of the Nerf brand — a future where Hasbro blasters for 8- to 14-year-olds only fire Hasbro darts that cost three to five times the competition. Lose a dart? That’ll be 25 cents, because only official darts have the patented nub that pushes a safety mechanism out of the way.

Nerf says it literally built 1,000 different darts to get the range, accuracy, and safety it wanted.

The integral nub at the back. If you squeeze it, air comes out the hole.

The blasters themselves are cool, but is it Nerf’s derided Ultra all over again? Not quite, for three important reasons.

First, while today’s new blasters for kids won’t support any existing dart or magazine, the company says the Nerf Pro brand — which does — will live on. “We are expanding on the [age] 14+ blaster line we launched with the Stryfe X,” Nerf product design manager John Falkowski confirms when I ask. “I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised with what you see when those items are announced.”

Second — see gallery above — the new N-Series blasters are big, bold, mostly satisfying designs that shoot darts notably further than Hasbro’s previous kid-friendly options! By making the new N1 dart shorter, wider, and squishier, Nerf can now fire them out at 90 feet per second, compared to 70fps for the Elite darts they’re replacing, without increasing the dart’s weight (still 1 gram) or their impact on a kid.

I measured four of the new blasters with my chronograph, and they’re all averaging 90fps — except the secondary barrel of the two-shot Ward pistol, which hit 83-84fps. The darts do still fly off target with the slightest crosswind, I immediately find, but many fly quite straight without it.

Nerf’s N1 dart (orange), compared to the Elite (deep blue), Ultra (black), Mega and Mega XL (red, light blue), and a Worker short dart (purple) favored by the nerf community.

Safety is the reason Nerf is breaking compatibility with a decade-plus of Elite darts, explains Falkowski. The new dart’s wider and shorter so it can be softer and safer, and the proprietary nub is there to “maintain the integrity of the Nerf brand” by guaranteeing a certain amount of safety at that speed. As a result, Hasbro won’t ship safety glasses with these blasters.

“There’s always pros and cons to a closed system,” admits Nerf global marketing director Patrick Schneider, hinting I should look out for new blasters this fall that appeal to an older age group.

The third reason this isn’t a repeat of Ultra is the prices — they aren’t outrageous for these new blasters. While it does feel a tad ridiculous to ship a two-shot blaster with just two darts (you need to buy more if you lose even one!), $40 for the flagship Infinite, which comes with 80 darts, is more kid firepower than Nerf has offered at that price for quite a while. The derided Ultra line shipped with a far less interesting blaster for $50.

Me, holding the Pinpoint. They’re all big enough for adults, with comfy grips.

None of this means Hasbro’s pulling ahead of the competition: rival companies have proven you don’t need to break compatibility with over a decade of Elite-sized darts in order to increase range and accuracy while satisfying requirements for safety. While Hasbro says these darts are better than its own Elite in every way, that’s an incredibly low bar, and the team dodged my question about how they stack up to rival darts that cost far less.

But I can’t deny these blasters look and feel pretty great — aside from the occasional jam on my Infinite review unit, not sure what’s going on there — and that I would have enjoyed them back when I was a kid.

A leaked image of the Sprinter.

In the US, Target will additionally get two exclusive blasters: the pump-action shotgun-like $25 Strikeback, with a six-dart internal clip and side panels that spring forward to provide a sense of recoil when fired; and the $30 Shadow Storm, a top-priming pistol with an eight-dart internal clip that comes with attachable barrel, stock, and sight.

Walmart will get the $30 Sprinter, the only motorized blaster in the line, which takes six AA batteries and has a 16-dart detachable magazine and semi-auto firing.

The first N-Series blasters will arrive in June and July.

Photography by Sean Hollister / The Verge

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The US doesn’t make bicycles anymore — here’s how to change that

Photo by Mu Yu / Xinhua via Getty Images

Good luck finding a bicycle — an especially an e-bike — made in the US.
It only took 30 years for the US to lose its entire bike manufacturing industry. China dominates global bike manufacturing, with imports accounting for 97 percent of bikes purchased in the US, according to one report. Indeed, China has captured some 86.3 percent of the US bike market. And now tariffs threaten that market.
Congressman Earl Blumenauer sees an opportunity. The 75-year-old Democrat from bike-friendly Portland, Oregon, is introducing a new bill that aims to re-shore domestic bike manufacturing by stealing it back from China while also helping protect electric bikes from high tariffs that could put them out of reach for many Americans.
China dominates global bike manufacturing
His bill includes three different proposals:

A 10-year suspension of tariffs on imports of bike components, like frames, wheel rims, hubs, brakes, saddles, and electric motors, to incentivize domestic bike assembly;
A transferrable e-bike production tax credit for bikes manufactured in the US to encourage companies to utilize domestic manufacturing;
Low-interest loans, repayable after 12 years, for bike manufacturers to buy production equipment and other capital expenses.

Blumenauer also wants to close the loophole that allows for the import of cheap Chinese e-bikes with safety checks, some of which have been linked to deadly fires caused by faulty batteries. And he is continuing to lobby for his bill to give Americans a $1,500 discount on the purchase of a new electric bike.
And he’s trying to get it all done before he retires at the end of the year, after half-a-century spent in Congress. Its been tough trying to get his deeply polarized colleagues to band together to support, of all things, bikes and cycling. His e-bike rebate program remains stalled. All everyone wants to talk about is electric cars. But Blumenauer, who chairs the Congressional Bike Caucus, sees these efforts as part of the legacy he wants to leave behind.

Photo By Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call
Rep. Earl Blumenauer, left, from 2011.

“This is a chance for a reset,” he said in an interview with The Verge. “People understand bicycles are different.”
He cited the e-bike boom in the wake of the covid-19 pandemic, in which millions of people found freedom from isolation and boredom in the purchase of an e-bike. After enjoying years of popularity in Europe and China, it turned out Americans liked e-bikes too.
It was an added bonus that e-bikes have been linked to fewer car trips, which has the potential to reduce carbon emissions, slash pollution, and minimize climate change. And some cities responded to the popularity of e-bikes by installing bike lanes and building protective infrastructure to help convince people its safe to get out of their cars and on their bikes, and setting up local tax credit and rebate programs to lower prices.

But the country’s trade policies, especially as they relate to China, could end up bringing all that positive momentum to a halt. Last month, the Biden administration announced major new tariffs on Chinese imports, including electric vehicles, batteries, solar cells, and a range of other goods — seeking to prevent China from flooding the market with cheap products that could endanger domestic manufacturers.
E-bikes find themselves caught in the crossfire. The Office of the United States Trade Representative has said that e-bike batteries imported from China would be subject to 25 percent tariffs starting in 2026, up from 7.5 percent. Past exemptions would no longer apply.
But rather than let tariffs kneecap the e-bike industry right as its gaining steam, Blumenauer is proposing a 10-year suspension to let US companies catch up and establish supply chains that circumnavigate countries like China.

“It takes some time,” he said. “You can’t do it overnight.”
That’s where his domestic manufacturing incentives come into play. Blumenauer is proposing a 20 percent tax credit based on the sales price of a bike produced in the US. If a manufacturer sells a domestically produced bike to a retailer for $1,000, they would then receive a $200 tax credit based on that sale. And the credit would be fully transferrable, meaning if a company doesn’t have enough tax liability to use the credit, it could transfer or sell its credits to another company.
Working in concert with the tax credit is a low-interest loan — around 1 percent, repaid after 12 years — to help companies buy the necessary equipment to begin making their bikes in the US. Companies would need to meet certain benchmarks, like paying a prevailing wage and producing a certain number of bikes a year. But Blumenauer sees it as a strong economic incentive that will help a lot of companies build up manufacturing capabilities from nothing.
E-bikes are finding themselves caught in the crossfire
“There’s a change in mindset and awareness,” he said. “The e-bike is one of those elements giving domestic production a shot, you know, a toehold. I think would make a significant difference.”
It’s a task taller than the tallest tall-bike. The US used to be a bike-manufacturing powerhouse, but those days are long gone. The homegrown players failed to anticipate the popularity of “sports bikes” in the 1960s, allowing foreign imports to quickly dominate the market. First came Taiwan, and then by the 1990s, China rose to prominence. The writing was on the wall.
Today, its one of the most China-dependent industries in the US, but you hardly hear a peep from policymakers. The Biden administration is happy to spend billions of dollars to prop up electric vehicle production, on the pretense of fighting climate change. But the president has failed to extend the same incentivizing hand to bicycles and, more importantly, e-bikes — despite their own climate bonafides.
Today, its one of the most China-dependent industries in the US
It’s not hard to see why. The US is a nation steeped in car culture. The advent of the automobile spurred a multi-decade highway building campaign that effectively subsidized the auto industry, gobbling up land, and squeezing out smaller, more economical modes of getting around, including public transportation. And cars have repaid us by wreaking havoc on our environment, our built environment, and our health. Now we’re left to deal with the mess we created.
But bikes — and especially e-bikes — present an opportunity to correct the sins of the past. They won’t fix everything. We also need more walkable cities and sustainable transit options. But bikes will be an important weapon in the fight against car culture and climate change.
Blumenauer’s bill faces an uphill battle: divided Congress, no more common ground, bikes perceived as a niche industry. Plus Blumenauer’s imminent retirement. He’s not convinced he’ll get it done before he leaves, so he’s reaching out to colleagues to see who can carry it over the finish line.
“There is growing awareness of the role that the bicycle plays across the board,” Blumenauer said. “It’s the most efficient form of transportation ever designed. And when we combine this inherent advantage of the bicycle with electrification, modernized and domestic, I think it’ll build the momentum we need.”

Photo by Mu Yu / Xinhua via Getty Images

Good luck finding a bicycle — an especially an e-bike — made in the US.

It only took 30 years for the US to lose its entire bike manufacturing industry. China dominates global bike manufacturing, with imports accounting for 97 percent of bikes purchased in the US, according to one report. Indeed, China has captured some 86.3 percent of the US bike market. And now tariffs threaten that market.

Congressman Earl Blumenauer sees an opportunity. The 75-year-old Democrat from bike-friendly Portland, Oregon, is introducing a new bill that aims to re-shore domestic bike manufacturing by stealing it back from China while also helping protect electric bikes from high tariffs that could put them out of reach for many Americans.

China dominates global bike manufacturing

His bill includes three different proposals:

A 10-year suspension of tariffs on imports of bike components, like frames, wheel rims, hubs, brakes, saddles, and electric motors, to incentivize domestic bike assembly;
A transferrable e-bike production tax credit for bikes manufactured in the US to encourage companies to utilize domestic manufacturing;
Low-interest loans, repayable after 12 years, for bike manufacturers to buy production equipment and other capital expenses.

Blumenauer also wants to close the loophole that allows for the import of cheap Chinese e-bikes with safety checks, some of which have been linked to deadly fires caused by faulty batteries. And he is continuing to lobby for his bill to give Americans a $1,500 discount on the purchase of a new electric bike.

And he’s trying to get it all done before he retires at the end of the year, after half-a-century spent in Congress. Its been tough trying to get his deeply polarized colleagues to band together to support, of all things, bikes and cycling. His e-bike rebate program remains stalled. All everyone wants to talk about is electric cars. But Blumenauer, who chairs the Congressional Bike Caucus, sees these efforts as part of the legacy he wants to leave behind.

Photo By Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call
Rep. Earl Blumenauer, left, from 2011.

“This is a chance for a reset,” he said in an interview with The Verge. “People understand bicycles are different.”

He cited the e-bike boom in the wake of the covid-19 pandemic, in which millions of people found freedom from isolation and boredom in the purchase of an e-bike. After enjoying years of popularity in Europe and China, it turned out Americans liked e-bikes too.

It was an added bonus that e-bikes have been linked to fewer car trips, which has the potential to reduce carbon emissions, slash pollution, and minimize climate change. And some cities responded to the popularity of e-bikes by installing bike lanes and building protective infrastructure to help convince people its safe to get out of their cars and on their bikes, and setting up local tax credit and rebate programs to lower prices.

But the country’s trade policies, especially as they relate to China, could end up bringing all that positive momentum to a halt. Last month, the Biden administration announced major new tariffs on Chinese imports, including electric vehicles, batteries, solar cells, and a range of other goods — seeking to prevent China from flooding the market with cheap products that could endanger domestic manufacturers.

E-bikes find themselves caught in the crossfire. The Office of the United States Trade Representative has said that e-bike batteries imported from China would be subject to 25 percent tariffs starting in 2026, up from 7.5 percent. Past exemptions would no longer apply.

But rather than let tariffs kneecap the e-bike industry right as its gaining steam, Blumenauer is proposing a 10-year suspension to let US companies catch up and establish supply chains that circumnavigate countries like China.

“It takes some time,” he said. “You can’t do it overnight.”

That’s where his domestic manufacturing incentives come into play. Blumenauer is proposing a 20 percent tax credit based on the sales price of a bike produced in the US. If a manufacturer sells a domestically produced bike to a retailer for $1,000, they would then receive a $200 tax credit based on that sale. And the credit would be fully transferrable, meaning if a company doesn’t have enough tax liability to use the credit, it could transfer or sell its credits to another company.

Working in concert with the tax credit is a low-interest loan — around 1 percent, repaid after 12 years — to help companies buy the necessary equipment to begin making their bikes in the US. Companies would need to meet certain benchmarks, like paying a prevailing wage and producing a certain number of bikes a year. But Blumenauer sees it as a strong economic incentive that will help a lot of companies build up manufacturing capabilities from nothing.

E-bikes are finding themselves caught in the crossfire

“There’s a change in mindset and awareness,” he said. “The e-bike is one of those elements giving domestic production a shot, you know, a toehold. I think would make a significant difference.”

It’s a task taller than the tallest tall-bike. The US used to be a bike-manufacturing powerhouse, but those days are long gone. The homegrown players failed to anticipate the popularity of “sports bikes” in the 1960s, allowing foreign imports to quickly dominate the market. First came Taiwan, and then by the 1990s, China rose to prominence. The writing was on the wall.

Today, its one of the most China-dependent industries in the US, but you hardly hear a peep from policymakers. The Biden administration is happy to spend billions of dollars to prop up electric vehicle production, on the pretense of fighting climate change. But the president has failed to extend the same incentivizing hand to bicycles and, more importantly, e-bikes — despite their own climate bonafides.

Today, its one of the most China-dependent industries in the US

It’s not hard to see why. The US is a nation steeped in car culture. The advent of the automobile spurred a multi-decade highway building campaign that effectively subsidized the auto industry, gobbling up land, and squeezing out smaller, more economical modes of getting around, including public transportation. And cars have repaid us by wreaking havoc on our environment, our built environment, and our health. Now we’re left to deal with the mess we created.

But bikes — and especially e-bikes — present an opportunity to correct the sins of the past. They won’t fix everything. We also need more walkable cities and sustainable transit options. But bikes will be an important weapon in the fight against car culture and climate change.

Blumenauer’s bill faces an uphill battle: divided Congress, no more common ground, bikes perceived as a niche industry. Plus Blumenauer’s imminent retirement. He’s not convinced he’ll get it done before he leaves, so he’s reaching out to colleagues to see who can carry it over the finish line.

“There is growing awareness of the role that the bicycle plays across the board,” Blumenauer said. “It’s the most efficient form of transportation ever designed. And when we combine this inherent advantage of the bicycle with electrification, modernized and domestic, I think it’ll build the momentum we need.”

Read More 

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