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Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

More than 40 people working on the YouTube Music content operations team were fired in February, about a year after going on strike. On Thursday, 46 Democratic members of Congress sent a letter to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) urging the agency to act quickly on cases filed by the YouTube contractors, who worked on approving music content, against Google.
The letter, signed by Congressional Labor Caucus co-chairs Donald Norcross (D-NJ) and Mark Pocan (D-WI) and Reps. Greg Casar (D-TX), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Maxine Waters (D-CA), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), and 41 other members of Congress, says “we write to express our serious concern regarding alleged retaliation and other coercive actions” taken against the workers.
The letter also notes an incident last year with workers on the team training the Bard AI chatbot, saying, “This is not the first time that Google workers have been fired after attempting to organize their workplace. After Google Content Creation Operations workers took steps to unionize their workplace in June of 2023, Google fired 80 members of the 119 member team.”
The team said many of its workers were paid as little as $19 an hour and could not afford to follow Google’s return-to-office mandate, as going to the office would be expensive. The Alphabet Workers Union-CWA union representing the workers filed several unfair labor practice complaints against the subcontractor Cognizant and Google as joint employers. The NLRB resolved some of these complaints, though 12 cases remain pending.
Google had claimed the decision to lay off the contractors laid with Cognizant and that it didn’t have to negotiate with the workers since they were employed by a contractor. The NLRB ruled in March 2023 that Google controlled the workers’ benefits, hours of work, and direction of work, so the company could be considered a partial employer. Google appealed, but the NLRB upheld its ruling in January of this year.
“Employees at Cognizant, Google, and other companies across the United States must be protected from unfair retaliation for exercising their rights to organize. The NLRB’s response to the termination of YouTube Music workers and alleged labor practice complaints may set important precedent for workers and companies across America,” the letter notes.

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

More than 40 people working on the YouTube Music content operations team were fired in February, about a year after going on strike. On Thursday, 46 Democratic members of Congress sent a letter to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) urging the agency to act quickly on cases filed by the YouTube contractors, who worked on approving music content, against Google.

The letter, signed by Congressional Labor Caucus co-chairs Donald Norcross (D-NJ) and Mark Pocan (D-WI) and Reps. Greg Casar (D-TX), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Maxine Waters (D-CA), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), and 41 other members of Congress, says “we write to express our serious concern regarding alleged retaliation and other coercive actions” taken against the workers.

The letter also notes an incident last year with workers on the team training the Bard AI chatbot, saying, “This is not the first time that Google workers have been fired after attempting to organize their workplace. After Google Content Creation Operations workers took steps to unionize their workplace in June of 2023, Google fired 80 members of the 119 member team.”

The team said many of its workers were paid as little as $19 an hour and could not afford to follow Google’s return-to-office mandate, as going to the office would be expensive. The Alphabet Workers Union-CWA union representing the workers filed several unfair labor practice complaints against the subcontractor Cognizant and Google as joint employers. The NLRB resolved some of these complaints, though 12 cases remain pending.

Google had claimed the decision to lay off the contractors laid with Cognizant and that it didn’t have to negotiate with the workers since they were employed by a contractor. The NLRB ruled in March 2023 that Google controlled the workers’ benefits, hours of work, and direction of work, so the company could be considered a partial employer. Google appealed, but the NLRB upheld its ruling in January of this year.

“Employees at Cognizant, Google, and other companies across the United States must be protected from unfair retaliation for exercising their rights to organize. The NLRB’s response to the termination of YouTube Music workers and alleged labor practice complaints may set important precedent for workers and companies across America,” the letter notes.

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The Sonos Move 2 comes in an olive color as well as the standard white and black. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

Sonos hype may be high right now thanks to the impending launch of the Ace headphones, but its tried-and-true speakers and soundbars are where the deals are at. Now through June 16th, you can save up to 25 percent off select Sonos soundbars and speakers — including some of the latest and greatest models in its Era and Move lines.

First up, the best deal is arguably on the Sonos Move 2, which launched in September and is now selling for a new low of $336 ($113 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Sonos. The beefy portable speaker offers up to 24 hours of stereo playback from its user-replaceable cell, which can also be used to charge external devices via USB-C. At 6.61 pounds, it may not be something you take with you everywhere, but the room-filling sound of the Move 2 makes it a great speaker to use around the house or for backyard parties. In addition to Sonos’ Wi-Fi-based multiroom ecosystem, you can connect to the Move 2 via Bluetooth for those times you don’t mind lugging it out of the house to somewhere like the park or beach.

If you prefer your portable speakers to be more, well, portable, the Sonos Roam SL is selling for $127 ($32 off) at Best Buy and Sonos. That’s a nice low price for the tiny combination Wi-Fi / Bluetooth speaker, which doesn’t have any microphones for those who don’t care for voice assistants. But the newer and seemingly much-improved Roam 2 now exists at $179 and our resident Sonos sleuth, Chris Welch, is working on his review, so I feel you should wait until that drops before buying the last-gen model (nice price or not).

Alternatively, if you want some home speakers that don’t need to travel, the Sonos Era 300 and Sonos Era 100 are on sale for $359 ($90 off at Amazon / Best Buy / Sonos) and $199 ($50 off at Amazon / Best Buy / Sonos), respectively. The Era 100 is the smaller model that fits in tighter spaces around the house but has impressive sound for its size. The Era 300 carries a more unique design that’s geared toward its support of spatial audio, making it an intriguing (though very premium) combination with the Arc soundbar. Both Era speakers also support line-in audio with Sonos’ optional USB-C adapter, meaning you can get a speaker that doubles as an amp for channeling your turntable into a whole-home wireless audio system; pretty nifty if that fits your needs.

If you’re looking for a soundbar instead of a standalone speaker, you can buy a Sonos soundbar on sale starting at $399 ($100 off at Sonos / Amazon / Best Buy) for the midrange second-gen Sonos Beam. If you don’t mind splurging, Sonos’ flagship soundbar — the Sonos Arc — is also on sale for $719 ($180 off at Sonos / Amazon / Best Buy). Both models put out some very good sound that’s much better than those tiny, tinny speakers on your TV, allowing you to better hear spoken dialogue and bringing a touch of rumble to climactic movie moments (especially in the big boy Arc). Plus, for any Ace early adopters, Sonos soundbars will support its slick handoff feature — allowing you to seamlessly switch audio from the bar to the headphones with one button. (The Arc will have this feature out of the gate, with the Beam and lower-end Ray supporting it later via software updates.)

The Beam is likely the right fit for most people, with HDMI eARC connectivity and Dolby Atmos support. The pricey Arc is for those who want the most features and the flexibility to pair it with more Sonos speakers for a surround sound experience.

The Sonos Move 2 comes in an olive color as well as the standard white and black. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

Sonos hype may be high right now thanks to the impending launch of the Ace headphones, but its tried-and-true speakers and soundbars are where the deals are at. Now through June 16th, you can save up to 25 percent off select Sonos soundbars and speakers — including some of the latest and greatest models in its Era and Move lines.

First up, the best deal is arguably on the Sonos Move 2, which launched in September and is now selling for a new low of $336 ($113 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Sonos. The beefy portable speaker offers up to 24 hours of stereo playback from its user-replaceable cell, which can also be used to charge external devices via USB-C. At 6.61 pounds, it may not be something you take with you everywhere, but the room-filling sound of the Move 2 makes it a great speaker to use around the house or for backyard parties. In addition to Sonos’ Wi-Fi-based multiroom ecosystem, you can connect to the Move 2 via Bluetooth for those times you don’t mind lugging it out of the house to somewhere like the park or beach.

If you prefer your portable speakers to be more, well, portable, the Sonos Roam SL is selling for $127 ($32 off) at Best Buy and Sonos. That’s a nice low price for the tiny combination Wi-Fi / Bluetooth speaker, which doesn’t have any microphones for those who don’t care for voice assistants. But the newer and seemingly much-improved Roam 2 now exists at $179 and our resident Sonos sleuth, Chris Welch, is working on his review, so I feel you should wait until that drops before buying the last-gen model (nice price or not).

Alternatively, if you want some home speakers that don’t need to travel, the Sonos Era 300 and Sonos Era 100 are on sale for $359 ($90 off at Amazon / Best Buy / Sonos) and $199 ($50 off at Amazon / Best Buy / Sonos), respectively. The Era 100 is the smaller model that fits in tighter spaces around the house but has impressive sound for its size. The Era 300 carries a more unique design that’s geared toward its support of spatial audio, making it an intriguing (though very premium) combination with the Arc soundbar. Both Era speakers also support line-in audio with Sonos’ optional USB-C adapter, meaning you can get a speaker that doubles as an amp for channeling your turntable into a whole-home wireless audio system; pretty nifty if that fits your needs.

If you’re looking for a soundbar instead of a standalone speaker, you can buy a Sonos soundbar on sale starting at $399 ($100 off at Sonos / Amazon / Best Buy) for the midrange second-gen Sonos Beam. If you don’t mind splurging, Sonos’ flagship soundbar — the Sonos Arc — is also on sale for $719 ($180 off at Sonos / Amazon / Best Buy). Both models put out some very good sound that’s much better than those tiny, tinny speakers on your TV, allowing you to better hear spoken dialogue and bringing a touch of rumble to climactic movie moments (especially in the big boy Arc). Plus, for any Ace early adopters, Sonos soundbars will support its slick handoff feature — allowing you to seamlessly switch audio from the bar to the headphones with one button. (The Arc will have this feature out of the gate, with the Beam and lower-end Ray supporting it later via software updates.)

The Beam is likely the right fit for most people, with HDMI eARC connectivity and Dolby Atmos support. The pricey Arc is for those who want the most features and the flexibility to pair it with more Sonos speakers for a surround sound experience.

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Image: Amazon

Amazon is getting FAA approval to fly its Prime Air drones farther than ever before. The agency has granted Amazon permission to operate package delivery drones beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS), which is farther than a human can see. It’s a milestone that could be a huge boon to the company’s long-running ambition to deliver products to customers in 30 minutes.
With the regulatory hurdle out of the way, Amazon is set to “immediately” scale its operations in College Station, Texas, so it can fly more drones and make deliveries in more densely populated areas that are farther out. The location’s expansion will make use of the company’s current MK27 drone, which can carry packages up to five pounds and is outfitted with onboard detect-and-avoid capabilities that the FAA has now blessed. Amazon is also working on a new lighter MK30 drone that can fly faster and through rain.
Amazon’s new FAA approval comes after it shut down its testing operations site in Lockeford, California, after a long approval process to get customer deliveries running. Amazon is now in the process of opening a new Prime Air location in Tolleson, Arizona. Amazon was granted BVLOS after other drone delivery operators had already received clearance, including UPS, Wing, FedEx, and Zipline.

Image: Amazon

Amazon is getting FAA approval to fly its Prime Air drones farther than ever before. The agency has granted Amazon permission to operate package delivery drones beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS), which is farther than a human can see. It’s a milestone that could be a huge boon to the company’s long-running ambition to deliver products to customers in 30 minutes.

With the regulatory hurdle out of the way, Amazon is set to “immediately” scale its operations in College Station, Texas, so it can fly more drones and make deliveries in more densely populated areas that are farther out. The location’s expansion will make use of the company’s current MK27 drone, which can carry packages up to five pounds and is outfitted with onboard detect-and-avoid capabilities that the FAA has now blessed. Amazon is also working on a new lighter MK30 drone that can fly faster and through rain.

Amazon’s new FAA approval comes after it shut down its testing operations site in Lockeford, California, after a long approval process to get customer deliveries running. Amazon is now in the process of opening a new Prime Air location in Tolleson, Arizona. Amazon was granted BVLOS after other drone delivery operators had already received clearance, including UPS, Wing, FedEx, and Zipline.

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Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

It seems that the summer of live gaming events is kicking off a little earlier than expected. Sony joined the festivities by announcing its next State of Play showcase, which will air a full week before the busy Summer Game Fest period kicks off. This will be the second such showcase of the year for Sony; earlier in the year, we got fresh looks at Death Stranding 2 and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and the surprise launch of a Silent Hill game.

The May showcase promises to be a rapid-fire event. While we don’t know exactly what will be featured, Sony says that it will include 14 games in around 30 minutes, spanning both PS5 and PS VR2. There are a number of high-profile titles in the works that could potentially make an appearance, including Insomniac’s Wolverine, Bungie’s new Marathon, and Firewalk’s multiplayer shooter Concord. Meanwhile, Remedy appears to be teasing something Alan Wake-related, and we could also get the official details on Sony’s PS VR2 adapter for PC.
Where and when can I watch Sony’s PlayStation State of Play?
The event kicks off on May 30th at 3PM PT / 6PM ET, and you can watch it in a bunch of places: YouTube, Twitch, and TikTok.

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

It seems that the summer of live gaming events is kicking off a little earlier than expected. Sony joined the festivities by announcing its next State of Play showcase, which will air a full week before the busy Summer Game Fest period kicks off. This will be the second such showcase of the year for Sony; earlier in the year, we got fresh looks at Death Stranding 2 and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and the surprise launch of a Silent Hill game.

The May showcase promises to be a rapid-fire event. While we don’t know exactly what will be featured, Sony says that it will include 14 games in around 30 minutes, spanning both PS5 and PS VR2. There are a number of high-profile titles in the works that could potentially make an appearance, including Insomniac’s Wolverine, Bungie’s new Marathon, and Firewalk’s multiplayer shooter Concord. Meanwhile, Remedy appears to be teasing something Alan Wake-related, and we could also get the official details on Sony’s PS VR2 adapter for PC.

Where and when can I watch Sony’s PlayStation State of Play?

The event kicks off on May 30th at 3PM PT / 6PM ET, and you can watch it in a bunch of places: YouTube, Twitch, and TikTok.

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Illustration: The Verge

I’ve been using Google Maps for years, and I never knew there was an option to message businesses in the app — that is until I saw this post from Search Engine Land, which says it’s going away.
The feature, called business profile chat, lets you message a business through the Google Maps and Search apps to ask questions, book an appointment, or request quotes. If a company has business profile chat enabled, you’ll see a “Chat” option next to the “Call” and “Directions” icons in Maps or Search. Tap on it, and you can start a conversation.

Image: The Verge
I’ve never noticed the “Chat” option on Google Maps.

But now, it’s headed to the Google graveyard. In a notice posted to its website, Google says it will no longer offer the ability for customers to start new conversations in Google Maps and Search on July 15th, 2024, and will cut off existing conversations on July 31st, 2024. Businesses have until August 30th, 2024, to download their conversation history through Google Takeout.
Like Google’s other messaging services, the history of business profile chat is a little confusing. As pointed out by Ars Technica, Google first started letting customers message businesses on Maps in 2017, but it would open up the conversation in your SMS app or Google Allo (RIP) rather than in Maps itself. Google built messaging directly into Maps in 2018.
Even though I never knew this feature existed, it seems like it would’ve been a handy way to get in touch with a business without calling them. After July 15th, you’ll have to use the business messaging services offered by Apple, WhatsApp, or Facebook Messenger instead.

Illustration: The Verge

I’ve been using Google Maps for years, and I never knew there was an option to message businesses in the app — that is until I saw this post from Search Engine Land, which says it’s going away.

The feature, called business profile chat, lets you message a business through the Google Maps and Search apps to ask questions, book an appointment, or request quotes. If a company has business profile chat enabled, you’ll see a “Chat” option next to the “Call” and “Directions” icons in Maps or Search. Tap on it, and you can start a conversation.

Image: The Verge
I’ve never noticed the “Chat” option on Google Maps.

But now, it’s headed to the Google graveyard. In a notice posted to its website, Google says it will no longer offer the ability for customers to start new conversations in Google Maps and Search on July 15th, 2024, and will cut off existing conversations on July 31st, 2024. Businesses have until August 30th, 2024, to download their conversation history through Google Takeout.

Like Google’s other messaging services, the history of business profile chat is a little confusing. As pointed out by Ars Technica, Google first started letting customers message businesses on Maps in 2017, but it would open up the conversation in your SMS app or Google Allo (RIP) rather than in Maps itself. Google built messaging directly into Maps in 2018.

Even though I never knew this feature existed, it seems like it would’ve been a handy way to get in touch with a business without calling them. After July 15th, you’ll have to use the business messaging services offered by Apple, WhatsApp, or Facebook Messenger instead.

Read More 

This is Hera’s asteroid framing camera being used in Spain for testing navigation algorithms. | Image: MPS / GMV

The European Space Agency (ESA) is running some of the final tests required to launch its Hera mission this October, which aims to investigate the asteroid that NASA intentionally slammed a spacecraft into back in 2022. The goal is to gather more accurate information about the collision to help develop systems that can protect our planet by deflecting asteroids that head our way.
The spacecraft for the Hera mission is undergoing preflight testing, alongside the Guidance Navigation and Control (GNC) system it needs to maneuver around the Dimorphos and Didymos binary asteroid system. The GNC system is being validated via virtual tests conducted in Spain and Germany using replicas of Hera spacecraft components.
“The system for Hera’s interplanetary cruise phase — which of course is the most critical to be ready for launch — is now fully tested using the actual spacecraft flight model,” said ESA GNC engineer Jesus Gil Fernandez in the announcement blog. “This phase will end at asteroid arrival when camera images will be used to distinguish the asteroid from background stars by spotting its gradual motion across successive images.”

Image: ESA – Science Office
Here’s a timeline of the Hera mission following its launch this October.

The main objective of the autonomous Hera mission is to assess what actually happened to Dimorphos, the smaller asteroid that NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission impacted, to help guide planetary defense systems. Even for a space mission, the nature of the paired asteroid system — which has a combined gravity field tens of thousands of times weaker than Earth — makes it a difficult destination to navigate. The collision with NASA’s DART spacecraft has also shifted the orbit around Didymos and likely made some major changes to its overall shape.
The ESA is currently focused on the GNC for the follow-on proximity operations phase of Hera’s mission, according to Gil Fernandez, which is needed to bring the spacecraft as close as one kilometer (0.6 miles) to the two asteroids.

Like the technology behind autonomous cars, Hera’s GNC system will use a variety of different data sources to operate safely around Didymos. “Its main data source will be its main Asteroid Framing Camera, whose images are being used both for science and navigation,” said Gil Fernandez. “These images will be combined with other inputs to make a robust estimate of its position.”
You can read all the specific technical details about how the ESA is planning for Hera to overcome these navigational issues, including surface feature tracking and repeat velocity changes, in the agency’s blog post.
Provided the Hera mission is launched successfully this October, the spacecraft is expected to spend two years journeying through space — making a flyby past Mars to gain speed and observe its moon Deimos — before reaching the Didymos binary asteroid system in October 2026.

This is Hera’s asteroid framing camera being used in Spain for testing navigation algorithms. | Image: MPS / GMV

The European Space Agency (ESA) is running some of the final tests required to launch its Hera mission this October, which aims to investigate the asteroid that NASA intentionally slammed a spacecraft into back in 2022. The goal is to gather more accurate information about the collision to help develop systems that can protect our planet by deflecting asteroids that head our way.

The spacecraft for the Hera mission is undergoing preflight testing, alongside the Guidance Navigation and Control (GNC) system it needs to maneuver around the Dimorphos and Didymos binary asteroid system. The GNC system is being validated via virtual tests conducted in Spain and Germany using replicas of Hera spacecraft components.

“The system for Hera’s interplanetary cruise phase — which of course is the most critical to be ready for launch — is now fully tested using the actual spacecraft flight model,” said ESA GNC engineer Jesus Gil Fernandez in the announcement blog. “This phase will end at asteroid arrival when camera images will be used to distinguish the asteroid from background stars by spotting its gradual motion across successive images.”

Image: ESA – Science Office
Here’s a timeline of the Hera mission following its launch this October.

The main objective of the autonomous Hera mission is to assess what actually happened to Dimorphos, the smaller asteroid that NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission impacted, to help guide planetary defense systems. Even for a space mission, the nature of the paired asteroid system — which has a combined gravity field tens of thousands of times weaker than Earth — makes it a difficult destination to navigate. The collision with NASA’s DART spacecraft has also shifted the orbit around Didymos and likely made some major changes to its overall shape.

The ESA is currently focused on the GNC for the follow-on proximity operations phase of Hera’s mission, according to Gil Fernandez, which is needed to bring the spacecraft as close as one kilometer (0.6 miles) to the two asteroids.

Like the technology behind autonomous cars, Hera’s GNC system will use a variety of different data sources to operate safely around Didymos. “Its main data source will be its main Asteroid Framing Camera, whose images are being used both for science and navigation,” said Gil Fernandez. “These images will be combined with other inputs to make a robust estimate of its position.”

You can read all the specific technical details about how the ESA is planning for Hera to overcome these navigational issues, including surface feature tracking and repeat velocity changes, in the agency’s blog post.

Provided the Hera mission is launched successfully this October, the spacecraft is expected to spend two years journeying through space — making a flyby past Mars to gain speed and observe its moon Deimos — before reaching the Didymos binary asteroid system in October 2026.

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Minecraft. | Image: Mojang

Fifteen years after the game first launched, Minecraft is getting a new animated series on Netflix. The streamer announced that it’s making a show that will “feature an original story with new characters, showing the world of Minecraft in a new light.” No other details were announced, but the production is being helmed by WildBrain Studios, which previously made adaptations like Sonic Prime and Ninjago. The series is listed as “coming soon” but doesn’t currently have a date.
The news comes amidst a gold rush of video game adaptations. Blockbusters like The Last of Us and Fallout have been turned into successful shows, Mario and Sonic star in hit movies, and adaptations of everything from Among Us to Death Stranding to Stray are in the works. Netflix has been particularly aggressive in the space, with projects based on Castlevania, Dota 2, Gears of War, Splinter Cell, Tomb Raider, Mega Man, and many others. (The service was previously home to the interactive series Minecraft: Story Mode as well.)
This also isn’t the only adaptation of Minecraft in development: a live-action movie starring Jack Black is slated to hit theaters next year.

Minecraft. | Image: Mojang

Fifteen years after the game first launched, Minecraft is getting a new animated series on Netflix. The streamer announced that it’s making a show that will “feature an original story with new characters, showing the world of Minecraft in a new light.” No other details were announced, but the production is being helmed by WildBrain Studios, which previously made adaptations like Sonic Prime and Ninjago. The series is listed as “coming soon” but doesn’t currently have a date.

The news comes amidst a gold rush of video game adaptations. Blockbusters like The Last of Us and Fallout have been turned into successful shows, Mario and Sonic star in hit movies, and adaptations of everything from Among Us to Death Stranding to Stray are in the works. Netflix has been particularly aggressive in the space, with projects based on Castlevania, Dota 2, Gears of War, Splinter Cell, Tomb Raider, Mega Man, and many others. (The service was previously home to the interactive series Minecraft: Story Mode as well.)

This also isn’t the only adaptation of Minecraft in development: a live-action movie starring Jack Black is slated to hit theaters next year.

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The new AI-powered search from Amazon for Fire TVs lets Alexa help you more easily find what you want to watch. | Photo by Allison Johnson / The Verge

Navigating the sheer volume of streaming content available today can be a full-time job. Recommendations from friends, blog posts, and those TikToks of movies I haven’t thought about in years all help. But finding something myself, my husband, my 13-year-old daughter, and my 16-year-old son all want to watch together is still a herculean task.
So, when Amazon announced its new AI-powered voice search function for Fire TVs at its fall event last year, I was intrigued. With its promise to make searching for content easier and smarter, I hoped it would be the solution to my problems. I’ve now had some hands-on time with the new feature, and while it shows promise, like a lot of AI-powered search right now, it’s just not reliable enough to be all that useful.
The basic idea is that you can use more natural language to ask Alexa to find you something to watch. Whether you have a show in mind but can’t remember the name or you’re not sure what you’re in the mood for, tap the Alexa button on the Fire TV remote and ask questions like, “What’s that show about money laundering set in the mountains?” or “Show me British crime dramas with female leads,” and the voice assistant should help you figure it out. It’s the AI equivalent of flipping through the channels, only Alexa is doing the flipping for you.

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This is all being powered by a new Amazon-built large language model (LLM) designed to surface movie and TV show content using natural language inputs. It’s starting to roll out to eligible Fire TV devices running Fire OS 6 or higher today. At launch, it’s capable of finding content based on things like topic, genre, plot points, actors, and quotes thanks to being trained on data from services like IMDb.
Amazon’s Joshua Park, senior product manager of Fire TV, demoed AI search to me at Amazon’s Day 1 HQ in Seattle earlier this month. He showed me several queries, including: “Show me the movie where Tom Hanks is a pilot and has to land on the Hudson” (Sully); “What is the TV show that mentions Szechuan sauce from McDonald’s?” (Rick and Morty); and “Show me the nature documentary that was narrated by Obama” (Our Great National Parks). Alexa did a good job with all these — but while it’s neat, it’s all stuff I can Google on my phone while sitting on the couch.
Amazon does add helpful context to the results, including showing you which apps you have that can stream the show and whether it’s free to you. But what I want from a more intelligent search service is not something to jog my memory but something smart enough to find me something good to watch. I want it to use its vast dataset to sift through the cruft and find me the quality. I want it to be that old-school video store clerk from my youth.

Image: Amazon
The new Fire TV search can find content based on prompts like “Alexa, show me movies about dog and human friendships.”

When Daniel Rausch, VP of Alexa and Fire TV, demoed the search function onstage at Amazon’s fall event last year, that’s literally what he promised, saying using the feature is “like speaking to a great friend who’s also the world’s best video store clerk.”
His demo involved a far more capable Alexa than the one I saw in Seattle. He asked Alexa to “find some action movies for me,” then was able to continue talking to the assistant to winnow it down to movies he wouldn’t have to pay for, those he hadn’t seen yet (or at least weren’t in his Fire TV watch history), ones that were good for his teenagers, and then finally ask it a context cue: “We like video games, which one should we go for?” It suggested Scott Pilgrim. Now that is very useful.
I could chat conversationally with Alexa, including pauses and ums and ers, and it (mostly) understood what I asked
Park tells me that kind of in-depth, conversational back and forth is planned for future updates. In my time trying out the current capabilities, I wasn’t able to get it to go beyond two queries before it started to fall apart. It also struggled to offer up more than a couple correct answers for broader queries like “Show me Oscar-winning movies from the 1970s.”
“It’s certainly day one for us,” explained Park when I asked about these limits. “We definitely have a view of what we need to do to improve it, so that no matter what the customer asks, we’re able to find the right content for them.”
What it does do well is improve on the current state of Alexa voice search, which — like most voice commands — requires specific nomenclature to surface the right results. With the new Fire TV search, I could chat conversationally with Alexa, including pauses and ums and ers, and it (mostly) understood what I asked.
But I was largely disappointed in the results. To see if it could help with my family’s viewing situation, I suggested the prompt “Show me some dark comedies with violence.” (I love romantic comedies, and my husband loves horror movies.) It offered up Heathers, American Psycho, Pulp Fiction, and Barbie. Besides Barbie being totally out of left field, the others were all over 20 years old. Not helpful.
Next, I tried something much more specific. We like to find series we can binge-watch together, so I asked, “Show me TV series with more than six episodes that are highly rated.” It suggested two shows, both anime. One was rated a nine out of 10 but the other was a five out of 10. Even for an avid anime fan, that isn’t a great result.
At this point, I decided to go from what I thought would be a softball question. The kind of thing I might have asked that video store clerk: “Show me something good to watch.” The results were… bizarre. Its first suggestion was Miss Marple (a classic British detective show that I do actually love, but is very old), but its second and third options were The Curious Female and Super Vixens, which not only appear to be ’70s soft-core porn but have very poor ratings on IMDB.
Yes, it’s still early days indeed.
Amazon says the search function is designed to be personalized to you, and the Fire Stick I was using at Amazon’s HQ obviously wasn’t. I just got the new update on my Fire Stick this morning, so was able to repeat the “something good to watch” query and am happy to say there was no sign of curious females. Instead, Alexa suggested Dune: Part Two, Shōgun and Sugar. So, it looks like I might be set for my weekend viewing.

The new AI-powered search from Amazon for Fire TVs lets Alexa help you more easily find what you want to watch. | Photo by Allison Johnson / The Verge

Navigating the sheer volume of streaming content available today can be a full-time job. Recommendations from friends, blog posts, and those TikToks of movies I haven’t thought about in years all help. But finding something myself, my husband, my 13-year-old daughter, and my 16-year-old son all want to watch together is still a herculean task.

So, when Amazon announced its new AI-powered voice search function for Fire TVs at its fall event last year, I was intrigued. With its promise to make searching for content easier and smarter, I hoped it would be the solution to my problems. I’ve now had some hands-on time with the new feature, and while it shows promise, like a lot of AI-powered search right now, it’s just not reliable enough to be all that useful.

The basic idea is that you can use more natural language to ask Alexa to find you something to watch. Whether you have a show in mind but can’t remember the name or you’re not sure what you’re in the mood for, tap the Alexa button on the Fire TV remote and ask questions like, “What’s that show about money laundering set in the mountains?” or “Show me British crime dramas with female leads,” and the voice assistant should help you figure it out. It’s the AI equivalent of flipping through the channels, only Alexa is doing the flipping for you.

This is all being powered by a new Amazon-built large language model (LLM) designed to surface movie and TV show content using natural language inputs. It’s starting to roll out to eligible Fire TV devices running Fire OS 6 or higher today. At launch, it’s capable of finding content based on things like topic, genre, plot points, actors, and quotes thanks to being trained on data from services like IMDb.

Amazon’s Joshua Park, senior product manager of Fire TV, demoed AI search to me at Amazon’s Day 1 HQ in Seattle earlier this month. He showed me several queries, including: “Show me the movie where Tom Hanks is a pilot and has to land on the Hudson” (Sully); “What is the TV show that mentions Szechuan sauce from McDonald’s?” (Rick and Morty); and “Show me the nature documentary that was narrated by Obama” (Our Great National Parks). Alexa did a good job with all these — but while it’s neat, it’s all stuff I can Google on my phone while sitting on the couch.

Amazon does add helpful context to the results, including showing you which apps you have that can stream the show and whether it’s free to you. But what I want from a more intelligent search service is not something to jog my memory but something smart enough to find me something good to watch. I want it to use its vast dataset to sift through the cruft and find me the quality. I want it to be that old-school video store clerk from my youth.

Image: Amazon
The new Fire TV search can find content based on prompts like “Alexa, show me movies about dog and human friendships.”

When Daniel Rausch, VP of Alexa and Fire TV, demoed the search function onstage at Amazon’s fall event last year, that’s literally what he promised, saying using the feature is “like speaking to a great friend who’s also the world’s best video store clerk.”

His demo involved a far more capable Alexa than the one I saw in Seattle. He asked Alexa to “find some action movies for me,” then was able to continue talking to the assistant to winnow it down to movies he wouldn’t have to pay for, those he hadn’t seen yet (or at least weren’t in his Fire TV watch history), ones that were good for his teenagers, and then finally ask it a context cue: “We like video games, which one should we go for?” It suggested Scott Pilgrim. Now that is very useful.

Park tells me that kind of in-depth, conversational back and forth is planned for future updates. In my time trying out the current capabilities, I wasn’t able to get it to go beyond two queries before it started to fall apart. It also struggled to offer up more than a couple correct answers for broader queries like “Show me Oscar-winning movies from the 1970s.”

“It’s certainly day one for us,” explained Park when I asked about these limits. “We definitely have a view of what we need to do to improve it, so that no matter what the customer asks, we’re able to find the right content for them.”

What it does do well is improve on the current state of Alexa voice search, which — like most voice commands — requires specific nomenclature to surface the right results. With the new Fire TV search, I could chat conversationally with Alexa, including pauses and ums and ers, and it (mostly) understood what I asked.

But I was largely disappointed in the results. To see if it could help with my family’s viewing situation, I suggested the prompt “Show me some dark comedies with violence.” (I love romantic comedies, and my husband loves horror movies.) It offered up Heathers, American Psycho, Pulp Fiction, and Barbie. Besides Barbie being totally out of left field, the others were all over 20 years old. Not helpful.

Next, I tried something much more specific. We like to find series we can binge-watch together, so I asked, “Show me TV series with more than six episodes that are highly rated.” It suggested two shows, both anime. One was rated a nine out of 10 but the other was a five out of 10. Even for an avid anime fan, that isn’t a great result.

At this point, I decided to go from what I thought would be a softball question. The kind of thing I might have asked that video store clerk: “Show me something good to watch.” The results were… bizarre. Its first suggestion was Miss Marple (a classic British detective show that I do actually love, but is very old), but its second and third options were The Curious Female and Super Vixens, which not only appear to be ’70s soft-core porn but have very poor ratings on IMDB.

Yes, it’s still early days indeed.

Amazon says the search function is designed to be personalized to you, and the Fire Stick I was using at Amazon’s HQ obviously wasn’t. I just got the new update on my Fire Stick this morning, so was able to repeat the “something good to watch” query and am happy to say there was no sign of curious females. Instead, Alexa suggested Dune: Part Two, Shōgun and Sugar. So, it looks like I might be set for my weekend viewing.

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The G Pro X Superlight 2 certainly isn’t cheap, but few mice are as well suited for tournament play. | Photo by Sean Hollister / The Verge

When we updated our guide to the best gaming mice last year, we had no idea Logitech would be rolling out the G Pro X Superlight 2 shortly thereafter. Less than a year later, the excellent gaming mouse remains the fastest the company has ever made — one that’s currently on sale at Amazon and Best Buy starting at $136.75 ($23 off), an all-time low.

Like the original model, the Superlight 2 is all about shedding weight while simultaneously ratcheting up the polling rate. The wireless mouse offers a 4kHz response rate thanks to a recent firmware update, along with a newer Hero 2 sensor that tracks at 500 inches per second (and up to 32,000 DPI). That combo, combined with the fact that the gaming mouse weighs a mere 60 grams (2.1 ounces), makes it ideal for esports PC players who desire high DPI / low in-game sensitivity. It also touts up to 95 hours of battery life when using its power saving modes (or 51 hours without) and compatibility with Logitech’s Powerplay charging mousepad, though, keep in mind that the new 4kHZ mode will eat up more battery life when engaged.
Personally, I have a hard time telling the difference between 1kHz and 2kHz polling — let alone a 4kHZ polling rate. However, I am a fan of the Superlight 2’s hybrid optical / mechanical switches, which still provide a satisfying click when pressed. I’m not a tournament gamer by any means, but if you want a pro-grade gaming mouse that will work great for work and play, it’s hard to go wrong with Logitech’s latest.

More deals, discounts, and ways to save

Right-to-repair bills continue to sweep the nation, but unless you have the right tools for the job, it doesn’t matter if you obtain the instructions and all the necessary parts. Thankfully, iFixit’s Pro Tech Toolkit is currently available from Amazon and iFixit for $59.96 (about $15 off), matching its all-time low. The handy set revolves around a 64-bit driver kit, though it also provides a SIM removal tool, tweezers, spudgers, and other bits and bobs. Plus, the included magnetic case doubles as a sorting tray, which makes keeping tabs on your Phillips and flatheads that much easier.
If you’re looking for a pair of headphones that offer premium features without the premium price tag, Sony’s new ULT Wear are down to an all-time low of $178 ($22 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart. They support many of the same features found on Sony’s 1000XM5 — including on-ear detection, head-tracking spatial audio, and faster quick charging — but their noise cancellation tech isn’t quite as impressive as that of Sony’s flagship cans. That being said, they offer deeper low-end via rumble and a pair of bass-heavy sound modes you can engage with just a press of a button.
Sony’s next State of Play event, which kicks off this afternoon, will likely shed some light on a number of upcoming titles for the PS5 and PSVR 2 — including, perhaps, Insomniac’s Wolverine. However, if you have yet to play the studio’s other superhero title, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, you can grab it right now at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target for an all-time low of $49.99 ($20 off) as part of Sony’s ongoing Days of Play sale. Read our review.

The G Pro X Superlight 2 certainly isn’t cheap, but few mice are as well suited for tournament play. | Photo by Sean Hollister / The Verge

When we updated our guide to the best gaming mice last year, we had no idea Logitech would be rolling out the G Pro X Superlight 2 shortly thereafter. Less than a year later, the excellent gaming mouse remains the fastest the company has ever made — one that’s currently on sale at Amazon and Best Buy starting at $136.75 ($23 off), an all-time low.

Like the original model, the Superlight 2 is all about shedding weight while simultaneously ratcheting up the polling rate. The wireless mouse offers a 4kHz response rate thanks to a recent firmware update, along with a newer Hero 2 sensor that tracks at 500 inches per second (and up to 32,000 DPI). That combo, combined with the fact that the gaming mouse weighs a mere 60 grams (2.1 ounces), makes it ideal for esports PC players who desire high DPI / low in-game sensitivity. It also touts up to 95 hours of battery life when using its power saving modes (or 51 hours without) and compatibility with Logitech’s Powerplay charging mousepad, though, keep in mind that the new 4kHZ mode will eat up more battery life when engaged.

Personally, I have a hard time telling the difference between 1kHz and 2kHz polling — let alone a 4kHZ polling rate. However, I am a fan of the Superlight 2’s hybrid optical / mechanical switches, which still provide a satisfying click when pressed. I’m not a tournament gamer by any means, but if you want a pro-grade gaming mouse that will work great for work and play, it’s hard to go wrong with Logitech’s latest.

More deals, discounts, and ways to save

Right-to-repair bills continue to sweep the nation, but unless you have the right tools for the job, it doesn’t matter if you obtain the instructions and all the necessary parts. Thankfully, iFixit’s Pro Tech Toolkit is currently available from Amazon and iFixit for $59.96 (about $15 off), matching its all-time low. The handy set revolves around a 64-bit driver kit, though it also provides a SIM removal tool, tweezers, spudgers, and other bits and bobs. Plus, the included magnetic case doubles as a sorting tray, which makes keeping tabs on your Phillips and flatheads that much easier.
If you’re looking for a pair of headphones that offer premium features without the premium price tag, Sony’s new ULT Wear are down to an all-time low of $178 ($22 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart. They support many of the same features found on Sony’s 1000XM5 — including on-ear detection, head-tracking spatial audio, and faster quick charging — but their noise cancellation tech isn’t quite as impressive as that of Sony’s flagship cans. That being said, they offer deeper low-end via rumble and a pair of bass-heavy sound modes you can engage with just a press of a button.
Sony’s next State of Play event, which kicks off this afternoon, will likely shed some light on a number of upcoming titles for the PS5 and PSVR 2 — including, perhaps, Insomniac’s Wolverine. However, if you have yet to play the studio’s other superhero title, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, you can grab it right now at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target for an all-time low of $49.99 ($20 off) as part of Sony’s ongoing Days of Play sale. Read our review.

Read More 

Image: Bungie

Bungie’s highly anticipated Destiny 2: The Final Shape expansion isn’t due to launch until June 4th, but a number of players have been able to get access to the game this morning. Posters on Reddit and in Discord servers have been sharing images and video of gameplay of The Final Shape, which was apparently accessible through Sony’s PS5 cloud streaming service.
As the entire DLC was playable for at least five hours, Destiny 2 players have been able to share spoilers about upcoming raid gear, seasonal content, The Final Shape campaign and missions, and even cutscenes. Videos have also appeared on YouTube showing an early look at new weapons and gear that will be available next week.
The Final Shape could be Destiny 2’s most important expansion, set to conclude the light and darkness saga of Destiny that has been ongoing for nearly a decade. It will see Destiny 2 players fight The Witness, the main antagonist of Destiny’s light and darkness saga who commands the Black Fleet — an armada of pyramid vessels.
The Final Shape will also include access to a new Prismatic Subclass that merges the powers of the Light and Darkness, allowing players to combine certain class abilities from different damage types. Prismatic looks set to break Destiny 2, in a good way.
Sony and Bungie have now rectified the mistaken early access, but the damage has already been done. It’s a devastating leak for Bungie, just days ahead of the official launch of The Final Shape. Spoilers and gameplay are now appearing on forums, posts on X, Discord servers, Reddit, and elsewhere ahead of The Final Shape launch on Tuesday — making it nearly impossible for fans to avoid spoilers.
While we’ve seen plenty of game leaks in recent years — including early footage of GTA 6 and internal documents and gameplay stolen from Insomniac Games — it’s still rare to be able to play a game early thanks to mistaken server access.
We’ve reached out to Bungie to comment on this, and we’ll update you accordingly.

Image: Bungie

Bungie’s highly anticipated Destiny 2: The Final Shape expansion isn’t due to launch until June 4th, but a number of players have been able to get access to the game this morning. Posters on Reddit and in Discord servers have been sharing images and video of gameplay of The Final Shape, which was apparently accessible through Sony’s PS5 cloud streaming service.

As the entire DLC was playable for at least five hours, Destiny 2 players have been able to share spoilers about upcoming raid gear, seasonal content, The Final Shape campaign and missions, and even cutscenes. Videos have also appeared on YouTube showing an early look at new weapons and gear that will be available next week.

The Final Shape could be Destiny 2’s most important expansion, set to conclude the light and darkness saga of Destiny that has been ongoing for nearly a decade. It will see Destiny 2 players fight The Witness, the main antagonist of Destiny’s light and darkness saga who commands the Black Fleet — an armada of pyramid vessels.

The Final Shape will also include access to a new Prismatic Subclass that merges the powers of the Light and Darkness, allowing players to combine certain class abilities from different damage types. Prismatic looks set to break Destiny 2, in a good way.

Sony and Bungie have now rectified the mistaken early access, but the damage has already been done. It’s a devastating leak for Bungie, just days ahead of the official launch of The Final Shape. Spoilers and gameplay are now appearing on forums, posts on X, Discord servers, Reddit, and elsewhere ahead of The Final Shape launch on Tuesday — making it nearly impossible for fans to avoid spoilers.

While we’ve seen plenty of game leaks in recent years — including early footage of GTA 6 and internal documents and gameplay stolen from Insomniac Games — it’s still rare to be able to play a game early thanks to mistaken server access.

We’ve reached out to Bungie to comment on this, and we’ll update you accordingly.

Read More