Gaming handhelds started out as a cool concept, but they've blossomed into a rapidly-growing sector of the PC gaming market. New concepts and releases feel like they're coming out all the time; in fact, we saw four of them debut at Computex in early June. With a whirlwind of releases and a quickly-evolving market, it's fair to wonder whether it's a good idea to buy one of the best PC gaming handhelds out there or wait. Two months ago, my answer was that you should certainly hold off on buying one. That was when an Asus ROG Ally refresh or successor was rumored to be imminent.

A new approach to power stations that does more than fast-charge (select) DJI drones. Continue reading…

Image: The Verge CrowdStrike’s faulty update caused a worldwide tech disaster that affected 8.5 million Windows devices on Friday, according to Microsoft. Microsoft says that’s “less than one percent of all Windows machines,” but it was enough to create problems for retailers, banks, airlines, and many other industries, as well as everyone who relies on them.Separately, the technical breakdown from CrowdStrike released Friday explains more about what happened and why so many systems were affected all at once.CrowdStrike’s breakdown explains the configuration file that was at the heart of the issue:The configuration files mentioned above are referred to as “Channel Files” and are part of the behavioral protection mechanisms used by the Falcon sensor.... Continue reading…

Gamma supports Dual Shock controls now. | Screenshot: Gamma The Gamma PS1 emulator has gained a number of significant updates since it launched as one of the first console emulators for iPhones in May. Recent updates added a new “Enhance Audio” feature and better multiplayer support, joining other key updates over the last few weeks.Developer Benjamin Stark (aka ZodTTD) told The Verge in an email that the Enhance Audio feature in his most recent update improves audio “using reverb and interpolation effects.” He also “added Multitap emulation” for games that used Sony’s adapter that expanded the PS1’s controller port count from two to four. (That was used for games like Crash Team Racing, NBA Jam: Tournament Edition, and more.)Gamma, the PlayStation(tm) 1 emulator for iOS App Store, has been... Continue reading…

The iPhone 14 is no longer the latest iPhone available, but it is still for sale, and it should be eligible for OS updates for years to come. So, if you decide to invest in this premium phone, you may want to take care of it to ensure its hardware lasts as long as possible. Plus, it can also help refresh your phone's appearance!

Yesterday, the world of IT was shaken on an unprecedented scale following a faulty CrowdStike Falcon update issued on Windows devices by the cybersecurity company CrowdStrike. This led to a huge number of enterprise PCs and systems being knocked offline, entering into a bootloop state, Blue Screen of Death (BSOD), and Windows Recovery. Although CrowdStrike has documented some steps to mitigate the issue to some extent, Microsoft has now released its own guidance for IT admins to work around the problem.

Illustration by Samar Haddad / The Verge There are going to be times when you’ve only got one hand free to use your phone. You may be walking the dog, carrying groceries, hanging on to a subway pole, or you just don’t have another hand available. But with just about every modern phone sporting a screen at least six inches corner to corner, using one hand to work your phone could be a difficult balancing act.Luckily, both Android and iOS phones come with integrated features to make one-handed phone use less tricky. There are also some helpful options inside individual apps you can turn to. Methods for Android phonesOne-handed modeAndroid has a dedicated one-handed mode that lets you shrink any app down to the bottom half of the screen to make it easier to reach. The way to... Continue reading…

Image: Happiest Baby The Snoo, a very expensive but widely regarded smart bassinet, now has some of the best features of its app locked behind a new $19.99 monthly premium subscription. The change, which went into effect this week, has infuriated many Snoo owners, as the subscription puts some previously free features that new parents rely on behind a pricey paywall.A bunch of threads in the Snoo subreddit have exploded with complaints since the plan was announced last month. “Wild choice,” wrote one user. “It’s actually disgusting to take advantage of parents who are just trying to get their kids to sleep and already paying a large sum for the pleasure of something that a) may not work, b) can only be used for a short period before becoming useless, c)... Continue reading…

Picking the right processor for your gaming can be a daunting task, especially if you're not familiar with all the different CPU SKUs. AMD's line-up of chips offers impressive performance, whether it's the entry-level Ryzen 5 or flagship Ryzen 9. There's a processor designed for just about any computing task. When shopping around for an AMD chip, you may wonder what the difference is between the Ryzen 5 and Ryzen 9 families for gaming. This guide will run you through everything to make the right decision.

Recently, Microsoft confirmed that it was going to hike up the price of its Xbox Game Pass Ultimate plan, alongside the introduction of a cheaper plan with reduced benefits. During this time, people have begun to think; is it worth continuing to pay for Microsoft's premium plan? Almost in response to these creeping doubts, Nvidia has announced a huge summer sale of its GeForce Now plan, and you can score a half-year of its cloud gaming service for a lot less than usual.

If youre even remotely into building PCs, you may have heard of the PCIe slot. Designed to offer ultra-high bandwidth and transfer rates when connecting the GPU, Ethernet cards, SSDs, and other components to the motherboard, PCI Express has seen multiple revisions over the years.

Image: Bethesda Game Studios More than 200 developers at Bethesda Game Studios, the studio behind hit franchises like The Elder Scrolls and Fallout, have unionized with the Communications Workers of America (CWA). 241 workers, including “artists, engineers, programmers and designers,” have signed union authorization cards or “indicated that they wanted union representation via an online portal,” according to a CWA press release.Microsoft has recognized the union, the CWA says; the company has already recognized unions formed by Activision QA workers and ZeniMax Studios QA workers. The CWA describes this as “the first wall-to-wall union at a Microsoft video game studio,” meaning that all eligible job titles will be represented by the CWA instead of just one type of... Continue reading…