Image: Ubisoft There was a moment in Massive Entertainment and Ubisoft’s Star Wars Outlaws when I was scouring the depths of a creepy cave, just after finishing a dogfight in space and winning a card game in a boozy cantina, that the game clicked for me. The usual Ubisoft drudgery, where icons on maps become weights on the brain, was gone. Instead, there was an organic, self-determined flow as to why I chose to leave the frozen wastes of one planet to dig beneath the surface of another.Here was a game reacting to my actions: it was an open-world experience I’d never encountered before. I felt elated at this realization, with things happening as a result of the consequences of my own gameplay decisions. The game was organically adjusting to my... Continue reading…

With Apple's next event on the horizon, it'll be interesting to see what the company has up its sleeves for its mobile devices. However, that doesn't mean we can't have some exciting news right now. In fact, if you're a Windows on Arm user, you've likely seen the good news already as apps begin appearing on the platform in droves. If you missed out on the news, don't fret; here's a quick rundown of the coolest things that happened this week.

Samsung Food Plus can create tailored meal plans based on your nutritional needs and the food in your fridge and pantry. | Image: Samsung New features on Samsung’s AI-powered food and recipe app could make your meal planning and food management chores much easier. With Samsung Food, you can now add items to a Food List just by taking a picture. The app can then suggest recipes based on the food you have, automatically remove them when you cook a recipe using anything on the list, then add food items back to the list when you tick them off your shopping list. The Food List was previously only accessible via the SmartThings app and the built-in tablet on Samsung’s Family Hub smart fridges, limiting its usefulness. Now, as part of the cross-platform Samsung Food app, it could turn the service into a really useful all-in-one shopping, food management, meal planning, and... Continue reading…

When planning to build a PC, the CPU is easily one of the most crucial components around which the entire system is built. You might know the most important CPU specs to look out for, how to match your CPU and motherboard, and the mistakes to avoid when pairing your CPU and GPU. These things are undoubtedly important, but they're also relatively basic.

This week brought a few noteworthy movie and TV trailers — the big one being Sonic the Hedgehog 3. And while I won’t include them here, you should check out some of the trailers included with our coverage of the most recent Nintendo Direct (shoutout to the Nintendo DS Castlevania games collection). It’s clear that summer is winding down, and so are the big blockbusters. Things will liven up a bit with Beetlejuice Beetlejuice next week, but things are looking quiet for a little bit after that. Sonic the Hedghehog 3Sonic the Hedgehog 3 finally brings Sonic’s big nemesis, Shadow, into the mix, played by Keanu Reeves. The trailer only gave a bit of Reeves’ voice but makes up for it with lots of Jim Carrey’s disheveled and depressed Dr.... Continue reading…

Photo: Joe Raedle / Getty Images The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) cleared SpaceX’s reusable Falcon 9 rocket for flight on Friday after temporarily grounding it following a failed landing earlier this week. The company has already pulled off two launches since the FAA’s decision, putting 42 more Starlink satellites into orbit, it announced in a post on X today.The agency said that while the investigation of the landing incident remains open, flights can continue, “provided all other license requirements are met,” according to CNN. SpaceX had requested a return to flight on Thursday, the same day the FAA initially grounded the rocket, reports Reuters. Falcon 9 delivers 42 @Starlink satellites, including 26 with Direct to Cell capabilities, to low-Earth orbit... Continue reading…

Illustration by Samar Haddad / The Verge The rechargeable lithium-ion batteries that power most of our laptops may be the most practical battery tech we have right now, but they naturally degrade over time as their ions flow back and forth — it’s an inevitable consequence of the way they’re built and the way they work. Eventually, the batteries can’t hold as much of a charge. Most modern laptops now come with some kind of smart charging technology built in, to limit the number of full charges that happen. How this is implemented varies between laptops — I’ll talk about this, as well as other ways to ensure the battery on your MacBook or Windows laptop stays as healthy as possible for as long as possible.General battery healthAs with smartphones, because of the chemical... Continue reading…

OSOM’s first phone, eventually renamed the Solana Saga. | Image: Osom A lawsuit filed against Osom Products, Inc. by its former chief privacy officer, Mary Stone Ross, claims that the company’s CEO, Jason Keats, used business funds for extravagant purchases that include two Lamborghinis, reports Android Authority. Keats, who founded Osom after Essential shut down and hired several of Essential’s former workers, is also accused of using company resources to pay for things ranging from his racing habit to his racing partner’s salary to his own mortgage, the outlet writes. Ross has apparently asked the court to make Osom give her access to company records that may prove the lawsuit’s claims. The lawsuit also reportedly claims that Keats tried and failed to sell the company to HP and that, after that deal... Continue reading…

Roborock’s Q5 Pro is a powerful cleaning machine that does exceptionally well with pet hair. | Image: Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge We highlighted some great deals on Dreame robot vacuums in our roundup of the best Labor Day deals, but if you don’t want to spend a grand on a vacuum, you might want to check out Roborock’s ongoing anniversary sale. Now through September 4th, Roborock is taking more than 40 percent off many of our favorite models, including the Q Revo (now $599.99) and the S8 MaxV Ultra (now $1,099.99). If you’re on a tighter budget, though, the best deal available is on the Roborock Q5 Pro, which is down to an all-time low of $179.99 ($250 off). In many ways, Roborock’s big-wheeled robot vacuum / mop hybrid is made to tackle pet hair. The midrange vacuum features dual rubber brushes and 5,500Pa of suction power, which allows it to suck up pet hair... Continue reading…

Thank Goodness You’re Here! | Image: Panic Outside of some notable exceptions, there haven’t been many blockbuster games this summer — but that doesn’t mean there hasn’t been much to play. In fact, at times, it has felt like a never-ending flood of fascinating indie releases, thanks to games like Arranger, Animal Well, Crow Country, and Lorelei and the Laser Eyes.It’s been nearly impossible to keep up, but we’ve been playing through most of these games and settled on a handful of recommendations that offer a range of experiences. There’s everything from shadow-hopping puzzles to comedic platformers to a game that might help fill the Silksong-shaped hole in your heart.Here are some of our favorites.The Crush HousePCThe Crush House is one of the rare games that capitalize on... Continue reading…

This is our top pick when it comes to mice the MX Master 3s. This mouse delivers when it comes to comfort and performance, with the only drawback being its relatively high price. Of course, it's worth the full price you pay for this device if you're someone that's on their computer all day, but we think it's better to get it when it's on sale. With that being said, for a limited time, you can score a fantastic discount on the MX Master 3s.

You'll likely be considering the Intel Core i9-14900K and AMD Ryzen 9 9900X when considering the most powerful processors from AMD and Intel. These two desktop processors are about as good as you'll get in 2024 without going overboard with the 14900K and 9950X. They're designed for power users and enthusiasts, those who will make full use of the available cores, but they're also pretty good for running games at 4K with a flagship AMD or Nvidia GPU. So, which should you choose for your next PC build?