Image: The Verge Microsoft is planning to hike its Xbox Game Pass Ultimate pricing again in September, alongside launching a new “standard” subscription that doesn’t include day-one access to first-party Xbox games. The Xbox maker has started emailing Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers warning of a price increase to $19.99 a month that starts on September 12th, a $3 increase over the current $16.99 a month pricing.PC Game Pass subscribers will also see a price hike in September, with the service moving from $9.99 to $11.99 per month and maintaining access to day-one titles. If you’re outside the US and wondering how the price increases affect your own subscription, Microsoft has a full list of all the worldwide price changes here.The price increases... Continue reading…

Earlier this year, Microsoft started forcing Windows users to use the new Outlook instead of the inbox Mail app. Luckily, though, users had the option to simply disable the New Outlook toggle to bring back the old email app. All of that is now in the past, as Microsoft has just made things a lot more complicated for users who want to go back from the new Outlook to the Mail app.

While you can use a NAS to run your own Netflix, you can also easily use a NAS to pull from YouTube and build up a local collection of YouTube videos downloaded in their best quality. That's thanks to MeTube, a Docker container that turns youtube-dlp into a web-based UI that can download videos and then let you download them to whatever device you're connected to.

Image: The Verge Microsoft has dropped its seat as an observer on the board of OpenAI, less than eight months after securing the non-voting seat. Apple was reportedly planning to join OpenAI’s nonprofit board, but now the Financial Times reports that Apple will no longer join the board.OpenAI confirmed that Microsoft has given up its seat in a statement to The Verge, following reports from Axios and the Financial Times that Microsoft’s deputy general counsel Keith Dolliver wrote a letter to OpenAI late on Tuesday.“We’re grateful to Microsoft for voicing confidence in the Board and the direction of the company, and we look forward to continuing our successful partnership,” says OpenAI spokesperson Steve Sharpe. “Under the leadership of CFO Sarah Friar,... Continue reading…

Illustration: The Verge Google has made it a little easier for those at more risk of targeted online attacks to enroll in its Advanced Protection Program for Google accounts. Now users can set it up with a single passkey — using the built-in biometric authentication of a Pixel phone or iPhone — instead of the two physical security keys the company previously required. The Advanced Protection Program is aimed not at normal users but people like those working on political campaigns or journalists with sensitive information to protect. When it launched, the company required two physical security keys to activate it, and one of those keys plus a password to log in after that. Google changed the feature in 2023 to allow users to sign in with just a passkey — a... Continue reading…

The Logitech G309. | Image: Logitech I haven’t thought about charging my Logitech wireless gaming mouse in two and a half years, because I have a magic mousepad that does it automatically. But Logitech mice that work with the Powerplay mousepad are expensive, heavy, or both, and none of them double as a Bluetooth mouse so I can wirelessly pair them to my laptop, handheld, or phone.Today, Logitech is changing that with the Logitech G309, an $80 mouse that almost does it all. It’s the first Powerplay mouse this inexpensive, the first with Bluetooth, the first that lets you use a AA battery when you’re on the go — and the first Logitech wireless mouse with a supercapacitor inside so you don’t necessarily need a battery at all. Even without Powerplay, the G309 is a dual-mode... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Hulu was having an outage, with as many as 50,000 reports noted on Down Detector late on Monday night. There’s no indication of what has caused the outage, but the official Hulu Support account on X acknowledged the issue, following up with posts from customers after about 11:15PM ET, saying, “Our developers were able to put changes in place to mitigate the interruption. Please reboot your device to start streaming, and let us know if you run into any further trouble.”Not everyone was having trouble accessing Hulu, but for the people who were, posts on social media said they either couldn’t log in or that they didn’t see any content listed on Hulu’s website or apps for streaming. It didn’t seem to exclusively affect people who have or... Continue reading…

It's been nearly ten years since Meta purchased Oculus. And since that time, Meta has poured a lot of money and resources into its VR projects, not only creating a variety of products, but also building and fleshing out a pretty good ecosystem for its devices as well.

When you're looking for a new phone, there are lots of great Android devices, but foldable phones are some of the most exciting picks. Samsung's Z Flip line is certainly an impressive series of smartphones, but you'll need more than just a phone - you'll need some accessories, especially to keep it charged.

There are some good EVs and hybrids that are eligible for the incentive. | Screenshot: Umar Shakir / The Verge Carvana is now offering discounts of up to $4,000 at checkout for eligible used EVs and plug-in hybrids. The discount is essentially an advancement of the federal tax incentive for previously owned vehicles, but it lets customers reap the benefit immediately rather than waiting for tax refunds the following year.You will still need to file your taxes correctly using IRS Form 8936, and you have to agree to transfer the credit to Carvana once you do file. So, while it’s not making tax season any easier, Carvana is offering a lower cost of entry to buy an electric vehicle, which could help push customers interested in EVs to take the leap.You can now take advantage of the offer on Carvana’s app or website by searching for EVs or plug-in... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Instagram isn’t going to focus on longform video because it might “undermine” the platform’s “core identity to connect people with friends,” Instagram boss Adam Mosseri says in a video. Yes, you can technically post Instagram videos to your feed that are as long as one hour, and yes, Instagram did try to push for longer videos with IGTV before shutting the app down! But now, shortform is where it’s at, Mosseri argues. Mosseri says that Instagram’s two main jobs are to help you connect with friends and to help you explore interests “usually through shortform video.” He says that those two jobs are “symbiotic” because you might send a video that you like to a friend who might also like it. View this post on Instagram ... Continue reading…

NSEU officials said 6,500 Samsung workers participated in the initial three-day walkout — and now it’s rallying more of its members. | Photo by JUNG YEON-JE/AFP via Getty Images Unionized workers at Samsung Electronics in South Korea have indefinitely extended the first-ever strike at the company in a push for better pay and benefits. The National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU) rallied its over 30,000 members on Wednesday after the company’s leadership showed no indication of holding talks with the union following a three-day walkout.As reported by Reuters, the NSEU is demanding a 3.5 percent increase in base salary, an extra day off to mark the union’s foundation day, and a fairer bonus system between executives and lower-ranking workers. Samsung, the world’s largest maker of memory chips, announced an estimated 15x increase in operating profits for its latest quarter, following a spike in semiconductor... Continue reading…