Richter Belmont. | Netflix Castlevania: Nocturne’s season 1 finale made it crystal clear that there was even more to Richter Belmont’s story still waiting to be told. But just in case there was any doubt that Netflix planned to bring the show back, the streamer’s already teasing what’s coming next.Along with a brief teaser video featuring production footage from the series, Netflix announced today that Castlevania: Nocturne will return for a second season following the adventures of Richter Belmont, Maria Renard, and Annette as they continue to wage war against demons. Both Sam and Adam Deats will return to direct the second season, and studios Project 51 Productions and Powerhouse Animation will continue to produce.Though Netflix didn’t share a release date for... Continue reading…

Choose your college roommates carefully... | Photo illustration by Cath Virginia / The Verge | Photo by Drew Angerer, Getty Images Two of Bankman-Fried’s MIT roommates make a damning case for the prosecution. Continue reading…

Apple News is a built-in app available on new iPhones running iOS 17 and earlier OS versions. The application is similarly found on recent iPads and Macs, so your preferences will sync across your iCloud devices. And while this app offers a paid Apple subscription service called News+, it actually functions just fine without a membership. To learn more about the Apple News app on iOS, iPadOS, and macOS, read on.

Kristen Radtke / The Verge; Getty Images The Canadian regulatory body that oversees radio, television, and online streaming services put out a news release last week about a provocative new rule. Any online streaming service that operates in Canada, offers broadcasting content, and earns more than $10 million in annual revenue will need to complete a registration form by November. This includes online services that offer podcasts, the release stated.The move has drawn some criticism on social media as well as in op-eds in a number of Canadian news outlets, which suggest that the rule is the beginning of an effort by the government to control speech on podcasts. A spokesperson for the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) told Hot Pod that that... Continue reading…

Magnifier includes some additional accessibility benefits that go beyond simply zooming into distant text. | Image: Google Google has released its Magnifier app for Pixel phones that’s designed to make small, dimly lit, or distant text easier to read. The new accessibility app debuted on the Pixel 8 series introduced at Google’s Pixel event earlier this week, and allows users to “magnify small text, see object details, or zoom in on faraway text like street signs or restaurant menus behind a service counter,” according to the Magnifier app Play Store listing.Magnifier is currently supported on Pixel 5 phones or later, though that doesn’t include the Pixel Fold or Pixel Tablet devices according to 9to5Google. The app itself features a fairly simple user interface. The default screen includes large + and - buttons used to control the zoom function, located on... Continue reading…

Did they just tape it on there? | Image: Hyundai Another major automaker is jumping on the Tesla bandwagon. Hyundai announced today its plans to adopt the North American Charging Standard (NACS), aka the “Tesla plug,” for its future electric vehicles. Hyundai models compatible with Tesla’s NACS plug will start arriving in the fourth quarter of 2024. In the first quarter of 2025, the automaker will also provide adapters to its current customers so they can access Tesla Supercharger stations. Hyundai’s current EV lineup, which includes the Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6, both have charging ports that are compatible with the Combined Charging Standard, or CCS, for DC fast charging. So let’s just look at the scoreboard really quickNACS adoptees include Ford, GM, Rivian, Volvo, Polestar, Nissan, M... Continue reading…

One of the good things about new Macs is that they offer straightforward ways to uninstall apps. So if you're running macOS Sonoma or an earlier version, you can pick between different methods to delete an application. The difficulty and effectiveness differ based on what you opt for, so we will be listing your options and you can choose accordingly.

Lenovo’s rollable laptop concept. | Photo by Jon Porter / The Verge At first, Lenovo only seemed casually jealous of Framework’s modular repairable laptops — first, it sent a cease-and-desist over a Framework power button, then it unveiled its own modular concept laptop dubbed Project Aurora with no promise to actually build such a thing.But it looks like the ThinkPad and Motorola owner might actually be serious about ramping up repairability. “More than 80 percent of our devices will be able to be repaired at the customer,” Lenovo executive Luca Rossi told the Canalys EMEA Forum 2023, according to The Register.“Batteries, SSD, many things will not any longer be sealed into the product but will be available for the customer to be to repaired on site and then save a lot of waste,” he reportedly said. L... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Microsoft is planning to finalize its $68.7 billion proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard next week. A source familiar with Microsoft’s plans tells The Verge that the company is eyeing up Friday October 13th as the closing date where it announces to the world that the 20-month process to buy Call of Duty maker Activision Blizzard is over.That date will still depend on the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority though, a regulator that blocked Microsoft’s deal earlier this year. Microsoft recently restructured the deal to transfer cloud gaming rights for current and new Activision Blizzard games to Ubisoft, and the Xbox maker secured preliminary approval from the CMA late last month as a result.The CMA has a deadline that expires... Continue reading…

Sending a text message isn’t exactly rocket science, but attempting to decipher the various acronyms associated with text messaging standards can get a bit tricky. For years, smartphones have utilized SMS and MMS protocols for sending and receiving messages, but tech is always moving forward. Now, there's RCS for firing off messages and sharing photos. RCS has actually been around for a long time; it's only now that the protocol is being introduced to Android's Messages app.

You can already buy the latest clock-equipped Echo Dot for $44.99 ($15 off). Prime Big Deal Days, Amazon’s next Prime Day-like sales event, doesn’t officially kick off until October 10th, but the tech giant is already giving Prime members and non-members alike a taste of what’s to come. A whole bunch of (mainly Amazon) gadgets are discounted ahead of the two-day shopping event, including Amazon’s latest smart speakers, e-readers, TVs, tablets, and various smart security devices.Below, we’ve rounded up a selection of the best deals so far, many of which we expect to hold throughout the duration of the event. We’ll also be covering the deluge of other notable discounts once the event kicks off in earnest, so make sure to keep an eye on all of our deals coverage in the coming week.The best smart... Continue reading…

Image: Genvid Silent Hill: Ascension, the interactive streaming series set in the universe of the classic horror games, will have its “world premiere” on October 31st at 9PM ET, says Jacob Navok, the game’s executive producer and CEO of developer Genvid. If you want to take part you’ll be able to participate through Ascension’s iOS and Android apps, or by visiting Ascension.com. “I use the phrase ‘world premiere’ intentionally because Silent Hill: Ascension is not a game,” Navok explains. “It is a streaming series where you, the audience, participate live to determine what happens. You, and the rest of the community, will decide the fate of its characters.” That doesn’t mean Ascension is live-action, however. It’s very much a video game-looking... Continue reading…