Gaming is an expensive hobby, and enthusiasts always need to choose between upgrades. They're searching to find the best value for their money, which is why metrics like "FPS per dollar" and "cost per frame" are often referenced. While this kind of logic applies to CPU or GPU upgrades in an enthusiast gaming rig, it falls short of quantifying the importance of peripherals in gaming. Even a no-compromises gaming PC build can be limited by mediocre peripherals, such as a headset, keyboard, mouse, or monitor.

Cath Virginia / The Verge | Photos via Getty Images Some laws operate like hidden trap doors — everyone walks across the trap at one point or another, but only a handful of us actually fall through. For the rich, it’s the law against insider trading; for the rest of us plebs, it’s the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. On Thursday, federal law enforcement arrested journalist Tim Burke and arraigned him in court in handcuffs. Twelve of the 14 charges levied against him in the since-unsealed indictment are under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA), the federal anti-hacking statute. The story begins with Tucker Carlson’s extremely cursed interview of Kanye West in 2022. Most interviews are edited for clarity; in this case, the interview was cut to exclude a rambling, antisemitic rant. That... Continue reading…

MWC’s venue, the Fira de Barcelona Grand Via. | Photo by Joan Cros/NurPhoto via Getty Images Europe’s big smartphone show is here, and big players like Xiaomi, OnePlus, HMD, Honor, and Lenovo have a new generation of devices to show off. Continue reading…

If you wanted a Ring Car Cam you’re too late. | Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge Ring confirmed to The Verge that it has stopped selling its Ring Car Cam, a dashcam / security camera hybrid that records the road and the driver while in motion and acts as a security camera when a vehicle is parked. The product, which launched at CES 2023, has been hard to come by since going on sale last January, and customers who tried to purchase one in the last few months are finding those orders canceled."We've experienced ongoing delays with Car Cam and have decided to stop the sale of the device," Ring spokesperson Andrea McDonald told The Verge in an email. "Customers who purchased a Car Cam will continue to receive software updates and support. We remain excited about opportunities to innovate in the auto space." McDonald... Continue reading…

It's clear that the AI chatbot market is getting saturated as tech companies flood the space with multi-purpose conversational interfaces powered by large language models (LLMs). A few weeks ago, Google announced that it is rebranding Bard to Gemini, along with offering an advanced version of the model via a paid subscription. Gemini also packs the ImageFX utility based on the Imagen 2 AI model for image-generation capabilities, but now, Google has decided to nerf access to this tool following widespread reports of inaccurate and potentially offensive imagery being generated by the service.

Image: Nintendo An interview with Twin Peaks co-creator Mark Frost reveals a fateful conversation with Nintendo in 1990. Continue reading…

The Stream Onyx is the turntable to start with if you’re running a Sonos-only home. | Image: Victrola With the ability to stream to practically anything, the Victrola Sapphire is shaping up to be the last turntable you’ll need. It’s not available yet, though, and not everyone will want to spend $1,500 for the privilege of owning one. The Sonos-ready Stream Onyx, while not as ubiquitous, is the cheapest model that will let you stream your record collection to all your Sonos speakers while retaining vinyl’s authenticity and character. We’ve seen it fall to $359.99 in the past, but Amazon is establishing a new all-time low at the moment, dropping it to $341.99 ($258 off). The Stream Onyx is a more affordable alternative to the Stream Carbon, one that lacks the latter’s premium metallic accented finishings and Ortofon Red 2M cartridge. It... Continue reading…

After what felt like an eternity for the virtual reality enthusiasts, Apple’s much-anticipated Vision Pro finally launched at $3,500. For some, the high price tag and an unknown foray into Apple's "spatial computing" push may be too much to ask. But for early adopters, the Vision Pro holds a lot of promise as a do-it-all replacement for your Mac or PC.

Bluetooth is a wireless technology that allows you to connect devices as long as they're relatively close to each other physically. Nowadays, Bluetooth can be used to power devices like wireless headphones, mice, keyboards, and more, and it's as essential to many people as Wi-Fi or even cellular connectivity.

The longer you use your computer, the more likely it is to become slower over time, especially as you pile up more files on your drives. Filling up your hard drive can significantly downgrade performance, and one good way to help address that problem is to optimize or defragment that drive. In this article, we'll show you how to defragment a drive on your Windows 11 PC.

Attendees leaving last year’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. | Photo by Joan Cros/NurPhoto via Getty Images Without looking up any leaks or rumors, I’d bet that you could probably sketch most of the phones rumored to be launching at Mobile World Congress next week. Over the years, smartphones have settled on a relatively consistent design formula of big rectangular touchscreens, small selfie camera cutouts, app-based interfaces, and large camera bumps with an array of different lenses. But more than a decade and a half into the smartphone era, I’m getting more and more curious about what’s going to come next and why existing attempts to reinvent smartphones like foldables have struggled to go mainstream.To my mind, much of the answer comes back to apps. We barely think about them because it’s so easy to take for granted that all your... Continue reading…

Alan Wake 2. | Image: Remedy Entertainment From Alan Wake to The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, you don’t have to look far to see Lynchian influences. Continue reading…