I've been a gamer my whole life, and I transitioned to PC gaming in 2011 when Team Fortress 2 went free to play. A short while later was when I switched over to Counter-Strike: Global Offensive as my game of choice (there was a Minecraft stint in there somewhere, too), and ever since, I've competed in countless esports tournaments in Counter-Strike and VALORANT. And while there are a ton of expensive, feature-packed mice available, for the last few years, my mouse of choice has been the Logitech G Pro Wireless.

Image: Sony The Last of Us went from being a popular post-apocalyptic PlayStation series to a riveting TV show. Here’s all the news on the franchise. Continue reading…

Hyundai Mobis e-Cornering system, as demonstrated on a Hyundai Ioniq 5. When I was a boy, I wanted a Ferrari Testarossa. As a teen, I’d have told you James Bond’s tricked out Aston Martin DB5 would be my ride of choice. Today, I have a new answer: a Hyundai Ioniq 5 with magic wheels that turn sideways. Because when you have four wheels that turn sideways, dear reader, tantalizing possibilities unfold. Effortless parallel parking because you can simply slide sideways into a spot! Never having to back up in a parking lot because you can simply spin around. Never having to correct your parking in a standard parking spot — because the butt of your vehicle can slide out faster than the front for (theoretically) a perfect entrance every time. Diagonal driving to dodge obstacles without swerving, or switch... Continue reading…

Image: Microsoft Microsoft has started testing a change to Windows 11 that will see its AI-powered Copilot feature automatically open when Windows starts on “widescreen devices.” The change is being tested as part of Microsoft’s latest Dev Channel preview of Windows 11, allowing Windows testers to provide feedback ahead of a broader rollout.“We are trying out opening Copilot automatically when Windows starts on widescreen devices with some Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel,” says Microsoft in a blog post. The company doesn’t make it clear what exactly a “widescreen” device is, but the Windows 11 setting itself says Copilot will automatically open “when you’re using a wider screen.” So I’m assuming this is limited to ultrawide monitors and less... Continue reading…

Photo by Daniel Golson for The Verge Rivian released the latest edition of its environmental impact report, in which the company commits to building a new generation of electric vehicles that are even less polluting than its current generation. Rivian said its goal is to launch a product by 2030 “with half the lifecycle carbon footprint” as its 2022 R1 vehicles, which include the R1T pickup truck and R1S SUV. “Lifecycle carbon footprint” refers to all the greenhouse gas emissions, direct and indirect, associated with a product’s activities. For an EV, that would include its production, operation, and charging, from conception to junkyard. Rivian said its goal is to launch a product by 2030 “with half the lifecycle carbon footprint” as its 2022 R1 vehiclesTo accomplish... Continue reading…

The latest iPhone models exclusively offer a new feature called the Dynamic Island. So, if you're using one of the recent iPhones, you will notice its presence towards the top of your screen. While the Dynamic Island serves some purposes, certain users find it distracting. As a result, they may decide to disable it, along with its intrusive animations. To learn how to do so, read on.

It has been a fantastic few months for fans of gaming on the go. There's a whole selection of amazing PC gaming handhelds to pick from, and more are on the way. Now, Ayaneo has announced its Next Lite device, the first Steam Deck competitor to run SteamOS.

The Artifact news app. | Image: Artifact Artifact, the news app created by Instagram co-founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, is shutting down just a year after launch. The app used an AI-driven approach to suggest news that users might like to read, but it seems it didn’t catch on with enough people for the Artifact team to continue making the app.“We have built something that a core group of users love, but we have concluded that the market opportunity isn’t big enough to warrant continued investment in this way,” CEO Kevin Systrom says in a blog post. The app is beginning to wind down today. Users can no longer add new comments or posts, and Artifact will still let you read news “through the end of February.”Since launching at the end of January 2023, Artifact has added... Continue reading…

When Apple introduced the AirTag, certain power users quickly reached a 16-item limit and voiced their concerns about it. Considering the AirTag's reasonable price and Find My network's broad reach, many have tried to tag as many of their personal belongings as possible. And since the Cupertino firm opened up Find My to third-party trackers back in 2021, users have had even more solid options to choose from, beyond the AirTag itself. The main obstacle was being limited to 16 items per Apple ID, which apparently has been doubled on newer OS versions.

The A9 Plus comes in a 5G version that’s well under $300. | Image: Samsung Samsung has quietly put its budget Galaxy Tab A9 Plus on sale following its launch in October last year. It starts at $219 for a Wi-Fi-only version, but unlike most other Android tablets around that price, you can pick up a version with 5G. The A9 Plus with a cellular connection costs $269, and you can take your pick from T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T, and US Cellular versions on Samsung.com. 9to5Google first spotted that the tablet had gone on sale.The A9 Plus offers an 11-inch screen with a smooth 90Hz refresh rate — a rare feature at this price and definitely something you won’t find on an entry-level iPad. It has a 5-megapixel front-facing camera, an 8-megapixel rear camera, and comes with a 7,040mAh battery. The Wi-Fi version comes with... Continue reading…

Image: Nintendo Two classic Game Boy Advance role-playing games are coming to the Nintendo Switch next week: 2001’s Golden Sun and 2002’s Golden Sun: The Lost Age. The games will either be available on January 17th according to this tweet or the 16th according to this press release (presumably this confusion is timezone-related, and we’ve followed up with Nintendo for clarification). But regardless of the exact date, they’ll be available as part of a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscription.We’ve known at least one of these games was coming to the Switch ever since Golden Sun made an appearance as part of Nintendo’s original announcement about Game Boy games coming to its subscription service. But it’s taken roughly a year for that tease to... Continue reading…

Illustration: The Verge Google just announced a change for users in Europe that will let them decide exactly how much data-sharing they’re comfortable with. The new policy, which the company said was in response to the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), allows users to opt out of data sharing across all, some, or none of a select number of Google’s services. The services listed include YouTube, Search, ad services, Google Play, Chrome, Google Shopping, and Google Maps. But the policy isn’t watertight — Google will still share user data when it’s necessary to complete a task (e.g., if you’re paying for a purchase on Google Shopping with Google Pay) in order to comply with the law, stop fraud, or protect against abuse.That’s not the biggest change that Google will... Continue reading…