Image: Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images Microsoft was planning to remove a free Xbox Game Pass Ultimate benefit for most of its 238,000 employees in January, but the company is now reversing that decision following employee complaints. The Verge reported yesterday that Microsoft employees had expressed objections about the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate benefit being removed in 2024, with Xbox chief Phil Spencer personally looking into the situation.Spencer has now confirmed that the decision will be reversed and that Microsoft employees will keep the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate benefit. Here’s Spencer’s full message to Microsoft employees on the company’s internal Viva platform:After looking into this more with the team, I just want to confirm that no change will be made to Game Pass... Continue reading…

When it comes to finding a great laptop for tasks like video editing or content creation, two options stick right out. There's the Dell XPS 15 (2023) which has an incredible design featuring a slim-bezel screen, the latest 13th-generation CPUs from Intel, and the latest Nvidia graphics cards. Then, there's Apple's MacBook Pro, which packs in the power of the boosted M2 Pro and M2 Max chips and is one of the best Macs you can buy.

Photo by Joe Scarnici / Getty Images Stay up to date on the biggest announcements from the developer behind Overwatch, Diablo, and World of Warcraft. Continue reading…

Most gamers don't think of a MacBook when they imagine a gaming laptop. PC gaming has historically been mostly relegated to the realm of Windows, but that changed when Apple released its M1 system-on-a-chip in 2020, and the new 2023 MacBook Pro M3 only makes things more interesting. These M-series SoCs combine CPU and GPU cores on a single chip and offer impressive processing capabilities, not only for computing tasks but also for graphical work, opening up the possibility of MacBooks becoming viable gaming machines.

Screenshot by Tom Warren / The Verge When I turned my Xbox on yesterday, I was greeted with a fullscreen pop-up ad for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III. I posted on X (Twitter) about it and thought nothing more of it because annoying as it was, this isn’t the first time Microsoft has used a fullscreen takeover to promote one of its new games — and Microsoft now owns Call of Duty.But the internet wasn’t happy about this particular one. “Is this what we should expect now that Xbox owns Call of Duty?” asked VG247. “I do not want these massive, 90s-era Xbox Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III take-over pop-up ads to become the norm,” proclaimed Windows Central. On X, the feeling was similar: these ads are annoying.But they didn’t have to be this way; they could actually be... Continue reading…

Google's first foldable has turned out to be well worth the wait, as it offers a sleek and compact design, flagship-grade hardware, impressive displays, and top-notch cameras, among other things. However, you'll have to pay a bit to get your hands on it. Even though Google has cut some corners, and the Pixel Fold isn't the best foldable phone on the market from a hardware standpoint, it starts at an eye-watering $1,800. To keep that investment safe, we highly recommend buying a durable case to protect it from scratches and accidental drops. After all, foldable phones are pretty fragile, and the extra protection can make a huge difference. To help you out, we've rounded up a list of the best Pixel Fold cases you can buy right now.

The new indoor / outdoor security camera from TP-Link’s Tapo packs a lot into a small package. | Image: TP-Link Tapo, one of TP-Link’s two smart home brands, is continuing to expand its footprint in the home security camera space with the announcement of the $39.99 Tapo C120. This pint-size smart home camera fits in the palm of your hand and can be used indoors or out, thanks to IP66 weatherproofing rating. It’s due to be released on November 13th.Small smart security cameras aren’t new — Wyze and Blink both have offerings of a similar size for under $100 — but TP-Link’s new camera crams a lot of features into a small package for under $40. A wired camera, it has 2K video, local storage with an onboard microSD card, free AI-powered person detection, and an easy-to-use magnetic mount. Image: TP-Link The Tapo C120 costs... Continue reading…

Before Apple formally announced the new M3 iMac and MacBook Pro at an Oct. 30 event, an unconfirmed leak revealed a potential wallpaper image for the MacBook Pro. That leak turned out to be accurate, and the M3 MacBook Pro debuted with a new, bubble-style wallpaper that cryptically spells "Pro." When the first iMacs and MacBooks Pro start shipping Nov. 7, they'll include brand-new wallpapers designed for the best Macs. However, if you want to download these wallpapers for your existing Mac, you're in luck. You can download Apple's official wallpapers for the M3 iMac and MacBook Pro via just a few simple steps below.

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Microsoft Surface PCs that have shipped on or after January 1st, 2021 will get at least six years of driver and firmware updates, according to a Microsoft support document reported on by Windows Central. Previously, Microsoft had only said it would support devices with at least four years of those updates from when they first came out, as you can see in an archived version of the document.The change means that, as of right now, the Surface Pro 7 Plus, Surface Laptop 4, Surface Pro 8, Surface Laptop Studio, Surface Go 3, Surface Pro X Wi-Fi, Surface Laptop SE, Surface Laptop Go 2, Surface Laptop 5, Surface Pro 9, Surface Studio 2 Plus, Surface Go 4, Surface Laptop Go 3, and Surface Laptop Studio 2 will all get at least six years of... Continue reading…

Image: Marvel Studios / Chuck Zlotnick Alaqua Cox’s Maya Lopez immediately stood out when she appeared in Disney Plus’ Hawkeye back in 2021. Among a cast of charismatic goofballs and assassins with hearts of gold, Maya was a terrifyingly deadly foil, constantly reminding the audience and characters of the stakes. Disney was so enamored with Cox’s portrayal of the deaf Native American heroine, it greenlit a spinoff, and on Friday we got our first look at it. We also got the surprising announcement that the show, Echo, would be coming to Disney Plus and Hulu simultaneously.This news comes just a few days after Disney committed to buying Comcast’s stake in Hulu and right as we all begin to wonder what that means for the future of the smaller streaming service. Hulu doesn’t have... Continue reading…

Android and ChromeOS are closely connected, which makes sense since both operating systems are developed and maintained by Google. The best part about this connection is the convenience of using an Android phone with your Chromebook. If you use them together, you'll get access to a number of features that can improve your daily workflow. You can even use Android apps directly on newer Chromebooks. Here's how to set it all up.

A render of the proposed San Jose development. | Image: Google Google has ended its agreement with Lendlease, the lead developer it had been working with on four major campus projects in Silicon Valley. In an announcement published earlier on Friday, Lendlease said both companies had agreed to end the deal after determining that “the existing agreements are no longer mutually beneficial given current market conditions.” The deal covered Downtown West in San Jose, Moffett Park in Sunnyvale, and Middlefield Park and North Bayshore in Mountain View. The Wall Street Journal notes that developments could have totaled over 15 million square feet of “office, residential, retail and other space.”“The existing agreements are no longer mutually beneficial given current market conditions”Google and... Continue reading…