Hopefully, it won’t be too long before PC gamers can also give Torgal a well-deserved scratch. | Image: Square Enix The weekend bore some good news for PC gamers wanting to get in on the Playstation 5 exclusive Final Fantasy XVI JRPG. During the “Voices From Valisthea” panel at PAX West on Sunday, Final Fantasy XVI producer Naoki Yoshida announced that a PC port is currently in development for the latest addition to the Final Fantasy video game franchise, alongside two paid DLC expansions. No details have been provided regarding a potential release date for the port or DLC, though at least one of the planned expansions will seemingly be set in Valisthea — the regional setting for Final Fantasy XVI. “I hope to be able to give you more information on both the upcoming DLC and the PC version before the end of the year, so please stay tuned,” said... Continue reading…

Great headphones and excellent earbuds are ubiquitous in 2023, and they're more powerful than ever. That's great for people who love watching media and listening to music on-the-go, but it can be bad news for your hearing. If you listen to headphones for too long at high volumes, you can cause temporary or permanent hearing damage. As part of Apple's recent sweeping health initiatives, it introduced headphone safety notifications on iPhone and Apple Watch, and you can also find them on the upcoming iOS 17 and watchOS 10 updates.

Ambient noise podcasters can apparently still make cash through subscribers, lister support, and automated ads. | Illustration by Kristen Radtke / The Verge Spotify is pulling select advertising privileges for white noise podcasts — a type of ambient noise podcast that involves looping relaxing sounds like rain or static — in a bid to boost the audio streaming company’s annual profits. As reported by Bloomberg, Spotify outlined changes to its Ambassador Ads program (which pays creators to read ads promoting Spotify content) in an email to creators on Friday, noting that white noise podcasters will no longer be eligible to participate starting October 1st.Spotify will no longer spend its marketing budget to support white-noise podcasters through ambassador ads, Bloomberg reports. However, such creators can still make money on the platform via paid subscribers, listener support, and automated... Continue reading…

Flannery Associates, the company behind land grabs near San Francisco that turned out to be a secret plot to build a city with hundreds of millions in funding from wealthy tech leaders, has revealed a website for the planned city. California Forever is the name of Flannery’s parent company, and its site is filled with sunny pictures of a walkable, green city by the bay. The text sets up what it says surveys tell it residents want — good local jobs, walkability, safety, etc. — then makes vague promises not to ruin nearby agriculture and to create solar farms. At the bottom, the site promises walkable neighborhoods and to “help solve” infrastructure issues and “protect and support” the nearby Travis Air Force base. Former Goldman Sachs... Continue reading…

Photo by Tom Warren / The Verge Microsoft has started selling a new black version of the Xbox Series S with 1TB of built-in storage. The only changes over the original white Xbox Series S are a black paint job on the exterior and more storage inside. Priced at $349, it’s still one of the most affordable ways to play Bethesda’s new Starfield game, which launches on Xbox Series S / X and PC this week.The carbon black exterior now matches the larger Xbox Series X, with the $299 white Xbox Series S still available with its regular 512GB of storage. The increase to 1TB on this black model will allow you to install a modern Call of Duty game and not have to worry too much about how much storage is left over. You’re essentially paying an extra $50 for 512GB of additional... Continue reading…

A Dolby graphic showing a TV connecting to two asymmetrical speakers. | Image: Dolby The best bit of attending Berlin’s IFA trade show is when companies use it to offer an early look at tech that’ll get a “proper” launch later. That’s what I experienced with a demonstration of Dolby Atmos FlexConnect, a new technology to let you wirelessly connect compatible external speakers to your TV and create an Atmos-enabled spatial audio setup. The most interesting part of Dolby’s pitch for the technology is that it’s supposedly far more forgiving about where you can place these specialized external speakers. They don’t need to be perfectly symmetrical, like the press shots show DTS’s similar wireless Play-Fi Home Theater standard. With Atmos FlexConnect, the idea is you can place your external speakers anywhere in the room with... Continue reading…

Although the Nothing Phone 1 isn't the best smartphone Nothing has to offer anymore, it's still a capable device in 2023. The Nothing Phone 2, released in July, took that crown with an improved processor and camera system. However, you can make your Phone 1 better than ever with a few neat accessories. Aside from putting on a case or screen protector for some added protection, you can add some of the best chargers, cables, and earbuds to your Phone 1 for a much better experience. With Nothing OS 2.0 headed to Phone 1 right now, your phone's internal software is getting a refresh, so all that's left for you to do is refresh your accessory portfolio.

Best Buy is one of the best places to go if you want to buy any kind of electronic device, including laptops. Not only does the company offer a huge selection of products, but its Price Match Guarantee helps you get the best deal. There are some exceptions to that, but regardless, this makes Best Buy a compelling place to visit if you want to get the best deal on a new laptop. Not only are you getting them from a reputable retailer, but you can also get them at one of the lowest prices available on the market.

Buying a good gaming mouse is one of the best investments you can make for your gaming setup, alongside the best mechanical keyboard. A top-notch gaming mouse isn't going to magically make you a better gamer, but it'll greatly improve your overall experience. Whether you're upgrading to a better sensor or simply ditching wires to remove cable clutter, there are plenty of options to choose from. Here are some of our favorite pointers.

Are you looking for some great Android apps and games to keep your kids occupied? If so, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve selected some of the best Android apps that will help your kids learn new things while also having fun. There are also some cool games that will keep your kids entertained in their free time.

Samsung is widely known for being one of the most popular Android smartphone makers in the world. There's a chance you've heard of products like the Galaxy Z Flip 4, for example. But the company has made some very interesting Windows laptops, too. In 2023, we now have the brand-new Galaxy Book 3 series, which is quite a bit different since it has a device for every need. Big laptops, convertible laptops, you name it, and Samsung has it. At this point, Samsung has a really strong lineup of laptops for different kinds of users, and you may have a hard time choosing the right one for you. So, we're here to help with that, and we've rounded up the best laptops in Samsung's lineup, tailored to a few different categories. Let's dive right in.

The Samsung Galaxy A53 is one of the best budget Android phones you can buy despite being over a year old. With its premium design, huge 5,000mAh battery, surprisingly solid 64MP rear camera, and five years of guaranteed software updates, the A53 has a lot going on, especially now that you can get it on sale more often.