The new Google Pixel 8 has everyone abuzz thanks to the upgrades over its predecessor, with just a $100 bump in the price tag. The Pixel 8 comes with a brand-new Tensor G3 chip, better cameras, and a brighter but slightly smaller screen.

Image: Bethesda Softworks Remember Redfall? The blood-sucking shooter with soul-crushing problems? The game that released in May without a 60fps performance mode on Xbox? The game that, according to a Eurogamer article from earlier on Friday, hardly anyone has been playing on Steam? Well, it got a big new update on Friday — including that long-awaited performance mode.Arkane Studios detailed everything new in Redfall’s Game Update 2 in a blog post on its website. In addition to the performance mode, the update adds things stealth takedowns, more enemies in the open world, some changes to controller settings, improvements to screen narration, and a lot more. It seems like a pretty substantial patch.Will it be enough for a Cyberpunk 2077-style turnaround, though?... Continue reading…

Image: Ubisoft Amazon now offers the ability to buy games on its Luna cloud gaming service, but the new feature comes with a big catch: at least for now, you’ll only be able to buy select Ubisoft titles. For me, Amazon was advertising games you can buy right on the main Luna homepage, including the just-released Assassin’s Creed Mirage. However, if you end up buying an Ubisoft game on Luna, you’ll need an Amazon Prime or a Luna Plus subscription to be able to stream that purchased game, according to an Amazon blog post about the feature. The ability to buy games is all well and good on its own; previously, you could only play games on Luna by subscribing to specific channels of content, accessing a rotating set of games available to... Continue reading…

Cleaning a mechanical keyboard can be quite the task as it sits there on your desk, constantly collecting dust particles, lint, and hair, among other things, over time. Not to mention, the keycaps on your keyboard also start to shine or get greasy over time as you continue to type with greasy or sweaty fingers. Seriously, take it from someone who builds mechanical keyboards for a hobby and spends a lot of time clearing tortilla chips and bread crumbs from them quite often. I can't stress how important it is to clean and maintain your keyboard to ensure it works as intended for a long time.

Photo illustration by Cath Virginia / The Verge; Photo by Sean Gladwell / Getty Images A home for music diehards has been fractured by increased fees that are pushing sellers and shoppers to other platforms. Continue reading…

The AirPods Max swept the nation when they were released at Christmastime in 2020; bringing to our ears a sturdy over-ear headphone with great sound, and a colorful, unique design. They also introduced really excellent active noise cancelation (ANC) alongside spatialized audio and Dolby Atmos capabilities. On the downside, the AirPods Max had limited capabilities when it came to Android devices plus, they came with a hefty price tag - hitting the market at $549.

Photo Illustration by William Joel / The Verge Bad news: flagship phones cost a small fortune these days. Good news: we can help you pick the right one and get the most for your money. Continue reading…

Temperature sensor. Temperature sensor? Temperature sensor. | Image: Google The Pixel 8 Pro has an infrared temperature sensor. Why does the Pixel 8 Pro have a temperature sensor? For an unusual feature on a $1,000 flagship phone, Google really isn’t saying much about it. The Pixel 8 Pro announcement mentions it almost in passing: And on the back of the Pixel 8 Pro, a new temperature sensor lets you quickly scan an object to get its temperature. Use it to check if your pan is hot enough to start cooking or if the milk in your baby’s bottle is at the right temperature. We’ve also submitted an application to the FDA, to enable Pixel’s Thermometer App to take your temperature and save it to Fitbit.Any off-the-shelf infrared thermometer can tell you the temperature of a hot pan or a baby bottle. But the instant... Continue reading…

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Intel has teased a “Windows refresh” for 2024 which it hopes will boost its revenues. During Citi’s analyst conference last month Intel CFO David Zinsner discussed a Windows refresh next year, suggesting that consumers might upgrade their PCs because of a new release of Windows.“We actually think 2024 is going to be a pretty good year for client, in particular because of the Windows refresh,” said Zinsner at the Citi analyst conference on September 6th. “We still think that the install base is pretty old, and does require a refresh. We think next year may be the start of that given the Windows catalyst.”Zinsner’s comments from a month ago were spotted by PC Gamer, and come months after references to Windows 12 were leaked from internal... Continue reading…

Image: GKids The setup of Blue Giant is familiar anime territory: a young boy from a small town moves to Tokyo to pursue his dream. This boy, Dai, is a saxophone obsessive. He practices all day under a bridge, honking and warbling until he wears out his reed. Naturally, Dai wants to be the greatest jazz musician in the world.For all his audacious ambition, Blue Giant is largely restrained. The movie focuses on the trio that forms the band — and even shifts its attention away from Dai at around the halfway mark. There’s also Sawabe, a savvy and smug pianist who knows how the club performance circuit operates. And then there’s Dai’s roommate, Tamada, a high school friend who improbably becomes the band’s rhythm section after trying the drums just... Continue reading…

Image: Neon Before Anatomy of a Fall gives us a body, we get a booming steel drum cover of 50 Cent’s “P.I.M.P.” It’s coming from upstairs, where Sandra’s (Sandra Hüller) husband is insulating the attic. But he’s playing the music loudly — possibly out of spite. Sandra is downstairs answering a grad student’s questions about her career as a successful novelist, speaking pretentiously, and predictably, about how reality informs her fiction. Samuel (Samuel Theis), the husband, is also a writer but has never been able to publish a book. Blasting horrible music is perhaps how he expresses that bitterness to his wife. An hour later, he’ll be found outside, head cracked open after tumbling from the third floor.That’s the initial assumption at least. But... Continue reading…

Apple Music is one of the most prominent subscription services offered by the iPhone maker. It first launched back in mid-2015 and has received some major upgrades throughout the past eight years. Today's it's Spotify's biggest rival, offering an extensive catalog of lossless music, in addition to tens of thousands of curated playlists. So, how did Apple Music get here? Let's take a walk down memory lane.