Synology hasn't had the best of years for 2025. The company has experienced a downward trend in customer loyalty when it came to its series of X25 models, such as the DS925, DS425, and DS225. We reviewed the DS925 and found it to be a decent NAS, rocking the same exceptionally good DSM software, but the entire package was let down by a few questionable company decisions. Namely, restricting HDD support to specific branded options, and outright dropping hardware transcode support, making running Plex, Jellyfin, and other media streaming apps almost impossible.

A screenshot from Lego Party!, which will be available on Netflix. Netflix has been investing a lot of time and energy into gaming, but the company sees its work on games as part of a broader initiative around interactivity, co-CEO Greg Peters said in today’s Q3 2025 earnings call.“We’ve mostly talked so far about our work in this space as games because that’s an easy shorthand,” he said. “But we see this initiative as more about interactivity broadly. How does interactivity become complementary to linear storytelling? How is it able to unlock whole new entertainment experiences?” As an example, he mentioned real-time voting, which Netflix is currently testing with Dinner Time Live With David Chang and plans to use with its live Star Search revival in January. “We expect to provide other interactive features to deepen engagement with live events as we go in the future,” Peters said.Recently, Netflix has also shaken up its gaming strategy to focus in part on multiplayer party games, including a batch that you’ll be able to play on your TV by using your smartphone as a controller. “These games are super easy to access,” Peters said. “
It’s just like our series and films. You scroll to the games tab, you pick whatever you want, click it, and you’re in. You don’t need a special controller — that’s key to this access.”In the “years ahead,” Netflix expects that “creators will really find interesting and novel ways to unlock all of the power that is in this incredibly advanced controller that we all happen to have in our pockets, which, of course, is our phones,” Peters said.The company is also putting its efforts into offering games based on its own franchises, games for kids, and more mainstream titles like Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy — The Definitive Edition.With its approach, Netflix sees that it “not only extends the audience’s engagement with a story, but it creates a synergy that reinforces both mediums, the interactive and the non-interactive side,” according to Peters. “It drives engagement and drives retention, therefore supports the business.” Down the line, the company is going to “ramp our investment in this area judiciously,” but Netflix is “extremely excited about the progress we’ve got ahead of us.”

Starting today, creators in YouTube’s Partner Program are getting access to a new AI detection feature that will allow them to find and report unauthorized uploads using their likeness. As shown in this video from YouTube, after verifying their identity, creators can review flagged videos in the Content Detection tab on YouTube Studio. If a video looks like unauthorized, AI-generated content, creators can submit a request for it to be removed. The first wave of eligible creators was notified via email this morning, and the feature will roll out to more creators over the next few months. YouTube warned early users in a guide on the feature that, in its current in-development state, it “may display videos featuring your actual face, not altered or synthetic versions,” such as clips of a creator’s own content. It works similarly to Content ID, which YouTube uses to detect copyrighted audio and video content. YouTube originally announced this feature last year and began testing it in December through a pilot program with talent represented by Creative Artists Agency (CAA). YouTube’s blog post at the time said, “Through this collaboration, several of the world’s most influential figures will have access to early-stage technology designed to identify and manage AI-generated content that features their likeness, including their face, on YouTube at scale.”YouTube and Google are among many tech firms pushing AI video generation and editing tools, and the likeness detection tool isn’t their only feature in development to deal with AI-generated content on the platform. Last March, YouTube also began requiring creators to label uploads that include content generated or altered using AI and announced a strict policy around AI-generated music “that mimics an artist’s unique singing or rapping voice.”

The Soundcore Sleep A30 sit flush in your ear and are comfortable enough to wear all night. | Image: The Verge If you’re a light sleeper who needs complete silence before dozing off, Anker’s Soundcore Sleep A30 are built for you. Luckily, right now, the wireless sleep buds are on sale at Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy for $193.99 ($36 off), which is just shy of the price drop we saw during Amazon’s most recent Prime Day event. It’s a solid deal for anyone looking to get a head start on the holiday rush.Anker Soundcore Sleep A30Where to Buy: $229.99 $193.99 at Amazon $229.99 $193.99 at Walmart $229.99 $193.99 at Best BuyThe Sleep A30 are an ultra-low-profile pair of sleep earbuds with active noise cancellation and an adaptive masking system. Essentially, the case monitors and analyzes ambient sounds, while the earbuds optimize the ANC to block out noises like snoring, traffic, and the hum of appliances. In his review, deputy editor Thomas Ricker said the feature did an excellent job of keeping snoring and other low-frequency sounds to a minimum. He also said the earbuds are smaller and more comfortable than their predecessor, particularly for side sleepers.The A30 come with silicone and foam tips of varying sizes, along with an app that features curated sleep sounds and tracking, giving you an idea of how well you slept. The earbuds can also last through the night while listening to white noise stored locally on the earbuds; however, battery life is closer to 6.5 hours per charge when listening to music or podcasts over Bluetooth.Read our Anker Soundcore Sleep A30 review.A few more dealsAmazon’s last-gen Echo Show 8 has returned to $99.99 ($50 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and The Home Depot. The third-gen device boasts a redesigned speaker system and spatial audio, along with widgets and the ability to control nearly any smart device, making it a terrific smart speaker with a screen. However, if you want the latest model available, Amazon recently introduced an upgraded Echo Show 8, which features new hardware that looks far more refined than that of prior models. Read our review.8BitDo’s Arcade Controller is being modestly discounted to $80.99 ($9 off) at Amazon (at checkout), which is $5 shy of its all-time low. The newer gamepad replaces the traditional analog joystick with a 16-button layout, four of which can be remapped. The “leverless” controller style has become popular among fans of fighting games, where lightning-fast reaction times are crucial. It also measures a mere 16mm thick, promises up to 20 hours of battery life, and works with the Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, and Windows PCs.Lego’s upcoming Time Machine from Back to the Future is now available for preorder from both Amazon and Lego for $27.99 ahead of its launch on January 1st, 2026. While not as detailed as the DeLorean kit from a few years ago, this 357-piece set recreates Doc Brown’s iconic time machine, complete with an “OUTATIME” license plate and a flux capacitor. The set also comes with minifigures of Marty McFly in his red vest and Brown with his ghost-white hair.

iPhone 17 Pro owners are still waiting for Project Indigo support. | Photo: Vjeran Pavic / The Verge The iPhone 17 series launched just over a month ago, but Adobe’s camera app Project Indigo still doesn’t support the latest iPhones — you can run it on an iPhone 12 Pro if you have one handy, but I can’t use it on the iPhone 17 Pro on my desk. The holdup seems to be due in part to trouble with the phone’s new selfie camera, according to a post on Adobe’s forum (spotted by a keen-eyed redditor). And although it seems the wait might be over soon, support for the selfie camera might not be available right away.Product manager Boris Ajdin has been relaying information about Project Indigo’s updates to eager fans on Adobe’s community forums, and he posted an update on October 16th with more information about the delayed iPhone 17 support. “We are working hard on it, and we have run into some issues, especially with the front camera. Some of them we flagged to Apple, who have made a fix and will ship it with iOS 26.1. Sadly, that means we need to consider disabling the front camera in Indigo until that version of iOS is shipped,” his post reads. The team hoped to release that update “in a couple of days,” though it’s clear now that more time was needed. Responding to another comment in the thread today, Ajdin says he is “hoping that we can release an update this week.” I reached out to Adobe to ask for more details about the challenges the selfie camera has posed; Adobe spokesperson Erin Di Leva referred me to the aforementioned forum posts.The iPhone 17 series included the first major update to the selfie camera since switching to a 12-megapixel sensor in the iPhone 11. The 17’s 18-megapixel front camera sensor is square, allowing it to capture both portrait and landscape orientation images without rotating the whole phone (or losing a lot of resolution to cropping). It also uses Center Stage controls to automatically follow subjects around the frame and change orientation when more people join the photo. It’s a useful update to a well-used camera, though not everyone is a fan of the image quality. Project Indigo gained a faithful following when it debuted this summer, offering more natural processing compared to the typical smartphone camera “look” most native camera apps produce. It’s the product of a team led by Marc Levoy, who’s known for his work on the Google Pixel camera and its pioneering use of computational photography. Indigo is an “experimental” app and is so far only available on iOS; Android owners are still waiting for support, which Levoy told me earlier this year is “definitely on the ‘want’ list,” though is likewise quite challenging. I have a feeling iPhone 17 owners are going to get their Indigo support before Android does.

Nvidia Reflex is a rather ambiguous technology that's ultimately marketed as a tool designed to minimize the delay between your mouse and keyboard input followed by the action showing up on screen. It's deemed to be particularly important for fast-paced competitive games where every millisecond counts, namely competitive titles like Counter-Strike 2, Valorant, and Battlefield 6. Yet it's a feature that's present in more games than just fast-paced, competitive FPS titles.

Hello and welcome to Regulator.Of all the strange, unintended consequences stemming from major lawsuits, I never thought that the Trump administration's power to force Apple to remove ICE-tracking mobile apps from its stores could have been connected to a legal battle over Fortnite V-Bucks. Yes, we are talking about the in-game digital currency that Fortnite players can use to buy taco hats and trending zoomer dance emotes for their avatars. Yes, they're the ones you can purchase as gift cards at CVS for a 9-year-old's emergency birthday gift. But at one point, they were the subject of two major lawsuits filed by developer Epic Games, a …Read the full story at The Verge.

I’ve used enough productivity apps to know most of them eventually hit a ceiling. They’re great for capturing and organizing information, but not so much at understanding it. This is where NotebookLM changes things. It’s a context engine that actually learns from your material and helps connect dots that you miss. Once you start feeding it sources, it transforms them into a format that makes better sense to you.

We already know that the next-gen Xbox console isn’t locked to a single store, will use an AMD chip inside, and will maintain compatibility with an existing library of Xbox games. Now, Microsoft appears to be teasing that the next-gen Xbox will be some type of hybrid console and PC.Xbox president Sarah Bond sat down with Mashable this week to discuss the latest Xbox Ally X handheld, and dropped some vague hints about Microsoft’s next-gen Xbox console. When asked about rumors that the next-gen Xbox console will be more like a gaming PC, Bond appeared to agree. “I can tell you you’re right, that the next-gen console is going to be a very premium, very high-end curated experience,” said Bond. “You’re starting to see some of the thinking we have in this handheld, but I don’t want to give it all away.”I’ve been writing for more than a year that the next Xbox console will be more PC-like, and that the Xbox Ally devices are an early look at what’s to come. Bond’s latest comments are subtle, but they once again line up with her previous promise of delivering an “Xbox experience not locked to a single store or tied to one device,” and prioritizing Windows. “That’s why we’re working closely with the Windows team to ensure that Windows is the number one platform for gaming,” said Bond in June, while announcing a multi-year partnership with AMD for a portfolio of Xbox devices.I’m convinced that Microsoft’s next-gen Xbox console will be powered by Windows and be part of a number of devices from third parties that Microsoft also considers Xbox consoles. A $1,000 Xbox Ally X handheld tests the appetite for pricey next-gen consoles, and it may well also test the appetite for a combination of Xbox and Windows. Perhaps that’s what Bond means when she says the next-gen Xbox will deliver “the largest technical leap you will have ever seen in a hardware generation.”

After two long decades, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines, the 2004 vampire RPG classic, has gotten a sequel. It only took 21 years, two studios, and ground-up rewrites, but Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 is now here. If you haven't played the first game but are still impressed by everything you've seen for Bloodlines 2, you won't be alone. After all, the first game could legally purchase and consume alcohol today, while the sequel itself requires you to be just seventeen.

I've been messing around with a lot of different ESP32-based devices, and the reTerminal E1001 is one of the more recent devices I've experienced. It has three buttons at the top, a temperature and humidity sensor, a buzzer, and even a microphone. However, what it also has is a 7.5-inch ePaper display, and all of that hardware got me thinking: what if I built a Kindle-esque device with it?

If you spend a lot of time online, you know how quickly things can feel repetitive or dull. When that happens, you can instantly liven things up with fun, free Comet extensions. Not only do these extensions make you laugh, but they also add a personal touch to your everyday workflow, turning routine tasks into quick opportunities for a mental refresh.