Judge questions Montana’s ban on TikTok Illustration by Nick Barclay / The VergeA federal district judge voiced skepticism over Montana’s first-in-the-nation ban of TikTok during a hearing in Missoula on Thursday. TikTok and several platform creators sued Montana earlier this year, calling the state’s ban unconstitutional and infringing on the free speech rights of both the company a…

Bayonetta director Hideki Kamiya isn’t retiring Photo by Kevork Djansezian / Getty ImagesA few weeks after announcing he intended to leave PlatinumGames, Hideki Kamiya posted a video on YouTube celebrating his first official day of unemployment. In the video, Kamiya explained what he’s been up to, what his future plans are, and clarified that though he’s left PlatinumGames, he’s not planning …

Microsoft’s new Xbox Series S bundle is ideal for Xbox Game Pass Image: MicrosoftMicrosoft is launching a new Xbox Series S bundle later this month that includes three months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. The Xbox Series S “Starter Bundle” will be available worldwide on October 31st for $299.99. It’s unusual to see Microsoft bundle three months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate with its consoles, as the company usuall…

The Stream Deck’s new paid app store is here Elgato Marketplace. | Image: ElgatoAs promised, Elgato has opened a new Marketplace, which serves as an app store platform for devices like the button-laden Stream Deck and Wave Link. Now, people can sell the plug-ins (like our Bubble Deck app), graphics, digital overlays, emotes, and digital audio effects they create directly to people who own …

Threads is getting an edit button — and you don’t have to pay for it Illustration: The VergeMeta is starting to roll out an edit feature and “Voice Threads” for its Threads platform, CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced on Thursday. They’re two major new features for Meta’s burgeoning X-like social network — and unlike on X, you won’t need to pay a subscription fee to be able to edit your posts for five minutes after th…

Honor announces its third foldable of the year The Magic VS2 shown folded and unfolded. | Image: HonorHonor’s Magic VS2 is the former Huawei sub-brand’s third new foldable launch in four months, following the launch of the Magic V2 in July and the Magic V Purse last month. And that’s without counting the international launch of the Magic VS earlier this year following its China release in 20…

AMC CEO was target of blackmail and extortion plot Illustration: The VergeAdam Aron, meme stock CEO of AMC, sent sexually explicit images in text conversations with a woman who attempted to blackmail and extort him out of hundreds of thousands of dollars, as first reported by Semafor Thursday. The plot took place over several weeks of text messages between Aron and the woman, Sakoya Blackwood. B…

How to change the alert sounds on your iPhone Illustration by Samar Haddad / The VergeIn the past, Apple’s ecosystem has been a little “one size fits all” without a lot of room for personalization — however, now we’re getting a lot more ringtones in iOS 17. Customizing your iPhone’s alert sounds can make your device feel a little more personal and fun. And maybe — I’m just spitballing here …

Google’s AI-powered search experience can now generate images Illustration: The VergeGoogle’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) will let you create images right from a text prompt starting Thursday, the company announced. Microsoft has offered the ability to make images from Bing Chat using OpenAI’s DALL-E model since March, so it’s not too surprising to see Google follow suit. Here’s how it works. If you…

Max’s Scavengers Reign captures the beauty and terror of a truly alien world Image: MaxYou don’t have to look far to see the influence of French comic legend Jean “Moebius” Giraud. His surreal visual style can be found everywhere from video games to animation. Sometimes it’s just used as an aesthetic, but in the case of Scavengers Reign — a new animated series on Max — it’s the starting-off point for one of the most imag…

Adobe is working on generative AI video manipulation GIF: AdobeAdobe is showing off a new generative fill feature, Project Fast Fill, that can easily add or remove objects in videos with the power of AI. It’s one of several new, wild, experimental AI features announced today at the company’s MAX conference. Project Fast Fill has the ability to swap in clothing accessories on people in motion or re…

GM now has its own API for software developers to make cool apps for its cars Illustration by Alex Castro / The VergeGeneral Motors is ramping up its efforts to create “a free, universal language” for software developers to make cool apps for its vehicles — and, notably, the vehicles of its competitors. GM announced a new vehicle services definition called “uServices” for the automotive software developer community. In es…

Here’s our first official look at the OnePlus Open OnePlus’ first folding phone arrives soon with the alert slider intact. | Image: OnePlusThe OnePlus Fold is set to arrive on October 19th, and this is our first official look at the folding-style phone. In an official teaser image provided to The Verge, it looks to be a relatively thin design with at least one fan-favorite feature: a three-stage…

New Starlink page launched to promote cellular service coming in 2024 The homepage promoting the new feature. | Screenshot by Jon Porter / The VergeSpaceX has published a new webpage to promote its upcoming “Starlink Direct to Cell” service that plans to offer cellular connectivity to “existing LTE phones” via satellite. The website, which PCMag reports went live earlier this week, notes that the service will init…

AVerMedia launches its first HDMI 2.1 USB capture card, priced at $299.99 Image: AVerMediaIt’s nearly three years since HDMI 2.1 consoles like the Xbox Series X and PS5 launched and we’re finally seeing HDMI 2.1 capture cards appear on the market. AVerMedia is launching its $299.99 Live Gamer ULTRA 2.1 (what a name) HDMI 2.1 USB capture card today, offering streamers and gamers the ability to play the latest consoles …

X defends itself over EU accusations of playing host to Israel-Hamas disinformation Image: The VergeX CEO Linda Yaccarino has said the social media platform formerly known as Twitter has identified and removed “hundreds” of Hamas-affiliated accounts, and has “taken action to remove or label tens of thousands of pieces of content” in the wake of terrorist attacks carried out by Hamas against Israel. Yaccarino’s letter comes in r…

The Fitbit app has been having some issues for hours Image: Google / FitbitThe Fitbit app has been dealing with some issues for hours, and the Google-owned company acknowledged Wednesday night that there are some problems right now. “We’re aware that some customers are experiencing issues with the Fitbit app and we are currently investigating,” Fitbit wrote in a message on X (formerly Twitter) at …

Vapes, chargers, and other ‘invisible’ e-waste are a 9-million-ton problem Single-use disgarded vapes in a Lidl, Recycling Bin on May 4,2023 in London, England. | Photo by Peter Dazeley/Getty Images“Invisible” e-waste — from disposable vapes to toys and tangles of cables — is piling up and robbing supply chains of valuable materials. A new analysis counts up all the small electronics people often don’t recognize as e-w…

Crunchyroll is in the news today, but not for the reason it needs to be Photo by Stefan Etienne / The VergeCrunchyroll is in the news today, and I’m gonna get to all of that. But first, a moment of silence. When I saw Crunchyroll in a headline flying across my RSS feed, I thought for sure it was the streaming service announcing it has fixed its app for smart TV. Instead, it launched a new FAST channel and settled a …

Microsoft owes $29 billion in back taxes, says IRS Illustration: The VergeThe Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has informed Microsoft that the company owes back taxes of $28.9 billion “plus penalties and interest” for the tax years 2004 through 2013, according to an SEC filing. Microsoft’s corporate VP for worldwide tax and customs Daniel Goff responded to the audit in a blog post, and says the co…