Google begins prompting users to create passwordless passkeys by default The additional visibility will at least remind Google Account users that passkeys exist. | Illustration by Samar Haddad / The VergeGoogle is making it easier for users to ditch passwords on their Google accounts in favor of passkeys — a fast, secure, and passwordless approach to logins that utilizes the pin, face, or fingerprint authentication b…

See the first Lego Animal Crossing sets An Animal Crossing house in Lego form. | Image: LegoLast week, Lego officially revealed that Animal Crossing was making its way to bricks with a brief tease; today, we’re getting our first look at the first five actual Lego sets that will arrive March 1st, 2024. It turns out they’re not big and blocky like Lego Super Mario or the pricey detaile…

The best October Prime Day gaming deals All kinds of PlayStation, Xbox, and Switch games and accessories are on sale. | Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The VergeAmazon Prime Day is one of the best times of the year to save on a wide variety of video games. Titles released in the last few months are getting some decent discounts (which still beats paying full price), and many older games from …

The best October Prime Day deals you can get Illustration by Lucia Pham / The VergeIt’s that time of the year again. Amazon’s latest Prime Day event, Prime Big Deal Days, is now upon us. The exclusive sales event unofficially kicks off the early-early holiday shopping season, and with it comes a cavalcade of deals and discounts. Some are bound to be repeat deals you may have encountered du…

Activision Blizzard’s latest games will start arriving on Xbox Game Pass in 2024 if Microsoft deal closes Image: MicrosoftActivision Blizzard says it will start adding games to Xbox Game Pass next year, if the Microsoft deal closes. Microsoft is currently targeting to close its proposed Activision Blizzard deal on Friday, pending approval from a UK regulator. In a strangely timed and vague post on X (formerly Twitter) Activision Blizzard makes it cl…

Samsung joins Google in RCS shaming Apple Image: GoogleSamsung has released a new video in support of Google’s #GetTheMessage campaign which calls for Apple to adopt RCS or “Rich Communication Services,” the cross-platform protocol pitched as a successor to SMS that adopts many of the features found in modern messaging apps… like Apple’s own iMessage. The video, titled “Green bubbles…

Now X posts can lock replies to only allow comment from verified accounts Image: The VergeThe latest turn in the Elon Musk-directed platform X, previously known as Twitter, is that users can now block unverified accounts from replying to their posts. This change arrives about 11 months after Musk launched paid verification for Twitter Blue, apportioning blue checkmark labels to people willing to part with $7.99 per m…

The Pixel 8A is curvy and colorful in these first-look leaks An unofficial render of the Pixel 8A. | Image: OnLeaks / SmartprixGoogle just started selling its new $699 Pixel 8 and $999 Pixel 8 Pro, but a less expensive version is apparently already on the way: OnLeaks and Smartprix have teamed up again to offer unofficial renders of a roughly 6.1-inch Pixel 8A. Like the Pixel 8, it’s a design with two re…

John Riccitiello is out at Unity, effective immediately Image: Getty ImagesUnity, the company behind the game development engine of the same name, has just announced that its president, CEO, and chairman John Riccitiello “will retire” effective immediately. “The Board will initiate a comprehensive search process, with the assistance of a leading executive search firm, to identify a permanent CEO,” r…

X CEO Linda Yaccarino drops out of the WSJ Tech Live conference Photo by Jerod Harris/Getty Images for Vox MediaX / Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino has just canceled her appearance at the Wall Street Journal’s Tech Live conference next week, saying “with the global crisis unfolding, Linda and her team must remain fully focused on X platform safety.” And… X CEO @lindayaX has decided not to appear at @WSJ Tech…

The best Sonos speakers to buy right now Sonos has a speaker for practically every price point. | Photo by Chris Welch / The VergeSonos has an ever-growing lineup, and after you’ve bought your first speaker, you’ll likely want to put one in every room. Continue reading…

Google will stock Pixel 8 spare parts for seven years The Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro. | Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The VergeGoogle isn’t just promising seven years of upgrades for the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro — the company says it’ll also stock spare parts for seven years as well. “Parts will be available for seven years. That’s part of our commitment,” Soniya Jobanputra, director of product management a…

California governor signs ban on social media ‘aiding or abetting’ child abuse Photo by Mario Tama/Getty ImagesCalifornia Governor Gavin Newsom has signed AB 1394, a law that would punish web services for “knowingly facilitating, aiding, or abetting commercial sexual exploitation” of children. It’s one of several online regulations that California has passed in recent years, some of which have been challenged as unconstitu…

Meta Quest 3 review: almost the one we’ve been waiting for Meta’s new headset is better than its predecessors in almost every way. But until there’s more to do in mixed reality, this won’t be the headset that gets everyone wearing headsets. Continue reading…

Should Walmart be data-mining your Ozempic prescriptions? Photo by Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty ImagesLast week, Walmart made headlines with a claim that new weight loss drugs might be making people buy less food. Walmart US CEO John Furner told Bloomberg that people taking Wegovy, Ozempic, and similar drugs showed a “slight change” in their purchasing habits: “just less units, slightly less calorie…

Disney’s Loki faces backlash over reported use of generative AI Online designers are upset over what appears to be an AI-generated stock image in the poster for Loki’s second season. | Image: Disney / MarvelA promotional poster for the second season of Loki on Disney Plus has sparked controversy amongst professional designers following claims that it was at least partially created using generative AI. Illust…

Rooster Teeth pulls Red vs. Blue and other shows from YouTube Red vs. Blue is now all but gone from YouTube. | Screenshot: Wes Davis / The VergeRooster Teeth has moved some of its popular content, including most Red vs. Blue seasons, off the YouTube platform entirely and onto its own website. Rooster Teeth senior writer and showrunner for RWBY Kerry Shawcross posted a video on Thursday announcing the chang…

Apple’s next Vision headset might ship from the factory with custom lenses The next Apple Vision headset could get built-in prescriptions. | Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The VergeMark Gurman writes in his Power On newsletter for Bloomberg today that a future Apple virtual reality headset could be smaller and lighter, and each unit could ship customized from the factory for people with impaired vision. With the first-generat…

The chilling distance of The Zone of Interest Image: A24During World War II, the Germans designated the area surrounding Auschwitz the “zone of interest.” The dullness of the phrase was intentional, another euphemism as operative as “concentration camp.” In Jonathan Glazer’s sorta adaptation of Martin Amis’ eponymous novel, this self-delusion is on display. Hedwig Höss (Sandra Hüller) runs …

Meta’s plans to beat Apple’s Vision Pro include cheaper headsets and no controllers Illustration by Nick Barclay / The VergeMeta is looking down the road at a follow-up to the Quest 3, which is releasing this week, and plans to take cues from Apple’s Vision Pro while it races to mainstream its VR tech. That’s according to Mark Gurman in today’s Power On newsletter for Bloomberg, who writes that the company’s Quest headset marke…