Faze Clan fires CEO as esports industry struggles Zach Katz, FaZe Nickmercs, and Lee Trink at Parq Nightclub in San Diego, California. | Photo by Cassidy Sparrow/Getty Images for FaZe ClanFaze Clan, a merchandising and influencer marketing agency that was once synonymous with the esports space, has fired CEO Lee Trink. CFO Christoph Pachler will take over for Trink on an interim basis, Bloomber…

Tech leaders want ‘balanced’ AI regulation in private Senate meeting Photo by Chip Somodevilla / Getty ImagesTech leaders called for regulation that balances innovation and safety as the Senate conducted one of the many “insight forums” to inform potential rulemaking. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) invited leaders in the AI space, including Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Microsoft …

Sony announces a new PlayStation State of Play event Illustration: Alex Castro / The VergeSony is hosting a State of Play presentation on Thursday, September 14th, the company announced on Wednesday. This State of Play will be focused on “indie and third-party titles from around the world,” Sony said, so don’t hold your breath for big new reveals from the company’s PlayStation Studios. “Tomorrow’s…

Starfield has arrived on Nvidia’s GeForce Now — the most important cloud game yet A screenshot from the video game Starfield. | Image: Bethesda SoftworksWe’ve never seen a killer app for cloud gaming yet — but Starfield might be the next best thing. It has now arrived on Nvidia’s GeForce Now, the first cloud gaming service that might do it justice, and the only one with a completely free trial, no credit card required. Both …

Apple now finally sells USB-C EarPods Screenshot by Jay Peters / The VergeNow that the iPhone has USB-C ports, Apple is selling wired EarPods with a USB-C connector that you can use with the new smartphones — and, thankfully, a bunch of Apple devices. According to Apple’s page for the USB-C EarPods, they’ll work with iPhones, iPads, and Macs with USB-C ports; however, they’ll have t…

Google adds Prime Video and bunch of other stuff to cars with native Android software Image: PolestarMore video streaming, weather, and web conferencing capabilities are coming to Android Auto and cars with Google built-in. And that includes digital key functions as well. It’s a bit mix-and-match for this announcement. Android Auto users are getting some new stuff, Google built-in customers getting others, and a lot is dependent…

How the new iPhone 15 models differ from one another (and the iPhone 14) Every version of the iPhone 15 includes a brighter display and Apple’s Dynamic Island feature. | Photo by Nilay Patel / The VergeTo the surprise of no one, Apple announced the new iPhone 15 during its Wonderlust event on Tuesday, introducing it alongside the new Apple Watch Series 9 and an updated pair of AirPods Pro that come with a USB-C charg…

Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher’s Stoner Cats NFTs must sober up, SEC orders Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis promoted the Stoner Cats NFTs. | Photo by Axelle / Bauer-Griffin / FilmMagicThe Stoner Cats NFTs, associated with a cartoon including the voice talent of Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher, were actually unregistered securities, the Securities and Exchange Commission said today. The company behind the NFTs, called Stoner…

Spotify will let artists pay to appear as homescreen recommendations Image: Spotify for ArtistsSpotify has launched a new tool called Showcase that will let artists pay to promote their music to listeners on the platform’s Home feed. Artists can select a song or an entire album to appear as a mobile banner, which can be set to target a specific type of listener from 30 markets at launch. The banners will note tha…

How to create a QR code using a browser Illustration by Cath Virginia / The VergeQR codes can be very useful, especially when it comes to getting to a webpage quickly and easily. (For example, I’m always resorting to the QR codes at NYC bus stops to find out that I just missed the bus two minutes ago and the next one is due in about 20 minutes.) If you want to guide somebody quickly t…

The full version of Baldur’s Gate 3 is coming to Mac soon Image: Larian StudiosBaldur’s Gate 3 is finally about to leave early access on Mac. Developer Larian Studios said Wednesday on X (formerly Twitter) that the game’s third major patch would be arriving on September 21st “with full support for BG3 on Mac.” Baldur’s Gate 3 is technically already available on Mac, but currently, it’s only the early a…

Samsung leaks the Galaxy Buds FE by posting their user manual Screenshot by Jay Peters / The VergeThere has been a lot of smoke around the unannounced Samsung Galaxy Buds FE, but the company may have accidentally confirmed the existence of the wireless headphones by posting what appears to be their official user manual, as reported by WinFuture. The PDF is currently available at this link on Samsung’s webs…

How to control your Apple Watch hands-free with Assistive Touch Assistive Touch is a new accessibility feature introduced in watchOS 8. | Photo by Victoria Song / The VergeStarting with watchOS 8, Apple introduced a new accessibility feature called Assistive Touch. The cool thing about this feature is that it allows you to control the watch via gestures and your arm movements. Meaning, now you don’t even nee…

Google’s Pixel 7 Pro is matching its best price yet Google’s Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro are both on sale. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The VergeAll eyes may be on the new iPhone 15, but Android fans shouldn’t feel too left out as some of the best Android phones are also now on sale. Right now, you can buy the unlocked Google Pixel 7 Pro for $649 ($250 off) with 128GB of storage at Amazon, Bes…

California passes right-to-repair act guaranteeing seven years of parts for your phone California just passed a right-to-repair act in its state legislature — right in Big Tech’s backyard. | Image: AppleCalifornia just became the third state to pass an electronics right-to-repair act. Senate Bill 244 passed in a 50–0 vote in the California state Assembly on September 12th. The bill also passed the California Senate back in May wit…

The Biden administration approves $100 million to fix the nation’s broken EV chargers Photo by Andrew Hawkins / The VergeEV owners fed up with the often broken, discombobulated charging experience in the US are about to get a lifeline from the federal government. The US Department of Transportation is authorizing $100 million to “repair and replace existing but non-operational, electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure.” The…

Xbox Game Pass Core is launching with 36 games this week Image: MicrosoftMicrosoft’s Xbox Live Gold replacement, Xbox Game Pass Core, is launching tomorrow with 36 games in total. The Xbox maker originally announced Game Pass Core in July, promising more than 25 games. Microsoft is now revealing that the full list of 36 games includes Fallout 4, Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, Vampire Survivors, and mor…

Tesla unveils Powerwall 3, this time with a built-in solar inverter Powerwall 3 could enable a much cleaner install for Tesla energy fans. | Image: TeslaTesla introduced its newest home battery backup system, the Powerwall 3, which comes with more power throughput and its own built-in solar inverter. The setup makes for a more vertically integrated home solar power installation for new setups compared to the Pow…

Netflix is kicking off Castlevania: Nocturne with a showcase of its other animated series Annette in Castlevania: Nocturne. | Image: NetflixWith the debut of Netflix’s Castlevania: Nocturne spinoff series quickly approaching, it comes as little surprise that the streamer would want people making time to check out the original show. But rather than simply encouraging viewers to get all caught up on the Belmont clan’s adventures ahead …

Artifact’s new Links feature makes it much more than a news app The Links tab looks a lot like Instagram — but it’s not pictures, it’s links. (With pictures.) | Image: ArtifactArtifact, the algorithmic news-reading app started by Instagram co-founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, was never really meant to just be a news-reading app. Systrom and Krieger have talked about their bigger idea being “TikTok for…