Sony agrees to a Call of Duty deal with Microsoft Illustration by Alex Castro / The VergeSony has agreed to a deal for Call of Duty with Microsoft to keep the franchise on PlayStation after the proposed Activision Blizzard acquisition. Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer says Sony and Microsoft have agreed to a “binding agreement” to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation. It’s not immediately clear if…

Those new M3-equipped iMacs may be coming in October. Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The VergeApple may do a new product launch in October, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman in his Power On newsletter today, and he speculates that the focus of the presumably-post-iPhone 15 launch will be new Macs, hinting the M3-powered iMac may be among them. Gurman has previously written that Apple is plann…

There’s no wrong way to load this dishwasher Bosch’s PowerControl spray arm gives you control over where you want it to clean the hardest. | Image: BoschBosch is claiming its new 800 and Benchmark Series dishwashers could finally lay to rest the debate over the right way to load the dishwasher. The new thing is a PowerControl spray arm that can find the dirtiest dishes wherever you put th…

Reddit removed your chat history from before 2023 Image by Alex Castro / The VergeReddit users have noticed the site unexpectedly removed everyone’s chat history prior to January 1st of this year. Those asking why have been directed to a changelog update from June announcing feature updates to chats (via Mashable). The update’s headline didn’t say anything about data going away, and burying any…

I almost can’t believe it, but Google Tasks is finally kind of good Tasks is still pretty basic — but at least it now has all your tasks! | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The VergeGoogle has spent the last half-decade cruelly teasing me with its to-do list app. Google Tasks first launched as a standalone app in 2018, and Google seemed to have big plans for its task manager tool. And then… nothing. Actually, w…

The Beats Studio Buds Plus are still available at an all-time low The translucent pair of Beats Studio Plus are on sale this weekend, along with other shades. | Photo by Chris Welch / The VergeTechnically, Amazon Prime Day ended a couple of days ago, but it appears Amazon and other retailers didn’t get the memo. Quite a few of the best deals are still kicking around, including one on the Beats Studio Buds Plus…

Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire is the next brilliant sci-fi anthology you’ve been looking for Disney Plus’ new anthology series is a wonderful showcase of the African animation industry’s brilliance. Continue reading…

Infrared may no longer be a punchline, as IEEE approves 9.6Gbps wireless light The Light Antenna One promises up-to-gigabit network connections with infrared light.We’ve known for over a decade that blinking light bulbs can transfer substantial quantities of wireless data, not just dumb infrared commands to your TV. Now, the IEEE standards body behind Wi-Fi has decided to formally invite “Li-Fi” to the same table — with sp…

The Biden administration can talk to social media sites again — for now Ten days after a federal judge in Missouri barred the Biden administration from contacting tech companies about posts protected by the First Amendment, the White House is temporarily no longer under that ban. Today, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals paused that judge’s order — at least until the higher court has time to weigh in more fully itse…

Court denies FTC’s last-ditch attempt to stop Microsoft buying Activision Blizzard Image: Getty ImagesThe Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has lost what may be its final attempt to block Microsoft from buying Activision Blizzard. It’s the second loss for the FTC after a US federal judge denied its request for a preliminary injunction earlier this week to block Microsoft from acquiring Activision Blizzard until the conclusion of …

Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass Friends & Family plan ends in August Illustration by Alex Castro / The VergeMicrosoft is ending its Xbox Game Pass Friends & Family plan. The plan had already spread to eight countries as of February, allowing Xbox Game Pass members to share benefits with up to four other friends or family members. There’s no sign if it will ever return. A Microsoft spokesperson has now confirmed t…

Microsoft has at least one more big Windows 11 update coming up Illustration by Alex Castro / The VergeAs rumors mount for a “Windows 12” release for next year, Microsoft confirmed and named a new Windows 11 23H2 update planned for the fourth quarter of 2023. Microsoft hasn’t yet revealed what’s in it, but the company does have many unreleased features in the beta testing pipeline that could be included. On…

Here are the best iPad deals right now Select iPad models go on sale quite regularly. | Image: Vjeran Pavic / The VergeWhile the best iPad deals usually come around during major sale events like Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and even the recent Amazon Prime Day, you can still find plenty of great discounts at all times of the year if you know where to look. Whether you’re after the hig…

Summer of spam Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge“Feels like the spam calls are picking up,” my editor said to me today. Yes, it does. A glance through my call log from this week showed one incoming real call and 10 incoming spam calls. We wrote a bunch about this in 2019 — here are some ideas for protecting yourself, and yes, I have chosen the nuclea…

Bob Iger’s big ideas for Disney involve cost-cutting at Marvel Image: CNBCBob Iger has a lot to say about Disney’s future. During a 40-minute interview with CNBC, the CEO talks about what the company could look like over the next four (or more) years under his control — and it could drastically change some of Disney’s biggest brands. One of those changes includes slashing the company’s spending on Marvel an…

The unions of Hollywood are trying to save it from itself Illustration by William Joel / The VergeWith both writers and actors on strike, the future of Hollywood is at stake. Continue reading…

Xbox’s Major Nelson is leaving Microsoft after 22 years Image: Getty ImagesLarry Hryb, an Xbox employee perhaps better known by his “Major Nelson” alias, is leaving Microsoft, he announced on Friday. Hryb has been a major face for many of Xbox’s marketing activities since the days of the original Xbox and Xbox Live online service, through the launch of the Xbox 360 and all of the years since. “After …

Republicans defend Elon Musk in FTC’s Twitter probe Image: Tom Williams / CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty ImagesHouse Republicans came to the defense of Elon Musk Thursday, tearing into Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan over an agency investigation they claim borders on “obsession” with Twitter and its owner. The blustering support for the billionaire dominated a Thursday House Judiciary Comm…

How to add users to your PS5, Xbox Series X, or Xbox Series S Illustration by Samar Haddad / The VergeIf you’ve invested hours in achieving high scores, exploring open worlds, and leveling up, then you absolutely don’t want someone you live with — or a passing guest — to sit themselves down in front of your console and interfere with all that hard work. Whether you use a PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, or Xb…

Lenovo’s Yoga Book 9i is for the two-screen lifestyle The Yoga Book 9i jettisons the traditional lower laptop deck for a second touchscreen, which opens up some interesting use cases along with some compromises. Continue reading…