Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscriptions are up to 50 percent off right now Illustration by Alex Castro / The VergeIf you’ve been contemplating signing up for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate so you can play Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, you might want to head on over to Woot. Now until 1:59AM ET on December 13th, the retailer is offering a three-month subscription to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for $28.99 (about $31 off) with…

Meta makes $1 million donation to Trump’s inauguration The Verge | Photo by Tom Williams via Getty ImagesMeta has donated $1 million to president-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration fund, The Wall Street Journal reports. Zuckerberg’s team reportedly told Trump’s inaugural committee about Meta’s planned donation before Zuckerberg and Trump dined together at Mar-a-Lago in November. Before the dinner, Z…

Sora’s AI video revolution is still a ways off Prompt: “King Charles III UK eating a Greggs sausage roll on the throne.” There’s a lot wrong with these results… | Image: OpenAI / The VergeThe first version of OpenAI’s Sora can generate video of just about anything you throw at it — superheroes, cityscapes, animated puppies. It’s an impressive first step for the AI video generator. But the …

YouTube TV’s monthly cost soars to $82.99 Illustration by Alex Castro / The VergeI maintain that YouTube TV is the very best of the streaming TV services, but good grief is it getting expensive. Today YouTube announced the service’s latest price hike, which brings the monthly subscription to $82.99. The change is effective immediately for new customers and will be reflected starting Jan…

Kia drivers are going to get Google Maps data soon Photo by Andrew J. Hawkins / The VergeHyundai and Kia will integrate Google Maps data into their current vehicle infotainment platforms ahead of a switchover to the Android Automotive operating system, the automakers announced today. Hyundai, Kia, and the luxury nameplate Genesis will use Google Maps Platform’s Places API to inject 250 million …

Google announces Android XR, a new OS for headsets and smart glasses XR stands for “extended reality,” which you should get used to explaining to lots of people. | Image: GoogleGoogle is taking another run at making headsets work. The company just announced Android XR, a new operating system designed specifically for what Google calls “extended reality” devices like headsets and glasses. It’s working with Samsung…

I saw Google’s plan to put Android on your face Google didn’t let me take my own photos, but this is strikingly similar to the demo I saw with my own eyes. | Image: GoogleI demoed Google’s new Android XR platform, Samsung’s Project Moohan, and prototype smart glasses. I felt as close to Tony Stark in a controlled demo as I’ll ever be. It’s an ordinary Tuesday. I’m wearing what look like ordin…

The Indian audio app spinning its own stories Image: Cath Virginia, Adobe StockThe Indian storytelling app gives its audience an unending stream of audio stories about lucky individuals who become rich. It might as well be an allegory for its own creator economy. Read the full story at The Verge.

BuzzFeed is selling Hot Ones First We Feast.After months of searching for a buyer to take First We Feast — the production company behind Hot Ones — off its hands, BuzzFeed has finally secured an $82.5 million all-cash deal to sell First We Feast to “a consortium led by an affiliate of Soros Fund Management LLC” The consortium’s list of investors includes First We Feast foun…

Pokémon TCG Pocket’s new expansion drops next week The Pokémon CompanyIf you’ve been playing Pokémon TCG Pocket since launch, you’ve probably already collected most of the cards from the game’s first expansion. But a new set is about to debut in just a few days. Today, The Pokémon Company announced that Mythical Island, a new expansion set featuring the pokémon Mew, is coming to Pokémon TCG Pock…

Epic and Lego have a long-term plan to make Fortnite more than battle royale Image: Epic GamesA year ago, Epic kicked off a bold plan to turn Fortnite into a broader ecosystem for all kinds of games. And that plan was led by the launch of Lego Fortnite, a Minecraft-style survival game that sits alongside the likes of battle royale and the music-themed Fortnite Festival inside of Fortnite. Now, Epic is pushing into anothe…

Palmer Luckey’s defense tech company will make next-gen military aircraft with Archer Image: ArcherElectric aviation startup Archer Aviation signed an exclusive deal with Palmer Luckey’s defense contractor, Anduril Industries, to jointly develop next-generation aircraft for the military. Archer also announced a new funding round of $450 million to help propel its defense ambitions. The first product will be a hybrid propulsion v…

With iOS 18.2, Apple completes its AI starter kit Plant identification — now powered by ChatGPT. | Photo: Allison Johnson / The VergeI was about to okay my friend’s restaurant suggestion for lunch — an Indian place on 2nd — when Apple Intelligence swooped in with another idea. “How about The Ritz?” appeared above the keyboard as a suggested response, highlighted in that telltale AI rainbow glow…

You can now use AirTags to expedite a lost luggage reunion through United’s mobile app Apple’s new Share Item Location is already integrated into the latest version of United Airlines’ mobile app. | Image: United AirlinesFollowing the official release of Apple’s new Share Item Location feature with iOS 18.2 yesterday, United Airlines has announced it has integrated it into its mobile app. Passengers finding themselves at their des…

Inside the launch — and future — of ChatGPT Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Getty ImagesOpenAI worried that ChatGPT would be a dud two years ago. Now, the stakes have never been higher. Read the full story at The Verge.

Voicemod launches its voice-changing dongle for Xbox, PlayStation, and Switch Image: VoicemodVoicemod has released a hardware solution that enables its popular soundboard and voice-changing desktop software to work on Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch consoles. The Voicemod Key dongle is now available in the US after initially being teased in July, with Voicemod planning to launch it in additional countries “soon.” U…

Epic’s dream is starting to come true — its store will be preinstalled on ‘millions’ of Android phones Illustration by Cath Virginia / The VergeTelefónica, one of the largest carriers in the world serving the UK, Spain, Germany, and Latin America with the O2 and Movistar networks, will begin preinstalling the Epic Games Store on every new compatible Android phone it sells — including Samsung phones. It’s part of a “long term partnership” to brin…

Steam is adding a new default option for game updates Illustration: The VergeValve is testing an option in the new Steam client beta that will force games by default to only download updates when you launch them. Currently, Steam by default decides what game updates to download based on a few different things. As explained by Valve: For games you recently played, Steam will download game updates sh…

Sonos plans return-to-office push for its product teams Image: Cath Virginia / The VergeSonos will soon encourage employees on its various product teams who live near its US office locations to come in for at least two days per week, The Verge has learned. That’s a notable break from the company’s history, throughout which Sonos has enthusiastically supported fully remote and hybrid work. Job listing…

Android is making it easier to find unknown trackers to prevent stalking Illustration by Alex Castro / The VergeGoogle is rolling out two new updates to its unknown tracker alerts feature that should make it easier for Android device owners to detect unfamiliar trackers, the company announced on Wednesday. Introduced in July 2023, the safety feature automatically sends notifications if an unwanted Bluetooth tracker i…