Tech

/ The multiplayer game had been something of an open secret for months. Valve has finally, officially announced Deadlock, in the most minimal way imaginable. The game now has a Steam page that lists Valve as its developer and publisher, and a simple notice: Deadlock is in early development with lots of temporary art and experimental gameplay. Access is currently limited to friend invite via our playtesters. Valve provides no other details, just an animated teaser image. (You can see a still screenshot of it above.) The system requirements only mention that the game requires a 64-bit processor and operating system. While the game has ostensibly been a secret until now, details about it have been trickling out for months. Information started to emerge from closed playtests in May. By August,...

/ According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, we could see the new iPhones and upgraded accessories debut on September 10th. a:hover]:text-gray-63 [&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-black dark:[&>a:hover]:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-gray [&>a]:shadow-underline-gray-63 dark:[&>a]:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a]:shadow-underline-gray”>Illustration: The Verge When will we meet the iPhone 16 and other new items from Apple, like MacBook Pro laptops with M4 chips inside? Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman says that based on his sources, a launch event on September 10th could reveal the new iPhone 16 lineup, as well as the Apple Watch Series 10 and two different sets of new AirPods in time for them to go on sale as soon as September 20th. Bloomberg reports that the new ph...

/ A cornerstone of US efforts to tackle climate change is in the hands of the Supreme Court again. *:last-child>*:last-child]:mb-0″> Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is an umbrella term for a suite oftechnologies that capture carbon dioxide emissions from industrial sources including power plants, refineries, and factories. The goal is to capture carbon dioxide before it escapes into the air and then store it away to keep it from entering the atmosphere. But there are still concerns about its safety, costs, and potential to prolong the use of fossil fuels. Now, industry is arguing that carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies aren’t even ready to help fight climate change — at least not to the degree the EPA says is feasible in its power plant rules. Since July, trade groups rep...

/ Snapchat third-party app Yolo promised to unmask harassers, but it allegedly never did. a:hover]:text-gray-63 [&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-black dark:[&>a:hover]:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-gray [&>a]:shadow-underline-gray-63 dark:[&>a]:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a]:shadow-underline-gray”>Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge An appeals court revived a lawsuit against the anonymous messaging service Yolo, which allegedly broke a promise to unmask bullies on the app. In a ruling issued Thursday, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals said Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act shouldn’t block a claim that Yolo misrepresented its terms of service, overruling a lower court decision. But it determined the app can’t be held liable for alleged de...

/ The app has been released globally following its initial debut in the US, UK, and Canada.

/ Uber already partners with Waymo on driverless rides, and in 2025, you might be able to grab an autonomous Cruise ride, too. a:hover]:text-gray-63 [&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-black dark:[&>a:hover]:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-gray [&>a]:shadow-underline-gray-63 dark:[&>a]:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a]:shadow-underline-gray”>Image: Cruise Uber has signed up another robotaxi company to offer driverless rides inside its app. Starting sometime next year, for “qualifying” rides, Uber will give you the option to take the trip in one of Cruise’s autonomous vehicles. The two companies announced a “multiyear strategic partnership” on Thursday. Uber already partnered with Waymo on autonomous rides and announced a long-term deal with driverless truck comp...

/ DC’s attorney general claims Amazon prevents sellers from offering their products at a cheaper price on outside platforms. a:hover]:text-gray-63 [&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-black dark:[&>a:hover]:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-gray [&>a]:shadow-underline-gray-63 dark:[&>a]:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a]:shadow-underline-gray”>Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge An appeals court has revived the District of Columbia’s antitrust case against Amazon, which the District claims illegally drives up prices on rival platforms. In a decision on Thursday, the DC Court of Appeals ruled that the District’s allegations “plausibly suggest” that Amazon already has monopoly power over online marketplaces or is close to achieving it. Former DC Attorney General K...

/ Google’s new Essentials app will be preinstalled on new HP laptops and is coming to more Windows PCs later. a:hover]:text-gray-63 [&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-black dark:[&>a:hover]:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-gray [&>a]:shadow-underline-gray-63 dark:[&>a]:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a]:shadow-underline-gray”>Image: Google Google is making a new desktop app called Essentials that packages a few Google services, like Messages and Photos, and includes links to download many others. The app will be included with many new Windows laptops, with the first ones coming from HP. The Essentials app lets you “discover and install many of our best Google services,” according to Google’s announcement, and lets you browse Google Photos as well as send and rece...

/ The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim hits theaters in December.

Artificial Intelligence/ Tech / The open letter has the support of nearly 200 DeepMind staffers. *:last-child>*:last-child]:mb-0″> Do you work at Google? I’d love to chat. You can reach me securely on Signal @kylie.01 or via email at kylie@theverge.com. The use of AI in warfare has spread rapidly, pushing some technologists who build related systems to speak out. But Google also made a specific commitment: when it acquired DeepMind in 2014, the lab’s leaders required that their AI technology would never be used for military or surveillance purposes. “Any involvement with military and weapon manufacturing impacts our position as leaders in ethical and responsible AI, and goes against our mission statement and stated AI Principles,” the letter that circulated inside Google DeepMind say...

/ The headphones, earbuds, and audio accessories that we like best for listening to our music and podcasts. a]:text-gray-13″>If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement. a:hover]:text-gray-63 [&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-black dark:[&>a:hover]:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-gray [&>a]:shadow-underline-gray-63 dark:[&>a]:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a]:shadow-underline-gray”>Photo: Nathan Edwards / The Verge Every year, I ask The Verge’s staff what kind of audio gear they like to use. And they are the perfect set of people to ask: besides working on videos and podcasts, our Slack channels are filled with discussions of the podcasts and music we listen to while working, walking, exercising, or j...

/ Zen 4 and Zen 3 CPUs will also see performance improvements with Windows 11 version 24H2. a:hover]:text-gray-63 [&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-black dark:[&>a:hover]:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-gray [&>a]:shadow-underline-gray-63 dark:[&>a]:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a]:shadow-underline-gray”>Image: AMD AMD says Microsoft’s upcoming Windows 11 version 24H2 update will improve performance for its new Zen 5 CPUs. The Ryzen 9000 series launched earlier this month, and failed to live up to AMD’s performance promises in most reviews. After rumors of a Windows bug, AMD has revealed that AMD-specific branch prediction code will be optimized in Windows 11 version 24H2, which is expected to ship next month. “Zen 5 will see the biggest boost, but this Windo...