Tech
Axel Arigato and Transparent Launch Upcycled Speaker Made From Sneaker Soles
Swedish label Axel Arigato is stepping into tech with the right foot forward, joining forces with audio titan Transparent for an upcycled speaker release. The collaborative product supplies a sustainable solution to discarded sneaker soles, refitting harmful materials into something new. Transparent creates audio appliances with clear accents, exhibiting raw materials in inventive formats. The limited-edition gadget is designed with state-of-the-art technology for supreme sound quality with a sleek aesthetic that doubles as home decor. Axel Arigato and Transparent's limited-edition speaker utilizes discarded rubber soles left behind by manufacturers. They are combined into a unique "skin" that complements the exterior with textured finishes. The easy-to-use speaker can be dismantled for sw...
The Xbox Series X is now just $349
/ The flagship Xbox is $150 off on a huge sale. Plus, a few more of today’s notable deals. By Antonio G. Di Benedetto, a writer covering tech deals and The Verge’s Deals newsletter, buying guides, and gift guides. Previously, he spent 15 years in the photography industry. Share this story If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement. A new all-time low for Microsoft’s obelisk of a console.Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge It’s the best time to buy an Xbox right now, as the Xbox Series X is selling for just $349. You can get Microsoft’s flagship console at either Amazon or Walmart and save $150. Xbox may not have all the heavy-hitter console exclusives these days like Sony’s PlayStation and its cadre of AAA single-player experiences, but ...
Furiosa’s first trailer teases the origins of one of the Mad Max saga’s best characters
/ In the trailer for Warner Bros.’s Mad Max: Fury Road prequel from director George Miller, Anya Taylor-Joy is a woman on a mission in an apocalyptic wasteland. By Charles Pulliam-Moore, a reporter focusing on film, TV, and pop culture. Before The Verge, he wrote about comic books, labor, race, and more at io9 and Gizmodo for almost five years. Share this story Mad Max: Fury Road had a lot of fantastic things going for it, but few shined quite as brilliantly as Charlize Theron’s tough-as-nails take on Imperator Furiosa. The character was a testament to how many more fascinating stories George Miller could dream up for his beloved apocalyptic franchise. And while Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga’s eponymous antihero might look a bit different in the Fury Road spin-off’s first trailer, it seems like ...
Resident Evil 4 remake will add VR mode in December
/ VR Mode will also feature a shooting range to help players get used to weapons and controls. By Ash Parrish, a reporter who has covered the business, culture, and communities of video games for seven years. Previously, she worked at Kotaku. Share this story Image: Capcom The Resident Evil 4 remake will soon get a change in perspective. On December 8th, the PS5 version of RE4 will get a free update adding VR mode to the game. “Resident Evil 4 VR Mode supports the full main story campaign and delivers an added level of immersion to Leon S. Kennedy’s harrowing rescue mission,” read the press release. “The experience lets players see the terrifying world directly through Leon’s eyes and soak in his surroundings with the 4K HDR display of PlayStation VR2.” If the prospect of gunning down zomb...
An oil exec, a climate crisis, and reparations: what’s going down at the United Nations summit in Dubai
World leaders will debate a possible phase-out of fossil fuels during a United Nations climate conference in Dubai from November 30th to December 12th. With an oil baron presiding over the summit, the negotiations are sure to get heated. Countries hardest hit by climate-fueled disasters, meanwhile, are pushing for reparations through a fund for “loss and damage” and more financing to help communities adapt to new extremes. The stakes are high at the summit, dubbed COP28 because it’s the 28th “Conference of the Parties,” a meeting of 197 nations and territories that ratified the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Whatever is decided in Dubai will have consequences for the whole world. The Verge is tracking how the negotiations play out; stay tuned. DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMI...
Tesla delivered the Cybertruck: here’s how to preorder one
/ Those who previously plunked down $100 to reserve Tesla’s advertised $39,900 Blade Runner prop truck will need to revisit their Cybertruck purchasing plans. By Umar Shakir, a news writer fond of the electric vehicle lifestyle and things that plug in via USB-C. He spent over 15 years in IT support before joining The Verge. Share this story If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement. A newer showcase model of the Cybertruck in New York City.Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge The Cybertruck is here — for real this time — and for those who haven’t reserved one already, Tesla has a new ordering process. Today, you can preorder the visually perplexing, low-poly pickup truck on Tesla’s website with a refundable deposit of $250. A s...
The Boy and the Heron: all the latest on Hayao Miyazaki’s epic
It’s been a long time coming, but Hayao Miyazaki’s next film is almost here. After being announced in 2016 and premiering in Japan in early 2023, The Boy and the Heron — previously known as How Do You Live? — hits North American theaters on December 8th. It’s the first new feature from Studio Ghibli since Earwig and the Witch in 2020 (which was directed by Miyazaki’s son Goro) and the first from Miyazaki himself since 2013’s The Wind Rises. The film was initially shrouded in mystery; prior to its premiere in Japan, no trailers or even images were released. It was also expected to be Miyazaki’s final film, though the famed director has since backtracked (again) on the idea of retiring. Since then, we’ve gotten plenty of looks at The Boy and the Heron and even had the opportunity to talk to ...
WhatsApp now lets you hide your locked chats behind a secret code
/ You can now choose to reveal your locked chats on WhatsApp with a secret code. By Emma Roth, a news writer who covers the streaming wars, consumer tech, crypto, social media, and much more. Previously, she was a writer and editor at MUO. Share this story Illustration: The Verge WhatsApp is introducing a new way to keep your locked chats away from prying eyes. Instead of having your locked chats folder visible with all your other conversations, you can now hide the chats behind a secret code of your choosing. As shown in the below example provided by Meta, you can use letters, numbers, special characters, and even emoji in your secret code. All you have to do is type that password into the WhatsApp search bar to find your locked chats. This should hopefully keep people from knowing you ha...
Interview: Sam Altman on being fired and rehired by OpenAI
By Alex Heath, a deputy editor and author of the Command Line newsletter. He’s covered the tech industry for over a decade at The Information and other outlets. Share this story When OpenAI’s board asked Sam Altman to return a day after they fired him, he initially felt defiant, hurt and angry. “It took me a few minutes to snap out of it and get over the ego and emotions to then be like, ‘Yeah, of course I want to do that,’” he told me by phone on Wednesday. “Obviously, I really loved the company and had poured my life force into this for the last four and a half years full time, but really longer than that with most of my time. And we’re making such great progress on the mission that I care so much about, the mission of safe and beneficial AGI.” After an attempted boardroom coup that last...
Activision Blizzard had a plan — or ploy — to launch its own Android game store
/ Court documents show the gaming giant wanted more from mobile. By Sean Hollister, a senior editor and founding member of The Verge who covers gadgets, games, and toys. He spent 15 years editing the likes of CNET, Gizmodo, and Engadget. Share this story Illustration by William Joel / The Verge Until today, we’d never heard of “Project Boston”. It was Activision Blizzard King’s big plan to earn more money from its mobile games by changing its relationship with Google. And if things had gone differently, it would have given Activision Blizzard its own app store on Android. In late 2019, according to internal emails and documents I saw today in the courtroom during the Epic v. Google trial, the company decided it was going to dual-track two intriguing parallel plans. The first plan was to bu...
Amazon Reveals Advanced Second-Gen AI Chip, Tranium2
Amazon has developed a new chip specifically for training AI models. Created by the Amazon Web Services division, the chip is called Trainium2.As for its capabilities, Amazon is, naturally, lauding Tranium2 as its most advanced AI chip to date. The second-gen chip is promised to train models four times faster than the first-generation Trainium chips. The company is planning to deploy the chips to train both foundational models and large language models – the latter of which includes AI chatbots such as Anthropic’s Claude.“Silicon underpins every customer workload, making it a critical area of innovation for AWS,” Vice President of Compute and Networking at AWS David Brown said. “By focusing our chip designs on real workloads that matter to customers, we’re able to deliver the most advanced...
Amazon Reveals Advanced Second-Gen AI Chip, Tranium2
Amazon has developed a new chip specifically for training AI models. Created by the Amazon Web Services division, the chip is called Trainium2.As for its capabilities, Amazon is, naturally, lauding Tranium2 as its most advanced AI chip to date. The second-gen chip is promised to train models four times faster than the first-generation Trainium chips. The company is planning to deploy the chips to train both foundational models and large language models – the latter of which includes AI chatbots such as Anthropic’s Claude.“Silicon underpins every customer workload, making it a critical area of innovation for AWS,” Vice President of Compute and Networking at AWS David Brown said. “By focusing our chip designs on real workloads that matter to customers, we’re able to deliver the most advanced...
