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The new Apple TV 4K just got its first (very small) discount

16 October 2026 at 18:02
Apple TV 4K
The new Apple TV 4K will be available in November. | Image: The Verge

Earlier this week, Apple announced its new Apple TV 4K, which costs nearly twice as much as the 2022 model did at launch. Amazon is now offering the first discount on the forthcoming streaming box (coming out on November 13th), just days after discounting Apple’s new smart display for the first time. Right now, you can preorder the latest Apple TV 4K ahead of its November 13th release date for $289.99 ($9 off) at Amazon. Yes, it’s a tiny discount, but every little bit helps given the higher price tag.

Apple TV 4K (2026)

Where to Buy:

Powered by the new A19 chip, Apple’s latest streaming device now features support for Siri AI out of the box, which is coming to older Apple TV 4K models via a software update. Unlike its predecessors, though, the new model features far-field microphones so you can quickly make hands-free requests. You can, for example, ask for recommendations, like nature documentaries available on Apple TV, or ask questions about what you’re watching. Siri AI can also understand personal context, too, so long as you have an iPhone or iPad connected to your account that supports Apple Intelligence.

Apple has made a few other welcome upgrades, though β€” as my colleague John Higgins points out β€” not as many as some may have expected. While Apple skipped features we’d hope to see on a $300 streamer, like audio passthrough and support for 120fps output, it’s nice that the Siri Remote now supports Find My precision tracking, so you can make it ring when it goes missing or use the Find My app on your iPhone to pinpoint its location. The new Apple TV 4K also supports a more expansive surround-sound setup, allowing you to pair up to four compatible HomePod speakers instead of just two.

Read our hands-on impressions of the fourth-generation Apple TV 4K.

Three more Verge-approved deals:

  • If you’ve been meaning to pick up Pikmin 4, Walmart is selling a digital copy for $39.88 ($20 off), which is a great price considering most other retailers are still charging the full $59.99. It’s the original Switch version, but you can upgrade to the forthcoming Nintendo Switch 2 Edition when it arrives on November 12th by purchasing a separate $9.99 upgrade pack, which adds improved graphics and a new Dandori Academy mode. That brings your total to just $49.87, saving you about $20 compared to buying the $69.99 Switch 2 Edition outright. Read our review.
  • All eyes might be on the iPhone Duo β€” which is now available to preorder, despite shipments being delayed into 2027Β  β€” but if you have a non-foldable iPhone, Woot is currently discounting a wide range of Otterbox cases through October 31st. I’ve owned several of the brand’s cases for both my smartphones and tablets over the years, and I’ve been impressed by their durability. I currently use the OtterBox Symmetry Series Clear Case for my iPhone 16, which normally costs $49.99 but is now available in various colors for just $5.99 with a 90-day warranty. The sale also includes cases for other iPhones, as well as some Samsung and Google phones, so it’s worth browsing even if you’re not planning to upgrade your phone anytime soon.
  • Fanttik’s S1 Pro electric screwdriver is on sale for $45.99 ($44 off) at Amazon, which is $5 shy of its best price to date. It’s a handy cordless option for small tasks ranging from tightening screws to assembling desks, with 16 S2 hardened steel bits for tackling a variety of jobs. The USB-C rechargeable screwdriver also comes with a 220RPM motor and three torque settings, along with a LED light to help illuminate your workspace.

Apple’s HomeView has an app problem

16 October 2026 at 17:38

It's been a couple of days since Apple's big smart home announcement, and we have some more information - and a bunch of new questions - about the Apple HomeView. The device has plenty of computing oomph, is always connected to power, and looks like a perfect place to run a bunch of apps. And yet the HomeView is relying almost entirely on CarPlay. What gives here?

On this episode of The Vergecast, David and Nilay try to make sense of the HomeView's app situation, and why Apple would choose not to make its home hub into its own app platform. After that, they talk about the latest Gemini model and whether building the best model matters if yo …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Analogue is re-releasing its SNES and Genesis consoles with some nice upgrades

16 October 2026 at 17:08
A split image showing the Analogue Super Nt Plus and Mega Sg Plus consoles with cartridges floating around them.

Analogue announced new versions of its Super Nt and Mega Sg retro consoles today with a "reworked industrial design" and built-in wireless connectivity for controllers and accessories. Like the original versions, the new Super Nt Plus and Mega Sg Plus are able to play Nintendo and Sega Genesis cartridges using an FPGA processor that perfectly recreates the functionality of Nintendo and Sega's 16-bit consoles without the need for emulation.

Although neither of the new consoles allows SNES or Genesis titles to be played in 4K like the Analogue 3D does with Nintendo 64 titles, the 1080p Super Nt and Mega Sg Plus add a USB-C port so you can po …

Read the full story at The Verge.

A fake WhatsApp clone is showing up before the real version on the Play Store

16 October 2026 at 17:02

After a Chrome clone was spotted on the Play Store earlier this week, a user on Reddit says they're seeing a fake version of WhatsApp in a "sponsored" slot above the real version. As reported earlier by Android Authority, the WhatsApp dupe has racked up over 500,000 downloads and, at the time of writing, its Play Store listing is still live.

Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The WhatsApp clone is from a developer going by "Agment Assets sallu" who doesn't currently have anything else listed on the Play Store. Their listing for the WhatsApp impostor has the same icon, screenshots, and text as the real version, but …

Read the full story at The Verge.

A week with RTX Spark: everything we’ve learned using Nvidia’s new laptops

RTX Spark versions of the HP OmniBook Ultra (left), an Asus ProArt P16 (center), and a Lenovo Yoga 9n (right) on a dark gray table against a green-illuminated backdrop.
Nvidia’s new SoC is available in Windows laptops from six different manufacturers. We’ve collectively tested four of them so far. | Photo: Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge

Nvidia's RTX Spark N1X processor is finally here, and we've been collectively testing a small fortune's worth of powerful laptops sporting this new "superchip." RTX Spark is designed to be a high-performing Arm-based SoC for laptops and small desktop computers, rivaling the best from Apple, Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm. It has loads of cores, Nvidia RTX Blackwell graphics, and enough power and unified memory to run sizable local AI models.

The flagship placement is inside Microsoft's Surface Laptop Ultra with a staggering 128GB of unified memory, which our own Tom Warren fully reviewed. Sean Hollister has been testing a 64GB version of the Asus …

Read the full story at The Verge.

The incredible flying Tesla Roadster is just for show

16 October 2026 at 16:15
Tesla Roadster

Last night, Elon Musk gave the people what they want: a car driving vertically up a multistory ramp, launching off the edge, executing a midair "kickflip" over a lineup of Teslas, and landing via cold-gas thrusters.

That's what the people want, right? "We were promised flying cars," sure, but isn't the operative word in that statement "we"? Because as far as I can tell, everything we saw last night - while extremely cool and incredibly impressive - won't result in a real, production-ready car you can park, or, I guess, land in your driveway.

Tesla's late-night demonstration in Waco, Texas, certainly gave some corners of the internet what …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Meta’s new terms may allow it to train AI on news sites for free

16 October 2026 at 16:02
Vector illustration of the Meta logo.

Meta's new terms appear to give it permission to crawl and scrape websites "associated" with the businesses that use its platforms - including online publishers, according to a report from Nieman Lab. The new terms, which go into effect on October 30th, say Meta can use this outside content to "develop, improve, research," and "train" its AI products.

While Meta spokesperson Daniel Roberts says that the company is just "consolidating" its commercial and self-serve ad terms, legal experts tell Nieman Lab that this could allow Meta "to argue its commercial terms supersede other blocking instructions," like a site's robots.txt file. That could …

Read the full story at The Verge.

This stretchy MagSafe storage pouch gives your phone a sizable trunk

16 October 2026 at 15:33
The Ninja Labs MagSafe Flex Pouch stuffed with various items attached to the back of a phone.

There's a new storage upgrade option for smartphones compatible with wireless chargers and other magnetic accessories, but it won't help if you've run out of room for apps, pics, and videos. The MagSafe Flex Pouch looks like a magnetic wallet for pairing a small stack of credit cards to your phone, but its storage capacity goes well beyond a few thin plastic cards thanks to an extremely stretchy silicone pouch.

The MagSafe Flex Pouch's creators, a company called Ninja Labs, has a bunch of suggestions for how to use the $58 accessory on its website. You can use it as yet another MagSafe wallet but one that has enough capacity for all the cre …

Read the full story at The Verge.

iPhone Duo orders are already delayed into 2027

16 October 2026 at 15:10
Apple iPhone Duo unfolded showing various widgets and icons.

Delivery estimates for the iPhone Duo slipped into next year in less than an hour after Apple opened preorders for it at 8AM ET on Friday.

At the time of writing we are seeing late January delivery dates for every configuration on Apple's website. The foldable is slated to launch in stores on October 23rd, and Apple typically reserves some units for in-store availability. So while online orders are delayed, you might be able to get one sooner in-person at an Apple Store.

The long delay could be due to high demand for Apple's first foldable iPhone, low supply on Apple's side, or a mix of both. Apple announced the iPhone Duo in September, f …

Read the full story at The Verge.

The Sony Xperia 10 VI won’t be getting a promised update to Android 17

16 October 2026 at 14:36
The Sony Xperia 10VI smartphone surrounded by an hour glass and cookies.

When the midrange Sony Xperia 10 VI was announced over two years ago with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 chipset and Android 14, Sony promised three major OS updates which would have included this year's Android 17 release. However, according to a notice posted to the company's UK support site, the Xperia 10 VI won't be getting Android 17 after all.

In the notice Sony explains that a "detailed technical assessment" revealed that "limitations related to the device's storage configuration" mean the Xperia 10 VI "does not support an Android 17 upgrade experience that we consider adequate." As a result, the company has "decided not to make this …

Read the full story at The Verge.

The first vibe-coded gun is here

16 October 2026 at 14:30
The WASP Cody Wilson 3d printed vibe coded ai Generated gun
The WASP. | Image: Defense Distributed

Since gun-rights activist and alt-right-friendly agitator Cody Wilson made the first 3D-printed firearm 13 years ago, he's helped usher in a chaotic era of untraceable ghost guns. Now he's claiming another first: "the first AI-made gun." It's called the WASP.

I stood about 20 feet away as Wilson and his sidekick clamped the WASP to a DIY test mount outside Defense Distributed headquarters in Austin, Texas. The 3D-printed .22 caliber handgun is, in reality, little more than a pistol barrel attached to a spring-loaded plastic box. Its rudimentary design bears a resemblance to Wilson's single-shot 3D-printed "Liberator," albeit with some quint …

Read the full story at The Verge.

The iPhone Duo is now available to preorder at $1,999

16 October 2026 at 14:00
A photo of the iPhone Duo, unfolded.
The iPhone Duo is Apple’s first foldable phone. | Photo by Antonio Di Benedetto / The Verge

Few phones have been more anticipated than a foldable iPhone, but it's finally here. The iPhone Duo was unveiled during Apple's "Surprise and shine" event alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and the Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 models.

Apple's first foldable has a 5.4-inch outer screen, and it unfolds to show off its 7.6-inch Super Retina XDR screen. Apple Pencil support is coming later this year. While it lacks Face ID for facial unlocking, there's a Touch ID sensor along its edge to identify your fingerprint. The device has an IP68 rating, with Ceramic Shield 2 on its back, with Ceramic Shield covering the front display. It has the same A20 …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Surface Laptop Ultra review: a different kind of MacBook Pro

16 October 2026 at 14:00
This MacBook Pro lookalike is designed for developers.

After setting up Microsoft's Surface Laptop Ultra, I spent five minutes just staring at it. I wasn't surprised by its MacBook Pro-like design or blown away by its bright display. I was trying to work out what I'd actually do with a $5,900 laptop.

This isn't just any regular Windows laptop. Microsoft has teamed up with Nvidia to build a high-end laptop to showcase Nvidia's new Arm-based RTX Spark chips. It's a big moment for Windows on Arm, as these chips can run demanding AI models locally, alongside the latest AAA games and creative apps. The promise is compelling, but the reality of local AI is much messier.

Getting the most out of the S …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Time is a-changin’: say goodbye to the leap second

16 October 2026 at 12:00
Doomsday clock close to midnight with ASCII graphic.

An important change will soon be made to global timekeeping that aims to prevent potential infrastructure failures akin to the Y2K bug scare. On Thursday, the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) voted to scrap the leap second, an ad hoc time adjustment that's occasionally added so tracked time standards mirror the Earth's real (and inconsistent) rotation.

BIPM members previously agreed in 2022 to cease using leap seconds on or before 2035, but this is now being expedited to take effect on May 20th next year, aligning with World Metrology Day. There's an unprecedented reason for its retirement being brought forward: changes t …

Read the full story at The Verge.

The Tesla Roadster flew, drove upside down, and hit 60mph in under a second

16 October 2026 at 03:28

Elon Musk promised a flying car. And the Tesla Roadster did exactly that.

Tesla demonstrated its next-generation Roadster at an event in Waco, Texas, where the electric supercar drove upside down, briefly flew, and accelerated to 60mph in under a second. It was an impressive demonstration of a car that likely will come with some heavy caveats and restrictions if it ever goes into production.

The event was less than 30 minutes and felt more like a stunt show than a product reveal. Indeed, there was no mention of price, release date, or other such mundane details. Musk promised the hypercar would go into production in 2028, but after near …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Steam can now show game achievements in separate β€˜sets’

16 October 2026 at 01:18
An illustration of the Steam logo

Valve is introducing a major new feature for Steam achievements called "achievement sets" that lets developers list different groups of achievements for a base game and DLCs.

"In games that support sets, you still unlock achievements by playing the game as usual," Valve says. "But when you browse what you have unlocked afterward, Steam will break the long list of game achievements into the developer-created sets, making it easier to see what you have completed and to find other related achievements you can unlock next." Achievement sets have their own progress bars, and if you finish a set, you'll get a "set complete" trophy that's visible …

Read the full story at The Verge.

ChatGPT can peek at your Chrome tabs now

16 October 2026 at 00:43
A promotional screenshot of a ChatGPT sidebar running in Google Chrome

OpenAI's ChatGPT Atlas browser is gone, but now ChatGPT's Google Chrome extension is getting some upgrades that allow it to use the browser tabs you already have open. With the extension installed, OpenAI says ChatGPT can now view your browser tabs when you tag Chrome in ChatGPT's web or desktop app, posting a demo video showing someone asking ChatGPT to compare the three tabs they have open with sofas they're considering.

A few big upgrades for Chrome users today! We're bringing the power of computer use to anyone who uses Chrome.

First up: ChatGPT can now use your tabs in Chrome to make answers more useful and get things done for you.

If …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Sega pulls Total War: Shogun 2 remaster from sale following disastrous launch

16 October 2026 at 00:35

Sega is removing Total War: Shogun 2 - Complete Edition from storefronts following a disastrous launch where users complained about issues like bugs and upscaling that appears to have been done by AI.

Complete Edition, a remaster of the 2011 strategy game, launched on Tuesday, and it bundled the main game and all of its DLC with promised upgrades including "improved visuals," "1440p and 4K UI scaling," and modernized controls. It has an "Overwhelmingly Negative" rating on Steam, where it has already been pulled, and posts on Reddit showcase artwork that users believe AI messed up.

"We're aware that Total War: Shogun 2 - Complete Editio …

Read the full story at The Verge.

The tech backlash is now in theaters

15 October 2026 at 23:39
An image of Elizabeth Holmes being photographed by an array of cameras.

Though movies about disruptive tech founders are nothing new, 2026 has been unusually stacked with features that take a much more critical look at how Silicon Valley is reshaping our reality. Aaron Sorkin's The Social Reckoning frames Mark Zuckerberg as a robotic villain whose ambitions are destabilizing society. Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim's You Can See Everything paints a damning picture of Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes as she prepares for her ongoing stint in prison. After years of being widely celebrated as a visionary, you can see how the larger narrative around Elon Musk has shifted in projects like Alex Gibney's Musk docume …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Trump posts AI-edited photo to brag about White House restoration work

15 October 2026 at 23:09
A before and after photo of a White House column that appears to be edited with AI

President Donald Trump posted a series of photos on Truth Social showing off renovations to the White House - but one of them appears to be modified with AI. The picture, which compares an old White House column to a "restored" one, has several discrepancies and was flagged by Google's AI detector as "made or edited with OpenAI."

As pointed out by users on Reddit, the picture of the "restored" column has an uneven number of steps on both sides of the structure. The number of steps also doesn't match up with the ones in the "before" photo. Additionally, the before and after photos appear nearly identical in angle and detail; the reflection i …

Read the full story at The Verge.

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