Lead Hacker

At its now-annual Tudum event, Netflix revealed new trailers for some of its more anticipated feature films. That includes the very first teaser for Guillermo del Toro’s live-action take on Frankenstein , which stars Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, Mia Goth, Felix Kammerer, Lars Mikkelsen, David Bradley, Charles Dance, and Christoph Waltz. It starts streaming in November, and is the latest project for del Toro on Netflix, following a stop motion Pinocchio and his anthology series Cabinet of Curiosities . Also at the show was Wake Up Dead Man , the third entry in the Knives Out murder-mystery series, and a follow-up to 2022’s Glass Onion . Director Rian Johnson and star Daniel Craig return, and they’re once again joined by an all-star cast. That includes Josh O’Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny, Daryl McCormack, and Thomas Haden Church. Along with the very brief teaser trailer, Netflix confirmed when Wake Up Dea...

Just one day after Elon Musk’s public departure from his role as a White House employee , the Trump Administration pulled its nomination of Musk ally Jared Isaacman to become the new NASA Administrator. First reported earlier on Saturday by Semafor , citing anonymous sources, the move has been confirmed by White House spokesperson Liz Huston. The New York Times reports, based on three unnamed sources, that Trump “told associates he intended to yank Mr. Isaacman’s nomination after learning that he had donated to prominent Democrats,” including Arizona Senator Mark Kelly. Isaacman, the billionaire founder and CEO of a payments company, Shift4, has purchased several spaceflights from Musk’s SpaceX. He flew on the Inspiration4 mission in 2021, and again last year on Polaris Dawn , completing the first commercial spacewalk. As noted by Space.com , the White House also released an in-depth version of its NASA budget request for 2026 on Friday, proposing to cut its funding by nearly on...

SpaceX lost contact with Starship after its launch on March 6, 2025. | Image: AFP via Getty Images With yet another failed Starship test this week, in which the ambitious heavy rocket exploded once again, you might reasonably suspect that luck has finally run out for SpaceX. But this degree of failure during a development process isn't actually unusual, according to Wendy Whitman Cobb, a space policy expert with the School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, especially when you're testing new space technology as complex as a large rocket. However, the Starship tests are meaningfully different from the slow, steady pace of development that we've come to expect from the space sector. "The reason a lot of people perceive this to be unusual is that this is not the typical way that we have historically tested rockets," Whitman Cobb says. Historically speaking, space agencies like NASA or legacy aerospace companies like United Launch Alliance (ULA) have taken thei...

Elon Musk may have understated the “small amount” of ketamine that he said he was using in a Don Lemon interview last year, according to sources for The New York Times . The publication reports that around the time Musk endorsed Donald Trump’s Presidential run last year, the Tesla CEO told people that he was taking so much ketamine that it was affecting his bladder, a side effect associated with chronic use. “It is unclear” whether this extended to his four-month stint running DOGE, according to the Times . The Times reports that, based on interviews with more than a dozen people who’ve known or worked with Musk and private messages seen by the publication, “…some people who knew him worried about his frequent drug use, mood swings and fixation on having more children.” The Times cites sources familiar with Musk’s consumption who said he was sometimes using ketamine daily and mixing it with a cocktail of other unspecified drugs. Daily consumption would greatly surpass the prescr...

Don’t buy one unless you can see the “EX” label on the card and package. | Image: Cameron Faulkner / The Verge All microSD cards look pretty much the same, but when it comes to buying the right one for your Nintendo Switch 2 , only microSD Express cards will work for storing and playing games. The microSD card you used in your original Switch or Switch Lite will offer limited functionality with Nintendo's new handheld, as it will only let you view screenshots or video clips you captured previously - that's it. That's because Nintendo opted for a significantly faster spec in its new handheld console, which boasts an advertised 4.4x improvement in terms of transfer speeds over the microSD cards you might already have lying around. That improvement is signified by a small, easy-to-miss "EX" emblem etched onto the front of the card. What's harder to miss is how much more expensive Express cards are, with some costing more than $50 for just 256GB of storage. T...

The legal battle between two Amazon influencers with unsettlingly similar styles and vibes is nearing resolution. On Wednesday the two influencers asked a judge to dismiss the copyright case, more than a year after it was initially filed and six months after I wrote about it in The Verge .  The lawsuit was simultaneously disconcerting and benign, eerie and borderline comical: the story of two women whose lives had begun to resemble each other’s via social media platforms made for a compelling storyline . The cream, white, and beige aesthetic of their content (and lives) meant that the essence of what was allegedly infringed was commonplace, even basic — but the similarities, documented over dozens of examples submitted to the court, were strange nonetheless. But the case was significant: it appears to be the first suit of its kind tackling influencer industry content, and the litany of allegations could have had the defendant, Alyssa Sheil, on the hook for millions of dol...

The Insta360 Link 2 has dropped to a new all-time low price. If you’re looking to upgrade your work-from-home setup, the Insta360 Link and Link 2 are gimbal-equipped 4K webcams packed with features to improve how you present in video calls. Now through June 8th, both are down to all-time low prices, with the original Link selling for $149.99 (originally $299.99, but typically priced at $179.99) and the Link 2 on sale for $169.99 ($30 off) at Amazon when you clip the on-page coupon.  Each of these 4K/30fps cameras stand out thanks to having a 0.5-inch Sony sensor that’s mounted on a motorized, three-axis gimbal. This can help to keep you centered in the frame as you move around the room, while also letting you capture content from multiple angles with its useful software features, if you so choose. Their AI-powered framing tool, for example, can automatically zoom in on your head, upper body, or full body, depending on your distance from the webcam. They can also tilt slightl...

Microsoft's combination of Xbox and Windows for handheld gaming PCs can't come soon enough. Windows on handhelds is in desperate need of some love, and Lenovo's Legion Go S is the best evidence yet that Microsoft has a big Windows-shaped problem it has to solve on any upcoming Xbox-branded handhelds. YouTuber Dave2D managed to test the Legion Go S with the new SteamOS version alongside the existing Windows model. The hardware is exactly the same, but the operating systems are totally different, and the results are eye-opening. Games running on the SteamOS model perform better than the Windows version at low or medium settings, by around 5 to 10 percent. These are games that are made for Windows, but Valve's excellent Proton compatibility layer means they run better with the help of Linux and SteamOS. The Legion Go S with SteamOS even beats Valve's Steam Deck performance, and you can get even better performance if you're willing to sacrifice the battery. Batt...

As long as they’re stored in the case, Satechi is making it easier to find where you misplaced your glasses. | Image: Satechi Satechi has announced four new additions to its FindAll line of trackable accessories, including a collapsible glasses case that increases your chances of finding a misplaced pair of prescription specs or sunglasses.  The $49.99 FindAll Glasses Case features a vegan leather exterior paired with a microsuede-lined interior designed to safely store glasses. It folds flat for easier storage while not in use and features a lid with a secure magnetic closure. It communicates with Apple devices over Bluetooth 5.4. Battery life maxes out at around eight months of use, but the case is rechargeable using a wireless charger. Unlike Apple’s AirTags, Satechi’s FindAll products lack precise UWB-locating capabilities. You may have to do some hunting to find your misplaced glasses at the last place they were detected, but you can trigger a sound to make it slightly ...

TCGplayer is an online marketplace where users can buy and sell trading cards for Pokémon, Magic, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and more. | Photo by Stefanie Rex/Picture Alliance via Getty Images eBay is slashing the jobs of 220 workers at TCGplayer’s card authentication center in Syracuse, New York, as reported earlier by local news outlet LocalSyr . eBay will move the online trading card marketplace’s operations to a warehouse in Kentucky — a decision TCGplayer’s union claims is eBay’s attempt to “evade its bargaining obligations.”  eBay acquired TCGplayer for $295 million in 2022 as part of efforts to expand its presence in the trading card industry. The workers at TCGplayer unionized under the Communications Workers of America (CWA) in 2023, which later filed unfair labor charges that accused eBay of refusing to acknowledge the union , failing to provide relevant information related to collective bargaining, and “surveilling” pro-union employees , among other alleged union-busting tactics....

In New York court on May 20th, lawyers for nonprofit Everytown for Gun Safety argued that Meta, Amazon, Discord, Snap, 4chan, and other social media companies all bear responsibility for radicalizing a mass shooter. The companies defended themselves against claims that their respective design features - including recommendation algorithms - promoted racist content to a man who killed 10 people in 2022, then facilitated his deadly plan. It's a particularly grim test of a popular legal theory: that social networks are products that can be found legally defective when something goes wrong. Whether this works may rely on how courts interpret Section 230, a foundational piece of internet law. In 2022, Payton Gendron drove several hours to the Tops supermarket in Buffalo, New York, where he opened fire on shoppers, killing 10 people and injuring three others. Gendron claimed to have been inspired by previous racially motivated attacks. He livestreamed the attack on Twitch and, in a len...

It is as inevitable as a sunrise that in the hours after the Switch 2 launch next week, third-party sites like Ebay will be filled with listings for the new console. But in Japan, Nintendo has announced a new partnership with Japanese third-party retail sites to combat fraudulent Switch 2 listings. Mercari, Yahoo Auctions and Yahoo Flea Market, and Rakuten Rakuma are the participating websites that will, according to a machine translation of Nintendo’s announcement, “proactively remove listings” and establish “a collaborative system for sharing information.” Nintendo says only “fraudulent listings” that violated the sites’ terms of service agreement would be targeted for removal. In a translated statement on Yahoo Japan’s website , the retailer stated that there will be a probationary period for the Switch 2 starting June 5th in which Yahoo Japan will remove listings for the console or suspending the accounts selling them. According to Yahoo Japan, it will revise the probationary p...

The India-only OnePlus 13S (pictured) comes with some goodies that global OnePlus users will eventually benefit from. While the latest phone in the OnePlus 13 lineup is exclusive to India, the AI features that it comes with will be making their way to US users. The most notable is Plus Mind, which allows users to easily save information to a dedicated “Mind Space” instead of manually logging important dates or appointments. Schedules, reservations, event information, and other data can be extracted from images or text and then automatically added to a user’s calendar, and then it can be quickly retrieved later using OnePlus’ AI search feature. OnePlus says a new Plus Mind feature will be rolling out “later this year,” which will automatically categorize saved information to help improve organization. Plus Mind will initially be available on the compact OnePlus 13S that’s launching in India on June 5th, a variant of the 13T that was recently released in China . Both phones, which a...

There are multiple ways to unlock the Tapo DL100 smart door lock, but it lacks a fingerprint or palm reader. | Image: TP-Link TP-Link has announced a new budget-friendly electronic door lock joining its Tapo smart home line that’s launching today for $69.99. Despite the entry-level pricing, the new Tapo DL100 Smart Deadbolt Door Lock offers multiple unlocking methods including a keypad, a physical key, the Tapo mobile app, or voice commands used through smart assistants like Amazon’s Alexa, Google Assistant, and Samsung SmartThings. The Tapo DL100 is about $10 cheaper than the Wyze Lock Bolt which we selected as the best budget smart lock in our buyer’s guide . The new Tapo doesn’t offer the convenience of a fingerprint scanner like the Lock Bolt, but it does come with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Wyze’s budget option is Bluetooth only unless you pair it with the company’s video doorbell. With Wi-Fi turned on, TP-Link estimates the new Tapo DL100 will run for up to seven months on a set ...

A hinged design lets PopSockets’ new grip double as a more versatile phone stand. | Image: PopSockets PopSockets is launching a new version of its MagSafe grip that can be used to prop a phone up vertically for scrolling TikTok or video calls. The PopSockets Kick-Out Grip and Stand is less than a millimeter thicker than the company’s current lineup of MagSafe PopGrips , according to the company’s founder, David Barnett, but introduces a hinge so the pop-up grip can now fold out and double as a support stand. The Kick-Out Grip and Stand is available starting today through the PopSockets online store for $39.99 in colors that include black, dusk, putty, and latte. It’s also available through Best Buy’s website and retail locations which offer two exclusive color options: French navy and silver, both featuring a shiny metal finish. If those colors don’t work for you, as with previous iterations of the PopSockets, the collapsible grip on the new Kick-Out can be removed with a twist and...

After months of remaining quiet about how President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Chinese-made goods may affect its business, Nikon has announced a “necessary price adjustment” for its products that will come into effect for the US starting on June 23rd, 2025. The company hasn’t shared any specifics on which of its imaging products will see a price increase, or how much the increases may end up being, but it could mean this is the time to grab hardware like the recent Z5 II if you’ve been eyeing it.  “At Nikon, we remain committed to providing the highest quality imaging products and value to our customers,” Nikon said in a statement posted Friday . “Due to the recent tariffs, a necessary price adjustment for products will take effect on June 23, 2025. We will be carefully monitoring any tariff developments and may adjust pricing as necessary to reflect the evolving market conditions. We wish to thank our customers for their understanding and know that we are taking every possible s...

Disney Plus will become the new home of CoComelon outside of YouTube starting in 2027, according to Bloomberg . All eight seasons will move over from Netflix, which has hosted the absurdly popular kids’ show since 2020. CoComelon, essentially a series of mind-numbingly plotless, CG-animated vignettes set to karaoke-quality nursery rhymes, is a giant in the world of children’s programming, having accounted for 601 million Netflix views in 2023. According to Bloomberg , it was the second most-streamed show on the platform last year. Despite its popularity, Bloomberg reports that CoComelon views fell by “almost 60% over the last couple of years,” and that compared to all of streaming, it went from the fifth most-watched show in 2023 to not even breaking the top 10 last year. Still, it’s probably going to be a good deal for Disney, which will reportedly pay “tens of millions” a year for it. After all, 2027 is also the year that the first CoComelon movie hits theaters . source htt...

DJI seems to be preparing three new drones for release in the coming months: a Mini 5 Pro, Avata 3, and a Neo 2, according to DroneXL . The site published leaked images and video of the drones, along with a new FCC filing that suggests DJI is also working on a new action camera called the DJI Osmo Nano. DroneXL published a video showing two drones that may be follow-ups to the Avata 2 and the adorable DJI Neo . DroneXL notes a few differences, like that the Avata 3’s battery sits farther back and it’s got a larger camera unit up front. It also has four-blade propellers rather than the three-blade setup of the Avata 2. Next to the Avata 3 is what the outlet thinks is a Neo 2 prototype, although it’s hard to discern much more than that it appears to have redesigned propeller guards compared to the original. Yesterday, DroneXL pointed to a new FCC filing that revealed some information about the unannounced Mini 5 Pro. The filing shows the Mini 5 Pro will pack a whopping 33.5Wh ba...

Gemini will automatically surface recommended prompts when you select it. I spent my morning with Gemini in Chrome, the new integration that puts the AI-powered assistant right in your browser. Instead of going to the chatbot's web app, you can click the new Gemini button in Chrome's top-right corner to start a conversation - but the key difference is that the browser's built-in assistant can "see" what's on your screen while you navigate the web. To me, Gemini's integration in Chrome seems like just the start of Google's mission to make its AI more "agentic," as I found myself wanting it to do more than it actually could. For now, you can only try out the early access version of Gemini in Chrome if you're an AI Pro or AI Ultra subscriber, and use either the Beta, Dev, or Canary version of Chrome. I started out by using Gemini to summarize some of the articles on The Verge , as well as even find some gaming-related news on the home...

Spotify gets new templates for Android Auto. Android Auto is getting more than just Google’s Gemini assistant after the Google I/O developer conference . The company has also announced or otherwise shown off a slew of changes coming to the infotainment operating system, including an updated Spotify app, a light mode, and the introduction of web browsers and video apps. Let’s start with Spotify. Google revealed in a video last week that the Spotify app for Android Auto is getting an overhaul through new media app templates the company is making available to developers. One feature the music service is adding to Android Auto is Spotify Jam, a feature that lets users share control of an audio source from their individual devices. In cars with Android Auto, that means anyone with Spotify will jump in by tapping a new “Jam” icon on the car’s touchscreen, then scanning a QR code to start adding upcoming songs to the playlist. Being a Spotify feature, it’s much more inclusive th...

Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 84, your guide to the best and Verge -iest stuff in the world. (If you're new here, welcome, so psyched you found us, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage .) This week, I've been reading about Mubi and Around The Horn and millennial tech , moving all my journals to Diarly , trying out Matt D'Avella's workout routine , catching up on Clarkson's Farm , wishing desperately that Philly Justice was a real show, watching a lot of Helper Cars with my toddler, testing the Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones, dusting off my Fortnite skills, and enjoying this unbelievably deep dive into the first Star Wars movie. I also have for you a new blockbuster movie, an old-new blockbuster mobile game, a new season of one of my all-time favorite shows, a cheap set-top box worth a look, and much more. Shockingly busy week! Let's dig in. (As always, the best part of Installer is your ideas and tips. What are ...

For five weeks, the Federal Trade Commission asked a federal judge to imagine a world where Instagram and WhatsApp flourished outside Meta's control instead of being acquired by the tech giant. In the sixth and final week of trial, Meta asked Judge James Boasberg to consider that actually, these apps might be as good as they can get. Meta rested its case Wednesday after a brief four days in court (many of its witnesses were also called by the FTC, so it already had the chance to question them in prior weeks). In those final days, Meta called on WhatsApp cofounder Brian Acton and an early Instagram infrastructure executive to explain how Meta helped those apps grow in ways they'd be unlikely to otherwise - countering testimony from Instagram cofounder Kevin Systrom , who claimed Meta withheld resources to help the app grow and become safer, and believed Instagram would have still been a hit on its own. Meta argues that far from becoming competitors that checked Meta's po...

You’ll be able to use a USB mouse with the Nintendo Switch 2 in at least one game, as a Koei Tecmo developer commentary video for the upcoming Nobunaga’s Ambition: Awakening Complete Edition revealed this week. That’s great news if your wrists, like mine, started preemptively cramping the first time you saw video of someone tipping a Joy-Con 2 controller on its edge for mouse mode. While demonstrating the game’s use of the Joy-Con 2 as a mouse, producer Michi Ryu stops and plugs in a USB mouse. The Switch 2 displays a message that says a mouse has been connected, and he continues to play with both a mouse and his left Joy-Con 2, switching between them seamlessly, the same way you’ll be able to go back and forth between gyro and mouse control in Metroid Prime 4: Beyond . As VideoGamesChronicle notes , the original Switch had mouse and keyboard support, though only some games took advantage, like the Nightdive-developed Turok port . (If you own that game and never noticed t...

It’s finally time to upgrade for many owners of the earliest Amazon Fire TV devices, as Netflix is ending support for them next month, reports German outlet Heise . The cutoff for US users is June 3rd, according to ZDNet , which writes that the company has been emailing those who would be affected by the change. Netflix is specifically ending support for the 1st-generation Fire TV streaming box and Fire TV Stick, as well as the 2016 Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote, ZDNet writes. If you didn’t get the email but want to be certain whether your Fire TV device is one of those reportedly losing Netflix, the outlet writes that you can check the “About” section under Settings > My Fire TV. According to Heise , Amazon is offering discounts on new Fire TV Sticks to those affected by the change. Amazon didn’t immediately respond when The Verge reached out to ask whether that’s true for US users, as well. In a FAQ added to a Netflix help page sometime in the last couple of months ...

Sonos’ excellent portable smart speaker, the Roam 2, is on sale for a new low of $134. Memorial Day weekend isn’t just for barbecues and beach trips — it’s also a chance to score some of the best tech deals you’ll find all season. And despite the fact the holiday isn’t until Monday, May 26th, multiple retailers are already offering steep discounts on some of our favorite gadgets, from big-ticket items to everyday essentials. Below, we’ve rounded up a few highlights, from LG’s C4 OLED and the Sonos Move 2 to the Garmin Forerunner 265 , all of which are down to their best price to date. We’ve also included practical (and affordable) finds like video doorbells and Bluetooth trackers , so you can keep your valuables safe while you’re off on summer adventures. Our miscellaneous section is full of surprises, from discounted laptops and tablets, to affordable trinkets that’ll make life a little better. Whether you’re shopping for yourself or hunting for a last-minute graduation gift, t...