Beyond Instagram: Introducing the next generation of social apps
These newer social apps offer alternatives to Big Tech’s feeds, focusing on interests, creativity, and community.
82-0 is the best basketball game, to hell with NBA 2K
82-0 marries the stat nerd fun of fantasy basketball with instant gratification and a bit of dumb luck. The goal is to draft a team of players that could (theoretically) have a perfect 82-0 season. Obviously, if you just had free rein to pick whoever you wanted from throughout history, there would be little challenge. […]
Meta made its own AI-generated clickbait news feed
Facebook has long been filled with feeds of clickbait articles. Now, Meta is making its own clickbait articles with AI. The standalone Meta AI app now has a “For You” section that populates a list of clickbait-style stories for you to read. But the topics, images, and text are all AI-generated – and as questionable […]
Kabuto Park captures the fleeting joy of summer vacation
There are a lot of games that remind me of summer – hot days in the backseat with a copy of Dragon Warrior III, cooling off in the basement while grinding Gran Turismo races – but there aren’t a lot of games that are actually about summer. That’s part of what makes Kabuto Park so […]
The next YouTube phenomenon hitting the big screen
Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 131, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you’re new here, welcome, happy last week of productivity before the World Cup starts, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.) This week, I’ve been reading about the World Cup […]
Here comes new Siri again
Apple has been on its back foot, AI-wise, for the past few years. But in a strange way, playing from behind might not be such a bad move. At WWDC on Monday, Apple appears to be getting ready to reintroduce us to the new Siri. Again. As a reminder, we met the new Siri in […]
More than a decade later, the team behind N++ is back with a multiplayer sequel
Back in 2015, the two-person studio Metanet released N++, a brutally hard 2D platformer that was a decade in the making, building off of previous releases dating back to the freeware Flash title N. At the time, cofounder Raigan Burns issued some famous last words: “We hope it’s not another 10 years before we come […]
Grand Theft Auto VI is warping the video game release calendar
Who’s afraid of the next GTA? Based on the last few days of Summer Game Fest, just about everyone. Grand Theft Auto VI hasn’t been present at any of the keynote events, but its presence was felt every time a release date was announced. The month of November, when GTA VI launches, is virtually empty. […]
Final Fantasy VII’s remake trilogy will conclude with Revelation
Square Enix has officially announced the third and final game in its Final Fantasy VII remake trilogy: Final Fantasy VII Revelation. It will release on multiple platforms simultaneously – PC, PS5, Xbox Series X / S, and Nintendo Switch 2 – in spring 2027. In footage shown onstage at Summer Game Fest Live, there was […]
Reid Hoffman is leaving Microsoft’s board to go ‘founder mode’ with startup Manus
After a very profitable decade on Microsoft’s board, Reid Hoffman is stepping down to focus on his AI drug discovery startup Manus.