New Zelda and GTA represent a games industry that no longer exists
This is The Stepback, a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world. For more on the biggest game releases of the year, follow Andrew Webster. The Stepback arrives in our subscribers' inboxes on Sunday at 8AM ET. Opt in for The Stepback here.
How it started
The two biggest games of 2026 are set to launch just a few weeks apart in November.
On the one side you have the behemoth that is Grand Theft Auto VI, an experience 13 years in the making, and the sequel to one of the best-selling games in history. Its predecessor, GTA V, has sold a staggering 230 million copies since it launched in 2013, and was re-released …
Prop 45 in California could be hiding a loophole for data centers
A high-stakes California ballot measure pitched as a fast track for "essential" infrastructure could wind up giving data center developers a loophole to evade public scrutiny, environmental advocates warn.
Proposition 45 would shorten timelines for state-mandated environmental assessments for eligible projects and make it more difficult for residents to challenge those projects in court. Proponents say passing the measure would help alleviate the state's housing shortage and meet rising electricity demand with new renewable energy projects. Environmental groups and some legal experts, however, warn that data center developers backing the pr …
Get in the spirit with these horrors from YouTube
Rather than recommend a single horror film or an unsettling album for our final installment of spooky season recs, I present you with a small selection of creepy, disturbing, and just plain weird videos from YouTube. There's a little something for everyone here. Whether you're a fan of surreal art house shorts, cosmic horror, or classic viral clips, you're bound to find something below that will get you in the Halloween spirit.
This 1983 short film from Cecelia Condit found its audience over 30 years later when it was uploaded to YouTube and eventually found its way to Reddit. If you've ever wondered what a feminist mu …
Keyboards of The Verge
What is a keyboard if not the original brain-computer interface? You can tap on a touchscreen or talk to the computer, but if your work involves getting information out of your head and into the computer, you're probably spending a lot of time using a keyboard.
We've written about many keyboards over the years, from the legendary Optimus Maximus to the ultra-luxe Seneca to even stranger fare. But I wanted to know what my coworkers actually use. As I'd hoped, there's a wide range. Some of us are strictly utilitarian, optimizing for ergonomics or functionality. Others obsess over every detail of feel, sound, layout, and looks. Still oth …
Binance CEO says 90 percent of stolen assets have been ‘replenished’
After hackers stole a shocking $6.3 billion from Binance customers in a record-breaking crypto heist, the company's CEO says that 90 percent of the funds have been replaced, and the company plans to cover the remaining 10 percent as well. Binance is covering the stolen funds directly, and the remaining 10 percent consists of "less liquid" tokens, which the company says may take longer to acquire.
The company also said in a post on X that, while withdrawals remain paused, they're on track to be enabled on Sunday.
Our commitment remains the same: Binance will fully cover the financial impact of the funds stolen in this incident. We will co …
Happy Pikmin Day Eve
This morning, Nintendo announced that tomorrow, November 1st, would be the first annual Pikmin Day. As part of the short Pikmin Day Direct, Shigeru Miyamoto shared new info about Pikmin 4 for the Switch 2, as well as an update for the mobile app Pikmin Bloom, and announced the Hello! Pikmin series of shorts.
Players will be able to use the Switch 2's built-in microphone to issue voice commands to Oatchi, the space dog. Pikmin 4 will also have a Dandori Academy mode that will test players' skills in specific challenges. There will be limited tests on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, complete with leaderboards where players can compare stats. Pi …
I built an AI Tamagotchi before Meta could
Mark Zuckerberg's Meta made AI look so stinking cute by giving it a squishy little face - and this holiday season, he wants to sell you a Muse Charm so you can carry your jolly AI helper around like a Tamagotchi.
But I won't be buying one, because we have Muse Charm at home. It cost just $50, and I've decided the learning experience was worth it.
My version doesn't sport cameras or a 5G cellular radio, but it really talks to Muse and has cute avatars, too! It doubles as a pocket watch and a remote camera viewfinder, and it can (theoretically) control my smart home.
Or at least it can if you inject a lot of extra vibe code.
Weeks …
Windows 11 tries new shortcuts for Xbox gaming mode and search
The latest Windows 11 Insider build adds some powerful new search features and quick settings while in Xbox mode. The Xbox shortcuts let you control things like Bluetooth, WiFi, and power settings without having to exit gaming mode.
The search improvements are quite comprehensive. You can now filter results for files, actions, or web results. You can also use the search box to perform actions like changing the screen brightness or volume, and even perform actions on a connected phone, including making calls. Results can also offer much more detail, like when a file was last modified and its author, or pull in charts for stock prices and we …
Best Buy is bundling a $100 gift card with touchscreen MacBook Pro preorders
While the new touch-enabled MacBook Pro with the PROLED XDR screen is available for preorder across a few major retailers, Best Buy is sweetening the deal by including a $100 gift card. The gift card will be automatically added to your cart when you preorder one of Apple’s highest-end laptops available in 14- or 16-inch configurations, and even one of its 14-inch MacBook Pro laptops with the M6 chip. You can verify that it’s been added to your order in the “Complete your purchase” section of the checkout page.
My colleague Antonio G. Di Benedetto got a chance to check out the new laptop at Apple’s event, and came away impressed by the Tandem OLED panel’s brightness and contrast, but described the update as “kind of boring” given the relatively small changes to the system otherwise. There are some unique changes to macOS that help make the new touch experience smoother, like magnifying the traffic light-colored buttons on windows when you move your finger near them. The PROLED laptops are also a bit thinner and lighter than standard models, and the Apple logo on the back glows like on older versions.
Read our MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR display hands-on.
Vic Mensa can’t live without the Voice Memos app
Vic Mensa is one of those people who has done so many things that it's hard to remember where you were first introduced to him. Was it his debut mixtape Innanetape, which finally hit the major streaming services for the first time in September? Or maybe his house-influenced single "Down On My Luck"? Maybe you didn't even realize that Mensa was a rapper. Maybe you know him from his roles on The Chi or Bel-Air. Or perhaps you're mostly aware of him through his activism, social media presence (peeling oranges and waxing poetic), or his podcast The Vic Mensa Show.
Point is, the man wears many hats. Part of the secret to being so prolific, it tu …