The Verge’s annual summer ‘in’ and ‘out’ list
In the AI slop-loaded, algorithm-powered modern reality, trends come and go - and the tech industry is no different. For the last few years, The Verge staff has compiled a selection of things that are IN for summer and OUT for summer - and each time there are some strong feelings. (Here are the last two years' predictions.) Let's do it again!
Mia Sato, senior report
| IN | OUT |
|---|---|
| Motion sickness glasses | AI "pervert" glasses |
| Fiber | Protein |
| Bootleg sports merch | Official tech company merch |
| Floating in water | Touching grass |
Meredith Haggerty, editor
| IN | OUT |
|---|---|
| The great New York renaissance | The Great American State Fair |
| The Knicks garbage can | Taylor Swift's MSG weddi … |
Apple TV is hitting its stride
Since its inception, Apple TV, née Apple TV Plus, has built a reputation on quality over quantity. It has far fewer shows and movies than the likes of Netflix or Disney Plus, but generally speaking, the projects it does put out are quite good. It's a strategy that has brought comparisons to the HBO of old, and 2026 has featured a particularly strong mix of new hits and returning favorites. It took a few years, but Apple TV seems to be finally hitting its stride.
In terms of brand-new series, this year's offerings have been fairly spread out across genres. Leading the way has been the delightful Widow's Bay, which skillfully manages the diff …
A behind-the-scenes look at Midjourney’s medical scanner leaves many questions unanswered
Midjourney has shown more of its futuristic medical scanner. It still hasn't shown much proof it works.
The AI startup, best known for generating images, released a behind-the-scenes video of its dunk-tank ultrasound scanner, which it plans to deploy in spas and hopes will transform medicine with cheap, detailed, radiation-free imaging. The nearly 20-minute tour comes from tech YouTuber Marcin Plaza, who also happens to be an engineer at the company.
Plaza frankly describes the scanner as scores of ultrasound probes "hacked apart and slapped on a glorified hot tub with an elevator in it," connected to off-the-shelf computers and Raspberry …
Sony’s PlayStation disc factory is already being repurposed
The video game disc is dead, and Sony's been planning to kill it for some time, according to a report out of Austria. The man who leads Sony's discmaking operations, Sony DADC president Dietmar Tanzer, told ORF Salzburg that the company's Thalgau plant produces 600,000 discs every day, half of which are for PlayStation. But since it'll only be making 10 percent of that volume in 2028, it's planning to retrain all 300 employees to work on optical microlenses instead.
Thalgau isn't just one of Sony's disc plants. It's where the disc-making division is headquartered, and appears to be its only remaining wholly owned disc manufacturing facility …
Tesla driver faces manslaughter charges over Texas crash that killed a woman inside her home
The man whose Tesla struck and killed a woman inside her Texas home last month is now facing manslaughter charges, as reported earlier by The Wall Street Journal and local news outlet KHOU 11. 44-year-old Michael Butler was arrested on Wednesday and claimed to have been driving his Model 3 using Tesla's Full-Self Driving (FSD) system at the time of the crash, according to an arrest affidavit.
The court document includes the officer saying that data extraction from Butler's phone found several FSD-related Google searches from May 2026: "Tesla fsd not aggressive enough 2026 model," "tesla fsdnot [sic] aggressive enough 2026," "tesla fsdnot [s …
Meta has a new app called Pocket that is absolutely nothing like the old Pocket
Mozilla shut down the well-loved read-it-later Pocket app last year, and now Meta is launching an app called Pocket with an entirely different, AI-focused pitch: this new app lets you make and share little interactive "gizmos" built from an AI prompt, as reported by Business Insider.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is all in on AI as the new social media, and he's previously described a vision of how users could use AI to make interactive experiences and share them with people. The launch of Pocket appears to be one manifestation of that idea, and it follows Meta hiring engineers from a company called Atma Sciences Inc., which made an app called …
The best July 4th sales we found so far
July 4th sales are typically a precursor to what we’d see during a mid-July Prime Day, but obviously things are flipped around this year. Last week’s big Prime Day sale is over, yet there are a number of familiar deals still poking around in the week leading up to the nation’s birthday. Best Buy is hosting its own 4th of July sale, for example. And, if you’re on the hunt for tech and gear for the outdoors, REI is hosting a sale on products that will last through the week. There are even some Apple deals you can get, some of which are selling at pre-price hike levels.
We’ll be logging the best July 4th sales we find this week below, keeping the list updated with notable discounts as we spot them.
Asus ROG Falcata
The Falcata is stuffed with features (wired / wireless connectivity, split ergo design, Hall effect customization), and it’s a bargain to get it all at Best Buy’s 4th of July pricing. Read our review.
Where to Buy:
11-inch iPad Air M3
The last-gen 11-inch iPad Air comes with Apple’s M3 chip and GPU upgrades. It’s available in dark gray, blue, purple, and a “starlight” cream shade. Read our review.
Where to Buy:
LG C5 OLED TV
LG’s C5 features a 120Hz panel, along with four HDMI 2.1 ports and support for both AMD FreeSync Premium and Nvidia G-Sync. The gamer-friendly TV also packs all the hallmarks of a modern OLED, including deep black levels and sublime contrast.
Where to Buy:
Apple AirTags (second-generation)
Apple’s latest AirTag features an upgraded ultra-wideband chip for more precise location tracking, a noticeably louder speaker, and an expanded Bluetooth range. Read our review.
Where to Buy:
OhSnap MCON controller
The MCON is one of the best mobile controllers for iPhones. While too big for most pockets, its slide-out design is satisfying, and its folding grips make it a bit more comfortable than Backbone’s controller. Watch Sean’s hands-on.
Where to Buy:
Osprey Poco Child Carrier
Backpacks make it easy to carry precious cargo, but for a relatively new dad’s most precious cargo — their tiny kiddo — Osprey’s Poco child carrier is a must-have backpacking accessory. It’s comfortable for the kid, and the built-in sunshade and rain protector can keep them relaxed and dry while dad does all the hard work.
Where to Buy:
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless
The Nova Pro Wireless aims to be the one headset to rule them all. It features multiple ways to connect wirelessly, active noise cancellation, great sound quality, and swappable batteries. Read our review.
Where to Buy:
Samsung microSD Express Card for Nintendo Switch
The Nintendo Switch 2 has 256GB of storage, but that won’t get you very far if you’ve built up a medium-sized digital game library. Samsung’s Nintendo-branded 256GB microSD express card doubles the console’s available storage.
Where to Buy:
Motorola Razr 2025
Look, you could get something boring yet good like Google’s Pixel 10A. Or, for less, you can get a more versatile folding Android phone that has multiple screens.
Where to Buy:
Glocusent LED Neck Reading Light
Glocusent’s LED Neck Reading Light is a great personal book light that illuminates what you’re reading without bothering others. It even has adjustable brightness and warmth settings to dial it in to your liking.
Where to Buy:
Nex Playground
The Nex Playground is a motion-controlled console that connects to your TV and uses a built-in camera and AI to track your movements as you play. Designed for ages five and up, it comes with games like Fruit Ninja and Whack-a-Mole Deluxe. You can download more games, including titles featuring popular characters like Elmo, with a paid Play Pass subscription.
Where to Buy:
Insta360 X5
The Insta360 X5 is a powerful 360-degree camera that offers a larger sensor and new image processing. It can capture 4K footage at up to 120fps or 8K footage at up to 30fps, producing sharp video with rich colors. It also features more durable lenses than prior models, which you can swap out if they get damaged. Read our review.
Where to Buy:
Keychron K2 HE keyboard
Keychron’s Hall effect keyboard allows for adjustable, per-key actuation points and rapid trigger support. You can also set dynamic keystrokes (the ability to trigger several different functions depending on how far you press or release a key).
Where to Buy:
Govee Uplighter Floor Lamp
The Uplighter is one of the most fascinating floor lamps you can get. It can supply normal light, or you can customize its top-mounted lights to display various colors and soothing patterns across your wall and ceiling. Read Sheena’s hands-on.
Where to Buy:
Kobo Libra Colour
The Libra Colour is one of the first e-readers from Kobo with color. It packs physical-page turning buttons, stylus compatibility, and supports a broad range of file formats, while making it easy to borrow books from the Overdrive library system. Read our review.
Where to Buy:
iPad (2025)
Apple’s entry-level iPad is an excellent tablet for casual use, even if it is getting a little long in the tooth. Its high-res screen is great for watching video, and its A16 processor is still fast enough to handle light games and productivity apps. Read our review.
Where to Buy:
Dbrand Killswitch – Switch 2
The Killswitch 2 is versatile, with better build quality than other similar models, snapping around the back and the edges of the console, with Joy-Con slip covers that add a bulkier, more ergonomically-friendly feel to the controllers.
Where to Buy:
Godox ES45 key light
The ES45 is a worthwhile purchase for streamers, or really anyone who wants to look their best on camera. You can position the light to shine directly on you, or aim it at your wall for some even bias lighting that creates a glow effect in your room that’s easier on the eyes.
Where to Buy:
Moto Tag 2
For a limited time, you can snag one of Motorola’s capable Bluetooth trackers for $10 off the usual price. The Tag 2 features UWB for more accurate tracking, and a user-replaceable coin battery.
Where to Buy:
AsRock Radeon 9070 XT graphics card w/ free PSU
If you’re building a PC, Newegg has a bundle that includes a free 1,000W Rosewill modular power supply with purchase of AsRock’s variant of the 9070 XT.
Where to Buy:
Weber marks down grills and griddles to their best prices ever for July 4th
If our recent Decoder interview with Weber Blackstone CEO Roger Dahle has you craving freshly grilled meats or veggies, Weber just so happens to have a variety of grills, smokers, griddles, and accessories selling at big discounts ahead of the July 4th holiday. It makes a bunch of models, but we’ve landed on a range of grills and griddles at varying price points. Weber is cheaper than other retailers by about $50 on most of these picks, but we’ve noted where you may be able to find them at a comparable price from local hardware stores like Home Depot or Ace.
For occasional cookouts in the backyard, the Spirit E-325 is a basic but reliable option with three burners. It’s available in either propane for $499 (usually $549) or natural gas for $549 (usually $599), a signifcant markdown considering how rarely they go on sale. The grilling surface is 360 square inches, enough space for a few burgers for you and your friends, and there’s a 90 square inch warming rack for toasting buns or for more delicate items that you don’t want to be as charred. This version features two searing zones with higher heat output for finishing steaks, a nice addition over the more basic $449 E-310.
- If you’re looking for a flattop with a drip catch for oil, there’s a $50 discount available on the Slate 30-inch rust-resistant griddle, bringing the price down to $649, which beats Home Depot’s price by $50. The cooking surface can reach up to 500 degrees and heats up in minutes, with wind guards to make sure everything cooks quickly and evenly. The 30-inch griddle is a good pick for a big party as it can cook about 22 burgers at once, while the larger 36-inch version can cook 30. Only the propane version of the 30-inch griddle is discounted, so you’ll have to go with either a larger or smaller version if you have a natural gas connection.
- For a more portable option, there’s a $50 discount happening on the 17-inch tabletop griddle with the same rust-resistant carbon-steel cooking surface as the full-size griddles, but with a smaller $249 price tag. This compact unit is great for camping, and can reach up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit with a disposable propane cylinder that’s not included. The adjustable feet help keep your oil evenly spread, which is handy if you’re cooking on an uneven surface. We spotted this deal at both Home Depot and Ace Hardware if you’re trying to find one locally.
- For something deluxe, you can save $100 on the Searwood XL 600, bringing the price down to $1,199. The pellet grill can smoke at temperatures as low as 180 degrees Fahrenheit for long, slow cooks, or sear at up to 600 degrees for burgers and steaks. With 972 square inches of cooking space, Weber estimates that’s enough for 20 burgers if you use both layers. There’s a smaller Searwood 600 that’s also discounted if you need to fit into a small space, but I think having the extra room on the larger version is worth the $200 price difference between the two models.
The video game disc is dead
For decades, to be a gamer was to accumulate a lot of stuff. Consoles, controllers, accessories, weird VR gloves that never worked properly, but mostly the games themselves. Over the years, games have come in every shape and size you can imagine. And now that era appears to be ending.
On this episode of The Vergecast, David and Nilay talk about Sony's plan to end production of PlayStation discs, Microsoft's ongoing strategy for digitizing games, and in general the end of physical game media. It all makes a certain kind of business sense - and these companies are all desperately searching for anything that makes business sense - but it might …
Influencer screenings aren’t going away
For a few days, it seemed like Universal decided that there would be no advanced screenings of Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey for influencers. But on Monday, influencers sat alongside traditional critics and journalists at special showings of The Odyssey specifically for the associated press junket. Despite what it may have looked like, Universal was not going back on its word. The studio was simply embracing an undeniable reality of the modern entertainment press.
Much as it may pain some to admit, influencers and content creators have become a significant part of our media ecosystem - one that offers film studios an invaluable way to rea …