Half of developers think gen AI is bad for the gaming industry
While generative AI is being adopted at various levels of game development, a new survey suggests that developers increasingly think the technology is bad for the industry. According to the most recent survey from the Game Developers Conference, 52 percent of respondents said that gen AI is having a "negative" impact on the games industry, versus just 7 percent who viewed the technology as "positive." Perhaps most startling is how the negative outlook has grown over the years: in 2024, just 18 percent of those surveyed viewed the tech as a negative, and that number jumped to 30 percent in 2025. Now it's up to more than half.
GDC surveyed 2, …
Google’s AI helped me make bad Nintendo knockoffs
This week, a new generative AI tool from Google let me create bad knockoffs of 3D Nintendo worlds.
Check out my version of something like Super Mario 64:
I didn't like Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, but it's better than my version of a Metroid Prime experience:
Or how about my take on The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, complete with a paraglider (and, briefly, a second Link):
It was all possible thanks to Project Genie, an experimental research prototype that Google gave me access to this week, though I don't think I'm using it in exactly the way Google intended.
Google DeepMind has been putting a lot of effort into building its AI "wor …
Microsoft is working to rebuild trust in Windows
Windows is in a weird spot. In its 40-year history, the operating system has weathered its fair share of missteps, but Windows 11 is testing the patience of its users in new ways. Persistent bugs, performance issues, intrusive prompts, ads, and bloatware have eroded the core Windows experience. Early system requirement decisions have also damaged trust among Microsoft's most loyal users, an erosion that's accelerated by the company's aggressive push into AI that doesn't always deliver on its promises.
Windows is at breaking point, and Microsoft knows it. Sources familiar with the company's plans tell me Windows engineers are now focusing on …
Waymo is finally starting passenger trips at SFO — but not to the terminals
Waymo has finally broken through its SFO logjam.
The company announced today that it will start offering robotaxi rides to a select group of passengers traveling to and from the San Francisco International Airport, a major step in Waymo's effort to increase its footprint in the Bay Area. The company plans on gradually growing the number of riders until anyone who wants to can hail a Waymo at the airport, which the company says should happen "in the coming months."
After years of back-and-forth negotiations with the airport's operators, Waymo finally signed a "Testing and Operations Pilot Permit" with SFO in September 2025. Under the agree …
Linux gaming developers join forces to form the Open Gaming Collective
Gaming on Linux has already come a long way over recent years, with improvements to Valve's Proton and more gamers switching to Linux, but the newly-formed Open Gaming Collective (OGC) is aiming to take it even further.
Universal Blue, developer of the gaming-focused Linux distribution Bazzite, announced on Wednesday that its helping to form the OGC with several other groups, which will collaborate on improvements to the Linux gaming ecosystem and "centralize efforts around critical components like kernel patches, input tooling, and essential gaming packages such as gamescope."
The other founding members of the OGC include Nobara, Chimer …
What Netflix’s Warner Bros. deal could mean for TVs and remotes
This is Lowpass by Janko Roettgers, a newsletter on the ever-evolving intersection of tech and entertainment, syndicated just for The Verge subscribers once a week.
If you're in the market for a new TV, you'll have plenty of different options these days, ranging from display technologies (OLED vs. QLED vs. micro RGB) to styles (shiny home theater displays vs. matte art TVs) to operating systems (Roku vs. Google TV vs. Tizen vs. Fire TV).
However, you'll find that all these different TVs still have something in common: Every TV comes with a remote that has a Netflix button, and most will feature the Netflix app prominently placed on the hom …
Pokémon Legends: Z-A is 20 percent off at Best Buy today only
If you’ve been considering picking up the latest Pokémon game for the Switch 2, there’s good reason to do it today, as Best Buy is knocking $14 off the physical version. Pokémon Legends: Z-A normally costs $69.99, but you can snag it for $55.99 for the rest of the day — a price that other retailers aren’t currently matching. The title, which launched in October 2025, feels like a return to form, according to our reviewer Charles Pulliam-Moore, and continues to push the series out of its iterative rut. At this price, the game is cheaper than the original Switch version (but pro tip: the Switch 2 cartridge will work in the original Switch, too, and will let you play the full game as if it were a regular Switch cart).
For those who haven’t jumped into a Pokémon game in a while, Legends: Z-A follows the formula that Arceus introduced. Rather than strictly operating as a turn-based RPG, the player can engage in real-time battles against Pokémon — even catching them sneakily without engaging in a fight is possible. Personally, games like Pokémon Sword / Shield burned me out on the idea of playing another, as it felt similar to playing previous titles, but with better graphics and a larger world. But shaking up how you engage with the core mechanics sounds like a good time.
Other Verge-approved deals
- If you need an affordable-but-good MagSafe charging puck to recharge your iPhone while you’re in bed or working, Anker’s MagGo Qi2 puck with 15W charging is $14.99 at Amazon in black or white. Sure, there are chargers out there that can go up to 25W (a speed that’s available only for iPhone 16 and 17 models), but that will significantly boost the price. Keep in mind that this puck doesn’t include a power adapter, so you’ll need to provide your own, or you can plug it directly into your laptop.
- Some may choose to go for a modest TV upgrade in time for the Super Bowl. If you’re someone who likes to live más, perhaps the TV for you is TCL’s massive 98-inch QM6K QD-mini-LED 4K TV with Google TV software built-in. This model originally sold for $2,299.99, but you can grab it for $1,698.98 at Amazon (or a dollar more at Best Buy) now, and be assured: it will arrive in time for the Super Bowl on February 8th. The QM6K supports up to 144Hz refresh rate, meaning it’s great for console and PC gaming. One thing to note, however, is that it has a matte anti-reflective screen. However, the matte high vertical alignment (HVA) panel still boasts a very high contrast ratio.
- It might be a while until we see deals on the new second-gen Apple AirTags that are as good as what we’ve seen on the previous model. For reference, you’ve been able to get a four-pack of AirTags for around $70, or slightly less. The improved model with better tracking and accuracy, plus a louder speaker, is $99.99 for a four-pack at every retailer — except Costco. There’s a members-only deal that includes a fifth second-gen AirTag with the purchase of the $100 kit.
Deezer opens its AI music detection tool to other platforms
The music streaming service Deezer is giving other companies access to its AI song-detecting tool. The tool, which identifies, tags, and excludes AI-generated music from algorithmic recommendations, is now available for businesses to purchase and use, according to an announcement on Wednesday.
Deezer launched its AI music detection tool last year as part of efforts to "prevent fraudulent actors from stealing royalties from real artists through mass produced AI-generated music." The company says it has used the tool to identify and tag more than 13.4 million AI songs in 2025, even as the flood of AI-generated tracks continues to grow. Deezer …
The rise of the slopagandist
The violent federal occupation of Minneapolis - and the subsequent killings of two residents at the hands of immigration agents - began with a vlog. Nick Shirley, a roving 23-year-old with a smartphone and a taste for outrage, made a YouTube video with unfounded allegations of fraud at daycares operated by the local Somali American community. Like so much partisan media in history, he was trying to rile up the right-wing base. But he was also playing to another audience: the algorithm.
When I wrote about Shirley in early January, I described him as an influencer - a catch-all term that could be applied to a wide range of people, anyone fro …
Arco is a brilliant and beautiful sci-fi film inspired by animation legends
Classic 2D animation may not be as prevalent as it once was, but some of the stuff we're getting over the last few years has been incredible. That includes future classics like Mars Express and Scavengers Reign, and now you can add the Moebius-inspired Arco to the list. After making a splash on the festival circuit last year, the film is finally hitting theaters more widely on January 30th, so you can see it for yourself.
Arco's story is split across two time periods. In the distant future, humanity lives in cities elevated above the surface due to rising sea levels, but they've also developed the ability to time travel in order to scour th …