DLSS 5 looks like a real-time generative AI filter for video games
Nvidia announced DLSS 5 on Monday during its GTC conference, and based on early reactions, it's going to be a divisive update, with some reactions calling it "slop" that unacceptably alters artistic intent. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is calling this the "GPT moment for graphics - blending hand-crafted rendering with generative AI to deliver a dramatic leap in visual realism while preserving the control artists need for creative expression."
In games that support DLSS 5, the tools can immediately provide noticeable boosts to lighting and shadows, but unlike previous versions of upscaling that used machine learning to close the gap between high …
Teens sue Elon Musk’s xAI over Grok’s AI-generated CSAM
Three Tennessee teens are suing Elon Musk's xAI over claims that the company's Grok AI chatbot generated sexualized images and videos of themselves as minors, as reported earlier by The Washington Post. The proposed class action lawsuit, filed on Monday, accuses Musk and other xAI leaders of knowing that Grok would produce AI-generated child sexual abuse material (CSAM) when launching its "spicy mode" last year.
The plaintiffs include two minors and an adult who was underage when the events in the lawsuit took place. One of the victims, identified as "Jane Doe 1," alleges that last December, she learned that explicit, AI-generated images of …
Ecovacs’ Deebot X8 and X9 Pro Omni robovacs are nearly 50 percent off
If you like the idea of spring cleaning but not the part where you actually have to clean, both the Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni and newer X9 Pro Omni have dropped to their lowest prices to date ahead of Amazon’s Big Spring Sale, which officially kicks off on March 25th. The X8 Pro Omni is available for $599 ($501 off) from Amazon, Best Buy, and Ecovacs, while the X9 Pro Omni is on sale for $679 ($621 off) at the same retailers (Amazon, Best Buy, Ecovacs).
Deebot X8 Pro Omni
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Ecovacs Deebot X9 Pro Omni
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Both robot vacuums are packed with smart features designed to reduce the time you spend cleaning. Using lidar and a 3D camera for mapping, they can deftly navigate around furniture and baseboards, and even identify and avoid potential obstacles. The roller mop on both models also cleans itself while it works, and each robovac comes with a multifunction dock with a built-in water tank, allowing them to refill themselves and move dirty water into a separate waste tank. You can also use either the companion app or voice commands to control them thanks to their support for Matter, which lets you connect them to platforms like Alexa and Google Home.
Both models are excellent cleaning devices, too, and each uses an extendable roller mop that can apply up to 4,000Pa of pressure and reach hard-to-clean areas (including corners). The biggest differences between the two models come down to how they handle suction and airflow while vacuuming. For instance, the last-gen X8 Pro Omni offers slightly more powerful suction at 18,000Pa, compared to 16,600Pa on the X9. The X9 Pro Omni, meanwhile, leverages Ecovacs’ Boosted Large-Airflow Suction Technology, which moves more air through the vacuum, allowing dust and debris to be pulled in more easily for a deeper clean.
It’s worth noting that Ecovacs now sells a newer flagship, the Ecovacs Deepbot X11 OmniCyclone, which is also currently on sale at Amazon for $899 ($600 off). The high-end model adds even more suction (19,500Pa), an improved roller mop system, and a bagless auto-emptying dock that eliminates the need for disposable dust bags. That said, the X8 Pro Omni and X9 Pro Omni still offer many of the same core cleaning features for hundreds less.
Benjamin Netanyahu is struggling to prove he’s not an AI clone
Social media platforms are currently awash with conspiracy theories claiming that Benjamin Netanyahu has been killed or injured and replaced by AI-generated deepfakes. Between clips that supposedly show the Israeli prime minister sporting extra fingers and drinking from a bottomless, gravity-defying cup of coffee, only one thing is apparent: Reality used to be much easier to prove.
There's very little credible evidence to suggest that Netanyahu isn't alive. But credibility is a rare commodity now that AI can convincingly clone real people across image, video, and audio formats, so it's getting tougher to conclusively dispel the rumors. This …
Nvidia says China’s BYD and Geely will use its robotaxi platform
Nvidia added two leading Chinese automakers, BYD and Geely, to its robotaxi program, as the chipmaker seeks to put its stamp on the growing autonomous vehicle market worldwide.
At its GTC conference today, Nvidia announced that BYD and Geely, as well as Isuzu and Nissan, would use the chipmaker's Drive Hyperion platform, which combines the chips, computers, sensors, and software needed for for the development of Level 4 autonomous vehicles.
BYD currently uses Nvidia's chips in its manually driven cars, and now, under this expanded agreement, it will use the company's Hyperion platform to build next-generation Level 4 vehicles. Geely, meanw …
I met Olaf — the Frozen robot who might be the future of Disney Parks
You know Olaf. Before KPop Demon Hunters, before the Wicked movies, it was Disney's Frozen that blasted show tunes like "Let It Go" and "Into the Unknown" into our lives. My little girls loved belting those tunes.
So when I met Olaf, the Disney Imagineering robot, I kept thinking: I can't wait for my kids to meet him too.
It's a weird thought, really, because this Olaf isn't a "he" and can't carry on a conversation. Why do I keep thinking "I met him" when he's largely a remote-controlled puppet teleoperated by a Steam Deck gaming handheld?
Sony’s AI graphics upscaling for PS5 Pro games is getting a big update tonight
Sony's upgraded PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR) technology is rolling out to several titles on the PS5 Pro, including Cyberpunk 2077, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Silent Hill 2, and more. Digital Foundry got a chance to test some of them and found that the "new upscaler delivers the kind of upgrade we were looking for from PS5 Pro." Problems with shimmering, flickering, and other visual artifacts have been addressed, and they said it now delivers crisper and more consistent in-game graphics.
This is the first upgrade we've seen from AMD and Sony's combined Project Amethyst work on improving the effect of rendering a game at a lo …
Encyclopedia Britannica is suing OpenAI for allegedly ‘memorizing’ its content with ChatGPT
On Friday, Encyclopedia Britannica and dictionary publisher Merriam-Webster filed a lawsuit against OpenAI alleging that it used their copyrighted content to train its AI, then generated responses that were "substantially similar" to their content, as previously reported by Reuters.
According to Britannica, OpenAI repeatedly copied its content without permission, stating, "GPT-4 itself has 'memorized' much of Britannica's copyrighted content and will output near-verbatim copies of significant portions on demand. The memorized examples are unauthorized copies that [OpenAI] used to train their models, including GPT-4."
The lawsuit goes on …
Amazon’s Fire TV Stick 4K Max and 4K Plus sticks are up to 50 percent off
Since Amazon rolled out its redesigned Fire TV OS, Amazon’s latest streaming sticks are even better than ever. And right now, both the Fire TV Stick 4K Max and Fire TV Stick 4K Plus are back at their best prices yet during Amazon’s early Big Spring Sale event. You can buy the Fire TV Stick 4K Max for $34.99 ($25 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target, while the Fire TV Stick 4K Plus is down to $24.99 ($25 off) at the same retailers (Amazon, Best Buy, and Target).
Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max (2023)
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Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Plus
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The updated Fire TV OS makes it easier to find something to watch no matter which model you choose. It pulls recommendations from your subscriptions and adds tabs across the top of your screen for categories like TV shows, news, sports, and live content, so you can quickly jump to what you want to watch. There’s also a redesigned apps row that lets you pin up to 20 favorites instead of just six, making it quicker to jump between services. You can also navigate with your voice thanks to support for Alexa Plus, which lets you issue specific commands like asking it to open ESPN on Sling TV, search for particular scenes or content, check sports scores, or control compatible smart home devices. You even use the remote to quickly view feeds from devices like Ring cameras.
The biggest differences between the two sticks mainly come down to hardware. As the higher-end option, the Fire TV Stick 4K Max comes with a few extra features. Both models support Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, but the Fire TV Stick 4K Max offers double the storage at 16GB along with support for Wi-Fi 6E instead of Wi-Fi 6 for faster connectivity. It also comes with Amazon’s Alexa Voice Remote Enhanced, which adds extra shortcuts like a button for quick access to live TV channel listings.
Amazon’s best Echo speakers and screens just got their biggest discounts
While Amazon’s previous lineup of Echo speakers and smart displays was boring, frankly, its late 2025 hardware refresh brought better hardware, improved performance, and Alexa Plus to several models. If you feel like your room(s) could benefit from speakers to deliver tunes, audiobooks, or podcasts to more corners of your home, or screens to show recipes, photos, or videos, there are some great early Big Spring Sale deals that are worth checking out.
In terms of smart displays, Amazon’s Echo Show 11 is a great deal at $169.99 (was $219.99), while the smaller Echo Show 8 with an 8.7-inch screen is $139.99 (was $179.99). Our Jennifer Pattison Tuohy has used both, and considers their screens “light-years ahead” of the previous model, though the larger device has a 1080p screen while the smaller is at 720p resolution. Moving to speakers, the $189.99 (usually $219.99) Echo Studio gives the Apple HomePod 2 a run for its money, with room-filling sound and Atmos support. Even Amazon’s smaller, cheaper Echo Dot Max at $74.99 (was $99.99) is a solid value, thanks to its improved design and performance.
Here are all of the deals in one place:
Echo Show 11
The Echo Show 11 features an 11-inch screen and 1080p resolution. It includes Alexa Plus and can be used as a smart home hub, supporting Thread, Matter, and Zigbee smart home protocols.
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Echo Show 8
The updated Echo Show 8 features an 8.7-inch display with 720p resolution, wider viewing angles, and higher contrast. It includes a 13MP camera, new stereo speakers, and supports Alexa Plus, while doubling as a smart home hub with support for Zigbee, Matter, and Thread.
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Amazon Echo Studio (2025)
The latest Echo Studio is 40 percent smaller than its predecessor, but packs better sound. It’s the better choice compared to the Echo Dot Max if you intend to listen to a lot of spatial audio. Read our review.
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Echo Dot Max
The Echo Dot Max features a flat design and a redesigned sound system, which delivers nearly three times the bass as its predecessor. It also offers improved conversation detection and better noise filtering, thanks to Amazon’s new AZ3 chip. Read our review.
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Other Verge-approved deals
- For a limited time at Amazon, you can get deep savings with Samsung’s P9 256GB model for the Nintendo Switch 2. Normally around $50 or so, it’s down to $31.50. It’s a fantastic deal if you want to add more storage to your Switch 2 console. It beats the price of Samsung’s Mario-themed 256GB microSD Express card that was discounted to $39.99 (from $59.99) for Mario Day.
- $550 was the price to beat for the last-gen Apple Watch Ultra 2 smartwatch, and it’s now available for $499 for the first time at Amazon. Multiple color schemes of the one-size-only watch are available at this price, suiting those who either wish to blend in or stand out. While identical to the newer Ultra 3 that’s still $799 ($300 more!), there are some very minor differences internally between the two. The latest watch has a slightly bigger OLED screen, it supports Emergency SOS via satellite, it’s 5G-capable, and it offers slightly longer battery life (up to 42 hours versus 36 in the Ultra 2). Read our review of the Ultra 3, which compares it directly to its now-discounted predecessor.
- Dragon Quest VII Reimagined is a fantastic remake and one of the most approachable games in the long-running RPG series. The physical version of the game just got its first discount across all platforms at Amazon, including on Xbox, Nintendo Switch 2, and the PlayStation 5. Originally $59.99, it’s $49.99 now. This updated version reworks the game, not just in terms of its adorable visuals, but with many quality-of-life features that should save you a lot of time and frustration as you play. Read our review.