Apple’s failed self-driving car program left a legacy of powerful AI chips
Apple's self-driving car program never really got off the ground, but it may have been what made the company's chips the powerful AI performers they are. Early in the development of the self-driving platform, Apple realized that it would need powerful on-device AI processing. While the car processor was never finished, as Mark Gurman details in his latest Power On newsletter, it did lead to the development of the Neural Engine, the backbone of Apple's on-device AI processing.
The Neural Engine made its debut with the iPhone X and the A11 Bionic. In those early days, it was primarily used for computer vision, powering FaceID, Animoji, and a …
One of SteelSeries’ best gaming headsets is over $100 off
SteelSeries has the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless gaming headset on sale for $239.99 (currently between $300 and $350 at other retailers). The Xbox version that supports a host of other platforms including PlayStation, PC, and Switch is available in both black and white. The PlayStation version, which supports the same platforms except for Xbox, is discounted in white. Both versions can also connect to mobile devices via Bluetooth.
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless
The Nova Pro Wireless gaming headset supports active noise cancellation, swappable batteries, Bluetooth support, and compatibility with PC and most consoles — including Xbox and PlayStation. This model includes a base station that makes it easy to toggle crucial sound settings. Read our review.
Where to Buy:
This isn’t your average price reduction; SteelSeries’ reason for discounting the headsets is because their packaging is damaged. It assures that the hardware inside is still unused and undamaged, and the headset includes the same one-year warranty as any of its new headsets.
The Nova Pro Wireless was an impressive gaming headset when it launched four years ago — and still is — especially at this price point. It has all the features you’re probably expecting from a high-end wireless headset, like active noise cancellation for blocking out sounds, a noise-canceling microphone for clear callouts and crisp voice delivery, and Bluetooth connectivity in case you need to take a call. In addition, the slick USB base station adds a ton of unique functionality, like charging a spare batteries to minimize downtime when one dies, onboard controls for game profiles and sound mixing, and the ability to blend up to three inputs at a time (including Bluetooth).
There are some things you should keep in mind if you’re thinking of picking up the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless. Our reviewers disagreed on its comfort. Neither found it uncomfortable, but both agreed that it’s heavier than other SteelSeries headsets. If you were considering the newer and more expensive Nova Pro Omni, this headset has most of the same unique features at a much more palatable price point.
Read our SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro review.
How Philips Hue got the smart home right
The state of the smart home can be frustrating, because it is just so obvious how things ought to work. You should be able to control everything from everywhere. Your spaces should adapt to what you're doing and how you're feeling. Making your home smart shouldn't require renovating, and the smarts should be mostly invisible. All of this is, of course, incredibly hard to pull off - but the goal is pretty clear.
Until now, maybe no product has come closer to nailing the smart home than Philips Hue. And on this episode of Version History, we dig into all the things Hue got right. The Verge's David Pierce and Jennifer Pattison Tuohy are joined …
Less is more with the Oura Ring 5
If you're reading an Oura Ring 5 review at The Verge, you likely fall into one of two camps: newcomers looking for a smartwatch alternative, or Oura users pondering an upgrade. In the case of the former, this is a great casual health tracker and the best smart ring on the market - but not your best choice if you really sweat the fitness details. If you fall into the latter, you don't need to upgrade.
I say this because the Oura Ring 4 came out less than two years ago. The ceramic version, of which I am a big fan, came out less than a year ago. These were major updates over the Oura Ring Gen 3, both in terms of software and in terms of senso …
Blue Prince became a bonding — and learning — experience for my family
I've always been the gamer in the family. When my son was born nearly 11 years ago, gaming was one of the things I looked forward to sharing with him. Pulling up a chair next to me, he would watch as I played Sea of Thieves with friends, often wearing the too-big-for-his-head headset to talk with them, instructing me where to go. Now instead of him watching me play through Clair Obscur, I'm sitting next to him and he battles Calamity Ganon in Breath of the Wild. His real gaming passion for years has been Minecraft - he appreciates the rules and order, as well as the calming environment of creative mode. He also likes to meticulously stack up …
The fight against AI data centers is just beginning
This is The Stepback, a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world. For more on the data center buildout, follow Emma Roth. The Stepback arrives in our subscribers' inboxes on Sunday at 8AM ET. Opt in for The Stepback here.
How it started
Years before the AI boom threatened local power grids, a small group of protesters set the stage for the battles cropping up across communities today. In 2015, Apple announced plans to build a roughly $1 billion data center in the sleepy town of Athenry, Ireland. The data center's 500-acre site would power Apple's services in Europe, including iTunes, iMessage, and Siri. At th …
After years of teasing, the viral Nopia synth is ‘basically finished’
After setting the music gear corner of the internet on fire back in 2023 with the first glimpse at the Nopia, creators Martin Grieco and Rocío Gal are almost ready to bring it to market. The duo brought it to the MusicRadar offices for an in-depth first look and revealed that it will be launching in "a couple of months" for around £550.
Nopia is built around harmonic interplay in a unique way. Rather than a few knobs and a keyboard controlling a single synth patch, it blends multiple modules - keys, bass, arp, and pad - into a single performance, not unlike a drumless groovebox. There's a one-octave keyboard called the Chord Builder, a 12-b …
Oregon’s Attorney General withdraws effort to delay Paramount and Warner Bros. merger
Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield had been seeking documents from Paramount related to its takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery. Rayfield also asked a state circuit court judge to delay the closing of the deal by 60 days so that his office could review the documents. But according to Deadline and Variety, he's now dropped his civil investigative demand for the records.
Obviously, Paramount is pleased with Rayfield's decision to withdraw his request, but the AG's office isn't exactly satisfied with the outcome.
Jenny Hansson, communications director for Rayfield, told Deadline that, "Paramount made it clear that they weren't going to compl …
FL Studio head Constantin Koehncke turns to Reddit for feedback and fun
If you're a music maker of a certain age, then you probably once dabbled with a pirated copy of a little app called Fruity Loops. These days it's called FL Studio, and Constantin Koehncke, is the man responsible for shepherding the pioneering digital audio workstation (DAW) through the modern age. As CEO of Image Line, the company behind FL Studio, Constantin has overseen the introduction of a number of AI-powered features like stem separation and its Gopher chatbot.
Before taking the reins of Image Line in 2022, Constantin was the head of Native Instruments, where he spearheaded the shift towards digital services, did a stint in marketing, …
Nintendo’s Talking Flower got a small price cut
If you’re the type of person who could always use a little extra positive affirmation, or you have a weakness for weird gadgets, the Talking Flower might be of interest. I’m only kind of serious. The toy is based on a character from Super Mario Bros. Wonder that guides Mario through levels with quippy, whimsical remarks. It’s a little weird that it even exists, but, then again, this is the company that made Alarmo.
The Talking Flower debuted for $34.99, but it got a small price reduction at Amazon and Walmart. It’ll instead cost you $29.99 to buy the cute talking toy.
The Talking Flower doesn’t have much utility. Unlike the $110 Alarmo, it can’t serve as an alarm even though it asks when you go to bed and wake up (so that it knows when to keep quiet). It’s there to call out every passing hour when you’re awake, and to say random stuff unprompted. It can make comments about the general time of day, as well as the temperature thanks to its built-in thermometer. The Talking Flower lacks a microphone, and it doesn’t connect to the internet. However, it has a button that’ll make it say things, if you don’t want to wait for it to randomly blurt out its pre-programmed thoughts. Like in the video game, you can select the language it speaks.
My colleague Andrew Webster went hands-on with the Talking Flower, and his takeaway was that it’s a drip feed of whimsy. However, it would occasionally say something that reminded Andrew to take care of himself, whether it be to slow down and relax or to take a lunch break. I’m entertained by many reviews on Amazon, which highlight that buyers are split on being annoyed with the Talking Flower, but loving it anyway — just like the character in Wonder.