A Kinect for kids is outselling Xbox to become the hot console this holiday

A Kinect for kids is outselling Xbox to become the hot console this holiday

It’s a small sample size, likely driven by Black Friday discounts and temporary virality, but the Nex Playground has gone from little-known console curiosity to best-seller. It’s now on track to quadruple its sales from last year. According to research firm Circana, the Playground was the second best-selling console in the US for the week…

Slab is the first MIDI controller built exclusively for Serato Studio

Slab is the first MIDI controller built exclusively for Serato Studio

Music making is always better with hardware. Native Instruments and Ableton have had incredible success with their custom MIDI controllers that integrate with their DAWs (digital audio workstations), Maschine and Live, respectively. Native Instruments’ Maschine (yes, it’s the name of the hardware and the software) and Ableton’s Push are pretty much the gold standard for…

The Nex Playground and Pixel Buds 2A top our list of the best deals this week

The Nex Playground and Pixel Buds 2A top our list of the best deals this week

The Nex Playground is a compact, cube-shaped console that’s currently on sale for $50 off. | Image: The Verge The Nex Playground is apparently one of the hottest consoles this holiday season thanks to its kid-friendly games and fun, motion-controlled gameplay. And now through December 14th, the cube-shaped console is on sale for its Black…

The best thing I bought this year: a portable mechanical keyboard

The best thing I bought this year: a portable mechanical keyboard

A keyboard perfect for barside writing. As a writer, I take the tools of my trade relatively seriously. I’m not crazy enough to drop $3,600 on a keyboard, but I also find typing on a MacBook for extended periods of time deeply unsatisfying — and distracting. So this spring, I started looking into distraction-free writing…

iOS 26.2 is here with Liquid Glass, AirDrop, and Apple Music updates

iOS 26.2 is here with Liquid Glass, AirDrop, and Apple Music updates

Today, Apple officially released iOS 26.2 for iPhone 11 and newer devices, which includes new Lock Screen customizations for you to adjust the opacity level, as well as the ability to use AirDrop with people who aren’t in your contacts by sharing a one-time code with them instead. There are also new updates going out…

Mmm, Qi donuts

Mmm, Qi donuts

Eat at your own risk. | Image: Ikea After announcing new Matter-compatible smart home devices and stylish wireless speakers over the past few months, Ikea continues to expand its consumer electronics offerings with three new wireless chargers. They’re limited to 15W Qi2.0 charging rates but are well priced and feature designs that look more like…

33 practical smart home gifts that make everyday life a little easier

33 practical smart home gifts that make everyday life a little easier

Smart home products are all about making everyday life a little easier, which is why they’re some of the best and most thoughtful gifts you can give. Some people go all out building a multi-gadget IoT kingdom (like our resident smart home expert, Jen Pattison Tuohy), but a smart home is whatever your recipient wants…

Director found guilty of scamming Netflix out of $11 million

Director found guilty of scamming Netflix out of $11 million

Hollywood director Carl Erik Rinsch was convicted of scamming $11 million from Netflix to spend on luxury items, including five Rolls-Royces and a Ferrari, as reported earlier by Deadline. A New York jury found Rinsch guilty of several charges on Thursday, including fraud and money laundering. Rinsch, who’s known for directing 47 Ronin, was charged…

Remember Google Stadia? Steam finally made its gamepad worth rescuing

Remember Google Stadia? Steam finally made its gamepad worth rescuing

The Google Stadia Controller. December 31st, 2025 is the deadline to save the Google Stadia controller. That’s less than three weeks from today – but there’s never been a better time. Last month, I discovered the controller is finally a first-class citizen in Steam and SteamOS. The Stadia controller was originally designed to connect to…