Jay Peters
Tim Cook knows what Pikachu is!
I certainly didn’t expect one of Cook’s final tweets as Apple’s CEO to star Pikachu. Wonder what his favorite Pokémon game is.
Rockstar’s GTA VI preview further blurs the lines between Hollywood and gaming.
Jay Peters
Meta is fixing a workaround that allowed smart glasses wearers to covertly record others.
Emma Roth
Jay Peters
Here are some of the first preview impressions of GTA VI.
A few publications and other outlets got to watch a Rockstar North co-lead play the game, and their coverage has a bunch of information about gameplay that wasn’t included in Netflix’s cinematic extended look.
Travis Larchuk
Today’s Vergecast: How to buy a laptop when everything’s so expensive.
If, after months of increasingly dire RAMageddon warnings, you suddenly find yourself in the market for a new laptop… we’re here to help. In the latest installment of our Vergecast “RAMageddon Survival Guide,” laptop reviewer Antonio G. Di Benedetto joins David Imel to offer his recommendations.
The hype has never been higher for one of the most anticipated games of the decade.
Verge Staff
Rockstar finally showed off more of Grand Theft Auto VI in a 26-minute preview.
Jay Peters
Emma Roth
ChatGPT adds an option to save your temporary chats.
You can also now personalize a temporary chat with existing memories, custom instructions, and plugins. OpenAI notes that temporary chats “don’t create new memories, and stay out of your sidebar unless you choose to save them.”
Image: OpenAI
Gemini Notebook’s new ‘Expert Intelligence’ feature pulls information from the books you’ve purchased.
Emma Roth
Emma Roth
OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google say companies need to combat AI cyberattacks with AI.
An open letter signed by over 100 companies and organizations calls for a “global surge in cyber defense,” saying “AI-enabled cyber attacks will become far more widespread and sophisticated:”
Put cyber-capable AI in the hands of defenders, starting with the teams protecting essential services. Fix the most dangerous weaknesses, verify the fixes, and share what works so others can build on it. Together, we can turn today’s AI advances into lasting improvements in security that benefit everyone.
Emma Roth
Trump signs executive order to rename Lake Ontario to “Lake America.”
The executive order, which comes days after Canada announced retaliatory tariffs against the US, says Trump is changing the name to honor Lake Ontario’s “flourishing economic resource and its critical importance to our Nation’s economy.”
We have reached out to Google and Apple to see if they’re going to swap Lake Ontario to Lake America in their Maps apps — as they did with the Gulf of America last year.
Jay Peters
Netflix’s GTA VI “extended look” is starting soon.
The preview is scheduled to debut on Netflix at 3PM ET, though creators can stream it as long as they talk over it. Starting at 9PM ET, you’ll be able to watch the preview on YouTube and the GTA VI website.
RAMaggedon is coming for software now.
Allison Johnson
Sean Hollister
Amazon Germany is selling DJI’s banned camera in the US — with free international shipping.
How is Amazon getting away with this? This isn’t a third-party seller; they’re shipped and sold by Amazon Germany. Even DJI knows the DJI Pocket 4P isn’t legal to import, but Amazon’s been offering one of the best prices to US buyers for over a week now.
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TC Sottek
Nvidia makes a PAC.
I’m surprised it took this long for Nvidia to make its own PAC — something that seems like table stakes for any huge company trying to influence the US government. Well, now it’s here, according to Bloomberg. The PAC will take in voluntary contributions from employees, which is a classic way of giving big money in a distributed manner given caps on election contributions.
Emma Roth
Kalshi is partnering with The Weather Company for climate-based bets.
The prediction market platform will use The Weather Company’s data to verify weather-related market outcomes, such as how high the daily temperature might get in New York or Los Angeles. At the same time, The Weather Company will add Kalshi’s weather probabilities to “select experiences” on its app and website.
Jay Peters
Reminder: Grand Theft Auto VI exists in its own universe.
Jay Peters
Xbox’s limited-edition green Series X is already sold out.
The $899.99 console went on sale at 10AM ET and was out of stock right after, and eBay’s sold listings show that people are paying more than $2,000 to buy confirmed preorders, Polygon reports. The console looks cool, but I wouldn’t say it’s $2,000 cool.
A removable Speedo iQ module tracks swim strokes, head movement, breaths, distance, and more.
Emma Roth
Such milestones are ‘senseless,’ according to Nvidia’s CEO.
Robert Hart
Jay Peters
Streamers can host Netflix’s GTA VI event as long as they talk over it.
Quick clarification: you are free to livestream An Extended Look from 3 p.m. ET on August 27 providing you adhere to platform-specific guidance and you do not simply restream or repost the unedited video in full without context or commentary.
Emma Roth
You can soon book hotel stays through Google’s AI Mode.
The feature is rolling out in the US in the coming weeks and will support bookings at Expedia, Booking.com, Hilton, Hotels.com, IHG Hotels & Resorts, Marriott International, Priceline, and others.
Google also announced that you can now set up flight tracking alerts through AI Mode, as well as view the cost of flights in points or miles by linking your airline rewards account.
The Bravia 6 is Sony’s first OLED TV with four HDMI 2.1 ports.
John Higgins
Jay Peters
The new Scott Pilgrim brawler is getting more characters.
As part of $3.99 DLC for Scott Pilgrim EX, you can now play as Stephen Stills, Kim Pine and Knives Chau. The game, which launched in March, is also getting a free update that adds an arcade mode.
We spoke with Scott Pilgrim creator Bryan Lee O’Malley about the game earlier this year.
The surveillance cameras have become another flashpoint of growing bipartisan anger against tech industry excess.
Janus Rose
Justine Calma
The US plans to throw out a key standard for radiation exposure at nuclear plants.
The standard currently requires reactors to keep radiation exposure to workers and the public “as low as is reasonably achievable.” The change is part of the Trump administration’s efforts to speed the buildout of new nuclear reactors expected to power AI data centers.
Jay Peters
Rockstar wants to turn actual Miami into Vice City.
The Miamian obtained a Rockstar pitch deck through a public records request that proposes Vice City-themed takeovers of places like Miami’s airport, Metrorail stations, and some public areas.
A spokesperson for Miami-Dade’s mayor confirmed to The Miamian that there had been conversations but said “Nothing has been formally agreed to or approved.”
Jess Weatherbed
Peter Cullen, voice of Optimus Prime, has died.
The 85 year old Canadian voice actor was best known for portraying the Autobot across Transformers media, including the original 1980s animated series and live-action films. He’s also recognized for voicing animated characters like Eeyore in the Winnie the Pooh franchise.
A statement from his family says he “passed away peacfully,” and asks that his fans “honor his remarkable legacy by serving your communities and leading others with compassion, integrity and loyalty and always remember ‘be strong enough to be gentle’.”
You can wear a snoozing Pikachu on your wrist while tracking sleep, steps, and workouts.
Stevie Bonifield
Waymo’s top software executive didn’t directly name Tesla or Elon Musk in a new blog post — but his intentions were clear.
Andrew J. Hawkins
Under its splashy agreement with state AGs, Meta gets to flaunt the high road, while dragging its competitors.
Lauren Feiner
Nilay Patel
Each Microduck can also sing with its own unique generated voice.
Stevie Bonifield
Emma Roth
Are you ready for today’s GTA VI preview?
The “extended look” coming to Netflix and YouTube will be 26 minutes long and feature gameplay captured on the PlayStation 5, according to Netflix. The preview will first appear on Netflix at 3PM ET before arriving on YouTube at 9PM ET.
Preorders are now available for the $249.99 Plaud One, with shipping to start in September.
Jess Weatherbed
Antonio G. Di Benedetto
Alienware’s flagship 5K OLED curved gaming monitor is now available for $1,099.
Alienware announced its fancy AW3926QW monitor back at Computex, and it’s now up for sale with an actual price. The 39-inch tandem OLED with a 165Hz refresh rate and 1500R curve uses an LG panel with RGB stripe subpixels for sharper text display. And it’s loaded with extras, like a KVM and a USB-C port with 90W passthrough power. All for a cool $1,099.
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Photoshop’s new ‘AI Assisted Editor’ interface puts AI features in a simplified toolbar.
Emma Roth
At least it comes in the Z Fold 8’s popular pistachio color.
Dominic Preston
Now hearing the prosecution’s closing argument in the case of Johnson v. Google Pixel Watch.
Allison Johnson
A faster version of the Odyssey G6 is coming, alongside three new OLED models.
Jess Weatherbed