Tech

While there’s still no fix for chips that are already crashing, the company is now releasing microcode update 0x12B to motherboard manufacturers to help prevent one of the root causes of damage. In this case, it prevents the Intel CPU from asking for too much power when it’s just sitting idle or performing light tasks. (Too much voltage can prematurely …

Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket hit a significant milestone this week, completing its first second-stage hot fire test that validates the interactions between the subsystems, its two BE-3U engines, and the ground control systems. The test lasted for 15 seconds and allowed the launch operations team to practice launch procedures in the lead-up to New Glenn’s planned November launch. New …

Shift Robotics has launched a new version of its Moonwalkers shoes / motorized roller skates that claim to boost the speed of your natural walking gait. Their top speed is still 7mph, but they’re over a pound lighter on each foot — 4.2 pounds compared to 5.3 pounds — thanks to a new “magnesium alloy powertrain.” The Aero are also …

The My Play Watch was teased earlier this month, but we now know more about what its creators say it can do. Its design looks inspired by, or directly lifted from, the Apple Watch, but with a 1.86-inch touchscreen display and a body that’s not as thin as the Series 10 or as thick as the Ultra 2. It comes …

California is going after ExxonMobil over what it calls a “campaign of deception” about plastic recycling. The Golden State filed suit against the oil giant this week, alleging that it has misled consumers for years by marketing recycling as a way to prevent plastic pollution. Plastic is difficult and relatively costly to recycle, and very little of it ever gets …

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is pushing back on the idea that social media directly harms teen mental health. During an interview with IMR’s Alex Heath, Zuckerberg said that “the majority of the high-quality research out there suggests that there’s no causal connection at a broad scale between these things.” This echoes the statement Zuckerberg gave in front of Congress …

We have a very special episode of Decoder today. It’s become a tradition every fall to have Verge deputy editor Alex Heath interview Mark Zuckerberg on the show for Meta Connect.  There’s a lot to talk about this year: on Wednesday, the company announced new developments in VR, AI, and the fast-growing world of consumer smart glasses, including a new …

Ubisoft is delaying Assassin’s Creed Shadows from its planned November 15th release to February 14th, 2025. After showing off 12 minutes of gameplay in June, it looked like Ubisoft was set to deliver its next Assassin’s Creed installment in the usual holiday period, but now the publisher says it needs more time to get its new parkour and stealth systems ready. …

Eight years ago, PlayStation lead architect Mark Cerny showed me the power of the PS4 Pro in this very room. Today, I’m checking out the new PS5 Pro instead — and feeling some major déjà vu. Like before, Sony is showing journalists a room full of screens at its PlayStation US headquarters just outside of San Francisco, playing 11 games …

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed the Phone-Free School Act into law this week, requiring every school district, charter school, and county office of education statewide to implement rules limiting cellphone use by July 1st, 2026. There are exceptions to the rule, including using phones for emergencies or with permission under certain circumstances. “We know that excessive smartphone use increases anxiety, …