Google is letting businesses try out client-side encryption for Gmail
The extra privacy does come at the cost of a few features. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
Google has launched a beta of its client-side encryption for Gmail, letting businesses apply to test out the feature meant to make “sensitive data” and attachments unreadable even to Google. The company announced the beta, which Workspace administrators can sign up for until January 20th, in a blog post on Friday.
Once the feature is enabled and set up for a workspace’s users, they’ll have an additional option when using the web version of Gmail. Clicking on a padlock will let them choose to turn on additional encryption for the message, though they will have to give up some features to do so, including the ability to use emoji, a signature, and Smart Compose. Google says client-side encryption will be added to its Gmail app for Android and iOS “in an upcoming release.”
Gif: Google
Google UI pitching the feature as a way to “comply with company policies” is a clear sign about who this feature is built for.
While the ability for users to encrypt messages will be managed by their administrators (which, in most cases, will be the companies they work for), the feature isn’t limited to just intra-office communications. You’ll be able to send encrypted emails “outside of your domain,” according to a Google help document, and even to people who use other email clients or providers, such as ones from Microsoft or Apple, according to Google spokesperson Ross Richendrfer. This is because “CSE for Gmail is built on S/MIME, an existing standard for email,” Richendrfer told The Verge in an email.
Google has been working on adding more encryption to Gmail for a long time. In 2014, there were reports that it was working on end-to-end encryption for the service, though it’s worth noting that client-side encryption isn’t exactly the same thing. While using either means that “encryption and decryption also always occur on the source and destination devices,” Google’s client-side implementation gives administrators control over the keys and lets them “monitor users’ encrypted files,” according to a help document from the company explaining the difference between the two forms of encryptions.
Gmail isn’t the only Google Workspace product with client-side encryption. The feature was added to Drive last year when Google launched its updated enterprise offerings, letting business users encrypt documents and spreadsheets. Since then, it’s also come to Meet and is currently in beta for Calendar.
Right now, the Gmail beta is limited to Google Workspace Enterprise Plus, Education Plus, and Education Standard customers, according to Google’s blog post. That means you can’t try it out if you’re on a personal account or using a lower-tier enterprise, business, education, or G Suite account.
With that said, given that the system currently relies on administrators using an API to upload certificates and encryption keys generated by an external management service, it’s probably best that it’s mostly being limited to companies with IT departments at this point. If you’d be willing to go through that sort of hassle, though, you can always use PGP within Gmail (or, more realistically, sign up for a Proton Mail account, which has much more user-friendly encryption options).
The best deals on 4K TVs
We’ve collected deals on all sorts of TVs, ranging from affordable (yet feature-packed) models to high-end OLED and QNED TVs that’ll impress the most discerning viewers. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge
The future looks bright for those who are looking to nab a great TV at a substantial discount. It’s not just low-end 4K TVs that are getting the best price cuts this year; we’ve seen many of the latest mid- and high-end models from Sony, LG, Samsung, and more selling for hundreds less than their original list price. So, whether you want a cheap and simple 4K TV with built-in streaming capabilities or you want to spend more money on something like Samsung’s artistic The Frame or LG’s fantastic C2 OLED, we’ve got you covered with all the best deals of the year.
Right now, there are currently a number of discounted 4K TVs to choose from, spanning a wide variety of prices, size configurations, and feature sets. Whether you want a secondary TV for the bedroom or a high-end OLED that’s built for a cinema-like experience, we’ve picked out the best TV deals across four common categories.
The TCL 6-Series R646 model has a Mini LED QLED panel, with HDR10 Plus support and 4K gaming at 120Hz, as well as hands-free Google Assistant voice commands and the Google TV interface. It’s a good option if you are looking to balance price and performance, and the 55-inch model is currently on sale at Best Buy and Amazon for $599 ($100 off), which is the best price to date on the popular 6-Series model. The bigger 65-inch model is an even better deal, selling for $699 at Best Buy. Read our TCL 6-Series Google TV review.
TCL 5-Series (Google TV model)
While the 5-Series sits below the 6-Series in TCL’s lineup, it’s also worth taking a look at if you’re on the hunt for a larger display that costs less. The latest model sports a QLED panel like the newest 6-Series, though it lacks Mini LED backlighting and is limited to displaying a 120Hz refresh rate at 1440p, whereas the 6-Series is capable of 4K at 120Hz. The newer model also uses Google TV software as opposed to the Roku software featured on the last-gen 5-Series, which allows it to provide personalized recommendations and access to thousands of streaming apps. It’s a good buy if you want a QLED TV with vibrant colors and good contrast but don’t want to pay the premium for the latest 6-Series.
Sony X80J
Sony’s 55-inch X80J TV, like the others above, has Google TV software built-in, so you won’t need to purchase any additional streaming boxes, like an Apple TV or Chromecast. The LED panel also supports HDR10, HLG, and Dolby Vision HDR and has four HDMI ports (one of which is HDMI ARC). It’s a relatively low-frills affair, but it seems like a good deal that’s currently available at Walmart, where you can buy the 55-inch model for $598 instead of $799.99.
You don’t have to spend a fortune for a 4K TV; spending $500 or less can still net you a 4K TV with good image quality and features. Insignia’s F50 Series Fire TV is the perfect case in point, one that supports HDR10, HDMI eARC, and Alexa-based voice commands via the included remote. The 4K set also provides access to Apple TV Plus, Disney Plus, Hulu, and most other popular streaming apps. Compared to the last-gen F30 model, this has slimmer bezels and better HDR, thanks to its QLED panel.
Like its predecessor, TCL’s latest 4-Series remains one of the more affordable options on the market. The 2022 model swaps the built-in Roku interface found on the prior model for the Google TV platform, however, and thus offers built-in support for Google Assistant (via the included remote) and more personalized content recommendations. At the same time, the LED TV continues to support HDR10, all the major streaming apps, and a 60Hz refresh rate.
It’s a pretty basic TV as far as functionality goes, but Amazon and Best Buy are both currently offering it in various configurations at a steep discount. Right now, for example, you can pick up the 55-inch model at Best Buy for $299.99, which is about $200 off the MSRP and is the TV’s best price to date.
Amazon Omni Fire TV
Amazon’s first TV, the Omni Fire 4K TV, launched in November 2021 and starts at $370. The self-branded effort features the ability to query Alexa even when the TV is off, as well as a low input lag and support for two-way video calling. We gave it a 7 out of 10 in our review while noting how the TV shows great promise thanks to its robust Alexa integration and support for Apple’s AirPlay 2, among other things. At the same time, however, TCL and other similarly priced television makers offer better picture quality.
We’ve seen the 55-inch drop to as low as $299.99 before, but, unfortunately, it’s currently only on sale for $359.99 ($200 off) at Best Buy. As of late 2022, Amazon makes a QLED version of its Omni Fire TV that costs more but should deliver better picture quality as well as a sleeker design. The newer 65-inch version of the Omni QLED TV costs $799.99 at Amazon, but you can get it for $599.99 when you put the code QLED65 in at checkout. We haven’t tested out this model, though.
The best deals on 4K TVs for the PS5 and Xbox Series X
Sony’s PS5 and Microsoft’s Xbox Series X can play 4K games with HDR at up to 120 frames per second. So, naturally, if you don’t have a TV that takes full advantage of your console, it might be time to upgrade to one of the models below. Note that, for the best experience, you’ll want a TV that supports HDMI 2.1.
LG C2 OLEDs
If you’re looking for an impressive TV, we recommend turning your attention to LG’s 2022 C2 model. The 4K TVs touts support for Nvidia G-Sync and AMD FreeSync variable refresh rate tech, along with a 120Hz refresh rate and low input lag. They also boast a settings pane dubbed “Game Optimizer,” which conveniently brings together a host of game-centric settings — refresh rate, latency, etc. — for quicker access.
We recommend the C1, last year’s model, if you find an especially great discount. But the price is coming down for the C2, which we like because it weighs less and is available in a 42-inch variant (that costs about $800 these days, down from $1,399.99 at launch). The C2 also offers a few additional features, like a brighter “Evo” panel, the ability to log into different user profiles, and a new “dark room” setting that’s designed to reduce eyestrain. See what our reviewer Chris Welch has to say (spoiler: lots of good things).
The 48-inch LG C2 costs about $1,049.99 at Best Buy, Amazon, and B&H Photo, while the 55-inch costs $1,299.99 at Best Buy. Most retailers have the same deals on this model.
The 55-inch OLED TV from Vizio is also $999.99 at Amazon, but I feel more comfortable recommending Sony’s model. Vizio’s debut OLED launched with several software issues.
LG’s QNED Mini LED TV
OLED prices aren’t for everyone. If you want something that’ll still look amazing, LG’s QNED Mini LED lineup has many of the same perks for less. The Mini LED backlighting allows for better contrast, more brightness, dynamic HDR, and improved color accuracy over LG’s previous LCD TVs. (You can find out more info here). Crucially for gamers, they have HDMI 2.1 ports with 120Hz support at 4K resolution.
The 65-inch model, which has webOS for built-in streaming apps, costs $999.99 at Best Buy. This is $700 off its original price.
Samsung The Frame TV (2022)
Samsung’s The Frame is probably the most unique TV on this list. The television blends into your home decor, displaying customizable images that look like a piece of decorative art if its motion sensor detects someone in the room. When turned on, however, it transforms into an HDR-compatible QLED TV with Amazon’s Alexa built-in and support for AirPlay 2. The stylish 4K TV also boasts a 120Hz refresh rate (when you buy the 55-inch model or larger), support for AMD FreeSync technologies for stutter-free gaming, access to all the popular streaming services, and four HDMI ports.
Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge
Samsung’s 2021 The Frame (left) compared to the matte 2022 version’s display, which looks more like a canvas. (right).
Just be aware that, unlike most other televisions in this price range, the latest Frame doesn’t offer Dolby Vision support and lacks full-array local dimming. If that doesn’t bother you, however, you can buy the 55-inch model for $999.99 instead of $1,499.99 at Best Buy, Amazon, and Samsung.
DeSantis May Snub Big Tech Inaugural Donations, Strategists Say The Florida governor, who is considering a 2024 presidential bid, has often railed against tech companies. But while turning down their cash would cheer conservative activists, it’s unclear how much is at stake.
The Accord will be Honda’s first car to offer Google built-in
2023 Honda Accord with Google built-in supports smooth multi-touch. | Image: Honda
Honda’s next Accord will be the automaker’s first vehicle to support Google built-in integration, enabling native Android apps and over the air (OTA) software updates (via Automotive News). It will be included as a standard feature in the top Touring trim of the 2023 Accord, arriving early next year.
If you’ve never heard of “Google built-in,” that’s because it’s just another name for Android Automotive — the software giant’s vehicle operating system. Considering Google also has a similarly-named phone-to-car integration system called Android Auto (like Apple’s CarPlay), it makes sense that the less confusing “Google built-in” seems to be the company’s preferred name going forward.
Honda hasn’t revealed if its other vehicles will be getting Google built-in yet. The automaker had previously used custom (and now outdated) embedded Android software in some of its cars, but now it’s fully leveraging Google’s offerings to tackle all the hard infotainment stuff. Navigation in the Accord will be taken care of with using Google Maps, voice controls can change things like passenger air temperatures, and music apps will be just a tap away. Honda signed up for Google’s infotainment platform last year, at the time saying it would start rolling it out to cars in 2022.
Image: Honda
Google Assistant can help you change cabin temperature amongst other things with just your voice.
In the new Accord, Google built-in will operate across two screens: a 10.2-inch digital instrument cluster, and a 12.3-inch center screen. It’s the biggest infotainment screen Honda has ever made, and bigger than Volvo’s 9-inch screen in the XC40 — another car that uses Google built-in as well.
Honda’s vehicle OTA updates will “add function two, three, or eight years after it’s been sold,” says American Honda Motor Co. VP of CASE and Energy Jay Joseph, speaking to Automotive News. “[It] can really change the dynamics of the ownership experience and the used-vehicle market,” Joseph said.
It would be a fairly new concept for Honda — and many other automakers — to improve owner experiences and add functionality through software updates after purchasing the vehicle. Tesla leads the way in this space by adding dozens of features throughout the life of its vehicles: from enabling its cameras to capture security footage to building a video game library.
The Verge’s favorite holiday gifts under $100
Photography by Joel Goldberg for The Verge
If you’re trying to save this season, we’ve pulled together a host of fantastic gifts you can buy for less than $100, ranging from e-readers to Instant Pots.
Believe it or not, not every holiday season requires you to break your budget in order to obtain that perfect gift, especially when some of today’s best tech can be had for less than a Benjamin.
If you’re on the hunt for something affordable this year, we at The Verge have come up with a selection of great gifts catered toward a range of passions, all of which you can buy for $100 or less. We’ve chosen gifts fit for book lovers, including Amazon’s new Kindle ($90) as well an annual pass ($80) that’s ideal for those who prefer to get lost in the woods rather than read. We’ve also included a few budget picks for gamers, such as Govee’s immersive backlights ($75) and 8Bitdo’s Pro 2 controller ($50) along with a classic thermos ($45) for those looking to eschew their tech tendencies and gift something a bit more analog.
Take a look at the assortment of ideas below and see if you can find the right gift — or even just a little inspiration — ahead of the holidays.
Twitter suspends accounts of several journalists who had reported on Musk
Many at CNN, Washington Post and the New York Times who had written critically of the new owner found their handles suspended
A number of journalists who have reported on Twitter and its new chief executive Elon Musk appear to have been suspended or banned from the platform without explanation.
Accounts of journalists at CNN, Washington Post, and the New York Times were suspended in quick succession Thursday evening. Many of them had published reports critical of Musk in recent weeks.
Twitter Suspends Journalists’ Accounts, Some of Whom Wrote About Musk The social media service, which is owned by Elon Musk, said the accounts were suspended for “violating the Twitter rules” but did not provide details.
Twitter suspends Mastodon after it tweeted about Elon’s jet
I’ll miss those cute elephants. | Screenshot by Jay Peters / The Verge
Twitter has suspended the official Twitter account of Mastodon, one of the most popular destinations for people seeking a Twitter-like alternative. If you visit @joinmastodon’s profile, you’ll see a message that the account has been suspended.
We don’t know exactly why the account was banned, but it may not have been done entirely out of spite for a rival platform. Instead, it could have been because Mastodon tweeted about @ElonJet.
The Mastodon suspension happened sometime on Thursday. The Wayback Machine has an archive of the active profile from 12:39PM ET, but an archive from 6:12PM ET shows the suspended page. On the archive of the active profile, there’s a tweet pointing to @ElonJet’s Mastodon account.
On Wednesday, Twitter suspended @ElonJet and @ElonJet’s creator andintroduced a new policy against sharing live location information. That includes sharing “links to 3rd-party URL(s) of travel routes,” and it appears Twitter counts a link to @ElonJet’s Mastodon account as a violation of the policy.
Twitter, which dissolved its press office during its recent layoffs, didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment. Mastodon also hasn’t replied to a request for comment.
Belkin’s Continuity Camera mount for desktops is here
For those dedicated to magnetically mounting a phone to their screens so they can havethat good webcam quality. | Image: Belkin
When Belkin released its Continuity Camera mount for Mac laptops in October, it promised that a version for desktops would be coming soon. Now, it’s finally here. You can get the accessory that attaches to your display and magnetically holds your phone so you can use it as a webcam from the Apple Store for $29.95 — though it is worth noting that price may not stick around, as Belkin spokesperson Cassie Pineda tells me that the correct price is $39.95 and that the company is working on getting it fixed.
Compared to the mobile-friendly version, which is designed to stay on your phone and latch onto your computer with a little hook, the Belkin iPhone Mount for Mac Desktops is a bit more flexible. It has a tilting mechanism that lets you point the camera down by up to 25 degrees in case the top of your monitor is above your face. It’s also compatible with a wide range of displays, with Belkin saying that it’ll work with iMacs from 2017 and later, the iMac Pro, the Apple Studio Display and Pro Display XDR, as well as “most external displays and monitors.”
Image: Belkin
The mounting mechanism makes the accessory compatible with monitors of varying thickness, and it has a few extra quality-of-life features.
If you don’t want to hang your phone off your monitor while using it as a webcam, or if doing so with your setup would result in a bad angle, the mount also has a thread that lets you attach it to a standard tripod.
Compared to a high-end webcam, there is one downside to using a mount and your iPhone, and that’s power — like the mobile version before it, this mount won’t wirelessly charge your phone, which could be a problem if you’re in meetings all day long. It does, however, have a cable management hole if you wanted to route a standard Lightning cable to your phone, but that’s definitely more of a hassle than if you could just plug in the mount and have it do MagSafe charging. Thankfully, this probably isn’t much of a concern if you’re just planning on using it for occasional, short meetings.
This isn’t the only desktop-focused mount meant to be used with Continuity Camera, but when Apple announced the feature, it promoted the mounts from Belkin. That’s not to say that the piece of plastic you mount your phone to will have a huge effect on the performance of an iOS 16 and macOS Ventura software feature, but it’s nice to have options. That’s especially true given that this accessory is slightly less expensive than Moment’s version.
California Reduces Subsidies for Homes With Rooftop Solar The decision, which would reduce the incentive for homeowners to install solar panels, could influence other states to make similar changes.
Elon Musk bought Twitter, and here’s everything that happened next
Laura Normand / The Verge
Elon Musk is now the owner, CEO, and sole director of Twitter. His “Twitter 2.0” era has so far included mass layoffs and rapidly changing policy decisions.
There was a lot of back and forth about bots and text messages, but in the end, Musk settled on buying the company rather than facing a deposition or Chancery Court trial and eventually strode into Twitter HQ carrying a sink.
Elon Musk began Twitter’s new era of private ownership by firing several executives — including previous CEO Parag Agrawal, CFO Ned Segal, and policy chief Vijaya Gadde — and, a week later, initiated mass layoffs, drastically cutting its workforce.
TikTok self-harm study results ‘every parent’s nightmare’
Research suggests algorithm promotes self-harm and eating disorder content within minutes of interest being shown
TikTok’s recommendation algorithm pushes self-harm and eating disorder content to teenagers within minutes of them expressing interest in the topics, research suggests.
The Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) found that the video-sharing site will promote content including dangerously restrictive diets, pro-self-harm content and content romanticising suicide to users who show a preference for the material, even if they are registered as under-18s.
Crypto collapse: it’s looking like a long, cold, contagious winter
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
FTX is just the latest company facing an uncertain future as cryptocurrency values drop, revealing flaws in risky financial strategies that fueled the recent crypto and NFT boom.
On January 1st of 2022, one Bitcoin would cost you about $46,000. By November 8th, that same coin went for about $18,500. And that’s when the year’s most dramatic crypto story was just starting: the collapse of the FTX exchange, which brought yet another round of existential threats to the crypto industry as a whole.
On December 12th, FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried was arrested in the Bahamas and will face criminal charges in the United States.
This year has looked like death by a thousand scandals for crypto. There was the Luna / Terra crash, which wiped out billions in value practically overnight. There was Axie Infinity, the once-hot NFT game that lost $625 million in a hack and has struggled to recover. Celsius collapsed. Three Arrows Capital collapsed. Remember when NFTs were cool and people thought their JPGs were worth millions?
All this happened, of course, as the overall economy began to crash back down to earth after a pandemic-created spike in stock prices — which also dampened society’s overall tolerance for chaotic, nonsensical gambling on internet money. As the economy began to even out and our collective risk tolerance went down, crypto went for many investors from a fun plaything to a dangerous bet.
Crypto has crashed before, and as ever, the HODLers are saying there’s upside left to come. But right now, the future for cryptocurrencies of all kinds looks pretty bleak.
Here’s all our coverage from the ongoing crypto winter:
The Verge’s 2022 holiday gift guide for dads
Photography by Joel Goldberg for The Verge
Ideas for all the types of dads you may have in your life, from gadget-hounds to wannabe woodsmen with a penchant for the great outdoors.
As any son or daughter can attest, dads can be pretty picky and hard to please when it comes to gifts. However, while it may pose a bit of a challenge to gift them something perfect, it’s better to put in the work than to go the cheesy route with a “World’s Best Dad” mug or yet another pair of socks. Luckily, we’re here to help you find a gift that’s just right.
We’ve compiled a list of ideas that are sure to surprise and delight all kinds of dads, whether they’re the techie type or the weekend warrior. Got a Mr. Fixit on your hands? The Wowstick Electric Screwdriver Set ($69) may be just the tool they didn’t know they needed. Does your dad fiddle away at a computer all day? His wrists will probably thank you if you pick him up Logitech’s ergonomic Lift mouse ($70). We’ve assembled a bunch of other gift ideas as well, especially for those who cherish a bit of nostalgia or want to completely disconnect and get back to nature.
We’re confident at least one of these gifts will make the dad in your life happy. Who knows. He may even brag about it to all his friends — well, that or maybe just anyone who will give him the time of day.
The Verge’s 2022 home tech holiday gift guide
Photography by Joel Goldberg for The Verge
The wrong gift for someone’s home can quickly become clutter, which is why we’ve put together a selection of great gift ideas they’ll cherish, appreciate, and — most importantly — put to use.
Whether someone you know lives in a small apartment, an average size condo, or a spacious house, a gift for the home can be a very endearing one — especially when it matches their personal style and needs. That said, we’re not talking campy “live, laugh, love” decorations but, rather, a range of useful tech, gadgets, and other items that go beyond mere wall decor.
The items we choose to live alongside us should be worthwhile or they risk becoming clutter. So we’ve come up with an extensive list to help inspire you this holiday season, even if you’re shopping for yourself. Gifts like the Click and Grow Smart Garden 3 ($74.96) can help you grow herbs indoors where there isn’t even sunlight, while items like the iRobot Roomba i3 Evo robot vacuum ($279.99) can provide hassle-free cleaning on your schedule. Other presents, specifically Amazon’s third-gen Echo Dot ($17.98), are great for getting into smart home tech and can help you add voice commands to any room in your home.
We’ve gathered all sorts of great gifts for the home, so let us help you find something that’s better than a lavish punch bowl that — sooner or later — is destined for the back of the cupboard.
The best deals on Nintendo Switch games right now
Right now, there are discounts available on Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope and a handful of other essential Switch titles. | Image: Nintendo
Below, we’ve rounded up some of the deals on Nintendo Switch games. In many instances, the Nintendo eShop is typically the best place to find deals on digital downloads, especially if you prefer the indie variety, but there are some exceptions where retailers will discount titles that would otherwise be full price on Nintendo’s storefront.
Taking place in a massive open world, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a much different take on the Zelda series, one that stresses exploration, experimentation, and emergent gameplay. BOTW is much tougher than previous entries in the franchise but presents multiple, unconventional ways to tackle the game’s more difficult challenges. Mastery of the game comes more from learning and exploiting the systems in the world rather than looting a bunch of sweet gear.
Years after its release, players are still discovering new wrinkles in the aging classic. While this isn’t the most recent title to feature Link, Breath of the Wild remains an essential entry in the franchise. It offers all of the hallmarks of a traditional Zelda title, including challenging combat and puzzles, but within a gorgeous, open-world design. Read our review.
New Pokémon Snap is the sequel to the hit Nintendo 64 game from 1999. In it, players traverse the Lental region taking pictures of pokémon thriving in their natural habitats, which is a refreshing change to the typical catch ’em-all gameplay loop. Read our review.
A prequel to Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, Pokémon Legends Arceus has you exploring the large, standalone areas of the Hisui region in an effort to catch and study pokémon as you build out the region’s first-ever pokédex. It represents a fairly radical shift in the Pokémon formula. Read our review.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Image: Nintendo
If you’re into kart racing and love Mario, there’s no better mish-mash of the two than in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for the Switch. The popular racing title is packed with plenty of courses and characters, with even more available as paid DLC. This installment in the Mario Kart franchise is essentially a souped-up version of the original Mario Kart 8 that debuted on the Wii U, with better visuals, performance, and all the DLC from the Wii U version (and then some).
While the basics of this franchise have remained largely the same over its lifetime, Mario Kart 8 represented some of the best improvements the series has seen, and its remastered port only improves on the original with new modes, kart parts, and an adorable cast of drivers.
A sequel to Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon, Luigi’s Mansion 3 sees players controlling the titular Luigi as he explores a haunted hotel in an effort to rescue his brother and friends. Despite only having text dialogue that’s supplemented by jibberish and pantomime, this 3D platforming adventure is surprisingly witty and comical, with plenty of Nintendo’s trademark charm to go around. And while some of the puzzles can be cumbersome and the controls overly complex, there are few games like it. Not nearly enough games star the taller Mario sibling, but Luigi’s Mansion 3 proves that Luigi is more than capable of holding his own. Read our review.
Yoshi’s Crafted World, in a nutshell, is a yarn-and-cardboard-flavored platformer featuring everyone’s favorite green dinosaur. It’s one of the more charming titles to come from Nintendo, with levels and characters made from everyday objects, and a difficulty that serves as the digital equivalent of a weighted blanket — or in this case, a hand-knit scarf. It’s not the most crushing or inventive title, but many of the levels in Yoshi’s Crafted World introduce new mechanics and wrinkles to keep things fresh as you make your way through a variety of theme-based worlds. There aren’t many games that do exactly what it says on the box, but Yoshi’s Crafted World is definitely one of them. Read our review.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is best described as Dynasty Warriors by way of Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. This title shares a similar aesthetic to the 2017 hit but is drastically different in terms of its gameplay. In it, you’ll take control of a cast of familiar characters from Breath of the Wild, like Impa and Zelda, and guide them through a linear narrative that leads up to the events that precede Breath of the Wild.
You can swap between characters during battles to make use of their combos and special abilities, but you’re also responsible for directing legions of soldiers to assist you in completing your objectives. Age of Calamity provides fans of Breath of the Wild with more backstory in a game that feels wholly different but strangely familiar in the best ways. Read our review.
Mortal Kombat 11
Mortal Kombat 11 is a title synonymous with fighting games. The same gratuitously violent, combo-based gameplay is on display here, but the latest entry in the franchise builds on that legacy by fine-tuning many of the technical elements. This makes MK11 arguably the best entry in the franchise to date, with tight gameplay that’s easy to learn and difficult to master.
In addition to the roster of 25 characters from Mortal Kombat lore, MK11 includes DLC for fighters from some unexpected IPs. So if you were ever curious about how the Terminator would fare against Rambo, this is your chance to find out. Each fighter can also be customized with different moves and gear, meaning that you’re unlikely to fight against the same character twice.
Rayman Legends: Definitive Edition
Image: Ubisoft
Rayman Legends: Definitive Edition might just be the best platformer for the Nintendo Switch that isn’t part of the Mario franchise. The excellent title features a vivid art style, tight controls, and a soundtrack that’s sure to stick with you well after you’ve stopped playing. Plus, in addition to a surprisingly large cast of cute characters, the entirety of Rayman Legends can be played cooperatively with up to four players. If you’re a little tired of stomping Goombas, you might want to give Rayman Legends a spin.
Burnout Paradise: Remastered
Burnout has always been a series that’s about wrecking cars, going fast, and causing wanton destruction. Burnout Paradise continues that proud tradition by unleashing you on an open world that’s littered with stunts, races, and — of course — lots of crashes.
Burnout Paradise may be a couple of console generations old at this point, but it has never lost its charm. The nauseatingly fast game always has something for you to do, and while the lack of real-world cars is a bummer, you’ll never have a better time jack-knifing your sports car into a fuel tanker at 300 miles per hour.
Axiom Verge
Axiom Verge, an ambitious Metroidvania developed by a single person, has gone on to become an essential entry in the genre thanks to its clever level design, spectacular soundtrack, and awesome boss battles. And while the game is clearly inspired by classic entries in the genre like Super Metroid and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, it still manages to do its own thing.
Much like other games in the genre, Axiom Verge has you exploring a map that gradually expands as you defeat bosses and gain new abilities, allowing you to traverse previously inaccessible areas. A large part of what makes this game unique, however, is the title’s setting and aesthetic, which lies somewhere on the spectrum between hellish and surreal, leaving us with something that feels like the works of HR Geiger if he were given a 16-bit palette to work with.
While there are plenty of other contemporaries that draw on this same formula, including Hollow Knight and Metroid Dread, Axiom Verge is an excellent title that won’t disappoint fans of the genre.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 updates the core elements of the original Tony Hawk games into an experience fit for modern consoles. The collection is a faithful remake of the original two games, and everything from the levels to the collectibles has been translated with remarkable accuracy.
The gameplay experience is largely unchanged, but what additions have been made are certainly welcome. Some extra objectives have been added to THPS 1 levels to be more on par with what THPS 2 offers, and there are larger meta-objectives to accomplish if you want to unlock different cosmetic options. This collection is easily the best way to experience — or re-experience — these staples of gaming history. Read our review.
If Pacific Rim didn’t have enough high school drama for you, then you might want to check out 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, a game that is equal parts visual novel and turn-based strategy game. In Aegis Rim, you play through the interconnected stories of 13 teenagers who also happen to be massive robots charged with defending humanity. It would be easy to dismiss the premise as silly if the voice acting and art direction weren’t so damn good, and while the story beats can get a bit muddled at times, the delivery on virtually every other aspect of Aegis Rim is spot-on. Read our review.
Hades, the latest hit from indie developer Supergiant Games, is a beautiful roguelike that burst out of early access and quickly accumulated a litany of praise. This snappy brawler changes things up every time you die, forcing you to adapt with the assistance of the thirstiest iteration of the greek pantheon we’ve ever seen. The closest analog to this title is the also-excellent The Binding of Isaac, however, Hades definitely upped the ante with an exceptionally balanced experience that has some of the best music and writing we’ve ever encountered in a roguelike. Read our review.
Immortals Fenyx Rising is a game that takes the open-world gameplay and color palette from Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and slaps it on the mythology from God of War. The design might be iterative, but the result is amazing. In true Ubisoft fashion, the massive, vivid environment is chock-full of collectibles, activities, and puzzles to strengthen your character.
One aspect that sets this title apart from its obvious inspirations is the combat, which combines simple, RPG-like skill trees with a variety of godly powers earned from aiding various deities. A decidedly more comical and lighthearted approach to the Greek pantheon, Immortals Fenyx Rising is a fun and witty open-world game that wears its inspiration on its sleeve. Read our hands-on impressions.
Make friends, fight your inner demons, and be home in time for dinner. Persona 5 Royal is the definitive version of Persona 5, one that adds a ton of new content and quality-of-life features. While the occasionally obtuse story beats and narrative aren’t going to change anyone’s mind about JRPGs, the game’s chill pacing makes Persona 5 Royal a great choice for the Nintendo Switch. Read our review.
Diablo III: Eternal Collection
Diablo III remains one of the best action RPGs available and is still supported by free seasonal content. The Switch version of this aging RPG may not be its prettiest iteration, however, it still runs remarkably smooth on the Nintendo console, even when playing with several others via local co-op. Being able to take this game with you wherever you go arguably makes the Switch version the best way to experience this fast-paced RPG.
Borderlands: Legendary Collection
Borderlands: Legendary Collection includes not only Borderlands 1 & 2 and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, but all of the various pieces of DLC as well, making this a truly massive compilation of everyone’s favorite looter shooter. While the irreverent humor of the Borderlands franchise doesn’t always land, the core gameplay loop — which has you killing hordes of baddies in an effort to earn weapons that become exponentially more ridiculous as time goes on — remains strangely addictive.
Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
Featuring an expansive cast, The Skywalker Saga is the definitive Lego Star Wars experience, tying together every mainline film from The Phantom Menace to The Rise of Skywalker. Just like other entries in the series, the title is chock-full of fan service and light-hearted humor that’s sure to appeal to fans, regardless of their age. It even includes characters from one-shot films like Rogue One and Solo.
Hot Wheels: Unleashed
Flames make everything faster in Hot Wheels: Unleashed. The racing title feels like a cross between the Burnout franchise and an adolescent power fantasy, putting you in control of immaculately rendered toy cars as you race across a set of neon-orange tracks strewn about an oversized living room.
In addition to the litany of ridiculous vehicles spawned from the Hot Wheels garage, you can also collect cars such as the Batmobile, the time-traveling DeLorean from Back to the Future, and a number of iconic automobiles from real-world manufacturers. The game even borrows track segments from real-world Hot Wheels sets, allowing you to thread the needle between a giant spider and a hungry Tyrannosaurus rex.
Like a good friend, Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a game that’s always there for you. Like past entries in the series, New Horizons lets you go outside and enjoy life with neighbors, pick some flowers, catch a few bugs, and just relish the moment.
The game lets you build and grow your own persistent island and eventually handle the overall welfare of the cast of characters, all of which will call your island their home. By harvesting resources and trading with other islands, you can slowly turn your vacant island into something truly unique. Read our review.
This whimsical retelling of the Game Boy classic updates the classic Zelda title with new music and graphics while keeping the core gameplay intact. Anyone who missed out on this excellent installment in the Zelda franchise when it was originally available should take the time to check it out. Read our review.
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope
A follow-up to one of the most unexpected pairings of the last decade, Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope is a turn-based strategy game in the same vein as the XCOM franchise but with a cast of the Mario characters and the pure chaotic energy of the Rabbids. The combat blends fire-and-maneuver tactics with special abilities and frenetic movement, which provides an interesting departure from usual turn-based strategy titles.
If you thought Mario couldn’t get any more whimsical, think again. Paper Mario: The Origami King offers an adorable, narrative-driven experience featuring the ubiquitous red plumber. More of an adventure game than a platformer, The Origami King pushes its story along with witty writing and a puzzle-based combat system. Read our review.
Portal Companion Collection
The original Portal and its sequel, Portal 2, are available on the Nintendo Switch through Portal Companion Collection. The series remains a hallmark of the puzzle-platformer genre, one that has you uncovering the secrets of Aperture Science, playing with lasers, and eating cake.
Tetris Effect: Connected
From Rez and Lumines creator Tetsuya Mizuguchi comes Tetris Effect: Connected, a game that elevates the classic Tetris formula to new levels of sensory excitement through unique visuals and eclectic beats. It’s similar to previous Tetris titles, yet it also allows for local and online multiplayer for both competitive and co-op play.
Google’s making code formatting a breeze in Docs
Code blocks in Docs. | Illustration: The Verge
Google Docs is getting a new feature that will make it easier to show code in an easy-to-understand way. The company announced that it’s adding code blocks to its “smart canvas” system, which will automatically add the proper spacing and color-coding for a variety of programming languages, such as Python, C, and Javascript.
Before this, getting code to look nice in Google Docs required workarounds or add-ons, which weren’t necessarily the most convenient. While that wasn’t the end of the world, making sure code displays properly is important for documentation, and having different parts of the code display in different colors makes it much easier to read if there’s more than a single line or two.
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Doesn’t that look so much nicer?
Google says you’ll be able to access the feature by going to Insert > Building Blocks > Code Block and then selecting the relevant language. You’ll also be able to type “@project assets” into your document to pull up the menu, similar to how you’d summon the emoji picker.
The feature may take a while to roll out — Google’s blog post says some people may not even have it by January 18th, depending on their Workspace’s settings — and it’ll only be available to people with specific subscription tiers. If you’re using a personal Google account, a legacy G Suite account, or various Essential and Starter Workspace tiers, you won’t have access to it, according to the company’s press release. That’s a bit of a bummer for hobbyist coders trying to write instructions for their APIs, though I’ll admit that this feature does seem like it’d be most useful for bigger companies.
Telecommunications giant TPG has revealed an email-hosting service used by up to 15,000 iiNet and Westnet customers has been breached, with the hacker looking for cryptocurrency and other financial information.
TPG said in a release to the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) on Wednesday that cybersecurity firm Mandiant had found evidence of unauthorised access to a Hosted Exchange service used by iiNet and Westnet customers.
Jack Dorsey on Musk’s Twitter files: ‘There’s nothing to hide’
Laura Normand / The Verge
Jack Dorsey has responded to Elon Musk’s purported exposé known as “The Twitter Files,” and he’s done so in an essay that’s mercifully not written as a Twitter thread. In it, the social network’s co-founder and former CEO says that he believes the company has nothing to hide, contrary to how the files have been presented. He also says he wishes the information had been “released Wikileaks-style,” and asks that the internet not go after Twitter employees for perceived slights. Of course, his article also promotes his own social networking protocol and Bitcoin.
Dorsey’s response comes after Elon Musk has spent over a week promoting fiveselectivedocumentreleases known as the Twitter Files, which show internal documents, Slack logs, and emails around things like Twitter’s removal of Donald Trump following the January 6th riots, moderation “blacklists,” and how the site dealt with news about Hunter Biden’s laptop. The threads, and Musk’s promotion of them, have largely taken on a conspiratorial tone, painting the old Twitter leadership and employees as being in cahoots with the government to silence Twitter users.
Dorsey clearly doesn’t agree, saying his his post that “mistakes were made” at Twitter, but that he believes the company had “no ill intent or hidden agendas, and everyone acted according to the best information we had at the time.”
Later in the post, Dorsey takes issues with how the files were handed over to specific journalists who then posted excerpts and reported on them. “I do still wish for Twitter, and every company, to become uncomfortably transparent in all their actions,” Dorsey writes, adding that he wishes the files got “many more eyes and interpretations to consider.” It’s an interesting request, as he’s essentially asking for receipts on his own company, as my co-worker Adi Robertson described while we were discussing the article — it seems likely Dorsey is fully aware of what kind of decision-making process a full document-dump would reveal, and doesn’t think it’d be all that damning.
While Dorsey talks a lot about how he thinks transparency and moderation should work in his post, it’s possible he wants a more transparent process because the cherry-picked documents have been used by Musk and others to attack former Twitter staff. He obliquely references this by saying that “the current attacks on my former colleagues could be dangerous and doesn’t solve anything,” but Dorsey’s description doesn’t quite describe how bad things have been. CNN reported on Monday that former head of trust and safety Yoel Roth had to leave his home after Musk implied that he supported pedophilia in now-deleted tweets. Musk has also accused specific other former Twitter employees of not doing anything to stop child trafficking on the platform.
The Twitter Files posts have also been damaging in other ways — in a few instances, incomplete censoring leaked contact info for politicians, Twitter employees, and Dorsey himself.
It’s not the first time Dorsey has apologized for what’s happened after he left Twitter — last month he said he was responsible for Musk’s initial wave of mass layoffs, saying they were necessary because he grew the company too fast. Earlier this year, Dorsey said he believed that Musk was the “singular solution” he trusted to run Twitter as a company and said that he trusted Musk’s “mission to extend the light of consciousness.” While he doesn’t seem to have fully walked back that statement yet, he has challenged a few of Musk’s statements outside of his latest post.
In principle, I don’t believe anyone should own or run Twitter. It wants to be a public good at a protocol level, not a company. Solving for the problem of it being a company however, Elon is the singular solution I trust. I trust his mission to extend the light of consciousness.
Dorsey’s post isn’t entirely about Twitter. He also uses it to announce that he’s giving a million dollars a year to encrypted messaging app Signal and asks for suggestions about other grants he should make in the areas of “social media and private communication protocols, bitcoin, and a web-only mobile OS.”
Dorsey himself is also working on a decentralized social media protocol called Bluesky, which gets several mentions in the post, alongside the founder’s ideas of how social media should work (which he says he wasn’t able to implement at Twitter due to its status as a public company). His tenets involve keeping governments and corporations from influencing conversations, making sure that moderation decisions happen on a “localized” basis, and either letting people choose their own ranking algorithms, or deciding to (somehow) not use one at all.
One particularly eyebrow-raising statement from Dorsey reads “any content produced by someone for the internet should be permanent until the original author chooses to delete it,” adding that “content takedowns and suspensions should not be possible.” He does admit that stance could create “significant issues” when it comes to things like “illegal activity” (what happens when this stance collides with someone posting child sexual abuse material, or revenge porn?), but says that the ideal would “allow for far better solutions than we have today.”
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