The Vergecast

First things first: David and Nilay are both having some TV problems, and they need to talk it out. But then they get to the news of the week, including Samsung's new extra-foldy foldable phone, and a big change in the design departments at both Apple and Meta. What does it all say about the future of smart glasses? After that, the hosts talk through why Sam Altman declared a code red inside of OpenAI in order to redirect focus to ChatGPT — and whether the technology that has made all these products possible is actually the right technology moving forward. Finally, in the lightning round, it's time for Brendan Carr is a Dummy, recap season, "dear algo," and thermostats. Further reading: Samsung’s Z TriFold is official and it looks like a tablet with a phone attached  Huawei tris again.  Huawei’s first trifold is a great phone that you shouldn’t buy  Apple’s head of UI design is leaving for Meta  Apple AI chief steps down following Siri setbacks  Louie Mantia’s blog post about Dye Zuck’s post about the new team Linux usage on Steam hits a record high for the second month in a row  OpenAI declares ‘code red’ as Google catches up in AI race  OpenAI just made another circular deal  Anthropic’s AI bubble ‘YOLO’ warning  Anthropic’s racing OpenAI to go public  Normalizing extraterrestrial data centers I tested five AI browsers and lost my mind in the process The AI boom is based on a fundamental mistake Ilya Sutskever – We're moving from the age of scaling to the age of research FCC boss Brendan Carr claims another victory over DEI as AT&T drops programs First there was nothing, then there was Hoto and Fanttik This new Honeywell Home smart thermostat can answer your Ring doorbell Spotify Wrapped 2025 turns listening into a competition  YouTube introduces its own version of Spotify Wrapped for videos  Amazon Music Delivered puts your top tunes on a festival poster.  Google Photos Recap will tell you how many selfies you took this year “Dear algo.”  Subscribe to The Verge for unlimited access to theverge.com, subscriber-exclusive newsletters, and our ad-free podcast feed.We love hearing from you! Email your questions and thoughts to vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Apple makes a lot of gadgets. You've probably heard of some of them. Most of them are very good! Few companies in tech, or anywhere, can claim a track record as impressive and consistent as the folks in Cupertino. But only one Apple product can be the best Apple product. The Verge's Victoria Song and Allison Johnson join David to rank Apple's nine product categories — iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Vision Pro, AirPods, AirTags, HomePod, and Apple TV — in order of their best-ness. The gang agrees on a few, disagrees on a few, and gets in one argument that threatens to end the show forever.We want to hear what you think of our ranking! If you have thoughts, on Apple gadgets or anything, you can always call the Vergecast Hotline at 866-VERGE11 or email us at vergecast@theverge.com. Further reading: Apple Vision Pro review: magic, until it’s not Apple HomePod (second-gen) review: playing it safe Apple TV 4K (2022) review: unmatched power, unrealized potential Apple Watch SE 3 review: major glow-up Apple iPad Pro (2025) review: fast, faster, fastest AirTag location trackers are smart, capable, and very Apple Apple iPhone 17 review: the one to get Apple iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max review Apple AirPods (third-gen) review: new design, same appeal Apple MacBook Air M4 review: a little more for a little less Subscribe to The Verge for unlimited access to theverge.com, subscriber-exclusive newsletters, and our ad-free podcast feed.We love hearing from you! Email your questions and thoughts to vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Raycast is an unusual app with an unusual amount of access: it's a launcher and application platform that can directly interact with all the files and apps on your computer. Raycast didn't start as an AI-centric product, but Thomas Paul Mann, the company's co-founder and CEO, thinks AI is the key to making Raycast even better. For this episode, the first in our two-part miniseries about how developers are using and building AI, Mann explains how he plans to turn models loose on your files and apps, how he's thinking about the security risks and privacy issues associated with that plan, and what it takes to build AI products that actually, you know, work. Mann also talks through how he uses AI, both in and out of Raycast, and how he became a prompt-first computer user. Further reading: Raycast From the Raycast blog: One interface, many LLMs How to use Raycast and how it compares to Spotlight and Alfred Raycast’s iOS app is now available for AI chat and notes Subscribe to The Verge for unlimited access to theverge.com, subscriber-exclusive newsletters, and our ad-free podcast feed.We love hearing from you! Email your questions and thoughts to vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's a holiday week for many of us, which means a lot of Turkey Trots and a lot of TV. We have something for both in this episode! First, Nick Thompson, the CEO of The Atlantic and author of the new book, The Running Ground, joins the show to talk about his lifelong journey as a runner, and all the tech — from smartwatch to shoes to custom GPTs — he uses in training. After that, The Verge's John Higgins makes his first Vergecast appearance to help us understand how motion smoothing works, why you should turn it off, and all the other ways you can improve your TV watching experience this holiday season. Finally, David follows up on a question on the Vergecast Hotline (call 866-VERGE11 or email vergecast@theverge.com!) with some recommendations on inexpensive earbuds worth cranking up the volume on. Further reading: Nick Thompson's book, The Running Ground From The Atlantic: Why I Run TV manufacturers unite to tackle the scourge of motion smoothing Dear Roku, you ruined my TV How to turn off motion smoothing on your high-definition TV Samsung’s Frame TV is finally getting the knockoffs it deserves Samsung announces The Frame Pro: could this be the perfect TV? Subscribe to The Verge for unlimited access to theverge.com, subscriber-exclusive newsletters, and our ad-free podcast feed.We love hearing from you! Email your questions and thoughts to vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Vine was the original short-form video platform, and pioneered so many of the ideas we now take for granted in reels and TikToks. It was a cultural engine whose executives clashed with the creators who made it famous, before everybody decamped for other platforms. Marina Galperina, Sarah Jeong and Mia Sato join David Pierce to revisit their favorite Vines and discuss the platform's lasting impact on creator culture. If you like the show, ⁠⁠subscribe to the Version History feed⁠⁠ to make sure you get every new episode. ⁠Subscribe to The Verge⁠ for unlimited access to ⁠theverge.com⁠, subscriber-exclusive newsletters, and our ⁠ad-free podcast feed⁠. We love hearing from you! Email your questions and thoughts to ⁠vergecast@theverge.com⁠ or call us at 866-VERGE11. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Like it or not, you may not be able to avoid the AI agents for long. David and Nilay discuss the ways Microsoft is pushing agents to practically every corner of Windows, and where Google plans to put Gemini 3 now that it's confident it makes the best model. After that, the hosts dig into the ruling in Meta's monopoly case, which has a lot to say about TikTok — and about the state and future of the internet. Finally, in the lightning round, it's time for an extra-long Brendan Carr is a Dummy, some thoughts on domain names, and a quick Boox screen test. Further reading: Google cracked Apple’s AirDrop and is adding it to Pixel phones Talking to Windows’ Copilot AI makes a computer feel incompetent Microsoft is turning Windows into an ‘agentic OS,’ starting with the taskbar Microsoft Agent 365 lets businesses manage AI agents like they do people  Screw it, I’m installing Linux Google is launching Gemini 3, its ‘most intelligent’ AI model yet  Google Antigravity is an ‘agent-first’ coding tool built for Gemini 3  Google’s AI Mode can now help you visualize your travel plans  Google Gemini is getting better at identifying AI fakes | The Verge Google’s Nano Banana AI image model goes Pro and is free to try | The Verge Meta is not a monopolist, judge rules FTC v. Meta: the antitrust battle over Instagram and WhatsApp  Inside the courthouse reshaping the future of the internet Europe is scaling back its landmark privacy and AI laws  Here’s the Trump executive order that would ban state AI laws  Republicans are looking for a way to bring back the AI moratorium Brendan Carr’s FCC launches probe into BBC’s Trump edit | The Verge The FCC wants to roll back steps meant to stop a repeat of a massive telecom hack | The Verge Matter 1.5 brings camera support at last — here’s what it means for your smart home  MSNBC’s website is now MS.NOW  Future Google TV devices might come with a solar-powered remote  Disney loses bid to block Sling TV’s one-day cable passes  Subscribe to The Verge for unlimited access to theverge.com, subscriber-exclusive newsletters, and our ad-free podcast feed.We love hearing from you! Email your questions and thoughts to vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Enshittification. It's fun to say, hard to spell, and a useful descriptor of exactly how the internet has gone wrong. Cory Doctorow, the author and activist who coined the term a few years ago, recently published a book on the subject, called Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It. He was on Decoder a few weeks ago to explain what happened, and joins The Vergecast this week to help us figure out what to do about it. Can we, as regular people on the internet, help to de-enshittify the place? What responsibility do we have, and what kinds of choices should we be making? Cory has lots of thoughts on whether you can shop your way out of a monopoly, and what it really takes to enact structural change online. Further reading: Cory Doctorow on Decoder Read Cory's book, Enshittification Cory's last Vergecast appearance From Pluralistic: How monopoly enshittified Amazon AI is killing the old web, and the new web struggles to be born FTC files a massive antitrust lawsuit against Amazon Subscribe to The Verge for unlimited access to theverge.com, subscriber-exclusive newsletters, and our ad-free podcast feed.We love hearing from you! Email your questions and thoughts to vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You wouldn't steal a car. You wouldn't steal a handbag. But plenty of people used LimeWire and other file sharing services to share music, movies and more. If Napster was the beginning of the piracy story, LimeWire may have been the final chapter. Nilay Patel and Sarah Jeong join David Pierce to chart the history of LimeWire and the legal cases that shaped U.S. copyright law and the lives of college students taxing the bandwidth of their dormitory internet. If you like the show, ⁠⁠subscribe to the Version History feed⁠⁠ to make sure you get every new episode.⁠ Subscribe to The Verge⁠ for unlimited access to ⁠theverge.com⁠, subscriber-exclusive newsletters, and our ⁠ad-free podcast feed⁠. We love hearing from you! Email your questions and thoughts to ⁠vergecast@theverge.com⁠ or call us at 866-VERGE11. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The console wars are back on. This week, Nilay Patel sits down with Jake Kastrenakes, Sean Hollister, and special guest Joanna Stern, senior columnist at The Wall Street Journal, to talk about Valve's return to the living room gaming race with the Steam Machine, Steam Controller, and Steam Frame VR headset. Then, Joanna discusses her time putting the Neo robot to the test and seeing whether it's capable of loading a dishwasher. Finally, it's time for the Lightning Round, where the crew is talking the YouTube/Disney spat, Apple's new mini apps, and letting Waymo speed down the highway. Further reading: Our first look at the Steam Machine, Valve’s ambitious new game console  Valve enters the console wars  Valve just built the Xbox that Microsoft is dreaming of  Valve’s new Steam Controller might be my dream controllerThe Steam Frame is a surprising new twist on VR  Steam Machines have returned: all the news about Valve’s new hardware universe  The Steam Frame has two speakers on each side of your face for vibration cancellation  Valve’s new VR streaming trick won’t just work with its own headset  How the Steam Frame compares to other VR headsets  Valve thinks Arm has ‘potential’ for SteamOS handhelds, laptops, and more  Valve is welcoming Android games into Steam  Valve has stopped manufacturing its Index VR headset Valve has no news about Steam Deck 2 — because it’s still waiting for the right chip  We tried Valve’s new VR headset, PC, and controller — ask us anything!  I Tried the First Humanoid Home Robot. It Got Weird Know Your Meme  1X Neo is a $20,000 home robot that will learn chores via teleoperation  Meet NEO, the AI-Driven Robot That’s Coming to Lend a Hand Around the House — for a Steep Price The Problem with this Humanoid Robot Samsung brings a generative AI-powered Bixby to its TVs  Gemini for TV is coming to Google TV Streamer starting today  Google says its confusing Gemini Home rollout is going just great  Google Photos lets iPhone users edit images by describing changes  Disney is losing over $4 million a day in revenue on the YouTube TV blackout Disney is “trying really hard” to get ESPN back on YouTube TV Peyton and Eli Manning Drop the Ball, Embarrass Themselves With Bob Iger Interview Apple made a $230 crossbody… sock  Steve Jobs introduces iPod socks in 2004 Mini apps Apple will take a mini commission from mini app developers ⁠Amazon is cracking down on illegal streaming on its Fire TV Stick ⁠ Subscribe to The Verge for unlimited access to theverge.com, subscriber-exclusive newsletters, and our ad-free podcast feed.We love hearing from you! Email your questions and thoughts to vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

David has a new house, and no idea what to do with it. So he taps The Verge's Jennifer Pattison Tuohy to help him make the place a lot smarter. Jen and David go room by room, figuring out how to improve everything from his lighting to his fridge to his front door. Some of the decisions are easy, like betting on Matter. Some are more complicated: what do you do when you have a split household between Android and iOS? Some are downright existential — how much would you spend for a better cup of coffee? Jen has ideas, and a vast set of product recommendations as well. Kitchen: Fridge - Bosch ⁠100 Series⁠ ⁠I found the first Matter smart fridge⁠ ⁠Samsung⁠  Bosh ⁠Home Connect app⁠ ⁠Echo Show 8/11⁠ ⁠Echo Show 15⁠ ⁠Echo Dot Max⁠ ⁠Thermomix⁠ ⁠My smart kitchen: the good, the bad, and the future⁠ ⁠GE Profile Nugget Ice maker⁠ ⁠Typhur Dome 2 air fryer⁠ ⁠Instant Pot Pro⁠ ⁠Bosch 800 Series Coffee Machine⁠ Living Room ⁠FireTV Omni⁠ ⁠FireTV Stick with voice remote⁠ ⁠Inovelli smart switches⁠ ⁠Philips Hue essentials bulbs⁠ ⁠Philips Hue lights get bigger, brighter, and cheaper with a major product refresh⁠ ⁠Philips Hue Bridge Pro / Motion Aware⁠ ⁠Inside Philips Hue’s plans to make all your lights motion sensors⁠ ⁠Ikea Bilresa Buttons⁠ ⁠Lutron Caseta⁠ ⁠SmartWings shades⁠ ⁠Sonos / Hue⁠ Bedroom: ⁠Philips Hue Twilight⁠ ⁠Fall into smarter lighting⁠ ⁠Switchbot Air Purifier table⁠ ⁠AIDot WeLov Air Purifiers⁠ ⁠Amazon Smart Air Quality Monitor⁠ ⁠Ikea Alpstuga air quality monitor⁠ Belkin⁠ Boost Charge Pro⁠ ⁠Echo Spot⁠ ⁠Big Ass Fans⁠ Kids room: ⁠Echo Glow⁠  ⁠Echo Dot Kids⁠ ⁠Switchbot robot vacuum K11 Plus⁠ Office Basement: ⁠Philips Hue downlights⁠  ⁠Nanoleaf downlights⁠ ⁠Nanoleaf Blocks⁠ ⁠Nanoleaf Skylight ⁠ ⁠Sense Plus Switch⁠ ⁠Nanoleaf launches a smart switch after eight years of trying⁠ ⁠Govee Floor lamp⁠ ⁠Philips Hue Floor Lamp⁠ ⁠Nanoleaf Floor Lamp⁠ ⁠Nanoleaf 4D Screen Mirror⁠ ⁠Gardyn Studio Gen 2⁠ ⁠Aqara Smart Lock U300 Lever Lock⁠ Garden ⁠Hue Festavia Globe Outdoor Lights⁠ ⁠Nanoleaf String Lights⁠ ⁠Lifx String lights⁠ ⁠Eve Aqua⁠ ⁠Apollo PLT-1 indoor plant multisensor⁠ Others: ⁠All Ikea’s new stuff⁠ ⁠Shelly Relays⁠ ⁠Third Reality Zigbee sensors⁠ ⁠Zooz Z-Wave sensors⁠  ⁠Eve Energy smart plug⁠ Home Assistant ⁠The little smart home platform that could⁠ ⁠Home Assistant Green⁠  ⁠Home Assistant Connect ZBT-1⁠ ⁠Home Assistant Z-Wave⁠ ⁠Home Assistant Energy Management⁠ Subscribe to The Verge for unlimited access to theverge.com, subscriber-exclusive newsletters, and our ad-free podcast feed.We love hearing from you! Email your questions and thoughts to vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 2014, the tech world was abuzz with the prospect of a phone made by Amazon. When the Fire Phone arrived, it was chock full of ideas — a "dynamic perspective" feature that created 3D illusions, an image-recognition feature called "Firefly," and many, many opportunities to buy Amazon products. Allison Johnson and Sean O’Kane join David Pierce to discuss why, unlike Amazon's successful e-readers, this device was a gigantic flop. If you like the show, ⁠⁠subscribe to the Version History feed⁠⁠ to make sure you get every new episode. Subscribe to The Verge⁠ for unlimited access to ⁠theverge.com⁠, subscriber-exclusive newsletters, and our ⁠ad-free podcast feed⁠. We love hearing from you! Email your questions and thoughts to ⁠vergecast@theverge.com⁠ or call us at 866-VERGE11. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The DoorDash problem just became Amazon's problem. Perplexity's Comet browser is allegedly stealthily shopping on the internet's largest mall, and the folks in Seattle want it to stop. It's just one example of the fast-moving power dynamics on the internet, as AI companies try to change the way we search, shop, and do everything else. Lots of companies are not going to settle for being dumb databases, and Nilay and David discuss how this fight might play out. After that, the hosts talk about the reports of an impending cheaper Mac with an iPhone chip, and whether that might mark Apple's true return to consumer laptops — or be something else entirely. Finally, in the lightning round, they talk Brendan Carr, late-night shows, party speakers, and sonic logos. Lots and lots of sonic logos. Further reading: Amazon and Perplexity have kicked off the great AI web browser fight  WEB WAR III  Apple is planning to use a custom version of Google Gemini for Apple Intelligence  OpenAI launches its Sora app on Android  Perplexity is going to power AI search in Snapchat.  Easier access to AI Mode, if that’s your thing.  Google Gemini’s Deep Research can look into your emails, drive, and chats  Google Maps taps Gemini AI to transform into an ‘all-knowing copilot’  Amazon is building Alexa Plus into its Music app  The AI industry is running on FOMO  Apple is reportedly working on a cheaper Mac laptop with an iPhone chip  iOS 26.1 lets you tweak Liquid Glass, and it’s out now  YouTube wants a piece of the late-night TV pie.  Apple TV’s new name now comes with a new sound  Brendan Carr votes to eliminate cybersecurity requirements Epic and Google agree to settle their lawsuit and change Android’s fate globally  I’m amused by how Google is complying with the Epic injunction.  xAI used employee biometric data to train Elon Musk’s AI girlfriend  Into the Huluverse: The sonic evolution of Hulu Subscribe to The Verge for unlimited access to theverge.com, subscriber-exclusive newsletters, and our ad-free podcast feed.We love hearing from you! Email your questions and thoughts to vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Here at The Vergecast, we get a lot of questions. Questions from you, which we love! Questions that, for some reason, often tend to be about the smart home and why it's often not so very smart. So on this episode, the first in a two-part series, The Verge's Jennifer Pattison Tuohy helps us answer a whole bunch of your questions. Questions like: what's Apple's deal with the smart home? Are there any good smart faucets? And what's about to happen to my robot vacuum cleaner? Jen helps us wade through all that and more. We also go on a long diversion about smart smoke detectors, which are pretty awesome. Further reading: My smart kitchen: the good, the bad, and the future Moen’s Smart Faucet with Motion Control is totally hands free, and works with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant The future of the Roomba, and the best robot vacuums This smart smoke alarm could be a worthy Nest Protect replacement Home Assistant’s next era begins now Apple’s plan for AI could make Siri the animated center of your smart home What’s in a smart home reviewer’s backyard How Matter works, where it’s headed, and why it matters The problems with AI in the smart home and how Amazon and Google plan to fix them Subscribe to The Verge for unlimited access to theverge.com, subscriber-exclusive newsletters, and our ad-free podcast feed.We love hearing from you! Email your questions and thoughts to vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 2006, Microsoft came for the iPod's throne with an innovative MP3 player called the Zune. It had a bunch of features the iPod didn't: WiFi, music sharing, a bigger screen, a beautiful UI, even an FM radio. And to hear Microsoft describe it, it was even kind of a social network. Nilay Patel and Victoria Song join David Pierce to break down why, despite all that, the Zune never really took off. And why it came in brown. If you like the show, ⁠⁠subscribe to the Version History feed⁠⁠ to make sure you get every new episode. ⁠Subscribe to The Verge⁠ for unlimited access to ⁠theverge.com⁠, subscriber-exclusive newsletters, and our ⁠ad-free podcast feed⁠. We love hearing from you! Email your questions and thoughts to ⁠vergecast@theverge.com⁠ or call us at 866-VERGE11. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If you want to understand the full spectrum of AI software, from "straightforward problem-solving tool" to "never-ending slop machine," all you need to do is pay attention to everything Adobe launched at its conference this week. David and Nilay run through the news, which will change how people use Photoshop but also maybe change our social feeds forever. After that, they talk about OpenAI's conversion to a for-profit business, and specifically the truly wild way OpenAI and Microsoft talk about the future of AGI. Finally, in the lightning round, they discuss Brendan Carr, Cybertrucks, the Trump Phone, Ghost Posts, and more. Help us improve The Verge: Take our quick survey at theverge.com/survey. Further reading: ⁠Photoshop and Premiere Pro’s new AI tools can instantly edit your work ⁠ ⁠You can tell Adobe Express’s new AI assistant to edit designs for you⁠ ⁠Adobe’s AI social media admin is here with ‘Project Moonlight’ ⁠ ⁠Mark Zuckerberg is excited to add more AI content to all your social feeds⁠ ⁠Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg defends AI spend: 'We're seeing the returns'⁠ ⁠OpenAI completed its for-profit restructuring — and struck a new deal with Microsoft ⁠  ⁠The next chapter of the Microsoft–OpenAI partnership⁠ ⁠OpenAI lays groundwork for juggernaut IPO at up to $1 trillion valuation | Reuters⁠ ⁠OpenAI has an AGI problem — and Microsoft just made it worse ⁠ ⁠OpenAI made ChatGPT better at sifting through your work information ⁠ ⁠Sam, Jakub, and Wojciech on the future of OpenAI with audience Q&A⁠ ⁠The Kingmaker | WIRED⁠ ⁠Congratulations to the Tesla Cybertruck on its 10th recall.⁠ ⁠Trump℠ Mobile | All-American Performance. Everyday Price. $47.45/Month⁠ ⁠Threads is getting disappearing posts ⁠ ⁠Ads will arrive on Samsung Family Hub smart fridges next month. ⁠ ⁠The FCC is going after broadband nutrition labels. ⁠ ⁠Brendan Carr is a Dummy⁠ ⁠Bending Spoons is buying AOL for some reason ⁠ Subscribe to The Verge for unlimited access to theverge.com, subscriber-exclusive newsletters, and our ad-free podcast feed.We love hearing from you! Email your questions and thoughts to vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Meta's smart glasses have been a hit in part because they don't try to do too much. With the new Display glasses, though, Meta is trying to do... a lot more. The Verge's Victoria Song joins the show to tell us about her experience with the glasses, from the impressive but very first-gen hardware to the somewhat underwhelming set of things you can do. After that, podcaster and creator Stephen Robles explains to David why he's dead wrong about Apple Shortcuts. Stephen shares how he uses Shortcuts, why he's found such a big audience of Shortcuts fans on YouTube and elsewhere, and why it's worth doing the work to learn Apple's most powerful app. Finally, David answers a question from the Vergecast Hotline (call 866-VERGE11 or email vergecast@theverge.com!) about which wireless earbuds you should buy — and why it might be the pair you already own. Help us improve The Verge: Take our quick survey at theverge.com/survey. Further reading: ⁠The future I saw through the Meta Ray-Ban Display amazes and terrifies me⁠ ⁠I regret to inform you Meta’s new smart glasses are the best I’ve ever tried⁠ ⁠The smart glasses race is really on now⁠ ⁠Stephen Robles' YouTube channel⁠ Subscribe to The Verge for unlimited access to theverge.com, subscriber-exclusive newsletters, and our ad-free podcast feed.We love hearing from you! Email your questions and thoughts to vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Millions of basements have fake plastic guitars in them thanks to the 2005 smash hit Guitar Hero. Chris Grant and Ash Parrish join David Pierce to rock out with a game created over a matter of months by a niche developer and a peripheral manufacturer, fueled by word-of-mouth and viral videos on a nascent YouTube. You probably don’t play Guitar Hero anymore, but you might still find it in surprising places. If you like the show, subscribe to the Version History feed⁠ to make sure you get every new episode. Let us know what you think: 866-VERGE-11 or vergecast@theverge.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The era of the AI browser is here, and OpenAI is finally in the game. Nilay, Jake, and Hayden sit down to chat about what it means to have ChatGPT in your browser and able to control your cursor and surf the web for you. Also this week: Nilay's warning about using old surge protectors, the devastating and inevitable outcome of the Warner Bros. Discovery acquisition, and Samsung's Galaxy XR headset, which looks a lot like a Vision Pro. Finally, Brendan Carr Is A Dummy makes its triumphant return. And we wrap it all up with the Lightning Round, talking about the the Friend protest, GM's decision to ditch CarPlay, the AWS outage, the future of the Xbox, and more. Help us improve The Verge: Take our quick survey at theverge.com/survey. Further reading: OpenAI’s AI-powered browser, ChatGPT Atlas, is here The ChatGPT Atlas browser still feels like Googling with extra steps OpenAI teases a string of updates for its AI-powered browser, ChatGPT Atlas Opera’s Neon shows just how confusing AI browsers still are Perplexity’s Comet browser is now available to everyone for free Google is expanding Gemini in Chrome and letting it do stuff for you Reddit sues Perplexity for allegedly ripping its content to feed AI The Dia browser is a big bet on the web — and an even bigger bet on AI OpenAI’s latest legal request is raising eyebrows Meta is axing 600 roles across its AI division | The Verge Warner Bros. Discovery is ready for a sale WBD already rejected three offers from Paramount Skydance,  Netflix, Amazon, and Apple are reportedly interested in buying Warner Bros. HBO Max is raising prices for the third year in a row Hulu with Live TV now costs $90 monthly but you can lock in $65 for three months Apple TV will be the only place to watch F1 in the US, starting next year Samsung Galaxy XR hands-on: It’s like a cheaper Apple Vision Pro and launches today The future I saw through the Meta Ray-Ban Display amazes and terrifies me These Oakley smart glasses are perfect for weekend warriors and T-ball coaches The Friend AI pendant’s creator publicized a ‘Friend protest’ in NYC These nonprofits lobbied to regulate OpenAI — then the subpoenas came Why GM will give you Gemini — but not CarPlay Did Microsoft just tease that the next Xbox is a PC and console? Major AWS outage took down Fortnite, Alexa, Snapchat, and more Pitchfork is beta testing user reviews and comments as it approaches 30 Subscribe to The Verge for unlimited access to theverge.com, subscriber-exclusive newsletters, and our ad-free podcast feed.We love hearing from you! Email your questions and thoughts to vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We're very bullish on the handheld future of gaming. But we're not bullish on the new ROG Xbox Ally. The Verge's Sean Hollister joins the show to explain why this Xbox-branded device barely feels like an Xbox, and why it's definitely not a threat to the Steam Deck, before he and David debate whether the future of Xbox is even in good hands. After that, The Verge's Hayden Field walks David through a couple of important recent studies, asking the same basic question: is AI making us dumb? Finally, Sean returns to answer a question from the Vergecast Hotline (call 866-VERGE11 or email vergecast@theverge.com!) about hybrid computers, which are an extremely 2012 idea and also maybe the future of computing. But probably not. Help us improve The Verge: Take our quick survey at theverge.com/survey. Further reading: Xbox Ally and Ally X review: this is not an Xbox Prongs rock MIT: Your Brain on ChatGPT: Accumulation of Cognitive Debt when Using an AI Assistant for Essay Writing Task How chatbots — and their makers — are enabling AI psychosis Sam Altman says ChatGPT will stop talking about suicide with teens Some doctors got worse at detecting cancer after relying on AI Microsoft Research: The Impact of Generative AI on Critical Thinking: Self-Reported Reductions in Cognitive Effort and Confidence Effects From a Survey of Knowledge Workers Subscribe to The Verge for unlimited access to theverge.com, subscriber-exclusive newsletters, and our ad-free podcast feed.We love hearing from you! Email your questions and thoughts to vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

1982's coolest gadget was the Sony Watchman portable TV. Decades before everyone was glued to YouTube on their smartphones, the Watchman popularized the concept of video on the go. In the early days of the personal-tech revolution, you’d find the Watchman antennas up everywhere from the church pew to the baseball bleacher. Victoria Song and Allison Johnson join David Pierce to dive into the engineering feat that made the first Watchman possible. If you like the show, ⁠subscribe to the Version History feed⁠ to make sure you get every new episode. Subscribe to The Verge for unlimited access to theverge.com, subscriber-exclusive newsletters, and our ad-free podcast feed. We love hearing from you! Email your questions and thoughts to vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices