Xbox testing disc-to-digital feature that digitizes a physical game collection
Xbox testing disc-to-digital feature that digitizes a physical game collection

Microsoft will likely soon follow Sony and stop the production of physical discs for Xbox games. But instead of leaving physical discs behind entirely, sources familiar with Microsoft’s plans tell me the company has quietly been working on a disc-to-digital feature that will allow Xbox owners to digitize their existing physical game collections. Xbox employees […]

Comcast’s split could make or break Peacock
Comcast’s split could make or break Peacock

NBCUniversal executives are about to find out whether Peacock will sink or swim in the streaming industry. Now that Comcast is planning to split NBCUniversal, Peacock, and Sky from its broadband and wireless businesses, Peacock will be forced to stand on its own – without the backing of a combined company that pulled in more […]

Sony is killing discs — and showing us why it’s a terrible idea
Sony is killing discs — and showing us why it’s a terrible idea

The future of video game preservation just took a major hit. This morning, Sony announced that, starting in January 2028, the company will no longer produce physical PlayStation discs, which means that from that moment on you can only purchase new PS5 games digitally. At the same time, Sony also announced that it’s going to […]

Xbox weighs canceling Blade game and shuttering Arkane
Xbox weighs canceling Blade game and shuttering Arkane

Microsoft is set to announce a wave of layoffs for its Xbox studios and employees next week. Sources familiar with Microsoft’s plans tell The Verge that the layoffs will lead to studio closures or spinoffs, potential mergers of studios, and canceled games. I understand Microsoft is currently weighing closing at least five studios, including the […]

After a great start, DC’s new cinematic universe is already slowing down
After a great start, DC’s new cinematic universe is already slowing down

While Kara Zor-El’s appearance at the end of James Gunn’s Superman was a very pleasant surprise, Warner Bros. Discovery’s plan to fast-track a standalone Supergirl feature always felt a little dubious. It seemed odd that, after Superman, the studio wanted to flesh out its new cinematic universe with films about another Kryptonian and one of […]

Lawmakers want to ban AI companies from selling your health data
Lawmakers want to ban AI companies from selling your health data

A new proposal would ban the sale of Americans’ health and location information to data brokers – including information people reveal to an AI chatbot like ChatGPT or Claude. In the coming weeks, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Representative Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA) are planning to debut a new version of the Health and Location […]

How to end a TV show
How to end a TV show

Ending any story is hard, but that’s especially true of mystery-packed TV shows. Series like Lost initially hook viewers with constantly building secrets and questions, to the point that they can often seem incomprehensible. But the promise is that it will all pay off in the end – a feat that few shows ultimately manage. […]

The Guardian’s Kai Wright refuses to buy a new phone
The Guardian’s Kai Wright refuses to buy a new phone

Kai Wright is the co-host of Stateside with Kai and Carter over at the Guardian. But Wright has been bringing his unique insights to listeners for years. He’s also hosted Notes From America, The United States of Anxiety, and Indivisible. He’s a Peabody Award-winning journalist who has profiled powerful men, explored what it means to […]

Indie developers got tired of waiting for a new Star Fox, so they’re making their own
Indie developers got tired of waiting for a new Star Fox, so they’re making their own

Nostalgia remains a powerful force. So much so that, in exploring the echoes of a late-’90s childhood spent skimming the water of Corneria and sneering “cocky little freaks!” in time with a monkey encased in a Gundam suit, I’m simultaneously describing playing Star Fox 64 (Lylat Wars if you’re nasty) in 1997 and streaming it […]

Why is Apple asking me to pay more for Big Tech’s AI obsession?
Why is Apple asking me to pay more for Big Tech’s AI obsession?

Tim Cook recently said price increases were “unavoidable” and described the company’s pricing as “unsustainable.” The 16-inch MacBook Pro saw its price go up by $300. The 11-inch iPad Air went from $599 to $749. Even the HomePod Mini got a $30 bump to $129. Cook squarely placed the blame at the feet of the […]