Senior Reporter
Adi Robertson has been covering the intersection of technology, culture, and policy at The Verge since 2011. Her work includes writing about DIY biohacking, survival horror games, virtual and augmented reality, online free expression, and the history of computing. She also makes very short video games. You have probably seen her in a VR headset.
The Wall Street Journal delves into a loose network of TikTok accounts churning out videos with AI-generated voiceovers making ridiculous claims — both positive and negative — about Donald Trump. A political motive is possible, but it sounds likely they’re less a coordinated operation than a bunch of people ripping each other’s content off for views, and Trump is simply the best engagement-bait around.
WordStar is a beloved MS-DOS-era word processing tool known as a favorite of writers like George R.R. Martin. And thanks to author Robert J. Sawyer, there’s a new archive designed to help you run its final 1992 release on modern computers.
[sfwriter.com]
US v. Google: all the news from the search antitrust showdown
One of the biggest tech antitrust trials since the US took on Microsoft is underway.
Joking aside, Oculus and Anduril founder Palmer Luckey made good on his promise to announce a new head-mounted display during a talk at Augmented World Expo. He said little about the new project, though, except the quote above — and he suggested it’s still in the early stages.
Luckey also mentioned “adult entertainment” could be the most promising VR hardware niche for a small company, since mainstream companies won’t touch it. He emphatically did not say that’s what he’s working on here.
What’s in that case that says “Oculus Development Kit” in front of Oculus and Anduril founder Palmer Luckey, appearing beside Bigscreen VR’s Darshan Shankar and moderator Stephanie Riggs at Augmented World Expo? The new headset Luckey said he’d announce at AWE?
Nope! It’s exactly what you’d expect. A vintage 2013 DK1.
That’s almost a year after its 2023 PC release, but good news for anyone who’d rather try the surprisingly good retro shooter revamp on Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S, PlayStation 4, or PlayStation 5.
The Twitter/X alternative’s latest financial update is dire: it may run out of money in April after losing contact with a single person who’s provided its funding so far. While the operators lay out backup plans like crowdfunding, the site’s future seems uncertain to say the least.
[cohost dot org on cohost]
404 Media obtained internal emails about how a controversial Call of Duty-themed police recruiting poster was created — and before the backlash, the department was more worried about the publisher’s IP lawyers than comparing law enforcement work to a bloody military shooter. The department pulled and apologized for the ad last month; as far as we know, Activision has not publicly responded.