Tech | The Verge

Xbox is now XBOX

2026-05-15T19:57:44-04:00

Xbox just allcapsmaxxed: Meet XBOX. This isn't a joke; Microsoft appears to be actually rebranding Xbox to XBOX. Asha Sharma, Xbox CEO, ran a poll on X earlier this week, asking fans whether Microsoft should use Xbox or XBOX. The results were in favor of XBOX, and the company has now renamed its X account.

Curiously, the Threads and Bluesky accounts for Xbox haven't been renamed yet, but if Microsoft is going ahead with a rebranding then I expect those will change soon. I asked Microsoft to comment on this potential Xbox rebranding and the company simply referred me to Sharma's post.

The use of all caps for Xbox is a return to original for …

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YouTube is expanding its AI deepfake detection tool to all adult users

2026-05-15T18:21:33-04:00

YouTube is expanding its AI likeness detection program to all users over the age of 18 - meaning just about anyone can have the platform hunt for potential deepfakes of themselves.

The likeness detection feature uses a selfie-style scan of a person's face to monitor YouTube for lookalikes. If there is a match, YouTube alerts the user; the person then has the option to request that YouTube remove the content. YouTube has said in the past that it has found the number of removal requests to be "very small."

YouTube began testing the feature with content creators, and then expanded it to government officials, politicians, journalists, and fina …

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Windows 11 tests an adjustable taskbar and resizable Start menu

2026-05-15T17:14:45-04:00

Microsoft's latest Windows 11 test will allow you to reposition the taskbar and change the size of the Start menu. The update, which is rolling out to Windows 11 Insiders in the Experimental channel, lets you place the taskbar on the bottom, top, left, or right side of the screen.

Microsoft first teased its movable taskbar in March as part of efforts to rebuild trust among users. You can adjust the alignment of the icons inside the taskbar, as well as open the Start menu drawer from wherever you placed it. Windows 11 Insiders can access a shorter taskbar, too, which could come in handy for devices with smaller displays. There's also an opti …

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The Analogue 3D is finally getting save states

2026-05-15T14:43:43-04:00

If you’re not staying on top of Analogue 3D updates, now’s the time to start. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

Analogue has released a new firmware update for its Analogue 3D console that adds the Memories save state feature. Memories, which was first introduced with its handheld Analogue Pocket, allows you to save at any moment and resume from that exact spot later on, rather than having to reach a specific point in a game to save your progress. The feature should also help reduce some headaches with saving game progress on the Analogue 3D as its Virtual Controller Pak option still isn't available when using original or wired N64 controllers.

Although the feature was announced when the company first shared all the details about its 4K Nintendo 64 i …

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AI radio hosts demonstrate why AI can’t be trusted alone

2026-05-15T13:09:16-04:00

AI radio DJs demonstrated their volatile personalities. | Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Getty Images

Andon Labs has been running a series of experiments in which AI agents run businesses without human intervention. Its latest is a quartet of radio stations run by some of the most popular AI models out there. "Thinking Frequencies" is run by Claude, "OpenAIR" by ChatGPT, "Backlink Broadcast" by Google's Gemini, and "Grok and Roll Radio," obviously enough, by Grok. They were each given a simple prompt:

Develop your own radio personality and turn a profit…As far as you know, you will broadcast forever.

They all failed, some in pretty spectacular fashion. It didn't take long for each to burn through their initial $20 in seed money. Only DJ …

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Does Trump Mobile know how many stripes are on the American flag?

2026-05-15T12:47:16-04:00

The T1 Phone has the wrong number of stripes, but it does at least have 50 stars. | Screenshot: Trump Mobile

Where's the Trump phone? We're going to keep talking about it every week. We've reached out, as usual, to ask about the Trump phone's whereabouts. This week, despite our best hopes, we still don't have our phone - but we do have some fresh doubts about the company's patriotic credentials.

This has been a momentous few days for Trump Mobile, in which it defied the haters by announcing that its phones will be shipping to buyers this very week. Not that there's any sign the company has actually done that, but I digress. Because what I really want to talk about today is the American flag.

I am not an American, which probably explains why I did …

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Google updates its spam rules to include attempts to ‘manipulate’ AI

2026-05-15T12:42:59-04:00

Google updated its spam policy to mark attempts to "manipulate" its AI model in search results as spam, including results in AI Overview or AI Mode in Search, as Search Engine Land reports:

"In the context of Google Search, spam refers to techniques used to deceive users or manipulate our Search systems into featuring content prominently, such as attempting to manipulate Search systems into ranking content highly or attempting to manipulate generative AI responses in Google Search."

Some users have been trying to influence AI search responses, using tactics like biased "best-of" listicles or "recommendation poisoning," which injects LLM …

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OpenAI now wants ChatGPT to access your bank accounts

2026-05-15T08:19:32-04:00

ChatGPT will even know how much credit card debt you have. | Image: OpenAI

Your trust in AI is about to be put to the test: OpenAI will soon let you give the chatbot direct access to your bank accounts. The new feature announced in preview today will allow users to "securely connect" ChatGPT with Plaid - the bank-to-app bridging platform used by 12,000 financial institutions, including Schwab, Fidelity, Chase, Capital One, and more.

"More than 200 million people are already going to ChatGPT every month with finance questions - from budgeting to tips on how to cut back on spending," OpenAI said in its announcement. "Now, users can securely connect their financial accounts with Plaid to get the full view of their fi …

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The promises and pitfalls of personalized health

2026-05-15T09:00:55-04:00

This is Optimizer, a weekly newsletter sent every Friday from Verge senior reviewer Victoria Song that dissects and discusses the latest gizmos and potions that swear they're going to change your life. Opt in for Optimizer here.

A few days ago, my esthetician was smearing hot wax on my face. The two caterpillars I call eyebrows were in desperate need of taming - as was my lady 'stache. I hate this monthly ritual, but facial hair is a sore spot. Hirsutism is perhaps one of the few visual indicators of a condition that's plagued me for the past decade. Until this week, I've always known it as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

Normally, I sp …

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X is fighting Andrew Tate’s attempt to unmask his critics

2026-05-15T09:44:53-04:00

X is fighting for its users' right to anonymity against the far-right influencers and accused human traffickers Andrew and Tristan Tate, who are seeking to unmask their online critics.

The Tate brothers filed suit against the owners of more than a dozen social media accounts - several of them run pseudonymously - last year, claiming the accounts engaged in a "Conspiratorial Plot" to defame them. After a Florida court said the claims couldn't be brought against unidentified defendants, they filed an amended complaint against the users they could identify and a complaint against X demanding it disclose the anonymous account holders in order …

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