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

Nilay’s back! And you can listen to The Vergecast with no ads, if you’re a Verge subscriber! Big week, really. Nilay and David start the show by talking about ads, podcasts, platforms, and subscriptions. Then they talk a bunch about Apple’s new M5-powered MacBook, iPad, and Vision Pro, and whether a chip bump is worth getting excited about. After that, Nilay reflects on a summer of using AI products, and explains why you can tell the whole story of this generation of AI just by talking about the smart home. Finally, in the lightning round, the hosts talk about AI song covers, Apple TV, TiVo, Roku, Cybertrucks, and the exploding Pixel 10 Pro Fold. Help us improve The Verge: Take our quick survey at theverge.com/survey. Further reading: Ad-free Verge podcasts have arrived Netflix is making a big bet on video podcasts Apple’s 2025 iPad Pro comes with an M5 chip inside  Apple just upgraded the Vision Pro with an M5 chip and new strap  Apple’s 14-inch MacBook Pro gets an M5 chip bump and faster storage  Logitech made an Apple Pencil-like stylus for the Vision Pro  Apple’s rumored smart home display hub might start at $350  Samsung officially teases Moohan headset launch for next week  Apple’s future smart glasses could have two separate UIs.  ChatGPT will soon help you shop at Walmart.  How OpenAI plans to make all its money.  Microsoft wants you to talk to your PC and let AI control it   As Microsoft bids farewell to Windows 10, millions of users won’t  Spotify says it’s working with labels on ‘responsible’ AI music tools  DirecTV will soon bring AI ads to your screensaver  OpenAI partners with Broadcom to produce its own AI chips  Sam Altman says ChatGPT will soon sext with verified adults  Apple TV Plus is being rebranded to… Apple TV  Apple exec on Apple TV rebranding: ‘let’s just do it’ Google’s Pixel 10 Pro Fold is the first to ‘go up in smoke during a bend test,’ JerryRigEverything says Roku’s AI-upgraded voice assistant can answer questions about what you’re watching  DirecTV will soon bring AI ads to your screensaver  Soul Against the Machine TiVo has sold its last DVR  Tesla Cybertruck sales are flatlining  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're a paid subscriber to The Verge, there's great news: You can now listen to Decoder, Version History, and The Vergecast completely ad-free. Just head to your Account Settings page to opt-in and start listening without ads. Not a member of The Verge yet? No worries! You can sign up at theverge.com/subscribe to get ad-free podcasts, plus other perks like exclusive newsletters and unlimited access to everything we publish. More here: Verge subscribers, here’s how to set up ad-free podcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Google is on a bit of a heater when it comes to gadgets. The Pixel 10 lineup is one of the best Android phone options; the Pixel Watch 4 is suddenly a winner; the Pixel Buds are an excellent accessory; even the Pixel Fold got some welcome upgrades this year! With the help of The Verge’s Victoria Song and Allison Johnson, we do the impossible: we rank all six of Google’s Pixel gadgets, from worst to best. Are headphones better than smartphones? Can you really compare a tablet to a smartwatch? Who knows, but we try. After that, Allison and David answer a question from the Vergecast Hotline (call 866-VERGE11 or email vergecast@theverge.com!) about whether the dumbphone movement is a real one. Further reading: Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold review: finally, a more durable foldable Google Pixel Buds 2A review: the right kind of compromise The Google Pixel Watch 4 is the Android watch to beat Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Back when text messages cost 10 cents each, BlackBerry came up with a better way: BlackBerry Messenger, commonly known as BBM. It was the first new idea about messaging in a long time, and it was a huge hit… for a while. Nilay Patel and Joanna Stern join David Pierce to talk about a messaging service that was years ahead of WhatsApp and iMessage, but ultimately fizzled. 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

Say this for OpenAI: it's very good at raising money, and it's very good at getting attention. David and Jake are joined by The Verge's Hayden Field to talk about OpenAI's demo day, the company's app store plans, why it's trying to build every possible ChatGPT feature all at the same time, and more. After that, the hosts talk about the ongoing popularity of the Sora app, and whether OpenAI has truly built a new kind of social network. Then Hayden has to leave, so David and Jake take on the lightning round to discuss Intel chips, Alex Cooper's Google deal, Starry internet, and more. Further reading: OpenAI will let developers build apps that work inside ChatGPT ChatGPT apps are live: Here are the first ones you can try OpenAI: all the news about the makers of ChatGPT OpenAI’s head of ChatGPT said it will significantly evolve in the next six months.  OpenAI will eventually allow “mature” ChatGPT apps.  OpenAI and Jony Ive’s secret device won’t be ‘your weird AI girlfriend’ AMD teams up with OpenAI to challenge Nvidia’s AI chip dominance Sam Altman says there are no current plans for ads within ChatGPT Pulse — but he’s not ruling it out A busy week for OpenAI’s social video machine. Sora now lets users limit how their AI double is used OpenAI teases licensed fictional characters on Sora OpenAI wasn’t expecting Sora’s copyright drama Developers can bring Sora 2’s AI video generation into their own apps.  Katie Notopolous on Threads  Sora’s Slop Hits Different A new iPhone setting will stop CarPlay from stealing your AirPods’ audio  Here is Panther Lake, Intel’s 2026 laptop chip with next-gen graphics\ Facebook is turning into TikTok  Alex Cooper is making ads for Google / Pixel Here’s how Apple is locking down iPhones to comply with Texas’ age verification law Verizon buys the not-quite-5G wireless ISP Starry to expand wireless broadband  Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Oh, you thought AI was just in your browser and on your phone? Well, the AI is coming from inside the house. The Verge's Jen Pattison Tuohy and Google's Anish Kattukaran both join the show to discuss last week's Google smart home news, including the company's big bet on the Gemini assistant. Anish explains why Google cares about the smart home in the first place, why things haven't exactly gone great so far, and why he's so convinced the new generation of AI can make it work. After that, The Verge's Vee Song joins the show to talk about Peloton's newest gear, including a $6,695 treadmill and a huge new push into personalized AI training features. Vee then sticks around to help David answer a question from the Vergecast Hotline (call 866-VERGE11 or email vergecast@theverge.com!) about how many smartwatches is too many smartwatches. Spoiler alert: the answer is two. But it's not quite as simple as that. Further reading: Peloton increases fees and introduces new hardware including a $6,695 treadmill Peloton appoints Apple Fitness Plus cofounder as new CEO Peloton is a media company now, with media company problems Google dismantled Nest — can Gemini save what’s left? Hey Google, meet Gemini: the new voice of your smart home The new Google Home Speaker is built for Gemini Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 2015, self-balancing scooters (which quickly became known as hoverboards) exploded in popularity, and then began literally exploding. Andrew Hawkins and Sean O’Kane join David Pierce to explore the multiple conflicting origin stories behind the hugely popular rideable, the many knockoffs, and why a device that doesn't actually hover ended up being called "hoverboard." 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

This week, everything is a HomePod. And has ads. The Verge’s Jen Pattison-Tuohy joins the show to talk about all of Amazon’s new hardware, the current state of Alexa Plus, and whether the new Kindle Scribe is the one we’ve been waiting for. Then, The Verge’s Emma Roth tells Jen and David about her experience with Telly, the TV that ships to your house for free in exchange for showing you ads all the time. Telly may not be for everyone. Finally, in the lightning round, the gang talks about a handy new Spotify feature, Emma’s first Waymo ride, and the glory that is Chunk. Further reading: Amazon’s 2025 hardware event: the 8 biggest announcements Here’s where to preorder all of Amazon’s new Alexa devices and when they arrive Amazon finally did the damn hardware right Amazon’s new Echo Dot Max smart speaker bumps up the bass Alexa Plus is smarter — but it’s not yet smart enough Alexa Plus on the TV is made to save you from your phone  Alexa Plus is smarter — but it’s not yet smart enough Alexa Plus on the TV is made to save you from your phone  Amazon sticks two cameras together for the 180-degree Blink Arc The new Google Home Speaker is built for Gemini Hey Google, meet Gemini: the new voice of your smart home | The Verge I spent three months with Telly, the free TV that’s always showing ads OpenAI made a TikTok for deepfakes, and it’s getting hard to tell what’s real Spotify now lets you exclude specific songs from your algorithm All hail the new Fat Bear Champion Ring launches upgraded cameras with ‘Retinal Vision’ 4K recording Microsoft is giving Copilot AI faces you can chat with Waymo adds YouTube Music Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices