The Vergecast

Latest Episodes:

Shuhei Yoshida on the future of gaming Sep 28, 2026

Show notes

It's a confusing time right now for gaming. Video games are becoming an increasingly expensive hobby. Games are expensive to make, too, and companies want to sell the most lucrative ones they can: Sony and Microsoft are cutting jobs to refocus on blockbusters. At the same time, we’ve got more ways to play than ever: handhelds, phones, even cloud gaming is getting better. So where are we headed? Today on The Vergecast, Sean Hollister asks that question of Shuhei Yoshida, who spent 31 years at Sony playing games and figuring out what gamers will pay for.

Further reading:

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Phones don't have lights Sep 25, 2026

Show notes

Meta's Muse AI agent is cute (sometimes caked-up) and it performs well as a productivity tool. And, if you give it access to your social media and e-mail, it can know basically everything about you. This week on The Vergecast, Nilay Patel, Jake Kastrenakes and David Imel give their reactions to Mark Zuckerberg's demos at Wednesday's Meta Connect keynote. They also talk about the new glasses hardware, including the new VR glasses and audio-only, camera-free Ray-Bans.
Then, we take a look at the newly-announced, chimeric Chrome/Android hybrid Googlebooks, find out why Brendan Carr is a dummy this week, analyze the Paramount merger, discuss what YouTube's A/B video testing means for the increasingly tenuous concept of a shared reality, and end on a surprisingly heartwarming story about RODECaster 4K support.

Further reading:

Meta Connect 2026: The 7 biggest announcements

Meta Connect 2026 live blog: On the ground at Mark Zuckerberg’s next big product launch

Meta’s Muse AI works and creeps me out

Amazon blocks Meta’s Muse AI agent

Meta ditches the camera on its newest smart glasses

Meta’s next VR device isn’t a headset — it’s glasses

These are the first five Googlebook laptops

Googlebooks feel like the first laptops built for Android owners

I got to see Google’s wild ideas about the future of laptops

The long dream of the Googlebook

Mahershala Ali On ‘Blade’ Being A Big Failure For Kevin Feige: “100%. He Should Feel That Way”

Paramount will need to release way more movies to make this merger work

Xbox is barely Xbox anymore

YouTube is cooking up new Live features.

Free Rodecaster Video firmware update adds 4K support.

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We love hearing from you! Email your questions and thoughts to vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11.

0:00 Welcome Back Banter

00:31 Meta Connect Setup

01:27 Muse First Impressions

05:28 Privacy Trust Gap

07:58 Pervert Glasses Debate

12:55 Passive Surveillance Reality

15:42 Is Muse Actually Winning

18:44 Muse Charm Post Phone

21:38 Do We Need Agents

26:12 Break And Return

26:29 New Meta Hardware

27:00 Audio Only Ray Bans

28:30 Muse Powered Glasses

31:15 Meta Bets on Muse

32:28 Hearing Aid Glasses Pitch

34:40 VR Glasses Return

39:04 Holograms and Splats

42:44 Google Books Arrive

44:57 Android Laptop Lock In

47:49 Windows Fatigue Debate

54:54 Hype Desk Blade Drama

57:14 Remembering Blade Chaos

01:00:37 Blade Reboot Frustrations

01:01:26 Sonos Sponsor Break

01:03:07 Brendan Carr is a Dummy

01:07:38 Lightning Round Kickoff

01:08:02 Meta Muse Mascot Chaos

01:09:26 Paramount Warner Deal Fallout

01:12:37 YouTube AI Channel Agents

01:14:05 A B Video Testing Ethics

01:21:25 Xbox Layoffs And Halo Shift

01:24:45 Rodecaster Free 4K Update

01:26:36 Muse Marketplace Haggling

01:27:35 Wrap Up And Next Episodes

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Meta and Snap battle for your face Sep 24, 2026

Show notes

Meta and Snap both want to get on your face. The Verge's Victoria Song and Jay Peters tried out all the new hardware: Specs, audio-only Ray Bans, and Meta VR. Today, they join guest host David Imel to talk about how these new smart glasses feel, both physically and emotionally.

Further reading:

Meta’s next VR device isn’t a headset — it’s glasses

Meta ditches the camera on its newest smart glasses

I wore Snap’s $2,200 smart glasses

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.

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Hotline: Folding phones in cars, EVs in Mexico Sep 23, 2026

Show notes

Transportation editor Andrew Hawkins is here to answer your questions about the confluence of cars and gadgets. Could a folding phone replace a dashboard display? What to do about the iPhone Pro Max not fitting the Tesla's built-in wireless charger? And we hear from a listener who -- shockingly -- doesn't care about CarPlay.

Further reading:

The car of the future is an EV golf cart

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DLSS 5 explained, with Linus Tech Tips Sep 22, 2026

Show notes

Nvidia's new DLSS 5 (Deep Learning Super Sampling 5) rendering technology uses AI to (theoretically) improve video game graphics. When it was announced, social media declared that it was "yassifying" video game characters, changing faces in a way game developers didn't intend. Linus Tech Tips' own Linus Sebastian and David Gauthier join guest host David Imel to break down the the hype and controversy.

Further reading:

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Googlebooks are coming for your Mac Sep 21, 2026

Show notes

We tried out the new Googlebooks, which are essentially Chromebooks evolved with an Android elemental stone. They're made by Dell, Lenovo, HP, Acer, and Asus (not Google), but all have the new Googlebook OS, heavy Android phone and Gemini integration, and a built-in "Glowbar." Laptop reviewer Antonio G. Di Benedetto went hands-on with the new devices, and reports back to guest host David Imel.

Further reading:

⁠iPhone owners can now submit claims in Apple’s $250 million Siri AI settlement⁠

⁠The M5 Ultra Mac Studio tears through our benchmark tests⁠

⁠Gemini went rogue and hacked 3 companies⁠

⁠I got to see Google’s wild ideas about the future of laptops⁠

⁠These are the first five Googlebook laptops⁠

⁠Googlebooks feel like the first laptops built for Android owners⁠

⁠The long dream of the Googlebook⁠

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.

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The real story of the iPhone 18 Pro's camera Sep 18, 2026

Show notes

This week's iPhone 18 Pro discourse made aperture a priority, but today on Vergecast we zoom out to talk about the state of smart phone photography at large. Executive editor Jake Kastrenakes, guest host David Imel and senior reviewer Allison Johnson get into manual controls, "buckets of photons," and Apple and Google's strategies on how to prove a picture you took is real. Then, senior AI reporter Hayden Field returns to The Vergecast, just a few new revelations of misaligned behavior since her last appearance. She breaks down who's calling for a slowdown, who's full steam ahead, and the prisoner's dilemma facing the industry. And in the lightning round, we cover robotaxis calling the cops, the Boox Palma 3 e-reader, and the latest crop of intentionally low-quality digital cameras.

Further reading:

Version History: Oregon trail

iPhone 18 Pro review: it's all about the manual controls

The variable aperture isn’t the cool part of the iPhone 18 Pro’s camera

Apple’s new iPhone camera mode promises to prove your photo isn’t AI

Inside the suddenly explosive world of AI safety

Your robotaxi might be a narc

Waymo pulls over, calls cops on riders with a ghost gun

The Boox Palma 3 gets stylus support and a sleek redesign

Camp Snap’s 110D gives slim retro film cameras a digital upgrade

Fujifilm’s Instax Pal 2 is a tiny digital camera that may not disappoint

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.

0:00 Welcome and lineup
00:30 Version History returns
02:08 Oregon Trail livestream plug
02:36 Apple camera geekout
02:59 Apple's new CEO Emmy moment
05:23 iPhone 18 Pro upgrades
08:33 Pro controls usability
11:46 RAW vs ProRAW explained
14:35 Signal to noise deep dive
21:35 Photographic styles debate
25:25 Reference Image authenticity
32:40 What we want next
41:40 AI safety drama begins
42:36 AI Safety Freakout
46:10 Liability And Regulation
51:34 China Race Narrative
54:43 Pace The Frontier Plan
55:54 Auditors Inside Labs
01:00:22 Prisoners Dilemma Problem
01:04:38 Accountability Dead End
01:08:45 Waymo Calls The Cops
01:14:56 The E Reader Race
01:19:56 Tiny Retro Cameras
01:26:32 Wrap Up And Goodbye

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Apple's new iPhones and Watches are better than the last ones Sep 17, 2026

Show notes

Senior reviewers Allison Johnson and Victoria Song trade host and guest duties in a Vergecasting ouroboros that's never been attempted before and will probably never be attempted again. Allison talks about the iPhone 18 Pro's new camera, Victoria talks about the Watch 12 and Ultra 4's new sensors, and they both give their verdicts on who should upgrade.

Further reading:

The iPhone 18 Pro’s big camera update is all about the small gains

The Apple Watch Series 12 is the start of a new wearable era

Your ‘health age’ is fake

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.

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Your AI apocalypse questions, answered Sep 16, 2026

Show notes

Last week, an Anthropic researcher resigned and posted on X, "The people building AI earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade." These warnings are nothing new, but this one managed to break into the mainstream. So, do the people making AI really think it could kill us all? How? And if it really could be as dangerous as they say, why would anyone continue to work on it? Senior AI reporter Hayden Field joined us to answer your questions about the AI freakout.

Further reading:

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We love hearing from you! Email your questions and thoughts to vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11.

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Is social media driving teen mental health issues? Sep 15, 2026

Show notes

Two years ago, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt released his book, The Anxious Generation. In it, he argued that the rise of social media and smartphone use is to blame for the prominent decline in teen mental health since 2010. This month, psychology researcher Peter Gray takes on that narrative with his book, Restoring Childhood. In a conversation with senior policy reporter Lauren Feiner, Gray argues that school — not social media — is the real culprit.

Further reading:

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.

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