The Vergecast - podcast cover

The Vergecast

The Vergewww.theverge.com
The Vergecast is the flagship podcast from The Verge about small gadgets, Big Tech, and everything in between. Every Friday, hosts Nilay Patel and David Pierce hang out and make sense of the week’s most important technology news. And every Tuesday, David leads a selection of The Verge’s expert staffers in an exploration of how gadgets and software affect our lives – and which ones you should bring into yours.

Episodes

How video game controllers got a lot more accessible

In the final chapter of our Vergecast “creators series,” Alex Cranz talks with Ben Heck, who has been modding game systems and controllers since the early 2000s, which led to his project creating single-handed video game controllers. Alex also talks with Bryce Johnson, who is one of the inventors of the Xbox Adaptive Controller, the game controller designed for gamers with limited mobility. Relevant links: BenHeck.com One-handed DualSense (video) Design A 3D Printed Controller Modification For a...

May 17, 202235 min

Google CEO Sundar Pichai on Google I/O 2022 📲 Stablecoins struggling to survive the crypto crash, and Apple discontinues the iPod

Nilay Patel and David Pierce interview Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai after Google announcing a bunch of products at their I/O conference. 34:25 - Dan Seifert joins the show to discuss the hardware previewed at Google I/O 2022. 55:38 - Liz Lopatto explains "the crypto crash" in this week's Crypto Corner. 1:07:19 - Alex Cranz hops in to run through this week's gadget rumors, reviews, and announcements. Further reading: Google is making an Android-based Pixel tablet and plans to start selli...

May 13, 20221 hr 40 minEp. 497

How Google is trying to make ambient computing work

Google has big visions for the future of computing. It’s working on building what it calls an ambient computer: a virtual helper that can accomplish anything, anywhere, any way you want. But that vision won’t come easy. Ahead of Google’s I/O developer conference, The Verge sat down with some of Google’s most important executives to talk about the company’s vision, its new hardware and software, and how the company is changing to build the future it imagines. Learn more about your ad choices. Vis...

May 11, 202224 min

3D printing and trackballs: the future of gadgets?

In episode two of our Vergecast "creators series," Alex Cranz talks with the creators of Ploopy, the open source trackball that has a dedicated fanbase on Reddit. Alex also talks with Chris Person, who recently wrote about Ploopy for The Verge, about how 3D printing and online communities are creating opportunities for gadget enthusiasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

May 10, 202239 min

"After Steve" author Tripp Mickle / Fortnite’s back on iOS / Sonos’s voice assistant

Nilay Patel and David Pierce chat with Tripp Mickle, a New York Times reporter and the author of a new book titled After Steve: How Apple Became a Trillion-Dollar Company and Lost its Soul. They talk about the rise of Jony Ive and Tim Cook, the power struggle between the two, and how Apple is grappling with everything from building a car to managing its relationship with the Chinese government. After that, Verge managing editor Alex Cranz joins the show to talk about Starlink’s new Portability m...

May 06, 20221 hr 21 minEp. 496

How the mechanical keyboard went mainstream again

For the next three weeks on Tuesdays, Verge managing editor Alex Cranz hosts some shows focused on the creator space and, in Vergecast fashion, the nerdiest part of the creator space we can think of. In this episode, Alex talks with Jacob Alexander, a member of Input Club, one of the first groups to start making their own mechanical keyboards, and Julie Muncy, a writer and consultant who runs a service called Keyboard Concierge, which helps customers navigate the keyboard space for personalized ...

May 03, 202249 min

Twitter accepts Elon Musks' buyout / Snap Pixy drone hands-on / Apple releases fix for Studio Display

The Verge's Nilay Patel, David Pierce, and Liz Lopatto discuss Elon Musk buying Twitter and what's next for the social media company. Senior reporter Alex Heath joins the show to discuss his experience with Snap's selfie drone. Managing editor Alex Cranz refreshes the crew on the latest in E Ink tech. Twitter accepts buyout, giving Elon Musk total control of the company Elon Musk’s Twitter plans are a huge can of worms Twitter CEO tells employees no layoffs planned ‘at this time’ following Elon ...

Apr 29, 20221 hr 41 minEp. 495

Sonos' new budget soundbar / CNN Plus is shutting down / Netflix loses subscribers for the first time in over a decade

David Pierce rejoins The Vergecast with Nilay Patel and Alex Cranz. The crew discuss Netflix losing subscribers for the first time in over a decade, CNN Plus shutting down only a month after it launched, and a whole lot more. Verge editor Chris Welch joins the show to discuss Sonos' new budget soundbar that is set to release in June. Relevant links: gone90.biz Netflix just lost subscribers for the first time in over a decade The writing may be on the wall for sharing Netflix accounts CNN Plus is...

Apr 22, 20221 hr 19 minEp. 494

Mark Zuckerberg’s big plans for AR glasses / Elon Musk offers to buy Twitter in takeover attempt

The Verge's Nilay Patel, Liz Lopatto, Alex Cranz, and Alex Heath discuss Elon Musk's offer to buy 100 percent of Twitter and what it could mean for the company. Senior reporter Adi Robertson joins the show to discuss Elon's limited thoughts on content moderation and Alex Heath's scoop on Meta's plans for their AR glasses. Further reading: Elon Musk offers to buy Twitter in takeover attempt Elon Musk’s new troll is buying Twitter — will it work? What else could Elon Musk buy for $43 billion? Twit...

Apr 15, 20221 hr 36 minEp. 493

Elon Musk buys 9.2 percent of Twitter / OnePlus 10 Pro review / QD-OLED monitors and TVs

Verge managing editor Alex Cranz leads this week's show with Dan Seifert, Liz Lopatto, and Allison Johnson to discuss Elon Musk buying stock in Twitter, Allison's review of the OnePlus 10 Pro, and the newest monitors and televisions in 2022. Further reading: Elon Musk buys 9.2 percent of Twitter amid complaints about free speech Twitter will appoint Elon Musk to its board of directors Twitter is adding an edit button Elon Musk tweeted his way onto Twitter’s board — now what? What Elon Musk could...

Apr 08, 20221 hr 13 minEp. 492

Steve Aoki on why he’s a ‘crypto believer’

Vergecast is on spring break this week! In the meantime, check out Nilay's discussion with Steve Aoki from this week's episode of Decoder with Nilay Patel. Steve Aoki is a superstar DJ, producer, record label owner, and prolific entrepreneur. He has been part of the music industry since 1996, so he’s been through a lot of these big tech transitions, and now he’s heavily invested in another, with Web3, the Aokiverse. It involves selling tokens and NFTs and, over time, is meant to be part of the m...

Apr 01, 20221 hr 3 min

Asus’ ROG flow Z13 / Samsung’s Freestyle Projector / Apple's iPhone subscription service plan

The Verge's Nilay Patel, Alex Cranz, and Dan Seifert discuss the tech headlines from this site this week — including Google's deal with Spotify over app fees, Nothing's first smartphone, and the struggle with TV projectors. Google will test letting Android developers use their own billing systems, starting with Spotify Nothing’s first smartphone is aimed at Apple, not OnePlus OnePlus 10 Pro gets its global launch on March 31st Dell’s XPS 15 and XPS 17 get 12th Gen chips Intel looks on track to f...

Mar 25, 20221 hr 28 minEp. 491

We reviewed the Mac Studio, the Studio Display, the iPhone SE, and the iPad Air

Nilay Patel, Alex Cranz, Monica Chin, Allison Johnson, and Dan Seifert discuss The Verge's reviews of the Apple products announced last week: the new iPhone SE, iPad Air, Mac Studio, and Studio Display. Further reading: Apple’s new iPhone SE is a modern phone stuck in yesterday’s design Samsung’s really good midrange phone just got a bigger battery and a price cut Apple Mac Studio review: finally Apple Studio Display review: nothing to see here ‘Pro’ has lost all meaning, and Apple knows it Appl...

Mar 18, 20221 hr 34 minEp. 490

Apple announces new iPhone SE, Mac Studio, M1 Ultra, and more

The Verge's Nilay Patel, Alex Cranz, and Dan Seifert discuss all the announcements from Apple's Peek Performance event this week. Further reading: The 7 biggest announcements from Apple’s Peek Performance event Apple iPhone SE gains 5G, A15 processor, and a higher $429 price tag The 5G iPhone SE will be for carriers, not customers 5G’s false start is over and the iPhone SE proves it The iPhone 13 and 13 Pro each get green finishes The iPhone SE’s $30 price bump looks like a pure 5G tax Give me a...

Mar 11, 20221 hr 20 minEp. 489

Goodbye to Dieter Bohn, with special guest Walt Mossberg

This was a tough one. The Verge co-founder and Executive Editor Dieter Bohn is leaving us. Nilay Patel, Walt Mossberg and Dieter Bohn walk down memory lane and discuss their first meeting, founding The Verge, CES memories, and what Dieter is doing once he leaves. Behringer's iNuke Boom is the essence of Vegas And now, a brief definition of the web Dieter on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mar 04, 20221 hr 16 min

Russia starts a star war / Ford splits itself in two / Apple “Peek Performance” event preview

The Verge's Nilay Patel, Alex Cranz, and Dan Seifert discuss what could possibly be announced by Apple next week. Senior reporter Loren Grush explains what's going on with Russia and space. And Andrew Hawkins talks about Ford splitting itself into two companies. Further reading: Elon Musk’s promised Starlink terminals have reached Ukraine Ukraine engineer talks testing SpaceX’s new Starlink service Russian space director’s wild threats could have real implications for the ISS European Space Agen...

Mar 04, 20221 hr 41 min

Steam Deck review / Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra review

Senior news editor Sean Hollister joins Nilay Patel, Dieter Bohn, and Alex Cranz to discuss his review of the Steam Deck, the latest portable gaming system. Verge reviewer Allison Johnson continues the gadget talk with her review of Samsung’s Galaxy S22 Ultra. Further reading: Ukraine internet outages spark concerns of broader blackout US and Russia still tethered by International Space Station during Ukraine conflict Twitter accounts sharing video from Ukraine are being suspended when they’re n...

Feb 25, 20221 hr 18 minEp. 487

Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 review / Spotify is acquiring two major podcast tech platforms / The LinkBuds are Sony’s strangest earbuds yet

The Verge's Nilay Patel, Dieter Bohn, Alex Cranz, and Monica Chin discuss phones, laptops, and chips announced and reviewed this week. Senior reporter Ashley Carman joins the show to discuss the latest podcast industry news. Further reading: Samsung’s Galaxy S22 phones are the safe bet OnePlus Nord CE 2 review: a great Oppo-tunity Realme 9 Pro and Pro Plus announced with color-changing new design Oppo releases official images of new Find X5 flagship phonet Apple reportedly plans to reveal the fi...

Feb 18, 20221 hr 15 minEp. 486

Samsung announces Galaxy S22 Ultra / Microsoft announces open app store rules / Peloton fired 2,800 employees and gave them free Peloton memberships

The Verge's Nilay Patel, Dieter Bohn, Alex Cranz, and Chris Welch discuss all the announcements from Samsung's Galaxy S22 Unpacked event. Senior reporter Adi Robertson explains Microsoft's Open App Store Principles and the other tech policy news from the week. Wearables reporter Victoria Song joins the show to discuss Peloton's business troubles. Further reading: Everything announced at Samsung’s Galaxy S22 Unpacked event Samsung’s Galaxy S22 Ultra is a Note successor with a built-in stylus Sams...

Feb 11, 20221 hr 36 minEp. 485

YouTube chief product officer Neal Mohan on new features for creators in 2022

Verge editor-in-chief Nilay Patel and streaming reporter Catie Keck talk with YouTube Chief Product Officer Neal Mohan about new features coming to YouTube: more tools for Shorts, interactive live streaming, a new YouTube TV interface, and more. Further reading: YouTube is adding new ways for creators to make money with Shorts and shopping YouTube TV to finally add picture-in-picture on iOS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Feb 10, 20221 hr 1 min

Facebook lost daily users for the first time ever / Spotify CEO defends Joe Rogan deal

The Verge's Nilay Patel, Alex Cranz, Ashley Carman, and Alex Heath discuss Meta's rough week: Facebook reported its first-ever quarterly decline of daily users globally, along with lower-than-expected ad growth that sent its stock plunging roughly 20 percent. The crew also discuss Spotify's response to the Joe Rogan controversy and how it will be handling moderation going forward. Further reading: Facebook lost daily users for the first time ever last quarter Meta’s stock price plunges 25 percen...

Feb 04, 20221 hr 14 minEp. 484

Spotify picks Joe Rogan over Neil Young / Intel’s $20 billion bet on Ohio / Q4 earnings for Big Tech

The Verge's Nilay Patel, Alex Cranz, and Tom Warren discuss Q4 earnings for the big tech companies like Microsoft, Samsung, Intel, and Tesla. Casey Newton joins the show to discuss Spotify's controversy regarding Joe Rogan's podcast, leading to musician Neil Young removing his music from the platform. Further reading: Windows 11 is getting Android apps, taskbar improvements, and more next month Microsoft got a whole lot of people to play Halo and Forza Call of Duty’s next three games will hit Pl...

Jan 28, 20221 hr 31 minEp. 483

Microsoft to acquire Activision for $68.7 billion / Google is building an AR headset / The 5G battle between the FAA, AT&T, Verizon, and airlines

Verge editor-in-chief Nilay Patel talks with games reporter Ash Parrish and senior reporter Alex Heath about Microsoft acquiring Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion and Google building a new AR headset. Policy editor Russell Brandom joins the show to discuss the battle between the FAA, AT&T, Verizon, and airlines over 5G and the antitrust bills in Congress this week. Further reading: The US’s free COVID test website has more visitors than all other .gov sites combined Microsoft to acquire Acti...

Jan 21, 20221 hr 19 minEp. 482

Wordle and the App Store clones / FTC’s Meta antitrust lawsuit moves forward / PCs big year

The Verge's Nilay Patel, Alex Cranz, and Russell Brandom discuss the FTC proceeding with an antitrust lawsuit against Meta, the success of Wordle and its app clones, and more RCS drama. Verge deputy editor Dan Seifert stops by to chat about this week's gadget news and the state of the PC market. Stories discussed: White House to launch COVID test-ordering site ‘by this weekend,’ reports say White House hosts tech summit to discuss open-source security after Log4j Google calls for new government ...

Jan 14, 20221 hr 17 minEp. 481

CES 2022: all the TVs, concept cars, laptops, and gadgets announced this week

The Verge's Nilay Patel, Dieter Bohn, and Alex Cranz run through the huge amount of products announced at the Consumer Electronics Show 2022 this week — from QD-OLED TVs, to EVs, to a hair-coloring gadget. All the stories discussed: CES 2022 will close a day early because of COVID concerns CES 2022 will introduce HDMI 2.1a, another confusing new spec Sony announces the world’s first QD-OLED 4K TV, coming later this year Sony is joining the Mini LED TV bandwagon in 2022 Samsung promises ‘groundbr...

Jan 07, 20221 hr 32 min

James Webb Space Telescope to launch next week / cool gadgets announced this week

Nilay Patel, Dieter Bohn, Alex Cranz, and Loren Grush discuss NASA's plan for launching the James Webb Space Telescope, the successor to NASA’s Hubble telescope. Second half of the show, the crew go through all the gadgets and software updates announced this past week. Stories discussed this week: NASA’s massive next-generation space telescope arrives in South America ahead of launch NASA sets new date for James Webb Space Telescope launch Five former SpaceX employees speak out about harassment ...

Dec 17, 20211 hr 12 minEp. 479

Can Matter save the smart home?

In our final Vergecast Spec-tacular of the year, Dieter Bohn dives into Matter, the new tech standard that smart home gadgets will use to communicate with each other, making compatibility between gadgets significantly easier. Guests include: Verge smart home reviewer Jennifer Pattison Tuohy Michelle Mindala-Freeman, Head of Marketing for the Connectivity Standards Alliance. Tim Both, brand manager and product manager for Eve Samantha Fein, VP of Marketing and Business Development at Samsung Smar...

Dec 14, 202148 min

Matrix Awakens Unreal Engine 5 demo / Snap’s first AR Spectacles / Android games come to Windows in 2022

Nilay Patel, Dieter Bohn, and Alex Heath discuss Epic Games' Matrix experience in Unreal Engine 5, Snap’s first AR Spectacles, streaming news, and more. Stories discussed: Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss on making The Matrix Awakens with Epic Games Snap’s first AR Spectacles are an ambitious, impractical start How Snap is sidestepping the metaverse The Matrix Awakens is an interactive tech demo for PS5 and Xbox Series X / S Google is bringing Android games to Windows in 2022 Meta opens up acce...

Dec 10, 20211 hr 21 minEp. 478

Behind the scenes of our Treo documentary, Springboard

Live at On The Verge in New York City, Nilay and Dieter discuss The Verge's documentary Springboard: the secret history of the first real smartphone and conduct at Q&A with the audience. Springboard is now streaming worldwide. You can watch it on The Verge’s new app on Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, or Apple TV. It is now also available to watch on our YouTube channel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dec 07, 202152 min

Jack Dorsey steps down from Twitter / The future of the blockchain / FTC is suing to block Nvidia’s purchase of Arm

Nilay Patel and Dieter Bohn chat with Alex Heath and Casey Newton about Jack Dorsey stepping down as CEO of Twitter and what's going in the world of crypto. Managing editor Alex Cranz stops by to share news that the FTC is suing to block Nvidia's $40 billion purchase of Arm. Stories referenced: Jack Dorsey steps down as Twitter CEO Twitter CTO Parag Agrawal replaces Jack Dorsey as CEO Jack steps back An introduction to Parag Agrawal, Twitter’s new CEO Big tech’s first generation of founders star...

Dec 03, 20211 hr 36 minEp. 477
For the best experience, listen in Metacast app for iOS or Android
Open in Metacast