How much smartphone is too much smartphone? Why is it so hard to switch from one phone to another, even in 2026? And is your smartwatch finally ready to replace your phone, even for a few things? These are the questions you have, and The Verge's Allison Johnson is here to answer them. If you have others, keep 'em coming! Call the Vergecast Hotline at 866-VERGE11, email ⁠[email protected]⁠, tell us everything.

Further reading:

• Google announces Pixel 11 launch event in August | The Verge

• The whole Pixel line could get more expensive this year | The Verge

• Meta’s glasses will turn off the camera if you tamper with the privacy light | The Verge

• This jumping $800 robot camera dog filled me with joy

• ⁠Ditching my phone for an LTE smartwatch was a humbling experience⁠

• ⁠I switch phones once a week — here’s how I manage the chaos⁠

• ⁠Welp, I bought an iPhone again⁠

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We have all become desensitized. Every place is like every other place, every experience is happening at a remove and on a screen. And Ian Bogost, a Washington University professor and a writer at The Atlantic, argues that this "dematerialization" is making our life worse. Ian joins David to explain how to once again commune with the world. He tells us of the magic of paper tickets, why he's kind of obsessed with the rubber on his water bottle, and why you don't need to throw phone into the ocean — but you should probably watch more ASMR videos.

• The Small Stuff: How to Lead a More Gratifying Life

• The Cult of Delayed Gratification Is a Lie

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We've been tracking the Trump Phone for more than a year. We weren't sure it was real, or that it would ever ship — and we were pretty darn sure it wasn't going to be made in America. Whatever the Trump Phone is, though? We finally got our hands on one. Dom Preston and some other Verge friends will join David to talk about the device, our first impressions, and whether this is could be the best phone of 2026. (Just kidding.)

Further reading:

• ⁠I finally got my Trump phone⁠

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For many of us in the US, it's the beginning of a holiday weekend. So we figured we'd try and help you out. We grabbed a bunch of Verge staffers, and asked them all a simple question: How do you disconnect? We have ideas about Wi-Fi, about phone hygiene, about smartwatches, and much more. We're certainly not here to tell you to ditch screens entirely, but... screen responsibly, you know? Send us your tips, and have a great summer vacation!

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Things don't look great for console and game makers right now. With Xbox and PlayStation sales flagging, Microsoft preparing for big layoffs in its gaming division, and the price of everything on the rise, maybe it makes sense to save money where you can. You know, like making discs? David and Nilay discuss the end of the physical video game, before wondering whether Microsoft might be getting ready to get rid of Xbox altogether. After that, they talk about the new wave of hardware for AI coders, and the ongoing attempt to replace your laptop keyboard with... something, plus the latest iPhone 18 rumors and leaks. Finally, it's time for the Hype Desk, Brendan Carr is a Dummy, some breaking SpaceX phone news, and some truly wild BMW headlights.

Further reading:

• Sony is killing all physical PlayStation game discs

• Xbox testing disc-to-digital feature that digitizes a physical game collection

• Xbox weighs canceling Blade game and shuttering Arkane 

• Xbox: “We’re not reducing our overall investment in games.” 

• Sony’s next-gen PlayStation will go ‘beyond the living room’ 

• PlayStation and Xbox hardware had a tough May. 

• Xbox prices spike another $100 or more

• With GTA looming, consoles are getting expensive at the worst possible time

• 007 First Light’s developer lays off staff but claims its next franchise will continue

• Rockstar workers push to unionize ahead of GTA VI’s launch

• OpenAI is teasing new hardware… for Codex 

• Here’s a photo of OpenAI’s Codex hardware. 

• iPhone 18 Pro ‘drop test’ leaks get yanked from X 

• Leaked iPhone 18 Pro photos reportedly wound up on the dark web 

•  A future Qi standard could bring 50W wireless charging to more devices. 

• Exclusive | SpaceX Showed Investors Prototype of Elon Musk’s New AI Device - WSJ

• Comcast is splitting in two

• The Supreme Court stops Trump’s attempt to end birthright citizenship

• WhatsApp is launching usernames: here’s how to reserve yours 

• Supreme Court allows firing of FTC commissioners, ends agency independence 

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 [email protected] or call us at 866-VERGE11.

(Timestamps are approximate.)

00:00:00 Intro

00:02:00 Book Pitch and Grill Week

00:04:00 Discs Are Dying

00:08:00 Live Service Shopping Malls

00:11:00 Microsoft Xbox Layoffs Talk

00:16:00 Console Sales Slump and Prices

00:20:00 PlayStation Beyond Living Room

00:24:00 OpenAI Codex Macro Keyboard

00:27:00 Voice Coding and Verification Loops

00:31:00 Dictation Hype and AI Limits

00:39:00 iPhone 18 Pro Leak Mystery

00:44:00 Battery Life Tradeoffs

00:48:00 Fast Wireless Charging Heat

00:52:00 CarPlay Beta Workarounds

00:56:00 Netflix Horror Unhinged

01:03:00 Cozy Repair Game Restory

01:06:00 Brendan Carr is a Dummy

01:16:00 SpaceX AI Phone Rumors

01:22:00 Grok OS App Problem

01:25:00 Comcast Splits In Two

01:33:00 WhatsApp Username Land Grab

01:35:00 BMW Headlights Go Bananas

01:40:00 Wrap Up And Plugs

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For years, Rivian has looked like one of the most compelling electric vehicle companies in America — and maybe the car maker most equipped to take on Tesla. All that potential comes down to this: the R2, the long-awaited and more affordable car that Rivian hopes can make it truly mainstream. After a journey to the R2's factory earlier this year, The Verge's Andrew Hawkins explains what the R2 is, why it matters, and what happens to Rivian if it's a hit — or a flop.

Further reading:

• ⁠Range anxiety⁠

• ⁠The Rivian R2 is too much fun to let drive itself⁠

• ⁠Rivian surprises with R3 and R3X electric SUVs⁠

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The Onion's takeover of conspiracy show InfoWars isn't officially complete — but comedian Tim Heidecker, who's serving as creative director, won't let that stop him from building out a slate of comedy programming. Before the new InfoWars launches July 2, The Verge's Mia Sato interviews Tim about what drew him to the project, how long he can (or wants to) maintain an Alex Jones parody, and whether it's worth doing an interview with The Verge when you've already done one with Wired.

Further reading:

• ⁠The Onion’s rebooted InfoWars is coming July 2nd⁠

• ⁠The Onion’s acquisition of Infowars was blocked by a judge⁠

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 [email protected] or call us at 866-VERGE11.

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It's time for a new series on The Vergecast! (It still needs a name. Please help.) We're going to give Verge staffers a challenge, and regroup a few weeks later to see who did it best. We're starting with some vibe coding. The Verge's Jake Kastrenakes and Hayden Field share what they've made with AI that has actually stuck in their lives, before David gives the challenge: build a website to solve a problem in your life. The more ambitious and impressive the better. We'll be back with the results soon, and in the meantime, send us ideas for more challenges! (Also, names for the series. PLEASE.)

Further reading:

• ⁠Anthropic’s Mythos 5 is back | The Verge⁠

• ⁠Supreme Court allows firing of FTC commissioners, ends agency independence⁠

• ⁠Comcast is splitting in two | The Verge⁠

• ⁠WhatsApp is launching usernames: here’s how to reserve yours | The Verge⁠
• ⁠Welcome to the personal software revolution⁠

• ⁠I used Claude to vibe-code my wildly overcomplicated smart home⁠

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 [email protected] or call us at 866-VERGE11.

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Meta's business is doing just fine. But Meta as a company, and Meta as a series of products? That is, uh, messier. David and Nilay discuss the company's ongoing desire to be relevant and cool, the unceasing importance of Instagram, and why it makes perfect sense that Facebook would clone Polymarket. After that, the hosts talk about Apple's huge price increases, and the ways in which RAMageddon might change the gadget market forever. Then it's time for Brendan Carr is a dummy, the latest on the movie Artificial, and the looming fight over AI data.

Further reading:

• ⁠The Steam Machine is the most ambitious game console I’ve ever played ⁠

• ⁠Valve prices the Steam Machine at $1,049 ⁠

• ⁠How much would the Steam Machine cost to build? ⁠

• ⁠Valve describes just how brutal RAM negotiations are in 2026 ⁠

• ⁠The Steam Machine is the start of an even more expensive future for game consoles ⁠

• ⁠I drove the Slate Truck — there’s more to it than EV minimalism ⁠

• ⁠The Slate Auto pickup truck starts at $24,950 ⁠

• ⁠Meta pauses employee tracking tool after internal leak. ⁠

• ⁠Now Meta will track what employees do on their computers to train its AI agents ⁠

• ⁠Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth Admits the Company’s AI Reorg Was ‘Atrocious’ | WIRED⁠

• ⁠Zuckerberg reportedly wants a Polymarket clone — but without real money⁠

• ⁠Polymarket paid creators to post fake videos of themselves placing and winning bets. ⁠

• ⁠Meta plans to release AI-powered prediction market app⁠

• ⁠Facebook’s Creator Studio has been revived as an AI companion app⁠

• ⁠Kaleidescape’s Strato E player blows streaming, and your wallet, away ⁠

• ⁠Something’s off with Midjourney’s pivot to body scanners ⁠

• ⁠People Inc. CEO says it’s “probably” headed for a confrontation with Google over AI crawling.⁠

• ⁠ABC encourages viewers to back network amid FCC investigations⁠

• ⁠Bob Iger’s Disney wanted Apple, Twitter, and 007 ⁠

• ⁠The film about Sam Altman has been dropped by Amazon MGM ⁠

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 [email protected] or call us at 866-VERGE11.

(Timestamps are approximate.)

00:01:00 Cannes Cold Open

00:07:00 Coach x Spotify Absurdity

00:10:00 Vox Media PMX Shakeup

00:14:00 Meta Chaos vs Money

00:26:00 Gambling as Engagement

00:33:00 Ramageddon Hits Gadgets

00:44:00 Slate Truck Price

00:45:00 Range And Truck Feel

00:48:00 Tech Bloat Backlash

00:50:00 BYD Versus Tesla

00:56:00 FCC Targets The View

01:04:00 Amazon Drops Artificial

01:08:00 Kaleidescape Versus Blu Ray

01:13:00 Bob Iger Merger Rumors

01:17:00 Blocking AI Crawlers

01:22:00 Wrap Up And Next Week

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Training data is the raw material of the AI industry. Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, and the rest are built on top of oceans of stuff. What is that stuff? Books. Blog posts. YouTube videos. Reddit comments. All of it and more, in virtually incomprehensible quantities. Alex Reisner, a staff writer at The Atlantic who has been investigating training data, explains how AI companies get all this data, why they'd really prefer you not know what's in it, and whether training data could ever be a fair trade.

Further reading:

• Apple raises prices on Macs, iPads, and more by hundreds of dollars | The Verge⁠

• ⁠Disney agrees to pay $50 million to YouTube TV and DirecTV subscribers | The Verge⁠

• Two handlebars are better than one, right? | The Verge⁠

• At Least 15 Million YouTube Videos Have Been Snatched by AI Companies⁠⁠

• ⁠⁠The Hypocrisy at the Heart of the AI Industry ⁠⁠

• ⁠⁠The Millions of Songs Mashed Into AI-Generated Music⁠⁠

• ⁠⁠Common Crawl Is Doing the AI Industry’s Dirty Work⁠⁠

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 [email protected] or call us at 866-VERGE11.

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Google is shipping its first smart speaker in six years, and we're starting to test it. The Verge's Jennifer Pattison Tuohy joins the show to explain why the Home Speaker matters, whether Google actually cares about the smart home, and more. Then, she helps answer a few questions from the Vergecast Hotline (call 866-VERGE11 or email [email protected]!) about the power of Ikea and the future of your thermostat.

Further reading:

• The Google Home Speaker sounds good and looks great — but it’s finicky

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 [email protected] or call us at 866-VERGE11.

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