updated = 2025-05-30T15:28:16-04:00
The Switch 2’s promising start hides an uncertain future
With the Switch 2 launch days away, analysts and consumers are watching to see how well Nintendo can follow-up the best selling home console in its history. Judging from the pain of trying to secure a Switch 2 pre-order, it seems like Nintendo has nothing to worry about - at least at launch.
Down the line, however, concerns about tariffs, a steadily rising cost of living, and a saturated market might cast a shadow on the Switch 2. The Verge talked to analysts, journalists, and normal video game playing people to put the Switch 2 launch in perspective. The key takeaway? While the console will assuredly have another blockbuster debut, its future looks much less certain.
The Wii U gets brought up a lot in the conversation surrounding the Switch 2, as it's the most famous example of a Nintendo failure. "The Wii U, with its confusing controller-screen gimmick, sluggish user interface, and lack of a great Custom Robo game, was one of Nintendo's worst flops," GameFile author Stephen Totilo explained in an email to The Verge.
It sold less than 14 million units, a dramatic drop from the Wii, which sold over 100 million. And while Nintendo expects to sell one million more Switch 2 units …
Read the full story at The Verge.
updated = 2025-05-31T16:32:28-04:00
Slate Truck FAQ: answering all your questions about the barebones electric pickup
Alright, we get it. Y'all are excited about Slate. We thought the little Slate Truck was cool, but based on the number of clicks and comments on our Slate Auto articles so far, you'd like to know more. Many of you wrote in with questions and more than a few people raised some doubts.
So, we wanted to address as many of those as we could. Here's your one-stop shop for Slate answers based on your questions - plus a few of our own.
What are the Slate's full specs, and how does it compare to a Ford Maverick or F-150?
The Slate is clearly a vehicle built for everyday utility, and while it'll make for a handy machine for hauling a lot of things, big towing and heavy cargo were clearly not a top priority. Here are the key specs, compared against the four-wheel drive hybrid Ford Maverick with the 2.5-liter engine and a Ford F-150 4×2 with a 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6.
| Slate Truck | Ford Maverick | Ford F-150 | |
| Horsepower (hp) | 201 | 191 | 325 |
| Curb weight (lbs) | 3,602 | 3,674 | 4,171 |
| Max payload (lbs) | 1,433 | 1,500 | 1,775 |
| Max towing (lbs) | 1,000 | 2,000 | 8,400 |
| Bed length (ft) | 5 | 4.5 | 5.5, 6.5, or 8 |
| Bed width (max / min, in) | 50 / 54.9 | 42.6 / 53.3 | 50.6 / 66.9 |
| Seats | 2 | 5 | 5 |
It's worth noting that these Ford numbers vary widely based on configurati …
Read the full story at The Verge.
updated = 2025-05-30T20:15:06-04:00
Playdate’s second season is off to a great (and very weird) start
A lot of games have been released for the Playdate since it launched in 2022, as a quick browse of itch.io or the Catalog shop will attest. But still, there's something unique about the handheld's seasonal format, which just kicked off its second iteration. When it first launched, the Playdate came with 24 games from notable indie developers that were steadily released on a weekly cadence, making a perfect introduction to the little yellow device and its crank. Now, a few years later, we finally have season 2, and it's off to a solid start - and it even includes a bizarre mystery.
The new season runs for the next six weeks and totals a dozen games, two of which will drop each week. The entire collection will run you $39. To start, we have a pair of very different games. Fulcrum Defender, from FTL: Faster Than Light developer Subset Games, is sort of like a modern take on Asteroids. You control a little ship in the middle and fire guns at little squares flying toward you. The twist is that you use the crank to rotate the ship around and aim your shots. There's also something of a roguelike element, where you steadily unlock random upgrades like new weapons or a larger spread for y …
Read the full story at The Verge.
updated = 2025-05-31T08:40:13-04:00
Twitch is getting vertical livestreams
Twitch is announcing a bunch of updates at TwitchCon Europe, including the ability to host a vertical livestream and an open beta test that lets creators stream at a higher quality.
The rollout of vertical streams should make livestreams easier to watch in portrait mode on your phone. Down the line, streamers won't be forced to pick between vertical or horizontal streams; instead, Twitch will let streamers offer their streams in a dual format.
"This allows us to better optimize the viewing experience for a device and how a viewer is using that device," Twitch says in a blog post. "Viewers watching on desktop will still see landscape Viewers on mobile will see your vertical layout if they hold the phone vertically, or landscape if they rotate their phone horizontally."
The company will start testing the feature with a small amount of channels this summer and expand it later this year.
Twitch is also rolling out an open beta of "2k streaming" (which lets creators stream at 1440p) that will be available to all Twitch partners and affiliates. "Upgrading to 2k (1440p) streaming offers a noticeable step up from 1080p streaming, with richer detail, improved clarity, and better perfor …
Read the full story at The Verge.