Latest news with #TheVerge
Tom's Guide
9 hours ago
- Tom's Guide
Switch 2 dock supports a key feature Nintendo won't let you use — so what's going on?
While docking the Nintendo Switch 2 does unlock better picture quality, including 4K resolution and up to 120fps refresh rates, there is one feature still locked off. Even if your TV supports variable refresh rate (VRR), it seems Nintendo won't let you take advantage of it with the new console. Weirdly, it turns out that this isn't an issue with the Switch 2 dock itself. They tested this over at The Verge, plugging various other handheld gaming systems in using the Switch 2's dock. Evidently the Steam Deck, Lenovo Legion Go S and Asus ROG Ally X all supported VRR through the Nintendo dock. And that was tested with actual VRR testing tools, rather than just taking the handheld's promise that it was at face value. Plus, this confirmed VRR worked at up to 120fps. The Verge did note that connecting a handheld to the Switch 2 dock did require an extra USB-C cable, naturally. Unfortunately the Switch 2 dock is spring-loaded, and kept pushing the cable out — which means it's a less than ideal way to connect your handheld to the TV. The Switch 2 supports VRR in handheld mode, so if you're playing on the built-in screen you should see dynamic refresh rates as you play. But since the console and the Dock both support VRR, why the heck can't you get VRR working on a compatible TV or monitor? Well, we just don't know. We do know Nintendo originally advertised that the Switch 2 did support VRR in TV mode, but then removed those references from its website and support pages. Nintendo did apologize for the error and confirmed the feature was only available in handheld mode. But the company hasn't actually explained why things are the way they are. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. Digital Foundry did find that VRR suffered "clear problems" on the Switch 2 in handheld mode — including "juddering" in various games like Cyberpunk 2077. Though it was noted that Welcome Tour, the $10 Switch 2 demo, did have proper VRR support. So it's not like Nintendo is secretly saving us from crappy performance because VRR doesn't actually work properly. Sadly Digital Foundry's Richard Leadbetter told The Verge he has no idea why VRR support hasn't been included in TV mode. Only that he doubts Nintendo removed the feature last minute, and that the company's previous promises were likely a mistake. So this is down for Nintendo to explain, and so far the company has been staying quiet. It's a pretty weird situation all round, though.
Express Tribune
17 hours ago
- Business
- Express Tribune
Microsoft Pakistan shuts down operations after 25 years: Why is tech giant leaving the country?
Microsoft has closed its office in Pakistan after 25 years, citing global restructuring and a shift to a cloud-based, partner-led model. The move comes as the tech giant cuts roughly 9,100 jobs worldwide (or about 4% of its workforce) in its largest layoff round since 2023, as reported by The Verge. Microsoft never operated a full commercial base in Pakistan, relying instead on liaison offices focused on enterprise, education, and government clients. Over recent years, much of that work had already shifted to local partners, while licensing and contracts were managed from its European hub in Ireland. Former president Dr Arif Alvi criticised the decision on social media, calling it a 'troubling sign.' He claimed Microsoft once considered Pakistan for expansion, but that instability led the company to choose Vietnam instead by late 2022. 'The opportunity was lost,' he wrote. Microsoft's decision to shut down operations in Pakistan is a troubling sign for our economic future. I vividly recall February 2022, when Bill Gates visited my office. On behalf of the people of Pakistan, I had the honor of conferring the Hilal-e-Imtiaz on him for his remarkable… — Dr. Arif Alvi (@ArifAlvi) July 3, 2025 Jawwad Rehman, Microsoft Pakistan's former founding country manager, said the exit reflected the current business climate. 'Even global giants like Microsoft find it unsustainable to stay,' he posted on LinkedIn. Tech entrepreneur Habibullah Khan noted that Microsoft's revenue from Pakistan was estimated at just $50 million (less than 0.02% of global revenue) and that much of its local staffing had already been scaled down. 'Their relationship with Pakistan was very tenuous,' he wrote on X. While Microsoft will continue serving Pakistani customers through regional teams and partners, the closure underscores the growing pressure on multinationals to streamline overseas operations amid changing global priorities.
The Verge
17 hours ago
- The Verge
Saja beats your idols.
Installer A weekly newsletter by David Pierce designed to tell you everything you need to download, watch, read, listen to, and explore that fits in The Verge's universe.
The Verge
a day ago
- The Verge
The EPA is reportedly investigating employees who signed a letter critical of Trump.
Installer A weekly newsletter by David Pierce designed to tell you everything you need to download, watch, read, listen to, and explore that fits in The Verge's universe.
Miami Herald
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Miami Herald
Uber's new shuttles look suspiciously familiar to anyone who's taken a bus
Uber's new shuttles look suspiciously familiar to anyone who's taken a bus Every few years, a Silicon Valley gig-economy company announces a "disruptive" innovation that looks a whole lot like a bus. Uber rolled out Smart Routes a decade ago, followed a short time later by the Lyft Shuttle of its biggest competitor. Even Elon Musk gave it a try in 2018 with the "urban loop system" that never quite materialized beyond the Vegas Strip. And does anyone remember Chariot? Now it's Uber's turn again. The ride-hailing company recently announced Route Share, in which shuttles will travel dozens of fixed routes, with fixed stops, picking up passengers and dropping them off at fixed times. Amid the inevitable jokes about Silicon Valley once again discovering buses are serious questions about what this will mean for struggling transit systems, air quality, and congestion. Uber promised the program, which rolled out in seven cities at the end of May, will bring "more affordable, more predictable" transportation during peak commuting hours. "Many of our users, they live in generally the same area, they work in generally the same area, and they commute at the same time," Sachin Kansal, the company's chief product officer, said during the company's May 14 announcement. "The concept of Route Share is not new," he admitted-though he never used the word "bus." Instead, pictures of horse-drawn buggies, rickshaws, and pedicabs appeared onscreen, Grist reports. CEO Dara Khosrowshahi was a bit more forthcoming when he told The Verge the whole thing is "to some extent inspired by the bus." The goal, he said, "is just to reduce prices to the consumer and then help with congestion and the environment." But Kevin Shen, who studies this sort of thing at the Union of Concerned Scientists, questions whether Uber's "next-gen bus" will do much for commuters or the climate. "Everybody will say, 'Silicon Valley's reinventing the bus again,'" Shen said. "But it's more like they're reinventing a worse bus." Five years ago, the Union of Concerned Scientists released a report that found ride-share services emit 69 percent more planet-warming carbon dioxide and other pollutants than the trips they displace-largely because as many as 40 percent of the miles traveled by Uber and Lyft drivers are driven without a passenger, something called "deadheading." That climate disadvantage decreases with pooled services like UberX Share-but it's still not much greener than owning and driving a vehicle, the report noted, unless the car is electric. Beyond the iffy climate benefit lie broader concerns about what this means for the transit systems in New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas, Boston, and Baltimore-and the people who rely on them. "Transit is a public service, so a transit agency's goal is to serve all of its customers, whether they're rich or poor, whether it's the maximum profit-inducing route or not," Shen said. The entities that do all of this come with accountability mechanisms-boards, public meetings, vocal riders-to ensure they do what they're supposed to. "Barely any of that is in place for Uber." This, he said, is a pivot toward a public-transit model without public accountability. Compounding the threat, Philadelphia and Dallas have struggling transit systems at risk of defunding. The situation is so dire in Philly that it may cut service by nearly 45 percent on July 1 amid a chronic financial crisis. That, as one Reddit user pointed out, would be good news for Uber. Meanwhile, the federal government is cutting support for public services, including transit systems-many of which still haven't fully recovered from COVID-19-era budget crunches. Though ridership nationwide is up to 85 percent of pre-pandemic levels, Bloomberg News recently estimated that transit systems across the country face a $6 billion budget shortfall. So it's easy to see why companies like Uber see a business opportunity in public transit. Khosrowshahi insists Uber is "in competition with personal car ownership," not public transportation. "Public transport is a teammate," he told The Verge. But a 2024 study released by the University of California, Davis found that in three California cities, over half of all ride-hailing trips didn't replace personal cars, they replaced more sustainable modes of getting around, like walking, public transportation, and bicycling. And then there's the fact cities like New York grapple with chronic congestion and don't need more vehicles cluttering crowded streets. During Uber's big announcement, Kansal showed a video of one possible Route Share ride in the Big Apple. It covered about 3 miles from Midtown to Lower Manhattan, which would take about 30 minutes and cost $13. But here's the thing: The addresses are served by three different subway lines. It is possible to commute between those two points, avoid congestion, and arrive sooner, for $2.90. So, yes, Uber Route Share is cheaper than Uber's standard car service-which has gotten 7.2 percent pricier in the past year-but Route Share is far from the most efficient or economical way to get around in the biggest markets it's launching in."If anything," Shen said, "it's reducing transit efficiency by gumming up those same routes with even more vehicles." This story was produced byGrist and reviewed and distributed by Stacker. © Stacker Media, LLC.
