The Vergecast

Valve's Steam Machine might be exactly the living room console you've been waiting for. Or it might be too expensive, totally pointless, a waste of everyone's money and shelf space. The Verge's Sean Hollister joins the show to talk through all the feedback we've been getting about our coverage and our review. Is Valve's history a pro or a con? Is the price reasonable or ridiculous? Who is this device actually for? We have much to discuss.

Further reading:

Google and Epic give up fighting — third-party Android app stores are coming next week

OpenAI may announce a ChatGPT smart speaker this year

Another turn in the Apple v. OpenAI dispute

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

⁠⁠The Steam Machine fits my TV, my desk, and my life⁠⁠

⁠⁠Valve will finally let you build your own Steam Machine with SteamOS for desktop⁠⁠

⁠⁠How much would the Steam Machine cost to build?⁠

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AI-generated music is suddenly everywhere. On social media, music streaming services, and elsewhere, stuff made on Suno is becoming unavoidable. The Verge's Terrence O'Brien joins David to talk about where Suno came from, whether it can truly change the way we create and consume music, and how we can and should respond to AI music. We also have some thoughts on whether these songs might someday be bangers.

Further reading:

X admits its broken algorithm made the site feel like a ‘battleground’ | The Verge

The Pixel colors might rule this year | The Verge

Pixel Watch 5 leak shows off four different finishes | The Verge

New York becomes the first state to enact a data center moratorium | The Verge

Suno is a music copyright nightmare

Suno leans into customization with v5.5

Nobody wants to tell me why they only listen to their own Suno slop

Suno’s upgraded AI music generator is technically impressive, but still soulless

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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So far, there have been exactly zero great AI-first gadgets. But that hasn't stopped the tech industry from trying to figure out what shape and size these new gadgets might take, and whether any of them can best the device in your pocket. The Verge's Allison Johnson and Victoria Song join David to rank all those shapes, from pendant to smartwatch to rectangle, to see whether there is actually a next big thing out there.

Further reading:

⁠Apple sues OpenAI for allegedly stealing hardware secrets | The Verge⁠

⁠Less is more with the Oura Ring 5 | The Verge⁠

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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Netflix makes shows. And movies. And podcasts. And games. And… YouTube videos, apparently. So what even is Netflix anymore? Nilay and David have ideas. After that, they talk about Meta’s ongoing smart glasses mess, and whether Meta or anyone can make these devices work. Finally, it's time for Brendan Carr, RAMageddon, the state of X, and a dumb TV mystery.

Further reading:

Bloomberg: ⁠Netflix Viewers Are Abandoning Shows After One Season⁠

⁠Of course viewers are giving up on Netflix shows ⁠

⁠Netflix is about to host videos from BuzzFeed, Condé Nast, and other publishers⁠

⁠Netflix Bets on Short Videos to Compete With YouTube - Business Insider⁠

⁠Netflix's video podcast engagement numbers 'are low,' per insider⁠

⁠Emmy Nominations List 2026: BEEF, The Diplomat, The Beast in Me, Black Rabbit, and More - Netflix Tudum⁠

⁠If Microsoft sold off Xbox, who would even buy it?⁠

⁠Meta is reportedly working on smart glasses that would be recording all the time ⁠

⁠Meta’s glasses will turn off the camera if you tamper with the privacy light ⁠

⁠Solos debuts an even lighter version of its camera-less smart glasses ⁠

⁠Boz describes how Meta’s smart glasses facial recognition feature would work. ⁠

⁠Another verdict on camera glasses in court: nope! ⁠

⁠ABC tells the government to get out of its newsrooms⁠

⁠Meta’s new Muse Image model can pull other Instagram users into AI photos ⁠

⁠You can (and should) opt out of letting people use your Instagram posts with Meta’s AI.⁠

⁠Are you ready for what it takes to stop ghost guns?⁠

⁠Vizio accidentally made the best dumb TV on the market⁠

⁠PC shipments fell for the first time in over two years thanks to RAMageddon. ⁠

⁠A tough chart about the RAM crisis. ⁠

⁠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.

(Timestamps are approximate.)

00:01:00 Intro

00:04:00 Netflix Identity Crisis

00:08:00 Creators Versus Netflix

00:15:00 Netflix Buys YouTube Videos

00:18:00 Go90 Scale Check In

00:19:00 Netflix Should Buy Xbox

00:28:00 Smart Glasses Panopticon

00:46:00 Backlash And Offline Tech

00:49:00 Smart Glasses Without Cameras

00:55:00 FCC Chilling Effect

01:03:00 Ramageddon Price Shock

01:07:00 Regulating Ghost Guns

01:14:00 X Product Reality Check

01:20:00 Vizio Dumb TV Mystery

01:25:00 Wrap Up And Plugs
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Quantum computing hype is everywhere. Trump says we'll have one by 2028, Microsoft by 2029. IBM is investing billions. Is it really happening? Science journalist Sophia Chen joins us to discuss her article, "What is a quantum computer good for? Absolutely nothing — yet," and break down what's real and what's hype in the quantum computing race.

Further reading

⁠Meta is reportedly working on smart glasses that would be recording all the time⁠

⁠Sonos laid off some of its veteran product and design executives⁠

⁠Cash App fraud⁠

⁠Starlink deployments on record pace⁠

⁠Play-Doh for adults is the new Lego for adults⁠

⁠Slate is hoping a little Razzmatazz will help sell its trucks⁠

⁠What is a quantum computer good for? Absolutely nothing — yet⁠

⁠A new paper argues Microsoft exaggerated its quantum claims a year ago⁠

⁠Drama over quantum computing’s future heats up⁠

⁠The race is on for quantum-safe cryptography⁠

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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