This digest compiles the latest from The Verge.
Today’s The Verge Roundup
We asked our staff for their 2026 predictions
17 Dec 2025, 3:02 pm by Andru Marino
In all the chaos of 2025, The Verge was able to see through the fog and focus on the consumer technology that really made an impact this year: robot vacuums, thin foldable phones, experimental laptops, handheld gaming consoles, and of course, generative AI. You can watch our standout picks in our video here.
All this emerging tech is also signifying what to expect in 2026, so we asked Verge staff for their predictions on tech trends we could see in the new year. Will we finally see an Apple foldable device? Are we going to wear more AI hardware on our bodies? Will our homes be occupied by robots with limbs? Will OpenAI ready itself for an I …
OnePlus 15R review: unbeatable battery life, beatable value
17 Dec 2025, 3:00 pm by Allison Johnson
The OnePlus 15R’s battery life is exceptional. It’s a smidge better than the very impressive OnePlus 15’s, and the 15R costs two hundred dollars less. So why am I having a hard time recommending it?
Typically, OnePlus’ R-series phone is a simplified, less-expensive follow-up to the main flagship – in this case, the OnePlus 15. And technically, yeah, it meets that criteria. But the vibe is different; the 15R doesn’t feel like you’re getting away with flagship features at a bargain price. It’s $699 to the 15’s $899, it includes a less-powerful but still beefy Qualcomm processor, and it lacks a telephoto camera. In terms of battery, it manages …
Netflix’s next big TV game is FIFA soccer
17 Dec 2025, 3:00 pm by Jay Peters
The World Cup is happening next year, and Netflix and FIFA are working on a new soccer simulation game in celebration of the tournament.
“This summer, when the world gathers to celebrate the FIFA World Cup 2026, fans can play a newly reimagined FIFA football simulation game exclusively on Netflix Games,” Netflix says. The new title, part of Netflix’s growing lineup of TV games, will have solo and online play and will be controllable from your phone. It will be developed and published by Delphi Interactive.
“The FIFA World Cup is going to be the cultural event of 2026, and now fans will be able to celebrate their fandom by bringing the gam …
Let’s talk about Fallout season 2
17 Dec 2025, 3:00 pm by Andrew Webster
Years often go by between new seasons of big streaming shows – just ask fans of Severance or Stranger Things – but with Fallout the wait hasn’t been so bad. The first season was a welcome surprise when it started streaming last April, managing to capture the series’ distinctly playful take on the end of the world in a live-action show. And now we have season 2 a little over a year later.
One of the big changes this season is that Fallout expands its scope. The story is bigger and more complex; in addition to the fates of the three main characters, the show also explores a number of large-scale conflicts in the wasteland, along with the hist …
Rad Power Bikes files for bankruptcy protection
17 Dec 2025, 2:14 pm by Andrew J. Hawkins
Rad Power Bikes, the once dominant electric bicycle brand in the US, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection this week as it seeks to sell of its company. The move comes less than a month after Rad Power said it could not afford to recall its older e-bike batteries that had been designated a fire risk by the US Consumer Protection Safety Commission.
The bankruptcy, which was first reported by Bicycle Retailer, was filed in US Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Washington, near the company’s headquarters in Seattle. Rad Power lists its estimated assets at $32.1 million and estimated liabilities at $72.8 million. Its inventory …
The best games to play on Xbox Game Pass in 2025
17 Dec 2025, 2:00 pm by Andrew Webster
From pervasive layoffs to continued price hikes, things didn’t go so well for Xbox in 2025. But even though Game Pass, the Xbox subscription service, isn’t quite the deal it once was, there are still a lot of excellent titles to check out. This was an especially good year for indie titles, with breakout hits like Blue Prince and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 dominating much of the conversation. Here are the best things to check out right now.
Avowed
Who the heck knows when Bethesda will finally release the next Elder Scrolls. But in the meantime, Avowed fills in that gap quite nicely. It’s a more contained fantasy RPG in terms of scale, but …
The best shows streaming on Apple TV in 2025
17 Dec 2025, 2:00 pm by Andrew Webster
Apple’s streaming service got a new name this year – it dropped the “plus” and is now just Apple TV – but its actual programming didn’t change all that much. And that’s good news for sci-fi fans, as the service continued to cement itself as the preeminent destination for the genre in the streaming era. This year included new series like Pluribus from Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan, as well as the return of favorites like Severance and Foundation. If you’re new to Apple TV, or are just looking for something fresh to watch, here’s the best stuff from (mostly) this year.
Pluribus
Pluribus is like a concept for a Twilight Zone episode tha …
The 10 best shows to stream on Disney Plus and Hulu from 2025
17 Dec 2025, 2:00 pm by Emma Roth
Disney Plus and Hulu had an eventful year. Not only did the streaming services release a swath of exciting original shows and new seasons, but they’re also in the midst of a transformation that will further integrate Hulu with Disney Plus. The “unified” app experience will have a revamped interface that’s supposed to make it easier to browse through shows and movies from all of its streaming services when it rolls out next year.
For now, though, here’s a list of the best shows from 2025 that you can watch on Disney Plus and Hulu.
Alien: Earth
Alien: Earth takes place two years before Ridley Scott’s 1979 Alien film. It follows Wendy (Sydne …
The Verge’s 2025 in review
17 Dec 2025, 2:00 pm by Barbara Krasnoff
The year 2025 has been, to put it mildly, eventful. If you’re like me, you’ve felt as if it’s pretty much impossible to keep up with things; every day brings something new, much of it baffling or enraging.
But that’s not the case for everything — and so, as with past years, we’re using this as a chance to reminisce. Over the next two weeks, we’ll be publishing stories from our reporters who cover the most important or weird trends in politics, tech, and culture. We’ll also have roundups to help you navigate 2025’s many, many releases across gaming platforms and streaming services. Perfect for those in-between-holidays days.
So before we all head into 2026, take a moment to look back on the things you’ve forgotten — or catch up on those you missed altogether.
What could’ve been Google’s worst year turned into one of its best
17 Dec 2025, 2:00 pm by Dominic Preston
2025 could have been a pretty disastrous year for Google. The company came in knowing it had three major legal battles to fight, increasing competition in the burgeoning AI market, and a new US president to adapt to. It looked possible – perhaps likely – that the company might be broken up and forced to sell off Chrome or part of its ad tech business, leaving it forever smaller.
But that’s not what happened. Instead, we’re looking back at a year where Google set profit records, persuaded the courts to let it keep the status quo going at least a little longer in search and advertising, and established itself as one of AI’s few unambiguous s …
End of today’s The Verge roundup.
