theverge--2020-06-11--Watch the 24 biggest trailers from the PS5 event

In case you weren ’ t watching the live-streamed event , Sony showed off a slate of games , including a few exclusives , coming to the PlayStation 5 .
The wait for details on next-gen games has been long , but the good news is that there seems to be plenty in the pipeline coming this holiday when the PS5 launches , and shortly thereafter in 2021 .
What came as a surprise during the event was that we got a closer look at the DualSense controller and the actual console itself , which had yet to be revealed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ want to get quickly caught up , so we ’ re going to fill you in on the biggest announcements that made a rumble at the event .
At the very end of the showcase , Sony finally pulled the veil from its PlayStation 5 console .
There were a lot of questions surrounding what it might actually look like , and the results ?
It looks like , well , a console .
It has white sides , with a glossy , curved center .
The biggest news is that there will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one being a slightly slimmer all-digital version with no disc drive .
We also got a good look at some accessories coming soon .
One of the big missing pieces still is the price .
Sony showed a teaser and what appeared to be some gameplay for Horizon Forbidden West , the sequel to Horizon Zero Dawn .
This one has some truly varied landscapes and environments , and it looks amazing .
Perhaps my favorite part of the trailer was seeing the photorealistic scan of Lance Reddick , who seems to control @ @ @ @ @ @ @ encounter in the game .
Grand Theft Auto V is coming to PS5 in 2021 Rockstar announced that GTAV is coming to the PS5 .
It ’ s the game ’ s second remaster , having first come out on the PS3 , then to the PS4 .
With the PS5 version , Rockstar is amping up the visuals for the game ’ s release for 2021 .
Sony said that PS Plus on PS5 users will get GTAV for free when the game launches .
Spider-Man : Miles Morales is launching on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is scheduled to launch .
Sony showed in-game footage , which looked unsurprisingly spectacular and speedy .
Marvel ’ s Spider-Man served as a tech demo for showing off how quickly the PS5 ’ s hardware could render the city ’ s horizon , so it ’ s not a huge surprise to see a sequel coming .
Though , it is somewhat of a surprise to see it happening so shortly after the original game .
Gran Turismo 7 is coming to PS5 at launch Sony showed off Gran Turismo 7 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sim franchise .
That franchise has already achieved photorealism with previous entries , though from the trailer , it seems like Sony is leaning into the audio capabilities of the PS5 .
Ratchet & Clank gets a new entry on PS5 Insomniac Games is bringing Ratchet & Clank : Rift Apart to the PS5 .
No release date was given .
You can see some of the weapon play ( always a quirky , exciting part of the game ) and the main mechanic , the inter-dimensional rifts , in the trailer above @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enabled the team to stream in new planets and environments quickly without the need for loading screens .
Project Athia is a new title developed exclusively for the PS5 by Square Enix .
Not many details were shared , but it looks to be an action-heavy platforming title with mythical elements .
Check out the trailer for yourself .
Returnal is a new game coming exclusively to PS5 This new exclusive title for the PS5 features a protagonist who repeatedly experiences moments of trauma .
It ’ s a truly awkward name that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Metal Gear Rising series .
That said , it has a cool look and the gameplay seems like it ’ s a roguelike , where some of your progress will persist after you die .
Sony unveiled a trailer for SackBoy : A Big Adventure , a new platforming title that ’ s very much in the style of LittleBigPlanet .
It seems like a good time if you like that game ’ s floaty physics , and I kind of can ’ t believe that something like this doesn ’ t already @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for a game that mixes driving , explosions , and some platforming , Destruction Allstars looks like it ’ s uniquely qualified to quell your craving .
Stray , a game that features cats in a cyberpunk world , is coming to PS5 It ’ s tough to tell exactly what you ’ ll be doing in Stray , but since it has cats , they really don ’ t need to explain it anymore .
Kena : Bridge of Spirits is a new exclusive coming to PS5 .
Lorne Lanning introduced a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Oddworld series called Oddworld Soulstorm .
It has a darker tone to previous titles , but there ’ s still a good share of platforming and oddities .
We got our first look at Ghostwire : Tokyo gameplay Ghostwire : Tokyo made an appearance during the Sony event , and we got to see the first gameplay since the game made its debut last year at E3 .
It ’ s a first-person melee and magic-based title where you have to save Tokyo by ousting the ghosts that threaten to take it over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It ’ s coming in 2021 .
We got another look at Godfall , Gearbox ’ s new game that is likely to be a launch title for the PS5 .
The look hasn ’ t changed much since we last saw it , so that might be a good sign that it ’ ll meet its holiday 2020 launch window .
Solar Ash is the new game from the makers of Hyper Light Drifter The creators of Hyper Light Drifter unveiled their new title , Solar Ash , which features a protagonist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ game ditches the tilt-shifted perspective , the art style is similarly gorgeous to Hyper Light Drifter .
The next installment in the rebooted Hitman franchise is coming to PS5 ( it ’ s coming to PS4 , as well ) .
IO Interactive shared a trailer that shows a little bit of a mission in Dubai played out .
It looks impressive , if not a little iterative .
There ’ s nothing wrong with some more Hitman .
Sony is developing Astro ’ s Playroom , a platforming game set in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , this one probably won ’ t require you to have one of Sony ’ s peripherals , like a camera or a VR headset — but who knows , since Sony unveiled a new camera for the PS5 , maybe it will ?
Little Devil Inside is coming to PS5 This might be one of the games I most looking forward to playing from the showcase .
It has a unique visual style , and the adventure seems to take your character just about everywhere .
The creators of Octodad have a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new game from the studio that made Octodad , is coming holiday 2020 .
You really should just watch the trailer .
This title is coming to PS4 , as well .
A very sweaty NBA 2K21 is coming to PS5 There ’ s a new NBA 2K basketball game coming to the PS5 .
It ’ s actually launching before the console is available , but Sony showed off some pre-alpha footage of the game running on the PS5 .
There ’ s plenty of sweat particles , moving cloth , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from a fancy sports game on a next-gen console .
FromSoftware is prepping a remaster to Demon ’ s Souls , the first game in the Souls series , for PS5 .
It ’ s being worked on by BluePoint Games .
There doesn ’ t seem to be any gameplay in the trailer , but it looks nice .
Deathloop is a stylish , hyper-violent first-person shooter made by Arkane , the studio responsible for Prey and Dishonored .
Similar to Ghostwire : Tokyo , this one was announced last year .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the gameplay that makes Dishonored really fun , but it seems to borrow some cool “ elusive target ” -style mechanics from the likes of Hitman .
Resident Evil 8 Village is the next first-person entry in the franchise Capcom ’ s next entry in the popular Resident Evil franchise is coming to PS5 .
Like RE7 , this one is played in first-person perspective , which might sound dodgy for a horror game , but it worked well last time .
Things were happening very quickly in the trailer , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and enemy types to Resident Evil 4 , one of my favorite games .
I guess I ’ ll need to watch this trailer again .
It ’ s coming in 2021 .

In case you weren’t watching the live-streamed event, Sony showed off a slate of games, including a few exclusives, coming to the PlayStation 5.
The wait for details on next-gen games has been long, but the good news is that there seems to be plenty in the pipeline coming this holiday when the PS5 launches, and shortly thereafter in 2021. What came as a surprise during the event was that we got a closer look at the DualSense controller and the actual console itself, which had yet to be revealed to the public.
We know you want to get quickly caught up, so we’re going to fill you in on the biggest announcements that made a rumble at the event.
At the very end of the showcase, Sony finally pulled the veil from its PlayStation 5 console. There were a lot of questions surrounding what it might actually look like, and the results? It looks like, well, a console. It has white sides, with a glossy, curved center. The biggest news is that there will be two version of the console, one being a slightly slimmer all-digital version with no disc drive. We also got a good look at some accessories coming soon. One of the big missing pieces still is the price.
Sony showed a teaser and what appeared to be some gameplay for Horizon Forbidden West, the sequel to Horizon Zero Dawn. This one has some truly varied landscapes and environments, and it looks amazing. Perhaps my favorite part of the trailer was seeing the photorealistic scan of Lance Reddick, who seems to control one of the factions you’ll encounter in the game.
Rockstar announced that GTAV is coming to the PS5. It’s the game’s second remaster, having first come out on the PS3, then to the PS4. With the PS5 version, Rockstar is amping up the visuals for the game’s release for 2021. Sony said that PS Plus on PS5 users will get GTAV for free when the game launches.
Spider-Man: Miles Morales is launching on the PS5 this holiday when the console is scheduled to launch. Sony showed in-game footage, which looked unsurprisingly spectacular and speedy. Marvel’s Spider-Man served as a tech demo for showing off how quickly the PS5’s hardware could render the city’s horizon, so it’s not a huge surprise to see a sequel coming. Though, it is somewhat of a surprise to see it happening so shortly after the original game.
Sony showed off Gran Turismo 7, the next installment in the long-running driving sim franchise. That franchise has already achieved photorealism with previous entries, though from the trailer, it seems like Sony is leaning into the audio capabilities of the PS5.
Ratchet & Clank gets a new entry on PS5
Insomniac Games is bringing Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart to the PS5. No release date was given. You can see some of the weapon play (always a quirky, exciting part of the game) and the main mechanic, the inter-dimensional rifts, in the trailer above. Insomniac says that the PS5 hardware enabled the team to stream in new planets and environments quickly without the need for loading screens.
Square Enix unveils Project Athia
Project Athia is a new title developed exclusively for the PS5 by Square Enix. Not many details were shared, but it looks to be an action-heavy platforming title with mythical elements. Check out the trailer for yourself.
Returnal is a new game coming exclusively to PS5
This new exclusive title for the PS5 features a protagonist who repeatedly experiences moments of trauma. It’s a truly awkward name that sounds like it should belong in the Metal Gear Rising series. That said, it has a cool look and the gameplay seems like it’s a roguelike, where some of your progress will persist after you die.
SackBoy: A Big Adventure, a LittleBigPlanet spin-off, is coming to PS5
Sony unveiled a trailer for SackBoy: A Big Adventure, a new platforming title that’s very much in the style of LittleBigPlanet. It seems like a good time if you like that game’s floaty physics, and I kind of can’t believe that something like this doesn’t already exist.
Destruction Allstars looks like Twisted Metal meets Titanfall
If you’re looking for a game that mixes driving, explosions, and some platforming, Destruction Allstars looks like it’s uniquely qualified to quell your craving.
Stray, a game that features cats in a cyberpunk world, is coming to PS5
It’s tough to tell exactly what you’ll be doing in Stray, but since it has cats, they really don’t need to explain it anymore.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits is a PS5 exclusive
Kena: Bridge of Spirits is a new exclusive coming to PS5.
There’s a new Oddworld game coming to PS5
Lorne Lanning introduced a new entry in the quirky, long-running Oddworld series called Oddworld Soulstorm. It has a darker tone to previous titles, but there’s still a good share of platforming and oddities.
We got our first look at Ghostwire: Tokyo gameplay
Ghostwire: Tokyo made an appearance during the Sony event, and we got to see the first gameplay since the game made its debut last year at E3. It’s a first-person melee and magic-based title where you have to save Tokyo by ousting the ghosts that threaten to take it over. You know, no biggie. It’s coming in 2021.
Godfall, Gearbox’s third-person slasher, is coming in holiday 2020
We got another look at Godfall, Gearbox’s new game that is likely to be a launch title for the PS5. The look hasn’t changed much since we last saw it, so that might be a good sign that it’ll meet its holiday 2020 launch window.
Solar Ash is the new game from the makers of Hyper Light Drifter
The creators of Hyper Light Drifter unveiled their new title, Solar Ash, which features a protagonist that looks quite familiar. Though this game ditches the tilt-shifted perspective, the art style is similarly gorgeous to Hyper Light Drifter.
Hitman III is coming January 2021
The next installment in the rebooted Hitman franchise is coming to PS5 (it’s coming to PS4, as well). IO Interactive shared a trailer that shows a little bit of a mission in Dubai played out. It looks impressive, if not a little iterative. There’s nothing wrong with some more Hitman.
Astro’s Playroom is coming to PS5
Sony is developing Astro’s Playroom, a platforming game set in the world of the cute AstroBots. Thankfully, this one probably won’t require you to have one of Sony’s peripherals, like a camera or a VR headset — but who knows, since Sony unveiled a new camera for the PS5, maybe it will?
Little Devil Inside is coming to PS5
This might be one of the games I most looking forward to playing from the showcase. It has a unique visual style, and the adventure seems to take your character just about everywhere.
The creators of Octodad have a new game called Bugsnax
Bugsnax, a new game from the studio that made Octodad, is coming holiday 2020. You really should just watch the trailer. This title is coming to PS4, as well.
A very sweaty NBA 2K21 is coming to PS5
There’s a new NBA 2K basketball game coming to the PS5. It’s actually launching before the console is available, but Sony showed off some pre-alpha footage of the game running on the PS5. There’s plenty of sweat particles, moving cloth, and all of the other stuff you expect from a fancy sports game on a next-gen console.
FromSoftware is prepping a remaster to Demon’s Souls, the first game in the Souls series, for PS5. It’s being worked on by BluePoint Games. There doesn’t seem to be any gameplay in the trailer, but it looks nice.
Arkane showed off some Deathloop gameplay
Deathloop is a stylish, hyper-violent first-person shooter made by Arkane, the studio responsible for Prey and Dishonored. Similar to Ghostwire: Tokyo, this one was announced last year. It looks like it rolls in all of the gameplay that makes Dishonored really fun, but it seems to borrow some cool “elusive target”-style mechanics from the likes of Hitman.


theverge--2020-06-11--Itch.io’s amazing 1,500-game charity bundle surpasses $5 million goal

Indie gaming storefront Itch.io is currently offering arguably the best video game bundle in history : more than 1,500 games and counting for just $ 5 , with all proceeds going toward the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and Community Bail Fund .
Now , the deal , called the Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality , has passed more than $ 5 million in proceeds for charity as of Thursday afternoon .
It ’ s more money than any of the biggest gaming corporations have thus far donated amid Black Lives Matter protests following the killing of George @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of former Minnesota police officers has sparked worldwide outrage and a national reckoning on police brutality and racial justice .
Itch.io ’ s bundle includes more than 1,500 games for a minimum of $ 5 Many gaming companies , including the world ’ s most valued publishers , have issued empty platitudes and half-hearted shows of support for the Black Lives Matter movement .
Some , like League of Legends and Valorant developer Riot Games , have donated actual funds , with Riot putting aside $ 1 million last week to support reform @ @ @ @ @ @ @ workplace , and other causes .
( Pokémon Go creator Niantic , to its credit , is donating a minimum of $ 5 million from proceeds of its 2020 Pokémon Go Fest ticket sales , while indie studio Klei Entertainment is matching some of the industry ’ s largest studios with $ 1 million in donations to the American Civil Liberties Union and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund . )
But few have even gone so far as to contribute real money , choosing instead to voice support through social media @ @ @ @ @ @ @ week , those same companies were largely silent six years ago , after the Black Lives Matter movement first formed in the wake of the shooting of Trayvon Martin and when it achieved mainstream recognition in the demonstrations following the police killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson , Missouri .
That makes Itch.io ’ s effort that much more remarkable .
The company is still courting new developers for the pay-what-you-want bundle , and many high-profile developers now participating have never before supported a game bundle out of concern for the economics of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you haven ’ t yet purchased the bundle , it ’ s a no-brainer , and you have another four and a half days to do so .
Polygon has put together a guide here to highlight some of its more well-known titles , including indie hits like Celeste , Minit , and Oxenfree .
On top of that , the bundle is full of some really rare gems and experimental indie projects that are otherwise hard to find .

Indie gaming storefront Itch.io is currently offering arguably the best video game bundle in history: more than 1,500 games and counting for just $5, with all proceeds going toward the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and Community Bail Fund. Now, the deal, called the Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality, has passed more than $5 million in proceeds for charity as of Thursday afternoon.
It’s more money than any of the biggest gaming corporations have thus far donated amid Black Lives Matter protests following the killing of George Floyd, whose death at the hands of former Minnesota police officers has sparked worldwide outrage and a national reckoning on police brutality and racial justice.
Itch.io’s bundle includes more than 1,500 games for a minimum of $5
Many gaming companies, including the world’s most valued publishers, have issued empty platitudes and half-hearted shows of support for the Black Lives Matter movement. Some, like League of Legends and Valorant developer Riot Games, have donated actual funds, with Riot putting aside $1 million last week to support reform, fight bias and discrimination in the workplace, and other causes. (Pokémon Go creator Niantic, to its credit, is donating a minimum of $5 million from proceeds of its 2020 Pokémon Go Fest ticket sales, while indie studio Klei Entertainment is matching some of the industry’s largest studios with $1 million in donations to the American Civil Liberties Union and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund.)
But few have even gone so far as to contribute real money, choosing instead to voice support through social media. And as The Verge reported last week, those same companies were largely silent six years ago, after the Black Lives Matter movement first formed in the wake of the shooting of Trayvon Martin and when it achieved mainstream recognition in the demonstrations following the police killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.
That makes Itch.io’s effort that much more remarkable. The company is still courting new developers for the pay-what-you-want bundle, and many high-profile developers now participating have never before supported a game bundle out of concern for the economics of the format, reports Polygon.


theverge--2020-06-11--The PS5 is getting a camera, charging dock, headphones, and media remote accessories

Sony officially revealed what the PlayStation 5 console will look like .
Alongside it , the company also announced a range of accessories for the new console , including a wireless headset , a camera , a media remote , and a charging dock for the DualSense controller .
Details on the new accessories are slim , although Sony has given a bit of information as to what to expect .
The new HD Camera ( which has dual 1080p lenses ) is likely meant to replace the old PS4 camera accessory and is meant to let players stream footage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — potentially making it easier for amateur streamers to live stream with a PS5 .
The Pulse 3D wireless headset takes the place of the PlayStation Gold wireless headset and offers 3D audio support — something that Sony has been pushing as a major feature for the PS5 — and dual noise-canceling microphones .
The media remote , while resembling an ordinary remote , also features a built-in microphone for voice commands .
There are also four unmarked buttons on the bottom of the remote , although it ’ s not clear what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the DualSense charging station does exactly what it says : charges up to two DualSense controllers at the same time .
Interestingly , the charging station doesn ’ t appear to use the regular USB-C port located at the top of the controller to charge but instead connects through a separate accessory dock at the bottom .
And of course , the design matches the black-and-white color scheme of the controllers and the console itself .
No prices for any of the new accessories ( or the console itself ) have been announced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ go on sale alongside the PlayStation 5 this holiday season .

Sony officially revealed what the PlayStation 5 console will look like. Alongside it, the company also announced a range of accessories for the new console, including a wireless headset, a camera, a media remote, and a charging dock for the DualSense controller. Details on the new accessories are slim, although Sony has given a bit of information as to what to expect.
The new HD Camera (which has dual 1080p lenses) is likely meant to replace the old PS4 camera accessory and is meant to let players stream footage from their living rooms while playing games — potentially making it easier for amateur streamers to live stream with a PS5.
The Pulse 3D wireless headset takes the place of the PlayStation Gold wireless headset and offers 3D audio support — something that Sony has been pushing as a major feature for the PS5 — and dual noise-canceling microphones.
The media remote, while resembling an ordinary remote, also features a built-in microphone for voice commands. There are also four unmarked buttons on the bottom of the remote, although it’s not clear what those are used for.
Lastly, the DualSense charging station does exactly what it says: charges up to two DualSense controllers at the same time. Interestingly, the charging station doesn’t appear to use the regular USB-C port located at the top of the controller to charge but instead connects through a separate accessory dock at the bottom. And of course, the design matches the black-and-white color scheme of the controllers and the console itself.


theverge--2020-06-11--Sony announces PlayStation 5 Digital Edition with no disc drive

Sony had one big surprise it snuck into the final minutes of its PlayStation 5 reveal event : a digital-only version of the upcoming next-gen console .
Simply called the PS5 Digital Edition , this version of the hardware has no optical disc drive , as you can see in the image Sony provided on its live stream .
There is a noticeable thinness and lack of visible disc slot to the digital version where the disc drive is located on the standard model .
There also appears to be one less button on the front of the digital version @ @ @ @ @ @ @ standard one has a power button and a eject disc button .
The digital version would only need a power button , if those functions are indeed what these two design details .
We don ’ t know for yet until we see a more in-depth video showing the console working in the real world .
Sony didn ’ t announce pricing for either devices , in line with Microsoft ’ s decision not to announce the price of its competing Xbox Series X when it revealed the device earlier this year .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ know whether there will be a substantial price difference between the two .
When Microsoft released a digital-only Xbox One S last year , it priced it at $ 50 cheaper than the standard model .
The lack of disc drive might just be for customers who want a more aesthetically pleasing device and know for sure they buy all their games digitally .
But considering a lack of disc drive means you won ’ t be able to use the device as as Blu-ray player , perhaps there will be a meaningful @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to wait and see later this year , when Sony announces the official price of the PS5 .
“ At PS5 ’ s launch , we will offer two options : a PlayStation 5 console with an Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive and a PlayStation 5 Digital Edition without a disc drive .
The PS5 gameplay experience will be the same , so the choice is all yours .
While there are some slight differences in the look of each model , for the overall design , we wanted to deliver a console @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and unlike any previous generation of PlayStation , ” reads a Sony blog post recapping today ’ s announcements .
Update June 11th , 6:41PM ET : Added information from Sony ’ s blog post recapping the PS5 event announcements .

Sony had one big surprise it snuck into the final minutes of its PlayStation 5 reveal event: a digital-only version of the upcoming next-gen console.
Simply called the PS5 Digital Edition, this version of the hardware has no optical disc drive, as you can see in the image Sony provided on its live stream. There is a noticeable thinness and lack of visible disc slot to the digital version where the disc drive is located on the standard model.
The standard PS5 is noticeably thicker around where the disc drive is located. Image: Sony
There also appears to be one less button on the front of the digital version, which we surmise is because the standard one has a power button and a eject disc button. The digital version would only need a power button, if those functions are indeed what these two design details. We don’t know for yet until we see a more in-depth video showing the console working in the real world.
Screenshot by Chris Welch / The Verge
Sony didn’t announce pricing for either devices, in line with Microsoft’s decision not to announce the price of its competing Xbox Series X when it revealed the device earlier this year. So we don’t quite yet know whether there will be a substantial price difference between the two. When Microsoft released a digital-only Xbox One S last year, it priced it at $50 cheaper than the standard model.
The lack of disc drive might just be for customers who want a more aesthetically pleasing device and know for sure they buy all their games digitally. But considering a lack of disc drive means you won’t be able to use the device as as Blu-ray player, perhaps there will be a meaningful price difference. We’ll have to wait and see later this year, when Sony announces the official price of the PS5.
“At PS5’s launch, we will offer two options: a PlayStation 5 console with an Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive and a PlayStation 5 Digital Edition without a disc drive. The PS5 gameplay experience will be the same, so the choice is all yours. While there are some slight differences in the look of each model, for the overall design, we wanted to deliver a console that’s bold, stunning, and unlike any previous generation of PlayStation,” reads a Sony blog post recapping today’s announcements.


theverge--2020-06-11--Resident Evil Village revealed at Sony’s PlayStation 5 event

Sony announced Resident Evil Village , the eighth entry in Capcom ’ s Resident Evil series , during its PlayStation 5 event today .
The game will be released in 2021 .
Village appears to take place in a creepy village and looks to have a first-person perspective , like 2017 ’ s Resident Evil 7 .
RE7 ’ s Ethan Winters will again be the protagonist , and series icon Chris Redfield was also featured in the trailer .
Redfield ’ s appearance in Winters ’ life sets off “ a chain of events that sees a distraught Ethan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ actions… and ultimately finding him in a mysterious village , ” Capcom ’ s Kellen Haney said in a blog post .
Haney also said that Village has “ a greater focus on combat and exploration compared to Resident Evil 7.
” Resident Evil Village also looks to keep the slower pace of Resident Evil 7 , differing from the more action-focused Resident Evil 5 and 6 .
Resident Evil fans have had a lot to play since RE7 with 2019 ’ s Resident Evil 2 remake and this year ’ s Resident @ @ @ @

Village appears to take place in a creepy village and looks to have a first-person perspective, like 2017’s Resident Evil 7. RE7’s Ethan Winters will again be the protagonist, and series icon Chris Redfield was also featured in the trailer. Redfield’s appearance in Winters’ life sets off “a chain of events that sees a distraught Ethan seeking answers to Chris’s shocking actions… and ultimately finding him in a mysterious village,” Capcom’s Kellen Haney said in a blog post. Haney also said that Village has “a greater focus on combat and exploration compared to Resident Evil 7.”


theverge--2020-06-12--Watch astronaut Leland Melvin and Bill Nye discuss racial injustice and space exploration

Leland Melvin never thought he would be a NASA astronaut when he was growing up in Lynchburg , Virginia .
“ I didn ’ t think about becoming an astronaut because I didn ’ t see someone that looked like me , ” Melvin says .
Melvin , now a former NASA astronaut and a prominent figure in the space industry , recently recorded a conversation with Bill Nye , the CEO of the space science non-profit , The Planetary Society .
For more than an hour , the two men had a wide-ranging discussion of space exploration , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country .
I think about how you and I wouldn ’ t be having this conversation right now Though both men are now beloved science educators , Melvin ’ s experiences growing up as a black person in Lynchburg were vastly different from Nye ’ s experiences as a white person in Washington , DC .
During Melvin ’ s senior year of high school , he remembers making out with his girlfriend in his car when the pair were approached by a state trooper .
He tells Nye that the officer pulled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ He tried to convince her that I was raping her , because he wanted me to go to jail , ” Melvin says .
His girlfriend defended him , and eventually the officer let them go .
“ The crazy thing is , I think about how you and I wouldn ’ t be having this conversation right now because I would have been in the prison system .
Once you get into that system it ’ s very hard to get out.
” Melvin tells Nye .
The recent killings of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have forced the country to contend with its legacy of prejudice and violence against black people , with widespread protests against systemic racism spreading throughout the world .
“ I think a lot of good people who were sitting on the sidelines saying ‘ this doesn ’ t affect me ’ are realizing that it really does affect them , it affects everyone , and we have got to make some serious change.
” Melvin says .
That includes the spaceflight world , which is still overwhelmingly white .
On June 5 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ letter on behalf of The Planetary Society .
“ Many of us are having a hard time looking up right now .
It ’ s a painful moment .
We here at The Planetary Society recognize we must do more to support Black people , including Black people who love space.
” Nye wrote , pledging that the society would “ look for ways to influence the broader space exploration community toward a vision of a more inclusive future.
” we get over our differences in space so that we don ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what that future might look like .
Melvin says it might look a lot like what he experienced in space , where every crew member relied on each other to make it back down to Earth alive .
“ I want that life off-planet to be a model that we adopt and bring back down here .
Because we get over our differences in space so that we don ’ t all die .
That ’ s the power of working on a team in a critical environment .
Our Earth is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Watch the full conversation between Leland Melvin and Bill Nye below .

Leland Melvin never thought he would be a NASA astronaut when he was growing up in Lynchburg, Virginia. “I didn’t think about becoming an astronaut because I didn’t see someone that looked like me,” Melvin says.
Melvin, now a former NASA astronaut and a prominent figure in the space industry, recently recorded a conversation with Bill Nye, the CEO of the space science non-profit, The Planetary Society. For more than an hour, the two men had a wide-ranging discussion of space exploration, and the lasting impact of racism in this country.
I think about how you and I wouldn’t be having this conversation right now
Though both men are now beloved science educators, Melvin’s experiences growing up as a black person in Lynchburg were vastly different from Nye’s experiences as a white person in Washington, DC.
During Melvin’s senior year of high school, he remembers making out with his girlfriend in his car when the pair were approached by a state trooper. He tells Nye that the officer pulled his girlfriend out of the car. “He tried to convince her that I was raping her, because he wanted me to go to jail,” Melvin says. His girlfriend defended him, and eventually the officer let them go. “The crazy thing is, I think about how you and I wouldn’t be having this conversation right now because I would have been in the prison system. Once you get into that system it’s very hard to get out.” Melvin tells Nye.
The recent killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor by police have forced the country to contend with its legacy of prejudice and violence against black people, with widespread protests against systemic racism spreading throughout the world.
“I think a lot of good people who were sitting on the sidelines saying ‘this doesn’t affect me’ are realizing that it really does affect them, it affects everyone, and we have got to make some serious change.” Melvin says.
That includes the spaceflight world, which is still overwhelmingly white. On June 5, during the protests, Nye issued a letter on behalf of The Planetary Society. “Many of us are having a hard time looking up right now. It’s a painful moment. We here at The Planetary Society recognize we must do more to support Black people, including Black people who love space.” Nye wrote, pledging that the society would “look for ways to influence the broader space exploration community toward a vision of a more inclusive future.”
we get over our differences in space so that we don’t all die
Nye and Melvin talk about what that future might look like. Melvin says it might look a lot like what he experienced in space, where every crew member relied on each other to make it back down to Earth alive.
“I want that life off-planet to be a model that we adopt and bring back down here. Because we get over our differences in space so that we don’t all die. That’s the power of working on a team in a critical environment. Our Earth is a critical environment too.” Melvin says.


theverge--2020-06-12--YouTube says gaming ad views to fundraise for Black Lives Matter violates policies

YouTube has warned against videos that try to game its Adsense system by encouraging viewers to repeatedly watch the video or click its ads to drive up revenue .
The behavior has emerged as YouTubers have attempted to find creative new ways to support the Black Lives Matter movement , with some promising to donate the ad revenue generated by their videos .
The hope was that encouraging repeated viewings or ad clicking would allow viewers to contribute to a worthwhile cause even if they didn ’ t have the resources to donate money directly .
Now , however , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ down , Variety reports .
While YouTube says creators are free to donate ad revenue generated from organic views , it says that attempts to artificially inflate a video ’ s metrics violate its policies .
It warns that any videos that do this , whether it ’ s with their title , description , or in the video content itself , will be removed from the platform , and the creator who uploaded it won ’ t be paid for any views or clicks .
Advertisers will also not be charged .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ justice initiatives to acknowledge the efforts over the past week ” “ We realize some of you kicked off these efforts without a clear understanding of the policies , ” the video platform said , “ So YouTube will be donating to racial justice initiatives to acknowledge the efforts over the past week.
” Yesterday , YouTube also announced that it would be donating $ 100 million to “ amplify ” the voices of black creators on its platform .
Instead , YouTube is asking creators to add a “ Donate ” button @ @ @ @ @ @ @ notes that there are now 40,000 channels that are eligible to use the feature , although nonprofits must meet a number of requirements in order to be eligible to receive money via the feature , including being a US-registered 501 ( c ) ( 3 ) Public Charity , and being a member of Google for Nonprofits .
Channels that aren ’ t eligible can use their end screens to link to nonprofit organizations or fundraising campaigns , YouTube said .

YouTube has warned against videos that try to game its Adsense system by encouraging viewers to repeatedly watch the video or click its ads to drive up revenue. The behavior has emerged as YouTubers have attempted to find creative new ways to support the Black Lives Matter movement, with some promising to donate the ad revenue generated by their videos.
The hope was that encouraging repeated viewings or ad clicking would allow viewers to contribute to a worthwhile cause even if they didn’t have the resources to donate money directly. Now, however, some of these videos are being taken down, Variety reports.
While YouTube says creators are free to donate ad revenue generated from organic views, it says that attempts to artificially inflate a video’s metrics violate its policies. It warns that any videos that do this, whether it’s with their title, description, or in the video content itself, will be removed from the platform, and the creator who uploaded it won’t be paid for any views or clicks. Advertisers will also not be charged.
“YouTube will be donating to racial justice initiatives to acknowledge the efforts over the past week”
“We realize some of you kicked off these efforts without a clear understanding of the policies,” the video platform said, “So YouTube will be donating to racial justice initiatives to acknowledge the efforts over the past week.” Yesterday, YouTube also announced that it would be donating $100 million to “amplify” the voices of black creators on its platform.


theverge--2020-06-12--Spanish soccer returns with computer-generated crowds, and it actually works

Sports are gradually returning to our TV screens after the coronavirus pandemic brought virtually all competition around the world to a sudden halt .
If you ’ re as big a sports addict as me , you ’ ll probably take what you can get right now , but the broadcast experiences I ’ ve watched so far haven ’ t been all that satisfying .
It ’ s a little hard to get excited when you ’ re watching players celebrate in deafening silence in a cavernous , empty German arena .
La Liga , Spain ’ s top @ @ @ @ @ @ @ approach .
The league returned to action last night with a local derby between Seville clubs Real Betis and Sevilla FC , and anyone watching at home might have done a double-take to confirm that the stadium wasn ’ t full .
La Liga is collaborating with EA Sports to pipe in reactive crowd noise , while Norwegian broadcasting tech company Vizrt has provided visuals to give the impression of a live audience .
“ We respect a lot what the Bundesliga are doing and the Premier League , and the NBA , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ different , ” La Liga audiovisual director Melcior Soler tells The Athletic .
“ We are thinking of this as a televised entertainment spectacle .
What we are going to do is make you recall what you are used to seeing when the stadiums are full.
” The virtual fans aren ’ t CGI representations of individual humans like you ’ d see in FIFA 20 .
Instead , the stands are blanketed in a static texture that does a surprisingly good job of looking like a crowd , so long as your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the pitch .
It looks more like a ‘ 90s video game or a stereogram if you look at it up close , but overall the effect is pretty convincing .
I ’ d take it over empty seats .
The illusion is inevitably broken from time to time The audio , meanwhile , takes a similar approach .
It ’ s not much like an actual football crowd with people chanting songs or yelling expletives at the referee , but it adds an emotive layer to the proceedings .
There ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that shifts in volume and excitement in accordance with the action , and you still get the release of a crowd roaring whenever there ’ s a goal .
The illusion is inevitably broken from time to time .
The virtual crowd only appears from the main broadcast camera angle , for instance , and while the camera operators use a slightly elevated angle for player closeups so as not to show the crowd , it ’ s unavoidable for certain other situations .
Wide-angle cameras mounted to the goalposts , as well @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the lack of crowd in attendance .
Still , though , I honestly think La Liga ’ s take on sports broadcasting in the age of COVID-19 is the best I ’ ve seen yet .
For me , it hits the right blend between abstract and authentic , genuinely adding to the experience without feeling awkward .
I hope other sports organizations are taking notes .

Sports are gradually returning to our TV screens after the coronavirus pandemic brought virtually all competition around the world to a sudden halt. If you’re as big a sports addict as me, you’ll probably take what you can get right now, but the broadcast experiences I’ve watched so far haven’t been all that satisfying. It’s a little hard to get excited when you’re watching players celebrate in deafening silence in a cavernous, empty German arena.
La Liga, Spain’s top football/soccer division, is taking a different approach. The league returned to action last night with a local derby between Seville clubs Real Betis and Sevilla FC, and anyone watching at home might have done a double-take to confirm that the stadium wasn’t full. La Liga is collaborating with EA Sports to pipe in reactive crowd noise, while Norwegian broadcasting tech company Vizrt has provided visuals to give the impression of a live audience.
“We respect a lot what the Bundesliga are doing and the Premier League, and the NBA, but what we are doing will be different,” La Liga audiovisual director Melcior Soler tells The Athletic. “We are thinking of this as a televised entertainment spectacle. What we are going to do is make you recall what you are used to seeing when the stadiums are full.”
The virtual fans aren’t CGI representations of individual humans like you’d see in FIFA 20. Instead, the stands are blanketed in a static texture that does a surprisingly good job of looking like a crowd, so long as your actual attention is focused on the action on the pitch. It looks more like a ‘90s video game or a stereogram if you look at it up close, but overall the effect is pretty convincing. I’d take it over empty seats.
The illusion is inevitably broken from time to time
The audio, meanwhile, takes a similar approach. It’s not much like an actual football crowd with people chanting songs or yelling expletives at the referee, but it adds an emotive layer to the proceedings. There’s a constant hum of background noise that shifts in volume and excitement in accordance with the action, and you still get the release of a crowd roaring whenever there’s a goal.
The illusion is inevitably broken from time to time. The virtual crowd only appears from the main broadcast camera angle, for instance, and while the camera operators use a slightly elevated angle for player closeups so as not to show the crowd, it’s unavoidable for certain other situations. Wide-angle cameras mounted to the goalposts, as well as various aerial shots, sometimes reveal the lack of crowd in attendance.


theverge--2020-06-12--Evan Spiegel on maps, Minis, and the future of Snapchat

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On Thurssday Snap held its second-ever partner summit as a virtual event , announcing a new suite of products and developer tools for Snapchat .
The inaugural event was one of the more memorable tech productions I ’ ve been to — a high-energy keynote from CEO Evan Spiegel in front of giant vertical screens on a converted Hollywood sound stage , at which he introduced the company ’ s games platform .
And so I was disappointed when , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for this year , the event was scaled down to a video chat .
But if the scale of the event was much smaller , the announcements arguably signaled even more ambition .
Snap has had a good year , buoyed — like every other social app — by a lockdown that kept people indoors for months on end , glued to their phones .
The company says more use Snapchat every day than Twitter and TikTok combined .
And on Thursday it introduced a product called Minis , which aim to expand @ @ @ @ @ @ @ meditation , studying , and anything else third-party developers can dream up .
I wrote about Minis at The Verge : Minis were the big headline to come out of the event , but they were preceded by several other noteworthy features : the app ’ s first navigation bar ; a revamped Snap Map that now includes local businesses ; and an editorially curated news platform called Happening Now .
Ahead of the event , I talked with Spiegel about the company ’ s ambitions , whether the pandemic had shifted its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will eventually add turn-by-turn directions .
( Don ’ t hold your breath . )
I also asked a him to talk about his recent blog post asserting Snap ’ s First Amendment rights to amplify speech as it sees fit , and his response is worth reading .
Highlights from our interview follow , edited lightly for clarity .
Casey Newton : Some people have suggested that Minis could be to Snapchat what miniature programs have been for WeChat .
Is that the right way of thinking about them ?
Evan Spiegel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s so unique about minis is that they provide these shared experiences with friends .
Today , I think the app experience on people ’ s phones tends to be very siloed .
In order to do anything with friends , it just takes a lot of work .
So I think one of the cool things about Minis is it takes these little things that are actually frustrating , and take a lot of time to do and are pretty siloed , and just makes it easier to do and more fun @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the easiest example is just movie tickets .
It ’ s such a hassle — you text your friend , do you want to go to the movies ?
What do you want to see ?
You both go back and forth and like send links , or screenshots , and then try to find a time , and try to find a seat .
Why is it so hard ?
And to be able to do that together in a couple taps in a Mini , it just feels really different .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ s where they can really provide value , by removing a lot of friction .
So you know , we ’ re just trying to learn .
But I think what ’ s so cool is we built this really sophisticated engine for gaming .
Actually , that was the much harder problem .
And the easier problem is taking that really sophisticated engine and then applying it to other experiences , like buying movie tickets , Five years in the future , do you see a day where people are constantly opening @ @ @ @ @ @ @ go around town ?
You know , maybe .
But I actually think it has the ability to power more e-commerce .
I ’ d think more about a shared shopping experience , or something that ’ s actually online .
Let ’ s say you ’ re getting ready with your friends , or your school dance is two weeks from now — you can actually shop together with your friends , which I think could be a really fun experience .
You ’ re also turning the camera into a device @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , with these new features that identify plants and trees and dogs .
In past we ’ ve talked about the camera as a tool for capturing the world and being creative .
Where does this other piece fit in ?
It ’ s definitely something we ’ ve been excited about working on , but it ’ s actually hard !
Which is why it ’ s taken us a while to start building this foundation .
Even something just as simple and fun as recommending the right lenses for you when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and I think that ’ s a really compelling use case — [ but ] even something that ’ s simple , that requires really understanding the environment around you and then matching the right AR experience .
So a lot of it was just building a basic foundation and understanding , and now hopefully we ’ ll be able to build a lot more on top of that .
In the next couple years , I really think we can accelerate the different ways we can help people .
Some people may @ @ @ @ @ @ @ identify plants or dogs .
It reminds me of the issue you have with Alexa , or Siri , which is that all the most powerful features are invisible .
How do you think about that problem ?
I totally agree with you .
You know , discoverability , at least for us , is always the problem we actually solve last .
One of the things we want to do is make sure that the technology works really well and provides a great experience for power users , who basically help us @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And then we make it more discoverable .
So actually , at [ the partner summit ] , we ’ re making premium content and the map more discoverable — but that ’ s after many years of working on those products .
So the discoverability piece , I agree with you , is something that we ’ ll have to improve .
But we want to make sure that core experience is awesome .
You mentioned making the Snap Map more prominent .
Adding local businesses feels like a significant step .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t see yourself eventually adding turn-by-turn directions .
So how do you want it to evolve ?
I guess never say never , but I don ’ t see [ directions ] being our priority .
When we look at building products we ’ re always trying to build something that ’ s 10 times better than the next best alternative .
I think it would be really hard to be 10x better than Google at turn-by-turn .
It ’ s definitely not a priority of ours .
I think where we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ personalizing the map , and making it reflect the world the way that you see it .
I understand why driving directions and roads and things like that need to be standardized for everybody , and everyone needs to have the same map .
But for us , the way that we see the map opportunity is really about creating a map that reflects who you are — who your friends are , what they ’ re doing , and what the world looks like right now , because you can see people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ businesses , I think what ’ s going to be so cool is that no matter where you are in the world , you can see the places that are popular with Snapchatters .
You can see when they ’ re popular .
And I think we ’ re going to do a much better job over time , highlighting and surfacing you know the right businesses for you based on who you are , so that I think is just a big opportunity .
I frankly I feel like we waited too @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But you know we ’ re really excited about what this means going forward and I think they ’ ll be great to build on .
So like a lot of social apps , Snap saw a surge in usage in the last quarter as people were trapped indoors .
Other companies changed up their product roadmaps or accelerated certain features to reflect those new behaviors .
Has Snap done any of that ?
This has not frankly , been a time to rethink the roadmap .
As we look at developing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pretty extended period of time .
And so , in our view , while certain behavior patterns have definitely been accelerated , and maybe permanently , structurally changed , like e-commerce — that actually further accelerates the current roadmap that we have , and maybe gets us to some places faster than we thought we ’ d get there .
But it doesn ’ t change the world that we ’ re imagining .
So we definitely view COVID as a temporary event — even though some behaviors may change , I think @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doesn ’ t reflect the way that humans really like to interact with one another .
Finally , the Trump campaign accused you of illegal election interference because you ’ re not promoting the president ’ s account any more .
Any thoughts ?
I think that , very simply , Snapchat exercised its First Amendment rights to choose what it does as a platform .
We ’ re well within our rights to choose what we want to promote .
And in this case , we didn ’ t think it ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ young people that use our service .
So we did what we think was the right thing to do .
I think the interesting thing is that we do seem to be in the middle of a very odd misunderstanding of the First Amendment , which is designed to protect individuals and businesses from the government .
Companies can all decide whatever they want to put on their platforms .
They ’ re well within their rights to do that as private businesses .
Well , can ’ t say I saw this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cox is that basically everybody likes him .
Between 2005 , when he joined the company , and 2019 , when he left , Cox became a top lieutenant to Zuckerberg but also the kind of person people would tell you is “ the heart and soul of the company.
” That ’ s why , when he left — in an occasion momentous enough to warrant an emergency newsletter that I wrote on the plane back from South by Southwest — I said the move would be bad for morale .
As @ @ @ @ @ @ @ classes of Facebook employees when they showed up at their weekly onboarding meetings , Cox was instrumental in passing the company ’ s culture and values to new hires .
He would also reassure employees who worried that Facebook lacks a moral compass .
An engineer who joined the company in 2012 and left earlier this year put it to me this way : A former product manager told me Cox “ is a huge motivator for employees ” and “ the life of the party.
” ( He does play in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one reason why , even years ago , Facebook employees would tell me that if Zuckerberg ever stepped aside Cox would be a strong candidate for CEO .
He ’ s a warm , gregarious presence , and a talented product manager , and now he ’ s overseeing some of the most important products in the world : the Facebook app , Instagram , WhatsApp , and Messenger .
( He ’ ll also oversee marketing . )
Some things I ’ ll be watching for in the coming weeks and months @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on ?
Presumably he didn ’ t just come back to resume his duties as a go-between for product heads and the CEO .
• How does Cox ’ s return affect Zuckerberg ’ s involvement in the product ?
Will Zuckerberg shift more of his time to working on business , policy , and pandemic-related issues , or will he keep having regular meetings with product heads ?
• Will Cox have a public profile ?
He had retreated far into the background by the time he left Facebook — and Zuckerberg @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
With the company facing more questions about the product than ever , to what extent will Cox be out there answering them ?
• Related : will he start tweeting ?
( Please start tweeting . )
• Is he back in the running to become Facebook ’ s eventual CEO ?
To be clear , I don ’ t expect that job will be open anytime soon .
But assuming Cox can rebuild some trust with the Facebook executive team , I ’ d say he ’ s definitely on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can tell you what Cox told Facebook employees during a company all-hands meeting today .
( Because people always ask when I share stuff like this : no , the company did not send this to me , and they generally hate it when people leak things , and Zuckerberg even complained about leaks during the all-hands today . )
Anyway , Cox said in part : His first day back is June 22nd .
Yesterday I wrote about how tech companies are using astroturf campaigns to influence public opinion during the current @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was that , after a 2011 incident , we didn ’ t hear much about astroturfing at Facebook .
A smart reader pointed out that I was being extremely dumb : Facebook got in trouble in 2018 for hiring a firm called Definers to push back on some things George Soros had said about the company at Davos , and one of its tactics was pushing its talking points to a partisan news site that it happened to share an office with .
I wrote about this extensively at the time , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
If you have any ideas on how I can remember all of the things that have happened to Facebook , even for just the past few years , I ’ m listening .
Today in news that could affect public perception of the big tech platforms .
Trending up : Apple CEO Tim Cook announced a new Racial Equity and Justice Initiative with a $ 100 million commitment .
The initiative will focus on the US to start before expanding globally .
( Michael Potuck / 9To5Mac ) Trending up : YouTube @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to amplify the voices of black creators on its platform .
The money will go toward developing talent and funding new shows .
( Taylor Lyles / The Verge ) Trending up : A coalition of tech giants including Google , Facebook , Microsoft and Twitter have backed a five-fold plan to “ eradicate ” child sexual abuse on the internet .
The coalition says it will invest millions of dollars into research and publish annual reports on its progress in tackling abusive content .
The move comes amid increasing regulatory pressure in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( Ryan Browne / CNBC ) Trending down : Snap won ’ t release its diversity numbers publicly .
This is a case where sunlight really is the best disinfectant , and Snap ought to follow its peers — however the bad the numbers are .
( Kim Lyons / The Verge ) Trending down : Google is placing ads on websites that publish health misinformation about COVID-19 .
Ads for organizations like One Medical and UNICEF have been showing up on conspiracy theory websites , allowing those sites to monetize their content @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( Ruth Reader / Fast Company ) ⭐Joe Biden ’ s presidential campaign is stepping up its criticism of Facebook .
On Thursday , the campaign will circulate a petition , along with an open letter to Mark Zuckerberg , demanding the company strengthen its rules against misinformation and hold politicians accountable for harmful speech .
Here ’ s New York Times reporter Cecilia Kang : Some Facebook employees are considering refusing to interview potential hires , over frustration that Zuckerberg didn ’ t take action against Trump ’ s protest posts .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ recommend working at Facebook in this moment .
( Ali Breland / Mother Jones ) The Trump administration has tapped Sen. Josh Hawley ( R-Mo . )
to create new legislation targeting Section 230 , the tech industry ’ s liability shield .
Hawley thinks content moderation should be illegal and does not have anything good to say about the First Amendment , so this one ought to be a doozy .
( Margaret Harding McGill / Axios ) The Environmental Protection Agency ordered Amazon and eBay to stop selling products that falsely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the new orders , the companies have to take the products off their websites and certify they have done so .
( Jennifer A Dlouhy / Bloomberg ) European Union officials are preparing to bring antitrust charges against Amazon for abusing its dominance in online retail to box out smaller rivals .
The case promises to be one of the most aggressive attempts by a government to curb Amazon ’ s power yet .
( Adam Satariano / The New York Times ) Microsoft won ’ t sell police its facial-recognition technology , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and IBM .
With billions of dollars of revenue on the line , we ’ ll see how long they hold out .
( Jay Greene / The Washington Post ) Google , Facebook , and Twitter are complying with an EU request to provide monthly reports on how each company is combatting fake news about COVID-19 on its platforms .
While this could help curb the spread of misinformation , the tech giants aren ’ t legally required to produce these reports , and there ’ s no guidance on exactly what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Vincent / The Verge ) Chinese state media is spreading propaganda about the Communist Party ’ s response to COVID-19 on social media .
Their three main tactics are : sharing positive stories about the government ’ s pandemic response ; rewriting recent coronavirus history to make it more favorable to the party ; and using targeted ads to spread their preferred messages .
An enthusiastic QAnon conspiracy theorist is about to get elected to Congress .
Marjorie Taylor Greene , who frequently posts about the bizarre pro-Trump theory , came in first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tuesday .
Judd Legum notes she successfully posted Facebook ads in which she brandishes a semi-automatic rifle and threatens “ antifa terrorists.
” The ads were later removed .
( Will Sommer / Daily Beast ) Google countersued Sonos today for patent infringement .
The move follows a lawsuit Sonos filed against Google in January .
“ While Google rarely sues other companies for patent infringement , it must assert its intellectual property rights here , ” the company said .
( Zoe Schiffer and Nilay Patel / The Verge ) Twitch will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for copyrighted music , following a wave of takedown requests .
The company said it will automatically delete clips with copyrighted music in them but will not penalize streamers .
( Jacob Kastrenakes / The Verge ) ⭐ Facebook is testing a new version of search that displays information from public sources like Wikipedia on the platform .
The goal is to keep users on Facebook when they ’ re looking for factual information they would otherwise turn to Google or Wikipedia to find .
I ’ ve never understood why Facebook abandoned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ heavily in 2013 .
Sarah Perez at TechCrunch explains the feature and some of its early limitations : Facebook has been hiring experienced tech investors to help lead a new “ multimillion-dollar ” investment fund within its experimental apps team .
If it ’ s successful , this strategy could help Facebook see some upside from the startup ecosystem during a time in which regulators likely won ’ t allow it to acquire other social networks .
( Ina Fried and Kia Kokalitcheva / Axios ) A private Facebook group for New York @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The group shut down after silencing black members .
Now new groups are forming that are explicitly anti-racist .
( Taylor Lorenz / The New York Times ) The new and improved Facebook News contains almost none of the stories that perform well on the rest of the platform .
The section features lots of journalism from mainstream outlets , and seems to rely heavily on The New York Times .
Good !
( Laura Hazard Owen / Nieman Lab ) Jack Dorsey ’ s commitment to quickly giving $ 1 billion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as hard to give away money as billionaires often make it out to be .
( Theodore Schleifer / Recode ) Change.org employees are calling on the company to donate all funds from a petition demanding accountability for the killing of George Floyd to Floyd ’ s family and organizers — rather than using the funds to promote the campaign itself .
Employees say the organization has misled donors about where their money is going .
( Russell Brandom / The Verge ) Stuff to occupy you online during the quarantine .
Watch @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s PlayStation 5 launch .
Look , maybe you ’ re not a video-game nerd like me — fine .
But if you like looking at software that mostly makes people happy and and lives happily at the intersection of art and technology , I can ’ t imagine a better way to spend the weekend .
Send us tips , comments , questions , and Chris Cox stories : casey @ theverge.com and zoe @ theverge.com .

On Thursday Snap held its second-ever partner summit as a virtual event, announcing a new suite of products and developer tools for Snapchat. The inaugural event was one of the more memorable tech productions I’ve been to — a high-energy keynote from CEO Evan Spiegel in front of giant vertical screens on a converted Hollywood sound stage, at which he introduced the company’s games platform. And so I was disappointed when, along with every other big gathering planned for this year, the event was scaled down to a video chat.
But if the scale of the event was much smaller, the announcements arguably signaled even more ambition. Snap has had a good year, buoyed — like every other social app — by a lockdown that kept people indoors for months on end, glued to their phones. The company says more use Snapchat every day than Twitter and TikTok combined. And on Thursday it introduced a product called Minis, which aim to expand Snapchat’s capabilities into e-commerce, meditation, studying, and anything else third-party developers can dream up.
I wrote about Minis at The Verge:
Snap today announced Minis, a suite of miniature applications made by third-party developers that run inside of Snapchat. Minis are built using HTML and enable a range of experiences from meditating alone to buying movie tickets with friends. Minis, which are integrated into the chat window on Snapchat, were one of several new features announced today at Snap’s virtual Partner Summit. The existence of Minis was first reported last month by The Information, which likened them to the mini programs that have turned WeChat into one of the most popular apps in China. The programs — which let users buy food, pay their bills, and complete other tasks — generated $113 billion for WeChat last year, up 160 percent from the year prior, The Information reported. The company takes a cut of purchases made through the app.
Minis were the big headline to come out of the event, but they were preceded by several other noteworthy features: the app’s first navigation bar; a revamped Snap Map that now includes local businesses; and an editorially curated news platform called Happening Now.
Ahead of the event, I talked with Spiegel about the company’s ambitions, whether the pandemic had shifted its roadmap, and whether the Snap Map will eventually add turn-by-turn directions. (Don’t hold your breath.) I also asked a him to talk about his recent blog post asserting Snap’s First Amendment rights to amplify speech as it sees fit, and his response is worth reading.
Highlights from our interview follow, edited lightly for clarity.
Casey Newton: Some people have suggested that Minis could be to Snapchat what miniature programs have been for WeChat. Is that the right way of thinking about them?
Evan Spiegel: One of the things that’s so unique about minis is that they provide these shared experiences with friends. Today, I think the app experience on people’s phones tends to be very siloed. In order to do anything with friends, it just takes a lot of work. So I think one of the cool things about Minis is it takes these little things that are actually frustrating, and take a lot of time to do and are pretty siloed, and just makes it easier to do and more fun to do with your friends.
Maybe the easiest example is just movie tickets. It’s such a hassle — you text your friend, do you want to go to the movies? What do you want to see? You both go back and forth and like send links, or screenshots, and then try to find a time, and try to find a seat. Why is it so hard? And to be able to do that together in a couple taps in a Mini, it just feels really different. And so I think like that’s where they can really provide value, by removing a lot of friction.
So you know, we’re just trying to learn. But I think what’s so cool is we built this really sophisticated engine for gaming. Actually, that was the much harder problem. And the easier problem is taking that really sophisticated engine and then applying it to other experiences, like buying movie tickets,
Five years in the future, do you see a day where people are constantly opening up Snapchat to transact business as they go around town?
You know, maybe. But I actually think it has the ability to power more e-commerce. I’d think more about a shared shopping experience, or something that’s actually online.
Let’s say you’re getting ready with your friends, or your school dance is two weeks from now — you can actually shop together with your friends, which I think could be a really fun experience.
You’re also turning the camera into a device that better understands the world around you, with these new features that identify plants and trees and dogs. In past we’ve talked about the camera as a tool for capturing the world and being creative. Where does this other piece fit in?
It’s definitely something we’ve been excited about working on, but it’s actually hard! Which is why it’s taken us a while to start building this foundation. Even something just as simple and fun as recommending the right lenses for you when you’re at the beach, and I think that’s a really compelling use case — [but] even something that’s simple, that requires really understanding the environment around you and then matching the right AR experience. So a lot of it was just building a basic foundation and understanding, and now hopefully we’ll be able to build a lot more on top of that. In the next couple years, I really think we can accelerate the different ways we can help people.
Some people may not realize that their Snapchat camera can identify plants or dogs. It reminds me of the issue you have with Alexa, or Siri, which is that all the most powerful features are invisible. How do you think about that problem?
I totally agree with you. You know, discoverability, at least for us, is always the problem we actually solve last. One of the things we want to do is make sure that the technology works really well and provides a great experience for power users, who basically help us learn how to make it better. And then we make it more discoverable.
So actually, at [the partner summit], we’re making premium content and the map more discoverable — but that’s after many years of working on those products. So the discoverability piece, I agree with you, is something that we’ll have to improve. But we want to make sure that core experience is awesome.
You mentioned making the Snap Map more prominent. Adding local businesses feels like a significant step. But I’m guessing you don’t see yourself eventually adding turn-by-turn directions. So how do you want it to evolve?
I guess never say never, but I don’t see [directions] being our priority.
When we look at building products we’re always trying to build something that’s 10 times better than the next best alternative. I think it would be really hard to be 10x better than Google at turn-by-turn. It’s definitely not a priority of ours.
I think where we do see a real opportunity is in personalizing the map, and making it reflect the world the way that you see it. I understand why driving directions and roads and things like that need to be standardized for everybody, and everyone needs to have the same map. But for us, the way that we see the map opportunity is really about creating a map that reflects who you are — who your friends are, what they’re doing, and what the world looks like right now, because you can see people’s snaps.
And now with businesses, I think what’s going to be so cool is that no matter where you are in the world, you can see the places that are popular with Snapchatters. You can see when they’re popular. And I think we’re going to do a much better job over time, highlighting and surfacing you know the right businesses for you based on who you are, so that I think is just a big opportunity. I frankly I feel like we waited too long to add businesses to the map. But you know we’re really excited about what this means going forward and I think they’ll be great to build on.
So like a lot of social apps, Snap saw a surge in usage in the last quarter as people were trapped indoors. Other companies changed up their product roadmaps or accelerated certain features to reflect those new behaviors. Has Snap done any of that?
This has not frankly, been a time to rethink the roadmap. As we look at developing products, we really think over a pretty extended period of time. And so, in our view, while certain behavior patterns have definitely been accelerated, and maybe permanently, structurally changed, like e-commerce — that actually further accelerates the current roadmap that we have, and maybe gets us to some places faster than we thought we’d get there.
But it doesn’t change the world that we’re imagining. So we definitely view COVID as a temporary event — even though some behaviors may change, I think building for everyone staying at home probably doesn’t reflect the way that humans really like to interact with one another.
Finally, the Trump campaign accused you of illegal election interference because you’re not promoting the president’s account any more. Any thoughts?
I think that, very simply, Snapchat exercised its First Amendment rights to choose what it does as a platform. We’re well within our rights to choose what we want to promote. And in this case, we didn’t think it’s appropriate to promote violence to the young people that use our service. So we did what we think was the right thing to do.
I think the interesting thing is that we do seem to be in the middle of a very odd misunderstanding of the First Amendment, which is designed to protect individuals and businesses from the government. Companies can all decide whatever they want to put on their platforms. They’re well within their rights to do that as private businesses.
The Chris Cox comeback
Well, can’t say I saw this one coming:
A year after quitting the company over differences with CEO Mark Zuckerberg over the company’s direction, Chris Cox is returning to Facebook as its chief product officer. The company said today that Cox would resume in his duties, which include overseeing the core Facebook app, Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp, along with marketing. “Facebook and our products have never been more relevant to our future,” Cox said in a post announcing his return. “It’s also the place I know best, and the best place for me to roll up my sleeves and dig in to help.”
The thing about Chris Cox is that basically everybody likes him. Between 2005, when he joined the company, and 2019, when he left, Cox became a top lieutenant to Zuckerberg but also the kind of person people would tell you is “the heart and soul of the company.” That’s why, when he left — in an occasion momentous enough to warrant an emergency newsletter that I wrote on the plane back from South by Southwest — I said the move would be bad for morale.
As the person who spoke to most new classes of Facebook employees when they showed up at their weekly onboarding meetings, Cox was instrumental in passing the company’s culture and values to new hires. He would also reassure employees who worried that Facebook lacks a moral compass.
An engineer who joined the company in 2012 and left earlier this year put it to me this way:
When I first started at FB I had moral qualms about things Facebook was doing, like time spent and the invasiveness of the mobile apps. I talked to Cox in a panic a few times and I got the impression he really cared about the user and actually put them first, before growth or profits. I don’t think his viewpoint won out in the end, and we should be realistic about the massive problem FB is for the world today, but he’s the best of the leadership.
A former product manager told me Cox “is a huge motivator for employees” and “the life of the party.” (He does play in a reggae band.) That’s one reason why, even years ago, Facebook employees would tell me that if Zuckerberg ever stepped aside Cox would be a strong candidate for CEO. He’s a warm, gregarious presence, and a talented product manager, and now he’s overseeing some of the most important products in the world: the Facebook app, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger. (He’ll also oversee marketing.)
Some things I’ll be watching for in the coming weeks and months:
What will Cox actually work on? Presumably he didn’t just come back to resume his duties as a go-between for product heads and the CEO.
How does Cox’s return affect Zuckerberg’s involvement in the product? Will Zuckerberg shift more of his time to working on business, policy, and pandemic-related issues, or will he keep having regular meetings with product heads?
Will Cox have a public profile? He had retreated far into the background by the time he left Facebook — and Zuckerberg became a much more active company spokesman. With the company facing more questions about the product than ever, to what extent will Cox be out there answering them?
Related: will he start tweeting? (Please start tweeting.)
Is he back in the running to become Facebook’s eventual CEO? To be clear, I don’t expect that job will be open anytime soon. But assuming Cox can rebuild some trust with the Facebook executive team, I’d say he’s definitely on the shortlist.
In any case, I can tell you what Cox told Facebook employees during a company all-hands meeting today. (Because people always ask when I share stuff like this: no, the company did not send this to me, and they generally hate it when people leak things, and Zuckerberg even complained about leaks during the all-hands today.)
Anyway, Cox said in part:
Obviously, it’s been a crazy 2020. I think around the beginning of the year, I started feeling myself really pulled back to Facebook. I’ve been really impressed and proud of the work we’ve done on misinformation, on COVID, on dealing with safety in an encrypted environment. And I’m getting aligned around the product strategies. So I was feeling — because of the context of the time we’re in, and also because of the company’s operation in the year I’ve been gone — some combination of nostalgia and excitement about the importance of our work in the future. I also think there’s a really interesting context around the future of work and education and connectedness that COVID has brought us. I’m watching my son, who’s 5, trying to use Zoom to be educated as a kindergartener, and learn how to mute. And there’s no app layer, and there’s no tools, and the latency is bad. And I feel like we have a really unique opportunity to contribute to the way that people are connected to their loved ones and to their colleagues into their work over the many years ahead. And I think if we’re gonna have a silver lining from these moments, it will be that one, we’re able to deliver better tools for remote engagement, and two, we’re able to elevate our platform as having a role in equalizing injustice. For all those reasons, I’m re-energized, and I’m super stoked about coming back to work with my team, and with Mark, Sheryl, Shroep, and Javi. Everyone I talked to has been super re-energized about getting reconnected with the company, and hopefully helping out. So I look forward to getting started again.
His first day back is June 22nd.
Pushback
Yesterday I wrote about how tech companies are using astroturf campaigns to influence public opinion during the current antitrust debate. One thing I said was that, after a 2011 incident, we didn’t hear much about astroturfing at Facebook. A smart reader pointed out that I was being extremely dumb: Facebook got in trouble in 2018 for hiring a firm called Definers to push back on some things George Soros had said about the company at Davos, and one of its tactics was pushing its talking points to a partisan news site that it happened to share an office with. I wrote about this extensively at the time, but forgot to mention it when I should.
If you have any ideas on how I can remember all of the things that have happened to Facebook, even for just the past few years, I’m listening.
The Ratio
Today in news that could affect public perception of the big tech platforms.
🔼 Trending up: Apple CEO Tim Cook announced a new Racial Equity and Justice Initiative with a $100 million commitment. The initiative will focus on the US to start before expanding globally. (Michael Potuck / 9To5Mac)
🔼 Trending up: YouTube is launching a $100 million fund to amplify the voices of black creators on its platform. The money will go toward developing talent and funding new shows. (Taylor Lyles / The Verge)
🔼 Trending up: A coalition of tech giants including Google, Facebook, Microsoft and Twitter have backed a five-fold plan to “eradicate” child sexual abuse on the internet. The coalition says it will invest millions of dollars into research and publish annual reports on its progress in tackling abusive content. The move comes amid increasing regulatory pressure in the United States to do more. (Ryan Browne / CNBC)
🔽Trending down: Snap won’t release its diversity numbers publicly. This is a case where sunlight really is the best disinfectant, and Snap ought to follow its peers — however the bad the numbers are. (Kim Lyons / The Verge)
🔽 Trending down: Google is placing ads on websites that publish health misinformation about COVID-19. Ads for organizations like One Medical and UNICEF have been showing up on conspiracy theory websites, allowing those sites to monetize their content, and making money for Google. (Ruth Reader / Fast Company)
Governing
⭐Joe Biden’s presidential campaign is stepping up its criticism of Facebook. On Thursday, the campaign will circulate a petition, along with an open letter to Mark Zuckerberg, demanding the company strengthen its rules against misinformation and hold politicians accountable for harmful speech. Here’s New York Times reporter Cecilia Kang:
The move puts the Biden camp in the center of a raging debate about the role and responsibility of tech platforms. Civil rights leaders, Democratic lawmakers and many of Facebook’s own employees say that big tech companies have a responsibility to prevent false and hateful information from being shared widely. But conservatives, including Mr. Trump, accuse social media companies that have tightened their speech policies, like Twitter and Snap, of political bias. Two weeks ago, after Twitter attached fact-checking notices to two of the president’s tweets that made false claims about voter fraud, Mr. Trump signed an executive order that would make it easier for federal regulators to argue that the companies are suppressing free speech.
Some Facebook employees are considering refusing to interview potential hires, over frustration that Zuckerberg didn’t take action against Trump’s protest posts. They say it’s hard to recommend working at Facebook in this moment. (Ali Breland / Mother Jones)
The Trump administration has tapped Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) to create new legislation targeting Section 230, the tech industry’s liability shield. Hawley thinks content moderation should be illegal and does not have anything good to say about the First Amendment, so this one ought to be a doozy. (Margaret Harding McGill / Axios)
The Environmental Protection Agency ordered Amazon and eBay to stop selling products that falsely claim to protect against COVID-19. Under the new orders, the companies have to take the products off their websites and certify they have done so. (Jennifer A Dlouhy / Bloomberg)
European Union officials are preparing to bring antitrust charges against Amazon for abusing its dominance in online retail to box out smaller rivals. The case promises to be one of the most aggressive attempts by a government to curb Amazon’s power yet. (Adam Satariano / The New York Times)
Microsoft won’t sell police its facial-recognition technology, following similar announcements this week by Amazon and IBM. With billions of dollars of revenue on the line, we’ll see how long they hold out. (Jay Greene / The Washington Post)
Google, Facebook, and Twitter are complying with an EU request to provide monthly reports on how each company is combatting fake news about COVID-19 on its platforms. While this could help curb the spread of misinformation, the tech giants aren’t legally required to produce these reports, and there’s no guidance on exactly what the reports should contain. (James Vincent / The Verge)
Chinese state media is spreading propaganda about the Communist Party’s response to COVID-19 on social media. Their three main tactics are: sharing positive stories about the government’s pandemic response; rewriting recent coronavirus history to make it more favorable to the party; and using targeted ads to spread their preferred messages.
An enthusiastic QAnon conspiracy theorist is about to get elected to Congress. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who frequently posts about the bizarre pro-Trump theory, came in first in a Republican primary in Georgia on Tuesday. Judd Legum notes she successfully posted Facebook ads in which she brandishes a semi-automatic rifle and threatens “antifa terrorists.” The ads were later removed. (Will Sommer / Daily Beast)
Google countersued Sonos today for patent infringement. The move follows a lawsuit Sonos filed against Google in January. “While Google rarely sues other companies for patent infringement, it must assert its intellectual property rights here,” the company said. (Zoe Schiffer and Nilay Patel / The Verge)
Twitch will start automatically scanning clips of live streams for copyrighted music, following a wave of takedown requests. The company said it will automatically delete clips with copyrighted music in them but will not penalize streamers. (Jacob Kastrenakes / The Verge)
Industry
⭐ Facebook is testing a new version of search that displays information from public sources like Wikipedia on the platform. The goal is to keep users on Facebook when they’re looking for factual information they would otherwise turn to Google or Wikipedia to find. I’ve never understood why Facebook abandoned its search ambitions after investing in them heavily in 2013. Sarah Perez at TechCrunch explains the feature and some of its early limitations:
The information is gathered from publicly available data, including Wikipedia. But instead of requiring users to click out of Facebook to view the information, it’s displayed in a side panel next to the search results. This is similar to the automatically generated Knowledge Panel format Google uses for these same types of searches. [...] We’ve found the new feature can be fairly hit or miss, however. For starters, it doesn’t always recognize a search term as a proper title. A search for “joker,” for instance displayed a Wikipedia-powered information box for the movie. But a search for “parasite” failed to do so for the Oscar-winning title that became the first non-English film to win Best Picture in 2020.
Facebook has been hiring experienced tech investors to help lead a new “multimillion-dollar” investment fund within its experimental apps team. If it’s successful, this strategy could help Facebook see some upside from the startup ecosystem during a time in which regulators likely won’t allow it to acquire other social networks. (Ina Fried and Kia Kokalitcheva / Axios)
A private Facebook group for New York City moms imploded over accusations of racism. The group shut down after silencing black members. Now new groups are forming that are explicitly anti-racist. (Taylor Lorenz / The New York Times)
The new and improved Facebook News contains almost none of the stories that perform well on the rest of the platform. The section features lots of journalism from mainstream outlets, and seems to rely heavily on The New York Times. Good! (Laura Hazard Owen / Nieman Lab)
Change.org employees are calling on the company to donate all funds from a petition demanding accountability for the killing of George Floyd to Floyd’s family and organizers — rather than using the funds to promote the campaign itself. Employees say the organization has misled donors about where their money is going. (Russell Brandom / The Verge)
Things to do
Stuff to occupy you online during the quarantine.
Watch the 24 best trailers from Thursday’s PlayStation 5 launch. Look, maybe you’re not a video-game nerd like me — fine. But if you like looking at software that mostly makes people happy and and lives happily at the intersection of art and technology, I can’t imagine a better way to spend the weekend.
Those good tweets
Talk to us


theverge--2020-06-12--Veteran chip engineer Jim Keller leaves Intel after just two years

Veteran chip designer Jim Keller has left Intel after just two years at the firm .
Intel said Keller was resigning his position effective immediately due to unspecified “ personal reasons.
” Keller will serve as a consultant to the company for six months to smooth the transition period , said Intel .
AnandTech ’ s Ian Cutress reports that Keller will be consulting exclusively for Intel during that time .
Keller is an industry veteran who has previously worked at Apple , AMD , and Tesla , and was seen as a key hire for Intel when he joined @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He previously worked on Apple ’ s A4 and A5 processors ( used in the iPhone 4 and 4S , respectively ) , as well as the custom silicon behind Tesla ’ s self-driving car ambitions .
“ Many of us have witnessed first-hand Jim ’ s technical strength in CPU design and passion for silicon engineering ” AnandTech reports that while at Intel , Keller was working to streamline the company ’ s silicon development process while creating platforms that would help the company to build its future products .
In an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s chief engineering officer Murthy Renduchintala thanked Keller for his work .
“ Many of us have witnessed first-hand Jim ’ s technical strength in CPU design and passion for silicon engineering , ” he wrote .
“ I personally very much appreciated his efforts to help us advance Intel ’ s product leadership .
”

Veteran chip designer Jim Keller has left Intel after just two years at the firm. Intel said Keller was resigning his position effective immediately due to unspecified “personal reasons.” Keller will serve as a consultant to the company for six months to smooth the transition period, said Intel. AnandTech’s Ian Cutress reports that Keller will be consulting exclusively for Intel during that time.
Keller is an industry veteran who has previously worked at Apple, AMD, and Tesla, and was seen as a key hire for Intel when he joined the company back in April 2018. He previously worked on Apple’s A4 and A5 processors (used in the iPhone 4 and 4S, respectively), as well as the custom silicon behind Tesla’s self-driving car ambitions.
“Many of us have witnessed first-hand Jim’s technical strength in CPU design and passion for silicon engineering”
AnandTech reports that while at Intel, Keller was working to streamline the company’s silicon development process while creating platforms that would help the company to build its future products.