theverge--2020-06-26--LG Velvet review: sleek, not smooth

LG Velvet review: sleek, not smooth

I ’ ve used most of LG ’ s flagship phones over the past few years .
Enjoyed using them , even .
But heck if I could pick them out of a lineup .
LG has pursued an aggressively bland design language adopted in near-identical fashion by virtually all of its recent phones .
The G7 , the V40 , the G8 , the V50 , and so on are all fine devices on paper , but they ’ re only distinguishable if you can remember their specific screen sizes and camera layouts — and even then it ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for this , it ’ s not working .
LG is hanging onto its distant third place in the US , and it ’ s a non-entity in many other major markets .
And so now we have the Velvet , a phone that sees LG take completely the opposite approach to its typical idea of a flagship phone , abandoning the long-running G-series altogether .
It ’ s an attempt for the company to be taken seriously as a design leader , as it was in the days of the iconic Chocolate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ LG even managed to restrain itself from including “ ThinQ ” in the name . )
The Velvet is a mid-range phone with mid-range pricing but unmistakably high-end fit and finish .
After using it for a week , I can say that the Velvet truly does not look or feel like any LG phone to date , or any other 5G phone out there .
The question is what was sacrificed to achieve this .
I would normally start a phone review by talking about its industrial design .
It ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ phones where the choice of processor has a material impact on its user experience .
In this case , though , LG ’ s decision to go with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 765 ( and the slightly faster 765G in the US ) informs almost everything about the device .
Just about every flagship Android phone you ’ ll read about this year will use a Snapdragon 865 system-on-chip at its core .
It ’ s the fastest chip available to Android device manufacturers .
But the problem with the 865 is that not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 5G modem , Qualcomm mandates that it be paired with a separate 5G modem , which takes up physical space and consumes more power .
The upshot is that 4G flagship Android phones effectively no longer exist , and 2020 5G phones tend to be pretty thick and heavy .
The 765 isn ’ t as powerful a chip as the 865 , but it does come with an integrated 5G modem , allowing for a more efficient design .
LG ’ s bet is that by sacrificing a little bit of top-end @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sleeker phone that ’ ll still work well with new 5G networks .
The first time you pick up the Velvet , you ’ ll understand that LG really did go all-in on that bet .
This is by far the most attractive phone that LG has made in many years — maybe ever .
It ’ s beautifully crafted from top to bottom , with a strong sense of balance in its curves and lines .
Next to most other 2020 Android flagships , its 7.9mm-thick frame feels like something from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ past of just a few years ago , when many Android phones were pushing the limits of thin designs . )
I appreciate , though , that this may not show up all that well in photos , particularly since LG sent us this boring “ Aurora Gray ” fingerprint-magnet version .
This is the kind of phone you have to hold in your hand to understand the appeal of .
The symmetrically curved glass on the front and back isn ’ t strictly new , for example , but it adds to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would not necessarily say LG is breaking new ground here , it ’ s refreshing in the context of today ’ s high-end phones .
This is still very much a big phone , however , so don ’ t go expecting the modest specs to allow for a breakthrough in portability .
The Velvet has a 6.8-inch 1080p curved OLED screen with a selfie camera notch and slim bezels on the top and bottom ; the top edge is a little thicker than what you ’ ll find on other phones , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” on the bottom .
Although the screen itself looks great , it has a couple of issues .
It only runs at 60Hz , which puts it out of step with basically every other premium Android phone this year .
I also found that the in-screen fingerprint sensor was slow and unreliable compared to what I ’ ve routinely used on cheaper Chinese phones for years now , often requiring a second or third press to authenticate .
The Velvet ’ s screen isn ’ t class-leading , then , but that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have two of them at once .
Depending on your market , the Velvet ships with a new version of the Dual Screen accessory that LG has been experimenting with on its last few flagships .
This one is a little more refined than before , though it ’ s still unavoidably bulky , and the smaller camera cutout on the back makes it harder to remove than ever .
I do consider it a strong selling point for power users , though — it ’ s a great way to multitask , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it on the phone all the time .
Speaking of the cameras , the minimalist “ raindrop ” design was a much-vaunted part of LG ’ s pre-launch hype for the Velvet .
There ’ s one big camera lens at the top , then two smaller lenses and a flash below that evoke dripping water .
It does look cool and it ’ s refreshing not to have a huge camera bump , but all things considered I think I ’ d rather have a better camera setup .
While the Velvet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in decent photos most of the time , it often suffers from over-sharpening and it isn ’ t competitive in low light .
Here are a few comparisons with the iPhone 11 , which is one of the better cameras in this price segment .
The Velvet ekes out a little more pixel level detail in the flowers , but the colors are very flat .
In real life , these flowers definitely looked more like the bluish shades captured by the iPhone .
Here are a couple of night mode shots .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ so from one point of view the Velvet shot is truer to life .
The iPhone , however , captures both more color and detail despite the longer exposure , which nine times out of ten is what I ’ m going to want .
The 8-megapixel ultrawide , meanwhile , is disappointing considering that LG was the first major phone maker to ship one all the way back on 2016 ’ s G5 .
It ’ ll do the job if you have enough light , but the photos are dim and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than the ultrawide on the iPhone 11 , which itself is nowhere near as good as competitors like the Huawei P40 Pro .
The iPhone does blow out the sun a little here , but its exposure is generally much more pleasing and it captures a lot more detail .
The Velvet photo looks like a water painting if you zoom in even a little .
That third lens in the “ raindrop ” layout is a 5-megapixel “ depth sensor ” to assist with artificial bokeh , though I ’ m not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if any .
Other phones are capable of doing this with single lenses , and if LG really wanted to add a third for this purpose I feel like it might as well have been a telephoto .
The Velvet ’ s cameras aren ’ t terrible , but they ’ re not great .
The image quality feels incongruous with the phone ’ s build quality .
You ’ re firmly in mid-range territory here .
That brings me to the Velvet ’ s Snapdragon 765 processor which , as I mentioned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ phone is the way it is .
In general use , I don ’ t think it represents much of a compromise .
Apps load quickly , web pages render as expected , games run fine , and so on .
But the Velvet still somehow feels slow , whether it ’ s the 60Hz display or the somehow stuttery scrolling in certain apps .
I don ’ t know if it ’ s the chip itself or LG ’ s software , but it doesn ’ t match up to other 2020 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , however , wring excellent battery life out of the 765 .
Despite its thin frame , there ’ s a 4,300mAh cell in here , and it ’ s been more than enough for me to make it through the day — I wouldn ’ t have too many qualms about pushing it for two .
( Granted , I haven ’ t been leaving the house all that much . )
There is one final piece of bad news I have to report : the Velvet is LG ’ s first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ship with a Quad DAC for high-quality headphone performance .
It does still have a headphone jack , at least , but you won ’ t get that extra boost .
While I ’ m not a hardcore audiophile , I can certainly hear the difference when I switch the Quad DAC on with other LG phones , so I ’ m a little sad to see it missing here .
At least the haptics are still good .
The LG Velvet is an unusual phone that doesn ’ t really have any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attractive mid-range device in a world of okay-looking ultra-powerful flagships .
If you don ’ t care about screen refresh rates and camera performance as much as you do slick looks and a lightweight design ( or a bulky dual-screen case ) , it could well be for you , particularly if 5G is also a priority .
For everyone else , though , it might be a tough sell .
We don ’ t have final US pricing announced yet , but I think it ’ ll be hard to recommend if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 600 with the Dual Screen .
For comparison , last year ’ s G8X had flagship specs but a boring design and no 5G ; it sold for $ 699 with a chunkier version of the second-screen case .
LG says the pricing will be lower than the Korean version ’ s ~ $ 750 , but ultimately it ’ ll be set by carriers .
I like LG ’ s approach with the Velvet .
It ’ s genuinely trying something different after years of making niche flagships , and this is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new design .
Unfortunately , it falls short in a couple of key areas , and I think most people will probably be able to find better options .
But between the Velvet and reports of even more experimental form factors , I can at least say I ’ m intrigued by LG ’ s phone design again .

I’ve used most of LG’s flagship phones over the past few years. Enjoyed using them, even. But heck if I could pick them out of a lineup. LG has pursued an aggressively bland design language adopted in near-identical fashion by virtually all of its recent phones. The G7, the V40, the G8, the V50, and so on are all fine devices on paper, but they’re only distinguishable if you can remember their specific screen sizes and camera layouts — and even then it’s a challenge.
Whatever the reason for this, it’s not working. LG is hanging onto its distant third place in the US, and it’s a non-entity in many other major markets.
And so now we have the Velvet, a phone that sees LG take completely the opposite approach to its typical idea of a flagship phone, abandoning the long-running G-series altogether. It’s an attempt for the company to be taken seriously as a design leader, as it was in the days of the iconic Chocolate slider in the mid aughts. (LG even managed to restrain itself from including “ThinQ” in the name.) The Velvet is a mid-range phone with mid-range pricing but unmistakably high-end fit and finish.
After using it for a week, I can say that the Velvet truly does not look or feel like any LG phone to date, or any other 5G phone out there. The question is what was sacrificed to achieve this.
7 Verge Score LG Velvet The Good Slick design
Useful Dual Screen case
Headphone jack
Good battery life The Bad Sometimes stuttering performance
60Hz screen
Average cameras
No more Quad DAC How we rate and review products
I would normally start a phone review by talking about its industrial design. It’s not all that often that I use phones where the choice of processor has a material impact on its user experience. In this case, though, LG’s decision to go with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 765 (and the slightly faster 765G in the US) informs almost everything about the device.
Just about every flagship Android phone you’ll read about this year will use a Snapdragon 865 system-on-chip at its core. It’s the fastest chip available to Android device manufacturers. But the problem with the 865 is that not only does it not have an integrated 5G modem, Qualcomm mandates that it be paired with a separate 5G modem, which takes up physical space and consumes more power. The upshot is that 4G flagship Android phones effectively no longer exist, and 2020 5G phones tend to be pretty thick and heavy.
The 765 isn’t as powerful a chip as the 865, but it does come with an integrated 5G modem, allowing for a more efficient design. LG’s bet is that by sacrificing a little bit of top-end performance, you’ll get a sleeker phone that’ll still work well with new 5G networks.
The first time you pick up the Velvet, you’ll understand that LG really did go all-in on that bet. This is by far the most attractive phone that LG has made in many years — maybe ever. It’s beautifully crafted from top to bottom, with a strong sense of balance in its curves and lines. Next to most other 2020 Android flagships, its 7.9mm-thick frame feels like something from the future. (Or from the recent past of just a few years ago, when many Android phones were pushing the limits of thin designs.)
The LG Velvet’s “raindrop” cameras.
I appreciate, though, that this may not show up all that well in photos, particularly since LG sent us this boring “Aurora Gray” fingerprint-magnet version. This is the kind of phone you have to hold in your hand to understand the appeal of. The symmetrically curved glass on the front and back isn’t strictly new, for example, but it adds to the sensation of thinness. While I would not necessarily say LG is breaking new ground here, it’s refreshing in the context of today’s high-end phones.
This is still very much a big phone, however, so don’t go expecting the modest specs to allow for a breakthrough in portability. The Velvet has a 6.8-inch 1080p curved OLED screen with a selfie camera notch and slim bezels on the top and bottom; the top edge is a little thicker than what you’ll find on other phones, but it balances out the “chin” on the bottom.
Although the screen itself looks great, it has a couple of issues. It only runs at 60Hz, which puts it out of step with basically every other premium Android phone this year. I also found that the in-screen fingerprint sensor was slow and unreliable compared to what I’ve routinely used on cheaper Chinese phones for years now, often requiring a second or third press to authenticate.
The Velvet’s screen isn’t class-leading, then, but that’s easier to forgive when you have two of them at once. Depending on your market, the Velvet ships with a new version of the Dual Screen accessory that LG has been experimenting with on its last few flagships. This one is a little more refined than before, though it’s still unavoidably bulky, and the smaller camera cutout on the back makes it harder to remove than ever. I do consider it a strong selling point for power users, though — it’s a great way to multitask, even if I wouldn’t leave it on the phone all the time.
The LG Velvet in its Dual Screen case.
Speaking of the cameras, the minimalist “raindrop” design was a much-vaunted part of LG’s pre-launch hype for the Velvet. There’s one big camera lens at the top, then two smaller lenses and a flash below that evoke dripping water. It does look cool and it’s refreshing not to have a huge camera bump, but all things considered I think I’d rather have a better camera setup.
While the Velvet’s 48-megapixel main camera turns in decent photos most of the time, it often suffers from over-sharpening and it isn’t competitive in low light. Here are a few comparisons with the iPhone 11, which is one of the better cameras in this price segment.
LG Velvet (left), iPhone 11 (right)
The Velvet ekes out a little more pixel level detail in the flowers, but the colors are very flat. In real life, these flowers definitely looked more like the bluish shades captured by the iPhone.
LG Velvet (left), iPhone 11 (right)
Here are a couple of night mode shots. This was a really dark alleyway, so from one point of view the Velvet shot is truer to life. The iPhone, however, captures both more color and detail despite the longer exposure, which nine times out of ten is what I’m going to want.
The 8-megapixel ultrawide, meanwhile, is disappointing considering that LG was the first major phone maker to ship one all the way back on 2016’s G5. It’ll do the job if you have enough light, but the photos are dim and lack detail. It’s worse than the ultrawide on the iPhone 11, which itself is nowhere near as good as competitors like the Huawei P40 Pro.
LG Velvet (left), iPhone 11 (right)
The iPhone does blow out the sun a little here, but its exposure is generally much more pleasing and it captures a lot more detail. The Velvet photo looks like a watercolor painting if you zoom in even a little.
That third lens in the “raindrop” layout is a 5-megapixel “depth sensor” to assist with artificial bokeh, though I’m not entirely sure what difference it made — if any. Other phones are capable of doing this with single lenses, and if LG really wanted to add a third for this purpose I feel like it might as well have been a telephoto.
The Velvet’s cameras aren’t terrible, but they’re not great. The image quality feels incongruous with the phone’s build quality. You’re firmly in mid-range territory here.
That brings me to the Velvet’s Snapdragon 765 processor which, as I mentioned before, is the whole reason this phone is the way it is. In general use, I don’t think it represents much of a compromise. Apps load quickly, web pages render as expected, games run fine, and so on. But the Velvet still somehow feels slow, whether it’s the 60Hz display or the stuttery scrolling in certain apps. I don’t know if it’s the chip itself or LG’s software, but it doesn’t match up to other 2020 flagship Android phones.
The Velvet does, however, wring excellent battery life out of the 765. Despite its thin frame, there’s a 4,300mAh cell in here, and it’s been more than enough for me to make it through the day — I wouldn’t have too many qualms about pushing it for two. (Granted, I haven’t been leaving the house all that much.)
There is one final piece of bad news I have to report: the Velvet is LG’s first premium phone in recent memory not to ship with a Quad DAC for high-quality headphone performance. It does still have a headphone jack, at least, but you won’t get that extra boost. While I’m not a hardcore audiophile, I can certainly hear the difference when I switch the Quad DAC on with other LG phones, so I’m a little sad to see it missing here. At least the haptics are still good.
The LG Velvet’s Dual Screen case when closed, revealing the other screen.
The LG Velvet is an unusual phone that doesn’t really have any direct competitors; it’s an attractive mid-range device in a world of okay-looking ultra-powerful flagships. If you don’t care about screen refresh rates and camera performance as much as you do slick looks and a lightweight design (or a bulky dual-screen case), it could well be for you, particularly if 5G is also a priority.
For everyone else, though, it might be a tough sell. We don’t have final US pricing announced yet, but I think it’ll be hard to recommend if it comes in at more than $600 with the Dual Screen. For comparison, last year’s G8X had flagship specs but a boring design and no 5G; it sold for $699 with a chunkier version of the second-screen case. LG says the pricing will be lower than the Korean version’s ~$750, but ultimately it’ll be set by carriers.
I like LG’s approach with the Velvet. It’s genuinely trying something different after years of making niche flagships, and this is a strong first attempt at a striking new design. Unfortunately, it falls short in a couple of key areas, and I think most people will probably be able to find better options. But between the Velvet and reports of even more experimental form factors, I can at least say I’m intrigued by LG’s phone design again.


theverge--2020-06-26--Astell & Kern’s $1,799 music player lets you switch between DACs

Astell & Kern says its latest audio player is the first in the world to come with DACs from two separate manufacturers , letting you switch between them to customize the sound to your wired headphones .
The $ 1,799 A & futura SE200 includes DACs from both AKM ( AK4499EQ ) and ESS ( dual ES9068AS ) , which have their own AMP circuits tailored to their individual sounds .
After picking a DAC , the sound can be customized further with a series of audio filters .
High end audio devices usually include high-quality DACs .
LG often @ @ @ @ @ @ @ system and headphone jack for better sound .
However , this is the first time we ’ ve seen a company include DACs from two different manufacturers , purely to let listeners fine-tune their audio .
As expected from a music player that costs $ 1,799 , the SE200 supports almost any music file you can throw at it .
It ’ ll play native 32-bit/384kHz and DSD256 files , and there ’ s also MQA support so it can play or stream hi-res audio files encoded in the format — handy if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s HiFi membership plan and want to stream its Master-quality music .
There ’ s 256GB of onboard storage , a microSD card slot that can expand it by up to 1TB , Wi-Fi connectivity , Bluetooth AptX HD , and battery life is rated at up to 14 hours .
Externally , the SE200 is controlled via its 5.0-inch 720p display , and there ’ s a volume wheel that will light up in different colors to show details about the music that ’ s currently playing , including its bit-rate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ use .
There ’ s a USB-C port for charging , and you can also use the player as an external DAC for your Mac or Windows computer .
In addition to playing locally stored files , the player is also compatible with a range of streaming services including Apple Music , Amazon Music , Spotify , Tidal , SoundCloud , Deezer , and more .
Additional services can be added by downloading and installing the appropriate Android APK .
$ 1,799 is a lot to spend on a digital audio player , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ & futura SE200 looks ever so slightly less obscene .

Astell & Kern says its latest audio player is the first in the world to come with DACs from two separate manufacturers, letting you switch between them to customize the sound to your wired headphones. The $1,799 A&futura SE200 includes DACs from both AKM (AK4499EQ) and ESS (dual ES9068AS), which have their own AMP circuits tailored to their individual sounds. After picking a DAC, the sound can be customized further with a series of audio filters.
High end audio devices usually include high-quality DACs. LG often differentiates its phones by incorporating a quad-DAC system and headphone jack for better sound. However, this is the first time we’ve seen a company include DACs from two different manufacturers, purely to let listeners fine-tune their audio.
WTF is a DAC? The digital-to-analog converter (DAC) is an essential component in any modern audio system. It’s the circuitry that converts the 0s and 1s of your digitally stored music into an electric signal that can be played back via headphones and speakers. The reason DACs matter is that the process of conversion is not straightforward. There are a bunch of errors and flaws to correct for, and a perfect translation is very difficult to achieve. The best DACs can scale in price up into the tens of thousands of dollars, but most of us will experience the cheapest varieties, which come integrated into our smartphones, laptops, and basically any digital device that produces sound. Wireless headphones each have their own built-in DAC, which means their sound quality isn’t dependent on the device that provides the music. The headphones do their own conversion.
As expected from a music player that costs $1,799, the SE200 supports almost any music file you can throw at it. It’ll play native 32-bit/384kHz and DSD256 files, and there’s also MQA support so it can play or stream hi-res audio files encoded in the format — handy if you’re a subscriber to Tidal’s HiFi membership plan and want to stream its Master-quality music. There’s 256GB of onboard storage, a microSD card slot that can expand it by up to 1TB, Wi-Fi connectivity, Bluetooth AptX HD, and battery life is rated at up to 14 hours.
Externally, the SE200 is controlled via its 5.0-inch 720p display, and there’s a volume wheel that will light up in different colors to show details about the music that’s currently playing, including its bit-rate, or which DAC is currently in use. There’s a USB-C port for charging, and you can also use the player as an external DAC for your Mac or Windows computer.
In addition to playing locally stored files, the player is also compatible with a range of streaming services including Apple Music, Amazon Music, Spotify, Tidal, SoundCloud, Deezer, and more. Additional services can be added by downloading and installing the appropriate Android APK.


theverge--2020-06-26--The Senate is taking another run at ending encryption

To close out the week , let ’ s talk about some of the recent efforts in the United States to settle longstanding questions about moderation and encryption online .
One reason I like writing about technology companies more than I like writing about Congress is that technology companies are constantly taking action .
They introduce new features , they change their policies , and then they apologize for the unintended consequences of the features and policies they released the previous week .
Meanwhile , Congress prefers to talk .
It holds hearings , stages press conferences , and releases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and sometimes one house or the other will even go to the trouble of passing one , but rarely do they become law .
There are publications that pay obsessive attention to the hearings , and the press conferences , and the letters , and they do excellent work .
But I mostly avoid reading about proposals for new legislation in much detail , since few carry any more practical force than a newspaper op-ed .
That said , this year has seen a notable surge in legislative proposals that actually made it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ revolve around two subjects that both Democrats and Republicans seem to agree deserve some attention .
The first is Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act , that most misunderstood of all laws , which permits companies to moderate content on their platforms without being held legally liable for everything their users post .
The upside of 230 is that it has enabled the growth of the internet economy ; the downside is that some people post awful things that get shared very widely .
Among the people who think it should @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the presumptive Democratic nominee , Joe Biden .
As Adi Robertson wrote this week at The Verge , the impulse to reform Section 230 is understandable , because it has enabled a range of bad behavior including stalking and the creation of nonconsensual “ revenge porn ” sites .
But the proposals to fix it so far have been somewhat incoherent , and threaten to break the internet as we know it : That ’ s why I was intrigued by the Platform Accountability and Consumer Transparency ( PACT ) Act , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Brian Schatz ( D-HI ) and John Thune ( R-SD ) .
The bill , writes Makena Kelly at The Verge , would “ require online platforms like Facebook and Google to reveal their content moderation practices through a range of mandatory disclosures.
” She goes on : In many ways , the PACT Act would simply require by law a bunch of things tech companies already do voluntarily : publicly post their community standards , release reports on takedowns , allow users to appeal , and so on .
But it would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ social networks over civil matters , and require networks to remove illegal content within 24 hours .
So if there was a lot of drug trafficking happening on a large social network , for example , under the PACT Act the federal government might be able to sue the company over it .
To the extent that you can split the difference over partisan disagreements on Section 230 , it might look something like this .
I ’ m withholding judgment on whether it would be good law until I hear more — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more chance of becoming law than some of the other proposals we ’ ve seen .
The other legislation that caught my eye this week came from three Republican senators who are seeking to end encrypted communications .
The Lawful Access to Encrypted Data Act would create a legal framework that allows law enforcement officers to obtain court orders for the purpose of accessing encrypted digital communications .
Here are Cyrus Farivar and Kevin Collier at NBC News : The bill was given a rapturous reception by Attorney General Bill Barr , whose @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to access our messages .
I find this particularly troubling given the nakedly political character of Barr ’ s actions .
Just this week , a current assistant U.S. Attorney in Maryland testified that he had been pressured to give preferential treatment to one of the president ’ s cronies , and said that Barr “ poses the greatest threat in my lifetime to our rule of law.
” And the New York Times reported on Thursday that Barr had taken a strong interest in the developing antitrust case against Google at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who has baselessly criticized the company for “ censoring ” his views .
An era of rising authoritarianism and a rapidly eroding rule of law strikes me as the most dangerous possible time to eliminate encryption protections in the United States .
For the moment , the Lawful Access Bill has no Democratic cosponsors .
Here ’ s hoping it stays that way .
Today in news that could affect public perception of the big tech platforms .
Trending up : TikTok announced a Creator Diversity Collective to help bring more inclusion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ company also released a new feature that notifies users if they duet or react to a video that was removed for violating TikTok ’ s Community Guidelines .
( TikTok ) Trending sideways : Amazon is renaming Seattle ’ s NHL stadium Climate Pledge Arena .
Here ’ s hoping they increase the temperature inside by one degree each year .
( Kim Lyons / The Verge ) Trending down : Facebook is continuing to push QAnon groups on Trump supporters even after saying the groups had been removed from recommendations .
Researchers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in recruiting new followers for the movement .
( Julia Carrie Wong / The Guardian ) Trending down : Facebook is currently running ads for conservative companies that feature racist “ kung flu ” phrases .
The platform ’ s policies are supposed to prohibit ads that encourage discrimination based on personal attributes like race , ethnicity , and national origin .
( Eric Hananoki / Media Matters ) Yesterday , there were 36,975 new cases of the novel coronavirus — a record high for the United States .
The unhappy milestone comes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new hotspots emerge in places like Lee County , Arkansas ( 621 new cases ) and Anderson County , Texas , ( 1,013 new cases ) which had previously escaped the worst of the disease .
On Thursday , Texas Gov .
Greg Abbott paused the state ’ s reopening process in light of the growing number of cases .
Intensive care units in Houston are at 97 percent capacity , and a quarter of those patients have tested positive for COVID-19 , as reported by The New York Times .
Abbott was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ isn ’ t meant to be a permanent solution .
“ The last thing we want to do as a state is go backwards and close down businesses , ” he said .
“ This temporary pause will help our state corral the spread until we can safely enter the next phase of opening our state for business.
” His statement supports a theory political analyst Nate Silver tweeted yesterday .
While polls suggest the majority of Americans support lockdown orders , keeping people shut indoors might not be sustainable politically .
If @ @ @ @ @ @ @ far , it appears they do ) , we ’ ll likely see a lot more of this dance .
A mini-reopening , followed by a resurgence in cases , followed by a temporary shutdown .
Repeat .
For more on the resurgent pandemic , check out Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger ’ s rt.live , which was updated on Thursday with impressive new detail pages for every state .
⭐ Under the direction of Attorney General William Barr , the Justice Department is swiftly marshaling forces for a possible antitrust lawsuit against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from critics who say the agency has become outrageously politicized under President Trump .
Here ’ s David McCabe and Cecilia Kang at The New York Times : A judge in Virginia said Rep. Devin Nunes can ’ t sue Twitter over posts from a parody account called “ Devin Nunes ’ Cow.
” Nunes was seeking $ 250 million in damages , saying the posts were defamatory .
The judge said Section 230 protects Twitter from the suit .
For now !
( Bryan Pietsch / The New York Times ) The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attorneys general are taking the first steps toward launching an antitrust probe of Apple .
They ’ re looking specifically at Apple ’ s ironclad control of the App Store , which developers like Basecamp have been loudly criticizing of late .
( Leah Nylen / Politico ) The US House Committee on Oversight and Reform opened an investigation into how data broker Venntel collects and sells data from Americans ’ mobile phones to government agencies for warrantless tracking .
Lawmakers are looking into whether the data collected can reveal precise movements of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( Kim Lyons / The Verge ) A tech company called Mobilewalla used cell phone information to estimate the demographics of protesters , including their race , age , and gender and where they lived .
Sen. Elizabeth Warren said it was an example of the consequences of the lack of regulation on data brokers in the US .
( Caroline Haskins / BuzzFeed ) Discord shut down one of the largest servers used by followers of the “ boogaloo ” movement for inciting violence .
Members were offering their military expertise to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Now , Discord has removed the server — and deleted the accounts of all 2,258 members .
( Tess Owen / Vice ) Amazon launched a new Counterfeit Crimes Unit to fight counterfeit products on its website .
The new team will work to proactively “ go on the offensive ” against counterfeiters , instead of just reacting by trying to identify and block bad listings .
( Chaim Gartenberg / The Verge ) The Daily Wire , the website run by right-wing pundit Ben Shapiro , is one of the most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ much original reporting .
Its success is due in large part to a network of Facebook pages , each built by exploiting racial bias , religious bigotry , and violence , that systematically promote the website ’ s content .
( Judd Legum / Popular Information ) Teens on TikTok are forming political coalitions to campaign for their chosen candidates , post news updates , and fact-check opponents .
They are sharing real-time commentary for an audience that is far more likely to watch YouTube videos than turn on a cable news channel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ York Times ) New studies are looking at conservative media ’ s role in fostering confusion about the seriousness of the novel coronavirus .
They paint a picture of a media ecosystem that amplifies misinformation , entertains conspiracy theories and discourages audiences from taking concrete steps to protect themselves and others .
( Christopher Ingraham / The Washington Post ) France , the UK , Italy and Spain offered to limit the scope of a proposed global digital tax after the US threatened to hit those countries with tariffs if they moved ahead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( Alberto Brambilla and Richard Bravo / Bloomberg ) France is struggling to get people to activate its contact tracing app , StopCovid .
It has been activated 1.8 million times since June 2nd , corresponding roughly to 2.7 percent of the population , and has led to the notification of just 14 people that they may have been exposed to the virus .
( Sam Schechner / The New York Times ) The Department of Justice is objecting to Facebook and Google ’ s 8,000-mile undersea internet cable to Hong Kong .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” for Chinese government espionage .
( Justin Sherman / Wired ) ⭐ Twitch is permanently banning streamers as it reckons with sexual assault allegations .
A Medium post cataloging the incidents lists more than 60 people accused of misconduct , in many cases with accusations from multiple people .
Here ’ s Jacob Kastrenakes at The Verge : ⭐ Verizon just became the biggest advertiser to join the Facebook ad boycott .
Here ’ s Nick Statt at The Verge : Mark Zuckerberg spoke with major advertisers on Facebook ’ s client @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t doing enough to fight hate speech .
He acknowledged the advertisers ’ boycott , explained the company ’ s position , and tried to assure them that the company is reviewing its policies .
( Tanya Dua / Business Insider ) Apple is re-closing almost all of its Florida stores after new COVID-19 spikes .
Of the company ’ s 272 US stores , 10 percent are now closed .
( Cameron Faulkner / The Verge ) Hey opened its email service to everyone ( no invite code required ) after Apple @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new version offers 14-day burner email accounts with randomized addresses for iOS users , making the app “ functional ” by Apple ’ s definition when it is first downloaded .
( Chaim Gartenberg / The Verge ) Facebook started to roll out a notification screen to let people know when they ’ re about to share news articles that are more than 90 days old .
The move is part of the company ’ s effort to ensure news on Facebook is timely and credible .
( But the Legum story above @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is just old fear-mongering that has been repackaged and given a fresh timestamp , which this update can ’ t account for . )
( Facebook ) Valence , a LinkedIn-type social network for black professionals , is trying to make connections between black founders and a select group of top-tier venture capitalists .
( Dan Primack / Axios ) Google redesigned Google Photos with new ways to navigate the app and a simplified pinwheel icon .
It also added a map view that lets users explore their photos and videos by location @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Verge ) Google is expanding the ways people can make video calls on smart displays powered by Google Assistant with new support for group calling in Google Meet and Duo .
The new video group calling abilities will be available on the Nest Hub Max and other Assistant smart displays with cameras starting today .
( Dan Seifert / The Verge ) Google will pay for news content from select publishers as part of a new licensing program announced today .
It says the content will form part of a “ new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
( Jon Porter / The Verge ) YouTube is now testing a TikTok clone .
It looks a lot like Reels , Facebook ’ s TikTok clone , and lets users record themselves in 15-second segments .
( Sarah Perez / TechCrunch ) TikTok launched a new platform called “ TikTok For Business ” that will serve as the home for its marketing solutions for brands .
The platform includes access to TikTok ad formats , including its marque product , TopView , which is the ad that appears when users first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Perez / TechCrunch ) As art museums get on TikTok , the Uffizi Gallery in Florence is emerging as an unlikely leader in the social media space .
It ’ s posting unusually irreverent videos that challenge its dignified reputation .
( Alex Marshall / The New York Times ) Stuff to occupy you online during the quarantine .
Watch the wedding vows of the girl who bullied you in high school .
Cyberpunk 2077 is one of the year ’ s most anticipated games , and despite several delays , its developer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Verge ’ s Nick Statt played a bit of it and loved it .
Send us tips , comments , questions , and legislation : casey @ theverge.com and zoe @ theverge.com .

To close out the week, let’s talk about some of the recent efforts in the United States to settle longstanding questions about moderation and encryption online.
One reason I like writing about technology companies more than I like writing about Congress is that technology companies are constantly taking action. They introduce new features, they change their policies, and then they apologize for the unintended consequences of the features and policies they released the previous week. Meanwhile, Congress prefers to talk. It holds hearings, stages press conferences, and releases letters. Occasionally bills are written, and sometimes one house or the other will even go to the trouble of passing one, but rarely do they become law.
There are publications that pay obsessive attention to the hearings, and the press conferences, and the letters, and they do excellent work. But I mostly avoid reading about proposals for new legislation in much detail, since few carry any more practical force than a newspaper op-ed.
That said, this year has seen a notable surge in legislative proposals that actually made it to the writing-it-down stage, and they revolve around two subjects that both Democrats and Republicans seem to agree deserve some attention.
The first is Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act, that most misunderstood of all laws, which permits companies to moderate content on their platforms without being held legally liable for everything their users post. The upside of 230 is that it has enabled the growth of the internet economy; the downside is that some people post awful things that get shared very widely. Among the people who think it should be repealed are President Donald Trump and the presumptive Democratic nominee, Joe Biden.
As Adi Robertson wrote this week at The Verge, the impulse to reform Section 230 is understandable, because it has enabled a range of bad behavior including stalking and the creation of nonconsensual “revenge porn” sites. But the proposals to fix it so far have been somewhat incoherent, and threaten to break the internet as we know it:
There’s a chance of this strategy backfiring if it’s actually implemented. Companies might conclude that Section 230 is no longer a reliable safeguard — and that would incentivize removing any content that’s risky to host, not betting that they can keep conservative users happy with a hands-off approach. If it does work as intended, users can look forward to platforms full of harassment, misinformation, and other junk that companies are too scared to remove.
That’s why I was intrigued by the Platform Accountability and Consumer Transparency (PACT) Act, which was introduced on Wednesday by Sens. Brian Schatz (D-HI) and John Thune (R-SD). The bill, writes Makena Kelly at The Verge, would “require online platforms like Facebook and Google to reveal their content moderation practices through a range of mandatory disclosures.” She goes on:
The bill is a combination of measures that encourage platforms to remove bad content and measures that keep those moderation systems in check, hoping to draw support from both sides of the ongoing debate over platform regulation. If approved, the bill would force large tech platforms to explain how they moderate content in a way that is easily accessible to users and release quarterly reports including disaggregated statistics on what content has been removed, demonetized, or had its reach algorithmically limited. Platforms would then be required to roll out a formal complaint system for users that processes reports and explains their moderation decisions within 14 days. Users would then be allowed to appeal those moderation decisions within a company’s internal reporting systems, something that already exists on platforms like Facebook. Other bills aimed at Section 230 would allow users to report certain content moderation decisions to the government, primarily the Federal Trade Commission. The PACT Act is in direct opposition to those proposals and allows for moderation reports to remain internal.
In many ways, the PACT Act would simply require by law a bunch of things tech companies already do voluntarily: publicly post their community standards, release reports on takedowns, allow users to appeal, and so on. But it would also enable the federal government to sue social networks over civil matters, and require networks to remove illegal content within 24 hours. So if there was a lot of drug trafficking happening on a large social network, for example, under the PACT Act the federal government might be able to sue the company over it.
To the extent that you can split the difference over partisan disagreements on Section 230, it might look something like this. I’m withholding judgment on whether it would be good law until I hear more — but it certainly seems like it has more chance of becoming law than some of the other proposals we’ve seen.
The other legislation that caught my eye this week came from three Republican senators who are seeking to end encrypted communications. The Lawful Access to Encrypted Data Act would create a legal framework that allows law enforcement officers to obtain court orders for the purpose of accessing encrypted digital communications. Here are Cyrus Farivar and Kevin Collier at NBC News:
The bill, which was submitted Tuesday, appears to be a formal codification of what top judicial officials have sought for well over two decades: enhancing the government’s ability to bust through strong encryption, which can make data on a cellphone or a computer almost unreadable to anyone who does not have the password to decrypt it. “This is the full-frontal nuclear assault on encryption we’ve been fearing would come, but which no lawmaker previously had dared to put forth,” emailed Riana Pfefferkorn, associate director of surveillance and cybersecurity at the Stanford Center for Internet and Society.
The bill was given a rapturous reception by Attorney General Bill Barr, whose Department of Justice would be freshly empowered to access our messages. I find this particularly troubling given the nakedly political character of Barr’s actions. Just this week, a current assistant U.S. Attorney in Maryland testified that he had been pressured to give preferential treatment to one of the president’s cronies, and said that Barr “poses the greatest threat in my lifetime to our rule of law.” And the New York Times reported on Thursday that Barr had taken a strong interest in the developing antitrust case against Google at the behest of his boss, the president, who has baselessly criticized the company for “censoring” his views.
An era of rising authoritarianism and a rapidly eroding rule of law strikes me as the most dangerous possible time to eliminate encryption protections in the United States. For the moment, the Lawful Access Bill has no Democratic cosponsors. Here’s hoping it stays that way.
The Ratio
Today in news that could affect public perception of the big tech platforms.
🔼 Trending up: TikTok announced a Creator Diversity Collective to help bring more inclusion and representation to the platform. The company also released a new feature that notifies users if they duet or react to a video that was removed for violating TikTok’s Community Guidelines. (TikTok)
🔃 Trending sideways: Amazon is renaming Seattle’s NHL stadium Climate Pledge Arena. Here’s hoping they increase the temperature inside by one degree each year. (Kim Lyons / The Verge)
🔽 Trending down: Facebook is continuing to push QAnon groups on Trump supporters even after saying the groups had been removed from recommendations. Researchers believe Facebook is playing a crucial role in recruiting new followers for the movement. (Julia Carrie Wong / The Guardian)
🔽 Trending down: Facebook is currently running ads for conservative companies that feature racist “kung flu” phrases. The platform’s policies are supposed to prohibit ads that encourage discrimination based on personal attributes like race, ethnicity, and national origin. (Eric Hananoki / Media Matters)
Hotspots
Yesterday, there were 36,975 new cases of the novel coronavirus — a record high for the United States. The unhappy milestone comes as states begin to reopen, and new hotspots emerge in places like Lee County, Arkansas (621 new cases) and Anderson County, Texas, (1,013 new cases) which had previously escaped the worst of the disease.
On Thursday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott paused the state’s reopening process in light of the growing number of cases. Intensive care units in Houston are at 97 percent capacity, and a quarter of those patients have tested positive for COVID-19, as reported by The New York Times. Abbott was quick to point out that the pause isn’t meant to be a permanent solution. “The last thing we want to do as a state is go backwards and close down businesses,” he said. “This temporary pause will help our state corral the spread until we can safely enter the next phase of opening our state for business.”
His statement supports a theory political analyst Nate Silver tweeted yesterday. While polls suggest the majority of Americans support lockdown orders, keeping people shut indoors might not be sustainable politically. If politicians buy that logic (and so far, it appears they do), we’ll likely see a lot more of this dance. A mini-reopening, followed by a resurgence in cases, followed by a temporary shutdown. Repeat.
For more on the resurgent pandemic, check out Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger’s rt.live, which was updated on Thursday with impressive new detail pages for every state.
Governing
⭐ Under the direction of Attorney General William Barr, the Justice Department is swiftly marshaling forces for a possible antitrust lawsuit against Google. The move is drawing fire from critics who say the agency has become outrageously politicized under President Trump. Here’s David McCabe and Cecilia Kang at The New York Times:
Mr. Barr, who has repeatedly said publicly that the tech industry’s power required examination, is expected to decide in the coming months whether to file a lawsuit accusing Google of abusing its power in the market for advertising technology and search products. A successful suit against the company could win plaudits from Mr. Trump. It could also reshape Google’s business, transform a large chunk of the economy and perhaps even end the era of unfettered growth in Silicon Valley.
A judge in Virginia said Rep. Devin Nunes can’t sue Twitter over posts from a parody account called “Devin Nunes’ Cow.” Nunes was seeking $250 million in damages, saying the posts were defamatory. The judge said Section 230 protects Twitter from the suit. For now! (Bryan Pietsch / The New York Times)
The Justice Department and a coalition of state attorneys general are taking the first steps toward launching an antitrust probe of Apple. They’re looking specifically at Apple’s ironclad control of the App Store, which developers like Basecamp have been loudly criticizing of late. (Leah Nylen / Politico)
The US House Committee on Oversight and Reform opened an investigation into how data broker Venntel collects and sells data from Americans’ mobile phones to government agencies for warrantless tracking. Lawmakers are looking into whether the data collected can reveal precise movements of millions of Americans, including children. (Kim Lyons / The Verge)
A tech company called Mobilewalla used cell phone information to estimate the demographics of protesters, including their race, age, and gender and where they lived. Sen. Elizabeth Warren said it was an example of the consequences of the lack of regulation on data brokers in the US. (Caroline Haskins / BuzzFeed)
Discord shut down one of the largest servers used by followers of the “boogaloo” movement for inciting violence. Members were offering their military expertise to help advance the goals of the movement. Now, Discord has removed the server — and deleted the accounts of all 2,258 members. (Tess Owen / Vice)
Amazon launched a new Counterfeit Crimes Unit to fight counterfeit products on its website. The new team will work to proactively “go on the offensive” against counterfeiters, instead of just reacting by trying to identify and block bad listings. (Chaim Gartenberg / The Verge)
The Daily Wire, the website run by right-wing pundit Ben Shapiro, is one of the most popular publishers on Facebook, despite lacking much original reporting. Its success is due in large part to a network of Facebook pages, each built by exploiting racial bias, religious bigotry, and violence, that systematically promote the website’s content. (Judd Legum / Popular Information)
Teens on TikTok are forming political coalitions to campaign for their chosen candidates, post news updates, and fact-check opponents. They are sharing real-time commentary for an audience that is far more likely to watch YouTube videos than turn on a cable news channel. (Taylor Lorenz / The New York Times)
New studies are looking at conservative media’s role in fostering confusion about the seriousness of the novel coronavirus. They paint a picture of a media ecosystem that amplifies misinformation, entertains conspiracy theories and discourages audiences from taking concrete steps to protect themselves and others. (Christopher Ingraham / The Washington Post)
France, the UK, Italy and Spain offered to limit the scope of a proposed global digital tax after the US threatened to hit those countries with tariffs if they moved ahead with planned levies on tech companies. (Alberto Brambilla and Richard Bravo / Bloomberg)
France is struggling to get people to activate its contact tracing app, StopCovid. It has been activated 1.8 million times since June 2nd, corresponding roughly to 2.7 percent of the population, and has led to the notification of just 14 people that they may have been exposed to the virus. (Sam Schechner / The New York Times)
The Department of Justice is objecting to Facebook and Google’s 8,000-mile undersea internet cable to Hong Kong. Officials say it offers “unprecedented opportunities” for Chinese government espionage. (Justin Sherman / Wired)
Industry
⭐ Twitch is permanently banning streamers as it reckons with sexual assault allegations. A Medium post cataloging the incidents lists more than 60 people accused of misconduct, in many cases with accusations from multiple people. Here’s Jacob Kastrenakes at The Verge:
Their accounts have led to a growing demand for Twitch to do a better job moderating, protecting, and setting the tone for its community. The company has said it will investigate and potentially punish the accused users, and as of Wednesday night, it had begun issuing permanent bans. But streamers are doubtful that Twitch is ready to take them seriously. [...] The men accused of harassment and misconduct range from streamers with thousands of followers to those with hundreds of thousands of followers or more. Some of the stories involve incidents that happened on Twitch, such as men who were allegedly streaming while messaging underage fans for sexual photos. Others didn’t happen on Twitch directly but involve people in its community. Several people said they met an abuser through Twitch or that misconduct occurred at a Twitch event or an afterparty at a Twitch convention.
⭐ Verizon just became the biggest advertiser to join the Facebook ad boycott. Here’s Nick Statt at The Verge:
“We have strict content policies in place and have zero tolerance when they are breached, we take action,” Verizon’s chief media officer John Nitti told CNBC in a statement. “We’re pausing our advertising until Facebook can create an acceptable solution that makes us comfortable and is consistent with what we’ve done with YouTube and other partners.” Facebook did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The companies participating, including Verizon, say they intend to pull ads throughout July, but to resume purchasing placement on Facebook after that. Verizon gave no concrete reasoning for the move. Yet the company’s decision aligns with the demands spelled out in an ADL open letter to Facebook advertisers published earlier today that used Verizon as an example of Facebook’s failings, recounting how one of the company’s ads was found running against a post promoting the fringe QAnon conspiracy theory.
Mark Zuckerberg spoke with major advertisers on Facebook’s client council over concerns the platform isn’t doing enough to fight hate speech. He acknowledged the advertisers’ boycott, explained the company’s position, and tried to assure them that the company is reviewing its policies. (Tanya Dua / Business Insider)
Apple is re-closing almost all of its Florida stores after new COVID-19 spikes. Of the company’s 272 US stores, 10 percent are now closed. (Cameron Faulkner / The Verge)
Hey opened its email service to everyone (no invite code required) after Apple approved its latest app update. The new version offers 14-day burner email accounts with randomized addresses for iOS users, making the app “functional” by Apple’s definition when it is first downloaded. (Chaim Gartenberg / The Verge)
Facebook started to roll out a notification screen to let people know when they’re about to share news articles that are more than 90 days old. The move is part of the company’s effort to ensure news on Facebook is timely and credible. (But the Legum story above notes that a lot of popular content is just old fear-mongering that has been repackaged and given a fresh timestamp, which this update can’t account for.) (Facebook)
Google redesigned Google Photos with new ways to navigate the app and a simplified pinwheel icon. It also added a map view that lets users explore their photos and videos by location. Neat! (Casey Newton / The Verge)
Google will pay for news content from select publishers as part of a new licensing program announced today. It says the content will form part of a “new news experience” coming later this year. (Jon Porter / The Verge)
YouTube is now testing a TikTok clone. It looks a lot like Reels, Facebook’s TikTok clone, and lets users record themselves in 15-second segments. (Sarah Perez / TechCrunch)
TikTok launched a new platform called “TikTok For Business” that will serve as the home for its marketing solutions for brands. The platform includes access to TikTok ad formats, including its marque product, TopView, which is the ad that appears when users first launch the TikTok app. (Sarah Perez / TechCrunch)
As art museums get on TikTok, the Uffizi Gallery in Florence is emerging as an unlikely leader in the social media space. It’s posting unusually irreverent videos that challenge its dignified reputation. (Alex Marshall / The New York Times)
Things to do
Stuff to occupy you online during the quarantine.
Those good tweets
Talk to us


theverge--2020-06-26--Leaked Microsoft document hints at second next-gen Xbox

Microsoft has been planning a second , cheaper and less power next-gen Xbox console .
Codenamed Lockhart , it ’ s designed to take most of the key next-gen improvements found in the Xbox Series X and provide them at a lower price point for gaming at 1080p or 1440p .
A newly leaked Microsoft document , posted on Twitter , includes references to this Lockhart console and multiple “ Project Scarlett consoles.
” Project Scarlett was the name Microsoft originally used to reveal its Xbox Series X console before it was officially named .
Rumors had suggested two next-gen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : Anaconda and Lockhart .
Microsoft has etched an anaconda snake into the Xbox Series X mainboard , but the company has never publicly discussed its Lockhart plans .
The leaked document also mentions a Lockhart profiling mode .
Sources familiar with Microsoft ’ s Xbox plans tell The Verge that this special Lockhart mode is part of the Xbox Series X developer kit .
The devkit , codenamed Dante , allows game developers to enable a special Lockhart mode that has a profile of the performance that Microsoft wants to hit with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ includes 7.5GB of usable RAM , a slightly underclocked CPU speed , and around 4 teraflops of GPU performance .
The Xbox Series X includes 13.5GB of usable RAM , and targets 12 teraflops of GPU performance .
Developers will be able to use this Lockhart mode to test their games against this performance profile and do validation checks .
Microsoft is expected to position its Lockhart console for 1080p or 1440p gaming , two of the most popular resolutions used by PC gaming monitors currently .
While Microsoft hasn ’ t acknowledged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ found in the company ’ s Xbox One operating system , alongside references to Anaconda and Dante .
We understand this second next-gen Xbox console will launch alongside the Xbox Series X providing Microsoft doesn ’ t cancel it at the last minute .
Lockhart will likely be named “ Xbox Series S , ” which explains why Microsoft trademarked the “ Xbox Series ” branding .
This second Xbox console will be key to Microsoft ’ s pricing strategy for the next generation of consoles .
The company has already committed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Xbox Series X , a bundle that includes a console , Xbox Live , and Xbox Game Pass for a monthly fee .
“ Xbox All Access is going to be critical to both our launch for Xbox Series X as well as just the overall generation , ” said Phil Spencer , Microsoft ’ s Xbox chief , in a Game Lab Live keynote earlier this week .
Microsoft currently offers an Xbox One S All Digital Edition subscription for $ 19.99 a month that includes Xbox Game Pass Ultimate .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ this Lockhart console will be offered in a similar way to entice people into Microsoft ’ s subscription offerings .
Microsoft is also bundling its Project xCloud game streaming technology into Xbox Game Pass later this year , in yet another effort to bolster its subscription service .

Microsoft has been planning a second, cheaper and less power next-gen Xbox console. Codenamed Lockhart, it’s designed to take most of the key next-gen improvements found in the Xbox Series X and provide them at a lower price point for gaming at 1080p or 1440p. A newly leaked Microsoft document, posted on Twitter, includes references to this Lockhart console and multiple “Project Scarlett consoles.”
Project Scarlett was the name Microsoft originally used to reveal its Xbox Series X console before it was officially named. Rumors had suggested two next-gen consoles under the broader Project Scarlett plans: Anaconda and Lockhart. Microsoft has etched an anaconda snake into the Xbox Series X mainboard, but the company has never publicly discussed its Lockhart plans.
The leaked document also mentions a Lockhart profiling mode. Sources familiar with Microsoft’s Xbox plans tell The Verge that this special Lockhart mode is part of the Xbox Series X developer kit. The devkit, codenamed Dante, allows game developers to enable a special Lockhart mode that has a profile of the performance that Microsoft wants to hit with this second console. We understand that includes 7.5GB of usable RAM, a slightly underclocked CPU speed, and around 4 teraflops of GPU performance. The Xbox Series X includes 13.5GB of usable RAM, and targets 12 teraflops of GPU performance.
Developers will be able to use this Lockhart mode to test their games against this performance profile and do validation checks. Microsoft is expected to position its Lockhart console for 1080p or 1440p gaming, two of the most popular resolutions used by PC gaming monitors currently.
The leaked Microsoft document mentions multiple Project Scarlett consoles.
While Microsoft hasn’t acknowledged Lockhart, the codename can also be found in the company’s Xbox One operating system, alongside references to Anaconda and Dante. We understand this second next-gen Xbox console will launch alongside the Xbox Series X providing Microsoft doesn’t cancel it at the last minute. Lockhart will likely be named “Xbox Series S,” which explains why Microsoft trademarked the “Xbox Series” branding.
This second Xbox console will be key to Microsoft’s pricing strategy for the next generation of consoles. The company has already committed to introducing its Xbox All Access subscription for the Xbox Series X, a bundle that includes a console, Xbox Live, and Xbox Game Pass for a monthly fee. “Xbox All Access is going to be critical to both our launch for Xbox Series X as well as just the overall generation,” said Phil Spencer, Microsoft’s Xbox chief, in a Game Lab Live keynote earlier this week.


theverge--2020-06-26--Amazon reportedly acquires self-driving car startup Zoox

Amazon is acquiring self-driving car startup Zoox in a deal estimated to be worth over $ 1 billion , The Information and The Financial Times are reporting .
The deal would give Amazon control of the nearly 1,000-person startup that has been developing an electric self-driving vehicle .
The deal could be announced as early as today .
Rumors of the acquisition first emerged last month , when it was reported that Amazon would acquire Zoox for less than the $ 3.2 billion it was valued at back in July 2018 .
The acquisition would be Amazon ’ s biggest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and one of its biggest purchases ever .
However , at the moment it ’ s unclear what exactly Amazon plans to use the technology for .
The Information notes that Amazon could use the technology for autonomous deliveries , similar to its existing robot and drone delivery projects , while the Financial Times says that Amazon will use the acquisition to produce an autonomous ride-hailing fleet to compete with the likes of Alphabet ’ s Waymo .
Zoox has been testing its technology in San Francisco and Las Vegas Zoox has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wheel or discernible front or back end , allowing it to comfortably travel in either direction , which the company said would enter testing in 2020 .
Zoox has been testing its self-driving technology in a fleet of retrofitted Toyota SUVs in San Francisco and Las Vegas .
However , these tests have been impacted by COVID-19 shutdowns , and in April Zoox laid off almost all of its contract workers , including its backup drivers .
At the time it said it planned to re-hire them once the shelter-in-place orders were lifted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its new hires from Tesla were in possession of confidential documents from their previous employer when they joined Zoox ’ s logistics team .
The disclosure came after Zoox settled a lawsuit over the matter , in which it agreed to pay Tesla an undisclosed amount of money and perform an audit to make sure no other employees had confidential Tesla information .
According to The Financial Times , Amazon is expected to let Zoox run as an independent subsidiary after the acquisition , similar to how Twitch currently operates .
Amazon is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bring Zoox ’ s vehicles to market .
This will not be the first investment Amazon has made in self-driving car technology .
Last year the eCommerce giant took part in a funding round for Aurora Innovation , an autonomous tech startup helmed by the former head of Google ’ s self-driving car project .
Amazon has also invested in electric vehicle startup Rivian .

Amazon is acquiring self-driving car startup Zoox in a deal estimated to be worth over $1 billion. The deal will give Amazon control of the nearly 1,000-person startup that has been developing an electric self-driving vehicle. Rumors of the acquisition first emerged last month, when it was reported that Amazon would acquire Zoox for less than the $3.2 billion it was valued at back in July 2018.
“Zoox is working to imagine, invent, and design a world-class autonomous ride-hailing experience,” said Amazon CEO of Global Consumer Jeff Wilke, “Like Amazon, Zoox is passionate about innovation and about its customers, and we’re excited to help the talented Zoox team to bring their vision to reality in the years ahead.”
Although Amazon did not confirm the amount it’s paying for Zoox, reports suggest this is the company’s biggest investment yet in self-driving car technology, and one of its biggest purchases ever. Prior to the announcement The Information speculated that Amazon could use the technology for autonomous deliveries, similar to its existing robot and drone delivery projects, while the Financial Times said that Amazon will use the acquisition to produce an autonomous ride-hailing fleet to compete with the likes of Alphabet’s Waymo.
Zoox has been testing its technology in San Francisco and Las Vegas
Zoox has been developing a bi-directional vehicle with no steering wheel or discernible front or back end, allowing it to comfortably travel in either direction, which the company said would enter testing in 2020. Zoox has been testing its self-driving technology in a fleet of retrofitted Toyota SUVs in San Francisco and Las Vegas. However, these tests have been impacted by COVID-19 shutdowns, and in April Zoox laid off almost all of its contract workers, including its backup drivers. At the time it said it planned to re-hire them once the shelter-in-place orders were lifted.
Zoox recently admitted that four of its new hires from Tesla were in possession of confidential documents from their previous employer when they joined Zoox’s logistics team. The disclosure came after Zoox settled a lawsuit over the matter, in which it agreed to pay Tesla an undisclosed amount of money and perform an audit to make sure no other employees had confidential Tesla information.
Amazon says the Zoox team will continue to be lead by its current CEO Aicha Evans and CTO Jesse Levinson. The Financial Times previously reported that Amazon will let Zoox run as an independent subsidiary after the acquisition, similar to how Twitch currently operates. Amazon is expected to have to invest billions to bring Zoox’s vehicles to market.
This will not be the first investment Amazon has made in self-driving car technology. Last year the eCommerce giant took part in a funding round for Aurora Innovation, an autonomous tech startup helmed by the former head of Google’s self-driving car project. Amazon has also invested in electric vehicle startup Rivian.


theverge--2020-06-26--Coca-Cola joins Facebook boycott with a pause on all social media advertising starting July 1st

The Coca-Cola Company is pausing all digital advertising on social media platforms globally for at least 30 days starting July 1st , the soda giant announced on Friday evening .
The move is part of a broader boycott of Facebook and Instagram organized by the Anti-Defamation League , the NAACP , and other organizations called the “ Stop Hate For Profit ” campaign .
Coca-Cola is going one step further than some of those companies and banning all ads globally on social media platforms , not just Facebook and Instagram .
That would suggest the boycott will hit Twitter , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ We will let them know we expect greater accountability , action and transparency from them.
” “ Starting on July 1 , The Coca-Cola Company will pause paid advertising on all social media platforms globally for at least 30 days , ” reads a statement from Coca-Cola Company CEO James Quincey posted to the brand ’ s website .
“ We will take this time to reassess our advertising standards and policies to determine whether revisions are needed internally , and what more we should expect of our social media partners @ @ @ @ @ @ @ violence and inappropriate content .
We will let them know we expect greater accountability , action and transparency from them.
” Earlier today , Unilever joined Verizon as the two largest companies participating in the boycott prior to Coca-Cola ’ s involvement Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg also announced a series of policy changes that , while not explicitly in response to the boycott , appear designed to try and address many of the criticisms the company has faced of late regarding its lack of moderation of violent threats , hate speech , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other controversial accounts and pages .
“ This continues a significant trend of major brands — including Unilever and Verizon — committing to pause Facebook ads for at least the month of July , ” reads a statement from progressive nonprofit Color of Change , one of the organizers of the boycott .
“ Since Color Of Change and its partners , including the ADL and NAACP , launched the campaign on June 17 , over 100 brands have signed on.
” Color of Change President Rashad Robinson said on Friday that chocolate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the boycott .
Yet while the boycott may be creating a wave of bad press for Facebook and Instagram , it ’ s unlikely even major advertisers pausing ad spending for one month will have a substantial effect on Facebook ’ s bottom line , as a majority of the company ’ s ad revenue comes from direct-response ads from small and medium-sized businesses .
“ We invest billions of dollars each year to keep our community safe and continuously work with outside experts to review and update our policies , ” a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in response to Unilever ’ s announcement .
“ We know we have more work to do , and we ’ ll continue to work with civil rights groups , GARM , and other experts to develop even more tools , technology and policies to continue this fight.
” The ad boycott is part of an organized effort called Stop Hate For Profit Facebook did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding Coca-Cola ’ s decision .
The Stop Hate For Profit campaign launched last week , starting with popular sports @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Face and Patagonia .
It has since gained steam with mainstream corporate America after picking up support from ice cream brand Ben & Jerry ’ s and film distributor Magnolia Pictures .
In an open letter posted yesterday , the ADL provides more concrete details regarding the changes the boycott seeks to produce in Facebook ’ s policies and its approach to moderation .
“ Today , we are asking all businesses to stand in solidarity with our most deeply held American values of freedom , equality and justice and not advertise on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” read an ad the Stop Hate For Profit campaign ran in the Los Angeles Times earlier this week .
“ Let ’ s send Facebook a powerful message : Your profits will never be worth promoting hate , bigotry , racism , antisemitism and violence .
”

The Coca-Cola Company is pausing all digital advertising on social media platforms globally for at least 30 days starting July 1st, the soda giant announced on Friday evening.
The move is part of a broader boycott of Facebook and Instagram organized by the Anti-Defamation League, the NAACP, and other organizations called the “Stop Hate For Profit” campaign. Coca-Cola is going one step further than some of those companies and banning all ads globally on social media platforms, not just Facebook and Instagram. That would suggest the boycott will hit Twitter, YouTube, and other platforms as well.
“We will let them know we expect greater accountability, action and transparency from them.”
“Starting on July 1, The Coca-Cola Company will pause paid advertising on all social media platforms globally for at least 30 days,” reads a statement from Coca-Cola Company CEO James Quincey posted to the brand’s website. “We will take this time to reassess our advertising standards and policies to determine whether revisions are needed internally, and what more we should expect of our social media partners to rid the platforms of hate, violence and inappropriate content. We will let them know we expect greater accountability, action and transparency from them.”
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg also announced a series of policy changes that, while not explicitly in response to the boycott, appear designed to try and address many of the criticisms the company has faced of late regarding its lack of moderation of violent threats, hate speech, and misinformation posted by President Donald Trump and other controversial accounts and pages.
“This continues a significant trend of major brands — including Unilever and Verizon — committing to pause Facebook ads for at least the month of July,” reads a statement from progressive nonprofit Color of Change, one of the organizers of the boycott. “Since Color Of Change and its partners, including the ADL and NAACP, launched the campaign on June 17, over 100 brands have signed on.” Color of Change President Rashad Robinson said on Friday that chocolate brand Hershey’s is also joining the boycott.
Yet while the boycott may be creating a wave of bad press for Facebook and Instagram, it’s unlikely even major advertisers pausing ad spending for one month will have a substantial effect on Facebook’s bottom line, as a majority of the company’s ad revenue comes from direct-response ads from small and medium-sized businesses.
“We invest billions of dollars each year to keep our community safe and continuously work with outside experts to review and update our policies,” a Facebook spokesperson said in an email to The Verge. “We’ve opened ourselves up to a civil rights audit, and we have banned 250 white supremacist organizations from Facebook and Instagram. The investments we have made in AI mean that we find nearly 90 percent of Hate Speech we action before users report it to us, while a recent EU report found Facebook assessed more hate speech reports in 24 hours than Twitter and YouTube. We know we have more work to do, and we’ll continue to work with civil rights groups, GARM, and other experts to develop even more tools, technology and policies to continue this fight.”
The ad boycott is part of an organized effort called Stop Hate For Profit
The Stop Hate For Profit campaign launched last week, starting with popular sports and outdoor lifestyle brands like The North Face and Patagonia. It has since gained steam with mainstream corporate America after picking up support from ice cream brand Ben & Jerry’s and film distributor Magnolia Pictures. On Friday, Honda announced it was joining the campaign as well, and would halt advertising on Facebook and Instagram in July. “This is in alignment with our company’s values, which are grounded in human respect,” the company tweeted.
In an open letter posted Thursday, the ADL provided more concrete details regarding the changes the boycott seeks to produce in Facebook’s policies and its approach to moderation.
“Today, we are asking all businesses to stand in solidarity with our most deeply held American values of freedom, equality and justice and not advertise on Facebook’s services in July,” read an ad the Stop Hate For Profit campaign ran in the Los Angeles Times earlier this week. “Let’s send Facebook a powerful message: Your profits will never be worth promoting hate, bigotry, racism, antisemitism and violence.”
UPDATED June 27th 8:38AM ET: Added tweet comment from Honda


theverge--2020-06-26--Popular RPG Disco Elysium may be adapted into a TV show

There ’ s a TV series based on the 2019 indie game Disco Elysium possibly coming , Variety reports .
Disco Elysium launched in October 2019 exclusively on PC , set in the same universe as the 2013 novel Sacred and Terrible Air .
In the game , you play as an experienced detective tasked with solving a murder mystery in a city still recovering from a decades-old war .
Following its release , Disco Elysium received a positive reception from fans and critics ; The Verge even recommends it as a game you should play if you recently bought @ @ @ @ @ @ @ praised the game for its watercolor art style , narrative depth , and writing , all elements that set up the basis for an appealing TV series .
The game ’ s developer ZA/UM is teaming up with dj2 Entertainment to work on the show The game also picked up numerous awards and nominations .
It was nominated in four categories at the Game Awards 2019 , including for Best Narrative and Best Independent Game , and won in every category it was nominated in .
The game ’ s developer , ZA/UM @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the same company that co-produced a film adaptation of Sonic The Hedgehog earlier this year , to work on the tv series .
Dj2 Entertainment also holds the license to adapt many other video games to the big or small screen , including Life is Strange , Little Nightmares , Sleeping Dogs , and Vampyr .
Although a Vampyr TV show was announced in 2018 , so far Sonic The Hedgehog is the only project to so far make it to release .

There’s a TV series based on the 2019 indie game Disco Elysium possibly coming, Variety reports. Disco Elysium launched in October 2019 exclusively on PC, set in the same universe as the 2013 novel Sacred and Terrible Air. In the game, you play as an experienced detective tasked with solving a murder mystery in a city still recovering from a decades-old war.
Following its release, Disco Elysium received a positive reception from fans and critics; The Verge even recommends it as a game you should play if you recently bought or built a gaming PC. Many praised the game for its watercolor art style, narrative depth, and writing, all elements that set up the basis for an appealing TV series.
The game’s developer ZA/UM is teaming up with dj2 Entertainment to work on the show
The game also picked up numerous awards and nominations. It was nominated in four categories at the Game Awards 2019, including for Best Narrative and Best Independent Game, and won in every category it was nominated in.


theverge--2020-06-26--Disney delays Mulan again as movie studios continue game of wait-and-see amid pandemic

Disney has delayed Mulan for the second time this year , moving the film from July 24th to August 21st .
The move follows Warner Bros. ’ decision to delay Christopher Nolan ’ s Tenet for a second time from July 31st to August 12th .
Disney doesn ’ t want to be the first studio to release a major film in the middle of a pandemic when the company is unsure of about how many people will show up .
The delay is added confirmation that Disney and Warner Bros. are engaged in a game of release chicken .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ testing out their potential billion-dollar movies in a market where the films could lose money if audiences don ’ t turn up or restrictions mean that audiences can ’ t watch said movies .
Disney CEO Bob Chapek previously cited Tenet ( referring to it as a “ competitor ’ s film ” ) as the movie Disney executives were planning to watch ; the insinuation was that if Tenet performed well , Mulan could run the following week , but if it flopped upon opening weekend , Disney could move Mulan .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ company ’ s earnings call that he was hopeful by the time The SpongeBob Movie : Sponge on the Run was set to open in early August , movie theaters would be back in full swing .
ViacomCBS has since moved The SpongeBob Movie : Sponge on the Run to a digital only release in 2021 .
While studios are trying to figure out when to release their 2020 blockbusters , theaters are also watching closely .
Companies like AMC Theatres and Regal are relying on movies like Tenet and Mulan to bring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ open more widely seemed to be based on Tenet ’ s then July 31st release date .
Now , Warner Bros. is re-releasing Inception in that spot to celebrate the film ’ s 10-year-anniversary .
If studios don ’ t release new films , the theaters don ’ t have anything to bring audiences in .
As concerns over the novel coronavirus continue to grow as states begin to reopen , whether summer blockbusters will actually start to hit theaters is still up in the air .
For now , it seems like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to engage in incremental delays until the time is right .

Disney has delayed Mulan for the second time this year, moving the film from July 24th to August 21st. The move follows Warner Bros.’ decision to delay Christopher Nolan’s Tenet for a second time from July 31st to August 12th.
Disney doesn’t want to be the first studio to release a major film in the middle of a pandemic when the company is unsure of about how many people will show up. The delay is added confirmation that Disney and Warner Bros. are engaged in a game of release chicken. Neither studio wants to go first, testing out their potential billion-dollar movies in a market where the films could lose money if audiences don’t turn up or restrictions mean that audiences can’t watch said movies.
Disney CEO Bob Chapek previously cited Tenet (referring to it as a “competitor’s film”) as the movie Disney executives were planning to watch; the insinuation was that if Tenet performed well, Mulan could run the following week, but if it flopped upon opening weekend, Disney could move Mulan. ViacomCBS CEO Bob Bakish added in his company’s earnings call that he was hopeful by the time The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run was set to open in early August, movie theaters would be back in full swing. ViacomCBS has since moved The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run to a digital only release in 2021.
While studios are trying to figure out when to release their 2020 blockbusters, theaters are also watching closely. Companies like AMC Theatres and Regal are relying on movies like Tenet and Mulan to bring people back to theaters. Plans to open more widely seemed to be based on Tenet’s then July 31st release date. Now, Warner Bros. is re-releasing Inception in that spot to celebrate the film’s 10-year-anniversary. If studios don’t release new films, the theaters don’t have anything to bring audiences in.


theverge--2020-06-26--Ubisoft places multiple employees on leave following allegations of misconduct

Multiple employees at Ubisoft , including two executives , have been placed on administrative leave as the company conducts a corporate investigation following allegations of professional misconduct , Bloomberg reports .
The two executives placed on leave are Tommy François and Maxime Béland , two employees that serve as vice presidents in a division overseeing worldwide development of the company ’ s games , Bloomberg reports .
Both men face numerous allegations that surfaced after multiple accusers came forward on Twitter .
Many allegations have been made against several employees at Ubisoft In the last week , the video game @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with an outpouring of stories on social media .
Many in the Twitch and YouTube creator spaces , as well as employees of large game developers and publishers , have come forward online about abuse , sexual harassment , and other misconduct at the hands of high-ranking employees while working in the industry .
Many allegations have been made against several employees at Ubisoft , including Assassin ’ s Creed Valhalla creative director Ashraf Ismail , who recently stepped down from his role in the game and took a leave of absence after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ online .
In response to the multiple allegations made against several of its employees , Ubisoft announced in a statement last night that it would be launching investigations .
The company has also brought in external consultants as part of its investigation into the abuse and bullying .

Multiple employees at Ubisoft, including two executives, have been placed on administrative leave as the company conducts a corporate investigation following allegations of professional misconduct, Bloomberg reports.
The two executives placed on leave are Tommy François and Maxime Béland, two employees that serve as vice presidents in a division overseeing worldwide development of the company’s games, Bloomberg reports. Both men face numerous allegations that surfaced after multiple accusers came forward on Twitter.
Many allegations have been made against several employees at Ubisoft
In the last week, the video game industry has faced a #MeToo reckoning with an outpouring of stories on social media. Many in the Twitch and YouTube creator spaces, as well as employees of large game developers and publishers, have come forward online about abuse, sexual harassment, and other misconduct at the hands of high-ranking employees while working in the industry.


theverge--2020-06-26--Dr Disrespect is gone and Twitch won’t say why

Dr Disrespect disappeared from Twitch this afternoon , with his account vanishing from the site , leading to rumors that he had been banned .
The disappearance comes two days after Twitch said it would begin issuing permanent suspensions for streamers as it cracked down on accusations of harassment and sexual misconduct .
Twitch would not confirm that it had banned Dr Disrespect , why he might have been banned , or whether he might be permanently banned .
Twitch signed Dr Disrespect to an exclusive two year contract back in March for an undisclosed but “ life-changing ” amount @ @ @ @ @ @ @ made a deal with a production company to create an animated TV series around his character .
Dr Disrespect , real name Herschel “ Guy ” Beahm , is famous for his exaggerated persona — he streams in character as a person who takes gaming to a certain extreme — and is among Twitch ’ s 10 most followed accounts , a list that includes several people ( like Ninja ) who no longer use the site .
The potential ban would be a huge statement from Twitch — should Twitch choose to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the platform is going to start taking its streamers ’ behavior both on and off stream more seriously , following a week of complaints about sexual harassment and assault .
Beahm doesn ’ t appear to have been among those who were accused of harassment or other misconduct , but he ’ s been a controversial figure in the past .
Beahm was banned last year for streaming from a men ’ s bathroom at E3 .
In 2018 , he was criticized for performing racist caricatures while streaming .
Twitch suggested that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ community guidelines or terms of service in an email to The Verge but would not specifically say so .
“ As is our process , we take appropriate action when we have evidence that a streamer has acted in violation of our Community Guidelines or Terms of Service .
These apply to all streamers regardless of status or prominence in the community , ” a Twitch spokesperson said in an email .

Dr Disrespect disappeared from Twitch this afternoon, with his account vanishing from the site, leading to rumors that he had been banned. The disappearance comes two days after Twitch said it would begin issuing permanent suspensions for streamers as it cracked down on accusations of harassment and sexual misconduct.
Twitch would not confirm that it had banned Dr Disrespect, why he might have been banned, or whether he might be permanently banned. Twitch signed Dr Disrespect to an exclusive two year contract back in March for an undisclosed but “life-changing” amount of money. The streamer had also made a deal with a production company to create an animated TV series around his character.
Dr Disrespect, real name Herschel “Guy” Beahm, is famous for his exaggerated persona — he streams in character as a person who takes gaming to a certain extreme — and is among Twitch’s 10 most followed accounts, a list that includes several people (like Ninja) who no longer use the site.
Related Twitch reckons with sexual assault as it begins permanently suspending streamers
The potential ban would be a huge statement from Twitch — should Twitch choose to confirm it. It would signal that the platform is going to start taking its streamers’ behavior both on and off stream more seriously, following a week of complaints about sexual harassment and assault.
Beahm doesn’t appear to have been among those who were accused of harassment or other misconduct, but he’s been a controversial figure in the past. Beahm was banned last year for streaming from a men’s bathroom at E3. In 2018, he was criticized for performing racist caricatures while streaming.