theverge--2020-12-11--The best gaming mouse you can buy

The best gaming mouse you can buy

Finding the right gaming mouse amid all of the options available can , frankly , be a struggle .
There are a lot of factors to consider , like how it looks , how it feels in the hand , the button selection and arrangement , the quality of its sensor , and whether you want a mouse that ’ s wireless or wired .
These details , minor as they seem , can have a major impact on your experience with the mouse you choose to buy .
On the other hand , sometimes mice have features that get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as well as advertised .
However your taste leans , you almost certainly want the best gaming mouse that your budget allows for .
We ’ re going to make this decision easy for you .
The best gaming mouse is Logitech ’ s G502 Lightspeed .
It ’ s the most well-rounded choice if you want comfort , a long-lasting battery , and the best selection and arrangement of buttons .
This model ’ s design accommodates multiple grip styles , and Logitech ’ s companion software is unobtrusive and a breeze @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wireless connectivity so you don ’ t have to deal with a wire entangling your gameplay .
If you don ’ t want a wireless mouse and are looking for the best wired gaming mouse , look no further than the Razer DeathAdder V2 .
It ’ s unbeatable in the ergonomics department , with a design that feels like a natural extension of your hand .
And while this model has a fairly simple layout and button selection , it ’ s all just within reach and responsive .
That ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more recently haven ’ t tested the throne , so to speak .
Our latest update ropes in a few of the latest wireless and wired models from Logitech , Razer and SteelSeries .
Updated December 11th , 2020 : We added information on Logitech ’ s G Pro X Superlight , and on the SteelSeries Aerox 3 Wireless as an option for those who want a lightweight wireless mouse that ’ s IP54 rated .
Also added : the DeathAdder V2 Mini , a less expensive option for people who like the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have smaller hands .
The best gaming mouse in 2020 The best wireless gaming mouse you can buy The Logitech G502 Lightspeed is a great gaming mouse for discerning gamers who don ’ t want to compromise , as well as people who have no idea what they should look for in a mouse .
It ’ s comfortable , feature-packed , and even though it ’ s wireless , it ’ s a fast and accurate performer that doesn ’ t feel at a disadvantage against opponents using wired mice .
At @ @ @ @ @ @ @ around $ 100 these days ) , the best doesn ’ t come cheap .
But if you ’ ve tossed around the idea of making an investment in a high-end wireless mouse , no other model that I tested for this buying guide justified its price so easily .
The G502 Lightspeed has Logitech ’ s best features for its gaming and general-use mice rolled into one .
The main buttons deliver a satisfying bounce response when you tap them , and unlike some other popular models , they click easily no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the mouse .
No other model tested for this buying guide justified its price so easily This mouse also features a quick-release button , a feature borrowed from other Logitech consumer-focused and gaming mice .
By default , the scroll wheel staggers down a webpage with each step , which is how you expect a scroll wheel to work .
Tapping the button releases the mechanism gripping the wheel , allowing it to freely sail to the bottom of a long page .
It ’ s a small feature , but one that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ situations , like being able to quickly scroll through your inventory when in a game .
The G502 Lightspeed has plenty of other gaming-centric features .
Logitech ’ s latest sensor , the Hero 25K , is capable of up to 25,600 DPI ( Logitech issued an update in September 2020 that boosted the DPI from 16,000 to 25,600 ) and over 400 inches per second , with a 1,000Hz report rate .
It supports a wide range of sensitivities so that , depending on your playstyle and desk setup , it accommodates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the push of one of its macro buttons .
Another nice feature is the inclusion of 16 grams of additional weights you can insert into the mouse to give it more resistance .
A mouse ’ s weight comes down to personal preference , and that could vary from game to game .
This mouse is among the few modern wireless devices to give you the flexibility to change up the weight .
No matter what weight you choose , the mouse easily glides across mouse pads with its soft feet .
Those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a premium alternative to plastic ) , the same material found in many of Razer ’ s mice that helps to reduce friction .
Logitech ’ s arrangement of macro buttons on the G502 Lightspeed first struck me as over-crowded .
You ’ ll find six of them placed around the mouse .
( There are technically 11 buttons total , if you count the main mouse buttons , clicking in the scroll wheel , and the ability to program what the wheel does when you wiggle it to each side . )
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ mouse , each macro feels within reach , and it ’ s surprisingly easy to distinguish one from the next when you ’ re in the heat of a tense match .
Logitech ’ s software will let you configure the mouse ’ s LED lighting pattern , assign commands to macro buttons , and tweak the minute details of how its sensor tracks .
And unlike the apps made to accompany mice from most other peripheral makers , Logitech ’ s G Hub software is simple to use and as unobtrusive as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ G502 Lightspeed is wireless makes it that much easier to bring along with you wherever you go .
But if you just can ’ t swing the $ 150 price , I suggest that you check out the $ 50 Logitech G502 Hero , which is the wired version of this mouse .
It has almost every feature that you ’ ll find in the wireless model — except , you know , wireless capability .
Its feet aren ’ t made of PTFE , the material that makes the G502 Lightspeed smoothly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also has fewer onboard profiles ( three versus five ) , and the scroll wheel has a slightly different look and feel .
But if you don ’ t mind being wired up to your PC , it ’ s a great option for many of the same reasons I heartily recommend the G502 Lightspeed .
Before moving on , it ’ s worth mentioning where Logitech ’ s lineup of wireless gaming mice fits in comparison .
The G Pro X Superlight is a $ 150 option made for people who want @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the same Hero 25K sensor , so the tracking is just as good as the G502 Lightspeed , but it doesn ’ t have any extra features .
In addition to being far lighter , it ’ s more plainly designed , with far fewer buttons .
In fact , it ’ s pricier and has fewer buttons than the G Pro Wireless .
You ’ ll likely know if this is something you ’ d want more than our top pick , but since it ’ s more expensive than our top @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recommend the G502 Lightspeed for most people .
The best wired gaming mouse you can buy A great wired mouse doesn ’ t need countless features .
It just needs to be extremely good at the fundamentals , including being comfy enough to use for hours at a time with games that require quick reflexes , having a simple assortment of buttons that take little to no time to master , and , of course , great performance .
If this matches what you want in a mouse , the $ 70 Razer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Of all the wired gaming mice that I tested for this buying guide , no other mouse felt like a more natural extension of my hand .
That ’ s crucial when you ’ re playing a game that requires precision , and it ’ s good to have when you just want to feel support while you ’ re using your computer in general .
The DeathAdder V2 ’ s design provides a lot of palm support , whether my fingers are flat and relaxed over the mouse or arched when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I use my index finger to left click and middle finger to right click ; unlike most mice , this design gives me enough space on its right side to keep my ring and pinky fingers from dangling off the side and dragging on the mouse pad .
That ’ s something I didn ’ t know I wanted out of a mouse until I started using this one .
Those design features keep things comfortable , but I think the part of the mouse that sold me is where my thumb rests @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for your thumb to relax and laze around .
That ’ s fine , but I find that it necessitates more arm movement when the action ramps up .
I prefer this mouse ’ s solution : its ergonomic design keeps my thumb wrapped around its side , naturally resting upon the edges of the customizable macro buttons .
It ’ s good to have multiple buttons within reach , and the thumb location makes it easy for me to push the mouse around using just my wrist .
It ’ s comfortable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ me limber in case I need to make sudden movements .
The part of the DeathAdder that sold me is where my thumb rests What ’ s inside of the DeathAdder V2 mouse plays an equal role in it being my top choice .
It has Razer ’ s Focus Plus optical sensor with 20,000 DPI and up to 650 inches of travel per second .
You can switch between custom DPI settings with the buttons near the scroll wheel , and this mouse supports multiple profiles that you can toggle on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its own setting that you can modify using Razer ’ s Synapse desktop software .
This makes it easy to create up to five profiles for people you might share the mouse with , or to make distinct profiles for work and play , or an individual profile for each game you play .
And once the profiles are stored , you can swap between them on other computers , whether the Razer software is installed or not .
The DeathAdder V2 has a few other design touches that make it a joy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Razer ’ s Speedflex braided cable essentially nixes the likelihood of it snagging on your mouse pad by using a different kind of fabric and knitting pattern than other brands .
It has PTFE feet that will help it glide smoothly across your mouse pad .
When it comes to longevity and durability , Razer claims the DeathAdder V2 ’ s optical switches are rated for up to 70 million clicks .
Razer also uses these features in several of its other mice , but the information further sweetens the deal here .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ mouse Razer ’ s DeathAdder V2 is still my personal pick in terms of comfort , though I ’ m convinced that some of BenQ ’ s latest Zowie mice — particularly the EC2 that I spent a lot of time with — may be an equally good , if not better , option for some people .
The $ 69.99 Zowie EC2 is my favorite of the company ’ s current catalog .
It ’ s shaped similarly to the DeathAdder V2 , in that it ’ s ergonomic and sloped to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lay on while you game or browse .
What ’ s more , there ’ s a generous amount of thumb space underneath the side buttons that I found to be spacious and equally accommodating to my grip style .
All of Zowie ’ s mice are delightfully no-frills in terms of their design , but the EC2 is the most curvy mouse the company offers .
As a quick aside from this model , I want to praise Zowie for not trying to make a single one-size-fits-all mouse .
Unlike other manufacturers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for each mouse model .
So if you ’ re thinking that you might want a slightly smaller version , the EC2 is something you can easily buy for the same price .
The no-frills philosophy extends into the feature offering , but that ’ s not to say it ’ s lacking .
I think the EC2 offers exactly what most gamers need , and perhaps of equal importance , nothing they don ’ t .
This mouse features four buttons ( two main , two side ) and a DPI button @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s bottom side .
Even the more advanced settings , like adjusting lift-off distance or USB report rate , are done by holding down a unique sequence of buttons when you plug it in .
Most companies make you install companion PC software in order to adjust settings like these , so it ’ s cool that you don ’ t need to install anything here to tweak the settings yourself .
On the flip side , unless you ’ re a diehard gamer who ’ s constantly using those features , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them to memory .
Some other things I like about the EC2 ( most of Zowie ’ s mice share these traits in common ) include the scroll wheel ’ s deep , grippy grooves .
It makes a hearty click sound with every scroll , and advancing to the next notched step in either direction requires just the right amount of effort .
Plus , its cable is 6.6 feet long , which is quite generous .
If you want a basic-looking mouse that ’ s just as capable as Razer ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ considering .
The DeathAdder V2 feels more luxurious to use and has LEDs , if that ’ s your thing .
I ’ m okay with relying on Razer ’ s software to adjust settings like polling rate and liftoff distance .
Though , for a mouse that doesn ’ t require any software ( or , in fact , even a driver ) , this is an alluring package that ’ s easy to recommend .
A more affordable runner-up to the best wireless gaming mouse Corsair ’ s latest high-end wireless @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our top pick .
The Dark Core RGB Pro SE has a comfortable , ergonomic build with a high arch that makes it easy to relax with during long gameplay sessions or to power through work .
Its design is less angular and sharp-looking than the G502 Lightspeed , so you might take to it more quickly based on looks alone .
Though , when I ’ m not paying attention to how the two mice differ in appearance , they feel equally comfortable .
It ’ s worth noting that this mouse @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pick .
Though it ’ s listed at $ 140 through Corsair , Best Buy regularly sells it for $ 90 and sometimes less .
For the price , it ’ s impressive that it has a few features up on Logitech ’ s mouse .
It offers USB-C charging and supports Qi wireless charging if you have a wireless charger .
This mouse can switch between 2.4GHz wireless mode via its included USB dongle ( cleverly tucked under its removable , magnetic wing ) or Bluetooth .
Of course , you ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dongle , but it ’ s great to have options .
I found that the battery life , while decent , wasn ’ t quite as long-lasting as the G502 Lightspeed .
Some smaller , but equally welcome features here come in the form of that removable magnetic wing I just mentioned , which snaps onto its right side to let me comfortably rest my ring and pinky fingers on .
The textured , grip-friendly sections at the palm and near the thumb are also great .
Like the G502 Lightspeed and many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dark Core also has smooth PTFE feet that easily glide across a mouse pad .
The Dark Core held up nearly just as well in-game as Logitech ’ s mouse above , though the omission of two features made me miss using the G502 Lightspeed .
It doesn ’ t have a dedicated sniper button , and there were a few instances where the model that I tested had a squeaky left mouse button .
I don ’ t think it made a noise more than once every few hundred clicks , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I tried .
But that didn ’ t leave the best impression for a brand-new mouse .
Also , I found that the battery life , while decent , wasn ’ t quite as long-lasting as the G502 Lightspeed .
This isn ’ t a big issue if you can effortlessly rest it on a wireless charger to top up , but it ’ s a shortcoming nevertheless .
Outside of the price differences , these two play a game of teeter-totter with features .
Depending on who you ask , the Dark @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the G502 Lightspeed .
But Logitech ’ s mouse edges it out with better build quality , extra buttons ( not to mention the excellent scroll wheel ) , and optional weights .
The more affordable , wired take on the best gaming mouse If $ 150 is too much for you to spend on Logitech ’ s wireless G502 Lightspeed , you might want to consider this wired version , the G502 Hero .
It has the same design as our pick for the best gaming mouse — actually , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ every way , down to the kind of sensor it uses and its adjustable weights .
That makes it almost as good , though some might take issue with its thick braided cable and the somewhat slippery plastic used on the scroll wheel .
A good alternative if the DeathAdder V2 is too basic or big for you The Basilisk V2 is the wired mouse that I ’ d recommend to people who want the advantages of a modern Razer wired mouse , like the thin , braided SpeedFlex cable , fast performance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ glide across your mouse pad , and , of course , LEDs .
Despite having a design that might not fit well in everyone ’ s hands , it ’ s a smaller mouse that has more features than the DeathAdder V2 .
For instance , the Basilisk V2 has a removable sniper button that ’ s easy to reach .
Perhaps my favorite feature here is the scroll wheel that has an adjustable tension .
It ’ s not quite as cool as the Logitech G502 ’ s free-spinning wheel , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you want a custom feel to your wheel .
One of the best things about this mouse is that it has most of the same features found in the more expensive Basilisk Ultimate , Razer ’ s wireless version of this mouse .
While all of the mice above were built exclusively for right-handed gamers , BenQ ’ s Zowie FK2 is an excellent option that ’ s built for both right- and left-handed players .
There are plenty of other true ambidextrous mice out there ( meaning that there are thumb buttons @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Zowie FK2 is a low-profile , high-performance option that doesn ’ t cost too much .
Like the EC2-A mentioned above , the FK2 works without the need for an installed driver .
What ’ s more , it ’ s available in multiple sizes , and you can adjust DPI and a few other settings right on the mouse .
This isn ’ t the most comfortable option out there , perhaps because it was built to suit two separate audiences , though it ’ s tough to beat if you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mouse .
SteelSeries recently released the Aerox 3 lineup of gaming mice , and chief among them so far is the Aerox 3 Wireless .
It ’ s a riff on the Rival 3 design that ’ s now poked full of holes to drop down its weight to just 66 grams , though it ’ s different enough to justify its $ 100 price point for some .
What I like most about this model is that it charges via USB-C ( still a rarity among other popular models from Razer and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2.4GHz wireless with its included USB-C dongle or Bluetooth .
The fact that it has an IP54 rating to protect it from water and dust is another perk .
This mouse has a false ambidextrous design , so while it will fit comfortably for either left- or right-handed gamers , the thumb buttons are only there to accommodate right-handed use .
The reason why the Aerox 3 Wireless is on the bottom of this list , despite some great features , is because it ’ s perhaps the least ergonomic option .
This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an issue for people who use it simply to game , but it ’ s not particularly comfortable to use as an all-day device .
Also , I noticed that it loses connection with my PC regularly , but rather than a connectivity issue , it seems like it falls asleep to preserve power if you don ’ t use it for a few minutes .
Again , not a huge issue , but it ’ s an annoyance to wait a few seconds while it wakes up before I can use it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ issue , the wired Aerox 3 with the same design and waterproof feature is $ 60 .

Finding the right gaming mouse among all the options can be a struggle. There is a dizzying array of mice available, from stripped-down, lightweight five-button mice for shooters to 17-button mice for MMOs. There are a lot of factors to consider: looks, grip style, comfort, sensor quality, wired versus wireless, button selection and arrangement, onboard settings storage, and RGB lighting (obviously), to name a few. These details can have a major impact on your gaming experience. On the other hand, sometimes mice have features that are overhyped and not worth the extra cost for most people.
What we looked for Resolution One of the biggest differences between gaming mice and non-gaming ones, resolution is measured in counts per inch (CPI) — sometimes written as dots per inch (DPI). The higher the resolution, the more precise the mouse and the smaller the movements it can register. 8,000 CPI is considered high for a non-gaming mouse, while the lowest-resolution mouse on this list has a 16,000 CPI sensor, and the highest can hit 30,000, which is (frankly) more than you need. Many gaming mice let you swap resolutions on the fly or briefly lower sensitivity while sniping. Polling rate This is how often the mouse reports its position to the computer. It’s mostly a function of connection type and a major differentiator for gaming mice. Wired gaming mice are usually at least 1,000Hz. Corsair, Logitech, Razer, and others all sell wireless mice with 1,000Hz polling rates via proprietary 2.4GHz dongles. Bluetooth and most non-gaming 2.4GHz dongles, like Logitech Unifying, top out at about 125Hz, which is generally too slow for shooters or other games that require fast, precise mousing. Some mice support 4,000Hz or even 8,000Hz polling, but this is unnecessary. You’re not that fast. Wired versus wireless Wired mice are less expensive than wireless ones and never run out of battery. But wireless ones are wireless, which is neat, and many can now compete with wired mice thanks to those 1,000Hz dongles. But they do tend to run out of charge at the worst time, so for wireless mice, we looked at battery life as well as how and how quickly the wireless ones recharge. Buttons and customizability How many buttons does it have? Are they recognized in games? How flexible is remapping? Can you bind macros and complex actions? Can you adjust DPI on the fly? How does the scroll wheel feel? Comfort and grip style How big is it? What grip styles is it best suited for? Are the buttons easy to reach? Is it heavy for precise movement? Is it light for whipping across your mousepad? Is it adjustable? How does it feel to touch? RGB lights These are very important for gaming, obviously. Does the mouse light up? How many lighting zones does it have? How customizable are they? Can you sync them with your keyboard or case lights or specific games? (This has no bearing on performance but, hey, aesthetics.)
Between the folks that contributed to this version of our gaming mouse guide, we’ve tested hundreds of gaming mice. As with keyboards, you can technically game with any mouse. But for any game where reaction time and accuracy are factors, there’s a bigger gap between gaming and non-gaming mice than there is between a good gaming keyboard and a good general-purpose mechanical keyboard.
Best wireless gaming mouse
Razer Basilisk V3 Pro $ 134 $ 160 16 % off $ 134 $ 134 $ 160 16 % off The Razer Basilisk V3 Pro has 11 programmable inputs, a hyperfast scroll wheel, optical switches, and a ridiculous 30K sensor. It works over Bluetooth, USB-C, or 1,000Hz HyperSpeed Wireless — which bumps up to 4,000Hz if you pair it with the Mouse Dock Pro, which also adds magnetic Qi charging. $134 at Best Buy
Connection: USB-C, Bluetooth, 2.4GHz / Charging: USB-C, Qi (with wireless charging puck ), magnetic Qi (with Mouse Dock Pro ) Polling rate: 125Hz (Bluetooth), 1,000Hz (2.4GHz or wired), 4,000Hz (with Mouse Dock Pro) / Sensor and resolution: Focus Pro 30K / Weight: 112g / Inputs: 11 / RGB: Razer Chroma
The Razer Basilisk V3 Pro is a wireless gaming mouse with an incredibly high-res sensor, a 1,000Hz wireless connection — which bumps up to 4,000Hz if you add the wireless charging dock — and 13 RGB lighting zones. It is virtually indistinguishable from the wired Basilisk V3, which we also like, with the same aggressive claw shape and 11 programmable inputs. Less obvious improvements include a ridiculous 30,000 DPI optical sensor and third-generation Razer optical switches.
The V3 Pro’s RGB lighting is more robust than the wired V3’s, and its chassis is more resistant to smudges and fingerprints. The hyperfast scroll wheel automatically switches to smooth scrolling based on how fast you spin the scroll wheel, instead of toggling when you push a button like Logitech’s implementation.
Most modern games recognize all of the Razer’s buttons and inputs, so you can remap them in game settings, but you’ll still want to download Razer’s Synapse software, which lets you program and assign macros as well as customize the lighting zones. The V3 Pro can store five profiles on its onboard storage, which is nice if you use multiple computers.
By default, the V3 Pro uses Razer’s HyperSpeed wireless dongle, which has a 1,000Hz polling rate (about the same as a wired mouse and much faster than Bluetooth). If you have a HyperSpeed keyboard like the BlackWidow V3 Mini we recommend in our gaming keyboard buying guide or a HyperSpeed headset, they can share a dongle. (It also supports Bluetooth and wired connections.)
The Razer Basilisk V3 Pro is currently the only wireless mouse with a 4K Hz polling rate. Photo by Alice Newcome-Beill / The Verge
The V3 Pro can charge via USB-C or with any Qi-compatible wireless charger if you add the charging puck. But you can also buy the Basilisk V3 Pro bundled with the Mouse Dock Pro. Apart from adding magnetic wireless charging, which just looks cool, the charging dock ups the V3’s polling rate to 4,000 Hz, which is faster than most wired gaming mice.
You can expect the Basilisk V3 Pro to last around 90 hours on a single charge if you put some power-saving measures in place, but even with the RGB lighting turned on and 4K polling rate enabled, the V3 Pro can last for well over 40 hours before you need to top it off.
You can get the Basilisk V3 Pro for $169.99, with the Qi charging puck for $179.99, or with the dock and the puck for $202. The dock is $69.99 on its own, so if you want it, you should get it bundled. It’s a tall price to pay for the whole package, but it nets features that you won’t find on other wireless gaming mice.
There’s also a new Basilisk V3 X HyperSpeed, which is $69.99, a whole Benjamin cheaper. It runs on a single AA battery, has nine inputs instead of 11, and doesn’t have wireless charging — or even wired. It does have 1,000Hz HyperSpeed Wireless and Bluetooth, though.
Best wireless gaming mouse you never have to plug in
Logitech G502 X Plus $ 148 $ 160 8 % off $ 148 $ 148 $ 160 8 % off The G502 X Plus is Logitech’s equivalent of the Razer Basilisk V3 Pro — or vice versa. It uses Logitech’s Lightspeed 1,000Hz wireless tech and is compatible with the $120 Powerplay mat, which wirelessly charges the mouse as you play. $148 at Best Buy
Connection: USB-C, 2.4GHz / Polling rate: 1,000Hz (2.4GHz or wired) / Charging: USB-C, wireless (with Powerplay mat) / Sensor and resolution: HERO 25K / Weight: 106g / Inputs: 13 / RGB: Logitech Lightsync
The closest competitor to the Basilisk V3 Pro is the Logitech G502 X series. The $160 G502 X Plus is very similar to the V3 Pro, with a claw-style shape, 1,000Hz polling rate, 13 inputs instead of 11, and slightly fewer lighting zones. (It doesn’t support Bluetooth, though that’s not a big omission in a gaming mouse; it’s mostly useful for using the same mouse on non-gaming devices.)
The biggest advantage the G502 X Plus has over the Basilisk is that it works with Logitech’s $120 Powerplay mousepad, which charges the mouse via magnetic induction as you use it. Of course, that does require spending another $120 on a mousepad you have to plug in, but the G502 X Plus can also charge via USB-C if you don’t feel like doing that. Logitech also has the G502 X Lightspeed, which drops the RGB lighting and lowers the price from $159.99 to $139.99. – Alice Newcome-Beill
Best wired gaming mouse
Connection: USB-A / Polling rate: 1,000Hz / Charging: N/A / Sensor and resolution: Razer Focus+ 26K / Weight: 101g (not counting cable) / Inputs: 11 / RGB: Razer Chroma
One thing about wired gaming mice: they never run out of battery! They’re also a lot less expensive! The wired Basilisk V3 has just about all the same features as the wireless one, including that great scroll wheel, for about $50 or $100 less than the wireless version. Its sensor is “only” 26K DPI instead of 30K, its optical switches are second gen instead of third, and it has 11 lighting zones instead of 13, but who’s counting?
Best cheap gaming mouse
SteelSeries Prime $ 30 $ 60 50 % off $ 30 $ 30 $ 60 50 % off The Prime is a no-frills, five-button wired gaming mouse with a 18,000 DPI sensor and a detachable Micro USB cable so you can simply replace the cable if anything happens to it. And you can swap between five on-device profiles with a button on the bottom of the mouse. $30 at Amazon$40 at SteelSeries
Connection: USB-A to Micro USB / Polling rates: 125Hz to 1,000Hz / Charging: N/A / Sensor and resolution: SteelSeries TrueMove Pro 18K / Weight: 69g (not counting cable) / Inputs: Five / RGB: One zone
The SteelSeries Prime isn’t the most luxurious mouse SteelSeries makes. There’s no OLED display, fancy lighting zones, or extra buttons. Instead, you get a wired gaming mouse with five opto-mechanical buttons, one RGB lighting zone, and a sensitivity selection on the bottom for under $40. That’s it.
SteelSeries did cut some corners to bring the price down. The main thing is that it feels like it’s made from cheap plastic — you know, the kind you’d find on a mouse that came bundled with your desktop. It still feels solid enough, though, and its buttons are nicely tactile.
One thing that I was surprised to see as soon as I opened the Prime up, however, was the detachable cable. This is a wired mouse, but it uses a standard Micro USB cable. This is something I’d expect to see in mice twice the cost of the Steelseries Prime, and it means you don’t have to worry about the mouse experiencing an early death due to cable failure.
The Prime is right in the middle of SteelSeries’ Prime lineup; the Prime Plus is virtually identical but adds an OLED screen at the bottom that makes it easier to toggle through the on-device sensitivity profiles. It’s usually between $10 and $30 more than the regular Prime, but sometimes it’s actually cheaper. Depending on the price difference, it’s worth picking up if you feel like you’d use that feature. – Jackie Thomas
Best mouse for MMOs and MOBAs
Corsair Scimitar RGB Elite $ 76 $ 80 5 % off $ 76 $ 76 $ 80 5 % off The Scimitar RGB Elite is a great mouse for MMOs, MOBAs, action RPGs, or really any game that benefits from having an entire number row’s worth of buttons right at your thumb. Swap weapons or abilities without taking your fingers off of the WASD keys! $76 at Amazon$76 at Best Buy
Connection: USB-A / Polling rates: 125Hz to 1,000Hz / Charging: N/A / Sensor and resolution: Pixart PMW3391 18K / Weight: 122g (not counting cable) / Inputs: 17 / RGB: Four zones
For most people, a gaming mouse only really needs to be good at pointing and clicking on an enemy’s head. But for anyone who plays MMORPGs like World of Warcraft or Final Fantasy XIV, if you can add a bunch of buttons to your mouse, that’s free keybindings, baby. There are tons of mice out there with an entire keypad’s worth of thumb buttons — the Razer Naga pioneered the genre. I’ve tried all of them, and the Corsair Scimitar RGB Elite is the best. It’s the one that feels best in my hand — partly because you can adjust the position of the number pad — which is important during long raids and dungeons.
The buttons on the side of the mouse are numbered one through 12 and have RGB LEDs illuminating them. By default, they emulate the number row at the top of your keyboard. And to be honest, in the years I’ve been using the Corsair Scimitar and mice like it, I’ve never once changed that default setting. This is because, in games like World of Warcraft, all of your abilities are bound to keys one through = on your keyboard, which makes the Scimitar RGB Elite a plug-and-play affair.
Obviously then, the Scimitar RGB Elite is going to have a huge following among MMO devotees, but even in other games, the number pad on the side is useful because so many games bind weapons or abilities to the number row by default. I have eased off of MMOs over the last year or so, but I still use the Corsair RGB Elite as my daily driver — and have for almost 10 years.
There are a couple of downsides, though. There are two buttons right between the left and right mouse buttons. One of them switches between sensitivity settings. I cannot tell you how many times I have accidentally pressed one of these buttons in the middle of a raid and completely screwed up my performance for like 10 seconds while I figure out what the hell is going on. It’s something that’s easily fixed in Corsair’s iCue software, but it’s still annoying.
But if that’s the only bad thing I can say about a mouse that I’ve been using for years, it must be a good sign, right? – Jackie Thomas
Other good gaming mice
The $89 Lamzu Atlantis Mini is a great lightweight, no-frills gaming mouse with a high-precision sensor. It works in wireless mode (125Hz) or wired (1,000Hz) and is popular among the competitive shooter set. Unfortunately, it’s frequently out of stock in the US. It’s worth picking up if you can find it, though.
The Logitech G303 Shroud is a minimalist ambidextrous gaming mouse that works with Logitech’s 1,000Hz Lightspeed dongle. It’s good, especially if you prefer its shape to the more aggressive right-handed claw shapes of the Basilisk V3 or Logitech G502 series, but those two mice are a bit more feature-packed.
The Cooler Master MM720 wired gaming mouse is lightweight, at just 49g, and cheap — it’s often under $30. But its design is just a little bit more divisive than the SteelSeries Prime, which has the advantage of a replaceable cord.
The Razer DeathAdder V2 is a good, inexpensive wired gaming mouse, but it’s largely superseded by the Basilisk V3 for not much more money.


theverge--2020-12-12--You can still get free Stadia hardware when you buy Cyberpunk 2077

Only the best deals on Verge-approved gadgets get the Verge Deals stamp of approval , so if you 're looking for a deal on your next gadget or gift from major retailers like Amazon , Walmart , Best Buy , Target , and more , this is the place to be .
It ’ s a different kind of Cyber week .
Cyber Monday is in the past , but the anticipated Cyberpunk 2077 game has finally launched , and it ’ s almost impossible to avoid seeing buzz about it online .
One of this week ’ s best @ @ @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t have a console or a beastly gaming PC .
The game is available on Google Stadia , and until supplies last , Google is offering a complimentary hardware bundle worth $ 100 to people who buy Cyberpunk 2077 on its cloud game streaming platform .
Find details on this and a few more deals below .
Get Stadia hardware when you buy Cyberpunk 2077 A few Verge writers found that playing Cyberpunk 2077 is actually a fantastic experience on Stadia , Google ’ s cloud gaming streaming service that doesn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ PC — just a controller , a Gmail account , and a strong internet connection .
While supplies last , people who buy the $ 59.99 game through Stadia will get a free Premiere Kit , containing a Stadia controller and a 4K HDR-ready Chromecast Ultra , which is all you need to play games from your TV .
It ’ s a $ 100 value .
Get six months of HBO Max for 20 percent off Warner Bros. recently announced that all of its 2021 films will be released on HBO Max @ @ @ @ @ @ @ same time that they ’ re released in theaters .
If that sounds appealing to you , there ’ s a deal happening that will let you save 20 percent when you prepay for six months of service .
The $ 14.99 per month service would normally cost $ 90 after half a year , but you can get it for $ 70 .
Even if you ’ re in it for the movies alone , the price works out in your favor versus going to the theater .
Though , note that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ great VR headset for $ 100 off Oculus has reduced the price of its Rift S tethered virtual reality headset by $ 100 , making it $ 299 .
This is the biggest price cut yet and could be one of the last opportunities to pick it up since it ’ s technically discontinued .

It’s a different kind of Cyber week. Cyber Monday is in the past, but the anticipated Cyberpunk 2077 game has finally launched, and it’s almost impossible to avoid seeing buzz about it online. One of this week’s best deals is aimed right at people who don’t have a console or a beastly gaming PC. The game is available on Google Stadia, and until supplies last, Google is offering a complimentary hardware bundle worth $100 to people who buy Cyberpunk 2077 on its cloud game streaming platform. Find details on this and a few more deals below.
Get Stadia hardware when you buy Cyberpunk 2077
A few Verge writers found that playing Cyberpunk 2077 is actually a fantastic experience on Stadia, Google’s cloud gaming streaming service that doesn’t require an expensive console or PC — just a controller, a Gmail account, and a strong internet connection. While supplies last, people who buy the $59.99 game through Stadia will get a free Premiere Kit, containing a Stadia controller and a 4K HDR-ready Chromecast Ultra, which is all you need to play games from your TV. It’s a $100 value.
Cyberpunk 2077 (Stadia) $ 60 Purchase the game on Stadia before December 17th (or until supplies last) to get a free Stadia Premiere kit (usually $100) containing the Stadia controller and a Chromecast Ultra. Current Stadia Pro subscribers can save $10 on their first game purchase. $60 at Google Stadia
Get six months of HBO Max for 20 percent off
Image: Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. recently announced that all of its 2021 films will be released on HBO Max, for 30 days, at the same time that they’re released in theaters. If that sounds appealing to you, there’s a deal happening that will let you save 20 percent when you prepay for six months of service. The $14.99 per month service would normally cost $90 after half a year, but you can get it for $70.
Even if you’re in it for the movies alone, the price works out in your favor versus going to the theater. Though, note that this payment is nonrefundable.
Get a great VR headset for $100 off
Oculus has reduced the price of its Rift S tethered virtual reality headset by $100, making it $299. This is the biggest price cut yet and could be one of the last opportunities to pick it up since it’s technically discontinued.


theverge--2020-12-11--Get another glimpse inside the PlayStation 5 with iFixit’s new teardown

iFixit has released its teardown of the PlayStation 5 and its DualSense controller — and it goes into even more detail than the one Sony did earlier this year .
The gadget repair company discovered that the console has a ton of screws holding it together , and that there ’ s a weird catch to replacing the optical drive .
It turns out that the optical drive is software-locked to the motherboard .
The physical swap is apparently a piece of cake , but any replacement you put in won ’ t read disks , so if your optical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it to Sony .
It ’ s a bummer , especially for me : I ’ ve had terrible luck with PlayStation optical drives , and the only drive I haven ’ t had to replace is the one on my PS4 ( which was only a few years old when I sold it ) .
No sweat for the owners of the discless Digital edition , though — and as we ’ ve seen previously , adding an extra SSD is going to be easy when the console finally supports it : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ panel and taking out a screw .
The teardown also provides an inside look at the power supply ( above ) , which Sony didn ’ t show us before .
As someone who ’ s dabbled in PC gaming , it ’ s always shocking to me when I ’ m reminded of the PS5 only has a 350W power supply ( and it uses as few as 200 of those watts under load ! )
Turning to the DualSense controller , iFixit found its battery is relatively easy to replace — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an internal Li-ion that ’ ll degrade over time .
It ’ s also massive at 5.7 watt-hours , compared to the 3.7Wh pack in the DualShock 4 .
Those adaptive triggers and haptic feedback motors must be thirsty .
We also get another look at the awesome screw drive that powers those adaptive triggers .
What I don ’ t see is an easy way to unhook the LEDs that surround the DualSense ’ s touchpad .
This may be a niche thing , but I absolutely hated the light on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one isn ’ t as annoying , I still wish Sony would let you turn it off or let screwdriver-handy gamers unhook it without so much fuss .
You can head over to iFixit ’ s teardown page to see far more photos .
And if you want a feel for what taking apart the devices might be like ( without risking what ’ s now effectively a $ 1,000 console ) , the company has provided videos of the teardowns that you can watch below .

iFixit has released its teardown of the PlayStation 5 and its DualSense controller — and it goes into even more detail than the one Sony did earlier this year. The gadget repair company discovered that the console has a ton of screws holding it together, and that there’s a weird catch to replacing the optical drive.
The company also released a always-fun X-ray of the PS5 Photo: Creative Electron (via iFixit)
It turns out that the optical drive is software-locked to the motherboard. The physical swap is apparently a piece of cake, but any replacement you put in won’t read disks, so if your optical drive fails you’ll be sending it to Sony. It’s a bummer, especially for me: I’ve had terrible luck with PlayStation optical drives, and the only drive I haven’t had to replace is the one on my PS4 (which was only a few years old when I sold it).
No sweat for the owners of the discless Digital edition, though — and as we’ve seen previously, adding an extra SSD is going to be easy when the console finally supports it: it only involves unclipping a single side panel and taking out a screw.
Photo: iFixit
The teardown also provides an inside look at the power supply (above), which Sony didn’t show us before. As someone who’s dabbled in PC gaming, it’s always shocking to me when I’m reminded of the PS5 only has a 350W power supply (and it uses as few as 200 of those watts under load!)
To me, the inside of the controller looks nicer than Cyberpunk does on the console. Photo: iFixit
Turning to the DualSense controller, iFixit found its battery is relatively easy to replace — which is good considering it still uses an internal Li-ion that’ll degrade over time. It’s also massive at 5.7 watt-hours, compared to the 3.7Wh pack in the DualShock 4. Those adaptive triggers and haptic feedback motors must be thirsty. We also get another look at the awesome screw drive that powers those adaptive triggers.
What I don’t see is an easy way to unhook the LEDs that surround the DualSense’s touchpad. This may be a niche thing, but I absolutely hated the light on the DualShock 4, and while the new one isn’t as annoying, I still wish Sony would let you turn it off or let screwdriver-handy gamers unhook it without so much fuss.


theverge--2020-12-12--Google adds more AR animals to mobile Search and most of them are pretty cute

Google has added 50 new augmented reality animals to Search which can be either cute , or in the case of the giant cat in the photo above , a bit disconcerting .
Of course it ’ s possible that I find the giant kitty menacing because I hate fun ( or so I have been told ) , but I do not think I want that creature to greet me , anywhere , ever , in AR or any other reality .
I do , however , want this red panda to play with a pumpkin in my dining @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In addition to the red panda and cat , there ’ s a giraffe , cow , zebra , pig , and hippo among the new creatures you can welcome virtually into your home ( or other space , but we ’ re all homebound right now ) .
Just search for an animal on Google ’ s mobile app and tap “ view in 3D ” among the results .
Android Police has a pretty good list of all the AR animals they ’ ve discovered so far .
When Google @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year it only had a few standard animals available like a tiger , a lion , a wolf , and a dog .
It added more creatures in March , including alligators , ducks , and hedgehogs .
In August , Google made prehistoric creatures and historical artifacts available in AR via its Arts and Culture app— and who among us wouldn ’ t love to check out the ancient crustacean Cambropachycope up close and personal ?
I have to admit after playing with the AR animals in Search for a bit ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) , it ’ s a pretty fun feature , and is likely to be very fun for kids stuck inside during — everything .
Now , off to watch my new pet red panda wrestle with her pumpkin .

Google has added 50 new augmented reality animals to Search which can be either cute, or in the case of the giant cat in the photo above, a bit disconcerting. Of course it’s possible that I find the giant kitty menacing because I hate fun (or so I have been told), but I do not think I want that creature to greet me, anywhere, ever, in AR or any other reality.
I do, however, want this red panda to play with a pumpkin in my dining room as long as she wants to.
Look how cute she is with her little pumpkin Kim Lyons/The Verge
In addition to the red panda and cat, there’s a giraffe, cow, zebra, pig, and hippo among the new creatures you can welcome virtually into your home (or other space, but we’re all homebound right now). Just search for an animal on Google’s mobile app and tap “view in 3D” among the results. Android Police has a pretty good list of all the AR animals they’ve discovered so far.
When Google started putting 3D animals in Search last year it only had a few standard animals available like a tiger, a lion, a wolf, and a dog. It added more creatures in March, including alligators, ducks, and hedgehogs. In August, Google made prehistoric creatures and historical artifacts available in AR via its Arts and Culture app— and who among us wouldn’t love to check out the ancient crustacean Cambropachycope up close and personal?


theverge--2020-12-12--The RestoMod is a limited-edition retro-looking PC with a fake floppy drive

Origin has made a new , limited edition PC that has the guts of a new model but the face of an ancient 1990s machine , complete with a fake floppy drive .
In case you want some nostalgia while you wait for Red Dead Redemption to load , perhaps .
The RestoMod has a custom Corsair 4000D case , and the standard build has 16GB of memory , a 2.9 GHz Core i5 processor , 250GB of storage , and a 6GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti graphics card , for $ 2,080 .
The RetroMod can be customized @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they ’ ve only made 50 of them , so supplies are limited .
The front face of the machine is where you ’ ll get the old-school feel , Origin says : By using a custom HD UV print on the steel front panel , the RestoMod PC features a custom design inspired by PCs from the 1990s .
The buttons and drives are just for looks , but you can always pretend that the Turbo button gives you that extra boost in performance .
To complete the look , the RestoMod @ @ @ @ @ @ @ matching beige color to accentuate how cases back in the day preferred simplicity over color .
It ’ s a little disappointing that the Turbo button isn ’ t functional somehow , but this PC is all about its image : old and sorta dingy .
Of course , for a limited run of only 50 machines it seems like Origin could have sourced some actual retro parts , like old disc drives , rather than what ’ s essentially a fun , but cosmetic paint job .
If you find the beige @ @ @ @ @ @ @ head over to Origin ’ s website to configure your new , but old , PC .

Origin has made a new, limited edition PC that has the guts of a new model but the face of an ancient 1990s machine, complete with a fake floppy drive. In case you want some nostalgia while you wait for Red Dead Redemption to load, perhaps.
The RestoMod has a custom Corsair 4000D case, and the standard build has 16GB of memory, a 2.9 GHz Core i5 processor, 250GB of storage, and a 6GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti graphics card, for $2,080. The RetroMod can be customized as desired, Origin says, but they’ve only made 50 of them, so supplies are limited.
RestoMod: New but with an old look Origin
The front face of the machine is where you’ll get the old-school feel, Origin says:
By using a custom HD UV print on the steel front panel, the RestoMod PC features a custom design inspired by PCs from the 1990s. The buttons and drives are just for looks, but you can always pretend that the Turbo button gives you that extra boost in performance. To complete the look, the RestoMod PC chassis has been painted in a matching beige color to accentuate how cases back in the day preferred simplicity over color.
It’s a little disappointing that the Turbo button isn’t functional somehow, but this PC is all about its image: old and sorta dingy. Of course, for a limited run of only 50 machines it seems like Origin could have sourced some actual retro parts, like old disc drives, rather than what’s essentially a fun, but cosmetic paint job.


theverge--2020-12-12--Verge Weekender: Disney’s big day, Cyberpunk 2077, latest at Google, and our favorite gadgets

Happy Saturday and welcome to the inaugural edition of the Verge Weekender , a short recap of some of the stories we covered this week on The Verge .
The big event of the week was Disney ’ s investor day , where the company announced new Disney Plus series WandaVision , showed trailers for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and the much-anticipated series Loki ; as well as slew of new Star Wars series on Disney Plus , including Rangers of the New Republic , Ahsoka , Obi-Wan Kenobi , and Star Wars : Lando .
There ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the works .
Check out the full roundup of everything Disney announced at its 2020 Investor Day .
Perhaps the biggest news of the week/year/pandemic hit late Friday , as the FDA approved the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use : The vaccine is authorized in the US for people over the age of 16 .
It was found to be 95 percent effective at preventing symptomatic COVID-19 in clinical trials .
“ That is extraordinary , ” Anthony Fauci , director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ end of November .
It ’ s far better than experts had dared hope for .
The FDA was prepared to authorize a vaccine as long as it was at least 50 percent effective .
“ We were shocked , ” Pfizer ’ s chief executive officer , Albert Bourla , told The New York Times .
“ We couldn ’ t believe it.
” Here ’ s what else went down over the past week : Google CEO Sundar Pichai addressed how the company handled the departure of AI ethics researcher Timnit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the fact that a prominent Black , female leader with immense talent left Google unhappily , ” Pichai wrote in an email to staff .
He added that the company would consider “ de-escalation strategies ” in the future .
In response , Gebru tweeted that Pichai ’ s email wasn ’ t an apology .
The backstory : Gebru tweeted that Google had abruptly fired her after she voiced her frustration over how the company had handled a research paper on the risks of large language processing models , and Google @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dean , published a note explaining that Gebru ’ s paper hadn ’ t met company standards .
Her own team pushed back , writing that Google had applied its publication review policy “ unevenly and discriminatorily.
” Cyberpunk 2077 finally debuts after nearly a decade in development The long-awaited game from CD Projekt Red launched to generally favorable reviews .
But reports of bugs from users on older consoles put into doubt whether developers who helped make the game would earn their performance bonuses .
The company announced Friday it would pay @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s critical reception .
It also said it was removing some flashing-light sequences in the game to reduce the potential for inducing seizures for some users .
Visa and Mastercard crack down on Pornhub after report of unlawful videos After The New York Times reported the porn portal had videos of underage girls and assaults on its site , Pornhub banned uploads by unidentified users and blocked the downloading of videos .
It disputed the Times story , calling the allegations it hosted child sex abuse material “ irresponsible and flagrantly untrue.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mastercard both said they would stop processing payments on the site as they conducted their own separate investigations .
SpaceX aborts test flight of Starship prototype at one second to liftoff The test of SpaceX ’ s next-generation Starship rocket had to abort before taking off .
The Galaxy Buds Live ( aka Galaxy Beans ) , Oculus Quest 2 , and PlayStation 5 all made our list this year .
Nilay Patel got a pair of Apple ’ s new $ 549 Airpods Max .
First impressions : the case leaves a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sound quality matches competing— but less expensive— headphones .
“ Whether Apple has actually done enough here to justify the staggering premium over the competition is an open question that it ’ ll take us a little more time reviewing to answer , ” he writes .
Google is still making its mysterious Fuchsia OS The OS Google announced more than four years ago is still in the works , Dieter Bohn reports , and while the company says it ’ s not ready for general product development yet , it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ developers reveal an all-new map , The Airship , coming early 2021 After winning best multiplayer game of the year at the Game Awards , Innersloth announced a new , more elaborate map for Among Us .
Not sus at all .

Happy Saturday and welcome to the inaugural edition of the Verge Weekender, a short recap of some of the stories we covered this week on The Verge.
Perhaps the biggest news of the week/year/pandemic hit late Friday, as the FDA approved the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use:
The vaccine is authorized in the US for people over the age of 16. It was found to be 95 percent effective at preventing symptomatic COVID-19 in clinical trials. “That is extraordinary,” Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in a press conference at the end of November. It’s far better than experts had dared hope for. The FDA was prepared to authorize a vaccine as long as it was at least 50 percent effective. “We were shocked,” Pfizer’s chief executive officer, Albert Bourla, told The New York Times. “We couldn’t believe it.”
Here’s what else went down over the past week:
Google CEO Sundar Pichai addressed how the company handled the departure of AI ethics researcher Timnit Gebru
“We need to accept responsibility for the fact that a prominent Black, female leader with immense talent left Google unhappily,” Pichai wrote in an email to staff. He added that the company would consider “de-escalation strategies” in the future. In response, Gebru tweeted that Pichai’s email wasn’t an apology.
The backstory: Gebru tweeted that Google had abruptly fired her after she voiced her frustration over how the company had handled a research paper on the risks of large language processing models, and Google’s head of AI, Jeff Dean, published a note explaining that Gebru’s paper hadn’t met company standards. Her own team pushed back, writing that Google had applied its publication review policy “unevenly and discriminatorily.”
Cyberpunk 2077 finally debuts after nearly a decade in development
The long-awaited game from CD Projekt Red launched to generally favorable reviews. But reports of bugs from users on older consoles put into doubt whether developers who helped make the game would earn their performance bonuses. The company announced Friday it would pay devs full bonuses regardless of the game’s critical reception. It also said it was removing some flashing-light sequences in the game to reduce the potential for inducing seizures for some users.
Visa and Mastercard crack down on Pornhub after report of unlawful videos
After The New York Times reported the porn portal had videos of underage girls and assaults on its site, Pornhub banned uploads by unidentified users and blocked the downloading of videos. It disputed the Times story, calling the allegations it hosted child sex abuse material “irresponsible and flagrantly untrue.” But on Thursday, Visa and Mastercard both said they would stop processing payments on the site as they conducted their own separate investigations.
In other news...
The test of SpaceX’s next-generation Starship rocket had to abort before taking off.
The Galaxy Buds Live (aka Galaxy Beans), Oculus Quest 2, and PlayStation 5 all made our list this year.
Nilay Patel got a pair of Apple’s new $549 Airpods Max. First impressions: the case leaves a lot to be desired, but the sound quality matches competing— but less expensive— headphones. “Whether Apple has actually done enough here to justify the staggering premium over the competition is an open question that it’ll take us a little more time reviewing to answer,” he writes.
The OS Google announced more than four years ago is still in the works, Dieter Bohn reports, and while the company says it’s not ready for general product development yet, it’s seeking more public contributors.
After winning best multiplayer game of the year at the Game Awards, Innersloth announced a new, more elaborate map for Among Us. Not sus at all.


theverge--2020-12-12--Virgin Galactic aborts first powered spaceflight from New Mexico spaceport

This morning , Richard Branson ’ s space tourism company Virgin Galactic had to abort its first powered test flight of its spaceplane from the company ’ s home in New Mexico , bringing the vehicle home before it could reach space .
During the flight , the spaceplane ’ s engine cut out too early and the vehicle ’ s two pilots had to glide back down to the ground early .
The aborted engine ignition was caught live by a Twitch livestream provided by the outlet NASASpaceflight .
The video showed the spaceplane , called VSS Unity , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mid-air as planned .
The vehicle then briefly ignited its main engine , according to the video , but the ignition cut out after just a moment .
On a typical flight , the spaceplane ’ s engine will stay ignited for a full minute , propelling the vehicle to the edge of space .
the ignition cut out after just a moment Once the engine cut out , VSS Unity turned into a glider and returned to its launch site in New Mexico .
The company confirmed that VSS Unity landed safely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the flight ’ s two pilots , C.J .
Sturckow and Dave Mackay , made it “ back safe and sound.
” No passengers were on board this flight , though the vehicle was carrying a number of microgravity payloads for NASA .
Virgin Galactic suggested it may replace the engine motor in the near future .
Today ’ s flight was meant to be the third time that Virgin Galactic sent VSS Unity to space and back .
The previous two test flights , conducted in late 2018 and early 2019 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s test facility at the Mojave Air and Spaceport out of California .
After those last tests , Virgin Galactic moved its operations to the company ’ s new , primary home , a glittering facility known as Spaceport America in the New Mexico desert .
It ’ s from this facility that Virgin Galactic plans to conduct all of its commercial tourist flights .
While Virgin Galactic has conducted a few glide flights of VSS Unity from the spaceport before , the vehicle has yet to reach space from the facility @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an important step as the company prepares to send its first passengers to space on VSS Unity from Spaceport America .
With 600 initial customers signed up for flights , Virgin Galactic hopes to start flying commercial passengers for the first time in 2021 .
Branson , the company ’ s founder , is supposed to take his first flight next year , kicking off commercial operations .
With today ’ s abort , it ’ s unclear how Virgin Galactic will proceed With today ’ s abort , it ’ s unclear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this flight had been a success , Virgin Galactic planned to conduct one more powered test flight before Branson took to the skies .
The next flight would have included two test pilots , as well as a “ full cabin of mission specialists , ” according to the company .
Virgin Galactic already flew its first test passenger , Beth Moses , on the company ’ s second spaceflight in February of 2019 .
But the company has yet to fly a full cabin on one of these trips .
It ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to perform a do-over of today ’ s test first , though .
To get to space , VSS Unity actually takes off in mid-air .
A giant carrier aircraft called VMS Eve transports the spaceplane , with its pilots in the cockpit , to a starting altitude of 50,000 feet .
From there , VSS Unity falls away and the pilots ignite the vehicle ’ s main engine , initiating the climb to space .
Eventually , the engine shuts off and the passengers on board experience a few minutes of weightlessness @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Earth .
To get back home , the pilots then shift the wings on VSS Unity and reenter Earth ’ s atmosphere , gliding back to the ground and landing on a runway .
Virgin Galactic had hoped to fly this test a few weeks earlier , but had to delay after new COVID-19 restrictions were introduced in New Mexico .
The company said that today ’ s flight was “ conducted under strict COVID-19 protocols with only essential personnel onsite.
” No guests or members of the press were allowed to witness @ @ @ @ @ @ @ commercial operations begin , Virgin Galactic ’ s flights will include two test pilots and eventually up to six passengers in the crew cabin .
Before they fly , passengers will spend up to three days training at Spaceport America before riding on VSS Unity .
The first 600 passengers set to fly with the company have each paid $ 250,000 for their tickets , though Virgin Galactic claims those prices will change over time .
The company also plans to reopen ticket sales sometime next year .

This morning, Richard Branson’s space tourism company Virgin Galactic had to abort its first powered test flight of its spaceplane from the company’s home in New Mexico, bringing the vehicle home before it could reach space. During the flight, the spaceplane’s engine cut out too early and the vehicle’s two pilots had to glide back down to the ground early.
The aborted engine ignition was caught live by a Twitch livestream provided by the outlet NASASpaceflight. The video showed the spaceplane, called VSS Unity, dropping away from its carrier aircraft in mid-air as planned. The vehicle then briefly ignited its main engine, according to the video, but the ignition cut out after just a moment. On a typical flight, the spaceplane’s engine will stay ignited for a full minute, propelling the vehicle to the edge of space.
the ignition cut out after just a moment
Once the engine cut out, VSS Unity turned into a glider and returned to its launch site in New Mexico. The company confirmed that VSS Unity landed safely on a runway after the abort, and the flight’s two pilots, C.J. Sturckow and Dave Mackay, made it “back safe and sound.” No passengers were on board this flight, though the vehicle was carrying a number of microgravity payloads for NASA. Virgin Galactic suggested it may replace the engine motor in the near future.
Today’s flight was meant to be the third time that Virgin Galactic sent VSS Unity to space and back. The previous two test flights, conducted in late 2018 and early 2019, took place out of the company’s test facility at the Mojave Air and Spaceport out of California. After those last tests, Virgin Galactic moved its operations to the company’s new, primary home, a glittering facility known as Spaceport America in the New Mexico desert. It’s from this facility that Virgin Galactic plans to conduct all of its commercial tourist flights.
While Virgin Galactic has conducted a few glide flights of VSS Unity from the spaceport before, the vehicle has yet to reach space from the facility. This flight was meant to be an important step as the company prepares to send its first passengers to space on VSS Unity from Spaceport America. With 600 initial customers signed up for flights, Virgin Galactic hopes to start flying commercial passengers for the first time in 2021. Branson, the company’s founder, is supposed to take his first flight next year, kicking off commercial operations.
With today’s abort, it’s unclear how Virgin Galactic will proceed
With today’s abort, it’s unclear how Virgin Galactic will proceed. If this flight had been a success, Virgin Galactic planned to conduct one more powered test flight before Branson took to the skies. The next flight would have included two test pilots, as well as a “full cabin of mission specialists,” according to the company. Virgin Galactic already flew its first test passenger, Beth Moses, on the company’s second spaceflight in February of 2019. But the company has yet to fly a full cabin on one of these trips. It’s possible that Virgin Galactic may opt to perform a do-over of today’s test first, though.
To get to space, VSS Unity actually takes off in mid-air. A giant carrier aircraft called VMS Eve transports the spaceplane, with its pilots in the cockpit, to a starting altitude of 50,000 feet. From there, VSS Unity falls away and the pilots ignite the vehicle’s main engine, initiating the climb to space. Eventually, the engine shuts off and the passengers on board experience a few minutes of weightlessness, while seeing the curvature of the Earth. To get back home, the pilots then shift the wings on VSS Unity and reenter Earth’s atmosphere, gliding back to the ground and landing on a runway.
Virgin Galactic had hoped to fly this test a few weeks earlier, but had to delay after new COVID-19 restrictions were introduced in New Mexico. The company said that today’s flight was “conducted under strict COVID-19 protocols with only essential personnel onsite.” No guests or members of the press were allowed to witness the flight from the spaceport.


theverge--2020-12-12--Twitter briefly restricts Trump’s disputed election tweets

It looked like Twitter was adding further restrictions to President Trump ’ s Twitter account on Saturday , as some users noticed the ability to like , retweet or reply to his tweets with “ disputed ” labels was not working .
Copying the URL to one of the disputed tweets also appeared to be disabled , and quote-tweets were not appearing in search results .
Some users were able to access and like Trump ’ s tweets — several Verge staffers confirmed they could engage with “ disputed ” tweets by clicking through the warning label— but others on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said in an email to The Verge on Saturday that the platform “ inadvertently took action to limit engagements , ” on Trump ’ s tweet and had since reversed the action .
Tweets that violate Twitter ’ s Civic Integrity Policy “ will continue to be labeled in order to give more context for anyone who might see the Tweet , ” the spokesperson said .
Twitter began applying “ disputed ” and other warning labels to tweets containing election misinformation ahead of the November 3rd US presidential election , and restricting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Tweets with premature claims of victory would be labeled , tweets intended to incite interference in the election or election results could be removed , and tweets from political figures with more than 100,000 followers — which includes President Trump — which receive a “ misleading ” label will be more difficult to access .
Since the presidential race was called for Joe Biden , President Trump has tweeted numerous falsehoods about the election , stoking conspiracy theories that it was “ rigged , ” and claiming there was widespread fraud , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he tweeted “ I WON THE ELECTION IN A LANDSLIDE , but remember , I only think in terms of legal votes , not all of the fake voters and fraud that miraculously floated in from everywhere !
What a disgrace !
” The Supreme Court on Friday rejected a request from the attorney general of Texas seeking to overturn election results in four key states , the latest unsuccessful attempt by the president and his team to try to change the election results in court .

It looked like Twitter was adding further restrictions to President Trump’s Twitter account on Saturday, as some users noticed the ability to like, retweet or reply to his tweets with “disputed” labels was not working. Copying the URL to one of the disputed tweets also appeared to be disabled, and quote-tweets were not appearing in search results.
Some users were able to access and like Trump’s tweets — several Verge staffers confirmed they could engage with “disputed” tweets by clicking through the warning label— but others on Twitter could not.
A Twitter spokesperson said in an email to The Verge on Saturday that the platform “inadvertently took action to limit engagements,” on Trump’s tweet and had since reversed the action. Tweets that violate Twitter’s Civic Integrity Policy “will continue to be labeled in order to give more context for anyone who might see the Tweet,” the spokesperson said.
Twitter began applying “disputed” and other warning labels to tweets containing election misinformation ahead of the November 3rd US presidential election, and restricting engagement with those tweets. It announced that Tweets with premature claims of victory would be labeled, tweets intended to incite interference in the election or election results could be removed, and tweets from political figures with more than 100,000 followers — which includes President Trump — which receive a “misleading” label will be more difficult to access.
Since the presidential race was called for Joe Biden, President Trump has tweeted numerous falsehoods about the election, stoking conspiracy theories that it was “rigged,” and claiming there was widespread fraud, without citing evidence. On Saturday, he tweeted “I WON THE ELECTION IN A LANDSLIDE, but remember, I only think in terms of legal votes, not all of the fake voters and fraud that miraculously floated in from everywhere! What a disgrace!”


theverge--2020-12-12--We did the impossible thing, but not the hard thing

When researchers at pharmaceutical companies around the world started developing COVID-19 vaccines , experts reminded everyone to temper expectations .
Vaccines usually take years .
The frontrunners were made using unproven technology , and there were dozens of ways things could go wrong .
The Food and Drug Administration said it would be fine with anything over 50 percent effective .
Then , last month , Pfizer announced that it had a vaccine , and it was 95 percent effective .
Moderna did too .
It was better news than anyone dared hope for .
Stéphane Bancel , chief executive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he first heard the data .
With the FDA ’ s blessing , which came in late Friday night , health care workers in the United States could start getting shots next week , less than a year after the first case of COVID-19 was documented in the country .
Scientists pulled off the impossible thing , and that ’ s worth celebrating .
It is a remarkable , awe-inspiring achievement .
I would say it ’ s miraculous , but calling it a miracle takes away from the work that went into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ past few months , and during the years of basic research on coronaviruses and gene-based vaccines .
We ’ re celebrating as much as we are because we need this vaccine to turn the tide of the pandemic .
But there ’ s a sad backstory to this party .
We only need this vaccine so desperately because the United States failed at doing the hard , basic public health work .
Providing contact tracing , ample testing , masks , gloves , and clear policies aren ’ t as exciting as the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the US government had done them well , the country wouldn ’ t have been so reliant on the impossible .
We ’ re lucky that the moonshot paid off .
There was always a chance it wasn ’ t going to work , and some vaccines have hit serious roadblocks .
On Friday , the drug company Sanofi announced a setback — it can ’ t start late-stage clinical trials this month , as planned , and its vaccine won ’ t be ready until the second half of 2021 .
There @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Moderna hit snags , too , or where they didn ’ t work quite as well .
Even though they did work , the development of these vaccines took nearly a year .
In that year , hundreds of thousands of people in the US died .
They didn ’ t have to .
Public health measures are designed to slow the spread of the virus — saving lives , and buying scientists time to develop life-saving vaccines .
Doing the hard work would have made it so more people could have survived @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we ’ re getting a vaccine just as COVID-19 is surging out of control across the country .
Writing in The Atlantic , Juliette Kayyem , former assistant secretary in the Department of Homeland Security , said that the rest of the pandemic would unfold on a split screen .
On one side , continuous death and disease .
On the other , the start of a vaccination campaign that could keep people safe from the virus .
Thursday , an independent committee recommended that the FDA authorize the Pfizer and BioNTech COVID-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 3,000 people in the US died from the disease .
Here in the US , we ’ re counting down the days before vaccines are widely available , knowing that every day of delay means more illness and more death .
That ’ s not true everywhere .
My dad recently told me that he had a meeting with some people living in Australia , and that he asked them what they thought of the vaccine news .
Turns out , they didn ’ t really care .
Australia controlled the pandemic so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it doesn ’ t need a vaccine as an escape hatch .
They did the hard thing , so they didn ’ t have to rely on the impossible .
Here ’ s what else happened this week .
Boston biotech conference led to 245,000 Covid-19 cases across US , genetic fingerprinting shows A Biogen conference in Boston in February was already known to be a superspreader event .
But a new study that looks at genetic samples of the virus shows just how bad the aftermath of that event really was .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ vaccine starts working within two weeks after first shot Documents published by the FDA offered a more detailed window into how the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine worked .
One key finding : the first shot of the vaccine did seem to provide some protection from the virus .
( Nicole Wetsman , The Verge ) Australia Scraps Covid-19 Vaccine That Produced H.I.V .
False Positives Australia canceled its order for an Australian-made vaccine this week .
The problem wasn ’ t that the vaccine didn ’ t work — it probably did .
But it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ found in HIV .
Unfortunately , HIV tests were sensitive enough to pick up the antibodies created by the body after patients got the vaccine , resulting in false positives on HIV tests .
( Mike Ives/ The New York Times ) New smartphone tool to track side effects of the coronavirus vaccine may be vulnerable to manipulation Experts sounded an early alarm about a tool the CDC plans to use to track side effects of the coronavirus vaccine .
They worry it could be easily manipulated .
( Lena H. Sun and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ On the ground , the pledge to vaccinate 20 million against Covid-19 in December seems unrealistic There ’ s not that much time left in the year , and a whole lot of vaccinations left to distribute .
The US ’ lofty goals may not be met by New Years ’ Eve .
( Olivia Goldhill , STAT ) Blunders Eroded U.S. Confidence in Early Vaccine Front-Runner This is an epic saga of how one promising vaccine candidate made by Oxford and AstraZeneca stumbled badly , pushing it behind candidates produced by competitors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Sharon LaFraniere , Noah Weiland , David D. Kirkpatrick and Benjamin Mueller , New York Times ) Two in U.K .
Suffer Allergic Reaction to Pfizer ’ s Covid-19 Vaccine As the FDA met to consider whether or not to approve the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine , regulators in the UK announced that two people had suffered allergic reactions to the vaccine .
The regulators said that people with histories of severe allergic reactions should not receive the vaccine .
( Joanna Sugden and Bojan Pancevski , The Wall Street Journal ) Sanofi suffers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vaccine Sanofi ’ s vaccine trial faces a major delay after they discovered that trial participants had been given doses that weren ’ t strong enough .
The setback delays the vaccine ’ s potential deployment by months .
( Helen Branswell/STAT ) —Anesthesiologist Kasey Grewe writes for The Atlantic about the grim reality of working in New York hospitals during the spring surge .
— James D Walsh writes about one scientist ’ s experience working on the Moderna vaccine in Intelligencer .
To the more than 70,074,860 people worldwide who have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recovery be smooth .
To the families and friends of the 1,590,998 people who have died worldwide — 294,320 of those in the US — your loved ones are not forgotten .

When researchers at pharmaceutical companies around the world started developing COVID-19 vaccines, experts reminded everyone to temper expectations. Vaccines usually take years. The frontrunners were made using unproven technology, and there were dozens of ways things could go wrong. The Food and Drug Administration said it would be fine with anything over 50 percent effective.
Then, last month, Pfizer announced that it had a vaccine, and it was 95 percent effective. Moderna did too. It was better news than anyone dared hope for. Stéphane Bancel, chief executive at Moderna, said he cried when he first heard the data. With the FDA’s blessing, which came in late Friday night, health care workers in the United States could start getting shots next week, less than a year after the first case of COVID-19 was documented in the country.
Scientists pulled off the impossible thing, and that’s worth celebrating. It is a remarkable, awe-inspiring achievement. I would say it’s miraculous, but calling it a miracle takes away from the work that went into making it possible — both over the past few months, and during the years of basic research on coronaviruses and gene-based vaccines.
A newsletter highlighting the COVID-19 research, developments, and stories that matter. Subscribe here!
We’re celebrating as much as we are because we need this vaccine to turn the tide of the pandemic. But there’s a sad backstory to this party. We only need this vaccine so desperately because the United States failed at doing the hard, basic public health work. Providing contact tracing, ample testing, masks, gloves, and clear policies aren’t as exciting as the moonshot of a vaccine, but if the US government had done them well, the country wouldn’t have been so reliant on the impossible.
We’re lucky that the moonshot paid off. There was always a chance it wasn’t going to work, and some vaccines have hit serious roadblocks. On Friday, the drug company Sanofi announced a setback — it can’t start late-stage clinical trials this month, as planned, and its vaccine won’t be ready until the second half of 2021. There’s a world where Pfizer and Moderna hit snags, too, or where they didn’t work quite as well.
Even though they did work, the development of these vaccines took nearly a year. In that year, hundreds of thousands of people in the US died. They didn’t have to. Public health measures are designed to slow the spread of the virus — saving lives, and buying scientists time to develop life-saving vaccines. Doing the hard work would have made it so more people could have survived to benefit from them.
Instead, we’re getting a vaccine just as COVID-19 is surging out of control across the country. Writing in The Atlantic, Juliette Kayyem, former assistant secretary in the Department of Homeland Security, said that the rest of the pandemic would unfold on a split screen. On one side, continuous death and disease. On the other, the start of a vaccination campaign that could keep people safe from the virus. Thursday, an independent committee recommended that the FDA authorize the Pfizer and BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. That same day, over 3,000 people in the US died from the disease.
Here in the US, we’re counting down the days before vaccines are widely available, knowing that every day of delay means more illness and more death. That’s not true everywhere. My dad recently told me that he had a meeting with some people living in Australia, and that he asked them what they thought of the vaccine news. Turns out, they didn’t really care. Australia controlled the pandemic so well that life is essentially normal — it doesn’t need a vaccine as an escape hatch. They did the hard thing, so they didn’t have to rely on the impossible.
—Nicole Wetsman
Here’s what else happened this week.
Research
Boston biotech conference led to 245,000 Covid-19 cases across US, genetic fingerprinting shows
A Biogen conference in Boston in February was already known to be a superspreader event. But a new study that looks at genetic samples of the virus shows just how bad the aftermath of that event really was. (Maggie Fox, CNN)
Development
COVID-19 vaccine starts working within two weeks after first shot
Documents published by the FDA offered a more detailed window into how the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine worked. One key finding: the first shot of the vaccine did seem to provide some protection from the virus. (Nicole Wetsman, The Verge)
Australia Scraps Covid-19 Vaccine That Produced H.I.V. False Positives
Australia canceled its order for an Australian-made vaccine this week. The problem wasn’t that the vaccine didn’t work — it probably did. But it worked by using fragments from a protein found in HIV. Unfortunately, HIV tests were sensitive enough to pick up the antibodies created by the body after patients got the vaccine, resulting in false positives on HIV tests. (Mike Ives/ The New York Times)
New smartphone tool to track side effects of the coronavirus vaccine may be vulnerable to manipulation
Experts sounded an early alarm about a tool the CDC plans to use to track side effects of the coronavirus vaccine. They worry it could be easily manipulated. (Lena H. Sun and Isaac Stanley-Becker, The Washington Post)
On the ground, the pledge to vaccinate 20 million against Covid-19 in December seems unrealistic
There’s not that much time left in the year, and a whole lot of vaccinations left to distribute. The US’ lofty goals may not be met by New Years’ Eve. (Olivia Goldhill, STAT)
Blunders Eroded U.S. Confidence in Early Vaccine Front-Runner
This is an epic saga of how one promising vaccine candidate made by Oxford and AstraZeneca stumbled badly, pushing it behind candidates produced by competitors Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech. (Rebecca Robbins, Sharon LaFraniere, Noah Weiland, David D. Kirkpatrick and Benjamin Mueller, New York Times)
Two in U.K. Suffer Allergic Reaction to Pfizer’s Covid-19 Vaccine
As the FDA met to consider whether or not to approve the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, regulators in the UK announced that two people had suffered allergic reactions to the vaccine. The regulators said that people with histories of severe allergic reactions should not receive the vaccine. (Joanna Sugden and Bojan Pancevski, The Wall Street Journal)
Sanofi suffers major setback in development of a Covid-19 vaccine
Sanofi’s vaccine trial faces a major delay after they discovered that trial participants had been given doses that weren’t strong enough. The setback delays the vaccine’s potential deployment by months. (Helen Branswell/STAT)
Perspectives
I push medications to sedate and paralyze them, and then put a tube through their vocal cords. Looking down at them as they go to sleep, I’m the last person they see. And for the ones who don’t survive, I will have been the only one to hear—or rather, not hear—their last words.
—Anesthesiologist Kasey Grewe writes for The Atlantic about the grim reality of working in New York hospitals during the spring surge.
When Smith’s colleagues couldn’t fit a massive piece of equipment through a door at the company’s headquarters one summer weekend, rather than wait until Monday to submit a work order to facilities, they found a sledgehammer and knocked down the wall themselves.
— James D Walsh writes about one scientist’s experience working on the Moderna vaccine in Intelligencer.
More than Numbers
To the more than 70,074,860 people worldwide who have tested positive, may your road to recovery be smooth.
To the families and friends of the 1,590,998 people who have died worldwide — 294,320 of those in the US — your loved ones are not forgotten.


theverge--2020-12-13--Which celebrity should be the face of the COVID-19 vaccine?

In 1956 , Elvis Presley got a polio vaccination on the Ed Sullivan Show .
The shot was newly available and highly effective — but too few teenagers and young adults were getting vaccinated , so the devastating disease was still circulating .
Officials turned to Presley to set an example and encourage people to get their shots .
Along with other campaigns , the celebrity endorsement helped vaccination rates go up , and eventually , the disease was eliminated from the country .
That bit of history raises a very important question : who will be the Elvis Presley @ @ @ @ @ @ @ won ’ t help slow the pandemic if people don ’ t take it , and many people still say they aren ’ t sure if they will .
Presidents Barack Obama , George W. Bush , and Bill Clinton already said they ’ ll take the vaccine in public , as did Anthony Fauci , director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases .
That ’ s a great start — but for an unprecedented vaccination campaign , we probably need more famous people on board .
Celebrities can ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people to roll up their sleeves ( vaccine communication is complicated ! )
, but it might help .
Here ’ s who The Verge staffers think should get vaccinated in public .
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II - She is literally the queen .
This won ’ t mean much to anyone with even the smallest anti-authoritarian leaning , but for many from a certain generation , Queen Elizabeth represents an uncomplicated bygone era where a stiff upper lip was all you needed to get through the toughest of hardships .
Broadcasting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , not least about the safety of the vaccine .
Broadcast it anywhere where viewership trends older , like traditional broadcast channels .
— Jon Porter Donald Fagen of Steely Dan - I ’ ll start with the obvious : Donald Fagen is not a beloved or even particularly famous pop star .
But at 72 , Fagen is at the forefront of the generation most at risk for COVID-19 , and he still holds a powerful sway over his age cohort .
He ’ s also a known conservative and a longstanding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the kind of person vaccine developers need to win over .
If inoculating Fagen can get the vast silent majority of Steely Dan aficionados on board , it could be a huge service to public health .
— Russell Brandom Donald Fagen is not a beloved or even particularly famous pop star Gwyneth Paltrow — There ’ s no one group that defines the anti-vaxxer .
But rich , white people are more likely than most to decline vaccines for their children .
A few years back , they made headlines for skipping @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after an outbreak of the highly contagious disease at Disneyland .
They might be inclined to trust Paltrow , patron saint of wellness and vagina candles .
If she throws Goop ’ s support behind COVID-19 vaccinations , she might be able to get this group on board .
— Nicole Wetsman Oprah Winfrey - The “ wine moms ” our pop culture mostly ignores are hugely important : they tend to be influential in their families and communities .
Oprah has made an entire career out of cultivating these women — it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she ’ s such an icon .
You want everyone vaccinated ?
Have Oprah do it live , on television , as part of a special .
The opportunities here are endless : you can bring on musical guests , who play a song or two and then also get vaccinated .
You can have an interview with a major cultural icon who talks about how they have personally been affected by the pandemic ( Tom Hanks , anyone ? )
.
And maybe , since Oprah is famous for her giveaways , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gives either an in-studio audience the vaccine or where she travels around the country vaccinating fans .
It would be must-watch television — and if the adoption rates of the books and consumer products Oprah champions are any indication , we ’ ll have the vaccinations done in no time .
— Liz Lopatto Dolly Parton — Dolly is having a major 2020 .
She was introduced to a new audience of fans thanks to the Twins the New Trend review of her 1973 hit “ Jolene , ” and her $ 1 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Moderna ’ s coronavirus vaccine .
She ’ s a longtime supporter of philanthropic causes : she ’ s raised money for wildfire relief , HIV-AIDS research , and a cancer hospital .
President Obama recently admitted he screwed up by not giving Dolly a Medal of Freedom while he was in office .
Despite her fame and business acumen , Dolly ’ s unpretentious , homey image and humble beginnings make her the perfect person to reassure people across many demographics about taking a vaccine ; after all , Dolly ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kim Lyons Taylor Swift — Prior to the 2018 midterm elections , Taylor Swift made an Instagram post urging her fans to vote for Tennessee Democratic candidates .
At that time , the singer rarely discussed politics publicly and hadn ’ t waded into the 2016 election ( it was the same summer as her Snapchat scandal ) .
But she chose the right moment to break her silence : the post appeared to lead to a sharp rise in voter registrations among young people .
As a celebrity with such a massive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you can probably only make so many public statements like this before your more apolitical fans start tuning it out .
But Swift ’ s base still seems to be listening to her , and a vaccination over Instagram live could be what we need to send young people out in droves .
She could even write a song about it !
— Monica Chin Kim Kardashian / the Kardashian family — Encourage people to keep up with the Kardashians by getting vaccinated .
Then , everyone can go to Kim ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ !
— Jay Peters keep up with the Kardashians by getting vaccinated Desus and Mero — Hosts of late-night talk shows appeal to a large audience of America .
Of the many entertainers of the genre , Desus and Mero are the most down-to-earth of the bunch .
They know how to talk to an audience and they understand the internet and pop culture more than any other on television .
Their strength in communicating would easily illustrate how relieved you should feel that a vaccine is here .
— Andru Marino Jeff @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and Larry the Cable Guy — If this is going to be a televised event , a reunion is what drives numbers on TV today .
The cast of Blue Collar Comedy Tour was marketed as four guys speaking from an everyday American perspective .
They may appeal to a crowd that may be skeptical of a vaccine , and bringing lighthearted comedy into the situation can ease over some tensions .
Also , they could reunite on Desus and Mero ’ s show .
— Andru Marino Late-night TV hosts — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fallon , Stephen Colbert , Lilly Singh , Jimmy Kimmel , or Conan O ’ Brien regularly — or at all — it ’ s tough to deny their influence in pop culture .
Having each of them volunteer to get a vaccine during a show , perhaps looping in celebrity guests to also take part , would be a great way to boost trust in the vaccine , cast over public access TV channels that anyone can freely view in the US online or with an antenna .
— Cameron Faulkner Rob @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our generation ’ s most lovable pop culture icons ; and thanks to his ever presence on primetime television , we ’ ve all had dinner with him at one point or another .
He is like a national comfort blanket .
Plus , those in their 50s and 60s begin to be at a higher risk of COVID-19 and will need to get vaccinated early on in this process .
Although seemingly ageless , Rob Lowe is actually 56 and a perfect example of how right things can go for someone if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , whose mom doesn ’ t love Rob Lowe ?
— Esther Cohen

In 1956, Elvis Presley got a polio vaccination on the Ed Sullivan Show. The shot was newly available and highly effective — but too few teenagers and young adults were getting vaccinated, so the devastating disease was still circulating. Officials turned to Presley to set an example and encourage people to get their shots. Along with other campaigns, the celebrity endorsement helped vaccination rates go up, and eventually, the disease was eliminated from the country.
That bit of history raises a very important question: who will be the Elvis Presley of the COVID-19 vaccine? The vaccine won’t help slow the pandemic if people don’t take it, and many people still say they aren’t sure if they will.
Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton already said they’ll take the vaccine in public, as did Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases. That’s a great start — but for an unprecedented vaccination campaign, we probably need more famous people on board. Celebrities can’t be the only way officials encourage people to roll up their sleeves (vaccine communication is complicated!), but it might help.
Here’s who The Verge staffers think should get vaccinated in public.
Photo by Samir Hussein / WireImage
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II - She is literally the queen. This won’t mean much to anyone with even the smallest anti-authoritarian leaning, but for many from a certain generation, Queen Elizabeth represents an uncomplicated bygone era where a stiff upper lip was all you needed to get through the toughest of hardships. Broadcasting her vaccination would send a powerful message, not least about the safety of the vaccine. Broadcast it anywhere where viewership trends older, like traditional broadcast channels. — Jon Porter
Donald Fagen of Steely Dan - I’ll start with the obvious: Donald Fagen is not a beloved or even particularly famous pop star. But at 72, Fagen is at the forefront of the generation most at risk for COVID-19, and he still holds a powerful sway over his age cohort. He’s also a known conservative and a longstanding skeptic of grand paternalist schemes — exactly the kind of person vaccine developers need to win over. If inoculating Fagen can get the vast silent majority of Steely Dan aficionados on board, it could be a huge service to public health. — Russell Brandom
Donald Fagen is not a beloved or even particularly famous pop star
Gwyneth Paltrow — There’s no one group that defines the anti-vaxxer. But rich, white people are more likely than most to decline vaccines for their children. A few years back, they made headlines for skipping measles vaccinations, which came to light after an outbreak of the highly contagious disease at Disneyland. They might be inclined to trust Paltrow, patron saint of wellness and vagina candles. If she throws Goop’s support behind COVID-19 vaccinations, she might be able to get this group on board. — Nicole Wetsman
Oprah Winfrey - The “wine moms” our pop culture mostly ignores are hugely important: they tend to be influential in their families and communities. Oprah has made an entire career out of cultivating these women — it’s part of the reason why she’s such an icon. You want everyone vaccinated? Have Oprah do it live, on television, as part of a special. The opportunities here are endless: you can bring on musical guests, who play a song or two and then also get vaccinated. You can have an interview with a major cultural icon who talks about how they have personally been affected by the pandemic (Tom Hanks, anyone?). And maybe, since Oprah is famous for her giveaways, there’s a segment where Oprah gives either an in-studio audience the vaccine or where she travels around the country vaccinating fans. It would be must-watch television — and if the adoption rates of the books and consumer products Oprah champions are any indication, we’ll have the vaccinations done in no time. — Liz Lopatto
Dolly Parton — Dolly is having a major 2020. She was introduced to a new audience of fans thanks to the Twins the New Trend review of her 1973 hit “Jolene,” and her $1 million donation to Vanderbilt University helped fund Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine. She’s a longtime supporter of philanthropic causes: she’s raised money for wildfire relief, HIV-AIDS research, and a cancer hospital. President Obama recently admitted he screwed up by not giving Dolly a Medal of Freedom while he was in office. Despite her fame and business acumen, Dolly’s unpretentious, homey image and humble beginnings make her the perfect person to reassure people across many demographics about taking a vaccine; after all, Dolly’s already on board with it. — Kim Lyons
Photo by 2020 Billboard Women In Music / Getty Images for Billboard
Taylor Swift — Prior to the 2018 midterm elections, Taylor Swift made an Instagram post urging her fans to vote for Tennessee Democratic candidates. At that time, the singer rarely discussed politics publicly and hadn’t waded into the 2016 election (it was the same summer as her Snapchat scandal). But she chose the right moment to break her silence: the post appeared to lead to a sharp rise in voter registrations among young people. As a celebrity with such a massive, young, and ardent following, you can probably only make so many public statements like this before your more apolitical fans start tuning it out. But Swift’s base still seems to be listening to her, and a vaccination over Instagram live could be what we need to send young people out in droves. She could even write a song about it! — Monica Chin
Kim Kardashian / the Kardashian family — Encourage people to keep up with the Kardashians by getting vaccinated. Then, everyone can go to Kim’s 41st birthday party on a private island! — Jay Peters
keep up with the Kardashians by getting vaccinated
Desus and Mero — Hosts of late-night talk shows appeal to a large audience of America. Of the many entertainers of the genre, Desus and Mero are the most down-to-earth of the bunch. They know how to talk to an audience and they understand the internet and pop culture more than any other on television. Their strength in communicating would easily illustrate how relieved you should feel that a vaccine is here. — Andru Marino
Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Engvall, Ron White, and Larry the Cable Guy — If this is going to be a televised event, a reunion is what drives numbers on TV today. The cast of Blue Collar Comedy Tour was marketed as four guys speaking from an everyday American perspective. They may appeal to a crowd that may be skeptical of a vaccine, and bringing lighthearted comedy into the situation can ease over some tensions. Also, they could reunite on Desus and Mero’s show. — Andru Marino
Jimmy Fallon Photo by: Andrew Lipovsky / NBC / NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
Late-night TV hosts — Whether you watch the likes of Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert, Lilly Singh, Jimmy Kimmel, or Conan O’Brien regularly — or at all — it’s tough to deny their influence in pop culture. Having each of them volunteer to get a vaccine during a show, perhaps looping in celebrity guests to also take part, would be a great way to boost trust in the vaccine, cast over public access TV channels that anyone can freely view in the US online or with an antenna. — Cameron Faulkner