56 – Breaking News & Latest Updates 2026
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Archives for October 2026

Andrew Liszewski
Andrew Liszewski
The Nintendo 64’s chunky controller doesn’t seem so big next to this custom monstrosity.

Some of the earliest gamepads with analog thumbsticks were beefy devices (I’m looking at you, Duke) with quirky designs. Modder ChaosBench pushes the limits of what can be considered a playable gamepad with a supersized version of the N64 controller that requires heavy-duty springs to get its giant buttons to pop back up after being pressed.

Dominic Preston
Dominic Preston
Senator accuses Trump Mobile of skipping FCC filings.

Sen. Maggie Hassan wrote to Trump Mobile CEO Patrick O’Brien, accusing the company of missing mandatory filings around robocall prevention and international service provision. She also raised questions about security practices, following a third reported hack of the company, and whether the recent price hike will hit customers still waiting for their phones.

Xbox is launching a new film and TV divisionXbox is launching a new film and TV division
Jay Peters and Tom Warren
Dominic Preston
Dominic Preston
Google Maps and Waze get live fuel prices in the UK.

Google’s using the UK government’s Fuel Finder data for the feature, which has been available in the US for a while. What Car? warns that the real-time data is “full of inaccuracies and out-of-date information” though, so take it with a pinch of salt. Search “petrol” or “fuel” in either app to see for yourself.

Thomas Ricker
Thomas Ricker
Read this profile of Garmin’s CEO.

The company founded in Kansas in 1989 (and now legally based in Switzerland for tax reasons) has seen its annual revenue triple to $7.2 billion under the leadership of employee number six, Cliff Pemble. The short WSJ profile of the CEO who learned to fly in order to write better cockpit software is the antidote to Silicon Valley’s attention-seeking bootlickers.

Dominic Preston
Dominic Preston
Oppo’s Find X10 phones launch outside China on October 21st.

That’s almost exactly a month after the China launch. Highlights include the first ever triple 200-megapixel camera on the Find X10 Pro Max, and big 8,000mAh batteries on both, though Oppo warns “selected markets” get 7,150mAh instead. I’m working on a review of the Pro Max — what do you want to know?

The Oppo Find X10 Pro Max resting sideways on a blue tablecloth
The Oppo Find X10 Pro Max standing on a blue tablecloth
1/6Photo: Dominic Preston / The Verge
Thomas Ricker
Thomas Ricker
Samsung’s chip business continues to print money.

Another quarter another record profit, fueled by AI demand for the company’s memory chips.

Projected quarterly operating profit is 782% higher from a year earlier. Revenue forecast of about 195 trillion won is up nearly 127% from the same period last year.

Jay Peters
Jay Peters
The FTC is sending money to people affected by GOAT marketplace’s “deceptive” policies.

In 2024, the FTC alleged that GOAT didn’t mail “some priority processing orders as fast as promised” and didn’t have a system in place to honor its “Buyer Protection” policy that promised full refunds for products found to be incorrect.

Last year, GOAT settled with the FTC and refunded more than $736,000, and today, the FTC is distributing payments totaling more than $100,000 to 6,205 customers who haven’t gotten money from GOAT yet.

Stevie Bonifield
Stevie Bonifield
A rumored Pixel feature could make it easier to use Face Unlock in the dark.

Android Authority spotted code in Android 17 QPR3 Beta 1 hinting at a new “Face Active Illumination” feature that might help Pixel phones recognize users’ faces in low light. It appears to have a brightness slider and toggles for turning it on in various settings, like after bedtime or when “Do Not Disturb” is active.

Sean Hollister
Sean Hollister
Today I’m Toying With giveaway #15.

Remember when I said I’d just given away the biggest Today I’m Toying With giveaway prize yet? The winner seems pretty happy! A new giveaway just started today, as it does every Wednesday while supplies last. Here’s how to enter TITW Giveaway #15.

Andrew J. Hawkins
Andrew J. Hawkins
BMW’s iX3 M60 looks sick.

The sportier, M-badged iX3 SUV has twin motors putting out 603 horsepower and 645 lb-ft of torque, with a blistering 0-60 time in 3.9 seconds. You can also expect all the standard M chassis tech, like adaptive suspension, variable sport steering, and an electronically controlled differential. BMW calls the design “unmistakably extroverted,” and yeah, I kind of agree.

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Richard Lawler
Richard Lawler
Trump queues up participation trophies for tech execs at Thursday’s “Golden Age” White House summit.

Tomorrow’s event will announce more than $1 billion in commitments for the Trump admin’s “Genesis Project” AI push and investments from the NSF and Energy Department, reports Axios, including $100 million in credits from something called National Compute.

Meanwhile, Fox News and Bloomberg report Trump will award the National Medal of Science to Elon Musk, Jensen Huang, Sergey Brin, and Lisa Su, while Michael Dell and Satya Nadella are in line for the National Medal of Technology and Innovation. It’s the first time Trump has ever given out the awards, which usually don’t go to well-known tech execs, judging by previous recipients.

Emma Roth
Emma Roth
Crunchyroll is getting a spot on the PlayStation 5’s home screen.

Sony, which acquired Crunchyroll in 2021, is launching a hub for the anime streaming service on the PS5 in spring 2027, as reported earlier by Variety. It’s still not exactly clear what this hub will look like, but Sony says it will allow players to explore anime series and games, as well as access the Crunchyroll app.