The Verge’s gaming section brings the latest video game news, reviews of the most exciting releases, and interviews with the industry’s biggest names. We cover everything from PlayStation and Xbox blockbusters, to quirky Nintendo games, to the cool indie gems on PC and Android that you might otherwise miss.
Maverick Games, a studio made up of former Forza developers (which was previously working with Amazon), just teased its first title, an open-world racer called Clutch. It looks like a mixture of Forza and Need For Speed, and the studio will be showing more off at SGF Live on Friday.
In addition to adding the soundtrack to Mario Kart World, Nintendo Music has been updated so you can now listen on a computer through a web browser, on a compatible tablet giving you more screen real estate for browsing, or in a vehicle with Apple CarPlay or Android Auto with support for voice commands.
You have to sort a list of seven items based on a theme that you need to figure out, and you have five guesses to do it. Thankfully, you can ask for a clue if you need one.
Check the game out right here.
[The New Yorker]
Today marks eight months since Lego’s Game Boy officially went on sale — and since Natalie The Nerd brought it to life the very same day with real Game Boy circuitry. Her drop-in kit still isn’t ready, but can you blame her when the result keeps getting better? Just watch:
Along with a new ARM CPU for Windows laptops, Nvidia’s Computex news includes another feature it’s adding to the DLSS 4.5 suite ahead of that other DLSS AI graphics update. Called Ray Reconstruction, it uses a second generation transformer AI model to “generate higher-quality pixels in the noisy parts of a ray traced frame where rays were not sampled.”
They say it will deliver cleaner particle effects plus better lighting accuracy, available on RTX 20 and newer GPUs starting in August.
The game industry is in turmoil, but Summer Game Fest could be a place for the big console makers to show strength.
To commemorate the Pokémon franchise’s 30th anniversary, The Pokémon Company is about to drop a special Celebration set that will feature the reprints of rare cards that have long since been out of print and a new style of illustration from Japanese artist YOSHIROTTEN. The set debuts on September 16th.
MSI has made ridiculous dragon-themed laptops before, but this one takes the cake. Announced at Computex, the Titan 18 HX Dragon Edition Draco Epic takes the standard 18-inch Titan gaming laptop but adds the new flagship Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus CPU, a 240Hz 4K screen, and a massive dragon design that’s etched and anodized right into the lid.
Never change, MSI.
MSI is announcing new versions of its Venture business laptops and Katana gaming laptops for Computex. Both have new designs, but MSI shared few details — not even availability or pricing. The key facts we know so far is that the Venture will get Intel Panther Lake chips and the Katana will have older Intel Raptor Lake Refresh CPUs and up to an RTX 5070 GPU.
Not to be outdone by Razer’s waifu capsule, MSI says it has a whole desktop “that doesn’t just run games — it responds, adapts, and engages.” Sigh! The company isn’t telling us how much it’ll cost, or if it’s a real product, but hints you can change out the LuckyClaw avatar for other third-party ones.
I still love OLEDs, but the Asus ROG Strix Scar 18’s ELMB Mini LED display is amazing.
In the volatile world of live-service shooters, the game needs to stop wasting players’ time.
Following Rockstar’s firing of more than 30 developers last year in a move accused of being “union busting”, developers at the studio have formed the Rockstar Game Workers Union. According to Game Developer:
Now, the union is preparing to take Rockstar to court over the firings. RGWU says that more and more workers are joining from every one of Rockstar’s sites across Edinburgh, London, Leeds, Lincoln, and Dundee.
[Game Developer]
The proposed deal, in which Playstack would be owned by a subsidiary of Integrated Media Company (IMC), was reported on by Game Developer. IMC also owns brands like Fandom, Screen Junkies, and TV Guide.
According to a statement from Harvey Elliott, Playstack’s founder and CEO, the deal is “a change in ownership rather than a change in who we are.”
[Game Developer]
Microsoft is testing a feature for the Xbox Accessories app that shows an image of the type of controller that you’re using in the UI.
The company is also testing a way to set a specific hex color code for your console theme and an indicator that tells you when there’s a confirmed Xbox service issue.
Matt Booty, Xbox’s chief content officer, shared the update on a new episode of the Official Xbox Podcast. Microsoft is using today to set some expectations ahead of the showcase, which takes place on June 7th at 1PM ET; the company also delayed Fable to February 2027.
Following an Asteroids-themed watch in early 2025, Atari has once again collaborated with Nubeo on a new mechanical timepiece now featuring the Missile Command battlefield recreated on its face in all its pixelated glory. It’s available now for $500 and limited to 100 pieces for each of its four color variants.
Today’s Thinky Direct 2026 featured more than 40 trailers and announcements about upcoming games featuring puzzles and problem solving. Not a bad way to kick off the upcoming run of big gaming events.
The vehicle physics simulator arrived on PC more than 10 years ago, and now it’s coming to the PlayStation 5. It’s a great game if you just want to drive around and smash into things, but it also has an extensive car customization system, time trials, and different scenarios to complete, like deliveries.
Season two of Marathon’s live service rollout happens on Tuesday, June 2nd. When it drops, players on all platforms (Xbox, PlayStation 5, Steam) can play the full game for free through June 9th, with progress carrying over if you buy the game. Bungie confirmed a discount is coming, too, so stay tuned.
