The Vergecast

Happy holidays! Before we disappear into family time and catching up on our favorite shows, we have one more episode for you. And it's 90 minutes of deep nerdery about the smart home. Every year, we try to dig into one standard or spec that has impacted our lives this year, and we couldn't think of anything more potentially great and occasionally infuriating than Matter. Matter is supposed to be the protocol that makes the smart home work — so, uh, how's that going? The Verge's Jennifer Pattison Tuohy joins to discuss the state of the smart home, before we play a game to see how well we understand things. Then, Home Assistant creator Paulus Schoutsen tells us what it's like to try and make Matter work, and where we might be headed next year.
Further reading:

Matter: everything you need to know about the new smart home protocol

Matter’s plan to save the smart home

The Thread 1.4 spec is here, but it will be a while until we see any benefit

What is Thread and how will it help your smart home?

Every device that works with Matter (December 2024)

Home Assistant’s next era begins now

The Home Assistant Green is here to make the most powerful smart home platform more accessible


Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you.
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The Verge's Victoria Song and Kylie Robison join the show to talk about all of Google's recent AI and XR announcements, and the company's big and Gemini-powered vision for the future of computing. Then Chris Grant, the group publisher for Polygon and The Verge, explains why GTA VI and the Nintendo Switch 2 are so important to the future of gaming — plus a few predictions about how they'll turn out. Finally, The Verge's Helen Havlak answers a hotline question about how she plans her garden in Figma. Which is a real thing she really does.
Further reading:


The Vergecast at CES – come see us on January 8th!

Google launched Gemini 2.0, its new AI model for practically everything

Google’s AI enters its ‘agentic era’

I saw Google’s plan to put Android on your face

GTA VI: all the news on Rockstar’s next entry in the Grand Theft Auto series

Switch 2: all the news and rumors on Nintendo’s next console


Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you.
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For the second episode in our two-part 2025 preview, Nilay and David are once again joined by Wall Street Journal columnist (and friend of The Verge) Joanna Stern to talk about what will, and won't, happen in tech next year. This time, David joins us after a quick jaunt to the end of next year, and relays a bunch of things that happened in tech in 2025. But some of them are lies. Joanna and Nilay have to decide which things really will happen next year, and which won't. As always, the hosts get points for good guesses and negative points for bad ones. And once we're all in late 2025, we'll declare a winner.
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Nilay, David, and The Verge's Richard Lawler talk about a big week in AI news. First, they go over all the latest on Google's Gemini 2.0 launch, and try to figure out whether Project Astra and Project Mariner will ever turn into products people use. They also discuss OpenAI's release (and un-release) of Sora, the new Reddit Answers tool, and what's new in iOS 18.2. Finally, in the lightning round, there's talk of YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Sonos, and Cruise. There also is and isn't talk of quantum computing. Because that's possible now.

Further reading:

Google’s AI enters its ‘agentic era’ 

Gemini 2.0: what’s new in Google’s new flagship AI model

Google’s AI-powered smart glasses are a little closer to being real 

Google’s new Jules AI agent will help developers fix buggy code

Google is testing Gemini AI agents that help you in video games

Google built an AI tool that can do research for you

Android XR_Keyword

OpenAI has finally released Sora

iOS 18.2 is out now, adding ChatGPT integration and more Apple Intelligence tools

ChatGPT’s side-by-side ‘Canvas’ view is now available to everyone. 

Reddit’s new AI search tool helps you find Reddit answers without Google

YouTube is still growing fast on TVs in the living room

Instagram will let creators test experimental reels on random people

It sure sounds like Trump would be okay with a TikTok sale

TikTok failed to save itself with the First Amendment

Sonos Arc Ultra review: don’t call it a comeback (yet)

Google reveals quantum computing chip with ‘breakthrough’ achievements

Amazon’s online car ‘dealership’ with Hyundai is now live

YouTube’s AI-powered dubbing is now available to many more creators

Searching for color at Pantone’s all-brown party 

Adam Mosseri on introducing Trial Reels

From WSJ: iOS 18.2 Review: The AI Apple Promised Us



Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you.
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A week ago, The Verge launched a subscription. And you had questions! So we have answers. The Verge’s Helen Havlak and Nilay Patel join the show to talk about how we priced the subscription, why ad-free podcasts are hard to do, Apple News, what we do during ad breaks, and much more. And if we didn’t answer your question, let us know! Call the Vergecast Hotline at 866-VERGE11, or email vergecast@theverge.com, with all your questions. Thanks to everyone who sent them in!

Further reading:

Nilay's post about The Verge subscription

Subscribe to The Verge


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Welcome to our two-part preview of the year to come! For the first installment, Nilay, David, and Wall Street Journal columnist Joanna Stern bring all the predictions for 2025 — their mildest, medium-est, and spiciest ideas about the year to come. Each host presents their take on TikTok bans, social platforms, smart homes, streaming services, and more, and the others get to decide whether they agree. Whoever gets the most right at the end of the year will win a big prize. (There's a points system for determining all that, but we'll figure that out later.)
Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you.
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Nilay and David talk a bit about this week’s launch of the Verge subscription, plus what’s coming next. (There’s still time to send questions for next week! 866-VERGE11 or email vergecast@theverge.com.) Then they talk about the streaming news of the week, and the ways streaming services are continuing to act like cable companies. Then Kylie Robison joins to talk about the lowering stakes for AGI, shipmas at OpenAI, and more. Finally, in the lighting round, it’s crypto and browsers and Intel. And more crypto.
Further reading:

Here we go: The Verge now has a subscription

ESPN is coming to the Disney Plus app starting today

Max is testing always-on HBO channels

Max is finally about to start cracking down on password sharing.

Walmart bought Vizio 

OpenAI’s 12 days of ‘shipmas’ include Sora and new reasoning model

Sam Altman says AGI will “matter much less” than people expect

Sam Altman on Elon Musk and OpenAI’s relationship with Microsoft.

ChatGPT’s search results for news are ‘unpredictable’ and frequently inaccurate

Stop using generative AI as a search engine

Misinformation expert admits ChatGPT added fake details to his anti-deepfake court filing

Bitcoin just hit $100,000 

Dia is the The Browser Company’s AI-powered follow-up to Arc

Threads takes an important baby step toward true fediverse integration

Threads’ next update is a search feature that finds the post you’re looking for

Meta says it’s mistakenly removing too many posts

Intel’s CEO is out after only three years

What happened to Intel?

Trump picks two nominees who could decide the fate of Big Tech and crypto 

Spotify Wrapped 2024 adds an AI podcast to recap your listening habits

Apple Music’s yearly recap is finally available in the app


Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you.
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The Verge's Thomas Ricker joins the show with an update on his question to live the #vanlife. He shares stories about Starlink Mini, the new Peak Design backpack everyone loves, converting a Sprinter van to a mobile apartment, and more. Then, The Verge's Andru Marino takes us through his tests on a bunch of new creator- and social-friendly microphones, which plug into your phone and promise to make everything sound better. Finally, we answer a question about web browsers on the Vergecast Hotline.
(Don't forget to send us your questions about The Verge and The Vergecast for next week's episode! Call 866-VERGE11 or email vergecast@theverge.com with all your most meta questions.)
Further reading:

Starlink Mini review: space internet goes ultraportable

Peak Design’s Outdoor Backpack is a more versatile everyday bag

Stoke Voltaics’ portable electric cookware review

This backpack solar generator can help you ignore nature

This little box provides on-demand power when off the grid

Living and working from an all-electric VW ID Buzz

DJI’s new wireless mics skip a few features to get smaller and lighter


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2024 is almost over, somehow. So we gathered a bunch of our Verge colleagues and told them each to tell us three things from the year: the biggest story, their favorite new tech thing, and their favorite new non-tech thing. We got a collection of big stories, cool gadgets, great movies, and more good stuff from the year that was.
We're also planning a special episode for Tuesday, December 10th, all about The Verge and The Vergecast. So if you have questions about how we work, what we cover, why we talk about copyright law so much, or what Nilay is actually like to work with every day, tell us! Call 866-VERGE11, or email vergecast@theverge.com, and we'll answer as many as we can on the 10th. Thanks in advance!

Further reading:
Jay Peters:

Story of the year: Google is a monopoly


New thing of the year: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth


Non-tech thing of the year: XOXO Field Notes notebooks



Jake Kastrenakes:

Story of the year: All things AI


New thing of the year: The Wiim Ultra amp


Non-tech thing of the year: Chronoloy



Justine Calma

Story of the year: The US election, and the rise of nuclear power


New thing of the year: Nurse Unseen


Non-tech thing of the year: Sugarcane



Vjeran Pavic:

Story of the year: The Apple Vision Pro


New thing of the year: The Fujifilm X100VI and the Kino app


Non-tech thing of the year: Mountain Gazette



Kylie Robison:

Story of the year: Billionaire crybabies


New thing of the year: Stardew Valley


Non-tech thing of the year: Curated playlists



Barbara Krasnoff:

Story of the year: The US election


New thing of the year: The Elgato Stream Deck


Non-tech thing of the year: Googly eyes



Alex Heath:

Story of the year: The AI rat race


New thing of the year: Granola


Non-tech thing of the year: Shochu



Ash Parrish:

Story of the year: Grand Theft Auto VI and the Nintendo Switch 2, and more industry layoffs


New thing of the year: The Playstation Portal


Non-tech thing of the year: Bucephalus the puppy


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The Verge's Lauren Feiner joins Nilay and David to talk about the US government's proposal in its search antitrust case against Google. They discuss the future of Chrome, what a white-label search engine might look like, and how a Trump administration might change the course of this case altogether. Then Nilay and David talk about the week in AI and gadget news, from the latest on Amazon's new Alexa to Google bailing on tablets all over again. Finally, in the lightning round, they discuss Comcast spinning off its cable channels and the latest in the Threads / Bluesky competition.
Further reading:

DOJ says Google must sell Chrome to crack open its search monopoly

Google responds to DOJ’s ‘extreme proposal.’

Google workers to DOJ: we need protections to make your breakup effective

Apple fights to keep DOJ antitrust suit from reaching trial

Amazon announces new Echo Show 21 and Echo Show 15 smart displays

Google may be about to reboot its laptop and tablet hardware again

Google reportedly cancels Pixel Tablet 2 and might quit the category — again

Sonos’ smart TV plans might have found an OS

Windows 365 Link is a $349 mini PC that streams Windows from the cloud

Comcast is spinning off its cable TV business

Trump names Brendan Carr as his FCC leader

Strava closes the gates to sharing fitness data with other apps

Inside Elon Musk’s messy breakup with OpenAI

Threads’ custom feeds are already rolling out

Threads’ algorithm will focus more on the people you follow

Bose acquires premium audio brand McIntosh


Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you.
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