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Nintendo has announced a new entry its mobile game lineup slated for early summer of 2019: Dr. Mario World . The app will be a free-to-download puzzle game, co-developed and jointly operated with Japanese messaging app LINE and developer NHN Entertainment. There isn’t much information about the game yet, except that it will be available for both iOS and Android and, while free, will contain in-app purchases. It’s set to be released in 60 countries around the world. Nintendo first made its foray into mobile entertainment in 2016 with Super Mario Run , a unique take on the classic platformer that infused elements of the endless runner genre. Since then, there have been some hits and some misses as the company has tried bucking traditional mobile game trends in some cases and fallen back the tried-and-true methods of Asian game development in others . The doctor is in! Mario puts on the white coat once again in the mobile game Dr. Mario World, targeting an early summer 2019 global r

Tyler “Ninja” Blevins was gaming’s biggest name in 2018 , and he’s continuing that in 2019 by starring in a Super Bowl ad alongside some of the biggest athletes. Blevins, who is widely considered one of the biggest Fortnite players in the world , tweeted out the ad today, confirming it will play before Maroon 5’s halftime show. It stars former Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, Michael Strahan, and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. The entire commercial is about Blevins, with Manning calling him a “video game master.” “So happy to share with you guys one of the many amazing things we’v e been working on and why I’ve been traveling so much,” Blevins tweeted. So happy to share with you guys one of the many amazing things we'v e been working on and why I've been traveling so much. Catch me in the #NFL100 #SBLIII commercial right before halftime. pic.twitter.com/FEAQSdsYMP — Ninja (@Ninja) January 31, 2019 It’s a major moment for gaming, esports, and streamin

Apple yanked enterprise certificates from Facebook and Google, shutting down internal iOS apps Since a TechCrunch investigation published Tuesday revealed that Facebook was using a secret research app, essentially a re-skinned version of its Onavo VPN, to gather data on teen users, a flurry of news has taken Silicon Valley by storm. Now, a magnifying glass has been aimed at what seems increasingly like a common practice for tech companies to abuse Apple’s enterprise developer program to load apps that violate the App Store’s terms of service, all to gather more data about users. Facebook is back in the good graces of the iPhone maker, but the practice, now no longer a secret, has come under immense scrutiny, and Apple seems more than willing to wield its power as a platform-owner to ensure it stops happening. Here’s all the latest news on the controversy as it continues unfolding.

A report from Japanese business daily Nikkei claims Nintendo is developing a smaller, cheaper version of its Switch console. The rumored Switch will focus on portability, and it will cut some features to bring the price down, but it’s not yet known what those features might be. The Nikkei report, translated by Nintendo Everything , states that Nintendo has begun working with multiple suppliers and game development companies, informing them that the console could be released as early as 2019. The report also hints at Nintendo’s plan to launch a new service aimed at “game enthusiasts willing to pay more,” sometime in 2019. That could potentially be a more robust classic games subscription, similar to the Virtual Console of the Wii and Wii U days. Some guesses as to which features will be removed might be the console dock, which would line up with the report’s suggestion that the new console will be more portable and easier to use outdoors. Losing the cartridge slot could also be an

Sometimes, it just feels like there’s nothing urgent to watch on Netflix. If the latest titles coming to the service aren’t your cup of tea , or if Hulu has simply won the subscription battle , you always have other options. February is the month of romance and remembering black history, but this month, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and HBO Now are mainly serving up adventure, horror, and superheroes. Amazon Prime is launching its original series Agatha Christie Presents: The ABC Murders , inspired by the novel of the same name. If the series is anything like the books, expect a fast-paced, thrilling mystery filled with red herrings and suspicious characters. Want to acknowledge Valentine’s Day without buying into the commercial messaging? Try Down, the latest installment in Blumhouse’s Into The Dark holiday-themed movie series. Down starts off as a romantic story, then quickly develops into horror as office workers end up trapped in an elevator. And if you just want to ring in the new Lun

Apple has now shut down Google’s ability to distribute its internal iOS apps, following a similar shutdown that was issued to Facebook earlier this week . A person familiar with the situation tells The Verge that early versions of Google Maps, Hangouts, Gmail, and other pre-release beta apps have stopped working today, alongside employee-only apps like a Gbus app for transportation and Google’s internal cafe app. We’ve reached out to both Apple and Google to comment on the situation, but neither company responded by publish time. Apple’s move to block Google’s developer certificate comes just a day after Google disabled its Screenwise Meter app following press coverage. Google’s private app was designed to monitor how people use their iPhones, similar to Facebook’s research app. Google’s app also relied on Apple’s enterprise program, which enables the distribution of internal apps within a company. In an earlier statement over Facebook’s certificate removal, Apple did warn that “

Today, Facebook removed nearly 800 accounts that were engaged in coordinated inauthentic behavior originating in Iran and operated in a number of other countries across the world. In total, Facebook identified 262 pages, 356 accounts, and three groups that were involved in the coordinated inauthentic behavior by Iran. There were 162 Instagram accounts that were identified as well. Facebook would not confirm that the accounts were created by the Iranian government. No related behavior was found on WhatsApp, according to Facebook’s head of cybersecurity policy Nathaniel Gleicher. “In this case, the people behind this activity coordinated with one another and used fake accounts to misrepresent themselves, and that was the basis for our action,” Gleicher wrote in the post. The Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFR) analyzed the accounts that Facebook had identified. According to DFR, much of the content posted across these groups and pages spread pro-Iranian messages and engaged in ampl

Old music technology has been making a comeback with sales for vinyl, cassette tapes, and analog synths increasing over the past few years , but one musician is leaning into our collective retro embrace in an unusual way. Serbian techno DJ Remute’s forthcoming LP, Technoptimistic, was programmed entirely using the sound chip for ‘90s game console Sega Genesis. And, it’s being released on a Sega Mega Drive cartridge. This isn’t Remute’s first foray into unusual music-making constraints. In 2017, he released half of his techno album Limited on floppy disk as a way to exercise working with severe space constraints. Speaking with Magnetic Magazine , Remute says saving the music in .mod format allowed him to compress songs down to about the size of a Word document, and he could fit between four to six songs on a single floppy disk. This follow-up using the Sega Genesis expands on Remute’s friendship with machines and love for pushing format boundaries. He says this is the first techno

Today’s best deals include a $50 discount on the excellent Sony 1000XM3 wireless, noise-canceling headphones . Normally $339.99 at Rakuten ($349.99 everywhere else), these are rare savings that don’t pop up often. If you’re in the market for PC accessories, like mice, keyboards, and headsets, you’ll want to check out Amazon’s markdown on several Logitech products . Below, you’ll find a few other deals that we think are worth your attention: Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 for PC (digital copy) is $19.99 at Newegg (usually $59.99) Resident Evil 2 for PC (digital copy) is $45 at Fanatical (usually $59.99) Resident Evil 2 Deluxe Edition for PC (digital copy) is $52.49 at Fanatical (usually $69.99) The iPhone SE starts at $249 at Apple (usually $349) SanDisk 400GB microSD card is $82.38 at Newegg (usually around $100, its lowest price is $79.99) Amazon’s Fire TV Stick 4K is $39.99 at Amazon (usually $49.99, comes with new Alexa voice remote) Instant Pot Duo Plus 60 6-quart pre

Sony’s 1000XM3 are the best wireless noise-canceling headphones you can get, and today they’re discounted to $290 at Rakuten with the offer code PRO50 . These headphones rarely wiggle down from their usual $350 price, and Rakuten already offers them at about $10 lower than other retailers, so an extra $50 discount on top of that is a great opportunity to save. This deal expires at 11:59 PM on February 3rd, or once stock runs through. In addition to leading noise-cancellation performance and wireless sound quality, the 1000XM3 include a few other niceties that put them above the rest. They articulate at the ear cups to easily fit into an included hard case, charge via USB-C, and let you customize the sound stage through a companion app. Given that it’s very cold across much of the US right now, it’s worth mentioning that these headphones behave erratically in cold temperatures . Both Verge editor Chris Welch and myself, as well as many others online, have experienced strange behav

A monthly column looking at our favorite buttons and how we interact with them In today’s digital age, it sometimes feels like hardware has taken a back seat to the software that drives our devices. Button of the Month is a monthly look at what some of those buttons and switches are like on devices old and new, and aims to appreciate how we interact with our devices on a physical, tactile level.

Opening in Anaheim, California, and Orlando, Florida in 2019 This year, Disney will open a pair of ambitious expansions to its theme parks in California and Florida: Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. The parks will be designed to look like real locations from the Star Wars universe, with Disney tying the location into the larger canon of the franchise through books, comics, and more. The parks will also come with rides that let visitors pilot the Millennium Falcon and experience a battle between the First Order and Resistance, and they’ll be able to stay in immersive hotels designed to look like they belong in the universe. The parks are set to open in the summer and fall of 2019. Follow along for all of the updates, video, and commentary for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.

Verizon is the first major US carrier to offer one of HMD Global’s Nokia phones, launching a custom version of the Nokia 2.1 starting today. Verizon’s version, called the Nokia 2 V Prepaid, is one of the few Android Oreo Go phones sold in the US. Android Go devices are low-cost phones usually reserved for countries like China and India, and for people with limited internet connectivity. The Nokia 2 V has a basic spec list, with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 processor and 1GB of RAM. There’s a 5.5-inch HD display with two cameras, one 8MP rear camera, and a 5MP selfie camera. The phone comes in two colors, blue and silver, and its 4,000 mAh battery is bigger than most, which HMD Global says should last up to two days on standby. It sells for $70. HMD Global announced it would begin selling Nokia phones directly through North American carriers last week. Verizon isn’t quite the first to join in, though, with Cricket beginning sales of the Nokia 3.1 Plus . It costs $159.99, and runs Andro

One of the biggest problems with fast-paced e-sports like Overwatch is that it can be tough to follow the action; there’s just so much happening all at once. For the second season of the Overwatch League, which kicks off next month, Blizzard and Twitch have partnered for a robust new spectating tool that should make matches much easier to understand. Called the “command center,” the tool lets you watch games from multiple viewpoints, switching between them at will. They include the first-person viewpoint of any player, the standard broadcast view, and a customizable “three-feed template” where you can add an overhead map alongside two other feeds. Blizzard previously tested these features during the Overwatch World Cup last year. “Since the biggest request was more personal ways to view all the Overwatch League action, we’ve overhauled the command center for an evolved Twitch viewer experience,” explains Twitch’s commerce VP Matt McCloskey. These options won’t be available

Hulu is preparing to roll out a new advertising format that users will notice when they pause a video. The new advertising unit isn’t a video, like Hulu subscribers are accustomed to, but is similar to a pop-up. When a user pauses a video, an image will appear on-screen that acts as a transparent banner ad. An example can be seen above. Vice president and head of advertising platforms Jeremy Helfand told TechCrunch the new ad format is like “a car billboard on the side of the road” that catches someone’s attention. The ad won’t appear until a few seconds after the user hits pause, and the goal is to keep the advertisement somewhat related to what people are watching. Helfand noted in a blog post on Hulu’s website that the company conducted research with users before rolling it out. “Our pause ad research found that consumers generally preferred ads that were subtle and non-intrusive, and that extensive audio and video when pausing was considered disruptive,” Helfand wrote. “These

Oral arguments will begin tomorrow for one of the most important cases in internet law history. The case will be heard in a Washington, DC courtroom, as a group of net neutrality defenders squares off with the Federal Communications Commission in a legal battle to decide the rules of the web. When the FCC, led by a Republican majority, moved in late 2017 to repeal Obama-era net neutrality rules, it kicked off a fight on several fronts. There’s been some pressure on congressional lawmakers to overrule the decision, and states have moved to implement their own versions of the rules. But what may be the most likely shot at restoring net neutrality regulations will come from a petition against the FCC filed by several supporters of the dismantled rules. The case, Mozilla Corporation v. FCC , will be heard by the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, and the court will decide whether the FCC, led by Chairman Ajit Pai, was within its rights to end the protections. Informatio

Next month’s Mobile World Congress is shaping up to be an interesting one for LG, with the South Korean company now rumored to be unveiling two handsets at the show: the LG G8 ThinQ and a second, higher-end, 5G-enabled device, possibly the LG V50 ThinQ 5G. This latter rumor comes from Korea’s ETNews , which says the LG V50 will feature a 6-inch display, 7nm Snapdragon 855 chipset with vapor-chamber cooling, and 4,000mAh battery. More importantly, says ETNews , it’ll have a 5G modem. If the V50 does land at MWC, it’ll be arriving sooner than expected. The V40 and its five cameras only launched last fall , and we weren’t expecting an update to LG’s highest-end line until the same time this year. But, speeding up the launch cadence would make sense if LG wants to keep up with Samsung, which has promised a 5G device in the first half of 2019 . And LG said it will push “5G products and smartphones” this year in its latest earnings report . A quick turnaround, though, could end up disap

Programming note: I’m on assignment tomorrow and Friday. The Interface will return on Monday. At around 2:30 a.m. ET on Wednesday, Facebook sent me an update about the controversial market research program revealed on Tuesday by TechCrunch . Effective immediately, the company said, the program would end on Apple devices . It also took issue with some of the language in TechCrunch ’s report: “Key facts about this market research program are being ignored,” the company said. “Despite early reports, there was nothing ‘secret’ about this; it was literally called the Facebook Research App. It wasn’t ‘spying’ as all of the people who signed up to participate went through a clear on-boarding process asking for their permission and were paid to participate. Finally, less than 5 percent of the people who chose to participate in this market research program were teens. All of them with signed parental consent forms.” Some of that, I think, is fair: it seems wrong to call a program adverti

We’ve heard basically nothing about Mario Kart Tour , the upcoming smartphone entry in the banana-flinging racing game series, since Nintendo announced it exactly a year ago . The game was pegged for a release before the end of March 2019, but it turns out it’s not ready — Nintendo is delaying it til summer. The decision has been made “in order to improve quality of the application and expand the content offerings after launch,” according to a statement contained within Nintendo’s quarterly earnings released today . It’s the second major Nintendo title hit with a delay this month; last week the company announced that the much-anticipated Metroid Prime 4 ’s development is being completely rebooted . Worried Nintendo fans might want to remind themselves of one of the more famous quotes from Mario and Zelda creator Shigeru Miyamoto: “A delayed game is eventually good, but a rushed game is forever bad.” Perhaps he wasn’t thinking of constantly updated free-to-play mobile games with in-

Nintendo had the best quarter ever for Switch sales, with 9.41 million consoles moved between October and December, a 30 percent improvement on a year ago. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Pokémon: Let’s Go were also both massive hits, at 12.08 million and 10 million units sold respectively. Super Mario Party performed well, too, selling 5.3 million copies. Despite the huge numbers, though, Nintendo almost certainly won’t be able to hit its self-imposed target of 20 million Switch consoles sold this financial year . The current amount sold since April is 14.49 million units, but last year Nintendo sold just under two million. Accordingly, the company has revised its forecast down to 17 million units for the fiscal year. Switch sales momentum remains strong, however, and few expected Nintendo to hit the ambitious 20 million figure in the first place. The company has major titles in the Animal Crossing and Pokémon series set to hit the system this year, although Metroid Prime 4 is f

Samsung Electronics has turned in an earnings report in line with its guidance, as happens every quarter. The difference this quarter, though, is that the guidance was unexpectedly bad , and so as predicted the company’s 10.8 trillion-won (~$9.7 billion) operating profit is down 29 percent year on year. Revenue dropped 10 percent from a year earlier to 59.27 trillion won ($53.3 billion), slightly on the high end of Samsung’s provided range. Samsung says its earnings were primarily affected by falling demand for memory chips, usually its biggest profit driver, as well as slowing smartphone shipments and increased competition for mobile displays. The company doesn’t expect demand for memory to pick up this quarter, either, and is warning of weaker full-year performance overall with essentially flat smartphone sales. The decline in the final quarter wasn’t enough to stop Samsung setting record financial results for the full 2018 year, however, and the company believes the upcoming fla