It lacks a share button, but the Elite Series 2 makes up for it with a whole lot of customizable options. | Photo by Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge The Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 is down to one of its lowest prices: $144.99 ($35 off) at Amazon and direct from Microsoft. In the past, it was common for this premium gamepad to fall as low as $140, but since that’s become much less frequent, this second-best price is a welcome treat. Microsoft’s flagship controller for Xbox Series X / S consoles and the PC may have had its share of quality issues, but it remains our fave if you value a pad with handy functions like…

Four days before Apple is expected to enter, and likely redefine, the nascent mixed-reality (XR) headset market, Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta Platforms pre-announced the latest version of its Quest mixed-reality headset, the “Quest 3” which will retail for $500. Nick Turner for Bloomberg News: The new Meta Quest 3 will cost $500 and ship in the fall, the company said in a blog post Thursday. Meta, which also owns Facebook and Instagram, said it will continue to sell the Quest 2 model at a lower price, $300, to help “even more people access the magic of VR.” Meta is girding for a fight with Apple in the still-nascent world of mixed reality headsets, which meld augmented and virtual reality. Apple plans…

Macworld After months of rumors and speculation, Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference is imminent. In just a few short days, all that rumor and speculation will finally be answered, and we can make way for…new rumors and speculation. (At least then it will be based on things we’ve actually seen.) But as we enjoy our last hurrah before the hurricane of news and updates hits, it’s time to compile a look at what exactly we might be expecting when Apple executives appear (in a no doubt slickly compiled video) at Apple Park next week, and what isn’t likely to make the cut. Heads up They say that where there’s smoke there’s fire, and if that’s true then the Apple mixed-reality…

Apple is prepping a pair of new high-end Macs, powered by M2 Max and new M2 Ultra processors ahead of its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) next week. Inside view of Apple’s current Mac Studio Mark Gurman for Bloomberg News: The company is planning two new Mac models — labeled internally as Mac 14,13 and Mac 14,14 — that run the M2 Max processor announced in January and a yet-to-be-unveiled M2 Ultra chip. The first desktop computer in testing is running an M2 Max processor with eight high-performance cores — components for the most demanding tasks — as well as four efficiency cores and 30 graphics cores. Those are the same specifications featured in the MacBook Pro with the M2 Max.…

Apple is prepping a pair of new high-end Macs, powered by M2 Max and new M2 Ultra processors ahead of its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) next week. Inside view of Apple’s current Mac Studio Mark Gurman for Bloomberg News: The company is planning two new Mac models — labeled internally as Mac 14,13 and Mac 14,14 — that run the M2 Max processor announced in January and a yet-to-be-unveiled M2 Ultra chip. The first desktop computer in testing is running an M2 Max processor with eight high-performance cores — components for the most demanding tasks — as well as four efficiency cores and 30 graphics cores. Those are the same specifications featured in the MacBook Pro with the M2 Max.…

Macworld June is always a big month for Apple enthusiasts. WWDC always starts off the month with a look at all the new operating system updates coming to your iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple TV in the fall, and developers get an early beta version right away. The unveiling of iOS 17, macOS 14, and watchOS 10 would be exciting enough, but Apple also often releases new products at WWDC, and this year we expect a new 15-inch Macbook Air. We might see updates to the Mac Studio as well and perhaps even, finally, a peek at the Mac Pro powered by Apple Silicon. This year is expected to be a WWDC for the history books, though. Just…