Dutch bicycle manufacturer VanMoof found that it had a problem. As it shipped its products to customers, it found that they were arriving to customers damaged. The company came up with a genius solution: print a graphic of a flatscreen television on the side of the box.

VanMoof had planned on keeping the trick a secret, and it wasn’t until Jason Gay of the Wall Street Journal posted up an image of the box that it was revealed:

The damage reports were a major problem for the company because the street bikes that it manufactures are at the…

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Author: Andrew Liptak

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After revelations that its founder had donated money to a pro-Donald Trump group, Oculus CEO Brendan Iribe has joined the discussion, noting in a Facebook post on Friday that “Palmer acted independently in a personal capacity, and was in no way representing the company.”

Oculus Rift founder Palmer Luckey apologized on Friday after a Daily Beast article revealed that he had donated a considerable amount of money to Nimble America, a group dedicated to “shitposting” and “meme magic,” during the 2016 Presidential Election.

Here’s Iribe’s full statement:

I want to respond to the recent press stories involving Palmer. I know that Palmer is deeply sorry for the impact this situation is having on the company, our partners and the industry.

…

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Author: Andrew Liptak

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In the market for a new Xbox One S? Microsoft has launched a new promotion you may want to consider.

Now through October 1, you can get a free game of your choosing when you buy a new console at a number of retailers, including Amazon, Target, GameStop, and Microsoft’s own store.

This offer is good on Xbox One S bundles that already come with free games such as the Halo, Madden, and FIFA bundles, so you’re actually getting multiple freebies. Xbox One S bundles start at $300.

Some notes about this deal: it’s not good on preorder games or secondhand consoles. Get all the specifics about the deal here on the Xbox Wire.

This deal comes right before the release of Microsoft’s Forza Horizon 3, which comes out on September 27. You can read GameSpot’s review here (spoilers: we liked it a lot).

The Xbox One was the best-selling consoles in the US for July and August, according to NPD data.

The new Xbox One S debuted in August; the system is 40 percent smaller than the original model and features an internal power supply. It also features HDR support for some games and comes with a new Xbox One controller that has Bluetooth support and textured grips. You can read GameSpot’s Xbox One S review here.

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Author: Eddie Makuch

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Shawn Wang’s recently completed short film Planet Unknown looks a bit like WALL·E. It features a pair of rovers sent to a planet to see if it can harbor life, and as they set out to complete their mission, they run into some unexpected troubles.

Comparisons to WALL·E are appropriate

Wang told The Verge that comparisons to WALL·E are appropriate: he was inspired in part by Pixar’s 2008 film. But inspiration came from other places as well: “The idea [for the film] was actually inspired by Interstellar’s two robots TARS & CASE. I love those two characters, so I started developing the story about intellectual robots on mission without humans.”

In addition to other films, Wang noted that he drew on the design of NASA’s Curiosity,…

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Author: Andrew Liptak

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California Governor Jerry Brown has signed into law a bill that will require commercial websites to remove information about an actor’s age upon request, in an attempt to combat agism in the state’s film industry.

The law, known as AB-1687, states that commercial online entertainment employment service providers will be required to remove “certain information regarding the subscriber’s age on any companion Internet Web site under the provider’s control if requested by the subscriber.” In other words, websites such as the Internet Movie Database and StudioSystem would be compelled to remove an actor’s age if requested.

AB-1687 only applies to commercial websites – which it defines as websites that display ads or receives payment from…

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Author: Andrew Liptak

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With the release of Forza Horizon 3 coming up very soon (it’s already out for some), Microsoft has now confirmed (via Polygon) that the first game in the series will be removed from sale in the near future.

Forza Horizon, released in 2012 for Xbox 360, will reach its “end of life” status on October 20. At this time, the game and all of its DLC will no longer be available to purchase. If you already own Forza Horizon and/or its DLC, or buy it before October 20, nothing will change. The game and DLC will remain playable.

As for Forza Horizon 3, people who own the $100 Ultimate Edition can start playing right now, ahead of the game’s official release on September 27. The game is Microsoft’s first to support high dynamic range on Xbox One S, but not the first overall, as the already-available NBA 2K17 also does.

You don’t have to buy the Ultimate Edition to play Forza Horizon 3 right now, as a demo (that doesn’t feature HDR support) is available now on Xbox One that will come to PC sometime after launch. In other news about the game, people on PC are reporting issues pre-loading the game.

GameSpot’s Forza Horizon 3 review scored the game a 9/10. For more on the critical reaction to the racing game, check out this roundup of scores and opinions.

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Author: Eddie Makuch

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If you read our coverage of Tokyo Game Show earlier this month, you’ll know that Rez is my favorite game of all time, and that the new version for PlayStation VR is its most spectacular iteration yet. Rez Infinite is the rare example of a pre-existing game that feels like it was designed for virtual reality, despite first coming out fifteen years ago.

But fifteen years ago, designer Tetsuya Mizuguchi was no less concerned with how to amplify the Rez experience, even on modest hardware like the PlayStation 2. Okay, so you couldn’t immerse yourself in Rez‘s wireframe world by enveloping your field of vision with a stereoscopic OLED display. But you could use the Trance Vibrator.

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Author: Sam Byford

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Leah Reich was one of the first internet advice columnists. Her column “Ask Leah” ran on IGN, where she gave advice to gamers for two and a half years. During the day, Leah is a Senior User Researcher for Slack, but her views here do not represent her employer. You can write to her at askleah@theverge.com and read more How to be Human here.

Dear Leah,

Eight months ago I graduated from a university and moved to New York City to chase my dreams. In the process of doing so, me and my girlfriend (of 18 months) broke up, despite the fact that we were both graduating and moving to NYC at the same time. It was her decision, not mine.

Her stated reasons were that she wanted to enter this new stage of her life unhindered by a relationship….

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Author: Leah Reich

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The first debate is here! You’ve got no shortage of viewing options. The post How to Watch the First Presidential Debate appeared first on WIRED.
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Author: Brian Barrett

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On Monday night, the two candidates running to be president of the United States will square off in the first debate. Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are probably after this job for plenty of reasons, but one neat bonus is having new species named after you. A whole bunch of presidents — past and present — have animals and trees that bear their names.

The current commander in chief, Barack Obama, is pretty popular — especially among fish. In 2012, scientists named a freshwater darter that lives in the Tennessee River Etheostoma Obama, and cited Obama’s environmental leadership as influencing the choice. Earlier this month, a saltwater fish discovered in Hawaii was named after Obama because its dorsal fin coloration was reminiscent of…

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Author: Alessandra Potenza

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