The Last MPEG-4 Part 2 Patent Just Expired — DivX, Xvid, and a 26-Year Codec War Are Finally Over
On July 19, 2026, the final patent covering MPEG-4 Part 2 Visual expired in Brazil, making the codec that powered the era of internet video legally free worldwide for the first time. »
Blender 5.2 LTS Lands Node-Based Physics and Online Libraries — Two Years of Support Included
Blender 5.2 LTS, released July 14 with two years of guaranteed support, ships a generational upgrade to its physics pipeline through new Geometry Nodes-based cloth and hair simulation, plus on-demand online asset libraries. »
VS Code 1.129 Ships a Floating Panel UI — Here's How to Turn It On
Microsoft's July 2026 release of Visual Studio Code 1.129 quietly introduces the most visible redesign the editor has seen in years: floating sidebars and panels with rounded corners, available now as an opt-in experiment. »
Splatoon Raiders Hits Switch 2 Thursday — Nintendo's First PvE Looter-Shooter
Nintendo's ink-splattered franchise goes in a radically new direction as Splatoon Raiders arrives July 23 on Switch 2, trading competitive multiplayer for a single-player PvE treasure hunt across the Spirhalite Islands. »
OpenAI's First Hardware Product Is a $230 AI-Agent Control Pad That Sold Out on Day One
The Codex Micro is a 13-key macro pad built specifically to command OpenAI's coding agents — and it's the clearest sign yet that OpenAI is serious about hardware. »