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Jess Weatherbed

Jess Weatherbed

News Reporter

Jess Weatherbed is a news writer, and part of The Verge UK-based team. While passionate about the future of technology, she originally trained as a prosthetics makeup and wig-making technician, fuelled by a love of animatronics and practical movie effects.

Jess started her career at TechRadar, covering news and hardware reviews across computing, PC gaming and streaming. Additional bylines can be found at GamesRadar, PCGamer, Creative Bloq and Space.com.

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All aboard! Destination: Donkey Kong Country.

The grand opening for the Donkey Kong-themed zone at Universal Studios Japan will finally take place in Spring 2024. The expansion of the park's existing Super Nintendo World area has been in development since 2021, and includes a new Donkey Kong rollercoaster — that presumably doesn’t fly off the tracks like the treacherous minecarts depicted in the trailer below.


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Apple and Paramount discuss streaming bundle to fight subscription fatigue.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the two companies have considered bundling Apple TV Plus and Paramount Plus together for a cheaper price than paying for both streaming services separately.

Details are slim, but If it comes to fruition the combined service would join similar entertainment bundles that aim to combat rising customer defections, like Verizon’s $10 bundle for Netflix and Max.


Apple paints the town (Product) Red.

As part of its ongoing partnership with (Red) — a brand dedicated to fighting HIV/AIDS — Apple has released an all-red version of the Apple Watch Series 9, alongside some exclusive watch faces to mark World AIDS Day.

The watch joins existing (Product) Red variants for the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 13, and iPhone SE, but there’s no sign of the new iPhone 15 series joining the lineup.


The Apple Watch Series 9 in (Product) Red.
Marking World AIDS day, a collection of “specially customized watch faces” will also be available in red.
Image: Apple
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Threads may arrive in Europe before Santa does.

In the face of Elon Musk prophesizing X’s demise at the hands of advertisers, Europeans may finally be getting access to Meta’s rival service.

The Wall Street Journal reports that support should arrive sometime in December, with accommodations to appease EU regulations that would allow European users to access Threads content without needing a profile to make their own posts.