Google’s Gmail and Yahoo are adding new rules that promise to make it easier to avoid unwanted email. This includes requiring bulk email senders to add an unsubscribe function for all messages.
19.09.2023 - 14:23 / pcmag.com
Google blames the failure of its Stadia game-streaming service on a lack of quality games.
“Stadia’s lack of important AAA content created a self-sustaining cycle whereby players would not subscribe to Stadia because of the lack of AAA games, and in turn many AAA game developers would not develop games for Stadia due to its small user,” Google Director of Product Management Dov Zimring said in a statement submitted as part of the FTC v. Microsoft case.
The agency is trying to stop Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard over its potential impact on both the console market and cloud gaming. As 9to5Google reports, Zimring's comments are part of a trove of confidential documents detailing Microsoft’s plans for the Xbox that were recently dumped online.
In his statement, Zimring goes over the various reasons why Google shut down Stadia in January, “a significant one being the cost and difficulty of securing content to offer to Stadia users,” he said.
The lack of games for Stadia was no secret to industry watchers and users. Still, Zimring’s comments shed some light on how Microsoft’s Windows played a role in Stadia’s demise.
According to Zimring, Google was well aware it needed a large catalog of games, including the latest titles, for Stadia to succeed, citing the company’s own market research and consumer surveys. But doing so was easier said than done.
A big challenge was on the technology side. Stadia’s cloud servers ran on an open-source version of Linux and the Vulkan graphics API to enable greater flexibility and customization to realize Google’s vision for the game-streaming service.
“One negative consequence of this decision was that it increased the cost for external game studios to build games and port existing games to Stadia, despite Stadia’s considerable investment to ease these costs," Zimring noted.
The company could have opted to run Stadia’s cloud servers on Windows and Microsoft’s DirectX API, “but we ultimately determined that Windows licensing fees were cost prohibitive for the long-term viability of the service and that use of Windows/DirectX would not allow for the customization needed,” he added.
The result meant that third-party developers could easily port their titles to Windows-based cloud-gaming platforms such as Nvidia’s GeForce Now or Amazon’s Luna, but faced more hurdles in expanding their games to Stadia. “For example, in the case of GeForce Now, the cost to developers was close to zero as GeForce Now operates based on a virtual Windows PC running in the cloud,” Zimring said.
The other challenge was the high cost of game development. Google created its own first-party studio to create AAA titles for Stadia. But the company shut down the studio less than 14
Google’s Gmail and Yahoo are adding new rules that promise to make it easier to avoid unwanted email. This includes requiring bulk email senders to add an unsubscribe function for all messages.
To ensure player safety in its popular battle royale game, Epic Games announced it is rolling out age ratings for all Fortnite experiences, starting November 14.
The Kirin 9000S, first found in Huawei’s Mate 60 Pro, has sparked debate across various platforms while also irking the U.S. government. Earlier reports claimed that SMIC, a Chinese-based semiconductor manufacturer, leveraged its 7nm technology to mass produce the latest SoC. However, one research firm CEO believes that only special techniques were involved in making the latest chipset perform on par with a 7nm part and that it is actually made on an older and inferior 14nm process.
I was doing great at the start of a Cyberpunk 2077 mission in the badlands last night, sneaking into a ramshackle warehouse fortress from a rear staircase to take out the guard in the security room with a silent neck snap. It all went to hell a few minutes later when I accidentally threw a grenade at a goon instead of tagging him with my Kiroshi optics, but, look, these things happen. I'd rather focus on the first few minutes of exciting tension as I snuck around, quietly eliminating patrolling enemies after distracting them with hacked floodlights and vending machines. I've had fun every time I take the stealth approach in Cyberpunk, but the options for stealth kills are bafflingly limited. Why am I walking around with a monowire—basically a high-tech garrote—if I can't use it to choke someone out?
V Rising is heading towards its 1.0 full launch. Stunlock Studios has an extensive new devblog announcing that the next major update will be the full release out of Early Access, currently planned for Q2 2024.
It's one in, one out this November. Don't Nod's Banishers: Ghosts Of New Eden has been delayed until February 13th, 2024 from its original November release date. That's because its developer and publisher want to avoid the busy release season.
If you’re looking for an affordable Windows gaming laptop, Acer is preparing to launch a new Nitro model that’ll cost only $849.99 while packing an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 graphics chip.
There are several objectives you need to follow to complete the heists in Payday 3, such as No Rest For The Wicked. It’s a small bank, ideal for anyone who wants to sink their teeth into a thrilling heist and see what they can do with a small team. One of the optional objectives you can complete is stealing an Executive’s Deposit.
Microsoft reportedly expects publishers to ask for millions and millions to put their games on Game Pass at launch.
French President Emmanuel Macron has responded to the criticism he received for blaming video games for the riots that spread across the country over the summer.
Publisher Spiral Up Games and Hardcore Mecha developer RocketPunch Games have announced Anomaly Collapse, a turn-based roguelite strategy game coming to PC via Steam. A release date was not announced.
Microsoft Corp.'s attempt at avoiding deeper European Union scrutiny of its Teams video-conferencing app fell flat with the bloc's antitrust enforcers readying a formal complaint against the firm's conduct.