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2024-03-28 15:57:11| Engadget

More major changes are afoot on the business side of the video game world, as a notable name is changing hands once again. Take-Two Interactive (the parent company of Grand Theft Auto publisher Rockstar and others) has agreed to buy Gearbox Entertainment from the embattled Embracer Group. The deal is worth $460 million in stock and is expected to close by June 30. It had been rumored for several months that Embracer was planning to sell off Gearbox. Take-Two is acquiring three studios: Gearbox Software, Gearbox Montréal and Gearbox Studio Quebec. It will fully own the Borderlands, Tiny Tinas Wonderlands, Homeworld, Risk of Rain, Brothers in Arms and Duke Nukem franchises, along with Gearboxs future pipeline. Gearbox will operate under the umbrella of 2K, which already publishes Borderlands and Tiny Tina games. Gearbox founder and CEO Randy Pitchford will remain at the helm. Embracer is hanging onto Gearbox Publishing San Francisco, which will be renamed. That holds the publishing rights for the Remnant series, Hyper Light Breaker and unannounced games. Embracer will also keep Cryptic Studios (Neverwinter Online and Star Trek Online), Lost Boys Interactive and Captured Dimensions. Take-Two notes that Gearbox has six key interactive entertainment projects in various stages of development. Those include five sequels, among them Homeworld 3 and the next Borderlands game. Embracer bought Gearbox in 2021 for an initial $363 million. If Gearbox met certain targets, the deal would have been worth just over an extra $1 billion over six years. Since it bought Gearbox, Embracer has gone through rough times. Last year, it announced a major restructuring after a $2 billion investment deal (said to be from a group backed by Saudi Arabias sovereign wealth fund) fell apart. Since then, Embracer has has closed several studios and sold off others. It laid off 1,387 people in the second half of last year and canceled 29 unannounced games over a six-month period in 2023. Elsewhere in the business of video games, Sega has sold Relic Entertainment (Warhammer 40,000 and Company of Heroes), which is now an independent studio thanks to the help of a mystery investor. Sega is also cutting around 240 jobs in Europe, adding to the extensive video game layoffs so far this year. Sega Europe, Creative Assembly (Total War) and Hardlight Studios (Two Point Hospital) are said to have been impacted.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/take-two-is-buying-gearbox-from-embracer-for-460-million-145711528.html?src=rss


Category: Marketing and Advertising

 

2024-03-28 15:00:41| Engadget

Ever since Tamagotchi Uni became globally available last summer, its felt like a product with a lot of unrealized potential. Bear in mind, I say this as someone who loves this device and has run it daily since launch. But on top of all the basic activities one would expect at this point from the digital pet toy, the Wi-Fi capable Tamagotchi Uni promised users the Tamaverse a virtual playground that would broaden the Tamagotchi experience like never before. So far, it hasnt, really. Sure, players could send their characters there to meet others, go on little vacations and buy outfits, but those small activities dont really add much substance. The "travel" experience involved watching short animation, and occasionally getting a special food dish, item or achievement badge. Even the aspect of mingling was sorely limited, allowing players to send just one Heart (a like to acknowledge another players Tamagotchi) per day. The Tamaverse has been slow to live up to the expectations Bandai set, despite it being the Unis biggest selling point. That seems to be changing in a big way. With an update that rolled out on March 19 version 1.6.0 Bandai opened the Tama Portal, an area of the Tamaverse thats been cordoned off all this time. A few days after, it dropped the first two DLC packs for Tamagotchi Uni in the form of Tamaverse Tickets, which allow users to travel to new locations through that portal. In a bonus, non-Tamaverse related move, the update also answers players desperate pleas for more item storage by adding My Box, where surplus items can be stowed so you no longer need to delete older goodies to make room for new ones. Bandai The first two Tamaverse Tickets, as the DLCs are being called, are available now. One, which takes you to Very Berry Land, is free, while the other, for the LoveMelo Concert, costs $6. Each new area comes with a slew of additional characters you can raise (including some that are brand new for the franchise), an on-theme mini-game and a shop with new food, items, accessories and furniture you can buy with Gotchi Points.  This is the kind of depth the virtual space always seemed to imply. Now it feels like were finally seeing what the Tamaverse can really be. Hopefully, its just the start. There will undoubtedly be some who balk at having to pay for DLC beyond the one freebie, and while I cant say Id blame them for that, it doesnt bother me for what were getting. Purchasing a ticket gives you access to a download code that can be used three times. Once the code is registered to a device, you can visit that location as much as you want, and switch freely between the different locations youve downloaded. That means I was able to use the same codes to download Very Berry Land and LoveMelo Concert on both of my Tamagotchi Uni devices, and still have one use left for each ticket in case I ever have to do a reset. As was the case with the Tamagotchi Smarts DLC, the physical TamaSma cards, only one Tamaverse Ticket can be active at a time, so switching will wipe out any location-specific items or food in your inventory, but you wont need to reenter the code in order to switch back. All of a persons downloaded locations can be found in a new list called DL Area when you visit the Tama Portal.  Bandai Its not just one or two characters that come with each location, either you get six. Some people buy whole new devices for that kind of expansion (definitely not me haha). And the free Very Berry Land brings back the fan-favorite adorable strawberry, Ichigotchi, which feels like a win for everyone. The DLC also reintroduces the method of obtaining specific characters by feeding your fledgling Tamagotchis certain meals or playing with a particular item three times before they reach adulthood. I was excited to try and get the new character, Tanghulutchi, that comes with Very Berry Land, and fed my teen Tama an abundance of Fruit Candy snacks in hopes that it would make her appear. It worked! (Im now also fiending for the real candied fruit treat of its namesake, Tanghulu. Thanks Bandai).  Once Im strong enough to part with Memetchi on my other device, which is running LoveMelo Concert, Ill probably try to get Drumcrubitchi, a new character thats literally a drum kit with a face. Photo by Cheyenne MacDonald / Engadget All of the things you can purchase in the Tama Portal locations are as of now much cheaper than the usual Tama Mall offerings, with furniture and accessories falling between 200 and 500 Gotchi Ponts. Its really nice to have some new mini-games to freshen up the daily routine, since there arent many built into the device when its offline, and the ones theyve added to the first Tamaverse locations are great. In Very Berry Land, you can play Cake Factory, where you have to move your character around to place strawberries on top of cake slices as they come down the conveyor belt. Its a game style weve seen before, but is slightly more exciting than other similar versions because the pace really picks up in the second half of the round. LoveMelo Concert brings back the popular Guitar-Hero-style rhythm game format we saw (twice) in the Tama Arenas Nyanoe Dance, but the new Happy Happy Harmony features a different song for you to try and keep up with. Its actually pretty challenging, and is the type of game Ill have to obsessively revisit until Ive perfected it. Nyanoe Dance was clearly well received, and Im sure a lot of fans will be happy that a version of it has found a permanent home in the Uni one way or another. Photo by Cheyenne MacDonald / Engadget One of the best things about previous versions of the modern Tamagotchi, like the Tamagotchi On, was the joy of discovery when you unlocked a new location. The new Tama Portal destinations garner that same feeling, and I can only hope Bandai will keep it going even beyond the additional expansions it teased with update 1.6.0. The announcement materials indicated that there are at least three more DL Areas on the way, including the Tamamori Fashion Show thats set to drop at the end of May. That world introduces some more absolutely unhinged Tamagotchi character designs like a pair of anthropomorphic work boots named, I kid you not, Bootsbrothers and I truly cannot wait. The other areas havent yet been revealed.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/tamagotchi-uni-finally-feels-complete-after-its-biggest-update-yet-140041168.html?src=rss


Category: Marketing and Advertising

 

2024-03-28 14:29:13| Engadget

A new report found Meta and Google are restricting reproductive health information in Asia, Africa and Latin America. MSI Reproductive Choices and the Center for Countering Digital Hate, which partnered on the report, claim that the companies have restricted local abortion providers' ads and allowed misinformation to fester, among other misdoings.  Take Mexico, which decriminalized abortion in 2023 but where services are not yet legal in all 32 of its states. Meta won't allow MSI to share abortion-related ad content in the country due to remaining bans. However, the local team reported that other sexual and reproductive health content has also received blocks. MSI's teams in Nepal and Vietnam echoed this issue, with Meta allegedly removing ads promoting cervical cancer screenings and information on IUDs and contraceptive pills, respectively. MSI now has a "blanket advertising ban" from Meta in the two countries and claims the company provided no clear justification. Ghana's team reported Google blocked their ads with the phrase "pregnancy options." "Women and girls are being neglected by these major tech platforms who are putting their bottom lines above the public good," Whitney Chinogwenya, marketing specialist at MSI Reproductive Choices, said in a statement. "Accurate online information is a lifeline for those seeking timely care and facts about their reproductive options. Yet anti-choice groups are able to spread disinformation and toxic narratives online with impunity. And what is worse, platforms like Google and Meta are currently enabling, and profiting from this dangerous propaganda."  MSI's teams in Ghana, Kenya and Nepal expressed difficulty connecting with Meta and receiving information on why their ads were limited though Bangladesh's team was able to get in contact and resolve their issues. Kenya, Nigeria and Vietnam faced another problem: imitation Facebook pages and websites, sometimes with nothing different than a phone number. MSI requested that Meta and Google remove these scammers (some of which requested money from prospective clients) but claims the companies delayed action or took none.  Researchers gathered evidence through correspondence and interviews with MSI's teams in locations such as Bangladesh, Ghana, Kenya, Mexico, Nepal, Nigeria, South Africa and Vietnam. Further information came from an analysis of Meta's Ad Library, which the report claims showed evidence of the company displaying and profiting from false or misleading anti-abortion ads in Ghana and Mexico. Users reportedly in these two countries viewed these ads up to one million times between 2019 and 2024. Approved ads included claims that "global powers and international companies" paid for decriminalizing abortion movements to "eliminate the Mexican population." The report also looks at abuse directed at MSI's workers in Kenya, which the organization claimed Meta turns a "blind eye" towards. Ghana's team reported anti-choice organizations have used WhatsApp, a Meta-owned platform, to pedal conspiracies around family planning being a method to depopulate Africa and MSI's workers "introducing 'satanic' sexual education in schools to 'destroy the youth.'"  The Center for Countering Digital Hate's CEO and founder, Imran Ahmed, accuses social media companies of mining "users' personal data in the Global South but take little care to protect local human rights and civil liberties. It reeks of colonialism the greed, arrogance and double standards in how they treat less-wealthy markets. They have little regard or understanding of the complex cultural and political factors that can deprive people of their legal right to reproductive healthcare, nor do they grasp that the uneven application of their own content moderation policies greatly exacerbates these problems." According to Google, it can't say why any ad or campaign was blocked without seeing the specific ad or advertiser account. It also said that ads targeting the term pregnancy options in Ghana and the other countries listed aren't prohibited. This report does not include a single example of policy violating content on Googles platform, nor any examples of inconsistent enforcement," a Google spokesperson told Engadget. "Without evidence, it claims that some ads were blocked in Ghana for referencing pregnancy options. To be clear, these types of ads are not prohibited from running in Ghana if the ads were restricted, it was likely due to our longstanding policies against targeting people based on sensitive health categories, which includes pregnancy. Meta is reviewing the findings, but spokesperson, Ryan Daniels told The Guardian: "We allow posts and ads promoting healthcare services, as well as discussion and debate around them. Content about reproductive health must follow our rules, including those on prescription drugs and misinformation, and ads promoting reproductive health products or services may only be targeted to people 18-plus. We prohibit ads that include misinformation or mislead people about services a business provides, and we will review the content of this report." Engadget has reached out to Meta for further comment.  Update, March 28 2024, 10:20PM ET: This article has been updated to include a statement and further information from Google. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/meta-and-google-face-claims-of-restricting-reproductive-health-ads-and-fueling-misinformation-132913618.html?src=rss


Category: Marketing and Advertising

 

2024-03-28 14:06:42| Engadget

Microsoft's Copilot AI service is set to run locally on PCs, Intel told Tom's Hardware. The company also said that next-gen AI PCs would require built-in neural processing units (NPUs) with over 40 TOPS (trillion operations per second) of power beyond the capabilities of any consumer processor on the market.  Intel said that the AI PCs would be able to run "more elements of Copilot" locally. Currently, Copilot runs nearly everything in the cloud, even small requests. That creates a fair amount of lag that's fine for larger jobs, but not ideal for smaller jobs. Adding local compute capability would decrease that lag, while potentially improving performance and privacy as well.  Microsoft was previously rumored to require 40 TOPS on next-gen AI PCs (along with a modest 16GB of RAM). Right now, Windows doesn't make much use of NPUs, apart from running video effects like background blurring for Surface Studio webcams. ChromeOS and macOS both use NPU power for more video and audio processing features, though, along with OCR, translation, live transcription and more, Ars Technica noted. So far, the processor with the fastest NPU speed is Apple M3, which offers 18 TOPS across the lineup (M3, M3 Pro and M3 Ultra). AMD's Ryzen 8040 and 7040 laptop chips are next with 16 and 10 TOPS respectively, while Intel's Meteor Lake laptop hits 10 TOPS as well. Qualcomm may offer the first processor with enough power for Copilot via the Snapdragon X Elite, which will offer 45 TOPS of AI compute speed.  Intel's Lunar Lake chips, set to arrive in 2025, will ship with triple its current NPU speeds. Yesterday, the company introduced 300 new AI features optimized specifically for its own OpenVino platform. The chip giant also announced an AI PC development kit based on the the ASUS NUC Pro that uses its current Meteor Lake silicon.  "From a desktop standpoint, we have plans on the desktop side, what we would say [is an] AI PC. And then there's also the next-gen AI PC, the 40 TOPS requirements; we have all of our different steps in our roadmap on how we cover all the different segments," the company told Tom's Hardware.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/microsoft-copilot-ai-will-soon-run-locally-on-pcs-130642514.html?src=rss


Category: Marketing and Advertising

 

2024-03-28 14:00:36| Engadget

If you're part of the intersection of virtual reality enthusiasts and major league baseball fans, then there's good news for you. MLB has launched Home Run Derby VR on the Meta Quest Store, making it available for Quest 2, Quest 3 and Quest Pro users. The game was previously on Meta's App Lab. MLB Home Run Derby VR gives gamers the chance to explore 30 different ballparks and play up to 100 different levels. "This upgraded game offers an exciting opportunity to experience each venue like never before and utilizing advanced motion controls and realistic batting mechanics, users can step into the virtual batter's box to emulate their favorite sluggers from anywhere in the world," MLB shared in its announcement. The game also offers multiplayer mode for up to four people or tournaments for up to eight. Users can choose winners by score, fastest exit velocity or longest home run. Plus, achievements can unlock bat skins, batting gloves and more for their Meta avatars. MLB Home Run Derby VR is available for $30 in the Meta Quest Store, but non-Meta users can pick it up on Rift or Steam VR platforms. This launch isn't MLB's first foray into VR: The organization hosted its first "virtual ballpark" regular-season game in September. The experience allowed viewers to "enter" the stadium and watch avatars correspond to real-time gameplay between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Los Angeles Angels.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mlbs-home-run-derby-vr-launches-on-the-meta-quest-store-130036093.html?src=rss


Category: Marketing and Advertising

 

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