List of All Articles with Tag 'tech'

By Greg Bensinger SAN FRANCISCO Arguing for the government on Tuesday in its legal fight against Microsoft's $69

Microsoft Corp.’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard Inc. will deliver a blow to Sony Group Corp’s console business and

A Microsoft Corp. executive vowed in court that after the company’s $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard Inc.

Microsoft and the video game giant Activision Blizzard will face off Thursday against the US government in a high-stakes battle over one of the largest technology acquisitions in history.

Microsoft has hiked the price of Xboxes and its Game Pass offering, adding significant cost to both buying and playing its consoles. The price of an Xbox Series X will increase in almost every country, by different amounts. And the Xbox Game Pass subscription will increase in cost for the first time since it was released in 2017. It makes Microsoft just the latest company to up the prices of its monthly subscriptions. Netflix has gone through range of price hikes, for instance, and other video and music streaming services have also recently increased the cost of their monthly payments. Xbox’s Game Pass allows players access to a library of games for a monthly fee. The company has repeatedly suggested that it sees such online subscriptions as the future of gaming. The Game Pass service launched in 2017. Since then, it has stayed at the same price, though Microsoft has added more expensive options in the form of its Ultimate offering. Xbox will move the Game Pass Ultimate offering, which adds Xbox Live Gold and other features to the normal Game Pass subscription, from $14.99 per month to $16.99, or £12.99. The normal version of Game Pass will go from $9.99 to $10.99, or £8.99. The changes will go into effect from 13 August for existing subscribers, Microsoft said, though annual subscribers will be safe until their next bill arrives. For new subscribers, the new prices will be in effect from 7 July. Almost every country will be affected by the price increase. The Xbox console itself will also be hit by a price rise. In almost every country apart from the US, Japan, Brazil, Chile and Colombia, the price of an Xbox Series X will go up considerably, though the cheaper Xbox Series S will not be affected. Read More US sues to block Xbox takeover of Call of Duty developer Activision Blizzard Elon Musk sparks outrage with threat to ban ‘cisgender’ as a ‘slur’ on Twitter Our nearest supermassive black hole ‘woke up’

Twitch streamers are leaving the platform in their droves in favour of rival website Kick which is offering far more lucrative financial opportunities to their competitors. Kick, which is owned by online gambler Tyler ‘Trainwreck’ Niknam, who previously made his name on Twitch, is very similar in style and content that you would find on other streaming sites with gaming being a major source of entertainment on the website. However, unlike Twitch, gambling and more adult-themed content are more widely accepted on Kick, which was only launched in January 2023. Last month, two big streaming stars Kai Cenat and iShowSpeed both announced that they would be leaving Twitch to join Rumble, another streaming platform that is popular with political commentators. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Now the exodus of streamers from Twitch has continued with reportedly more than one million people joining Kick after the New York Times reported that the website had signed Félix 'xQc' Lengyel, one of the world's most popular streamers, for a $100 million deal. However, xQc, has confirmed that he'll still use Twitch for his streams. In addition to xQc, Twitch's top female streamer Amouranth has also ditched Twitch for Kick in what is thought to be a non-exclusive deal with the site. In an announcement video where she is reading about xQc's deal with Kick, Amouranth says: "So, 100 million dollar deals have started… Can I get one of those?" Numerous other streamers, including Mizkif, have also spoken out against Twitch, claiming that the streaming site is 'done.' Interestingly, MrBeast, who is more of a YouTube content creator than a streamer has floated the idea of streaming on Kick in a form of protest against Twitch's new guidelines which are likely to put in place major restrictions on branded content come July 1st. In a now-deleted tweet, MrBeast, real name Jimmy Donaldson, wrote: "I’m not even a Twitch streamer and now I want to stream on a competitor just to spite them for you guys. If YouTube pulled this sh*t, I’d lose my mind." Other notable steamers who have left Twitch for Kick, include Adin Ross, Destiny, CorinnaKopf and GMHikaru. Speaking to Sportskeeda in May, Kick co-founder Ed Craven confirmed that the company plans to host in-person events in the future as well as gambling streams.

A chatbot designed to resemble an ‘AI Jesus’ has attracted hundreds of Twitch users seeking gaming and relationship advice. The device, created by a Berlin tech collective, shows a bearded white man with a bright white halo who gestures as he answers questions having been “trained after Jesus and the teachings of the Bible.” Its “ask_jesus” livestream attracted over 35,000 followers and allowed viewers to ask questions. It was created by The Singularity Group, a non-profit which said the Twitch stream cost it €322 (£276) per day for the chatbot ‘voice’ and €38 (£33) a day for the GPT4 model behind the boot. Asked to share views on topics such as abortion and gay rights, AI Jesus was found to provide vague, non-partisan replies, such as advising the user to look at the issues from legal and ethical perspectives. “Whether you’re seeking spiritual guidance, looking for a friend, or simply want someone to talk to, you can join on the journey through life and discover the power of faith, hope, and love,” said the bio for the “ask_jesus” Twitch page. Twitch has, however, taken down the channel and it remains to be seen on what grounds the decision was made by the streaming platform. The disclaimer on the page said the channel “is currently unavailable due to a violation of Twitch’s Community Guidelines or Terms of Service”. This is not the first time an AI chatbot was developed for users to interact with over topics of religion. Many AI chatbots based on the Hindu scripture Bhagavad Gita have emerged in India, with millions of using it. One such chatbot, GitaGPT, replies to user queries based on the 700-verse Hindu scripture, mimicking Hindu god Krishna’s tone. It claims to help users “unlock life’s mysteries with Krishna”. “You’re not actually talking to Krishna. You’re talking to a bot that’s pretending to be him,” said the bot’s creator Sukuru Sai Vineet, a software engineer from Bengaluru. However, journalist Nadia Nooreyezdan, who interacted with GitaGPT, found it lacked filters for casteism, misogyny and law, with experts cautioning that AI systems playing ‘god’ can have dangerous and unintended consequences. When The Independent asked GitaGPT about Narendra Modi – whose political party BJP has close links to right-wing Hindu nationalist group RSS – it had only words of praise for the Indian prime minister, calling him a “great leader” who is “honest” and “hardworking” with a “vision for the country”. On his political rival Rahul Gandhi, the chatbot said he was a “good person” who is “sincere and hardworking”, but also stated that he could “however, benefit from studying the Bhagavad Gita and learning about dharma [duty]”. Read More Hundreds attend ‘soulless’ AI-generated church service OpenAI CEO suggests international agency like UN's nuclear watchdog could oversee AI AI chatbot taken down after it gives ‘harmful advice’ to those with eating disorders Google ad revenue from anti-abortion campaigns and ‘fake’ clinics topped $10m: report Major finding boosts hope for finding alien life in our solar system Twitter to be evicted from Colorado office

WASHINGTON Microsoft and Activision Blizzard asked a U.S. judge on Wednesday to quickly schedule a case management conference

The US Federal Trade Commission has sued to stop Microsoft buying Call of Duty developer Activision Blizzard. It is just the latest problem for the deal, which has already been blocked by UK regulators. If completed, it will become one of the largest takeovers ever – but has faced scrutiny from regulators around the world, who argue that it might cause problems for the gaming market. The FTC's Monday filing in a federal court in San Francisco seeks a restraining order and injunction to stop Microsoft's $69 billion purchase of the California gaming company behind hit franchises such as Call of Duty and World of Warcraft. Microsoft, maker of the Xbox game system, has been struggling to win worldwide approval for the deal with just over a month before the deadline to close it, according to the contract it signed with Activision. “We welcome the opportunity to present our case in federal court," said a statement Monday from Brad Smith, Microsoft's vice chair and president. "We believe accelerating the legal process in the U.S will ultimately bring more choice and competition to the market.” The FTC already took Microsoft to court to block the merger, but that was before the U.S. agency's in-house judge in a trial set to start on Aug. 2. That administrative process doesn't preclude the parties from closing the deal. The contract between Microsoft and Activision required the deal to close by July 18, but the FTC's latest action seeks to stop that from happening. “Microsoft and Activision Blizzard have represented in the past that they cannot close their deal due to antitrust reviews of the transaction in other jurisdictions," the FTC said in a statement Monday. "But Microsoft and Activision have not provided assurances that they will maintain that position. In light of that, and public reporting that Microsoft and Activision Blizzard are considering closing their deal imminently, we have filed a request for a temporary restraining order to prevent them from closing while review continues.” Microsoft's other main obstacle is in the United Kingdom, where antitrust regulators have also taken action to block the acquisition. The all-cash deal announced in January 2022 has been scrutinized by regulators around the world over fears that it would give Microsoft and its Xbox console control of Activision's hit franchises and give it an unfair boost in the emerging business of cloud-based game subscriptions. It could be the priciest tech industry merger in history. Fierce opposition has been driven by rival Sony, which makes the PlayStation gaming system. Microsoft sought to counter the resistance by striking a deal with Nintendo to license Activision titles like Call of Duty for 10 years and offering the same to Sony if the deal went ahead. European regulators representing the 27-nation bloc approved the deal last month on condition that Microsoft make some promises meant to boost competition in the cloud-based gaming market. A number of other countries, including China, Japan, Brazil and South Korea, have also approved it. But the blockbuster deal has remained in jeopardy because of the surprise April decision by the U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority and the ongoing case in the U.S. Microsoft in late May filed an appeal of the British regulator's decision and has also voiced strong public opposition directed at top government officials. U.S.-based consumer advocacy group Public Citizen, an opponent of the deal, welcomed the FTC's move Monday. “Although the agency has already used its authority to block the merger through administrative proceedings, Microsoft is pushing to culminate the purchase of Activision before the agency can finish its process," said a statement from Public Citizen's competition policy advocate Matt Kent. ""By filing in federal court to enjoin the transaction, the FTC is showing that it won’t back down in the face of Microsoft’s escalatory tactics.” Additional reporting by Associated Press

By David Shepardson (Reuters) -The Federal Trade Commission asked a court to temporarily block Microsoft Corp's acquisition of Activision Blizzard

The Federal Trade Commission plans to file in federal court to prevent Microsoft and Activision-Blizzard from closing their $69 billion merger, according to a person familiar with the matter.

LONDON "Call of Duty" maker Activision Blizzard has been given permission to intervene in Microsoft's legal battle with