Author Archives: Will Shanklin

Microsoft’s Game Pass now supports Boosteroid, a third-party game streaming service

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Microsoft is deepening its ties with the Ukrainian cloud gaming company Boosteroid. Beginning today, Xbox Game Pass subscribers (PC Game Pass and Game Pass Ultimate) with a Boosteroid membership can stream Game Pass titles along with supported titles purchased through the Microsoft Store on Windows.

Some eligible games include Deathloop, Dishonored, Dishonored 2, Dishonored: Death of The Outsider, Gears 5, Gears Tactics, Ghostwire: Tokyo and Pentiment. Xbox games on Boosteroid support cross-play and cross-save with PC and Xbox consoles.

Microsoft says it will continue adding more “hits and fan favorites.” Boosteroid first began supporting Microsoft PC game purchases last year.

Boosteroid, founded in 2016 in Kyiv, Ukraine, said last year it had over four million users globally. In May 2023, Microsoft inked a 10-year deal with the company to try to convince antitrust regulators it would handle its Activision Blizzard acquisition responsibly. Around the same time, Microsoft struck similar decade-long deals with Nintendo and NVIDIA to bring Call Of Duty games to their platforms.

To stream Game Pass (or Microsoft Store) titles, install the Boosteroid app and sign in. Then, browse to the Library tab and select Xbox as a filter. Choose the game you want, click “Play” and log into your Microsoft account with an active PC Game Pass or Game Pass Ultimate membership and confirm.

Boosteroid is available on Windows, macOS, Android and ChromeOS. It also has beta apps for webOS and Android TV.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/microsofts-game-pass-now-supports-boosteroid-a-third-party-game-streaming-service-194437608.html?src=rss

Spotify is mad at the French government and taking it out on users

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Spotify said on Thursday it will raise its subscription prices in France in response to a new tax designed to support the nation’s music industry. The company wrote an open letter denouncing the tax, which France’s government passed in late 2023. The streaming service hasn’t yet said how high the price hike will be, other than teasing, “French users will now pay the highest subscriptions across the European Union.” 

France’s CNM tax imposes a levy on music services that earn over 20 million euros ($21.9 million) in the country: Spotify, Apple Music and Deezer. (Apple Music and Deezer have opposed the tax but haven’t announced similar price hikes.) The companies pay the new 1.2 percent charge on all streaming revenue generated in the country. Social media companies licensing music, including TikTok and Facebook, are also subject to the tax. The fees will go to the nation’s Centre National de la Musique (CNM), a public institution supporting and promoting the French music industry.

Spotify’s initial response in December was to pull financial support from French music festivals Francofolies de la Rochelle and Printemps de Bourges. The company threatened to pull its services from Uruguay when a similar tax was announced there but ultimately backed down when the Uruguayan government said streaming services wouldn’t have to cover any costs.

Spotify hasn’t made similar threats to exit France, likely because the country is much more crucial to its bottom line. Instead, it’s waging a public pressure campaign, including the music service painting the tax as an unnecessary government money grab that only partially funds the music industry.

“This tax will generate approximately 15 million euros, when the CNM’s administrative budget (office fees, personnel, capital expenditure, media monitoring or professional training etc.) sits at 20.2 million euros,” the company wrote in the public letter. “Our concern is that possibly less than half of its overall 146.9 million euros budget will find its way toward effectively aiding music.”

Other than listing the CNM’s administrative budget, Spotify didn’t provide any evidence that the fees wouldn’t go toward aiding music.

Spotify’s revenue grew 16 percent year-over-year to €3.7 billion ($4.05 billion) in Q4 2023, in what it described as “a very strong quarter.” Its CEO sold $57.5 million in stock in February, following a $64 million stock sale in October 2023.

“As we have long said, we simply can’t absorb any additional taxes,” Spotify wrote. “Even after making the difficult decision to reduce our artist marketing budget and support of French music festivals — which is an essential vehicle for Spotify to continue to drive hundreds of millions of euros to the music industry — it still continues to impede our ability to operate in France. Accordingly, over the coming weeks and months, we’ll need to make changes to our price plan in France.”

Spotify says French subscribers will learn more about the price hike “in the coming weeks.”

Update, March 7, 2024, 3:08 PM ET: The story has been updated to attribute Spotify’s open letter to the company, not CEO Daniel Ek (as the previous version stated).

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/spotify-is-mad-at-the-french-government-and-taking-it-out-on-users-175910647.html?src=rss

Spotify is mad at the French government and taking it out on users

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Spotify said on Thursday it will raise its subscription prices in France in response to a new tax designed to support the nation’s music industry. The company wrote an open letter denouncing the tax, which France’s government passed in late 2023. The streaming service hasn’t yet said how high the price hike will be, other than teasing, “French users will now pay the highest subscriptions across the European Union.” 

France’s CNM tax imposes a levy on music services that earn over 20 million euros ($21.9 million) in the country: Spotify, Apple Music and Deezer. (Apple Music and Deezer have opposed the tax but haven’t announced similar price hikes.) The companies pay the new 1.2 percent charge on all streaming revenue generated in the country. Social media companies licensing music, including TikTok and Facebook, are also subject to the tax. The fees will go to the nation’s Centre National de la Musique (CNM), a public institution supporting and promoting the French music industry.

Spotify’s initial response in December was to pull financial support from French music festivals Francofolies de la Rochelle and Printemps de Bourges. The company threatened to pull its services from Uruguay when a similar tax was announced there but ultimately backed down when the Uruguayan government said streaming services wouldn’t have to cover any costs.

Spotify hasn’t made similar threats to exit France, likely because the country is much more crucial to its bottom line. Instead, it’s waging a public pressure campaign, including the music service painting the tax as an unnecessary government money grab that only partially funds the music industry.

“This tax will generate approximately 15 million euros, when the CNM’s administrative budget (office fees, personnel, capital expenditure, media monitoring or professional training etc.) sits at 20.2 million euros,” the company wrote in the public letter. “Our concern is that possibly less than half of its overall 146.9 million euros budget will find its way toward effectively aiding music.”

Other than listing the CNM’s administrative budget, Spotify didn’t provide any evidence that the fees wouldn’t go toward aiding music.

Spotify’s revenue grew 16 percent year-over-year to €3.7 billion ($4.05 billion) in Q4 2023, in what it described as “a very strong quarter.” Its CEO sold $57.5 million in stock in February, following a $64 million stock sale in October 2023.

“As we have long said, we simply can’t absorb any additional taxes,” Spotify wrote. “Even after making the difficult decision to reduce our artist marketing budget and support of French music festivals — which is an essential vehicle for Spotify to continue to drive hundreds of millions of euros to the music industry — it still continues to impede our ability to operate in France. Accordingly, over the coming weeks and months, we’ll need to make changes to our price plan in France.”

Spotify says French subscribers will learn more about the price hike “in the coming weeks.”

Update, March 7, 2024, 3:08 PM ET: The story has been updated to attribute Spotify’s open letter to the company, not CEO Daniel Ek (as the previous version stated).

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/spotify-is-mad-at-the-french-government-and-taking-it-out-on-users-175910647.html?src=rss

‘Episode Aigis -The Answer-’ will wrap up Persona 3 Reload’s story in September

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Microsoft and Atlus said today that the Expansion Pass for Persona 3 Reload will be available on March 12. The bundle will include the story’s final chapter DLC, Episode Aigis -The Answer-, which arrives in September. Game Pass Ultimate subscribers can get the Expansion Pass for free with their membership.

In the original Persona 3, the epilogue was called The Answer in the English version and Episode Aegis in the Japanese version, leading to the combined title in the remake’s DLC. Like the base game, the DLC will transform the original story with “cutting-edge graphics, modernized quality-of-life features and all the upgrades that came with Persona 3 Reload.”

The DLC’s story begins in a Groundhog Day-style time loop. “After unravelling the mysteries of the Dark Hour, fighting epic battles through Tartarus, and all the unforgettable events of Persona 3 Reload, the S.E.E.S. members find themselves trapped in a never-ending March 31st,” Xbox communication manager Michael Carven wrote. You’ll play as Aigis, a human-like android with Persona-summoning abilities.

“Persona 3 Reload would not be complete without Episode Aigis –The Answer-,” General Producer Kazuhisa Wada wrote. “The epilogue is sure to satisfy both those who have played the original Persona 3 FES and those who are just starting out.”

The Expansion Pass will also add new music and costumes. The updated tracks will include remixes and “fan-favorite tracks from previous Persona titles.”

Microsoft says Persona 3 Reload is developer Atlus’ fast-selling title, surpassing a million sales in its first week.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/episode-aigis--the-answer--will-wrap-up-persona-3-reloads-story-in-september-214804635.html?src=rss

‘Episode Aigis -The Answer-’ will wrap up Persona 3 Reload’s story in September

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Microsoft and Atlus said today that the Expansion Pass for Persona 3 Reload will be available on March 12. The bundle will include the story’s final chapter DLC, Episode Aigis -The Answer-, which arrives in September. Game Pass Ultimate subscribers can get the Expansion Pass for free with their membership.

In the original Persona 3, the epilogue was called The Answer in the English version and Episode Aegis in the Japanese version, leading to the combined title in the remake’s DLC. Like the base game, the DLC will transform the original story with “cutting-edge graphics, modernized quality-of-life features and all the upgrades that came with Persona 3 Reload.”

The DLC’s story begins in a Groundhog Day-style time loop. “After unravelling the mysteries of the Dark Hour, fighting epic battles through Tartarus, and all the unforgettable events of Persona 3 Reload, the S.E.E.S. members find themselves trapped in a never-ending March 31st,” Xbox communication manager Michael Carven wrote. You’ll play as Aigis, a human-like android with Persona-summoning abilities.

“Persona 3 Reload would not be complete without Episode Aigis –The Answer-,” General Producer Kazuhisa Wada wrote. “The epilogue is sure to satisfy both those who have played the original Persona 3 FES and those who are just starting out.”

The Expansion Pass will also add new music and costumes. The updated tracks will include remixes and “fan-favorite tracks from previous Persona titles.”

Microsoft says Persona 3 Reload is developer Atlus’ fast-selling title, surpassing a million sales in its first week.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/episode-aigis--the-answer--will-wrap-up-persona-3-reloads-story-in-september-214804635.html?src=rss

Twitch will overhaul its mobile app for the first time since 2019

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Twitch is redesigning its mobile app for the first time since 2019. The company’s CEO, Dan Clancy, wrote in an open letter on Wednesday that the discovery feed will be the app’s new landing page. The update, expected later this year, will also make it easier to share quick updates, including uploading short video stories from the mobile app.

“We’re redesigning the mobile app (the first major update since 2019) to bring you a more modern, immersive viewing experience by making the discovery feed available to all Twitch users as the new landing experience in the app,” Clancy wrote. The discovery feed, currently only available as an “experiment” in the mobile app, shows real-time updates blending streams from people you follow with recommended content.

Clancy says the mobile app will also add new features that encourage quick updates for your followers, including the ability to create and upload short video stories from your phone. Other additions will include pinch-to-zoom in photos (better late than never?) and the ability to share portrait videos to stories.

Twitch moderators with iPhones have something to look forward to, as the mobile app will include mod tools for the first time. Previously desktop-only, the mobile tools will be “flexible, easy to use, and move with you,” according to Clancy. The company says the mod tools will roll out to iOS later this year; it hasn’t yet addressed Android availability.

Looking beyond the mobile app, other 2024 Twitch updates will include updated community guidelines. Clancy says the new rules include “clearer, updated harm definitions, and more severe penalties for some types of harassment.” The platform also plans to roll out tools to help users better identify harassment, including some that Clancy claims “would block more harassment before it shows up in your chat.”

Finally, Twitch’s clip editor (which reportedly helped enable child exploitation on the platform) will soon make it easier to share content. Clancy says the feature will make it easier for creators and viewers to share clips to social channels, including an option to export directly to Instagram. In addition, the mobile app’s big update will add the clip editor when it arrives later this year.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/twitch-will-overhaul-its-mobile-app-for-the-first-time-since-2019-195811175.html?src=rss

Twitch will overhaul its mobile app for the first time since 2019

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Twitch is redesigning its mobile app for the first time since 2019. The company’s CEO, Dan Clancy, wrote in an open letter on Wednesday that the discovery feed will be the app’s new landing page. The update, expected later this year, will also make it easier to share quick updates, including uploading short video stories from the mobile app.

“We’re redesigning the mobile app (the first major update since 2019) to bring you a more modern, immersive viewing experience by making the discovery feed available to all Twitch users as the new landing experience in the app,” Clancy wrote. The discovery feed, currently only available as an “experiment” in the mobile app, shows real-time updates blending streams from people you follow with recommended content.

Clancy says the mobile app will also add new features that encourage quick updates for your followers, including the ability to create and upload short video stories from your phone. Other additions will include pinch-to-zoom in photos (better late than never?) and the ability to share portrait videos to stories.

Twitch moderators with iPhones have something to look forward to, as the mobile app will include mod tools for the first time. Previously desktop-only, the mobile tools will be “flexible, easy to use, and move with you,” according to Clancy. The company says the mod tools will roll out to iOS later this year; it hasn’t yet addressed Android availability.

Looking beyond the mobile app, other 2024 Twitch updates will include updated community guidelines. Clancy says the new rules include “clearer, updated harm definitions, and more severe penalties for some types of harassment.” The platform also plans to roll out tools to help users better identify harassment, including some that Clancy claims “would block more harassment before it shows up in your chat.”

Finally, Twitch’s clip editor (which reportedly helped enable child exploitation on the platform) will soon make it easier to share content. Clancy says the feature will make it easier for creators and viewers to share clips to social channels, including an option to export directly to Instagram. In addition, the mobile app’s big update will add the clip editor when it arrives later this year.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/twitch-will-overhaul-its-mobile-app-for-the-first-time-since-2019-195811175.html?src=rss

Leaked Rivian R2 specs include a 330-mile range and $47,000 starting price

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Specs for the Rivian R2 leaked this week ahead of Thursday’s unveiling. Found by “internet sleuths” who tipped off Electrek, its specifications were buried in source code for the EV’s teaser website (briefly visible to anyone in the public using a web inspector). The code suggests the R2 will have up to a 330-mile range and a $47,000 starting price when it arrives in 2026.

The R2 allegedly has a three-second 0 to 60 mph acceleration time, but it’s probably wise to expect that only in the top-tier models. The code lists the compact SUV as a five-seater with a 115.6-inch wheelbase. Other details include a length of 185.6 inches, a width of 75 inches (84.4 inches with mirrors) and a height of 66.9 inches.

The code says it will have a NACS chargeport but adds that it can also charge at CCS stations. The leak also lists powered rear glass and a bike mount that “snaps into the rear accessory ports.” (It mentions that no tools are needed.) The bike mount allegedly fits in the R2’s frunk when not in use. “We design our vehicles to maximize storage throughout,” the marketing copy from the source code reads. “The roomy front trunk offers plenty of space to stow large items — from weekend gear to weekly grocery haul.”

Other details from the source code include a maximum ground clearance of 9.8 inches, a 32-inch wheel and tire diameter, a 25-degree approach angle and a 27-degree departure angle.

Rivian confirmed last month that it will officially unveil the R2 on March 7. The automaker’s CEO, RJ Scaringe, had previously said the vehicle would be smaller and cheaper than the R1. Its $47,000 starting price (the code also lists $47,500 in other places) would put it squarely within the $40,000 to $60,000 range CFO Claire McDonough previously promised.

Unfortunately, news of more layoffs at Rivian emerged ahead of Thursday’s launch event. Crain’s Chicago Business (via Quartz) first reported that the EV maker laid off “about 100” employees at its Normal, IL factory. That’s about one percent of the plant’s total workers. The cuts follow (or are perhaps part of) those announced in February when Rivian said it would lay off 10 percent of its workforce.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/leaked-rivian-r2-specs-include-a-330-mile-range-and-47000-starting-price-181927644.html?src=rss

Leaked Rivian R2 specs include a 330-mile range and $47,000 starting price

Posted on by

Specs for the Rivian R2 leaked this week ahead of Thursday’s unveiling. Found by “internet sleuths” who tipped off Electrek, its specifications were buried in source code for the EV’s teaser website (briefly visible to anyone in the public using a web inspector). The code suggests the R2 will have up to a 330-mile range and a $47,000 starting price when it arrives in 2026.

The R2 allegedly has a three-second 0 to 60 mph acceleration time, but it’s probably wise to expect that only in the top-tier models. The code lists the compact SUV as a five-seater with a 115.6-inch wheelbase. Other details include a length of 185.6 inches, a width of 75 inches (84.4 inches with mirrors) and a height of 66.9 inches.

The code says it will have a NACS chargeport but adds that it can also charge at CCS stations. The leak also lists powered rear glass and a bike mount that “snaps into the rear accessory ports.” (It mentions that no tools are needed.) The bike mount allegedly fits in the R2’s frunk when not in use. “We design our vehicles to maximize storage throughout,” the marketing copy from the source code reads. “The roomy front trunk offers plenty of space to stow large items — from weekend gear to weekly grocery haul.”

Other details from the source code include a maximum ground clearance of 9.8 inches, a 32-inch wheel and tire diameter, a 25-degree approach angle and a 27-degree departure angle.

Rivian confirmed last month that it will officially unveil the R2 on March 7. The automaker’s CEO, RJ Scaringe, had previously said the vehicle would be smaller and cheaper than the R1. Its $47,000 starting price (the code also lists $47,500 in other places) would put it squarely within the $40,000 to $60,000 range CFO Claire McDonough previously promised.

Unfortunately, news of more layoffs at Rivian emerged ahead of Thursday’s launch event. Crain’s Chicago Business (via Quartz) first reported that the EV maker laid off “about 100” employees at its Normal, IL factory. That’s about one percent of the plant’s total workers. The cuts follow (or are perhaps part of) those announced in February when Rivian said it would lay off 10 percent of its workforce.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/leaked-rivian-r2-specs-include-a-330-mile-range-and-47000-starting-price-181927644.html?src=rss

Microsoft is ending support for Android apps on Windows

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Microsoft is pulling the plug on Android apps for Windows. The company said it’s ending support for Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA), the underlying component behind the Amazon Appstore (and other Android apps) in Windows 11. Microsoft told Engadget it was responding to “evolving customer needs.”

Microsoft first said in 2021 that Windows 11 would be able to run Android apps. When it arrived the following year, users could install the Amazon Appstore, and some individual Android apps were found in the Microsoft Store. The rollout was viewed as an answer to the dual threats of Android apps on Chromebooks and iOS apps on Apple Silicon Macs.

A Microsoft spokesperson clarified to Engadget why it’s now terminating the feature. “As part of our commitment to meeting evolving customer needs, we periodically update our product offerings,” they said. “This involves introducing new technical innovations and retiring products. Microsoft remains dedicated to an open platform and ecosystem, and we look forward to continuing to bring the best experiences and apps to Windows.”

With Microsoft blazing full-tilt into all things AI, it may now see its past attempts at making Windows a dramatically better touch-focused platform as no longer worth the resources. Another possibility, as The Verge speculates, is that people hunting for Android apps on Windows expected the full Google Play Store experience — not Amazon’s variant, which has an inferior overall selection.

Microsoft says customers who installed the Amazon Appstore (or other apps and games using WSA) on their Windows 11 machines before Tuesday can keep using them until March 5, 2025. Meanwhile, Amazon clarified that its Appstore and associate apps will no longer be discoverable in the Microsoft Store beginning on Wednesday. In addition, developers can no longer submit new apps for the Amazon Appstore on Windows, but those with existing ones can continue to submit updates for them until this time next year.

As for what’s next for Microsoft, the company is rumored to launch new Surface devices on March 21. The Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 are expected, with the company possibly marketing them as its first AI PCs.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/microsoft-is-ending-support-for-android-apps-on-windows-213534468.html?src=rss