Tag Archives: venture capital

Nike acquires virtual sneakers and crypto collectibles startup RTFKT

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In October, Nike filed trademark applications as part of its preparations to sell virtual sneakers and apparel, according to CNBC. Now, the footwear and sports apparel giant has acquired a startup called RTFKT (pronounced "artifact") that will help the company accelerate its "digital transformation." RTFKT was founded in early 2020 and has since made a name for itself designing and creating what it calls "Metaverse-ready sneakers and collectibles" — all digital goods people pay very real money for. 

The market for virtual goods is booming, and it's expected to continue growing as we move towards the metaverse, the future vision for the internet wherein people can interact in a virtual world with digital avatars. To that end, Nike seems to have big plans for RTFKT and its team, which will be joining the company. John Donahoe, Nike's President and CEO, said: "We're acquiring a very talented team of creators with an authentic and connected brand. Our plan is to invest in the RTFKT brand, serve and grow their innovative and creative community and extend Nike’s digital footprint and capabilities." On Twitter, the startup said that it "will continue to evolve [its] brand, innovations, products and community with Nike resources and talents."

Earlier this year, RTFKT teamed up with 18-year-old artist Fewocious to release three NFT sneakers for $3,000, $5,000 and $10,000. Within just seven minutes, over 600 people purchased their own virtual pairs for a total of US$3.1 million. More recently, the startup introduced its avatar-like project called CloneX, a joint effort with Japanese artist Takashi Murakami. RTFKT calls CloneX its "most ambitious project yet," as it marks the beginning of an ecosystem for its Metaverse-ready avatars. 

Seagate now offers a 2TB expansion card for your Xbox Series X/S

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You finally have a way to upgrade the high-speed storage in your Xbox Series X or S with more than 1TB of extra space. Seagate has introduced a 2TB Storage Expansion Card that, for the Series X, effectively triples the capacity for next-gen games. It will cost $400 when it arrives in early December — nearly as much as the console itself — but might be worthwhile if you bristle at the thought of deleting games to make space.

There's also an option for those who need just a slight bump. Seagate is launching a 512GB card in mid-November, with pre-orders open now for $139. That's still not a trivial expense, but it could be compelling if you either have an Xbox Series S (and want to keep costs down) or just want a little more breathing room on a Series X.

The high prices are, for now, difficult to avoid. As with the PlayStation 5, the Xbox Series X/S requires external storage as fast as the built-in SSD if you're going to run the latest games. That leaves vendors like Seagate little choice but to use cutting-edge NVMe drives. It won't be surprising if prices drop as the costs of the technology come down, but that might not happen for a while yet.

A ‘Destroy All Humans! 2’ remake is coming to PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC

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One year after releasing a full remake of cult classic Destroy All Humans!, THQ Nordic plans to modernize its 2006 sequel as well. During its recent publisher showcase, the company announced Destroy All Humans! 2 - Reprobed (yes, that’s the actual name of the game). It’s coming out “soon” on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC.

Developer Black Forest Games is remaking the PlayStation 2 and Xbox title completely from scratch in Unreal Engine 4. The studio says the new game will feature local two-player split-screen co-op, and a “much larger” open world for players to explore. The 2006 original was game in the series developed by Pandemic Studios before the developer was acquired by EA in 2007 and subsequently shut down in 2009.

A ‘Destroy All Humans! 2’ remake is coming to PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC

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One year after releasing a full remake of cult classic Destroy All Humans!, THQ Nordic plans to modernize its 2006 sequel as well. During its recent publisher showcase, the company announced Destroy All Humans! 2 - Reprobed (yes, that’s the actual name of the game). It’s coming out “soon” on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC.

Developer Black Forest Games is remaking the PlayStation 2 and Xbox title completely from scratch in Unreal Engine 4. The studio says the new game will feature local two-player split-screen co-op, and a “much larger” open world for players to explore. The 2006 original was game in the series developed by Pandemic Studios before the developer was acquired by EA in 2007 and subsequently shut down in 2009.

Steve Wozniak’s latest moonshot is a private space company

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Steve Wozniak has started a company called Privateer Space. The Apple co-founder announced the private space firm on late Sunday. Unfortunately, other than to promise his company would be “unlike the others,” Woz didn’t provide many details on the venture.

A teaser Privateer released on YouTube mentions the startup was co-founded by former Apple engineer Alex Fielding. Wozniak and Fielding have collaborated frequently over the years. Back in 2002, they co-founded a company called Wheels of Zeus (WoZ), which worked on GPS smart tags. Wozniak later sat on the board of directors of Ripcord Networks, the robotics startup Fielding founded after Wheel of Zeus shut down in 2006.

On its website, Privateer says it will have more to share at the upcoming AMOS tech conference in Maui, Hawaii that’s scheduled to start on September 14th. What's clear is Woz and company are about to enter a highly competitive market that is dominated by billionaires like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos. That's not an easy space to succeed in. 

Steve Wozniak’s latest moonshot is a private space company

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Steve Wozniak has started a company called Privateer Space. The Apple co-founder announced the private space firm on late Sunday. Unfortunately, other than to promise his company would be “unlike the others,” Woz didn’t provide many details on the venture.

A teaser Privateer released on YouTube mentions the startup was co-founded by former Apple engineer Alex Fielding. Wozniak and Fielding have collaborated frequently over the years. Back in 2002, they co-founded a company called Wheels of Zeus (WoZ), which worked on GPS smart tags. Wozniak later sat on the board of directors of Ripcord Networks, the robotics startup Fielding founded after Wheel of Zeus shut down in 2006.

On its website, Privateer says it will have more to share at the upcoming AMOS tech conference in Maui, Hawaii that’s scheduled to start on September 14th. What's clear is Woz and company are about to enter a highly competitive market that is dominated by billionaires like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos. That's not an easy space to succeed in. 

‘Overwatch’ gets 120Hz options on Xbox Series X and S

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Overwatch just received an important visual upgrade if you're an Xbox Series Xor S owner. Blizzard has released a patch that, among the usual fixes and tweaks, optimizes the graphics for Microsoft's latest consoles. You now have a "Preferred Mode" option that lets you prioritize resolution, frame rate, or a balance between the two — and the improvements could be substantial regardless of the system you own.

The "Resolution" mode focuses on sharpness at the potential expense of image quality, topping out at 4K and 60Hz on the Xbox Series X and 1440p (also 60Hz) on the Series S. "Balanced," as the name implies, prefers image quality while maintaining a strong resolution, hitting 1440p at 60Hz on the Series X and 1080p at that speed on the Series S. "Framerate," meanwhile, pushes the game to a highly responsive 120Hz while sacrificing both image fidelity and resolution (1440p on Series X, 1080p on Series S). You'll need a TV with 120Hz or variable refresh rate support to benefit from that last mode, of course.

There's no mention of a corresponding PlayStation 5 update at this stage, unfortunately, although it's more likely to be a matter of "when" than "if."

It's not a true overhaul, but the update could still make a huge difference for Overwatch. The character-driven team shooter depends on lightning-quick reaction times, and 120Hz could make the difference between landing a snapshot and meeting an untimely end. As it stands, this is now one of the handful of console games with a 120FPS mode — worth considering if you refuse to compromise on frame rate just because you're playing on the couch instead of your PC.

Andy Rubin quietly left the venture company he founded

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Disgraced former Google exec Andy Rubin has lost another one of his ties to Silicon Valley earlier in 2019. BuzzFeed News has obtained documents indicating that Playground Global, the venture company Rubin founded in 2015, "ended [its] business rela...

Anki is closing the doors on its toy robot business

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Anki, the startup responsible for adorable robotics, is closing its doors and will terminate nearly 200 employees Wednesday. CEO Boris Sofman broke the news to staff today, Recode reports. In a statement provided to Engadget, the company said, "A sig...

Magic Johnson has the Magic to solve Diversity Divide in Silicon Valley

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The lacuna in diversity that is present in Silicon Valley is the most crucial issue that is being faced by America at the moment. But it looks like Magic Johnson, who used to be a basketball player...