In context: At Gamescom 2019, Microsoft and Nvidia announced ray tracing was coming to Minecraft for Windows. Mojang added it with version 1.16.200. Of course, users need an Nvidia GeForce RTX 20 series or AMD Radeon RX 6000 series or higher to enable it. Recently, Microsoft started testing ray tracing for the Xbox Series X|S…
In brief: Valve is celebrating all things simulation this week with a mini sale on hundreds of sim-based games. Simfest: Hobby Edition might not be as large as the platform’s traditional seasonal sales, but the discounts are on par with those typically seen in bigger sales. Driving sim fans might be interested in 60 percent…
Understanding Data Integration and Replication Technologies
Highly anticipated: The tech industry and tech products are excellent examples of the principle that competition is good for consumers, with vigorous rivalries almost always leading to important new capabilities, lower prices, and just better products. With that thought it mind, it will be interesting to see exactly how Intel’s return to the discrete GPU…
Rumor mill: Judging by patents published last week by the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Apple could be considering giving Force Touch another try. The filings cover new pressure sensors for the Apple Watch, MacBook, iPhone, and more. Apple began introducing Force Touch (aka 3D Touch) to its devices in 2014 with the Apple…
In context: This week, a judge approved an $18 million settlement Activision Blizzard reached with the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) last year. It settles one of the multiple sexual harassment lawsuits brought against it for its “frat-boy culture.” The company is still on the hook for others as it tries to emerge from…
What just happened? On Thursday, Apple made its second antitrust concession in as many days. It is finally giving in to Dutch regulators and allowing dating apps in the country the freedom to use external payment systems if they choose. So far, the Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) has fined Apple €5 million ($5.7…
In brief: A remastered version of The Stanley Parable is set to arrive next month on most major platforms. The original was conceived by Davey Wreden and came to life as a Half-Life 2 mod in mid-2011. It is a first-person adventure game in which you play as Stanley, an office employee who discovers that…
WTF?! In late 2018 and early 2019, so many people tried to sue Epic Games over claims it stole their dance moves and used them in Fortnite that it looked like a trend. None succeeded, but a new suit has been launched by a choreographer who has an advantage that the previous plaintiffs didn’t: he…
In brief: As the dust settles on the semi-paper launch of Intel’s mobile Arc GPUs, there’s still a lot of mystery around the desktop counterparts. Intel has started teasing them again, but it will be interesting to see if the company can nail the performance and price aspects of these cards in time for a…