- SHOW INFORMATION:
- Show Notes for August 10, 2019
- Credits
- Executive Producers: None
- Artwork Courtesy Of: The Late Show w/ Stephen Colbert
- Hosted By: Matt Fugitive, John Rythone, & Feyd2Black Mike
- Special Thanks to the following:
- ZeroNode IRC: IRC Chat Hosts
- BREAKING NEWS:
- XBOX Portable DEBUNKED!!!
- Nintendo Switch, move over: Microsoft's handheld Xbox plans revealed | T3
- If you're an Xbox gamer who's been hoping for an alternative handheld gaming experience to the Nintendo Switch, you might be in luck. That's if a patent application filed by Microsoft on 9 July 2019 turns from sketches into a physical device.
- Microsoft's next Xbox Two, code-named Scarlett: leaks and rumoursSony PS5 leaks and rumours: release date, price and specsAccording to the patent application, the Xbox handheld attaches to, and charges, an existing touchscreen device, like a smartphone. The joypads are clipped to the phone case in a bid to offer more immersive, console-like gaming. It's unclear whether the console would play mobile games, or streaming console-quality titles from Xbox Live.
- Sarang Sheth, editor of Yanko Design and one of our favourite concept designers, has created a series of slick renders based on those patent applications. He's given the device the name Xbox Cloud.
- The renders show a controller in two halves, which clip to either side of a smartphone, turning it into a handheld gaming console, featuring all the buttons you'd find on original Xbox controllers including the left and right triggers on the top.
- (Image credit: Yanko Design)
- The way the controller halves clip to the sides of the phone means that they don't overlap the edges of the screen, and Sarang says that they would communicate with the handset via Wi-Fi. They also come with built-in stereo speakers, and a headphone jack for that full immersive audio experience. Oh, and they support wireless headphones, too.
- In his summary of the concepts, Sarang adds that the controller will feature independent batteries which are removable and therefore switchable for prolonged bouts of gaming without any recharging necessary. When it does need charging, the Xbox Cloud will charge in its accompanying docking station. In terms of colours, Sarang envisages a choice of black, white and grey.
- (Image credit: Yanko Design)
- Will this handheld Xbox ever see the light of day? Who knows, as companies routinely apply for patents that never become real products, but perhaps Microsoft wants a piece of the handheld gaming market currently dominated by Nintendo '' or perhaps it's heard whispers of a new Sony PSP on the horizon '' and now it's readying its response.
- Check out more of the Xbox Cloud renders over at Yanko Design.
- THE PATENT: http://www.freepatentsonline.com/10348108.pdf
- Epic hit with class-action suit over hacked Fortnite accounts - Polygon
- Epic Games is being sued over security breaches that allowed hackers to access the personal information of Epic Games accounts.
- The class-action lawsuit, filed by Franklin D. Azar & Associates in U.S. District Court in North Carolina, alleges Epic's ''failure to maintain adequate security measures and notify users of the security breach in a timely manner.'' The lawsuit states that ''there are more than 100 class members.''
- In January, Epic acknowledged that a bug in Fortnite may have exposed personal information for millions of user accounts. Check Point Researchers originally reported how the attacks were carried out:
- By discovering a vulnerability found in some of Epic Games' sub-domains, an XSS attack was permissible with the user merely needing to click on a link sent to them by the attacker. Once clicked, with no need even for them to enter any login credentials, their Fortnite username and password could immediately be captured the attacker.
- Epic Games acknowledged and fixed the issue, but the suit alleges that the company has failed to notify affected users. ''Epic Games has not yet directly informed or notified individual Fortnite users that their [personally identifiable information] may be compromised as a result of the breach,'' the lawsuit says.
- According to the filing, the plaintiff and anyone else affected by the breaches ''have an ongoing interest in ensuring that their [personally identifiable information] is protected from past and future cybersecurity threats.''
- Polygon reached out to Franklin D. Azar & Associates and Epic Games; the law firm has yet to respond and Epic Games declined to comment on the suit.
- Severe local 0-Day escalation exploit found in Steam Client Services | Ars Technica
- pwnt in 60 seconds '-- This trivially exploited security flaw allows any user root'--er, LOCALSYSTEM'--privileges. Jim Salter - Aug 7, 2019 10:33 pm UTC
- Enlarge / Breaking bugs are as described'--a security flaw in Steam's client service allows easy execution of arbitrary code as LOCALSYSTEM.
- Earlier today, disgruntled security researcher Vasily Kravets released a zero-day vulnerability in the Windows version of the ubiquitous gaming service Steam. The vulnerability allows any user to run arbitrary code with LOCALSYSTEM privileges using just a very few simple commands.
- The vulnerability lies within Steam Client Service. The service may be started or stopped by unprivileged users. This becomes a problem because, when run,Steam Client Service automatically sets permissions on a range of registry keys. If a mischievous'--or outright malicious'--user were to symlink one of these keys to that belonging to another service, it becomes possible for arbitrary users to start or stop that service as well. This becomes even more problematic when you realize that it's possible to pass arguments to services that run under extremely privileged accounts'--such as msiserver, the Windows Installer service.
- demonstration I saw from Redditor /u/R_Sholes today, I used an unprivileged user account to write a file to C:\Windows\System32 as LOCALSYSTEM. That's game over, for those of you playing along from home.
- The image walkthrough above follows a few simple steps:
- Demonstrate that I cannot write to C:\Windows\System32\. System error message is in red.Demonstrate that I cannot arbitrarily monkey around with registry keys under HKLM\CurrentControlSet\Services. System-error message is in red.Delete the NSIS installer key for Steam (to give myself a target for shenanigans), then recreate it as a symlink to msiserver's registry key. Success in green.Demonstrate that Steam's NSIS key now points to Windows' msinstaller key. Success in green.Attempt to modify the msiserver key to run my shenanigans. I haven't started Steam Client Services yet, so this fails. System-error message in red.Start Steam Client Services, then modify the msiserver key once Steam has helpfully opened it up for me. Success in green.Start the newly-modified msiserver service. msiserver runs as LOCALSYSTEM, so it successfully creates a file under C:\Windows\System32. Success in green.I did this test on a clean Windows VM; aside from Steam itself, the only code I needed to download was regln-x64.exe, a simple utility for the linking of registry keys, which requires no installation. Windows User Account Control was never triggered during this process, and the whole thing only took a few minutes. I did not have any Steam games installed, so I just monkeyed with the Steam installer.
- A genuinely malicious user might use this procedure to directly pop a locally or remotely accessible shell with LOCALSYSTEMprivileges, after which they can do whatever they like with no further tricks necessary.
- Professional driver on a closed courseDo not follow this procedure on a Windows machine you care about; this demonstration left both Steam's installer and the Windows Installer service broken, because this is a throwaway virtual machine.
- The vulnerability demonstrated here is only 45 days old. Normally, publicly disclosing an exploit this quickly would be a big no-no in the Infosec community'--the typical grace period for response is 90 days. In this case, it's difficult to point any blame to the researcher. Upon first reporting the bug via HackerOne, it was rejected as out-of-scope, with Attacks that require the ability to drop files in arbitrary locations on the user's filesystem>> as the reason given.
- The attack does not require any file to be dropped anywhere or any special privileges. Although we downloaded regln-x64 to make the proof of concept prettier, I could have accomplished its task'--symlinking registry keys'--directly inside regedit.exe.
- When the researcher argued with HackerOne's staff, a second HackerOne employee eventually reproduced the exploit, confirmed the report, and sent it off to Valve. But a few weeks later, a third HackerOne employee rejected it again. The employee reiterated Attacks that require the ability to drop files in arbitrary locations on the user's filesystem>> and added Attacks that require physical access to the user's device>> as reasons the vulnerability is supposedly out-of-scope.
- RejectedThe second reason for rejection is no more valid than the first: a malicious "game" developer could easily create a free-to-play "game" that reproduces all the steps of this exploit. Such a bad actor could pop a shell with LOCALSYSTEM privileges and own the user's machine.
- With this second rejection, Vasily decided there was no further recourse but public disclosure, and he informed HackerOne that he would disclose after July 30. He alleges that on August 2, yet another HackerOne employee forbid the disclosure of the vulnerability, despite HackerOne having closed it repeatedly as out-of-scope while Valve itself never weighed in one way or the other.
- Ars has reached out to Valve about this story, and we will update with any response.
- TOP 5 GAMING NEWS STORIES:
- 5: Ooblets deals with harassment over Epic Exclusivity
- 5a: Ooblets Developer Deals With Harassment Over Epic Games Store Exclusivity
- Source: Game Informer News
- Last week, the developers at the two-person studio Glumberland announced that they would be bringing their upcoming adventure game Ooblets to the Epic Games Store rather than Steam on PC for a period of temporary exclusivity. While a Steam listing has been up for some time, the game has not actually been purchasable, and is coming to Xbox One still. This small game that never really garnered much attention has become the flashpoint for a larger culture war over developer decisions, the Epic Games Store, and the validity of consumer anger and entitlement.
- On Thursday, the developers at Glumberland, a husband and wife team made up of Rebecca Cordingley and Ben Wasser, put up a blog post announcing the Epic Games Store exclusivity. Knowing that exclusivity deals, especially to EGS, tend to anger PC gamers for oftentimes a variety of reasons, Glumberland hoped to kill the controversy with kindness ahead of time. They pair put up a blog post explaining their reasoning, citing that the money Epic was offering for exclusivity could help them make the game without stress and hire on more people to help out their beleaguered contracted programmer. The post was tongue-in-cheek and appeared to try to speak to people upset about Epic Games Store but willing to engage the argument in good faith, a seeming miscalculation in retrospect.
- In one reddit post, a user called the explanation "condescending and disgusting," explaining that they felt insulted as consumers. "This is about more than just downloading another launcher," another post read, referring to the part of the developer update that suggested Glumberland had full faith in their base to download the Epic Games Store client. The line was exhibit A in stoking fan anger over what was determined to be a glib and dismissive attitude from the developers.
- What ensued was a massive wave of hate and harassment over the decision to become exclusive to the Epic Games Store and what the harassers were labeling as commensurate reaction to the developers' attitude. The game's Discord channel became flooded with people questioning the developers, screencapping their responses, sending them death threats, and even editing and wholesale creating faked images. At one point, Wasser took to Twitter to explain that, despite a screenshot circulating around, he did not say that "gamers should go to gas chambers." A video was created to back that screenshot up, which itself was also false.
- The responses to the tweet informed Wasser that they either did not believe his claims, or that the screenshots were believable because of his attitude, and thus were still ultimately his fault. It seems unlikely that most of these responses were from people eagerly anticipating the game '-- the developers' Patreon had 1100 patrons, while the Steam discussion boards before the August exclusivity announcement had 72 topics from when it launched in June 2017.
- Earlier today, Wasser released a Medium post explaining what he and Cordingley were going through over the weekend since the announcement. Just a general content warning: Wasser posts some examples of the harassment they have been receiving and much of it is not family-safe as it includes death threats, racism, anti-semitism, and more. In the post, he explains that he understands frustrations with the Epic deal, he does not understand the anger over it, or why it has escalated to this level.
- Epic themselves have come out in support of Glumberland and are standing by the developer, condemning all the harassment over not just Ooblets, but over the general tone whenever a game becomes exclusive to the store.
- "The announcement of Ooblets highlighted a disturbing trend which is growing and undermining healthy public discourse, and that's the coordinated and deliberate creation and promotion of false information, including fake screenshots, videos, and technical analysis, accompanied by harassment of partners, promotion of hateful themes, and intimidation of those with opposing views," Epic said in a statement released on their website.
- We have reached out to Glumberland for comment.
- This thing with the Epic Games Store has been brewing for about seven months now and it's frustrating to see how much worse it can get. There are absolutely valid reasons to be opposed to this store, or any store, or any organization or concept or what have you. In a capitalistic society, businesses are going to step on and over people to climb to where they want to be and, whether through firsthand experience or principle, a lot of people aren't going to like the way that it disadvantages others. But this end result, which may very well not even be the end, was not hard to see coming. To even a casual observer, much less people who got roped it for having opinions counter to the vocal minority, the discourse has been on this crash course for months. It needs to stop. Regardless of your opinions about which billionaire company whose dealings you prefer, you can be the person who tells the community around them that they're going too far.
- 5b: Epic Games takes a stand against abuse with statement defending Ooblets developer
- Ever since Epic Games began establishing the Epic Games launcher as a valid competitor to Steam, the company has come under scrutiny from players.
- Much of this criticism has been built around Epic's exclusivity tactics, where it pays out a large sum of money to developers to secure an initial release on its platform. We've seen it with Mechwarrior 5, Tetris Effect, Zombie Army 4, and more.
- As well as Epic coming under fire, these developers '' who have chosen financial security, which is their right '' have also faced fire. One of the most recent cases is Ooblets, whose developer stated in plain terms that the deal would guarantee the studio doesn't go under.
- Since then, the small indie team has faced waves of harassment, with people spamming them with abuse, as well as pictures of gore and pornography. Epic released a statement last night, standing in solidarity with its business partners.
- Subscribe to the VG247 newsletter Get all the best bits of VG247 delivered to your inbox every Friday!''We at Epic Games have often shared our views about the game business and companies in it, and we support the entire game community's right to speak freely and critically about these topics, including the topic of Epic, our products, and our store,'' the emailed statement reads. ''When everyone shares their earnest views, the best ideas ultimately prevail.
- ''The announcement of Ooblets highlighted a disturbing trend which is growing and undermining healthy public discourse, and that's the coordinated and deliberate creation and promotion of false information, including fake screenshots, videos, and technical analysis, accompanied by harassment of partners, promotion of hateful themes, and intimidation of those with opposing views.
- ''Epic is working together with many game developers and other partners to build what we believe will be a healthier and more competitive multi-store world for the future. We remain fully committed, and we will steadfastly support our partners throughout these challenges.
- ''Many thanks to all of you who continue to promote and advocate for healthy, truthful discussion about the games business and stand up to all manners of abuse.''
- 4: Rocket League Is Ditching Loot Boxes
- Screenshot: Epic Games (Rocket League)Psyonix announced in a blog today that its car soccer game Rocket League will be leaving loot boxes behind in a move aimed at ''creating the best possible experience for our players all over the world.''
- The change will happen sometime before the end of the year with a new system coming in to replace the game's existing randomized lottery. Instead of earning loot boxes by playing and then having the option of purchasing keys to open them up and see what's inside, Pysonix says the new system will show players exactly what they're buying upfront. The studio compared the new system to changes that happened in Fortnite: Save the World earlier this year.
- Back in January, Epic Games announced Save The World's V-Buck Llamas would be changed to X-Ray Llamas which let players see what's inside. If they don't like what they see, they can wait until the next day when the virtual shop updates and check again. In addition, Epic made some other changes, like making sure the Llamas no longer give out duplicate items. Now that Psyonix is owned by Epic Games, which purchased the studio in May, it's not surprising that Rocket League will follow a similar trend.
- Psyonix declined to comment further when Kotaku reached out.
- Screenshot: CompilationClips (YouTube)Loot boxes have never been a part of Fortnite Battle Royale, which instead uses a battle pass system where players pay a one-time seasonal fee and then grind for their rewards. Many other online games have subsequently adopted battle passes, including Rocket League, which got its first seasonal battle pass last October.
- Rocket League didn't always have loot boxes, either. Those were added back in September 2016 when other games, like the then recently released Overwatch, were having a lot of success with them. At the time, Psyonix pitched them as a way to help fund its burgeoning competitive esports league, which debuted in early 2016 and will enter its eighth season this fall. It also allowed players to trade items with one another, which on one hand helped give players more control over the process but also left it open to black market forces and made the entire thing feel even more like gambling.
- It's too early to say if the new system will ultimately be an improvement, but there are plenty of better ways to dole out rewards in games than loot boxes. It's good to see Rocket League will soon be moving away from that system.
- 3: Loot Box Requirements
- 3a: Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony agree to show you loot box odds
- The big three video game console manufacturers have taken the first step in making loot boxes more transparent for gamers. Soon, players will see exactly what the odds are to get certain digital items before they hit the buy button.
- Michael Warnecke, the Entertainment Software Association's chief counsel of tech policy, said Wednesday that Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo have committed to new policies requiring video games to disclose the probability of receiving a certain item in the loot box. The announcement came during a US Federal Trade Commission workshop called "Inside the Game: Unlocking the Consumer Issues Surrounding Loot Boxes."
- The FTC defines loot boxes as "in-game rewards that contain random assortment of virtual items to assist a player in advancing in the online game or to customize his or her game avatar." They're a common feature in popular, free-to-play online games such as Fortnite and Apex Legends.
- Microsoft said in a separate statement that it will require odds disclosures starting next year.
- "We believe in transparency with customers and providing them information for making their purchase decisions. This is why by 2020 all-new apps or games offering loot boxes or other mechanisms on Microsoft platforms that provide randomized virtual items for purchase must disclose to customers, prior to purchase, the odds of receiving each item," a Microsoft spokesperson said in an email Wednesday.
- The ESA says Nintendo and Sony will also look to add this policy in 2020.
- Now playing: Watch this: Google's music streaming numbers, U.S. Senator wants...
- The practice of selling loot boxes received major attention in the US with the release of Star Wars Battlefront II in 2017. This past May, Sen. Josh Hawley, a Republican from Missouri, introduced legislation to ban loot boxes . His bill has since received bipartisan support .
- Nintendo and Sony didn't immediately reply to requests for additional comment.
- 3b: ESA: Sony, Microsoft, And Nintendo Will Start Requiring Developers To Disclose Lootbox Odds
- Source: Game Informer News
- During a panel at a workshop hosted by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), a group that represents gaming-based interests and hosts the annual E3 show in Los Angeles, has stated that Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo have committed to new policies that will require game developers to disclose odds in paid lootboxes.
- In a post on its website, the ESA says the industry is taking major steps toward making parents and potential purchasers aware of what they're spending their money on. "Several video game industry leaders are announcing new initiatives to help consumers make informed choices about their purchases, including loot boxes," the post says. "The major console makers '' Sony Interactive Entertainment, operator of the PlayStation platform, Microsoft, operator of Xbox and Windows, and Nintendo, operator of the Nintendo Switch gaming platform '' are committing to new platform policies that will require paid loot boxes in games developed for their platforms to disclose information on the relative rarity or probability of obtaining randomized virtual items. These required disclosures will also apply to game updates, if the update adds new loot box features."
- While the ESA says there's no official timeline in place for the disclosure requirement, the post says the platform holders are currently targeting a 2020 implementation. Regardless of these requirements, the ESA also says that several of its publishing partners have agreed to disclose the probabilities of obtaining in-game items from premium lootboxes in their games no later than 2020. These publishers include Activision Blizzard, Bandai Namco, Bethesda, Bungie, Electronic Arts, Microsoft, Nintendo, Sony, Take-Two Interactive, Ubisoft, Warner Bros., and Wizards of the Coast. In addition, "many other ESA members" are considering adding these disclosures to their games in the future, according to the ESA.
- When the FTC previously announced an investigation into lootbox-based practices in the industry, the ESA strongly condemned the notion that lootboxes should be considered "gambling" by the government, pushing for self regulation instead. Steps such as these strengthen those claims that the industry can, in fact, self regulate in hopes that the government won't step in.
- 2: Twitch Employees Stay Home As Police Investigate Threats Against HQ
- Source: Game Informer News
- The headquarters of streaming platform Twitch are empty today, as employees were told to work from home following a repeated threat of violence over social media.
- ''We were made aware of a threat against our San Francisco HQ on Tuesday, and have been working directly with law enforcement as they investigate,'' Twitch said in a statement provided to Business Insider, The Verge, and Kotaku. ''The safety and security of our employees is our top priority, and we are focused on ensuring this is resolved quickly and safely.''
- According to anonymous sources that spoke to The Verge and Kotaku, the threat was for a shooting. Kotaku also spoke with the San Francisco police department, who told them this threat has been made multiple times over the last two days, with the most recent threat happening this morning. According to the Kotaku and The Verge reports, police no longer view the situation as an "active threat" and have left the headquarters after arriving prior to 9 a.m. Pacific this morning.
- A representative of Twitch did not immediately return our request for confirmation or comment.
- [Source: Business Insider, The Verge, Kotaku]
- 1: Video Games blaimed for Mass Shootings
- Video-Game Makers Face Backlash After Latest Mass Shootings
- (Bloomberg) -- Shares of the biggest video-game makers tumbled on Monday after President Donald Trump blamed the industry for contributing to a culture of violence in the U.S.
- ''We must stop the glorification of violence in our society,'' Trump said at the White House after mass shootings killed 30 people. ''This includes the gruesome and grisly video games that are now commonplace.''
- Activision Blizzard Inc., Electronic Arts Inc., Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. all fell at least 5% following the remarks, showing investors are worried about a backlash against shooter titles like ''Call of Duty'' and ''Fortnite.'' Trump's remarks weren't the only headwinds for the stocks. The Nasdaq fell by the most since May over renewed trade tensions with China.
- The industry contends that there's no link between their games and real-life violence. But the companies have frequently been blamed for violent incidents over the years, by both Republicans and Democrats.
- ''More than 165 million Americans enjoy video games, and billions of people play video games worldwide,'' the industry's trade group, the Entertainment Software Association, said Monday. ''Yet other societies, where video games are played as avidly, do not contend with the tragic levels of violence that occur in the U.S.''
- Companies adopted a movie-style rating system in 1994 -- under congressional pressure -- that limits sales of the most graphic games to customers over age 17.
- ''It's too easy today for troubled youth to surround themselves with a culture that celebrates violence,'' Trump said. ''We must stop or substantially reduce this, and it has to begin immediately. Cultural change is hard, but each of us can choose to build a culture that celebrates the inherent worth and dignity of every human life.''
- Representatives from the industry met with the president in the White House in March of last year, following the school shooting in Florida that left 17 dead.
- Research on the subject has been mixed. The American Psychological Association found a link between violent video games and aggression in children, although not necessarily lethal violence. A study published in May in the Journal of the American Medical Association said children who play violent video games were more likely to show dangerous behavior with guns.
- Mass murderers from Columbine, Colorado, to Christchurch, New Zealand, have been gamers.
- Trump isn't the only one taking up the issue. Politicians such as House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, a California Republican, and Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, also a Republican, blamed video games in the wake of the latest shootings.
- (Updates with trade group statement in fifth paragraph)
- --With assistance from Vivek Shankar and Justin Sink.
- To contact the reporter on this story: Nick Turner in Los Angeles at nturner7@bloomberg.net
- To contact the editors responsible for this story: Nick Turner at nturner7@bloomberg.net, Rob Golum, John J. Edwards III
- For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com
- SOUND CLIPS:
- Donald Trump - Video Game Violence.mp3
- C1 - Video Games MSNBC.mp3
- C2 - Video Games MSNBC.mp3
- C3 - Video Games MSNBC.mp3
- C4 - Video Games MSNBC.mp3
- MORE GAMER STUFF:
- DuckTales Remastered Being Removed From Digital Storefronts
- Source: GameSpot - Game News
- The old adage "good things don't last forever" could not be more accurate, as Capcom has announced that DuckTales Remastered will leave digital storefronts very soon. The classic platformer is scheduled to be delisted beginning Thursday, August 8.
- In a blog post on Capcom's official website, the publisher explains DuckTales Remastered will be "75% off on most platforms" before getting removed digitally. It will remain purchasable until August 8 at 5 PM PT (for Xbox 360 and Xbox One via backwards compatibility), August 9 at 8 AM PT (for PS3), and August 9 at 4:59 PM PT (for Wii U). PC doesn't have a specified date, but DuckTales Remastered will be delisted at 4:59 PM PT on the platform.
- Capcom notes that those who bought DuckTales Remastered digitally can redownload it even after its removal (unlike Konami's P.T., which was totally removed from the PlayStation Store back in May 2015). Further, those who own physical versions can install and play as normal. DuckTales Remastered can be purchased physically for $10 USD (on the Wii U) or $15 USD (on the other platforms) at GameStop.
- Google will talks games at next Stadia Connect event
- Stadia, Google's cloud gaming platform, will launch in November but there are still some questions about the service. A new Stadia Connect event later this month will provide some answers, including a look at new games.
- Google will host Stadia Connect on Aug. 19 at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT to talk about new games, according to the YouTube description for the livestream. The event takes place the day before the start of Gamescom, Europe's video game expo in Cologne, Germany, which runs Aug. 20-24.
- Stadia will have two tiers. Stadia Pro costs $9.99 a month with 4K/60p HDR quality and 5.1 surround sound, and it'll offer some free games. Stadia Base, releasing in 2020, is free, will only offer 1080/60p streaming, and customers will have to purchase games to make use of the service.
- Although Stadia is cloud-based, those interested will still need certain hardware to make use of it. A Chromecast Ultra is required to use the service on a TV along with a Stadia controller. Andrey Doronichev, director of product for Stadia, said in a Reddit AMA that there are plans to support more Bluetooth controllers in the future. Google Pixel 3 phones will also be able to use the service when it launches, with more Android phones having access later.
- The games already announced for Stadia include Doom Eternal , Borderlands 3 , Tom Clancy's The Division 2 and Ghost Recon: Breakpoint.
- Samsung is baking Discord into its phones to let you chat with friends while mobile gaming
- Source: The Verge - Gamings
- Onstage at Samsung's Unpacked event today as part of its Samsung Note 10 flagship smartphone announcement, the company revealed that popular gaming chat app Discord will be integrated into Samsung's Game Launcher, allowing users to chat with their established Discord communities while gaming on the go.
- The move comes amid an arms race among smartphone makers to make the best smartphone for gamers, with recent competitors to Samsung's phones being the Black Shark 2 and the Asus ROG Phone II. Mobile gaming continues to be an extremely lucrative market and since the Fortnite phenomenon, hardcore games have become an ever more serious business there: PUBG Mobile, reportedly the world's highest-grossing game, has more than 100 million players and brought in more than $146 million in May.
- Samsung's partnership with Discord gives gamers a strong reason to pick up Galaxy devices over others so they can chat with their friends and communities already on Discord.
