WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.080 The most precious substance in the universe is tech news. 00:00:04.080 --> 00:00:07.360 He who controls the tech news controls the universe. 00:00:07.360 --> 00:00:13.680 The tech news must flow. Valve has pushed out what they described as a small update 00:00:13.680 --> 00:00:17.360 to Counter-Strike 2 that wiped out nearly $2 billion 00:00:17.360 --> 00:00:22.000 from the game's player-driven economy overnight. The October patch quietly changed 00:00:22.000 --> 00:00:26.140 how trade-up contracts work. Instead of having to buy expensive stuff, 00:00:26.140 --> 00:00:30.140 you could just trade in a bundle of cheap crap for ultra-rare knives. 00:00:30.140 --> 00:00:35.040 This deen-deen-deen-deen-deen-deen update single-handedly detonated the steam community market 00:00:35.040 --> 00:00:38.120 overnight sending the value of long-horted items 00:00:38.120 --> 00:00:43.380 into freefall. Bloomberg reports total losses of over $1.75 billion 00:00:43.380 --> 00:00:47.320 in under 24 hours. In perhaps the greatest redistribution of wealth 00:00:47.320 --> 00:00:52.520 NVIDIA game history, well-to-do players on social media are showing several thousands in losses 00:00:52.520 --> 00:00:58.920 whilst the little guys are actually coming out ahead. One lucky user's inventory of previously low-tiered skins 00:00:58.920 --> 00:01:02.480 is currently being valued at three million US dollars. 00:01:02.480 --> 00:01:07.200 But why did Valve do this? Well, this would stimulate a bunch of transactions 00:01:07.200 --> 00:01:10.280 and they do make a kickback off of each sale, 00:01:10.280 --> 00:01:13.480 but Valve wouldn't do that, right? 00:01:13.480 --> 00:01:18.520 No, no. Literally no, they must have some other reason. 00:01:18.520 --> 00:01:22.800 But maybe. Microsoft just pinched off its fall co-pilot release 00:01:22.800 --> 00:01:30.000 and amongst a handful of updates for Edge, they introduced Miko, a new optional visual presence. 00:01:30.240 --> 00:01:35.080 It didn't take long for every tech news site to draw parallels between Microsoft's blobby new mascot 00:01:35.080 --> 00:01:38.080 and Clippy, Microsoft's old office assistant. 00:01:38.080 --> 00:01:42.280 I'm not sure Miko can become as beloved or memed on as Clippy, 00:01:42.280 --> 00:01:45.560 but Clippy never changed colors to reflect your interactions. 00:01:45.560 --> 00:01:49.360 For an amorphous blob, Miko's grown on me. 00:01:49.360 --> 00:01:53.600 Wouldn't be the first. And another thing that's growing is Microsoft's Edge browser, 00:01:53.640 --> 00:01:58.280 which finally got a bunch of AI features that were announced back in July. 00:01:58.280 --> 00:02:03.960 In Edge's new co-pilot mode, you can use co-pilot actions to set up AI-assisted 00:02:03.960 --> 00:02:07.040 multi-step tasks for the browser to complete. 00:02:07.040 --> 00:02:12.680 And the journeys feature lets you save projects without bookmarks, relying on co-pilot's memory 00:02:12.680 --> 00:02:15.840 of your searches to jump back into a project. 00:02:15.840 --> 00:02:22.600 Like with OpenAI's recently released Atlas browser, co-pilot does require permission to access your private data 00:02:22.680 --> 00:02:26.000 and you'll see queues when co-pilot is active in your browser. 00:02:26.000 --> 00:02:29.040 Speaking of Atlas, the timing of these Edge updates coincides 00:02:29.040 --> 00:02:32.160 with OpenAI trying to make AI browsing cool, 00:02:32.160 --> 00:02:37.280 but they're not off to a great start as Atlas is being called agonizingly slow. 00:02:37.280 --> 00:02:40.720 Atlas was supposed to bring about vibe-living, 00:02:40.720 --> 00:02:45.040 but by not letting you do online banking or visit the New York Times, 00:02:45.040 --> 00:02:48.480 people are thinking it's more of a vibe killer. 00:02:48.480 --> 00:02:52.360 Not chill, Atlas. I'm going back to Boomer Browsing. 00:02:53.200 --> 00:02:57.520 In other Microsoft news, we may have found the smoking gun 00:02:57.520 --> 00:03:03.080 that led to Xbox's recent price hikes. According to a report from Bloomberg's Jason Schreyer, 00:03:03.080 --> 00:03:07.400 in fall 2023, Microsoft's Master Chief Financial Officer 00:03:07.400 --> 00:03:12.480 Amy Hood told the Xbox division to target 30% profit margins 00:03:12.480 --> 00:03:15.800 or accountability margins, as they apparently call them. 00:03:15.800 --> 00:03:20.080 This is an eye-watering number considering gaming companies reportedly maintain profit 00:03:20.080 --> 00:03:23.880 margins closer to 17 to 22% most of the time. 00:03:23.880 --> 00:03:28.800 The aggressive targets apparently compelled Xbox to introduce significant policy changes to keep up, 00:03:28.800 --> 00:03:32.200 which has resulted in layoffs and price hikes. 00:03:32.200 --> 00:03:36.600 If they really wanted to make some money, they should release Halo 1 PlayStation, 00:03:36.600 --> 00:03:40.400 which is exactly what they announced literally right before we started shooting this video, 00:03:40.400 --> 00:03:46.100 which is so cool of them. We didn't have time to dive deep, but essentially a full remake of the Halo 1 campaign 00:03:46.140 --> 00:03:51.420 is coming to the Xbox Store, Steam, and PlayStation 5 in 2026. 00:03:51.420 --> 00:03:55.260 As Phil Spencer probably said, please buy multiple copies, please. 00:03:55.260 --> 00:03:58.820 He probably said that. It's not all bad looks for Xbox though, 00:03:58.820 --> 00:04:04.100 as old Phil and Miss Spence just told Japanese gaming publication, Femitsu, 00:04:04.100 --> 00:04:08.540 in the last year, Xbox's playtime has increased by around 20% in Japan, 00:04:08.540 --> 00:04:14.540 a region notorious for hating Xbox. Unfortunately, it's still mostly bad looks for Xbox though, 00:04:14.580 --> 00:04:18.940 because some YouTubers claim the new ROG Xbox Ally handheld systems 00:04:18.940 --> 00:04:24.300 perform better and smoother with the Steam OS like Bazlight Linux OS 00:04:24.300 --> 00:04:27.420 instead of the Windows OS that comes pre-installed. 00:04:27.420 --> 00:04:32.580 CyberDopamine and ETA Prime both have videos on the subject with similar findings. 00:04:32.580 --> 00:04:36.380 Windows just isn't quite comfortable on handhelds yet, 00:04:36.380 --> 00:04:41.660 but you know where you may be more comfortable, you will be on our sponsor. 00:04:41.660 --> 00:04:45.340 Don't fear, QuickBits. QuickBits are the mind-filler. I will face my QuickBits. 00:04:45.340 --> 00:04:50.260 I will permit them to pass through me and over me and in me. 00:04:50.260 --> 00:04:53.300 Apple says its beloved app tracking transparency feature, 00:04:53.300 --> 00:04:58.980 the one that stops apps from following you around like a clingy ex, might soon be disabled in Europe. 00:04:58.980 --> 00:05:04.180 The company claims intense lobbying efforts in countries like Germany and Italy 00:05:04.180 --> 00:05:09.260 could force it to withdraw the privacy tool to the detriment of European consumers. 00:05:09.260 --> 00:05:12.340 This statement comes after a probe launched by German, 00:05:12.340 --> 00:05:17.020 they love their probes. Back in 2022 and fines from France's competition authority 00:05:17.020 --> 00:05:20.620 back in March of this year. When will these socialists stop? 00:05:20.620 --> 00:05:24.740 Don't you people want the freedom to be exploited? The American way? 00:05:24.740 --> 00:05:30.940 Yeehaw! Yeehaw! And in what might be the most shocking Apple news this week, 00:05:30.940 --> 00:05:34.260 the company is developing a new app migration kit, 00:05:34.260 --> 00:05:39.260 a framework to help users move their data from iOS to Android. 00:05:39.380 --> 00:05:44.780 You know, the opposite of what they usually want their customers to do? The tool, quietly detailed on Apple's developer site, 00:05:44.780 --> 00:05:48.540 would let apps securely transfer user data between platforms. 00:05:48.540 --> 00:05:52.220 The reason? Likely EU regulatory pressure. 00:05:52.220 --> 00:05:56.180 That's what causes all good things in this world. Though Apple hasn't said that outright. 00:05:56.180 --> 00:06:01.900 Either way, Apple removing their head out of their ass a little bit more is good news for everybody. 00:06:01.900 --> 00:06:06.900 Forget what I said at the end of the last story. Samsung and SK Hynix are reportedly raising memory prices 00:06:06.900 --> 00:06:10.940 by up to 30% according to Trend Force and Hang Yung. 00:06:10.980 --> 00:06:16.180 This increase hits both DRAM and NAN Flash, the stuff that powers your RAM and SSDs. 00:06:16.180 --> 00:06:20.460 The reason? Surging AI demand and long-term data center contracts 00:06:20.460 --> 00:06:24.240 gobbling up supply. Great news for chip makers, but terrible news 00:06:24.240 --> 00:06:28.020 for anyone planning a PC upgrade. At this rate, your next 16 gigs of RAM 00:06:28.020 --> 00:06:31.660 might end up costing more than the game you bought it for. 00:06:31.660 --> 00:06:36.580 Just joking, those are going up in price too. Nike has revealed Project Amplify, 00:06:36.580 --> 00:06:39.600 a new line of powered footwear designed to enhance leg 00:06:39.640 --> 00:06:43.160 and ankle movement. The shoes feature built-in actuators 00:06:43.160 --> 00:06:48.560 and motion sensors to assist with every step. But the design is giving Marty McFly mags 00:06:48.560 --> 00:06:54.520 crossed with your dad's prescription knee brace. Nike's cinematic pro-mo shows glowing futuristic athletes, 00:06:54.520 --> 00:07:00.240 but explains nothing about how they work. I assume over-the-air updates. 00:07:00.240 --> 00:07:03.440 Nike Air, I'll see myself out. 00:07:03.440 --> 00:07:07.160 Thank you. An FBI investigation is alleging that NBA players, 00:07:07.160 --> 00:07:12.080 coaches, and alumni were involved in a nationwide poker conspiracy, 00:07:12.080 --> 00:07:15.720 straight out of a heist movie. The scheme involved leering wealthy people 00:07:15.720 --> 00:07:21.800 who wanted to play cards against celebrities, such as 2004 NBA finals MVP, Chauncey Phillips, 00:07:21.800 --> 00:07:25.680 into underground poker games, where everyone else was in on the plot 00:07:25.680 --> 00:07:29.080 to take the target's money. Aren't NBA players rich enough? 00:07:29.080 --> 00:07:34.240 The FBI alleges that the perpetrators relied on technology like rig-shuffling machines, 00:07:34.240 --> 00:07:39.080 cards with marks on them that could only be seen using special sunglasses or contact lenses, 00:07:39.080 --> 00:07:42.680 and naturally x-ray friggin' tables to cheat. 00:07:42.680 --> 00:07:46.520 Apparently, the victims were hustled out of at least $7 million. 00:07:46.520 --> 00:07:50.480 I guess you could say these gamblers were really ballin' out. 00:07:52.160 --> 00:07:53.680 Now, seriously, I should leave. 00:07:55.440 --> 00:08:00.440 But you should stay, or come back again, on Monday for more tech news. 00:08:00.440 --> 00:08:04.840 I know there's another episode coming, because oddly enough, my co-writer quoted Lynch's dune 00:08:04.840 --> 00:08:10.680 when he told me to restore tech news production or live my life out in a pain amplifier. 00:08:10.680 --> 00:08:15.480 I've gotta call HR about that. No gum, Jabar, is that work, pinball? 00:08:15.480 --> 00:08:16.320 Darn.