Gaming Episodes

The story of the young Ukrainian Minister who has bent the conscience of western tech companies, and coordinated the reachout to crypto. Is regulation coming for NFTs? Epic Games acquired Bandcamp. Amazon pulls back from its IRL retail experiments. And a big update on the return to the office watch.

Crypto exchanges stick to their crypto ethos over the Ukraine War situation. A new, super crazy alleged Chinese backdoor hack. Uber adds new ways to buy concert tickets and book restaurants in its app. Amazon launches its Luna game streaming service in the US. An a review of the Galaxy S22 and S22+

Has the mystery of the original The DAO controversy been solved? We finally have Sony’s new PlayStation VR2 design. Crypto exchange FTX makes a big move into gaming. Datapoints suggesting remote work is here to stay. And a review of the Galaxy S22 Ultra.

Mulling over the whole legacy of Jack Dorsey and name changes for tech companies in general. The weird way gaming is changing right now (see: Halo Infinite). And are foldable phones ready for the big time? With Bloomberg's @vladsavov

The entirety of Twitch has allegedly been leaked. Like, everything from the source code to a creator payout spreadsheet. Snap gears up in the creator economy platform wars. Some AirPods gain Find My Support. The SEC says it has no plans to ban crypto. But worrying stories of alleged fraud have started trickling out of the NFT space.

Netflix hires a big name gaming executive. Twitter retires Fleets. Facebook wants to make it rain for creators. TSMC says the chip shortage is starting to ease. Amazon launches serialized storytelling. And one of the biggest unicorns in the world, just 6x’d in less than a year.

Nintendo finally announces the new Switch, but how new is it really? What the heck is happening with Didi and China? REvil strikes again, and what that might mean for the hacking situation going forward. And on a day of big geopolitical news, might big tech platforms be chased out of India and Hong Kong because their employees are in danger of being sent to jail?

An upgraded Nintendo Switch is maybe days away from being announced. Twitter Spaces can now happen on the desktop. The behind the scenes details of the MGM buy. Snowflake has left Silicon Valley for… checks notes… Montana. And Clubhouse makes a high profile hire that shows they’re still full steam ahead.

Sony warns that it might be literal years before I can finally win one of those PlayStation 5 sales windows on Walmart.com. The big ransomware attack that threatened fuel supply on the US East Coast, and the hackers allegedly behind it. Clubhouse hits Android. A researcher claims to have already hacked AirTags. And Elon Musk’s SNL appearance, and Dogecoin, and everything.

Roblox’s public market debut and why people are so excited about it. Twitter to open up spaces to everyone next month. An Apple silicon friendly version of Photoshop sports so eyebrow raising performance gains. Are iPhones about to get heavier? And the NFT sales record has been shattered thanks to Beeple. Sponsors:StartMail.com/techmeme Links:Roblox jumps to $38 billion market cap as public investors get their first crack at the popular kids game app (CNBC)Twitter plans to let anyone start hosting Twitter Spaces in April (The Verge)Verkada Workers Had Extensive Access to Private Customer Cameras (Bloomberg)Google paves way to monetize Pay users’ data in India (TechCrunch)Photoshop now runs natively on Apple’s M1 Macs (The Verge)iPhone 13 to Finally Feature Bigger Batteries (MacRumors)Oppo Find X3 Pro goes official w/ Snapdragon 888, 120Hz display, ‘microlens’ camera (9to5Google)Beeple sold an NFT for $69 million (The Verge)

As mentioned, for my birthday this year I got my first VR rig, an Occulus Quest 2 because if an Apple AR/VR thingy is coming, if Facebook continues to invest in VR, then I figured it was time to, you know, not be functionally inexperienced with the space. I have a little bit of crypto to understand the space. Looking to get my hands on some NFTs to understand the space. I’ve got an onlyfans account to understand the dynamics of what works in the creator economy. And that’s the only reason, I swear. Anyway, in this episode we’re going to talk about some of the things I’ve learned and to do so, we’re going to talk to two folks. First, some of you might know Kyle Hilliard, he was for a long time the host of our Gaming Ride Home podcast, before the pandemic put paid to that show. He’s a veteran games journalist, and actually, you can still hear Kyle talk gaming on the MinnMax podcast. Link in the show notes. Kyle helps me understand the state of the industry from a developer and corporate…

Google is getting out of the game development business, but is it getting out of the Stadia business or just pivoting to infrastructure? Apple acknowledges that Covid has basically hobbled Face ID. Uber gets into the liquor delivery business. And Amazon’s plans for its HQ2 architecture shows at least somebody in Silicon Valley is not buying the remote work hype. Sponsors:Fundrise.com/techmemeAirMedcareNetwork.com/tech offer code: TECH Links:Google Stadia Shuts Down Internal Studios, Changing Business Focus (Kotaku)Google now gives you more information about the sites in your search results (TechCrunch)iOS 14.5 will let Apple Watch owners unlock iPhones while wearing a mask (Engadget)Uber buying booze delivery company Drizly for $1.1 billion (Axios)Kuo: 'Apple Car' to use Hyundai's E-GMP platform, GM and PSA partnerships possible (Apple Insider)Robinhood Raises Another $2.4 Billion From Shareholders (WSJ)Amazon Unveils Outdoorsy New HQ2, Renewing Its Commitment to Offices (WSJ) te…

Day three of the SolarWinds hack fallout sees major investors unloading stock at a suspicious time. M1 chip support comes to some major apps. Periscope joins the Deadpool. Bitcoin crosses $20k. An AirPods Max review. And what if you could make a digital platform for board games? Sponsors: OurCrowd.com/ride VistaPrint.com/techmeme Links: Stadia comes to the iPhone and iPad with new iOS beta (The Verge) Investors in breached software firm SolarWinds traded $280 million in stock days before hack...

It’s hardware review Thursday! Reviews of the Xbox Series X, Google Pixel 5 AND 4a 5G. SOME of the new iPhones are getting extra RAM. Room-temperature superconductivity has been achieved for the first time and what that could mean. Landscape is an interesting raise. And Adam Neumann is back… and so is WeWork. Sponsors: NewYorker.com/techmeme TinyCapital.com Links: XBOX SERIES X PREVIEW: THE NEXT GEN FEELS LIKE A PC (The Verge) GOOGLE PIXEL 4A 5G REVIEW: MORE THAN JUST A BIGGER BUDGET PHONE (T...

All the headlines from Amazon’s hardware event. New Echo devices. Amazon is getting into cloud gaming with Luna. And ring has a literal drone that will fly around the inside of your house for the purposes of sentry duty. Interesting acquisition from Apple continues to point to them doing something big in podcasts. And of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: PayPal App Amazon.com/techmeme Links: A closer look at Luna, Amazon's cloud gaming service (Engadget) Amazon announces al...

We have the launch date and price for the Playstation 5. An update on the TikTok and WeChat situations. Why the Snowflake IPO was such a big deal, and such a big success. Red Ventures is affiliate marketing on steroids. And what if I told you the coolest new bit of gear that people got turned on to during the last Apple event was an office chair. But it is Jony Ive’s favorite office chair. Sponsors: Liftoff.to PayPal App MarketingPlay.com; email info@marketingplay.com Links: PlayStation 5 preo...

Clarifying the news on the new Xbox consoles, as well as next week’s Apple event. Apple sues Epic Games for breach of contract. Android 11 is here if you can get it. A new Yubikey now has USB-C goodness. And more indications that 5G is going to continue to be super, annoyingly disappointing. Sponsors: DoubleUp.agency JoinFightCamp.com/techmeme Links: Xbox Series X launches on November 10th for $499 (The Verge) Microsoft is adding EA Play to Xbox Game Pass (Engadget) Nintendo Boosts Switch Pr...

The details around the new Xbox’s have been revealed. China wants to draw definitive global lines in the tech cold war. Google makes a big bet on the “no code” movement. Content pirates have suffered a historic setback. Was Masa Son pumping up the entire stock market. And we know when the iPhone event will be. Sponsors: MintMobile.com/ride DoubleUp.agency Links: Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S release date and price finally revealed (WindowsCentral) Leaked Xbox Series S commercial reveals 144...

The Attorney General seems to want an antitrust case against Google within weeks. Apple has delayed the Ad-pocalypse. Why the games industry is where Epic has all the leverage against Apple. Will a new display tech bridge the gap between e-ink and traditional displays? And of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: Metalab.co Today In Digital Marketing Podcast Links: Justice Dept. Plans to File Antitrust Charges Against Google in Coming Weeks (NYTimes) Apple to Delay iOS Change R...

Nividia’s new GPU powerhouse, the RTX 3090. Apple makes the case that the App Store is a jobs powerhouse. Patreon is an interesting and monster new raise. Why Amazon delivery drivers are hanging their phones from trees. And the story behind the new gaming phenomenon known as Fall Guys. Sponsors: Fundrise.com/techmeme Metalab.co Links: Nvidia announces new RTX 3080 GPU, priced at $699 and launching September 17th (The Verge) Nvidia’s new RTX 3090 is a $1,499 monster GPU designed for 8K gaming ...

What do you think we’re going to talk about? Apple and Google ban Fortnite. Epic Games turns around and sues Apple and Google for antitrust. Also: Adobe commits to fighting Deepfakes, Streaming is now a quarter of all tv viewing, and, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: LiftOff.to JoinFightCamp.com/techmeme Links: Fortnite for Android has also been kicked off the Google Play Store (The Verge) Epic is suing Google over Fortnite’s removal from the Google Play Store (The Verg...

HQ Trivia resurrects itself thanks to an anonymous investor. Facebook tries to squeeze Apple out of the AR screen market. Some crowdsourced data reveals who where layoffs are happening in tech but also which companies are still hiring. And a major hack takes down a big chunk of the dark web. Sponsors: TinyCapital.com Feals.com/techmeme Links: HQ Trivia Returns Thanks to Anonymous Investor (WSJ) Facebook Strikes Deal for AR Displays, Squeezing Out Apple (The Information) Government Tracking H...

E3 is cancelled. Uber might ban drivers AND riders who test positive for Coronavirus. A 2nd gen Chromecast Ultra might be coming. A Peloton-style workout app from Apple might be coming. A look at Amazon’s entry into the suddenly hot ARM-s race. And am I wrong or wasn’t crypto supposed to help during the apocalypse? Sponsors: Protect.eset.com/ride DoubleUp.agency Links: E3 2020 Canceled After ‘Overwhelming Concerns’ About Coronavirus (Variety) Uber may suspend accounts of riders, drivers who ...

Waymo has an interesting raise. Interesting for what it says about self-driving and about Google Moon Shots. Robinhood has the worst possible outages at the worst possible time. A new player in the quantum computing race. And sports tech offers a new way to watch… golf? Sponsors: Metalab.co Legalzoom.com Code: "ride" at checkout Links: Waymo raises $2.25 billion to scale up autonomous vehicles operations (VentureBeat) Robinhood Trading Site Seizes Up, Customers Miss Stock Rally (Bloomberg) H...