Microsoft announced that Windows 11 will deprecate #Android subsystem on 05/5/25 with official support ending TODAY.

User will not be forced to remove it if you have it today, but expect NO guarantee of functionality & no new app install.

#Gaming #GameNews #youtubegaming 🕹🎮

MSI revealed on #CES2024 that will launch its own portable PC gaming machine called Claw with the latest Intel Meteor Lake Core i7 Ultra 7 with Windows 11, 512GB of Storage and 16GB starting at $799.

Releasing on first half of 2024.

#Gaming #GaminNews

Sources at Windows Central claims that a potential release of Hi-Fi Rush to Nintendo Switch is part of a plan by Microsoft to bring many past games outside #Xbox in the future as a semi-new strategy.

Since heading to buy Activision Blizzard King, Microsoft has already being doing deals with competitors about still getting the conglomerate's games, as a proof that housing gaming IP is not the real purpose of the purchase.

While there aren't many details besides the noise about Hi-Fi Rush port of Nintendo Switch (and maybe Playstation 4/5), since last year it was suggested that a revisit of Banjo Kazooie by Rare is already on schedule.

#Gaming #GamingNews

Microsoft added Windows Mixed Reality as part of the official #Windows deprecated features, which means that development has stop.

This includes Mixed Reality Portal app and Windows Mixed Reality for Steam VR & the end of Microsoft in the VR/AR race.

#Gaming #GamingNews

Originally slated as a Plan B & now the WHOLE PLAN, Microsoft announced an agreement with #Ubisoft to buy the Cloud Gaming rights of Activision Blizzard to mitigate concerns of its ABK acquisition by the regulator CMA.

Under the restructured transaction, Microsoft will not be in a position either to release Activision Blizzard games exclusively on Xbox Cloud Gaming or to exclusively control the licensing terms of Activision Blizzard games for rival services.

On Ubisoft's end, the company will compensate Microsoft for the cloud streaming rights to Activision Blizzard’s games through a one-off payment and through a market-based wholesale pricing mechanism, including an option that supports pricing based on usage.

Also, Ubisoft can add Activision Blizzard games on Ubisoft+ on the UK market.

Interestingly, the CMA responded that the Ubisoft deal would also mean that games needs to be reached through Linux-based computers & not exclusively on Windows computers (probably macOS too).

Finally & to add a little pressure, the CMA confirmed that this development and remade deal needs new scrutiny, which has a deadline date of Oct 18th, 2023.

Hypothetically CMA taking this long, puts the ABK's Termination Fee raise if the deal fell agains Microsoft in effect.

#Gaming #GamingNews

And... Finally decided to give #Windows11 a try via Windows Update.

Context, I always preferred clean installation but having already tested Windows 11 on work's PC, the new storage management and more control on deleting crap is the big motivation to given a vote of confidence.

Great news for those expecting the gaming industry stop with the lame excuse of not taking seriously gaming development on Linux "because the technicalities" on developing in parallel Windows & Linux when for years, Apple seems to be a "non-problem" with macOS based on UNIX.

While IS NOT IMPOSSIBLE that Microsoft and Sega can renew talks and probably in a future, a buy out to have #Sega joining #Xbox Game Studio could be in the making...

But having rumors spreading like it is going to happen tomorrow is disingenuous and childish, Microsoft needs to proof their shareholder that Activision Blizzard was actually NOT a compulsive purchase and the heftiest in Microsoft's history.

Not all shareholders are actually HAPPY of a $69 billion purchase for an historically NON-LEADER Microsoft business (not even Windows had this much love in short-term), so let's calm down gamers.

Final recap of Day 2 of FTC Preliminary Injunction against Microsoft buying ABK:

-As with Jim Ryan, Sony CEO Kenichiro Yoshida originally didn't have any issue as Phil Spencer called himself the day it was announce the transaction
-Spencer reiterates that Xbox exclusive games are not the 100% od the day-to-day at Microsoft Gaming nowadays
-Spencer: “Sony has a significant catalog of exclusives games. It’s drastically larger, dramatically larger than what we have on Xbox today. Both Sony and Nintendo’s first-party is stronger than Xbox.”
-FTC tried to reinforce Spencer saying under oath that Call Of Duty will be still releasing for Playstation
-At the same time, Spencer did acknowledged that beyond the 10 year mark thing cannot be assured as it will depend the state of trhe gaming market itself
-FTC tried to make it sound weird that Microsoft is paying almost $70 billion for a gaming conglomerate just to get ahold of mobile gaming studios as main target, but Spencer backfired that mobile gaming is one of the footprints that Xbox is aiming at
-FTC for the third time brought Nintendo narrative
-A common-sense info that the FTC should know, but their lawyer asked if Microsoft needs to pay the agreed fee to Activision Blizzard shareholders right away. Spencer replied: “No, when you acquire something it’s not a payment. It’s really a transfer of cash into an asset called Activision that you believe it retains the value that you have acquired. It’s incorrect financially.”
-FTC called Dov Zimring, Google’s former Stadia product lead as witness
-FTC asked Zimring to describe Stadia
-Zimring: “To our knowledge we had the best technology in the market. We had performance capabilities that didn’t exist in the [cloud] market like 4K.”

“We had prototyped on Windows early on... the mission we had established at the very beginning was to enable revolutionary experiences... we saw Windows as limiting to innovate in that regard because we didn’t have control over the operating system.”

-Zimring acknowledged that Stadia SDK was Linuix-based due operating cost saving
-The closure of Stadia Games & Entertainment with the sudden stop of investment for AAA games was due wrong projected numbers
-Originally, Google was willing to spend five years building AAA games for Stadia
-FTC returned to Spencer
-FTC wanted to a third time force Spencer to peldge on COD availability on Playstation but WAS CUT BY THE JUDGE WHO APPEARED TO BE ANNOYED ON THE FTC LAWYER LINES OF QUESTIONING THAT WERE STRAIGHT DISSINGENOUS.

Judge: "I don’t need that, I’m going to cut off your questioning."
-Judge wrapped things for today and will NOT ACCEPT this process to go beyond next Thursday, pretty much in line of Microsoft desired timeframe (5 days)