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Ex-Amazon Gaming Exec Explains Why No One Has Beaten Steam
AppWizard
February 22, 2025

Ex-Amazon Gaming Exec Explains Why No One Has Beaten Steam

Valve's Steam has dominated the PC gaming market for nearly two decades, despite various attempts by companies like Amazon to challenge its supremacy. Ethan Evans, former VP of Prime Gaming at Amazon, shared insights on their unsuccessful efforts to disrupt Steam, which included acquiring Reflexive Entertainment, developing a PC game store leveraging Twitch, and launching the Luna game streaming service. Other major publishers such as EA, Ubisoft, and Bethesda also failed to establish competitive storefronts. The Epic Games Store, launched in 2017, has not positioned itself as a true rival to Steam. Evans noted that Amazon underestimated the reasons consumers use Steam, which combines a store, social network, library, and trophy case. Despite criticisms of Steam, its ecosystem and features have reinforced its dominance, while alternatives have struggled to gain traction.
"If we can do it… This will be something groundbreaking": PUBG creator Brendan Greene is five years into making a 10,000km "realistic Minecraft" – but there's still a decade to go
AppWizard
February 21, 2025

“If we can do it… This will be something groundbreaking”: PUBG creator Brendan Greene is five years into making a 10,000km “realistic Minecraft” – but there’s still a decade to go

Brendan Greene, known for creating PUBG, is working on a new project called Prologue, which tests innovative terrain generation technology for his larger vision, Project Artemis. Prologue aims to refine machine learning algorithms that can produce over 4 billion unique map configurations. Greene acknowledges past leadership challenges but credits CTO Laurent Gorga for fostering a collaborative development approach. He estimates that achieving Project Artemis could take up to a decade and emphasizes the importance of Prologue's commercial success for securing resources. Greene envisions Project Artemis as a vast, player-driven universe, inspired by games like Minecraft and No Man's Sky, with a world measuring 10,000 square kilometers. He aims to create an environment where players can craft diverse experiences and distances himself from commercial interpretations of the Metaverse, focusing instead on genuine user-generated experiences.
'A massive, massive moment of wow.' Microsoft CEO predicts AI-generated games are a 'CGI moment' for the industry
AppWizard
February 21, 2025

‘A massive, massive moment of wow.’ Microsoft CEO predicts AI-generated games are a ‘CGI moment’ for the industry

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella discussed the company's plans for artificial intelligence and quantum computing, particularly focusing on their AI-powered game generation platform, Muse. He compared Muse's potential impact on gaming to the influence of CGI in the film industry, despite its current limitations of generating games at a resolution of 300 by 180 pixels. Nadella envisions a future where users can request unique gaming experiences, indicating that the integration of AI into gaming is imminent. He also highlighted the broader implications of AI on economic growth, cautioning against the hype surrounding artificial general intelligence (AGI) and emphasizing the importance of AI's impact on GDP growth. Nadella believes in a collaborative future for AI development, suggesting that the market can support multiple successful players. The timeline for when gamers can fully engage with Muse remains uncertain, with some experts cautioning that its capabilities may be overstated.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is January 2025's Third Best Selling Game in the US Thanks to its PC Release
AppWizard
February 21, 2025

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is January 2025’s Third Best Selling Game in the US Thanks to its PC Release

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth has achieved significant success in the gaming market following its recent PC launch, moving from rank 56 to 3 among the best-selling premium games in the United States for January, according to sales data from Circana (NPD). The Twin Pack, which includes the original Remake, also saw a rise from rank 265 to 16. The game extends the narrative of the original's first disc and offers a 100-hour journey filled with exploration and storytelling. It is available on both PC and PlayStation 5 worldwide.
Bill Gates says Microsoft's $3 trillion success is a blend of — youthful late-night coding escapades, a premature Harvard departure, and a sprinkle of "laissez-faire treatment" from passers-by
Winsage
February 21, 2025

Bill Gates says Microsoft’s $3 trillion success is a blend of — youthful late-night coding escapades, a premature Harvard departure, and a sprinkle of “laissez-faire treatment” from passers-by

Microsoft has a market capitalization exceeding a trillion dollars and is a key player in the tech industry. Last year, a significant IT outage caused by a faulty kernel driver from CrowdStrike affected approximately 8.5 million Windows devices, resulting in the Blue Screen of Death (BSoD) error. Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, shared insights in his memoir, "Source Code: My Beginnings," about his early passion for coding, which began at age 13. He would sneak out at night to access computers, crediting a local company, Computer Center, for helping him refine his skills. Gates left Harvard after three semesters to pursue Microsoft, a decision prompted by a visit from Paul Allen, who brought news of the Altair 8800 minicomputer kit. Gates reflected that had he stayed at Harvard, he might have missed the opportunity to co-found Microsoft.
Rabbit AI's new tool can control your Android phones, but I’m not sure how I feel about letting it control my smartphone
AppWizard
February 21, 2025

Rabbit AI’s new tool can control your Android phones, but I’m not sure how I feel about letting it control my smartphone

HP's acquisition of Humane AI has led to the upcoming launch of Rabbit's Android app, designed as a personal assistant that automates tasks and streamlines daily activities. Unlike traditional AI chatbots, Rabbit's agent can coordinate tasks across various applications, such as sending dinner party invitations via WhatsApp, selecting meals from recipe apps, compiling grocery lists, curating YouTube playlists, and creating revenue plans in Google Docs. The app is not yet widely available but will be downloadable from the Play Store, allowing users to prompt the AI to perform tasks in the background. Rabbit faces competition from other AI tools like OpenAI's Operator and Anthropic's Claude AI, but distinguishes itself by focusing on Android devices and everyday applications. This shift to a software-based model is seen as essential for Rabbit's independence, following the limited success of its standalone R1 device.
Payday 3 sales dropped off hard in 2024, but Starbreeze has hope for the future
AppWizard
February 21, 2025

Payday 3 sales dropped off hard in 2024, but Starbreeze has hope for the future

Payday 3's financial performance has significantly declined, with sales dropping to million in the 2024 financial year, compared to million in its inaugural year. In contrast, Payday 2 generated million during the same period. The game's disappointing performance led to the departure of the CEO in early 2024 and the game director in September 2023. A lead producer described the 2023 launch as 'disastrous.' Starbreeze is collaborating with platforms like PUBG and Roblox and is offering Payday 3 for free on PlayStation Plus in February to attract new players. The company is also developing a co-op Dungeons & Dragons game, currently in internal playtesting, which has received positive feedback from potential business partners.
Former Sony exec finally says the quiet part out loud: putting PlayStation games on PC is 'almost like printing money'
AppWizard
February 21, 2025

Former Sony exec finally says the quiet part out loud: putting PlayStation games on PC is ‘almost like printing money’

Console manufacturers have historically neglected the PC platform as a revenue source. Microsoft has shifted its strategy by releasing games on PC and PlayStation, while Sony has begun to release more PS4 and PS5 titles on Steam, including the successful simultaneous launch of Helldivers 2 on both PS5 and PC. Shuhei Yoshida, a former Sony executive, indicated that he had envisioned bringing Sony games to PC earlier but faced resistance within the company. He noted that releasing games on PC could attract players to buy PlayStations in the future and highlighted the financial benefits of porting games to PC, which is cheaper than creating new titles. Yoshida also emphasized the importance of the Chinese PC gaming market, citing the success of titles like Black Myth: Wukong. He speculated on the absence of Bloodborne on PC and expressed that he would have resisted Sony's shift towards live-service games if possible.
10 biggest console-exclusive games that make me wish I wasn’t a PC gamer
AppWizard
February 21, 2025

10 biggest console-exclusive games that make me wish I wasn’t a PC gamer

PC gaming has a vast library, but exclusivity still attracts gamers. Several acclaimed games remain unavailable on PC due to various reasons. 1. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night - High odds of being released; originally a PlayStation title, known for its exploration and iconic protagonist. 2. God Hand - Practically none; a 2006 PlayStation 2 exclusive with a unique combat system. 3. Mega Man Legends & Legends 2 - Basically zero; dormant series with a passionate fanbase but poor sales. 4. Silent Hill - Possible, but unlikely; a hallmark of survival horror with no modern platform release yet. 5. Pokémon Conquest - Absolutely not; a Nintendo DS exclusive with ties to Nobunaga's Ambition. 6. The Last Guardian - Not likely, but a chance exists; known for its emotional narrative and visuals. 7. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - Nintendo doesn’t have to; successful on the Switch, likely to remain exclusive. 8. Super Mario Party Jamboree - Less than zero; relies on motion controls, making a PC adaptation unlikely. 9. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots - Higher than you might think, but not great; technical challenges hinder potential releases. 10. Bloodborne - Definitely coming soon (maybe, probably not though); ongoing rumors about a potential PC release.
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