Month: July 2024
Xbox Console Sales Continue To Crater With Massive 42% Revenue Drop
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Microsoft’s revenue from Xbox console sales was down a whopping 42 percent on a year-over-year basis for the quarter ending in June, the company announced in its latest earnings report. The massive drop continues a long, pronounced slide for sales of Microsoft’s gaming hardware—the Xbox line has now shown year-over-year declines in hardware sales revenue in six of the last seven calendar quarters (and seven of the last nine). And Microsoft CFO Amy Hood told investors in a follow-up call (as reported by GamesIndustry.biz) to expect hardware sales to decline yet again in the coming fiscal quarter, which ends in September. The 42 percent drop for quarterly hardware revenue — by far the largest such drop since the introduction of the Xbox Series X/S in 2020 — follows an 11 percent year-over-year decline in the second calendar quarter of 2023.
Microsoft no longer shares raw console shipment numbers like its competitors, so we don’t know how many Xbox consoles are selling on an absolute basis. But industry analyst Daniel Ahmad estimates that Microsoft sold less than 900,000 Xbox units for the quarter ending in March, compared to 4.5 million PS5 units shipped in the same period. Overall, the reported revenue numbers suggest that sales of the Xbox Series X/S line peaked sometime in 2022, during the console’s second full year on store shelves. That’s extremely rare for a market where sales for successful console hardware usually see a peak in the fourth or fifth year on the market before a slow decline in the run-up to a successor. […] Aside from hardware sales, Microsoft’s gaming content and services revenue was up a healthy-sounding 61 percent year-over-year for the latest reported quarter. But a full 58 percent of that increase was the “net impact from the Activision acquisition,” which you may remember cost the company $68.7 billion dollars.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Microsoft’s revenue from Xbox console sales was down a whopping 42 percent on a year-over-year basis for the quarter ending in June, the company announced in its latest earnings report. The massive drop continues a long, pronounced slide for sales of Microsoft’s gaming hardware—the Xbox line has now shown year-over-year declines in hardware sales revenue in six of the last seven calendar quarters (and seven of the last nine). And Microsoft CFO Amy Hood told investors in a follow-up call (as reported by GamesIndustry.biz) to expect hardware sales to decline yet again in the coming fiscal quarter, which ends in September. The 42 percent drop for quarterly hardware revenue — by far the largest such drop since the introduction of the Xbox Series X/S in 2020 — follows an 11 percent year-over-year decline in the second calendar quarter of 2023.
Microsoft no longer shares raw console shipment numbers like its competitors, so we don’t know how many Xbox consoles are selling on an absolute basis. But industry analyst Daniel Ahmad estimates that Microsoft sold less than 900,000 Xbox units for the quarter ending in March, compared to 4.5 million PS5 units shipped in the same period. Overall, the reported revenue numbers suggest that sales of the Xbox Series X/S line peaked sometime in 2022, during the console’s second full year on store shelves. That’s extremely rare for a market where sales for successful console hardware usually see a peak in the fourth or fifth year on the market before a slow decline in the run-up to a successor. […] Aside from hardware sales, Microsoft’s gaming content and services revenue was up a healthy-sounding 61 percent year-over-year for the latest reported quarter. But a full 58 percent of that increase was the “net impact from the Activision acquisition,” which you may remember cost the company $68.7 billion dollars.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Top Altcoins to Invest in Ahead of Bitcoin’s Next Bull Run – $BTC, $SOL, $ETH, $BNB, $XRP, and $99BTC
With Bitcoin (BTC) surging and the market exhibiting greed according to the Fear and Greed Index, it’s an opportune time… Continue reading Top Altcoins to Invest in Ahead of Bitcoin’s Next Bull Run – $BTC, $SOL, $ETH, $BNB, $XRP, and $99BTC
The post Top Altcoins to Invest in Ahead of Bitcoin’s Next Bull Run – $BTC, $SOL, $ETH, $BNB, $XRP, and $99BTC appeared first on ReadWrite.
With Bitcoin (BTC) surging and the market exhibiting greed according to the Fear and Greed Index, it’s an opportune time to consider diversifying your portfolio with altcoin investments.
While meme coins often attract attention, focusing on established, solid projects and promising presale tokens could be a prudent strategy. Here are some top altcoins and a presale token worth exploring.
Bitcoin (BTC)
Bitcoin is currently trading at $66,000. While experiencing slight declines in recent days and weeks, it has surged by 9% over the past month.
Anticipation is high for Bitcoin to reach the $100,000 mark, potentially yielding a substantial 30-40% return in the near term, especially given its status as a blue-chip asset.
Cryptocurrency has garnered significant political support. Former President Donald Trump has pledged to establish a national Bitcoin reserve if re-elected in 2024. Additionally, a senator proposed a plan for the U.S. to acquire 1 million Bitcoins.
Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has also expressed strong support for Bitcoin, revealing it as a major component of his investment portfolio.
Bitcoin’s recent price increase to $69,000, accompanied by a 25% decrease in trading volume, suggests renewed bullish sentiment. Considering these factors, Bitcoin appears to be a compelling investment option for those seeking to capitalize on the cryptocurrency market.
Solana (SOL)
Solana is currently trading at $182 per token, holding the fifth position in the cryptocurrency market with an $85 billion market capitalization. The token has exhibited significant growth, with a 2.83% increase over the past week and a remarkable 30% rise in the past month. A prevailing question is Solana’s potential price ceiling.
Many investors draw parallels between Solana’s current trajectory and BNB’s performance during the previous bull run. BNB’s substantial price surge during that period, fueled by the popularity of meme coins, serves as a potential blueprint for Solana.
Given the widespread adoption of the Solana network and its sustained bullish momentum, surpassing previous all-time highs set during the NFT era and reaching $300 in the near term seems plausible.
With a robust market capitalization and a thriving ecosystem of projects, Solana presents a compelling investment opportunity. Considering the anticipated bullish trend in the coming weeks, seizing this moment to invest in this blue-chip cryptocurrency could be a prudent decision.
Ethereum (ETH)
Ethereum, often seen as the silver to Bitcoin’s gold, is currently trading at $3,300. Historically, Bitcoin has led market trends, and the excitement around its upcoming ETFs could signal a similar boost for Ethereum once its own ETFs are approved.
Ethereum recently saw a price surge with the approval of Ethereum spot trading, though it has since pulled back from previous highs. This market behavior might present an opportunity to accumulate Ethereum at a potentially discounted price.
Notably, Ethereum has shown resilience, staying above the $2,800 support level from a month ago. With increasing volume and interest driven by ETF anticipation, it’s unlikely we’ll see such low prices again.
The Ethereum network continues to improve, with updates like the London hard fork enhancing transaction speeds.
Additionally, the debut of Ethereum ETFs on Wall Street and in Hong Kong, along with the launch of Ethereum Swap, underscores the platform’s growing institutional adoption and market position, as highlighted in crypto news and social media.
Wall Street likes Bitcoin & Ethereum. pic.twitter.com/SVmYjI6U9E
— Altcoin Daily (@AltcoinDailyio) July 31, 2024
Given these developments, many investors are viewing the current market conditions as an opportune moment to consider adding Ethereum to their portfolios.
BNB (BNB)
BNB, the native token of the Binance ecosystem, has been a notable asset despite recent volatility caused by legal challenges faced by Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao (CZ). The token has demonstrated resilience, maintaining its position as a top-four cryptocurrency.
BNB experienced a slight weekly decline of 0.53% but secured a monthly gain of 2%. This price action might present an appealing entry point for investors. BNB’s historical peak of nearly $700 suggests substantial long-term upside potential, with some analysts speculating that it could reach $1,000.
The anticipated resolution of CZ’s legal issues is expected to positively impact BNB’s price. His return could rejuvenate the Binance ecosystem and boost investor confidence. With strong fundamentals and potential catalysts on the horizon, BNB remains a cryptocurrency worth considering for exposure to the digital asset market.
XRP (XRP)
XRP, the digital asset associated with Ripple, has been both a source of passion and skepticism in the cryptocurrency community. Despite its volatile history, marked by significant price surges and declines, XRP remains a focal point for investors.
The cryptocurrency saw notable bull runs during the 2018 and 2021 market cycles, reaching peaks of $3 and $1.60, respectively. Although it has yet to reach those heights in the current bull market, many believe XRP is set for a significant price increase.
Conservative estimates suggest a return to the $1.60 to $2 range, while more optimistic projections foresee a new all-time high of $3 or beyond. A favorable resolution in Ripple’s ongoing legal battle with the SEC could be a major catalyst for price growth.
Additionally, recent developments, such as criticism of the SEC by former President Donald Trump and Ripple’s introduction of a new stablecoin, have fostered positive sentiment around XRP.
The recent 18% price surge, coupled with Bitcoin’s potential bull run, creates an optimistic outlook for XRP. Despite its volatility and regulatory uncertainties, XRP’s long-term prospects continue to attract investor interest.
99Bticons (99BTC)
The 99Bitcoins token is currently in the last stage of its presale phase, which is set to conclude in the next 5 days. Having already raised $2.5 million, this is an opportune moment to invest.
The 99Bitcoins token serves as a utility token for an innovative educational platform, utilizing a Learn to Earn (L2E) model on the Bitcoin blockchain with BRC-20 integration. The platform rewards users for learning about cryptocurrency, making it a pioneer in this field.
With a substantial community of over 700,000 followers, nearly 2.8 million email subscribers, and 79 hours of crypto course content, 99Bitcoins has gained significant attention.
The platform has also been featured in various publications and recently conducted a notable airdrop, receiving over 15,000 entries for a $99,999 reward.
To participate, sign up on the 99Bitcoins site, follow their social channels, and submit your Bitcoin wallet address used in the presale.
Given the token’s potential and innovative approach, participating in this presale could be a valuable opportunity. To participate in the $99BTC token presale, visit 99Bitcoins.com.
Related
How Learning Crypto with 99Bitcoins Can Be Rewarding – Last Chance to Buy
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Reddit CEO says Microsoft needs to pay to search the site
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Ayaneo’s take on the Game Boy Micro is available to order starting at $190
Ayaneo’s Pocket MICRO, a tangible tribute to Nintendo’s GameBoy Micro, is now available for pre-order on Indiegogo. The portable console maker started its crowdfunding campaign for the tiny, rectangular gaming device this morning and it’s already raised more than $50,000 in its opening day.
Ayaneo first announced its new line of portable game players back in May. The lineup included the Pocket MICRO and the Pocket DMG, a GameBoy-esque console with a left thumbstick and touchpad.
The Pocket MICRO may be smaller than the DMG but it offers some features its bigger brother doesn’t have like dual thumbsticks and a 960 x 640 borderless IPS screen. The pocket console’s frame is made from a premium CNC aluminum alloy and runs on a Helio G99 processor and 2,600mAH battery that can power up to 6 hours of play, according to the company’s website.
The Pocket MICRO is available for pre-order with “early bird prices” during the first week of the campaign. You can purchase your Pocket MICRO in one of three tiers: the 6G+128G Pocket Micro in “Magic Black” or “Soul Red” for $190, the 8GB+256GB Pocket Micro in black or red for $220 and the 8G+256GB in “Retro Grey” for $250. Shipping is $30 for each item and 400 orders will be taken for the first two tiers and 200 orders for the third tier.
The “early bird” orders also come with a special gift box that includes a coffee mug, a portable storage bag, a portable stand, tempered film for the screen, a joystick cap and a pack of Ayaneo stickers. The prices increase by $30 once the weeklong “early bird” promotion ends.
Ayaneo is known for its premium portable consoles and Steam Deck competitors, and this GameBoy Advance variant is competing with a ton of other devices that are over $100 cheaper. However, this new portable Android gaming device could feasibly create some real competition with its dual analogs that could play games from all sorts of consoles and streaming services.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ayaneos-take-on-the-game-boy-micro-is-available-to-order-starting-at-190-192714568.html?src=rss
Ayaneo’s Pocket MICRO, a tangible tribute to Nintendo’s GameBoy Micro, is now available for pre-order on Indiegogo. The portable console maker started its crowdfunding campaign for the tiny, rectangular gaming device this morning and it’s already raised more than $50,000 in its opening day.
Ayaneo first announced its new line of portable game players back in May. The lineup included the Pocket MICRO and the Pocket DMG, a GameBoy-esque console with a left thumbstick and touchpad.
The Pocket MICRO may be smaller than the DMG but it offers some features its bigger brother doesn’t have like dual thumbsticks and a 960 x 640 borderless IPS screen. The pocket console’s frame is made from a premium CNC aluminum alloy and runs on a Helio G99 processor and 2,600mAH battery that can power up to 6 hours of play, according to the company’s website.
The Pocket MICRO is available for pre-order with “early bird prices” during the first week of the campaign. You can purchase your Pocket MICRO in one of three tiers: the 6G+128G Pocket Micro in “Magic Black” or “Soul Red” for $190, the 8GB+256GB Pocket Micro in black or red for $220 and the 8G+256GB in “Retro Grey” for $250. Shipping is $30 for each item and 400 orders will be taken for the first two tiers and 200 orders for the third tier.
The “early bird” orders also come with a special gift box that includes a coffee mug, a portable storage bag, a portable stand, tempered film for the screen, a joystick cap and a pack of Ayaneo stickers. The prices increase by $30 once the weeklong “early bird” promotion ends.
Ayaneo is known for its premium portable consoles and Steam Deck competitors, and this GameBoy Advance variant is competing with a ton of other devices that are over $100 cheaper. However, this new portable Android gaming device could feasibly create some real competition with its dual analogs that could play games from all sorts of consoles and streaming services.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ayaneos-take-on-the-game-boy-micro-is-available-to-order-starting-at-190-192714568.html?src=rss
Reddit CEO says Microsoft needs to pay to search the site
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
After striking deals with Google and OpenAI, Reddit CEO Steve Huffman is calling on Microsoft and others to pay if they want to continue scraping the site’s data.
“Without these agreements, we don’t have any say or knowledge of how our data is displayed and what it’s used for, which has put us in a position now of blocking folks who haven’t been willing to come to terms with how we’d like our data to be used or not used,” Huffman said in an interview this week. He specifically named Microsoft, Anthropic, and Perplexity for refusing to negotiate, saying it has been “a real pain in the ass to block these companies.”
Reddit has been escalating its fight against crawlers in recent months. At the beginning of July, its robots.txt file was updated to block web crawlers it doesn’t have agreements with. Then people began noticing that Reddit results were only visible in Google results — where Reddit is paid for its data to be shown — and not other search engines like Bing.
Huffman said that Microsoft has been using Reddit’s data to train its AI and summarizing its content in Bing results “without telling us,” and that Reddit’s data has also been sold through the Bing API to other search engines. In the interview, he referenced Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman’s recent comment at a conference that public data on the internet is “freeware.”
“We’ve had Microsoft, Anthropic, and Perplexity act as though all of the content on the internet is free for them to use,” Huffman said. “That’s their real position.”
In response to Reddit results recently disappearing from Bing, Microsoft’s head of search, Jordi Ribas, said on X that “Reddit has blocked Bing from crawling their site for search, favoring another search engine and impacting competition from Bing and Bing-powered engines.” Microsoft spokesperson Caitlin Roulston separately told The Verge last week that “we honor the directions provided by websites that do not want content on their pages to be used with our generative AI models.”
“The traditional value exchange from search engines has changed”
Huffman pointed to OpenAI’s recent announcement of SearchGPT, which will be able to show Reddit results thanks to a deal both companies reached earlier this year, as the model he wants to replicate. None of the content licensing deals Reddit has done to date include exclusive use cases for its data, according to spokesperson Tim Rathschmidt.
By calling for licensing deals, Reddit is joining more traditional media publishers (including The Verge’s parent company, Vox Media) in seeking payment for letting their content feed generative AI. “I think the traditional value exchange from search engines has changed,” said Huffman. “Search and summarization and training are merging, and the value exchange of crawling in exchange for traffic back is becoming muddied.”
Spokespeople for Microsoft, Anthropic, and Perplexity didn’t have comments for this story by publication time.
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
After striking deals with Google and OpenAI, Reddit CEO Steve Huffman is calling on Microsoft and others to pay if they want to continue scraping the site’s data.
“Without these agreements, we don’t have any say or knowledge of how our data is displayed and what it’s used for, which has put us in a position now of blocking folks who haven’t been willing to come to terms with how we’d like our data to be used or not used,” Huffman said in an interview this week. He specifically named Microsoft, Anthropic, and Perplexity for refusing to negotiate, saying it has been “a real pain in the ass to block these companies.”
Reddit has been escalating its fight against crawlers in recent months. At the beginning of July, its robots.txt file was updated to block web crawlers it doesn’t have agreements with. Then people began noticing that Reddit results were only visible in Google results — where Reddit is paid for its data to be shown — and not other search engines like Bing.
Huffman said that Microsoft has been using Reddit’s data to train its AI and summarizing its content in Bing results “without telling us,” and that Reddit’s data has also been sold through the Bing API to other search engines. In the interview, he referenced Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman’s recent comment at a conference that public data on the internet is “freeware.”
“We’ve had Microsoft, Anthropic, and Perplexity act as though all of the content on the internet is free for them to use,” Huffman said. “That’s their real position.”
In response to Reddit results recently disappearing from Bing, Microsoft’s head of search, Jordi Ribas, said on X that “Reddit has blocked Bing from crawling their site for search, favoring another search engine and impacting competition from Bing and Bing-powered engines.” Microsoft spokesperson Caitlin Roulston separately told The Verge last week that “we honor the directions provided by websites that do not want content on their pages to be used with our generative AI models.”
Huffman pointed to OpenAI’s recent announcement of SearchGPT, which will be able to show Reddit results thanks to a deal both companies reached earlier this year, as the model he wants to replicate. None of the content licensing deals Reddit has done to date include exclusive use cases for its data, according to spokesperson Tim Rathschmidt.
By calling for licensing deals, Reddit is joining more traditional media publishers (including The Verge’s parent company, Vox Media) in seeking payment for letting their content feed generative AI. “I think the traditional value exchange from search engines has changed,” said Huffman. “Search and summarization and training are merging, and the value exchange of crawling in exchange for traffic back is becoming muddied.”
Spokespeople for Microsoft, Anthropic, and Perplexity didn’t have comments for this story by publication time.
Electronic Arts CEO promises an ‘ambitious’ Battlefield — but it’s fallen short of its ambitions before
The next Battlefield game was again name-checked by Electronic Arts chief executive Andrew Wilson in the company’s most recent earnings… Continue reading Electronic Arts CEO promises an ‘ambitious’ Battlefield — but it’s fallen short of its ambitions before
The post Electronic Arts CEO promises an ‘ambitious’ Battlefield — but it’s fallen short of its ambitions before appeared first on ReadWrite.
The next Battlefield game was again name-checked by Electronic Arts chief executive Andrew Wilson in the company’s most recent earnings call with investors. Though he teased it as “one of the most ambitious projects in our history,” fans have heard that line before, especially before the launch of its most recent entry in the series, Battlefield 2042.
For the record, Wilson told listeners:
This is not just one of our top priorities, it is also one of the most ambitious projects in our history. We have brought together the very best team, coupled with the resources and technology they need, to deliver an epic Battlefield experience.
Rewind to 2021. Electronic Arts pulled Criterion Games off its speciality — the Need For Speed racing franchise — and put it on Battlefield supporting EA DICE. Laura Miele, EA’s studios chief said “We have a great game and some incredible potential with this game.”
That manifested with the November 2021 launch of Battlefield 2021, a multiplayer-only take on the military shooter that launched with multiple day-one bugs and other problems that kept staff in the office over holiday weekends to fix them. Intended to be a live-service game, its first season of content did not begin until June 2022.
What happened with Battlefield 2042?
Though professional critics were somewhat forgiving, fans torched it in Steam reviews, and its player count suffered badly as a result. The last season of content wrapped up in April; fan reaction ranged from indifference to feeling abandoned. Respawn Entertainment founder Vince Zampella, whose creative credits include the original Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and Apex Legends, was assigned to right Battlefield’s ship in 2022.
In May 2022, Wilson said that EA DICE was “rethinking the development process from the ground up.” In August 2023, Wilson promised investors that EA had a “reimagination” of the shooter franchise in store.
Four studios are now working on the game: EA DICE, Criterion, Motive, and Ripple Effect.
The next Battlefield does not have a title or a release date. Competitor Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 launches Oct. 25 on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
The post Electronic Arts CEO promises an ‘ambitious’ Battlefield — but it’s fallen short of its ambitions before appeared first on ReadWrite.