Author: News Room
Ask most players why they subscribe to Xbox Game Pass, and they’ll probably mention day-one Xbox exclusives. But developers have long viewed the service differently. For many indie studios, a Game Pass deal wasn’t just extra exposure — it was financial security before launch. Landing a Game Pass deal often meant guaranteed revenue before a game even launched, reducing the financial gamble of releasing an indie title into an increasingly crowded market. Now, that safety net may not be as dependable as it once was. A pause no one saw coming Speaking on The Business of Video Game Podcast, publishing executive…
If you have ever scrambled for the remote because a commercial is suddenly blasting twice as loud as the show you were watching, relief is on the way. Starting July 1, California is making it illegal for streaming platforms to run ads louder than the content they interrupt. Governor Gavin Newsom signed the bill, known as SB 576, back in October 2025, and it finally takes effect this week. Why does this law exist, and what does it actually change? Broadcast, cable, and satellite TV providers have followed similar volume rules since 2010 under the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation (CALM)…
Oasis version 2.2 gives the free soundscape app a more useful place in daily routines. The iPhone update adds ready-made soundscapes, new audio options, and quicker ways to return to a setup when you’re trying to focus, fall asleep, meditate, or cool down. The biggest change is a new library of 16 presets built around calm, meditation, focus, and energy. Oasis also adds more than 10 sounds, a mini player, session memory, background mixed audio, interface updates, bug fixes, performance improvements, and accessibility tweaks. It’s still free, and the App Store listing says the developer doesn’t collect data from the…
We have all had an Instagram feed go off track. A random Reel catches your attention for a moment, and before long, the app starts serving up the same kind of content again and again. Instagram already has a way to fix some of that through Your Algorithm, a feature that lets users adjust the topics shaping their recommendations. Now, the company wants to make that tool easier to reach while people are actually using the app. Instagram head Adam Mosseri has previewed new shortcut-like features that could bring Your Algorithm closer to the main feed and Reels. The changes…
Apple’s Mac Studio may not be getting a fresh new look anytime soon, but it could be getting a meaningful upgrade where it matters most. According to Mark Gurman in the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, Apple is preparing an M5 Ultra-powered Mac Studio as early as this year, while an even more powerful M7 Ultra version is already on the company’s roadmap for 2028. Interestingly, the report also claims Apple is redesigning one component most users will never see: the heat sink. More power is coming, and Apple wants to keep it cool Gurman reports that the…
Screens have become the digital pacifier for many babies. Phones and tablets are used during feeding, bedtime, chores, and moments when parents need a break. A major new study now warns that regular screen use before age two may carry developmental risks. Researchers from four UK universities say babies and toddlers under two should avoid regular intentional screen time. The review links higher screen exposure in the first two years with sleep problems, language delays, behavioural difficulties, obesity risk, short-sightedness, and later problems with friendships and social interactions. The risks start early The study, commissioned by the 1001 Critical Days…
If you were hoping the memory crisis was about to ease up, I have some bad news for you. It comes directly from Wall Street. Your next smartphone, laptop, or tablet could cost even more, regardless of whether it has recently been subject to a price hike. So how bad is it actually going to get? Investment bank Jefferies has laid out the clearest and ugliest forecast yet. Memory prices are expected to jump by 40-50% in the third quarter of 2026 compared with the current quarter. While it would have been great if they had stopped there, prices could…
YouTuber Matthew Trahan has made a career out of 3D printing increasingly unusual things. He has printed musical instruments, bedroom furniture, and, in one particularly memorable video, himself. His latest project is a full outfit, from shirt to shoes, belt to glasses, because apparently nobody told him 3D printers are for creating engineering prototypes or structures that aren’t otherwise feasible, not for fashion week. So how did it actually go, and what did it cost? Trahan’s checklist for his latest video included ten items: a shirt, shorts, shoes, socks, a belt, a hat, a wallet, a bag, a tie, and…
Forgetting the recovery phrase to a crypto wallet can be stressful enough. Unfortunately, that’s exactly the moment scammers are waiting for. A new warning highlights a growing scam in which cybercriminals disguise malware as cryptocurrency recovery software, tricking desperate users into handing over far more than just access to their wallets. The fake recovery tool that’s actually malware According to The Guardian, the scam begins when users search online for a way to recover a forgotten 12- or 24-word seed phrase, the recovery key that unlocks a cryptocurrency wallet. Fake websites then promote seemingly legitimate recovery tools with reassuring names…
Artificial intelligence chatbots have become incredibly good at sounding human. But according to a new report by The Wall Street Journal, that realism can sometimes come with unintended psychological consequences. Researchers say three common chatbot behaviors, sycophancy, linguistic alignment, and hyperpersonalization, can combine to reinforce distorted thinking in vulnerable users, creating what they describe as an “amplification spiral.” Researchers say these are the three warning signs The first behavior is sycophancy, where a chatbot tends to agree with users instead of challenging questionable assumptions. The second is linguistic alignment, meaning the AI gradually mirrors a user’s vocabulary, tone, and writing…