Final Fantasy XII looks best on PC — but you’ll need a beefy rig

With Final Fantasy XII’s launch on Steam, Square Enix has released one of its best games on the PC. The publisher has done some work to ensure this is the best-looking version of the role-playing game — especially when it comes to framerate. After rolling out Final Fantasy XII: T … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

Nintendo’s Miyamoto explains how Illumination won Mario movie rights

As part of the Question and Answer section of Nintendo’s investor call following its fiscal results briefing on February 1, someone asked Shigeru Miyamoto about his involvement with the recently announced Super Mario Bros. movie. Miyamoto, one of gaming’s legendary designers, cre … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

Nebraska considers blockchain and cryptocurrency legislation

Four pieces of legislation concerning blockchain technology have been introduced in the Nebraska legislature already this year, three of which were debated in committee this week. Proponents of these bills say they will help to protect consumers while making Nebraska a national l … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

Uber reaches settlement with Alphabet’s Waymo over alleged theft of trade secrets

Uber has announced that it’s reached a settlement with Alphabet’s autonomous car division Waymo. The news comes four days into a trial brought about by Waymo, after it alleged that former employees, including Anthony Levandowski, had stolen confidential information to use in a ne … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

The DeanBeat: Vainglory and mobile esports grow up with 5v5 MOBA action

Riley “DNZio” Haghian hopes to make a living playing Vainglory. He brought home more than $20,000 in a recent world championship tournament, and he is ranked No. 1 in North America. And he is only 14. Haghian’s budding career in mobile esports is the tip of the spear for the hope … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

Monster Hunter: World ships 6 million games faster than any other Capcom game

Monster Hunter: World is Capcom’s fastest hit in the publisher’s history, the studio announced on its Japanese site as IGN reported. The multiplayer action role-playing game has already shipped 6 million copies since launching for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on January 6. It reach … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

Steve Case’s Rise of the Rest adds Google exec Mary Grove as a partner

Rise of the Rest, a U.S. startup initiative pioneered by AOL cofounder Steve Case, announced today that it has hired Google for Entrepreneurs director Mary Grove as a partner. “Mary’s role in founding and managing Google for Entrepreneurs makes her an ideal and timely addition to … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

Apple adds live news videos and Winter Olympics coverage to iOS and Apple TV apps

Coinciding with the start of the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea, Apple has added live news videos to its TV apps for iOS and Apple TV, as well as a dedicated PyeongChang 2018 section of its News app for iOS. In the United States, the additions provide easy … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

VLC 3.0 arrives for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Android TV, Apple TV, and Chrome OS

VideoLAN today launched version 3.0 of its media player across all major desktop and mobile platforms: Windows (ARM, x86, x64), macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Android TV, Apple TV, and Chrome OS. The world’s most used media player that plays everything just got even better. You can … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

Getty Images and Google declare a truce with new image licensing partnership

Almost two years after filing an antitrust lawsuit against Google, Getty Images announced today that it has signed a licensing deal with the Silicon Valley giant. The release issued by Getty doesn’t offer much detail on the deal, nor does it address whether Getty has dropped its … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

Amazon will reportedly launch delivery service to compete with UPS and FedEx

Demonstrating its boundless ecommerce ambition, Amazon is reportedly set to begin delivering orders from business partners directly to customers. This new third-party delivery service will be called “Shipping with Amazon,” according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. The pro … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

Salesforce to invest $2 billion in Canada business as U.S. tech firms head north

(Reuters) – U.S. business software developer Salesforce.com will pump $2 billion into its Canadian business over the next five years, it said on Thursday, the latest major U.S. technology investment across the border since early 2017. Toronto is a hub for artificial intelligence … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

PlayStation Network is down yet again

You may have trouble getting online with your PlayStation device this evening as Sony’s online gaming service is down once again. Players around the world are complaining on social media about the outage, but Sony has not confirmed any issues on its PSN Status site. This PSN down … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

Civilization VI: Rise and Fall review — loyalty has a price

REVIEW: My new favorite aspect of Civilization is watching my empire’s symbol flash under a city as it prepares to transfer its Loyalty from its leader to me. I’m playing Proudmaker, the leader of the Cree, one of the great Native American peoples. Renown traders, I’ve built my e … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

The NYT is boarding the AR train — here’s what that means for storytelling

GUEST: The New York Times has just announced it would begin incorporating augmented reality in its journalism. The Times prominently featured the announcement on its website’s front page, speaking to the publisher’s commitment to offer its readers and subscribers the highest qual … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

Destiny 2 is Activision’s biggest PC launch ever

Though Destiny 2 was dethroned as the best-selling game of 2017 by fellow Activision release Call of Duty: WWII, it still set records when it rolled out to PCs a month after its console launch. The publisher noted in its Q4 of fiscal year 2017 earnings report today that Destiny 2 … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

Nvidia: Cryptocurrency mining boosted Q4 revenues

Nvidia chief financial officer Colette Kress acknowledged that cryptocurrency mining contributed to the solid sales of graphics processing units (GPUs) during the company’s fourth fiscal quarter ended January 31. “[It is] difficult to quantify, but cryptocurrency accounted for a … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

3 of the creepiest things about ‘deepfake’ video

GUEST: Fraudsters typically line their pockets by forging our signatures, cloning our credit cards, and stealing our personal identities. Yet we’d like to think that folks who know us personally would catch these counterfeiters if they brazenly claimed to be us in public. After a … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

Nvidia rides games and AI chip sales to $2.91 billion Q4 revenue

Nvidia used to be synonymous with graphics chips for game machines. But now it is using those same chips to drive artificial intelligence calculations, and that is taking the company into new markets from servers to self-driving cars. For the fourth fiscal quarter ended January 3 … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

Twitch launches new zero-tolerance policy for hateful content, issues new streamer guidelines

Twitch has revised its guidelines to take a stronger stance against harassment, hate, and sexually suggestive content. In a blog post, Amazon’s livestreaming video site detailed how these changes will work, and how it is trying to serve the community with these new rules. “We wan … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

The 10 biggest 5G details we learned at Qualcomm

ANALYSIS: As Qualcomm’s second annual 5G Day progressed yesterday, I officially went from “cautiously optimistic” about next-generation 5G cellular technology to “genuinely excited.” Qualcomm offered enough specific technical details and demo results to make the abstract idea of … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

How startups are changing their approach to distributed teams as big tech looks outside the Valley

FEATURE: When ClassPass was looking to open a third office outside of its New York and San Francisco locations, it decided on Missoula, Montana — a location that doesn’t usually top the lists of the best cities for tech startups. “We wanted to choose a place where big tech compan … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

Pinterest: Lens sees 600 million visual searches every month

Pinterest shared insights into its Lens visual search tool today, one year after the social media platform launched the tool in beta for its Android and iOS apps. Lens is now used to complete 600 million visual searches every month, with people twice as likely to use Lens today c … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

Chrome will start marking all HTTP sites as not secure in July

Google today announced the third step in its browser’s war on HTTP sites. Starting in July 2018, Chrome will mark all HTTP as not secure right in its address bar. HTTPS is a more secure version of the HTTP protocol used on the internet to connect users to websites. Secure connect … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

Microsoft schedules Build 2018 developer conference for May 7-9 in Seattle

Last year, Microsoft moved its Build developer conference from San Francisco to Seattle. The company has apparently deemed the decision a success as Build 2018 will indeed stay in the company’s home state of Washington, scheduled from May 7 to May 9, 2018. Registration opens on F … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

Apple DMCA request confirms source code leak of iBoot, iOS’ key initial security app

The source code for Apple’s iBoot, the little-known but critically important secure bootloader for iOS, leaked online yesterday. Apple this morning confirmed the leak by filing a DMCA copyright takedown request with the code’s host, GitHub. Though the publication of iBoot was ent … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

Tech workers favor Seattle, Austin for relocation

Many cities in America’s heartland hope that their lower cost of living is enough of a siren call to lure tech workers out of the Bay Area. But, a new survey from job seeking platform Hired shows that tech workers aren’t willing to take a chance on just any city with a low cost o … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

LinkedIn open-sources Dynamometer for Hadoop performance testing at scale

LinkedIn today released an open source project called Dynamometer to help businesses stress-test large-scale Hadoop big data processing systems without using a massive amount of infrastructure. The tool is designed to prevent an issue that the enterprise social network encountere … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

Bridge Constructor Portal is warping to consoles

Headup Games announced today that Bridge Constructor Portal is coming to Xbox One and Switch on February 28. A PlayStation 4 version will follow on March 1. Bridge Constructor Portal is crossover between the the bridge-building series and Valve’s first-person puzzle franchise. Br … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

Jack Dorsey finally made Twitter profitable by curing its addiction to stock-based compensation

Since going public almost four years ago, Twitter has been bleeding red ink. That has been due, in large measure, to its profligate awarding of stock options to employees. Yes, every Silicon Valley company, public or not, does it. Stock options seem magical because they’re like f … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

Twitter’s first quarterly profit sends shares soaring more than 20%, but monthly users remain flat

Twitter posted its Q4 2017 numbers today, and the company reported its first ever quarterly profit as a public company. The San Francisco-based tech firm announced a GAAP net income of $91 million, which compares favorably to the net loss of $167 million on the same period last y … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

Google to open second Japanese Cloud Platform region in Osaka in 2019

Google has revealed that it’s building a second Google Cloud Platform (GCP) region in Japan. The new region, which will be based in Osaka, is scheduled to open in 2019, and follows the company’s first Japanese region which opened in Tokyo in late 2016. “It will make it easier for … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

PrecisionHawk acquires Droners and AirVid to create a massive network of licensed drone pilots

PrecisionHawk has announced a duo of acquisitions as the commercial drone company looks to build the biggest network of commercially licensed drone pilots in the U.S. Founded out of Raleigh, North Carolina in 2010, PrecisionHawk supplies drones, software, and services for compani … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

Microsoft releases new Windows 10 preview with gaming, privacy, graphics, Eye Control, and Bluetooth improvements

Microsoft today released a new Windows 10 preview for PCs with gaming, privacy, graphics, Eye Control, security, Bluetooth, Edge, and input improvements. This build is part of the RS4 branch, which represents the next Windows 10 update the company has yet to announce (but is like … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

Heartland Tech Weekly: What makes a city attractive for tech workers

This week on the Heartland Tech channel, we published an essay from Josh Driver, the founder of an Indiana software startup and a member of the LGBTQ community, on how his state can create a more welcoming environment for businesses. There’s a few sentences I’d like to highlight … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

Dandara’s mobile approach works, and I can’t stop playing it

We have no shortage of beautiful pixel-art games on PC and consoles, and you can add Dandara to that list. This Metroid-style adventure from developer Long Hat House is alluring with a stylish hero and retro-Brazilian color scheme. But while I tried it because of its looks, I kee … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

Did Valve gank the rights to DotA from its creators? Well … it’s complicated

GUEST: The success of a video game franchise is often defined by the community of players that coalesce around the franchise’s games. These players aren’t just customers or simple fans; they provide valuable advertising on social media and content streaming platforms, and they of … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

6 jobs that could see an uptick in demand with the rise of AI

GUEST: While fears abound that AI automation will lead to big staff cuts in industries around the world, technology will bring forth a plethora of new jobs and services. Similar to the onslaught of positions created by social media, digital publishing, and ecommerce, the AI revol … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

Kerbal Space Program gets Making History expansion next month

Take-Two’s Private Division publishing label revealed today that it has a new Kerbal Space Program add-on in the works. The Making History Expansion will (ahem) launch for the PC version March 13. It introduces a number of features including a mission editor and a mission pack in … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

Dragon City and Monster Legends show Take-Two’s strategy works on mobile, too

Take-Two Interactive’s big earners are blockbusters like Rockstar Games’s Grand Theft Auto V and NBA 2K18, but it’s also making inroads with the free-to-play mobile market. In an earnings report for Q3 of fiscal year 2018, it pointed today to social games Dragon City and Monster … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

Understanding chatbot marketing in the ever-changing world of Facebook

GUEST: When Mark Zuckerberg speaks, digital entrepreneurs and marketers listen very carefully. It’s no surprise, then, that when he announced a major change in the Facebook News Feed algorithm during the company’s January earnings presentation, the world of social media immediate … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

Grand Theft Auto V is still Take-Two’s biggest hit with 90 million copies sold

One of the biggest games of the decade has hit another milestone. Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto V has sped past 90 million copies sold-in to retailers and sold-through digitally worldwide. The 2013 open-world crime game has had “unparalleled longevity,” according to publisher Take- … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

Octogeddon: How Plants vs. Zombies creator spent four years on zany octopus game

George Fan, the co-creator of the phenomenal 2009 hit Plants vs Zombies, is back with a crazy and fun new game called Octogeddon from his new indie studio, All Yes Good. I’ve played it, and I suspect it’s going to be a big deal. Octogeddon is an arcade-style action game where a g … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

AfterNow Prez Lets You Create Impactful and Memorable AR Presentations Using the HoloLens

PRESS RELEASE: AfterNow Prez is a new presentation tool created using cutting-edge mixed reality technologies that allows anyone to create immersive and compelling presentations that are memorable. It's perfect for sales demos, impactful marketing... | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

Google is reportedly building a game-streaming subscription service

Google could be taking the plunge into subscription video games with a new project, codenamed Yeti. The subscription-based streaming service will potentially run on Chromecast or a new console that the company may be working on, according to an article on The Information. The new … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

Survios dashes ahead with Sprint Vector despite VR slowdown

Survios isn’t slowing down because the virtual reality market has been slow to take off. Instead, the company is running full speed ahead with the impending launch of its latest VR game Sprint Vector, a “get off the couch” game where you get exercise by waving your arms as you ra … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

How a population boom is fueling Charleston’s tech scene

GUEST: One of the fastest-growing regions in the U.S., Charleston, South Carolina is now the No. 1 mid-sized metro for millennials, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. As of 2016, the metro area was growing at three times the rate of the U.S. population. Often among t … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

Google Drive now lets you comment and collaborate on Microsoft Office files, PDFs, and images

Yesterday, Microsoft announced plans to attract new OneDrive customers through a special “free-switch” offer aimed at rival cloud storage services from the likes of Google. Today, Google revealed it was turbo-charging Google Drive to include a bunch of new features designed to ap … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago