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There are some things you just dont do in certain parts of the US. You dont use inferior salsa during a cattle drive in Texas. You dont eat pizza with a knife and fork in New York City. You dont yell Belichick is a big, fat cheater! in a crowded Boston bar (even if it happens to be true). And if youre in New Jersey or just America in general, you NEVER take the holy name of Bruce Springsteen in vain in ANY manner. So its bewildering why one New Jersey representative would even think about faking his listening habits when it comes to The Boss. 9to5Mac spotted a curious looking post on X from US Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ). The congressman shared what appeared to be his Spotify Wrapped playlist for the year, with one list consisting of Springsteens classic tracks like Glory Days and Thunder Road and the other filled with tracks from various hip hop stars. He tried to cement his esteem for Springsteen in his post by saying his first ever concert was at Meadowlands to see The Boss! Well, it didnt take long for the internet and anyone whos ever used Spotify to figure out that he faked the whole list just to kiss up to his constituents. Yikes pic.twitter.com/bTEkSodA9u Sebastian (@SebastianRios68) December 9, 2024 Gottheimers list included such glaring mistakes as inconsistent font sizes, improper spacing between the albums on his lists and the fact that both lists were titled Your top songs even though one only had Springsteen albums. He didnt even use the same font type or size for all of his track and album entries. So how did Gottheimer handle this musical faux pas with the press? He dug in his heels on his Springsteen tracks and blamed his two kids for the rest. He admitted to NJ Advance Media that he made a fake Spotify Wrapped list but says the tracks on each list are accurate because he shares an account with his children because thats easier than going back in time and setting up a family plan. This would be my Spotify Wrapped if I didnt share my account with my 12 and 15-year old kids, Gottheimer told the outlet. While its Springsteen all day for me dont get me wrong, I still love listening to Taylor Swift! Gottheimer has since taken the post down and replaced it with a list of his most listened to Springsteen tracks. Hes trying to save face because hes in a heated race for governor and if you want a solid shot at moving into New Jerseys governor mansion, then you need to make your love for The Boss known far and wide across the Garden State. If Gottheimer is also going for the Dad who makes his kids cringe at their music choices vote, then hes a lock.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/a-us-congressman-tried-and-failed-to-fake-his-spotify-wrapped-for-political-gain-205516508.html?src=rss
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Marketing and Advertising
The Xbox Series X was the perfect opportunity for Microsoft to run far away from its tumultuous Xbox One years and towards an era of genuine 4K gaming, ray tracing and Game Pass abundance. But it was not meant to be. The PlayStation 5 has outsold Microsoft's new consoles by two to one, according to a VGChartz sales comparison, a replay of the battle between the PS4 and Xbox One. Now, Microsoft simply seems to be running down the clock of this console generation. When I initially reviewed the Xbox Series X, I found it to be a powerful console that surpassed the PlayStation 5 in some ways. But it was clear that Microsoft had a major problem at launch: Games. Four years later, not much has changed, despite spending nearly $69 billion acquiring Activision Blizzard. While Sony and Nintendo consistently delivered exclusive system-selling games even on the aging Switch! Microsoft has stumbled. It's no wonder Microsoft wants to call so many other devices Xboxes. If you look too hard at its flagship console, you can't help but be disappointed. Should you buy an Xbox Series X? Normally, I'd tackle the question of buying a device towards the end of a review, but this is a re-review so it's worth asking up front: Who is the Xbox Series X for? It's been around for four years, and, aside from the $450 version without a disc drive, there haven't been any major hardware changes. Beyond the Xbox faithful, I'd wager most gamers would be better off putting $500 towards anything else. For anyone dipping their toes into modern console gaming for the first time a parent grabbing something for their kid, or a former gamer trying to reclaim their hobby it makes more sense to go for a PlayStation 5 instead of the Xbox Series X. Sony's console has a wider array of noteworthy exclusives, more innovative haptics with its DualSense controller and its digital edition is typically cheaper than the disc-less Series X. Of course, if you're a Halo fan the Xbox Series X is pretty much your only choice for a premium console (though the $300 Series S is a solid option for secondary TVs, especially when it's on sale). Microsoft also released a special $600 2TB "Galaxy Black" model this year, but I'm still half-convinced that's some sort of sick Tim Robinson-esque joke. It has to be when the more powerful and desirable PlayStation 5 Pro is only $100 more, right? Hardware: The pinnacle of 2020 The Xbox Series X is still powered by an 8-core AMD Zen 2 CPU and an RDNA 2 GPU, similar to what's inside the PlayStation 5. It also has 16GB of GDDR6 RAM, 10GB of which runs at a higher bandwidth than the PS5's memory. The Series X's larger GPU gave it a slight edge over Sony's console early on, but in practice that didn't amount to much. Occasionally some third-party titles would run a bit more smoothly on the Xbox, but both consoles still had trouble balancing the demands of visual fidelity and performance. Instead of being the generation of no-compromise consoles, the Xbox Series X and PS5 frequently forced gamers to choose between playing games with ray tracing and graphical upgrades at 30fps, or forgoing them to reach a smooth PC-like 60fps. That's the main reason Sony threw a more powerful GPU into the PlayStation 5 Pro the standard PS5 hardware just couldn't cut it. The Xbox sales slump made it clear why Microsoft didn't try to compete with its own mid-cycle refresh, but it's still sad to see the company shy away from any sort of innovation, like the leaked hardware that never arrived. The redesigned 2TB all-digital "Brooklin" Series X would have been a useful replacement for the base model. It also would have included a revamped controller, codenamed "Sebile," with improved haptics (likely similar to Sony's DualSense) and a direct cloud connection for playing streamed games. Microsoft even floated the idea of bringing 1TB of storage to the $300 Series S. Instead of those functional upgrades, though, we got a slightly cheaper all-digital $450 Series X, that overpriced 2TB model nobody will buy and a $350 1TB version of the Series S. Those prices are all at least $50 too high if Microsoft genuinely wanted to move consoles. I'd argue the company would benefit from going even cheaper to undercut Sony, but that would also dig into the company's already slim profit margin. I'm sure Microsoft isn't eager to lose more money on Xbox. In use: A good enough console Even with its aging hardware, the Xbox Series X can still make modern games look great. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, for example, looks solid on the Series X, with smooth 60fps gameplay and ray tracing features. While it's running at around 1800p instead of 4K, it's still pretty sharp on both my 4K OLED and 4K Formovie ultra short throw projector. Sure, the game performs noticeably better on my RTX 4090-powered PC, but I can't easily play that in my home theater. (According to Digital Foundry, even the Xbox Series S can run The Great Circle at 60fps, albeit at just 1080p with variable-rate shading.) It's still disappointing that Microsoft stuck with its classic Xbox controller design for the Series X, though. When I reviewed the PlayStation 5, its DualSense haptics felt transformative. It made playing Astro Bot or Returnal feel unlike any console gaming experience I had before. Controller-wise, playing anything on the Xbox Series X doesn't feel much different from the Xbox One or even the Xbox 360. Microsoft poured all of its innovation experience into delivering a slightly faster machine than the PS5, but it turns out that didn't matter much in the long run. In addition to having more noteworthy games, Sony's console feels like a genuine upgrade from the PlayStation 4. The PlayStation VR 2, flawed as it was, alsodemonstrated that Sony wasn't afraid to take some risks this generation. Where are the exclusive games? After striking out with middling exclusives like Redfall and Starfield, the new Indiana Jones game is a rare feather in Microsoft's dusty fedora. But even that advantage will disappear eventually the company already plans to bring it to the PlayStation 5 next spring, alongside other former Xbox exclusives like Hi-Fi Rush and Sea of Thieves. Given the sheer amount of development talent at Microsoft from its many acquisitions (and despite an obscene number of layoffs), the company has now become one of the most important publishers in the gaming world. But owning a popular multi-platform series like Call of Duty hasn't translated directly into Xbox sales. Beyond exclusives, Microsoft's Game Pass subscription is the strongest argument for owning an Xbox. But even that has gone through its own form of enshittification this year. The company increased the monthly price of the "Ultimate" plan to $20, which includes day-one access to new titles and a large library of games for Xbox and PC. The new $15 a month "Standard" plan doesn't get day-one access, but does include a library of hundreds of games, while the $10 a month "Core" option offers a limited library of 25 titles alongside multiplayer support. The Game Pass Ultimate plan also feels less, well, ultimate these days thanks to opportunistic early-access pricing for new titles. For example, subscribers could have paid an additional $35 for the "Digital Premium" edition of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle to play it three days early. That timing included the weekend before the game's December 9 launch, so I'm sure many impatient Game Pass subscribers upgraded just to clock some uninterrupted playtime. It feels like a backhanded way for Microsoft to treat its most loyal players, despite not being overtly evil. Sony's competing PlayStation Plus subscription isn't as robust as Game Pass (there aren't any launch day titles), but it still offers a large array of older games and cloud streaming support. While I wasn't a huge fan of the PlayStation Portal handheld initially, it's certainly a compelling accessory for PS Plus customers now that it can access cloud titles. Oddly enough, Microsoft hasn't promoted Game Pass cloud streaming much over the past few years. It recently started testing the ability to stream a handful of games that you own, outside of the Game Pass library, yet that's also a feature that should have been implemented years ago. The cringey "This is an Xbox" marketing campaign is a rare attempt at making mainstream players aware of Xbox cloud streaming, but even that feels like it's coming way too late. Aaron Souppouris/Engadget Where does Microsoft go next? It's not as if Microsoft has an empty gaming plate ahead. The company showed off a bit of its Perfect Dark and Fable reboots this summer, alongside a tease of a new Gears of War. We just saw a trailer for The Outer Worlds 2 at The Game Awards, the Dishonored fan in me is hyped for Arkane Lyon's Blade, and I'm eager to learn more about Hideo Kojima's OD. But all of those games will likely be available on Windows PCs, and many will also head to other consoles. There's no doubt 2025 is going to be a busy year for Xbox it's just a shame that it likely won't help Microsoft catch up to the PS5's sales lead. But who cares, right? Everything can be an Xbox if you believe hard enough (or have a browser to access Game Pass cloud streaming). Back in February, when Microsoft confirmed it would be bringing Xbox titles to other consoles, Engadget Executive Editor Aaron Souppouris argued that the company should exit the console business entirely. While that makes a certain amount of sense for Microsoft, a software company that has often struggled with hardware outside of the Xbox 360 (and even that had its issues), I'm not convinced the company needs to go that far. For one, it would leave Sony and Nintendo as the only remaining console makers. Sony would also effectively have a monopoly on powerful console hardware and graphically intense games, at least based on what we're hearing about the Switch 2. Less competition potentially also means less innovation down the line Sony could easily coast if it was the only powerful console maker around. Aaron Souppouris/Egadget Much like it did with the original Xbox, Microsoft could potentially cut its losses and try to jump-start the next console generation earlier than Sony. If Microsoft could produce hardware that's more powerful than a PS5 Pro and deliver it at a relatively affordable price, it has a chance at peeling away Sony loyalists. That's particularly true if it can ensure desirable exclusives are actually available for launch. Microsoft should also work towards making its recent Xbox marketing campaign more of a reality, instead of placing its bets mostly on expensive consoles. Make cloud streaming faster, sharper and easier to access. Make people aware that they can game on their phones, tablets and just about any computer. Revive the streaming dongle accessory and make it cheap so you can turn any TV into an Xbox, and also keep working on bringing Game Pass apps to all TVs. Hell, produce that genuine Xbox portable system and make sure Windows is better optimized for third-party portables. You should be able to spin up your Xbox games from practically wherever youre sitting, no matter the device in front of you. (And while I'm on this soap box, why not let people turn the Xbox Series X and S into Windows PCs? These systems are all basically PCs already, and they would make lovely mini desktops or servers down the line.) The console wars of the future wont be fought like those of the past. Microsoft should plan accordingly. Aaron Souppouris/Engadget Wrap-up If you already have an Xbox Series X, or find one obscenely cheap somewhere, its still a solid way to play Microsofts titles, popular third-party games and everything Microsoft has available on Game Pass. But if you had to choose between buying the Series X or PlayStation 5, its hard to deny that Sonys console is a smarter purchase. Perhaps the next console generation could be an Xbox 360-esque revival for Microsoft, but the company needs to look closely at what Sony and Nintendo are doing right. And really, it just comes down to having more games people want to play. Now that its flush with so many notable developers, Microsoft may finally be able to solve that problem. Theres no doubt that staying in the console business would be risky and expensive, but if theres one company that can justify sticking around, its the one printing money from the cloud.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/xbox-series-x-review-2024-unfulfilled-potential-203025192.html?src=rss
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Marketing and Advertising
Airbnb has announced its deploying anti-party technology to prevent unauthorized and disruptive parties from happening at homes on its platform for New Years Eve. If you were planning on hosting a get-together, start thinking of a Plan B. The company says its using machine learning to identify and block high-risk, whole-home bookings in advance based on a variety of criteria. Airbnbs assessment takes into account things like the length of a trip, how far a listing is from your current location, and when youre trying to book to weed out potentially disruptive parties. If youre booking a two-night stay a week before New Years Eve, youre likely to tingle Airbnbs anti-party senses. The company will either block your reservation entirely or direct you to different accommodations. Party detection technology will be used in countries and regions globally, according to Airbnb. If youre trying to book an entire home in the US, Puerto Rico, Canada, the UK, France, Spain, Australia and New Zealand, youll also have to be willing to stay for more than three days and agree to a mandatory anti-party attestation to be allowed to book. Airbnbs transformation into the party police has been happening for a few years at this point. The company claims that it blocked 74,000 people globally from booking an entire home listing for a party in 2023. Its also deployed its machine learning tech to weed out unauthorized events before. Airbnbs stricter stance towards events started in earnest during 2019, when it banned party houses after five people died in a shooting at an Airbnb listing. Airbnb banned all parties outright in 2020, and the company now offers hosts multiple tools for tamping down noise complaints, including a free sensor that can be placed in homes to detect noises over a certain volume.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/airbnb-is-deploying-anti-party-technology-to-ruin-your-nye-party-193356056.html?src=rss
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Marketing and Advertising
Staff at another video game studio have organized their own union. The Communication Workers of America (CWA) announced late Thursday in a statement that 461 workers for ZeniMax Online Studios (ZOS), the Maryland-based studio behind The Elder Scrolls Online, voted to form the ZOS United-CWA union covering web developers, designers, engineers and graphics artists by a vote of 395-40. The new union will allow ZeniMax staffers to collectively push for real improvements in the workplace and provide job security amid record layoffs, protections against AI, better pay and benefits, according to a statement released by the CWA. Im excited to finally see workers have a say in the workplace, encounter designer and ZOS United-CWA member Billy Eichner said in the statement. We already work together to make great games. Why not work together to make a great workplace? This isnt the first time that a group of ZeniMax workers have formed a union. Quality assurance testers at ZeniMax unionized in January of 2023, making it the largest union in the game industry at the time. Workers at other major game studios have followed the lead of QA workers at ZeniMax by forming their own unions. Sega of America workers unionized last March. More than 500 staffers who work on Blizzards World of Warcraft voted to form their union over the summer. Workers at Bethesda Game Studios, the developer behind Starfield, The Elder Scrolls and Fallout games, also voted to create a union in July.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/zenimax-online-studios-workers-form-their-own-union-190055555.html?src=rss
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Marketing and Advertising
Microsoft has cut two of Skypes central premium features: credit and custom phone numbers. Instead of credits, the company is now pushing subscriptions priced regionally and globally, depending on your needs. As for using a phone number other than your cells, theres no longer an alternative on the platform. The first wind of the change came from a volunteer moderator replying in Microsofts Skype forums to a user who wanted to know why they couldnt buy new credits. We have just received new information from Microsoft, said Skype moderator Ruwim. B, who rocked a sweet Yoda profile pic. Skype has stopped purchase of Skype Credit for all users. The only option available now are monthly calling subscriptions. When another user chimed in to ask for confirmation that this meant there was no way on the entire platform to send SMS messages once youre out of credits, the moderator wrote, Unless they decide to add an ongoing SMS texting subscription, you will no longer be able to send outbound SMS texts from Skype. Screenshot by Will Shanklin for Engadget Microsoft confirmed the changes in a statement to TechCrunch, saying the company continuously evaluate(s) product strategy based on customer usage and needs. The spokesperson clarified that existing Skype numbers will still work and existing credit can still be used, but once youre out of credits, thats it. You can now only buy a subscription instead of credits, and youll have to seek out other platforms offering a virtual phone number you can answer over VoIP. Skype-to-Skype calls have always been free on the platform and still are. If thats all you use the service for, nothing should change. When calling out to landlines or supported mobile numbers (with remaining credits or a subscription), you can still use the services Caller ID feature, which displays your real cell number to the receiving party. So, axing Skype Number only affects you if you want to call or message non-Skype lines or if you want to display a custom number (like one with an area code local to the country youre calling) when doing so. The product sits alongside Google Voice as a service that once seemed primed to take on the new mobile world but instead settled into niche status. As alternatives like Zoom, FaceTime and WhatsApp rose to capture the bulk of the pandemic-era demand for internet calling and messaging, the Microsoft-owned Skype played second fiddle even within the company. Microsoft invested a lot more in promoting its preferred calling platform, Teams. You may have noticed that Microsoft doesnt advertise Skype as it did in the first few years after buying the company for $8.5 billion in 2011. It no longer makes a habit of touting Skypes user base in earnings calls (or anywhere else). As TechCrunch notes, the last mention was in a blog post from last year that said, More than 36 million people use Skype daily to connect through phone calls and chats across borders and around the world. It isnt clear whether those numbers are still current, and we also dont know how many relied on the premium features that have gone away. Regardless, we can assume theres still a healthy chunk of folks around the world relying on the platforms paid features to at least some degree. Those using anything but free Skype-to-Skype calls are now left to weigh a subscriptions cost or shop around.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/skype-phases-out-credits-and-phone-numbers-182520063.html?src=rss
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Marketing and Advertising
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