DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Investor warns it's 'looking a lot like the tech bubble' and names 3 cheap stocks to buy outside it
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Weizhen Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The S & P 500 is "supported" by just seven mega-cap tech stocks right now — and it's starting to look a lot like the 1990s tech bubble, one analyst told CNBC on Wednesday. "The S & P 500 [is being] supported by a few expensive mega cap techs," said Eric Lynch, managing director of Scharf Investments. Seven companies — Apple , Microsoft , Nvidia , Meta , Tesla , Amazon and Alphabet — account for 95% of the S & P 500's total return in the first quarter, he noted. "To us this looks a lot like the tech bubble in 1990s when tech gave the world massive outperformance over value, over mid cap small caps, international stocks," he told CNBC's " Street Signs Asia. " Stock picks Lynch named three stocks he said are cheap right now.

☆ Microsoft Has Game With or Without Activision
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Dan Gallagher | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Microsoft’s $75 billion deal to buy Activision was rejected by the U.K.’s antitrust watchdog. Photo: pau barrena/Agence France-Presse/Getty ImagesMicrosoft will be just fine without Activision Blizzard , though its cloud gaming ambitions might not be. The U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority rejected Microsoft’s $75 billion deal to buy Activision on Wednesday morning. The agency, which is the country’s main antitrust watchdog, ruled that the deal would ultimately harm the nascent market for cloud-based videogame services by giving the owner of the Xbox platform control over Activision’s popular game franchises such as “Call of Duty.” In its statement, the CMA said Microsoft “would find it commercially beneficial to make Activision’s games exclusive to its own cloud gaming service,” thus stifling future competition.

☆ Cloud, not consoles, blocks Microsoft's Activision view in UK
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Paul Sandle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON, April 26 (Reuters) - For all the thunder about Xbox versus PlayStation, it was the nascent cloud market that led to Britain's surprise decision to block Microsoft's record Activision Blizzard (ATVI.O) takeover. That only answered the CMA's console concerns, leaving cloud gaming as the only remaining - and apparently lower - hurdle. Defining cloud gaming is not simple. The CMA disagreed, saying that cloud was the most rapidly growing sector in gaming, while consoles were a mature market. It said Microsoft already accounted for 60-70% of global cloud gaming services and had other trump cards: Xbox, the leading PC operating system Windows and cloud provider Azure.

☆ UK blocks Microsoft's $69 bln Activision deal over cloud gaming concerns
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Paul Sandle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The country's antitrust regulator said on Wednesday that Microsoft's commitment to offer access to Activision's multi-billion dollar "Call of Duty" franchise to leading cloud gaming platforms would not effectively remedy its concerns. The gaming company also reported quarterly results on Wednesday, a day earlier than scheduled, beating quarterly bookings estimates although that seemed to do little to allay investor concerns about Britain's move. Europe will decide on the Activision deal by May 22. The CMA said the cloud gaming market was forecast to be worth 11 billion pounds ($13.7 billion) globally by 2026. The CMA said Microsoft had an estimated 60%-70% of global cloud gaming services as well as competitive advantages including owning Xbox, PC operating system Windows and cloud provider Azure.

☆ UK blocks Microsoft $69 bln Activision deal over cloud gaming concerns
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Paul Sandle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The country's antitrust regulator said on Wednesday that Microsoft's commitment to offer access to Activision's multi-billion dollar "Call of Duty" franchise to leading cloud gaming platforms would not effectively remedy its concerns. Microsoft announced its Activision bid in January 2022 to boost its firepower in a video gaming market led by Tencent (0700.HK) and Sony (6758.T). Europe will decide on the Activision deal by May 22. The CMA said the cloud gaming market was forecast to be worth 11 billion pounds ($13.7 billion) globally by 2026. The CMA said Microsoft had an estimated 60%-70% of global cloud gaming services as well as competitive advantages including owning Xbox, PC operating system Windows and cloud provider Azure.

☆ UK blocks Microsoft takeover of Activision Blizzard
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

London CNN —The UK antitrust regulator has blocked Microsoft’s $69 billion purchase of Activision Blizzard, thwarting one of the tech industry’s biggest deals over concerns it will stifle competition in cloud gaming. “The cloud allows UK gamers to avoid buying expensive gaming consoles and PCs and gives them much more flexibility and choice as to how they play. Allowing Microsoft to take such a strong position in the cloud gaming market just as it begins to grow rapidly would risk undermining the innovation that is crucial to the development of these opportunities,” it added. “Alongside Microsoft, we can and will contest this decision, and we’ve already begun the work to appeal to the UK Competition Appeals Tribunal,” Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick said in a statement. “Cloud gaming needs a free, competitive market to drive innovation and choice.”The UK cloud gaming market is expected to be worth up to £1 billion ($1.2 billion) by 2026, around 9% of the global market, according to the Competition and Markets Authority.

An Activision Blizzard's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare video game is inserted into the Microsoft's Xbox One video game console arranged in Denver, Colorado, on Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022. LONDON — Britain's top competition regulator on Wednesday moved to block Microsoft 's acquisition of video game publisher Activision Blizzard . Microsoft announced its intention to acquire Activision Blizzard in January 2022 for $69 billion, in one of the biggest deals the video game industry has seen to date. Sony , in particular, has voiced concern with Microsoft's Activision purchase. The Japanese gaming giant fears that Microsoft could make Call of Duty exclusive to its Xbox consoles in the long run.

☆ Microsoft's $68.7 billion Activision takeover blocked by UK competition regulator
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Hasan Chowdhury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Microsoft's $68.7 billion takeover of Activision has been blocked by UK regulators. The UK's CMA blocked the deal on Wednesday over concerns antitrust concerns. Microsoft's $68.7 billion takeover of "Call of Duty" developer Activision has been blocked by the UK's competition regulator, marking a devastating blow to the blockbuster deal. According to the CMA, Microsoft already accounts for around 60-70% of global cloud gaming services through its Xbox platform and Azure. Microsoft and Activision did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

☆ Analysts are getting even more bullish on Microsoft's A.I. prospects after latest earnings report
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Brian Evans | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Microsoft's big swings on artificial intelligence are paying off, and analysts are even more bullish on the tech giant. Rangan has a buy rating on Microsoft and a price target of $335, implying upside of 21.6%. "Azure growth was ahead of expectations with MSFT showing ability to protect margin/EPS in a tough backdrop," Turrin said, who rates the stock as overweight. He also hiked his price target to $345 from $320, pointing to a 25.2% potential gain. Keith Weiss of Morgan Stanley also reiterated an overweight rating on the stock, and hiked his price target to $335 per share from $307.

☆ Microsoft's blockbuster Activision deal may be doomed. But the tech giant's future is still bright
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Kevin Stankiewicz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Microsoft 's (MSFT) proposed blockbuster acquisition of video-game publisher Activision Blizzard (ATVI) may be doomed thanks to British regulators. The U.K.'s top antitrust body — the Competition and Markets Authority — said Wednesday that it opposes Microsoft's $69 billion bid because of competition concerns in the budding cloud gaming market. Microsoft's multipart gaming business includes Xbox consoles, cloud-based Xbox Game Pass service and in-house titles, such as the long-running "Halo" series. The CMA's opposition centered on competition concerns in the burgeoning world of cloud gaming, which Jefferies analysts estimate is less than 2% of the overall gaming market. Cloud gaming enables players to, essentially, stream video games without having to buy a physical console.

Microsoft’s video-game bet suffers a huge blowBritain’s mergers regulator on Wednesday blocked Microsoft’s $69 billion takeover bid for Activision Blizzard, ruling that buying the maker of “Call of Duty” would give the tech giant too much control of the thriving market for cloud-based video games. Shares in Activision tumbled 12 percent in premarket trading, while Microsoft’s stock was up almost 8 percent after a solid earnings report. The deal risks “undermining the innovation” happening in cloud gaming, the C.M.A. said, by giving control of popular game titles to Microsoft, which owns the Xbox platform. (Cloud gaming isn’t reliant on users owning expensive consoles.)

☆ You can now order from MrBeast Burger through your Xbox while gaming — here's how to do it
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

You can now order MrBeast Burger through video games on Xbox and computers. The Youtuber's fast food brand is now available through Liifer, a food ordering app that integrates with games, Liifer said Thursday. The Liifer partnership is the latest expansion for MrBeast Burger. "MrBeast Burger is increasingly popular with gamers, especially after MrBeast was included in Epic Game's Fortnite in December," said Stephanie Sollers, CEO of Virtual Dining Concepts. MrBeast Burger fills orders using a mix of ghost kitchens, some of which it owns and some it has partnership agreements with.

☆ End of an era: Netflix DVD subscribers mourn the service’s imminent demise
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Samantha Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

But in 2007, Netflix began streaming content online, and gradually shifted the focus away from its original DVD business. Colin McEvoy is one of the holdouts still using Netflix's DVD service despite the mainstream adoption of streaming services. But I didn’t want it to end if I could help it.”Other DVD subscribers are hoping there may still be a happy ending. For now, at least, some DVD subscribers plan to focus on watching as many DVDs as they can before the service goes away. “I absolutely would not have been able to find all of those movies if not for the Netflix DVD service,” he said.

☆ I make 6-figures a month in revenue making games on Roblox. Here's how I started earning thousands in my first year.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Robin Madell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Madsen creates new games on Roblox and updates his previous games to keep up a revenue stream. I remember when I made my first $2 from a Roblox game I created in 2017. Now, I've been generating six figures a month in revenue from Roblox experiences I've created or been a part of creating since 2021. I also create Roblox experiences outside of Splitting Point with friends. The reason is that even if it's a beautifully designed game, it isn't a Roblox game.

Samsung's S95C 4K TV is the company's latest top-of-the-line OLED TV. Samsung 65-inch S95C 4K OLED TV The S95C is Samsung’s flagship OLED TV for 2023. And best of all, we get that increased brightness while maintaining the perfect black levels that OLED TVs are known for. Samsung S95C 65-inch OLED 4K TV: SpecsSpec Samsung 65-inch S95C 4K OLED TV Resolution 3840x2160p HDR formats HDR10, HDR10+, HLG Panel type QD-OLED (OLED with quantum dots) Refresh rate 120Hz (up to 144Hz PC gaming) Gaming features NVIDIA G-Sync, FreeSync Premium, VRR, ALLM HDMI ports Four HDMI 2.1 ports Remote SolarCell remote with Bixby and Alexa support Dimensions 56.8" (W) x 32.7" (H) x 0.4" (D) without stand Weight 41.7 pounds without standShould you buy the Samsung S95C 4K OLED TV? Steven Cohen/InsiderIf budget isn't a concern and you want the absolute best picture quality on the market, the Samsung S95C should be high on your shopping list.

☆ I've been building popular tech products like Tome since I became my family's breadwinner at 15 years old. I've learned you never know how people are going to use your creation.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( Lakshmi Varanasi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Keith Peiris is the co-founder of Tome, a storytelling tool that uses generative AI models like GPT-4 and Dall-E-2. At the same time, I also learned that no one uses your tools the way you envisioned. The truth is that everyone uses tools differently, so you need to build them in a permissive way. When we started building Tome in the early days of the pandemic, my cofounder, Henri Liriani, and I thought we were building for someone we knew. Now, they're using Tome, which is a use case I had never even thought about.

UFC 287 live stream quick links US: ESPN+ ($80 plus $10/month membership)UK: BT Sport (£30/month)Main card start time: 10 p.m. How to watch UFC 287 in the USYou can watch the main event of UFC 287 on ESPN+ at 10 p.m. Ways to save on the UFC 287 pay-per-view priceIf you plan on signing up for ESPN+ to watch UFC 287, you can snag a special discounted bundle. How to watch UFC 287 in CanadaIn Canada, UFC 287 will be available to watch from multiple pay-per-view TV providers, including Bell, Rogers, Shaw, and Telus. Here's the fight card for UFC 287: Pereira vs. Adesanya 2ESPNEarly Prelims — 6 p.m.

The Roku Plus Series QLED 4K TV is the flagship model in Roku's first lineup of in-house TVs. Now the company is taking on those same partners by building its own in-house Roku TVs, including the new flagship Roku Plus Series QLED. As you might guess, Roku's Plus Series feels strikingly familiar inside and out. Roku 65-inch Plus Series 4K QLED TV Roku's new Plus Series is one of the company's first in-house smart TVs. The Roku Plus Series TV delivers solid performance, but it's not worth buying at full price.

☆ We're identical twins who interned at Microsoft and absolutely loved our experience. Here's what our internships were like.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Jenna Gyimesi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

For our internships, we worked in-person in Seattle, then both moved on to full-time roles as lead product managers at Microsoft. We already had a decent amount of experience before we interned at Microsoft: Mark had interned for companies like Apple, and Andrew with Apple and Tesla. Mark and Andrew AnsellLet's start with the fun thingsEvery year Microsoft has an intern day. I think they purposefully give interns a lot of independence because full-time work at Microsoft requires the same sort of self-guidance. Microsoft truly has one of the best work cultures in our experience and we recommend the company to anyone.

☆ Leaked Amazon memo shows plans to reduce employee stock awards in 2025
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Asia Martin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Leaked Amazon memo shows plans to reduce employee stock awards in 2025. The company is considering increasing the cash portion of compensation to help cushion employees against its stock price going down in the future. In other news:The late Cash App founder Bob Lee. Cash App creator Bob Lee died after a reported stabbing in San Francisco Tuesday. Silicon Valley is grieving the loss of the founder of Cash App and the former chief technology officer at Square.

☆ Phil Harrison, head of Google's failed Stadia gaming service, has quietly left the company
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Hugh Langley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Phil Harrison, formerly the head of Google Stadia, has departed the company. Google announced in September it would close down its cloud streaming service. Phil Harrison, who ran Google's now-defunct cloud gaming service Stadia, has left the company. In September, Google announced it would wind down Stadia, which it launched in 2019. Back then, Google pitched Stadia as the future of gaming, giving users access to high-quality games without the need to purchase expensive hardware.

Microsoft will release a Diablo IV Xbox Series X bundle alongside the game's launch on June 6. The $560 bundle includes an Xbox Series X console and a copy of Diablo IV for a small discount. The $560 Diablo IV bundle will include a standard Xbox Series X, a digital copy of Diablo IV, and multiple digital preorder bonuses. Xbox Series X Diablo IV Bundle This bundle includes a standard Xbox Series X console, a digital copy of Diablo IV, and special in-game rewards. Where to preorder the Diablo IV Xbox Series X bundleThe Diablo IV Xbox Series X bundle will be released alongside the game on June 6, and preorders are available now at retailers like Amazon and Best Buy.

The CWA in a statement said Activision's conduct showed a clear pattern of disregard for workers' legal rights. "In spite of Activision Blizzard's anti-union efforts, workers continue to organize, speak out about their working conditions and win union campaigns," the union said. Activision has said its social media policy is lawful and does not bar employees from exercising their rights under U.S. labor law. Small groups of workers at Activision subsidiaries in New York and Wisconsin have voted to join the CWA in recent months. Boston-based employees of Activision unit Proletariat in January withdrew a petition to have an election.

The Communication Workers of America union (CWA) has accused the "Call of Duty" maker of a series of illegal labor practices at the union has sought to organize video game testers and other employees at the company and its subsidiaries. The CWA in a statement said Activision's conduct showed a clear pattern of disregard for workers' legal rights. "In spite of Activision Blizzard's anti-union efforts, workers continue to organize, speak out about their working conditions and win union campaigns," the union said. Activision is already facing a separate NLRB complaint issued last year claiming the company used a policy limiting what workers can post on social media to bar them from discussing working conditions. Activision has said its social media policy is lawful and does not bar employees from exercising their rights under U.S. labor law.

The premium OLED TV uses quantum dots, an advanced color tech that Samsung also uses in its QLED TVs. New 2023 Samsung OLED TVs are just starting to hit the market, but they're considerably more expensive than the S95B. Deal Samsung 65-inch S95B OLED 4K TV Samsung's high-end 4K OLED TV uses quantum dots to achieve some of the best color performance on the market. Steven Cohen/InsiderLike other Samsung TVs, the S95B uses the Tizen operating system rather than interfaces like Roku, Fire TV, or Android TV. AmazonThe Samsung S95B is an excellent buy for anyone who wants a high-end TV under $2,000.

Search resuls for: "XBox"

25 mentions found