Today, Intel confirmed those changes, as it announced it will rebrand its main consumer CPUs into the Core and Core Ultra families in the second half of this year with the Meteor Lake release.

This announcement by Intel comes less than a year after the company decided to kill the Pentium and Celeron branding for its mobile chips. It said from this year, they would simply be branded as Intel Processor.

The new CPU names will also ditch the "i" that's been part of Intel's chip brand for some time. Starting with the Meteor Lake-based CPUs, Intel will name them with numbers only (3/5/7/9). The generation number will still be a part of the processor number (##xxxH) but it won't be used in front of the name of the Intel CPU anymore (as in 13th Gen Intel Core i&XXX).

From now on, the Intel Core CPU lineup will be for the company's more mainstream chips, while the new Core Ultra brand will be for its "most advanced client processors". According to Caitlin Anderson, Intel's vice president and general manager of Client Computing Group Sales, these changes should make it easier for people who purchase Intel-based PCs to know what kind of CPU is included:

"Our client roadmap demonstrates how Intel is prioritizing innovation and technology leadership with products like Meteor Lake, focused on power efficiency and AI at scale. To better align with our product strategies, we are introducing a branding structure that will help PC buyers better differentiate the best of our latest technology and our mainstream offerings."

In addition to the Intel Core and Intel Core Ultra brands, the company says it is "evolving the Intel Evo Edition platform brand for Evo-verified designs". Evo is the company's name for PC laptops that pass its tests for long battery life, along with fast charging and other advanced features. It's also launching new Intel vPro Enterprise and Intel vPro Essentials brands for business-based PCs.

Goodbye to the "i": Intel rebrands its CPUs as Core and Core Ultra for Meteor Lake launch

• Playground Games dropped a new trailer for Fable at the Xbox Games Showcase 2023.
• The cheeky gameplay trailer featured a mix of in-engine footage, cinematics, and gameplay.   
• Due to the graphical fidelity displayed in the Fable trailer, skeptics aren't convinced it demonstrated actual gameplay.  

The Xbox Games Showcase 2023 was a triumphant moment for the platform. Ahead of this annual gaming event, fans and critics had genuine concerns about Xbox's first-party future and the unfulfilled promises of Xbox Game Studios thus far. Thankfully, Microsoft confidently previewed an undeniably impressive array of substantial updates, new game reveals, and Xbox Game Pass additions.   

While the showcase was generally received positively, it wasn't free of dissension. Surprisingly, one of the most-requested highlights, gameplay for Playground Games' reimagining of Fable, was met with the most disbelief. Despite Aaron Greenberg stating that all first-party games featured during the Xbox Games Showcase 2023 would be in-engine with gameplay and cinematics, audiences quickly complained about the lack of Fable gameplay in the latest trailer. But here's the thing – that was Fable gameplay.

Following the commentary from the community, key members of Playground Games have taken to social media to assuage concerns and provide further context on what was shown. Lukas Koelz, Lead Lighting Artist at Playground Games, had fun with the discourse stating, "People not believing this is 'real' or that the game will look like this is one of the best compliments." He also claimed that the footage used in the trailer was captured on Xbox Series X. 

The Fable Xbox Games Showcase 2023 trailer parades various in-game moments, including brief glimpses of combat and a frantic chase sequence with a giant Richard Ayoade. Because of the graphical fidelity displayed and the cinematic pacing of gameplay edits, some players weren't convinced we saw authentic combat. Chris Goodall, Principal Animator at Playground Games, also shared his contributions to the combat animations used in the Fable trailer on social media.

Windows Central's take

Fable was initially unveiled at the Xbox Games Showcase 2020, 10 years after the release of Fable 3. As an iconic franchise for the brand and a pillar of the original Xbox's exclusive lineup, legacy fans like myself have been clamoring for a new entry. Playground Games have displayed tremendous talent with the Forza Horizon series. After the unbelievable reveal of Forza Horizon 5's gameplay and its individually rendered cactus needles, it's not shocking that players are awestricken by Fable's latest trailer.   

Whether or not Fable will truly launch looking this astonishing on Xbox Series X remains to be seen. Still, considering the team's recent history, we have no reason to doubt their capabilities. I can't wait to get my hands on the new and improved world of Albion. Unfortunately, with no release window mentioned, it might still be a way out. Thankfully, there are plenty of excellent games in Xbox Game Pass to keep us busy while we wait. 

People don't believe the Fable gameplay trailer is real

Intel has announced the release of its latest quantum chip, a 12-qubit chip called "Tunnel Falls". It said the chip is being made available to the quantum research community.

Aside from launching this new chip, the company is partnering with the Laboratory for Physical Sciences (LPS) at the University of Maryland, College Park’s Qubit Collaboratory (LQC) to advance research in the area of quantum computing. Providing a statement about today’s announcements, Jim Clarke, director of Quantum Hardware at Intel said:

“Tunnel Falls is Intel’s most advanced silicon spin qubit chip to date and draws upon the company’s decades of transistor design and manufacturing expertise. The release of the new chip is the next step in Intel’s long-term strategy to build a full-stack commercial quantum computing system. While there are still fundamental questions and challenges that must be solved along the path to a fault-tolerant quantum computer, the academic community can now explore this technology and accelerate research development.”

Intel said it’s working with LQC through the US Army Research Office to provide the chip to research labs. Labs that will collaborate with Intel include LPS, Sandia National Laboratories, the University of Rochester, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

The academic institutions do not have the capacity to fabricate the Tunnel Falls chips so Intel is making them so that researchers can get started right away on experiments and research. The chip is fabricated on 300-millimeter wafers and leverages advanced capabilities such as extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV) and gate and contact processing techniques.

The company said that it’s looking to improve the performance of Tunnel Falls and integrate it into its full quantum stack with the Intel Quantum SDK. It said work has begun on its next-gen quantum chip and its hopes for this to be released next year. It also plans to expand its collaboration partners.

Intel unveils Tunnel Falls 12-qubit quantum chip

This innovative move aims to create a more engaging experience for listeners. Powered by Futuri Media's advanced tool, "RadioGPT", AI Ashley will take the airwaves from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily, using synthetic voice technology to deliver a mix of music, news, and entertainment.

While AI DJ mesmerized the audience, Ashley Elzinga shared her excitement about her AI colleague on the Live 95.5 Twitter account like this:

World's first AI DJ on a radio

Live 95.5 is embracing the possibilities offered by AI technology, recognizing its potential to enhance the radio experience. However, it's important to note that AI Ashley is not intended to replace the traditional host, Ashley Elzinga.

The station's parent company, Alpha Media, has reassured Elzinga that her role and salary will remain unchanged. Instead, the introduction of AI Ashley represents a hybrid approach, combining the strengths of both traditional and AI DJs.

A hybrid approach

Phil Becker, Alpha Media's Executive Vice President of Content, explains that the integration of AI Ashley allows for a more flexible broadcasting approach.

AI DJ on a radio can reduce the workload of human DJs in a radio

While traditional Ashley will continue to be present during some segments, AI Ashley will handle others. This enables Elzinga to engage in community activities, manage social media, and work on digital assets. By striking this balance, Live 95.5 aims to optimize the listener experience and leverage the efficiency of AI technology.

Familiar experience from an unfamiliar DJ

Live 95.5 understands that listeners may initially be skeptical of AI DJs, as they have formed connections with their favorite radio personalities over the years. To ensure a familiar experience, AI Ashley has been trained to mimic the voice of an existing radio host. Although the audience will recognize that it's AI, the synthetic voice aims to maintain a connection and deliver content in a way that is engaging and relatable.

Read also: Instagram AI Chatbot is gearing up to be your personal assistant in DMs.

On daytime radio you can expect an AI DJ at any time

EU votes to ban AI in biometric surveillance, require disclosure from AI systems

Love it or hate it, Intel is overhauling its system of naming and marketing its Core processors for laptops and desktops, which has been in place for almost 15 years.

To simplify the company’s branding, Intel is removing the “i” from the i3, i5, i7, and i9 tiers for its Core chips, a move Intel previously hinted at last month. Going forward, consumers will only see Core 3, Core 5, Core 7, and Core 9.

But in a more surprising move, Intel is also ditching the “generational messaging” behind each Core series. Hence, you won’t see a 14th Gen or 15th Gen Core series, at least not officially. Instead, future Core chips will simply be given a processor number, for example "Intel Core 5 processor 1050."

(Credit: Intel)

When the next generation comes along, the numbering will then go up sequentially. For example, a following generation would likely be the Intel Core 2000 series, although the company is still ironing out the exact details of how the new numbering scheme will represent successive generations.

Meet the Intel 'Ultra' Chips

The name-scheme changes don’t stop there. Intel will also be designating a new processor tier, called Core Ultra. The Ultra processors will cut across the Core 5, Core 7, and Core 9 levels, and feature Intel's most cutting-edge CPU architecture or premium features. The basic, non-Ultra Core lines will be allocated to the CPUs intended for a mainstream audience.

You can expect the Ultra chips to arrive with names in the form of "Intel Core Ultra 9 1090H." (Note: The 1090H, like the 1050 above, is given as an expressive example, not reflecting any announced chip.)

(Credit: Intel)

“The first digit of the products coming out here will indicate the newness,” Tim Thraves, senior product brand manager at Intel, told PCMag. “You will see that there is an organizational system.”  

The company is preparing the overhaul to bolster the marketing for "Meteor Lake," or what was broadly expected to be dubbed the company's "14th Generation Core" processors. The new silicon will use Intel’s long-awaited Intel 4 manufacturing process (formerly known as 7-nanometer before it underwent its own name change) and promises to offer substantial improvements in performance and battery life, at a time when the company is facing heated client-silicon competition from both AMD and Apple.

(Credit: Intel)

“We were hearing from customers and partners that Meteor Lake is a pretty big inflection point for us,” Thraves said. “It just felt like maybe this was a time—a little bit—to go outside the box of incrementing from one number to the next.”

Intel: We Want to See More 'Core'

The revamp also aims to emphasize the "Core" in the Intel Core name, seeing as, according to the company, the i3/i5/i7/i9 schema and the 12th Gen and 13th Gen messaging has tended to hog the spotlight.

“There was just a little bit of, ‘Hey, we see way too many articles of i7 versus (AMD’s) Ryzen 7,’" Thraves said. "And we just wanted to put a little bit more focus on the Intel Core brand."

In addition, the company conducted market research last year that found “the combination of Intel Core, plus the label of those tiers” rated highest among consumers when it came to awareness. “It had been probably 15 years since we did an all-in look at the (PC) client branding here,” Thraves noted.  

When it comes to the newly unveiled Core Ultra brand, consumers can expect some significant differences with the standard Core line, such as exclusive features involving AI-powered capabilities. “We’ve been really clear that in order to have a two-tier branding strategy, it can’t just be like a 2% performance improvement,” Thraves said.

Source

In April, the long-in-development zombie-themed open-world action game Dead Island 2 was finally released. The reviews were mostly on the positive side, and earlier this week, Embracer Group, in its note announcing a major restructuring, did state that sales of Dead Island 2 were a bright spot, and it had "exceeded our management’s already high expectations."

Now the game's developer, the UK-based Dambuster Studios, has announced plans for at least two major story-themed expansion packs for the game. Here's a quick summary of the first expansion pack, called "Haus":

How does a billionaire prepare for the zompocalypse? A techno-death cult with a healthy splash of debauchery and gore!

"Haus" is scheduled for a release sometime in the fourth quarter of 2023. The second expansion will be called "SOLA Festival":

Welcome to the SOLA festival, where LA's party people can greenwash their way to ecstasy and save the planet, one rave at a time. So L.A!

That expansion is still a ways off, with a release sometime in the second quarter of 2024. There's no word yet on how much these expansions will cost on their own. However, they will be released at no additional cost for owners of the physical Dead Island 2 HELL-A edition. They are also available for owners of the digital Dead Island 2 Gold Edition.

In addition, there are already some free and paid character skins that can be added to Dead Island 2 via digital stores. Also, Amazon Prime Gaming members can snap up some additional character skins from June 15 to July 13. It will also include two extra in-game weapons, including the FOMOrian Claws.

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Dead Island 2 is getting at least two story-based expansion packs in the next year

• If scientists are able to successfully conduct analog time-reflection of electromagnetic waves, they can greatly speed up some computer and phone applications.

• When a research team created a highly customized circuit earlier this year, they were able to reflect signals in time, which has never been reported before.

• When a signal is reflected in time, it is inverted in time and its frequency is altered.

If you shine a light at a mirror, the beam is reflected inward to a central focal point, bouncing back toward you in a predictable manner—it’s a simple reflection of light, a spatial inversion.

But what if you could reverse an analog signal in time?

It sounds like the stuff of sci-fi, but earlier this year, a paper published in the journal Nature Physics showed the first evidence of a time-reversed electromagnetic signal. “One of the big holy grails of physics is time-reversal symmetry,” Michael Pravica, Ph.D., a professor of physics at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, tells Popular Mechanics.

When a signal is reflected in time, it travels back toward its source in reverse order and with a new frequency. Scientists have known that this phenomenon of time reflection could happen, theoretically, since 1958. Now, as the new experiment has shown, this effect can occur in a highly customized circuit.

Andrea Alù, Ph.D., founding director of the City University of New York’s Advanced Science Research Center Photonics Initiative and corresponding author of the paper, says that his team accomplished this surprising result by building a circuit that contains a six-meter-long copper trace that runs back and forth across a low-loss dielectric substrate and has around 50 capacitor switches in it. (The dielectric base is an insulating material.)

The switches have to be very dense so that the wave cannot “see” that they are discrete, Alù explains. “We need to make sure that the switches are much more dense than the wavelength of the signal,” he tells Popular Mechanics.

When the capacitor switches turn on, Alù says, the index of refraction of the circuit changes by a factor of two, which results in the frequency of the reflected signal being halved. “The material with switches on has two times the index of refraction of the material without switches on. We moved from a low index to a large index by adding capacitors, and we moved from a large index to a low index by disconnecting capacitors. A capacitor is something that stores electrical energy.”

Designing the circuit involved altering its reflectivity to signals faster than the speed of the signal itself, with a sufficient level of contrast between the material when the switches are on and when they are off, Alù says. “If the contrast is too small, then you don’t see reflection. The ingredients to have strong time reflections are speed, uniformity, and large contrast.”

There is an upper limit to the frequencies that this circuit can time-reflect, Alù says. His team’s goal is now to expand this limit. “The next steps are to push the frequencies higher. Right now, we have a 70-MHz maximum frequency.”

The physicists were surprised by the results of the experiment because they found that the reflection coefficient was the opposite sign from what they expected, Alù says. “This is very fascinating. We had to redevelop the entire theory, and what we found was that our time interface was different from the usual time interface. And that was originally a mystery—and then we understood why.”

It will be a long time before this technology is ready for commercial use, Alù says. But it has the potential to greatly simplify and streamline the process of reversing signals in time, which is currently done digitally. Digital time reflection uses much more energy and memory than this new, analog approach. Time reflection could be used for imaging technology, distortion compensation, or wireless communication. For example, cell phones currently use a digital approach to reflect signals in time when they are communicating from a distance.

“What is impressive is that in very fast time and with very small energy, you can frequency-convert over a very large range of frequencies,” Alù says. “This is very difficult to do.”

“What we’re doing next is to shrink this down to an integrated system,” Alù says. “This will make it much smaller, much more convenient to integrate in a cell phone or in a circuit. It can push the frequencies up by a couple of orders of magnitude.”

Some researchers are looking at materials that can respond to light very fast to create circuits like this, Alù says. “There are some materials that have such a strong interaction with light that you can actually realize sharp changes in the optical response in the range of femtoseconds. Then you can really do these effects for light.”

It’s much more challenging working with signals at optical frequencies because those signals oscillate very rapidly, Alù says. “We had this breakthrough because we came up with these ideas of adding switches. These switches will not work when you want to work at optical frequencies. They stop working at 1 THz.”

Source

NVIDIA officially revealed the new launch date in a Twitter post. It added that people can pre-order the card on June 29 starting at 6 am Pacific time (9 am Eastern time). Prices are expected to start at $299.

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 will have 8GB of GDDR6 memory, a clock speed of 2,460 MHz and 3072 CUDA cores NVIDIA stated the card will offer 1.7x FPS performance improvements over the older RTX 3060 and 2.3x over the RTX 2060, with DLSS 3 enabled. The graphics card will still have over 1.2x and 1.6x FPS improvements from those earlier cards without DLSS 3.

The more powerful version of this card, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 TI, is already available for sale in an 8GB version from several companies, including ASUS, ZOTAC, MSI, and others, for $399.99. A 16GB version of the same card is still scheduled to go on sale sometime in July.

It will be interesting to see the reception of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060. While it's not quite as powerful as the current NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 TI, it will be $100 cheaper at launch. That could make it very attractive to PC gamers who want to upgrade their older card but also not spend a ton of money. However, the performance improvements that the company said were supposed to be in the 4060 Ti were not quite there. And of course, the 8GB VRAM for $400 in 2023 didn't help it either.

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The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 graphics cards will now launch early on June 29

Those subreddits that have remained dark include many in the Microsoft Windows community. The r/windows, r/Windows10, r/Windows11 r/MicrosoftTeams, r/windowsinsiders, and r/WindowsHelp subreddits are all still inaccessible as of this writing. The number of people who are members of these communities are in the hundreds of thousands. There's no word on when these subreddits will end their API price hike protest.

The reason for all these forums to basically shut down is due to Reddit's current plan to raise the prices of its APIs that are used by many third-party apps and services. This decision was the reason why a number of popular third-party Reddit apps like Apollo and Reddit is Fun will shut down on June 30, because they claim they won't be able to afford to access Reddit's API files after that date.

On Monday, the first day of the official protest, Reddit experienced some lengthy outages due in part to so many subreddits going dark. However, the leadership of the online forum is still sticking to its guns in terms of its planned price hikes.

In a leaked memo sent to the company's employees later on Monday, Reddit CEO Steve Huffman claimed that the event did not have "any significant revenue impact so far."

If enough popular subreddits remain dark for a longer period of time, that could indeed have consequences for Reddit's revenues in the long term. However, it's also possible that those same subreddits might have to come back online at some point to keep their communities going. It's basically a game of chicken, and we will see which side will flinch first.

Many Reddit subreddits, including popular Windows communities, are still "dark" right now

Reddit is following in Twitter’s footsteps and charging third-party apps for access to their APIs. The result: Apollo, one of the most popular Reddit apps for iPhone, is shutting down entirely after determining that the new pricing would cost it $2 million a month. RIF, another popular app, is calling it quits for the same reason. After the API news, several major Reddit communities are blacked out this week in protest.

Reddit has every right to charge for its API, legally speaking, and it stands to gain if more people use the (terrible) official app. Reddit CEO Steve Huffman argued in an AMA that the changes are being overblown. Comments in that thread are, shall we say, less than friendly to the company line.

If all of this leaves you wondering what might happen to the posts and comments you’ve made on Reddit over the years, you’re not alone. David Brownman, a programmer based in San Mateo, California, was wondering exactly that.

“I have put so much into Reddit over the years, and I didn’t like the idea of it being inaccessible to me,” he tells me. “It’s my content, and I’ll need to be a steward of it if Reddit won’t. I also reference old posts of mine a lot, so having full text search was important to me.”

With these concerns in mind, Brownman wanted an offline archive of his posts. Here’s how you can get one too, either by asking Reddit or by using a tool Brownman built to download it yourself.

Ask Reddit for Your Data

Reddit has a form where you can request a copy of your data. The process can take up to 30 days, after which you will get a private message on your Reddit account with a download link. The data comes in the form of CSV files that you can open using Microsoft Excel or any text editor. There are separate files for your comments, your posts, your voting history, and your chats, among other things.

This method has a few downsides. First, CSV files can be a little unwieldy, especially if you want to search. Second, there’s a delay, which is annoying if you just want to download the data and move on with your life. Still, it’s easy, and for most people, this is probably the best way to back up their Reddit content.

Download Your Reddit Data Yourself

If you’d rather not wait for Reddit to deliver your data, or would prefer to keep your data in a searchable archive, you can use Brownman’s tool, reddit-user-to-sqlite. This command line application can download the complete public archive of any Reddit user and compile it in an SQLite database file. Just keep in mind that this method will stop working on July 1, 2023, when the API change occurs.

Brownman offers a blog post outlining the tool with a few instructions—if you’re comfortable with the command line, I recommend following the instructions there. For everyone else, don’t worry: It’s not as hard as it sounds.

First you will need to install Python. For Windows users, this is best done by downloading and running the installer for your computer. After installing Python, you will need to install pipx. On Windows, this is best done with the following commands, which you can run in the Command Prompt or PowerShell:

py -3 -m pip install --user pipx
py -3 -m pipx ensurepath

Mac users are better off installing Homebrew, a command prompt tool that simplifies software installation. Just follow the instructions on the Homebrew page, then use these two commands to install pipx:

brew install pipx
pipx ensurepath

Once pipx is installed, you can install Brownman’s tool using the following command:

pipx install reddit-user-to-sqlite

You’re almost done! To download the complete archive for any Reddit user, simply type the following command, replacing the last word with the username:

reddit-user-to-sqlite user YOUR_USERNAME_HERE

Microsoft via Justin Pot

The software will download every public interaction by that user and save it all in a file named reddit.db. You can open this file using any application that can open a SQLite database. This is an open format, meaning your data should be readable for decades to come.

Brownman recommends browsing the data with Datasette, a command prompt tool. A simpler option is SQliteviewer.app, a web app that can locally open the file. If you’d prefer a desktop option, check out SQLiteBrowser, which is a little bit ugly but gets the job done. Whatever app you use, know that your data is securely stored on your own computer, meaning no Reddit policy changes can touch it. 

How to Download Your Reddit Data

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Doctors are using OpenAI's ultra-popular AI chatbot ChatGPT in a surprising new way, the New York Times reports: to communicate with patients more empathetically.

In other words, they're using a chatbot to appear more human — a fascinating contradiction that sheds light on the difficulties of balancing the importance of objective medical guidance with human compassion.

Some medical professionals, according to the report, are even using ChatGPT to deliver bad medical news, which is something that even Microsoft, a company that's closely collaborating with OpenAI, isn't so sure about.

"As a patient, I’d personally feel a little weird about it," Peter Lee, Microsoft corporate vice president for research and incubations, told the NYT.

One advantage of using ChatGPT, some experts claim, is that it can be used to explain simple concepts void of confusing jargon.

"Doctors are famous for using language that is hard to understand or too advanced," Christopher Moriates, who worked on a project that used ChatGPT to inform patients of available treatments for alcohol use disorder, told the NYT. "It is interesting to see that even words we think are easily understandable really aren’t."

Others took things even further. Gregory Moore, who until recently was a senior executive leading health and life sciences at Microsoft, told the newspaper that he was blown away after asking ChatGPT for advice on how to help a friend with advanced cancer.

But not everybody agrees that using a chatbot to replace the most human part of your profession is a good idea. For one, patients place a lot of value on compassion when evaluating the healthcare they receive.

Having that empathy replaced with a tool that infamously can't distinguish between right and wrong could make the situation a lot worse — especially if it were to be used to make medical decisions.

"I know physicians are using this," Stanford Health Care's Dev Dash, who is evaluating tools like ChatGPT in a healthcare setting, told the NYT. "I’ve heard of residents using it to guide clinical decision-making. I don’t think it’s appropriate."

Whether patients are aware they're being communicated to by a chatbot remains to be seen. But does that really matter when it's not a life and death situation?

It's the kind of thorny ethical conundrum we'll likely be grappling with for quite some time.

Source

The European Commission has made a formal antitrust complaint against Google and its ad business. In a preliminary opinion, the regulator says Google has abused its dominant position in the digital advertising market. It says that forcing Google to sell off parts of its business may be the only remedy, if the company is found guilty of the charges.

This would be a significant move targeting the main source of the search giant’s revenue, and a rare example of the EU recommending divestiture at this stage in an investigation. The Commission has already fined Google over three prior antitrust cases, but has only previously imposed “behavioral” remedies — changes to its business practices.

“Our preliminary concern is that Google may have used its market position to favor its own intermediation services,” the Commission’s executive vice-president in charge of competition policy Margrethe Vestager said in a statement. In its preliminary findings, the Commission says Google has “abused its dominant positions” since at least 2014 to favor its own ad exchange. As the Commission’s press release explains:

The Commission is concerned that Google’s allegedly intentional conducts aimed at giving [Google’s ad exchange] AdX a competitive advantage and may have foreclosed rival ad exchanges. This would have reinforced Google’s AdX central role in the adtech supply chain and Google’s ability to charge a high fee for its service.

The statement of objections issued today is an important step in the EU’s investigation, but does not prejudge its outcome. Google will now have the opportunity to reply in writing and request a hearing, after which the Commission will decide whether Google has broken antitrust law in the bloc. If found guilty, the EU’s competition regulator can also fine Google up to 10 percent of its global sales and impose various changes to its business.

In a statement, Google’s VP of global ads, Dan Taylor, said the company disagrees with the Commission’s position, and called digital advertising a “highly competitive sector.”

“Our advertising technology tools help websites and apps fund their content, and enable businesses of all sizes to effectively reach new customers,” said Taylor in a statement. “The Commission’s investigation focuses on a narrow aspect of our advertising business and is not new. We disagree with the EC’s view and we will respond accordingly.”

When asked why the EU was recommending a divestiture — a last resort in such antitrust cases — Vestager said it was a reflection of the Google’s ubiquitous presence in the ad business.

“Google is in every part of this value chain. As we see it they hold a dominant position in both the sell side and the buy side in order to favor their own ad exchange,” Vestager told reporters in a Q&A. “We don’t see that this inherent and in-built conflict of interest can be solved in other ways ... When you look at the web as such you see Google having a presence that is unrivaled by anyone else.”

Vestager stressed that the reason the Commission was considering divestiture in this case and not other antitrust proceedings targeting Google was because of the particular dynamics of the adtech business. “It is quite rare we have asked for a divesture [in previous cases],” said Vestager, noting that the Commission has not officially asked for it yet in this one, only suggested it as a possibility.

The order, if it comes, could deal a significant blow to the core source of Google’s revenue. Although the Alphabet-owned company provides everything from email to thermostats, it’s advertising that still generates the majority of its income. Bloomberg, which earlier reported on today’s complaint, noted that Google’s advertising business brought in around $225 billion for the company in 2022, or around 80 percent of its annual revenue.

The European Union’s probe into Google’s advertising technology dates back to 2021, when it said it was investigating whether Google unfairly favors its own services over competitors and limits their access to user data. At the time, Margrethe Vestager noted that “Google is present at almost all levels of the supply chain for online display advertising” and said that the EU is “concerned that Google has made it harder for rival online advertising services to compete in the so-called ad tech stack.”

If Google is found to be in violation in this case, it would be the fourth major decision taken by the EU against Google following a trio of fines between 2017 and 2019 totaling over €8 billion (around $8.6 billion). The EU has previously found Google guilty of “systematically favoring” its own shopping comparison service, abusing its Android market dominance by bundling its search engine and Chrome apps, and preventing AdSense customers from accepting advertising from rival search engines. Google is challenging these earlier fines in the courts.

Google’s advertising business is being investigated outside of the EU as well. The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has been investigating the company over fears its practices are unfairly freezing out competitors. Meanwhile, in the US, the Justice Department and eight states sued the company earlier this year and issued similar calls for its ad-technology business to be broken up.

Source

Also:  Google Charged by EU With Abusing Its Ad Tech Dominance, and

           EU charges Google with anti-competitive practices in ad tech business

Reddit communities with millions of followers plan to extend the blackout indefinitely

Now, in an internal memo, Reddit CEO Steve Huffman addressed the recent protests noting that "like all blowups on Reddit, this one will pass as well". Huffman further mentioned that the blackout did not have a significant impact on Reddit's revenue and that the company expects many of the subreddits to come back online on Wednesday.

He also clarified that the company intends to go ahead with the plan and there are no changes whatsoever.

The most important things we can do right now are stay focused, adapt to challenges, and keep moving forward. We absolutely must ship what we said we would. The only long term solution is improving our product, and in the short term we have a few upcoming critical mod tool launches we need to nail.

Not only that, but the memo also addressed the safety of the staff. Huffman acknowledges that there is frustration around and urges employees to not go outside wearing Reddit gear.

I am sorry to say this, but please be mindful of wearing Reddit gear in public. Some folks are really upset, and we don’t want you to be the object of their frustrations.

Reddit's CEO had earlier noted that the company plans to exclude accessibility-focused apps from the new pricing structure. He also addressed the concerns around existing third-party apps, two of which, Apollo and Reddit is Fun will be shutting down on June 30.

Huffman confirmed that the company is in talks with other apps to find a common ground but at the same time, Reddit plans to move forward with the changes.

You can check out the full memo below

Hi Snoos,

Starting last night, about a thousand subreddits have gone private. We do anticipate many of them will come back by Wednesday, as many have said as much. While we knew this was coming, it is a challenge nevertheless and we have our work cut out for us. A number of Snoos have been working around the clock, adapting to infrastructure strains, engaging with communities, and responding to the myriad of issues related to this blackout. Thank you, team.

We have not seen any significant revenue impact so far and we will continue to monitor.

There’s a lot of noise with this one. Among the noisiest we’ve seen. Please know that our teams are on it, and like all blowups on Reddit, this one will pass as well. The most important things we can do right now are stay focused, adapt to challenges, and keep moving forward. We absolutely must ship what we said we would. The only long term solution is improving our product, and in the short term we have a few upcoming critical mod tool launches we need to nail.

While the two biggest third-party apps, Apollo and RIF, along with a couple others, have said they plan to shut down at the end of the month, we are still in conversation with some of the others. And as I mentioned in my post last week, we will exempt accessibility-focused apps and so far have agreements with RedReader and Dystopia.

I am sorry to say this, but please be mindful of wearing Reddit gear in public. Some folks are really upset, and we don’t want you to be the object of their frustrations.

Again, we’ll get through it. Thank you to all of you for helping us do so.

Most of Reddit has gone dark since yesterday to protest these changes. This includes many of the Microsoft and Tech oriented subreddits and more than 8,000 subreddits in total, including r/memes, r/aww, r/funny, r/gaming, and r/music. Following the start of the protest, Reddit had a brief outage as it tried to deal with an influx of users on the platform.

Source: The Verge

Reddit CEO says like all other blowups this too will pass to employees in an internal memo

However, Capcom did have some announcements to make during the show and some new gameplay trailers and footage as well. Here's a quick look at the highlights:

Exoprimal second open beta test starts Thursday - Capcom's next major game release is the "Exosuits versus dinosaurs" action game Exoprimal. Before its release on July 14, Capcom will hold the second open public beta for the game starting on Thursday. June 16 and running through June 18.

Here are the details about the second open beta test:

We've added the story opening, story-related missions, and 10-player co-op missions. We've also made adjustments to the game experience, based on feedback provided by all of our players!

In addition, the game will get an additional mode for its retail launch:

A mode in which players compete for the fastest mission clear time, without engaging in direct combat against player-controlled exosuits.

You can also check out a new trailer for Exoprimal which you have to watch directly on YouTube due to age restrictions. Exoprimal will be available on the Xbox Series X and S consoles via Xbox Game Pass on the first day of its release.

Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective demo is out now - A new version of the 2010 supernatural mystery game is coming June 30, but you can get a demo of the game now for the Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One, and the PC via Steam now.

Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy coming in early 2024 - Three classic court games, Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies, and Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Spirit of Justice, will be collected into one game for release early next year by Capcom.

Pragmata delayed indefinitely - It wasn't all good news for Capcom fans. The company showed off some more gameplay from Pragmata, the lunar-based sci-fi action game that was first announced in 2020. Originally set for release in 2022, and then delayed until 2023, the game's release date has now been pushed back again, but with no set timeline for release. The development team said that while they were working hard on the game, they just need more time to complete it.

Dragon Dogma II spotlight - Capcom released a trailer for its sequel to the action-RPG game a couple of weeks ago, but during Capcom Showcase, some more footage and information on the single-player game itself was revealed. Unfortunately, it doesn't have a release date yet.

Capcom Town coming soon - Capcom celebrated its 40th birthday on June 11, and the publisher plans to offer a special online site, Capcom Town, sometime soon to spotlight its decades of games. When it goes online, fans can check out artwork from the publisher's many games, participate in polls, and even play a few classic Capcom games for free.

Capcom Showcase roundup: Dragons Dogma 2, Exoprimal beta, another Pragmata delay, and more

The Xbox Games Showcase Extended will kick off at 10am PT / 1pm ET / 7pm CEST / 6pm BST today, June 13. Microsoft hasn't revealed the length of the event, but if previous years are anything to go by, it should run for about 90 minutes.

Like the main event, the Extended showcase will air across Microsoft's Xbox channels like YouTube and Twitch, as well as via content creator watch parties on third party portals.

As for what's confirmed for this event, Microsoft has said Avowed, Towerborne, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, The Elder Scrolls Online: Necrom, and Microsoft Flight Simulator's Dune update will be present with deeper dives into their announcements. This will include "in-depth interviews, behind-the-scenes features, gameplay walkthroughs with brand new footage" from the titles according to the company.

Several new game announcements from Xbox partners will also be happening during the showcase. Moreover, Xbox is teasing a celebrity appearance at the Extended event. While no hints have been given, Richard Ayoade was revealed to be playing a not-so-gentle giant in the Fable reboot, so there is a chance that he may be the mystery guest. Although, with a Flight Sim Dune collaboration also incoming, it may also be someone from that movie franchise.

According to rumors, Tango Gameworks' Hi-Fi Rush may be getting another surprise reveal at the event, this time to shadow drop new DLC for the well-received rhythm action game. Expect more Xbox and PC Game Pass announcements too, considering Tuesday is when the company usually reveals upcoming waves for the subscription service.

Xbox Games Showcase Extended is later today, here's how to watch and what to expect

As it turned out. Microsoft was warned by its partner OpenAI that Bing Chat might create these kinds of interactions because it was still working with an under-development version of GPT-4. The Wall Street Journal reports, via unnamed sources, that OpenAI expressed concerns that Microsoft was moving too fast to launch Bing Chat with these issues. Those concerns turned out to be very accurate.

The same article also claims that Microsoft has its own concerns about working with OpenAI. Some of Microsoft's many divisions still cannot directly contact or work with OpenAI, according to the story.

While Microsoft has indeed invested a ton of money into the company, OpenAI can still license ChatGPT-4 to other companies so they can develop their own AI products. One of those companies is DuckDuckGo, a search engine that uses Microsoft's Bing search API for some of its searches. In March, DuckDuckGo announced DuckAssist, its own chatbot that would have used OpenAI's ChatGPT-3.

However, the Wall Street Journal reports that Microsoft said it would raise the price of its API if DuckDuckGo went ahead with DuckAssist. As a result, just a few weeks after it was announced, the search engine quietly updated its blog post, stating, "Unfortunately, DuckAssist is no longer available on DuckDuckGo Private Search."

So why doesn't Microsoft just acquire OpenAI and bring it fully under the company's wing? Right now, there's no word on if Microsoft has attempted to make such a deal. In a new Wired interview this week, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella would not comment if the company has tried to purchase OpenAI.

Microsoft was reportedly warned about putting GPT-4 in Bing Chat too early by OpenAI

Paul McCartney: “Final” Beatles song out this year, thanks to AI

According to the latest report, Huawei actively employs the trademark in China, utilizing it for various products such as smart TVs and smart glasses. Given the existing trademark ownership, Apple might need help using the same name for its headset if it intends to sell the device in China.

The Chinese National Intellectual Property Administration has registered Huawei's trademark, valid from November 28, 2021, until November 27, 2031. This trademark encompasses a wide range of devices, including head-mounted virtual reality products, which could directly affect Apple's headset plans in the Chinese market.

To proceed with this name, Apple may be required to negotiate with Huawei to acquire the "Vision Pro" trademark rights and it could potentially result in a financial settlement between the two companies.

Notably, there are other instances of Apple having to pay a Chinese company for using a product name. In 2012, Apple paid Proview Technology $60 million to secure the "iPad" trademark in China after a series of unsuccessful legal disputes.

As of now, Apple has not released an official statement regarding this trademark challenge. The company might explore various options, such as seeking an alternative name for the headset specifically for China or engaging in negotiations with Huawei for trademark rights.

Apple officially announced its augmented reality headset during WWDC 2023. It will allow owners to interact with apps on its screens, while also viewing the real world at the same time.

On the other hand, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg spoke about the Apple Vision Pro. He said that Meta's Quest VR and Apple Vision Pro don't seem to have the same ends in mind. He said the Quest is all about bringing people together and being active, while he thinks the Vision Pro seemed a bit solitary.

Source: MyDrivers (Chinese)

Source

Agreeing what artificial intelligence is

The European Parliament has taken two years to come up with a definition of an AI system - software that can "for a given set of human-defined objectives, generate outputs such as content, predictions, recommendations or decisions influencing the environments they interact with".
This week, it is voting on its Artificial Intelligence Act - the first legal rules of their kind on AI, which go beyond voluntary codes and require companies to comply.

Reaching global agreement

Former UK Office for Artificial Intelligence head Sana Kharaghani points out the technology has no respect for borders.

"We do need to have international collaboration on this - I know it will be hard," she tells BBC News. "This is not a domestic matter. These technologies don't sit within the boundaries of one country

But there remains no plan for a global, United-Nations-style AI regulator - although, some have suggested it - and different territories have different ideas:

• The European Union's proposals are the most strict and include grading AI products depending on their impact - an email spam filter, for example, would have lighter regulation than a cancer-detection tool
• The United Kingdom is folding AI regulation into existing regulators - those who say the technology has discriminated against them, for example, would go to the Equalities Commission
• The United Sates has only voluntary codes, with lawmakers admitting, in a recent AI committee hearing, concerns about whether they were up to the job
• China intends to make companies notify users whenever an AI algorithm is being used

Ensuring public trust

"If people trust it, then they'll use it," International Business Machines (IBM) Corporation EU government and regulatory affairs head Jean-Marc Leclerc says.

There are enormous opportunities for AI to improve people's lives in incredible ways. It is already:

•  helping discover antibiotics
•  making paralysed people walk again
•  addressing issues such as climate change and pandemics

But what about screening job applicants or predicting how likely someone is to commit crime?

The European Parliament wants the public informed about the risks attached to each AI product.

Companies that break its rules could be fined the greater of €30m or 6% of global annual turnover.

But can developers predict or control how their product might be used?

Deciding who writes the rules

So far, AI has been largely self-policed.

The big companies say they are on board with government regulation - "critical" to mitigate the potential risks, according to Sam Altman, boss of ChatGPT creator OpenAI.

But will they put profits before people if they become too involved in writing the rules?

You can bet they want to be as close as possible to the lawmakers tasked with setting out the regulations.

And Lastminute.com founder Baroness Lane-Fox says it is important to listen not just to corporations.

"We must involve civil society, academia, people who are affected by these different models and transformations," she says.

Acting quickly

Microsoft, which has invested billions of dollars in ChatGPT, wants it to "take the drudgery out of work".

It can generate human-like prose and text responses but, Mr Altman points out, is "a tool, not a creature".

Chatbots are supposed to make workers more productive.

And in some industries, AI has the capacity to create jobs and be a formidable assistant.

But others have already lost them - last month, BT announced AI would replace 10,000 jobs.

ChatGPT came into public use just over six months ago.

Now, it can write essays, plan people's holidays and pass professional exams.

The capability of these large-scale language models is growing at a phenomenal rate.

And two of the three AI "godfathers" - Geoffrey Hinton and Prof Yoshua Bengio - have been among those to warn the technology has huge potential for harm.

The Artificial Intelligence Act will not come into force until at least 2025 - "way too late", EU technology chief Margrethe Vestager says.

She is drawing up an interim voluntary code for the sector, alongside the US, which could be ready within weeks.

Source

The European Commission could issue a formal complaint against Google this week, according to Reuter's source. Google paid billions in fines in the past already, but this had not affected Google's dominant position in the online advertising industry.

Most of Alphabet's earnings come from advertising. In the first quarter of 2023 alone, earnings amounted to $54.55 billion and Alphabet's total earnings to $69.79 billion. Google is the dominating player in online advertising, with a market share of about 28%.

Meta, parent company of Facebook, comes in second. In 2022 in the United States, Google captured 28.8% of digital ad revenue and Meta 19.6& of the digital ad revenue. While the situation is changing, as new players, such as Amazon and TikTok, are increasing their share of the market, it is changing slowly only.

The European Commission is dissatisfied with Google, as the company failed to address the concerns of competitors, according to Reuter's source. Competitors argue that Google is using its dominance in the advertising market, as well as its web browser dominance, to gain control over key advertisement technologies in the coming years.

Google has been working on pushing a new advertising system, which it calls euphemistically Privacy Sandbox, into Chromium, the core of Google Chrome and most other browsers. Privacy Sandbox will replace third-party cookies support in Google Chrome in 2024. Third-party cookies are used widely today in advertising, to track sales but also track users.

The removal of third-party cookies support moves the tracking directly into the browser. Tracking, according to Google's plan, will happen directly in the browser, which Google more or less controls. While the new technology offers some improvements for users, like the moving from individual user tracking to group-based tracking, it is clear that users will still be tracked when they are on the Internet.

The European Union is not alone when it comes to addressing the dominance of Google and Meta in the online advertising market. In the United States, a bipartisan group of lawmakers aims to "tear down the wallet gardens" and break up the advertising arms of the two companies.

Depending on if and how this progresses, it could shake up the entire online advertising market. For users, it could lead to more user-friendly technologies being implemented in Chromium, as that part of Google might no longer have any interest in weighting advertising interests against user interests.

Now You: what is your take on this?

Google could be forced to sell parts of its advertising business

• Bethesda's Game Director and Executive Producer Todd Howard has said in an interview that The Elder Scrolls 6 might be the last game in the series he works on.
• The Elder Scrolls 6 was originally announced eight years ago at E3 2018, but hasn't been seen since. 
• Bethesda has focused on showing off Starfield, its new massive sci-fi RPG coming to Xbox and PC later this year on September 6.
• With how long Bethesda takes to make its titles and how long Starfield's post-launch content and update support will be, Howard thinks The Elder Scrolls 6 might be his final game.

It's now been five full years since Bethesda announced it was working on The Elder Scrolls 6 at E3 2018, but since then, we haven't heard anything about it from the developer. Instead, the studio has (understandably) focused on showing off Starfield, a new galaxy-sized sci-fi RPG coming exclusively to Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC later this year on September 6. In a new interview, though, Bethesda's Game Director and Executive Producer Todd Howard has suggested that the next Elder Scrolls game might be his last.

Howard strongly believes that Bethesda makes the right call developing its titles over extremely long periods of time. Even though the studio would like to make games faster, he says that "speed isn't the goal" and that ultimately, "it's about just doing it right."

“I think Half-Life 3 will do fine, right?” Howard said in the aforementioned interview. “So even though in the moment, how do I bring that closer to reality today, because I want to play it, those gaps, these are still evergreen franchises that I think when they come, it's about just doing it right. I want to be faster, but speed isn't the goal.”

With that in mind, and considering the fact that Bethesda plans to support Starfield with additional content and updates over a long period of time, it's not surprising that Howard — now 52 — thinks that The Elder Scrolls 6 might be the last game he ships.

For five years, we've seen nothing but a single image for the next Elder Scrolls game. (Image credit: Bethesda Game Studios)

“So our ability, like we talked about, to support Starfield ... Whereas maybe in the old days, you would put it out and then you'd go on to a sequel, now we can support that game for a much longer period of time, which is what our plan is," Howard said.

He continues: “And then as we look to an Elder Scrolls 6, that is one where ... I probably shouldn't say this. But if I do the math, I'm not getting any younger. How long do people play Elder Scrolls for? That may be the last one I do. I don't know.”

Even though Howard has confirmed that The Elder Scrolls 6 will be the next game Bethesda releases after Starfield, there's a good chance it won't launch for a very long time. After all, Starfield is coming out a full eight years after the studio's last major singleplayer RPG Fallout 4, and five years after the live service MMOFPS Fallout 76. For all we know, we may not return to Tamriel until 2030! Thank goodness we'll have Avowed in 2024 to hold us over.

Starfield looks like it's going to be one of the best Xbox games of all time, offering RPG fans an experience that they'll be playing for years to come. Starfield preorders are live and available for Xbox and PC, as are Starfield-themed Xbox controllers and headsets.

Bethesda's Todd Howard on Elder Scrolls 6: 'That may be the last one I do'

The Crew: Motorfest - The racing game franchise will enter the island of O’ahu in Hawaii for some fast-paced driving. The game is due on September 14, but you can play it a few days earlier if you pre-order the Gold or Ultimate edition.

Skull and Bones closed beta announcement - The long, long in development pirate game (seriously, this title was first announced way back at E3 2017) is finally getting closer to release. Ubisoft will hold a closed beta test for the game August 25-28 and you can register to take part on Ubisoft's website. There's still no word on a final release date for this game.

XDefiant launch date and final open beta - The closed beta tests for this upcoming free to play modern day shooter have been highly successful, according to the publisher. Ubisoft will launch a final open beta for the game June 21-23, and will officially launch it later this summer.

Brawlhalla adds Halo's Master Chief and the Arbiter - Yes, Microsoft is lending out Master Chief and the Arbiter from the Halo game franchise to Ubisoft's 2D brawler game. You will be able to play as both of these characters starting July 12.

Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix trailer - Ubisoft will launch an anime series inspired loosely by the Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon setting. The newly released trailer includes some Easter Eggs that feature other Ubisoft-based franchises as well. This series will debut on Netflix sometime this fall.

Ubisoft Forward overview: Skull and Bones beta, The Crew Motorfest and Master Chief?

"We’re grateful to see that millions of you have explored the quaint but dangerous open world of Redfall," says the developer. "Building a play space this large has been humbling to say the least. We recognize that we still have work to do, and we plan to address as much as we can, as quickly as we can."

The studio is targeting AI responsiveness, enemy encounter frequency, vampire combat, and visuals as the principal areas needing improvement. Today's update is laying down the groundwork for the more important changes coming later, according to the developer.

Today's update has improvements, bug fixes, and changes across gameplay, combat, AI, environment, multiplayer, performance, and other areas of Redfall. Find the massive amount of changes below:

• GAMEPLAY
• • Increased enemy encounter spawn rates across the open world
  • Improved ADS (aim down sight) visibility when looking through sniper rifle scopes
  • Breakable glass will now shatter on first impact from all guns
  • When using additional ammo storage skills, ammo collected above the standard weapon capacity will now persist between gameplay sessions
  • Players can move without interruption when performing melee attacks against enemies
  • Bribón no longer idles in place after performing the Siren ability
  • Devinder's Translocate ability is now more reliable when used in the Black Sun boss arena
  • Updated various mission descriptions and mission summary texts across all languages
  • Nests now unlock at the correct time when playing in New Game Plus (after completing A Voice in the Dark, and starting giving You Tomorrow* | or in the reverse order)
  • Added medical supplies to the path leading up to the Bloody Tom boss arena
  • General mission fixes and improvements

• COMBAT
• • Fixed multiple instances of enemies appearing unresponsive in combat
  • Improved Vampire melee attacks to increase chances of hitting players in motion
  • Cultist and Bellwether enemies received general improvements to their combat behaviors, including faster reaction times
  • The Rook is now more relentless and will now hunt down all living party members. Kill or be killed
  • Rook Storm lightning bolts will no longer hit players through rooftops and most other unexpected situations

• AI/NPC
• • General improvements to human enemy navigation, including animation timing and responsiveness
  • Dormant Vampires are now more susceptible to waking up from player-generated noise
  • Enemies are now drawn towards the greatest threat during combat. This could be a player, Bribón, or an opposing enemy faction
  • Improved enemy pathing options across open world areas in both districts
  • Added mouth blood to additional Vampire facial variations

• ENVIRONMENT
• • Players have higher chances of encountering additional and varied enemies while exploring the open world
  • Enemies are no longer able to shoot through certain walls in the Fire Station
  • Vampire Nest exit door will now appear correctly in the Shipyard heart instance
  • Improved many instances of visual issues at a distance, including materials and model adjustments
  • Mission Briefing sequences are brighter
  • Improved lighting and audio processing in many interior spaces in both districts
  • Skybox updates to prevent extreme star flickering
  • General improvements to collision detection and asset placement throughout both districts

• PERFORMANCE & STABILITY
• • Fixed an issue that was preventing certain decal streaming textures to fully load in, causing them to appear blurry
  • Resolved several situations where players could experience an infinite loading screen
  • Improved framerate performance in Bloody Tom and Miss Whisper psychic spaces and boss arenas
  • Players can now proceed past the Accessibility Menu on a new, unlinked bethesda.net account
  • Improved lighting performance in psychic spaces
  • Blood pool reflections no longer excessively flicker
  • Optimized VFX particle counts, emitters, and spawn rates for the following effects:
    • Shield and Inspiration enemy trait effects
    • Environmental fire and smoke effects in the Bladewell Campgrounds
    • Hero ability effects, including Layla's Umbrella and Jacob's Heart Stopper
    • Bloody Tom's slam effect, and Miss Whisper's death effects
    • Floating dust particle effects
    • Grave Lock effects
    • Psychic Echoes
    • Nest area-of-influence effects
    • Effects when placing Underboss skulls on vampire god pedestals
    • Blood tree disintegration effects
  • Optimized memory usage when using Jacob's Raven ability
  • Black Sun's clothing no longer renders animated blue materials
  • General improvements to stability

• MULTIPLAYER
• • Increased the chances of players encountering enemies with special traits in multiplayer sessions
  • General improvements to stability and functionality in Multiplayer Lobbies

• ACCESSIBILITY
• • Left and right movement keys can now be successfully remapped to Left and Right Arrow keys to improve left-handed movement control experience
    • Players with existing game saves will need to reset their Mouse and Keyboard bindings to Default in the settings menu before attempting to remap movement keys to the arrow keys
  • Screen Narration supports additional paths for critical player communication:
    • Invites and Friend requests
    • Joining a multiplayer Lobby
    • Clients leaving a multiplayer Lobby
    • "Invalid Username or Password" error
    • Additional bethesda.net menu screens
    • Updated states of disabled UI elements once players Ready Up in a multiplayer Lobby
  • "Let Games Read to Me" option on first launch for Xbox Series consoles is now enabled
  • Adjusted the timing of several subtitles to ensure they display in the correct order
  • Screen Narration settings will now persist between game sessions
  • Added missing audio cues for Friends List section headers, and the Play Game button
  • Adjusted text size scaling for Bethesda icons
  • Contrast improvements for Ping text, multiplayer progression text headers, and Hero names
  • Controls will no longer lock while the Text-To-Speech field is open
  • Resolved instances where certain UI elements would lose cursor focus
  • Added error messages and warning pop-ups for the following situations:
    • Controller disconnections while on the Initial Input Screen
    • Clients de-selecting Ready after the Host launches the game
    • Players cancelling Friend requests
  • Added missing subtitles to Archive entries for the Giving You Tomorrow mission briefing
  • "Optional Details" is no longer a required field when reporting another player

• USER INTERFACE
• • Tutorial blades are now more responsive when multiple are stacked on top of one another
  • Settings will revert correctly during active gameplay when Cancelling in the Confirm Changes message prompt
  • Enemies will no longer lose nameplates and health bar information when cancelling fast travel
  • Weapons loadouts will no longer swap into weapon inventory when starting new game sessions in quick succession
  • Safehouse keys have been added to the Key Ring
  • The Rook Storm meter now appears more consistently in game, and in the Map
  • General improvements to Menu navigation and feedback

Unfortunately, the update does not carry the promised 60FPS Performance mode for Xbox Series X|S console platforms. The feature was originally advertised as available at launch, but was pushed back just weeks before the release. Currently, Xbox Series X plays the game at 4K 30FPS while Series S offers 1440p 30FPS gameplay, both using the sole "Quality mode" setting.

Redfall 1.1 update is now available on PC and Xbox Series X|S platforms.

Redfall gets its first major bug fixing update as Arkane begins improvements