Metaverse
764 articles
Bitcoinist
7h
214
Image Credit: Bitcoinist
Kraken to Offer Tokenized Stock Trading for Non-US Users via Solana and Backed
- Crypto exchange Kraken is launching tokenized stock trading for non-US users in collaboration with Backed.
- The offering, named 'xStocks,' will include tokenized shares of major companies like Apple, Tesla, Meta, and Nvidia.
- Users across Europe, Latin America, Africa, and Asia will have access to trade tokenized stocks and ETFs 24/7 via Solana and DeFi protocols.
- Tokenized stock market innovation is seen as a significant opportunity in digital assets, enabling global financial inclusion and decentralized equity access.
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Massivelyop
11h
108
Image Credit: Massivelyop
World of Warcraft promises its focus on mods is about better conveyance, not ‘smashing a bunch of addons’
- World of Warcraft is taking steps to phase out addons that have become mandatory for raid progression.
- Director Ion Hazzikostas clarified that quest helpers, gathering aids, and RP-specific mods are not the target for removal.
- Blizzard aims to enhance the native functionality of the UI to reduce the gap between players using addons and those who do not.
- The focus is on improving raid mechanics readability so that addons become unnecessary, while maintaining the challenge of encounters.
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6 Likes
Silicon
12h
332
Image Credit: Silicon
FTC Drops Case To Block Microsoft’s $69bn Activision Purchase
- The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has dropped its opposition to Microsoft's $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard following a legal setback.
- The FTC's pursuit of the complaint against the acquisition was deemed 'not in the public interest' after losing an appeal to block the deal.
- The decision to drop the case was made after the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the FTC did not successfully argue its case for a preliminary injunction against the merger.
- The UK's Competition and Markets Authority had previously blocked the deal in April 2023, causing tensions between Microsoft and the British regulator. Microsoft had to make concessions, including not acquiring cloud rights for certain games, to gain UK approval.
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Massivelyop
12h
202
Image Credit: Massivelyop
WoW Factor: How could World of Warcraft reclaim the leveling journey?
- World of Warcraft Classic and Retail offer different gameplay loops, with Classic focusing on the leveling journey while Retail is focused on endgame activities.
- The loss of the leveling journey is considered a significant drawback in modern WoW compared to the past.
- Blizzard's current focus on fast XP gain and level boosts shows a lack of interest in emphasizing slow leveling progression in Retail WoW.
- Although reclaiming the leveling journey in Retail WoW may be challenging due to past design changes, there are potential ways to reintroduce it.
- Remix seasons, accelerated leveling challenges based on older expansions, are one approach to reviving interest in past content.
- Introducing a special leveling challenge ruleset server or allowing players to opt for challenge options could offer a slower-paced and more engaging leveling experience.
- The idea is to create opportunities for players to immerse in the leveling process and explore content systematically rather than rush to endgame.
- By implementing new leveling challenges, Blizzard could potentially inject life and purpose into older expansions while providing players with fresh gameplay experiences.
- Blizzard's willingness to adapt and innovate in retaining player interest and engagement in the leveling journey could shape the future of World of Warcraft.
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Siliconangle
14h
349
Image Credit: Siliconangle
Red Hat’s Inference Server: The open-source glue for scalable AI
- Red Hat AI Inference Server provides a scalable, secure platform for deploying machine learning models across hybrid cloud environments, addressing the need for unified AI infrastructure.
- It serves as the core platform similar to Linux, allowing innovation, accelerators, and models to reach users seamlessly without the need for constant change.
- Red Hat's vLLM project contributes to unifying AI infrastructure by enhancing scalability and enterprise readiness for large language deployment through integration with Kubernetes and focus on open-source innovation.
- The Llama Stack, integrated into Red Hat's OpenShift AI platform, enables the development of enterprise-ready agentic AI systems for complex reasoning and tool integration.
- Enabling AI models to run across various environments, including cloud, on-premise, and edge, is emphasized by Red Hat to optimize performance and ease of deployment.
- Red Hat supports running AI models across any environment and accelerator to cater to diverse business needs, emphasizing the importance of cloud-native and containerized architecture.
- Red Hat leverages the Llama Stack and Meta's Model Context Protocol to build intelligent agents capable of complex reasoning and seamless integration.
- The company's commitment to a unified AI infrastructure is highlighted through the development of vLLM and advanced AI systems on OpenShift AI platform.
- Red Hat's Inference Server is positioned as a key component in providing a cohesive platform for AI development, deployment, and management for organizations.
- Red Hat's vision is to unify the fragmented AI landscape into a common platform akin to Linux, enabling users to leverage future models and accelerators seamlessly.
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Massivelyop
14h
266
Image Credit: Massivelyop
Diablo IV S9 brings custom spells and nightmare dungeon updates, Diablo III reruns killstreak theme for S35
- Diablo IV's Season 9, Sins of the Horadrim, introduces custom spells where players can craft their own Horadric spells using catalysts, infusions, and arcana with varying rarity levels.
- A major addition in Season 9 is the Horadric strongrooms in nightmare dungeons, found through special methods, where players must activate modifier pillars and defeat monsters within a time limit for rewards.
- Permanent content updates in Diablo IV also include Escalating Nightmare dungeons, leading to a boss fight against Astaroth with new attack patterns, and new positive affixes to sigils for benefits like more power shrines.
- In Diablo III, Season 35 brings back Season 19's stacking Pandaemonium buff with unique killstreak benefits, rotating cosmetics from Season 11, rewards from Haedrig’s Gift, new portrait and pet, and a fresh seasonal conquest rotation.
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16 Likes
Psu
16h
73
Image Credit: Psu
The FTC Confirms It Has Dropped Its Case Against Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard Buyout
- The US Federal Trade Commission has dropped its case against Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard after two years.
- The FTC's initial attempt to block the acquisition through a preliminary injunction was denied by the US District Court for the Northern District of California.
- An appeal by the FTC to overturn the court's decision was rejected, leading to the confirmation that the case has been dropped.
- Microsoft now owns major IPs from Activision Blizzard, and notable franchises like Call of Duty continue to release on PS5 and PS4 formats.
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4 Likes
TechDigest
19h
262
Image Credit: TechDigest
New Smart #5 EV is biggest model yet, BYD outsells Tesla in Europe
- Smart introduces its biggest model yet, the Smart #5 EV, marking a departure from its traditional small car focus to a larger 4.7m long, 1.9m wide, and 1.7m tall vehicle.
- Former Apple designer Jony Ive is working with OpenAI on a pocket-size, screen-free, contextual device as part of a partnership that could bring about a 'family of devices'.
- UK government contemplates raising the 'luxury car tax' threshold for electric cars to boost adoption, with current tax regulations applying to all cars priced above £40,000.
- Chinese electric car maker BYD surpasses Tesla in European sales for the first time, selling 7,231 electric vehicles in April, challenging more established Western carmakers in the region.
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15 Likes
TechJuice
21h
324
Image Credit: TechJuice
Meta Collabs With Blumhouse to Make A VR Horror Game
- Blumhouse Productions partners with Meta to launch 'Horrorverse,' a VR horror game on Meta Horizon.
- The game features iconic characters from Blumhouse franchises like M3GAN, Babyface, and Lady Liberty.
- Players can engage in various mini-games, including Survival Lockdown, with randomly assigned roles as victims or villains.
- Accessible on Meta Quest and mobile devices, the Horrorverse showcases immersive environments and exclusive Blumhouse content, marking Blumhouse's expansion into interactive media.
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19 Likes
Siliconangle
1d
238
Image Credit: Siliconangle
Apple reportedly planning to launch smart glasses in late 2026
- Apple is reportedly planning to launch artificial intelligence smart glasses in late 2026 to compete with Meta Platforms Inc.'s Ray-Ban Meta glasses, offering features like music playback, calling, live translation, and navigation.
- The smart glasses are being developed by the same unit behind the Vision Pro headset and will feature a more lightweight design, likely using a chip derived from Apple Watch series processors for better power efficiency.
- Apple's smart glasses chip will be optimized for controlling multiple cameras, potentially offering more cameras or higher-resolution lenses than the Ray-Ban Meta series.
- Apple engineers are accelerating work on the glasses, aiming for a late 2026 launch, though there is a possibility the project could be scrapped. Meta is also set to release an upgraded version of Ray-Ban Meta glasses in 2027 with additional display features.
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14 Likes
Guardian
1d
132
Image Credit: Guardian
FTC drops case over Microsoft’s $69bn Activision Blizzard acquisition
- The US Federal Trade Commission has dropped a case aimed at blocking Microsoft's $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, citing that pursuing the case against the closed deal was not in the public interest.
- FTC Chair Andrew Ferguson is focusing agency resources on cases aligning with the previous administration's agenda, such as investigating if advertisers colluded to spend less on X.
- Microsoft's president, Brad Smith, called the FTC's decision a victory for players and common sense, while Ferguson is discontinuing efforts initiated by predecessor Lina Khan, dropping a price discrimination case against PepsiCo on Thursday.
- The FTC lost an appeal to block the Microsoft-Activision deal, which closed in 2023, marking the largest-ever acquisition in the video gaming market, with concerns raised over potential anti-competitive implications for Xbox and Microsoft's gaming business.
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7 Likes
Arstechnica
1d
155
Image Credit: Arstechnica
Musk’s DOGE used Meta’s Llama 2—not Grok—for gov’t slashing, report says
- An outdated Meta AI model, Llama 2, was used by affiliates of Elon Musk's DOGE in the Office of Personnel Management to review and classify responses from federal workers.
- The model was utilized to analyze the reactions to the 'Fork in the Road' email, a controversial message offering federal workers the choice to comply with a return-to-office policy or resign, similar to a memo Musk sent to Twitter employees.
- Rumors about DOGE inputting government employee data into AI were confirmed when Wired found records revealing the use of the Llama 2 model to assess the number of resignations among federal employees.
- The Office of Personnel Management's initial attempt to streamline the federal government involved employing the Meta AI model Llama 2 for data analysis, according to reports.
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9 Likes
Macdailynews
1d
91
Image Credit: Macdailynews
Apple plans to launch smartglasses by the end of 2026
- Apple plans to launch smartglasses by the end of 2026 to compete with popular Ray-Ban smart glasses by Meta Platforms.
- The smartglasses will have cameras, microphones, and speakers, with features like Siri integration, phone calls, music playback, live translations, and turn-by-turn directions.
- Concerns arise regarding AI capabilities of the smart glasses, as Apple has struggled with incorporating compelling AI features in its existing products.
- Apple engineers are accelerating development and plan to start producing prototypes with overseas suppliers by the end of this year.
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5 Likes
The Verge
1d
19
Image Credit: The Verge
3D Instagram photos are coming to Meta Quest headsets
- Meta is testing showing 3D photos on Instagram for users viewing their feed on a Meta Quest VR headset, using AI view synthesis algorithms to convert flat photos into an immersive format.
- The test of 3D photos in Instagram is part of Meta Quest's v77 update, which includes features like Navigator for accessing games and apps, experimental support for Bluetooth Low Energy audio devices, and combining various functionalities into a single PC app.
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1 Like
TechCrunch
1d
375
Image Credit: TechCrunch
Meta adds another 650 MW of solar power to its AI push
- Meta signed a deal for 650 megawatts of solar power in Kansas and Texas to power its data centers for AI operations.
- The projects are being developed by American utility company AES, with 400 megawatts in Texas and 250 megawatts in Kansas.
- This marks the fourth solar deal Meta has announced in 2023, with Texas being a hotspot for solar development due to ample sunshine, quick permitting, and speedy grid connections.
- Solar power offers fast time-to-power, low-cost electricity, and allows data centers to begin receiving electricity before project completion.
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