ES: Pricing, performance, and ease of use dictated who owned the market in the early days of personal computing. Today, VR ecosystems and platforms continue that trend as the metaverse takes shape: Consumers, developers, and content producers will eventually decide the future of the metaverse, but they will be limited by hardware’s capabilities. We look at the state of VR hardware, the key players, and how gaming could serve as a gateway to VR/AR adoption.
Ohio manufacturing site could turn the tide for Intel: The new location will employ 3,000 and could inspire other chip manufacturers to jump on local government incentives and cheap land.
Could Google be planning a mixed-reality platform? There are reports of a new AR headset in the works, but the supporting platform and intended use case are still a mystery.
NBCUniversal reduced Winter Olympics ratings expectations: Its broadcast strategy is changing after last year’s tepid Summer Games.
Retail ventures into the metaverse: Sentiment at annual industry show suggests the metaverse may already be too big to fail.
Sony, Microsoft find middle ground on Activision Blizzard acquisition: Microsoft said it will keep the crucial Call of Duty series available on PlayStation.
Spotify’s grip on audio streaming is under threat: The company’s podcast acquisitions have failed to attract younger listeners.
NFTs in video games aren’t a done deal: Fan backlash and the nature of gaming technology would require unprecedented collaboration between developers.
Leaders from Pandora, Roblox, Riot Games, and more are banding together to make the metaverse safer: Lack of Big Tech support could make implementation impossible.
Netflix counts on increased subscriber revenues to subsidize higher content costs: As the US streaming market matures, the company banks on hits like “Squid Game” to keep viewers from jumping ship.
Xbox makes nearly $70 billion bet on Activision Blizzard: Microsoft moves in just as the maker of Candy Crush and Overwatch saw slumping sales due to misconduct allegations.
Microsoft acquires Activision Blizzard, publisher of Call of Duty and World of Warcraft: The $68.7 billion deal will create a gaming behemoth but could face regulatory roadblocks.
We break down the metaverse and how it can define the future of computing, gaming, finance, social media, and business: AR and VR technologies, expanding virtual platforms and ecosystems, as well as an appetite for more immersive experiences are pushing the boundaries of reality into the virtual world.
Snap poaches Twitter, Instagram execs for ad and ecommerce roles: The platform lags behind competitors in ad revenues and social commerce partnerships, things its new hires could help improve.
Second Life founder returns to fight in the metaverse wars: The reemergence of the original virtual hangout space could be a threat—but it’s more likely a promise of the possibilities of the metaverse.
Apple is deleting copycats of a popular word game that isn’t even on the App Store: Copycat apps have long plagued Apple’s storefront, which has faced heavy scrutiny in recent years.
Mobile app gaming has managed to hold on to its pandemic-driven success and then some, reversing our previous predictions that time spent gaming with mobile apps would decline in the US after 2020.
On today's episode, we discuss when cable households will dip below 50%, an alternative search engine to Google, clickable podcast ads on Spotify, what the "superest" super app is in the West, the biggest takeaways from CES 2022, some uncommon knowledge about sustainability, where sunglasses originally came from, and more. Tune in to the discussion with eMarketer principal analyst Paul Verna, analyst Blake Droesch, and director of reports editing at Insider Intelligence Rahul Chadha.
Telemundo’s new streaming brand thins the barrier between English- and Spanish-language content: NBCUniversal and Comcast hope Hispanic viewers will turn Peacock’s luck around.
Retail media advertising had a banner year in 2021—one that will be hard to top. Although growth is expected to taper this year, there are several reasons why retailers looking to build their own media networks should take notice.