As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. TweakTown may also earn commissions from other affiliate partners at no extra cost to you.
FTC to contest Microsoft-Activision merger in admin trial, evidentiary hearing date set
The Federal Trade Commission has set a date for a key part in its administrative case against the Microsoft-Activision merger.
Despite losing a case for a preliminary injunction in 2023, and despite Microsoft completing its $68.7 billion acquisition by integrating Activision Blizzard King into the company, the FTC will still pursue its challenge of the Microsoft-Activision merger in its internal courts. At the time of writing, the case is still pending.
Today the FTC has filed a motion that delayed the case's evidentiary hearing date from May 28 to July 2025. This will allow all groups (including the FTC, Microsoft, and even Nintendo of America) more time to compile information required for the evidentiary hearing. For reference, since it was held in a district court, the evidentiary hearing for the previous FTC v MSFT temporary injunction case was public, and both gamers and the press learned a multitude of information from these proceedings. Parts of these administrative proceedings will be made public, unless an Administrative Law Judge orders an "in camera" treatment to the evidence (Nintendo, for example, has requested in camera for its submissions).
New city in Cyberpunk 2077 sequel feels 'less like Blade Runner, more like Chicago gone wrong'
Cyberpunk series creator Mike Pondsmith lets slip new details about CD Projekt's upcoming Cyberpunk 2077 sequel.
Project Orion, the codename for CD Projekt's new Cyberpunk sequel, will feature a new city that incorporates a unique style. Orion may be in early pre-production phases of development with just 84 developers on the project right now, but the studio is laying out the foundations for the game. This early iteration has been seen by Cyberpunk franchise creator Mike Pondsmith.
In a recent interview with Polish publication tvygry, Pondsmith said that Orion would take us to a brand new city that feels "less like Blade Runner" and more like "Chicago gone wrong." Interestingly enough, we'll still be going to Night City in Orion.
Apple must 'show cause' on why courts shouldn't order Fortnite back onto App Store
UPDATE: Fortnite is back on the App Store, Epic Games has officially confirmed, putting an end to a years-long battle with Apple.
Epic Games wants Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers to order Apple to allow Fortnite back on the App Store. Now Judge Rogers is putting the burden on Apple to prove why the courts shouldn't enforce Epic's proposed motion.
Earlier today, we reported that Epic Games has prposed that the Northern California district court esentially order Fortnite back on the App Store. Over a week ago, Epic had re-submitted Fortnite to the App Store, which Apple declined. Epic's proposal reiterates that Judge Rogers, who is presiding over the case, found that Apple broke the court's previous injunction order. As relief for this violation, Epic proposes that Judge Rogers enforce the injunction partly by ordering Apple to accept a "compliant version" of Fortnite:
Epic asks courts to order Apple to bring Fortnite back to App Store
UPDATE: Fortnite is back on the App Store, Epic Games has officially confirmed, putting an end to a years-long battle with Apple.
Epic Games makes a new filing that asks courts to force Apple to allow Fortnite onto the App Store.
Despite Epic's technical win, the Epic vs Apple saga isn't yet over. Epic's formal submission of Fortnite has been rejected from the App Store, and Epic has responded by filing a motion for injunction enforcement which asks California's northern district courts to essentially force Apple to allow a rules-adherent version of Fortnite onto the App Store.
Continue reading: Epic asks courts to order Apple to bring Fortnite back to App Store (full post)
Gearbox boss on $80 Borderlands 4: 'If you're a real fan you'll find a way to make it happen'
Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford's comments on $80 game pricing has incensed some gamers who are critical of the new software MSRP.
Thanks to Nintendo's efforts with the Switch 2, video games now cost $80. Not all video games though--just a select few like Mario Kart World. But Pandora's box has been opened, and while companies are deciding to price their games on a case-by-case basis, the $80 tier has been established for mainline flagship games, at least on the Switch 2. And for games with simultaneous multi-platform launches, companies can now elevate pricing to $80 on other platforms to make things even. So which games will cost $80? Will GTA 6? Maybe. What about Borderlands 4, which is also getting a Switch 2 port?
One fan brought up the possibility of Borderlands 4 costing $80 to Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford in a May 13 Tweet, and Pitchford's response has agitated some gamers.
ZOTAC's low-profile palm-sized GeForce RTX 5060 is one of the smallest GPUs we've seen
NVIDIA's mainstream GeForce RTX 5060 GPU is out this week, and at Computex 2025, we've already seen countless models and designs from the company's partners, many of which look familiar. However, one particular RTX 5060 caught our eye and was found at ZOTAC's booth.
You're looking at a prototype and a card still in development. Alongside its low-profile design, it's also one of the smallest RTX 50 Series GPUs you're likely to find - small enough to fit in the palm of your hand.
It's a reference spec model with three fans, and it looks like a miniature version of ZOTAC GAMING's triple-fan SOLID series of cards for the GeForce RTX 50 Series. The fans are tiny, and it's so light that at a glance, you'd probably mistake it for a toy of a real GPU.
NVIDIA and Streamlabs officially unveil powerful AI sidekicks for livestreamers
Streamlabs and NVIDIA have showcased a significant upgrade to the suite of features available within the livestreaming software, with the head of Streamlabs, Ashray Urs, giving us a live demo of the new AI-powered software working in action.
A partnership between Streamlabs, Inworld AI, and NVIDIA has created what is called the Streamlabs Intelligent Streaming Agent, a new digital human that is capable of assisting a livestreamer by carrying out commands in real-time. Ashray showed three sets of functionality with the new AI Agent: It being a "sidekick" to the streamer, which includes how a streamer can interact with the agent and leverage it being aware of what is happening in-game, the agent being used a stream producer, which includes it leveling up the overall production quality, and how the agent can be used as technical support source.
The above video shows Ashray asking the AI agent, "Where should I drop?" while in a simulated Fortnite game lobby. The AI responds with a location. Ashray then proceeds to showcase how a streamer can use the AI agent to poll the stream chat for an answer, which it will then scrape and provide as an audio answer. Another way streamers can use the AI agent as a sidekick is by having the agent ask the streamer questions when the streamer is quiet. The purpose of that feature is to help the streamer be entertaining/engaging when people are watching the stream.
Virtual pop star Hatsune Miku has her own TUF Gaming peripheral collection
It's okay if you don't know who or what Hatsune Miku is, especially if you're like me, someone who grew up playing games in the era of VHS tapes and Nintendo consoles that took cartridges. Hatsune Miku is a popular Japanese blue-haired pop singer who uses a computer-generated voice and 3D visuals to perform on stage. She's virtual, a massive star, and somehow not all that strange in the age of AI.
At Computex 2025, Hatsune Miku had her custom PC gaming peripherals on display thanks to a new collaboration between ASUS and Crypton Future Media. Releasing under the company's TUF gaming brand, the collection is vibrant, colorful, and impressive - and probably something you'd rush out to obtain if you're a fan.
At the show, we got a closer look at the TUF Gaming H1 Gen II Hatsune Miku Edition wired gaming headset, the company's first headset with the raised metallic headband look. It sports 40 mm ASUS Essence drivers with support for 7.1 spatial audio, and its USB Type-A connection is compatible with both PC and PlayStation 5.
Here's a big play at Build 2025: It's now free for devs to get apps or games on Microsoft Store
Microsoft has made it free for developers to get their wares onto the Microsoft Store in Windows 11 or Windows 10.
Previously, a software or game developer would have to pay a small fee to secure a spot in the Microsoft Store. That one-off payment of $19 has now been dropped, however, and it won't cost a cent to get an app on the store.
Microsoft announced this at Build 2025, noting that it is the first major digital store to make such a move. Windows Central, which flagged up this development, pointed out that Google charges $25 to get an app onto the Play Store.
Samsung wants to make Switch 2 OLED panels, Nintendo may beat sales forecast by 5 million units
Samsung also wants to make high-quality panels for any potential Switch 2 OLED hardware that Nintendo may be working on.
It's been confirmed that the Switch 2's will use a custom chip built on NVIDIA's Ampere architecture, which is built on Samsung's 8nm process. In fact, NVIDIA's Ampere-based RTX 30 series video cards were built on this process, formally called 8N NVIDIA. The Switch 2's custom SoC (system-on-chip) will use this same 8nm process. But that's not the only thing Samsung wants to make for the Switch 2.
Samsung has expressed interest in securing a deal with Nintendo to make OLED panels for any successor Switch 2 OLED models, sources have told Bloomberg's Takashi Mochizuki. The report didn't mention that such a deal has been struck, however--only that Samsung had "pushed" for the opportunity. The original Switch OLED released in 2021 uses both Samsung memory and OLED panels.