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New details from the Xbox leaks show how much revenue that the top 10 biggest video games companies make from all platforms.

A bit ago, Microsoft accidentally leaked a wealth of valuable info about earnings, upcoming console plans, and games. It's the biggest leak in games history, and while Microsoft says that "a lot has changed" since the documents were new and present day, there's still some extremely interesting details that are worth exploring.

One of these details is a ranking of the top video games companies in terms of revenues. Microsoft's findings highlight some of the more cryptic data points in gaming, including both Google's and Apple's mobile gaming revenues. We've already seen how much money that Apple and Google make in 2022 and now we have figures for 2021.

Sony is doing all it can to persuade consumers to buy a PlayStation 5 console.

Sony wants to ship 25 million PlayStation 5 consoles by April 2024. This is the largest console shipment in the history of gaming, and is one of the most ambitious targets that PlayStation could hope to accomplish. There's just one issue: Consumers are paring back their spending due to economic constraints, and Sony isn't selling as many PS5s as it would like.

Sony has responded by pulling out the big guns. We've seen price promotions with the PS5's MSRP dropping down to $449 across multiple stores like Best Buy, Target, and Walmart. That may have not been enough. Sony wants to maximize its chances in hitting that 25 million shipment target, so now all new PlayStation 5 owners will get a free first-party game to complement their new console.

Embracer Group CEO Lars Wingefors tells investors an interesting factoid: The company spends more on paying platform fees than it does to develop its own games.

Now is a pretty challenging time for the Embracer Group. Like most publishers in 2023, Embracer is trying to stave off increased spending costs to offset what CEO Lars Wingefors calls "weaker consumer buying power". Making games is an expensive endeavor in the best of times, but today's economic situation makes things so dire that studios can almost close down soon after a game bombs on the market.

Platform fees are a big part of these higher costs. Publishers must pay specific amounts in order to have their games made available and sold on platforms like PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo, Steam, and the Epic Games Store, as well as the more standardized 30% royalty fee per every game sold on consoles, PC, and mobile (Steam and Epic are flexible on this, with Epic taking a 15% cut, and Steam reducing its cut based on how much revenue is made).

It's no secret that Google is getting ready to announce its new phones in the coming weeks and while the models have never been a secret, they're starting to leak more and more. The latest leak comes via MySmartPrice and a number of high-resolution images that appear to confirm the colors of the unannounced handsets.

We're already pretty sure that the new Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro will be announced in October and now this leak gives us our best look yet at what those phones will look like while confirming the colors that people will get to choose from. And those colors are a sight for sore eyes for anyone who doesn't like the rather muted look of Apple's new iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro lineups.

As the report notes, it now looks like the Google Pixel 8 will sell in Peony Rose, Grey, and Obsidian Black color options while people going for the Pro models can expect to choose between Sky Blue, Porcelain, and Black Obsidian.

When Apple announced the new iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max they also announced the terribly-named "AirPods Pro (2nd generation) with MagSafe Charging Case (USB‑C)." We're just going to call the USB-C AirPods Pro, but the real story is that they are the only earbuds that will support lossless audio when connected to the upcoming Apple Vison Pro headset. Nobody knew why given the fact that, bar that USB-C port, they weren't thought to be any different from the old earbuds. Turns out, they are.

Now, Apple has confirmed exactly why you'll need those new USB-C AirPods Pro to be able to enjoy lossless Vision Pro audio. And it appears that they are more different from the older Lightning model than you might think.

According to Apple's VP of Sensing and Connectivity Ron Huang, speaking in a YouTube video from Brian Tong, you will indeed need the new USB-C AirPods Pro 2 to get the best audio from Vision Pro. The reason? While both second-generation AirPods Pro models have the H2 chip inside, the newer USB-C model comes with something a little extra - support for 5GHz connectivity.

When Apple announced that there would be no new first-party leather iPhone cases or Apple Watch bands it said that the new FineWoven accessories would replace them. But those who have already got their hands on those accessories have so far been left unimpressed and it seems that there might be a reason for that - the FineWoven fabric is indeed woven and finely so, but it has its problems.

People with early iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro case deliveries have been noting for the last few days that the cases are easily marked by fingernails and other items likely to be found in pockets. What's worse, those marks don't seem to be self-healing in any way and they can't even be removed by rubbing, either. Now, the teardown experts at iFixit have taken one of the new iPhone's cases apart to see what gives. And it turns out that the material is indeed a good one, but it might not be suited to what it's being asked to do.

The iFixit people put the new material under the microscope and found that each individual fiber measures around six microns thick which is around 1/12 the width of a human hair. They're very finely woven together to create the finish that we see on the cases and watch bands, and there is little doubt that the FineWoven name fits. But when stress testing the case iFixit found that it was very easy to damage.

It's now been around a day or so since early adopters managed to get their hands on the new iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, not to mention the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus. But it's the Pro and Pro Max that are proving particularly controversial right now after people started to realize that they have a new icon in their status bars that they really, really don't like.

Now that the new Pro iPhones don't have a traditional mute switch it's harder to tell if your phone is in silent mode or not. To help with that, Apple has added a new bell icon to the status bar, just beside the clock. When silent mode is turned on, the bell with a strike through it appears to warn people that they won't receive audible alerts when they receive notifications and calls. But some people seem to really dislike it. Thankfully, and very unlike Apple, there's an option to disable the bell altogether.

The good news was provided by YouTuber Marques Brownlee who shared the details in a post on X, the social network formerly known as Twitter. Brownlee, better known as the MKBHD YouTube channel name, says that there is an option in the Settings app that removes the bell for good. It can be found in the Sounds & Haptics portion of the setting and is well worth checking out if you're someone who wants the icon gone from their status bar.

It's been another big week of news and happenings in the tech, gaming, and science space, and Jak and Kosta are back with a new episode of The TT Show - TweakTown's official podcast. From leaked GeForce RTX 5090 specs to more Nintendo Switch 2 rumors from leaked Activision documents, the duo also touches on a potential fossilized avocado found on Mars.

Of course, it's just a rock that looks like one. In addition, with the upcoming Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty expansion, Kosta went hands-on with the new Update 2.0 and was blown away by the improvements that have come with the new DLSS 3.5 Ray Reconstruction update.

And then there's a closer look at the new INNO3D GeForce RTX 4070 Twin X2 OC with Stealth Cable Management - which sparks a chat about the abundance of cables. There are just too many. Plus, Intel's new 14th Gen CPUs get benchmarked, a Redditor digs into whether NVIDIA DLSS requires AI hardware, and more!

Microsoft's Phil Spencer has issued a statement that responds to the significant Xbox leaks.

Just days ago, Microsoft uploaded a series of documents to the online public FTC v Microsoft trial exhibit folder. Most of these reports were redacted and omitted key information as per usual, but one particular PDF file housed a series of unredacted files attached to the document. These files revealed a trove of highly confidential Xbox plans, secrets, data--everything from how much money Game Pass makes and Xbox's accountability margin to upcoming Xbox console plans and new controller ideas has been revealed.

The Xbox leak is the largest in gaming history, at least when it comes to the variety and sensitivity of the information revealed (the NVIDIA GeForce Now leak in 2021 did reveal more games, though).

Payday 3 has met the ultimate foe for all video games: Controversy.

After many years of development, Payday 3 is finally out. The reception has been fiery to say the least. Gamers are up in arms over Payday 3's controversial always-online requirement, a policy that made the game practically unplayable at launch.

Payday 3, like most live games, had some server issues when it released yesterday. But unlike the original Payday games, Payday 3 can't be played offline, so gamers simply couldn't check out the new heist shooter that they just purchased. The backlash has been quick: Payday 3 is currently sitting on a mostly negative rating on Steam.

Rockstar Games is adding in classic games as part of its GTA+ subscription service.

Rockstar is taking cues from Xbox with its new GTA+ subscription service. GTA+ was introduced in 2022 as a low-cost way to heighten GTA Online play with extra in-game goodies, unlockables, and bonuses. Now the service is adding games.

GTA+ subscribers will soon be able to play a rotating selection of old-school Rockstar Games titles. Note that this is Rockstar titles, not just Grand Theft Auto titles, so it's possible that games like Red Dead Redemption, Bully, Manhunt, and The Warriors could show up. The first games offered on GTA+ are all three titles in the GTA trilogy definitive edition and will be offered on Xbox and PlayStation.

New updates from UK regulators show early signs of approval in the $68.7 billion Microsoft-Activision merger.

Weeks ago, Competition and Markets Authority officially denied Microsoft's original Activision merger proposal. Microsoft then submitted a new deal to the CMA that specifically addressed the anti-competitive concerns outlined in the agency's Final Report. The new proposal is in turn part of a new Phase 1 investigation. Microsoft intends to sell the cloud game streaming rights of Activision's games to Ubisoft, which sees Microsoft effectively divesting, or handing off, the commercial rights to stream some of the biggest games on the market.

The CMA has had time to look over Microsoft's new deal and has found it to be acceptable. Regulators have provisionally approved the merger as a result. In an announcement post, the agency says that Microsoft's Proposed Undertakings of the terms outlined in the Ubisoft Divestment Agreement may be accepted and the merger could be cleared. The case is not at that stage yet, however, and no final decision has yet to been made on whether or not the merger will be allowed to close.

UK regulators at the Competition and Markets Authority have published the proposed terms of Microsoft's new merger deal.

Weeks ago, Microsoft and UK anti-trust agency CMA joined forces to defeat a lengthy and costly appeals process. The reason that the trillion-dollar tech giant and the UK regulators wanted to quash the appeal is simple: Microsoft wants to get the merger passed, and the CMA wants to weigh all options.

Microsoft's new proposal changes the original Activision merger terms so substantially that the CMA has opened a new Phase 1 investigation into the deal. This new merger strategy sees Microsoft selling Activision cloud game streaming rights to Ubisoft, a foreign third-party publisher. Microsoft would not have control over Activision games in the cloud--the CMA had originally been concerned that Microsoft would engage in anti-competitive practices in cloud gaming if it held onto streaming rights of big games like Call of Duty.

We're firmly in the middle of new iPhone hysteria right now with people lining up at Apple Stores around the world to get their hands on the new hotness. The iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max are all now on sale and early reports are that people are loving their new handsets. But it seems that some models might be proving more popular than others.

While it was already likely that the iPhone 15 Pro Max would prove the most popular of the four new models given its new 5x tetraprism camera and people's leaning towards bigger handsets, a new report by analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims that there are two models in particular that aren't hitting expectations in terms of demand. And they both have 6.1-inch displays.

Writing in part of a larger Medium post discussing Apple's supply chain situation, Kuo said that the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro are falling short of expectations with there being the likelihood that Apple will cut orders for those models unless it slashes prices. The latter is extremely unlikely, suggesting that the former is the way Apple will go.

So you're picking up your new iPhone 15 or iPhone 15 Pro from the Apple Store or a courier just dropped it on the doorstep - however you got the thing, you're going to want to make sure that it's running the latest software before you try and set it up.

We aren't talking about iOS 17 of course, that'll be preinstalled on every iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro that comes out of Apple's factories. Instead, we're talking about iOS 17.0.2, a new update that was rolled out yesterday and targets only Apple's newest iPhones. Those with iPhone 14 models, for example, can't install it. And now we know why - the new iPhones have a bug that prevents them from being properly set up.

Specifically, Apple's latest iPhones won't let you restore from another iPhone in order to keep all of your data. You have to either do it via an iCloud or computer backup instead which is less than ideal. Apple knows that, and there's already a fix - that fix is iOS 17.0.2, and we'd suggest that you let your new iPhone install it before you try and migrate away from your old iPhone.

The third patch for Baldur's Gate 3 has landed, with some big moves including Mac support for the RPG, and a magic mirror that allows players to change the appearance of their adventurer.

The Mac release will allow players to enjoy Baldur's Gate 3 on an Apple computer, and there are updated recommended specs for the Mac. Larian says an M1 Pro SoC is recommended with FSR enabled to run the game at high settings on a Retina display.

The dev also notes for Mac players:

In the past, Valve has made several comments on when a sequel to the popular Steam Deck might turn up, and the company has made it clear in a new statement that a further iteration won't happen until 2025 at the earliest - and it might be more like 2026.

Pierre-Loup Griffais, a coder and designer at Valve who works on the Steam Deck and has commented about the sequel before, shared some new and more specific info with The Verge.

Griffais notes that a Steam Deck 2 won't happen until late 2025, or maybe even later than that, because the performance of the hardware will need to be meaningfully pushed forward - but, crucially, while not taking down the battery life.

Cooler Master has just introduced a new case, which will turn a few heads - because it's fully modular, customizable, and all about celebrating the DIY PC building experience. The Qube 500 Flatpack PC case lives up to its name; it'll arrive in pieces so you can build and customize the shape and orientation.

Although that might seem daunting, assembling a PC case from parts, Cooler Master notes that putting the Qube 500 Flatpack PC case together has been designed to be a fun experience for beginners and experienced builders. It's fully modular and compatible with E-ATX motherboards, water coolers, and the largest GPUs.

And to add an extra dose of customization, the panels are available in multiple colors to add personal flavor to your Qube 500 - including black, white, mint, pink, and cream. It's a pretty stylish-looking case, though it is quite compact as a Mid Tower chassis.

Cyberpunk 2077's game-changing Update 2.0 is here. With the new expansion Phantom Liberty dropping next week, NVIDIA's latest GeForce Game Ready 537.42 WHQL driver adds full support for all of the new Night City 2.0 action - plus the arrival of DLSS 3.5.

For a closer look at DLSS 3.5 in Cyberpunk 2077, which takes the already beautiful ray-traced visuals in the game to the next level, be sure to check out our in-depth look with images and video.

"A true game changer, and [it applies] to ray-traced effects as the more you play, the more you begin to pick up on," I wrote. "In 4K on a GeForce RTX 4090, with performance sitting at well over 60 fps for my entire playtime, the only way to describe DLSS 3.5 in Cyberpunk 2077 is that it feels like that first time you went from 1080p to 1440p or 1440p to 4K - it's all just crisper, smoother, more realistic, and ultimately more immersive. Plus, the game runs faster with DLSS 3.5 enabled."

About a month ago, as part of Flash Memory Summit 2023 (FMS 2023), we reported on KIOXIA delivering samples of a new and exciting type of flash memory to customers. It was for the Linux Foundation's Software-Enabled Flash Community Project, on which KIOXIA is a key partner.

An exciting project because it's all about open-source SSDs, which are flash storage designed to meet the needs of hyperscale environments like the cloud. Software-Enabled Flash is exactly that: developers are given direct control to maximize flash memory through software-defined storage.

And now, with this week's update, we've got another important step for the Software-Enabled Flash Project, with KIOXIA donating a command set specification to the Linux Foundation - which means products can now hit the market.