Tag: Microsoft

Categories
Mobile Syrup

You can now play Fortnite on your iOS device through Xbox Cloud Gaming

After finding a way to come back to iOS and iPadOS via Nvidia’s GeForce Now cloud streaming service, iPad and iPhone Fortnite gamers will be pleased to know that Xbox is offering Fortnite for free as part of its Xbox Cloud Gaming service.

Starting today, anyone with a Microsoft account and an iOS or Android device, in addition to PCs can access Fortnite directly from Xbox Cloud Gaming without any installation or membership needed. All you need is a device with a browser and you’ll be able to access Fortnite through the cloud service.

Additionally, since the game is available on all supported platforms, you can play Fortnite with your desired controls, including touch, controller or mouse and keyboard.

While the streamed version via Xbox Cloud won’t be as smooth and responsive as an in-device app, it’s still better than nothing for those longing to play Fortnite on their iPhones and iPad again. Further, Xbox says that it is looking to add more free-to-play titles to its cloud service, but it didn’t mention which games it is targeting.

Learn about how to access Fortnite through Xbox Cloud Gaming here.

Image credit: Xbox

Source: Xbox

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Microsoft’s 3D Movie Maker gets new life as source code has been released

3D Movie Maker, the 90s animation software has been reanimated by Microsoft. The source code has been opened up by Microsoft after 27 years of retirement.

This achievement is all thanks to a trio of individuals: Foone, Scott Hanselman and Jeff Wilcox. Hanselman recently took to Twitter, announcing that the open-source code for 3D Movie Maker is available on GitHub.

Hanselman attributes the success to “nerd sniping” an engineer and “tell them it can’t be done.” Foone wrote a long thread of tweets in April, highlighting his desire for the code. Apparently, this is what got the ball rolling and ultimately landed the source code for the software. The software is now under the MIT licence.

3D Movie Maker is a 3D animation editing program. Microsoft released the software in 1995. While archaic by today’s standards but 3D Movie Maker was a phenomenal way for children to experiment with 3D characters, pre-rendered environments and editing. Microsoft even partnered with Nickelodeon to bring characters and scenes to a themed version of the software.

Microsoft currently offers Windows Movie Maker as its film and digital media editing software. While most professionals lean towards the Adobe suite of Apple’s Final Cut, there’s a fair bit of nostalgia in seeing the 3D Movie Marker name once more.

Image credit: Microsoft

Source: @shanselman Via: TechRadar

Categories
Mobile Syrup

New York City sues Activision Blizzard, targets CEO amid workplace scandals

New York City officials have sued Activision Blizzard over its agreement to be sold to Microsoft.

The suit, filed by New York City Employees’ Retirement System, argues that Activision CEO Bobby Kotick rushed to secure Microsoft’s takeover bid in an effort to cover up controversies at his company.

Specifically, a California lawsuit from July 2022 alleged that Activision Blizzard fostered a “frat boy culture” in which employees, particularly women, faced harassment and other forms of abuse. More controversy surfaced in November when The Wall Street Journal reported that Kotick not only knew about these incidents, but worked to cover them up, including by threatening to kill an assistant. Microsoft ultimately announced its intent to acquire Activision Blizzard two months later.

“Given Kotick’s personal responsibility and liability for Activision’s broken workplace, it should have been clear to the Board that he was unfit to negotiate a sale of the Company,” the suit says. “But it wasn’t.”

The New York plaintiffs, who own stock in Activision Blizzard, added that the deal provides “Kotick and his fellow directors [with] a means to escape liability for their egregious breaches of fiduciary duty.” Microsoft’s $95/share deal, they claim, undervalues Activision Blizzard, which was trading at close to that price prior to the California lawsuit.

As part of their suit, the New York plaintiffs are demanding access to various Activision Blizzard documents, including those pertaining to the takeover and the five other potential buyers that the company had mentioned in previous filings.

For now, though, the Microsoft takeover must go through regulatory approval in multiple countries, including the U.S. and China. Activision Blizzard shareholders have voted to approve the deal, but Wall Street remains skeptical it will go through.

It’s also unclear what will happen with Kotick himself. While he’s been expected to leave once Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard is finalized, a recent report indicates that Microsoft hasn’t actually discussed his future. If the deal is approved, Kotick could make as much as $530 million USD (about $676.7 million CAD).

The full New York suit can be found here.

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons

Via: Axios

Categories
Mobile Syrup

A look at Microsoft’s new Canadian HQ

Microsoft has opened its new headquarters in downtown Toronto, and we went and checked it out.

The office is located in CIBC Square. It spans four floors and features an impressive view of the downtown core. Microsoft says that the headquarters serves as a hub for employees, customers, partners and start-ups. The tech giant also showcased its Data Innovation Centre of Excellence (DICE) during a brief tour.

During my time touring Microsoft’s new office, the DICE space was being utilized by high school students working on projects tied to neural pathways. As is often the case with notable office openings in the city, Toronto’s mayor, John Tory, was also in attendance.

Below are some photos from the tour:

Microsoft’s new office felt cozy and futuristic. As I walked through it, the rooms reminded me of Microsoft’s modern software design, including its rounded corners and neutral tones. If Microsoft Teams’ platform was a physical space, this would be it.

Microsoft says it plans to invest more than $570 million in Canada over the next three years.

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Xbox’s May update includes the ability to create, share and view stories within Xbox mobile app

Microsoft is adding a core feature from several notable social media platforms to its Xbox app. Soon, Xbox-supported regions will be able to create, share, and view stories with their friends on the Xbox app on iOS and Android.

As a part of the May update, the Xbox app is receiving a fairly significant new feature. Previously, stories were reserved for Microsoft itself to highlight new games. Now, Xbox users can share gaming highlights with friends.

Currently, Xbox users in Australia have access to the new feature within the app. However, Microsoft claims the feature is “coming to more Xbox supported regions soon.” Once users have access to it, they can share game clips, screenshots, and achievements with friends. Users can also reply to the stories of friends with a message or quick reply.

Stories are found on the right of the Home screen on the Xbox app. As with other social media platforms, creating stories is as easy as clicking the ‘+’ button on your Gamertag within the stories channel. The user is then brought to the screen with access to all screenshots and gaming clips. Users select what to add, create an optional caption, and post.

Unlike most other social platforms, Xbox app stories last 72 hours before disappearing. Anything the user shares is also available on the activity feed within their profile.

In addition, Microsoft is adding priority tags to consoles with Quality of Service (QoS) Tagging. QoS Tagging is a new Xbox service available on Xbox consoles. These set priority tags on “latency-sensitive outbound networking traffic.” Examples of this include party chat, console streaming, and supported multiplayer games.

Once enabled, this feature supports gaming experiences when network conditions may be constrained.

On top of announcing the May update for the Xbox app, check out the new Xbox Game Pass titles arriving this month.

Image credit: Microsoft

Source: Xbox Wire

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Microsoft Edge now the second most popular desktop browser, overtaking Safari

Microsoft Edge is slowly climbing the ladder and has now stolen the second-place spot of the most popular desktop browser from Safari. What used to belong to Apple, now belongs to Microsoft as it inched its way past in market share.

According to data shared by Statcounter, Microsoft Edge saw a bit of a bump in usage since March 2021. Safari has now been dethroned as Microsoft Edge has 10.07 percent of the market share. Safari is not trailing too far behind in third with 9.61 percent. However, both wildly pale in comparison to Google Chrome with more than 66 percent of the user base.

Firefox and “Other” browsers fall short of the top three spots on the list. Firefox has roughly 7.8 percent of the market share, “Other” encompasses roughly 2.5 percent. Rounding out the list at the bottom is Opera with 2.44 percent.

There’s a fair bit to glean from this information. Microsoft has larger mindshare when it comes to desktops and the like over Apple. This likely translates to more users jumping to Microsoft Edge. Additionally, one can speculate whether or not Mac users are prioritizing time on Microsoft Edge over Safari as well.

Another factor potentially playing into the shift could be Apple’s new design of Safari. Late last year, Safari received a fairly substantial coat of paint. It adds the top bar’s colour-changing feature, smaller tabs, and more. This was then met with critical user feedback. These changes could have been a catalyst for users to migrate over to Chrome and Microsoft Edge.

Image credit: Statcounter

Source: Statcounter Via: 9to5Mac

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Microsoft opens new Toronto headquarters, doubles down on its investment in Canada

Microsoft has officially opened its new headquarters in Canada, located in the heart of Toronto, Ontario.

Microsoft’s new headquarters is a 132,000-square-foot state-of-the-art office. It’s located at 81 Bay Street within the CIBC Square office complex. Toronto Mayor John Tory joins the company in celebrating the opening. Microsoft incorporates designs to “engage with the community and support Microsoft’s inclusive hybrid culture.” It has a Team Based Space that pairs innovative technology with collaborative workplaces, empowering employees.

“With the launch of our new headquarters, official opening of our Data Innovation Centre of Excellence and expansion of our regional presence, even more organizations of all sizes and sectors can leverage the power of cloud and data to accelerate their organization’s growth and drive new economic opportunity for Canada,” said Kevin Peesker, the president of Microsoft Canada, in a statement.

The Microsoft headquarters hosts an Envisioning Centre and the first-of-its-kind Data Innovation Centre of Excellence (DICE). The company explains that it enables company experts to co-innovate with clients and partners on “cutting edge data, AI and mixed reality technology solutions.” The new headquarters plays a substantial role in assisting local startups, students, and community organizations within the GTA and across Canada.

The opening of the new headquarters coincides with the release of EY’s research on Microsoft’s impact on the Canadian economy. The research states that Microsoft and its ecosystem contribute more than $37 billion to Canada’s GPD. Microsoft’s ecosystem includes more than 15,000 partners and nearly 300,000 Canadian jobs. Microsoft also supports 30 projects, valued at $190 million.

Microsoft’s impact on Canadian innovation and industry growth has been persistent. Over the past three years, Microsoft has doubled its Canadian workforce and employs 5,000 full-time staff members across the country.

In 2021, Microsoft donated more than $125 million in cash, software, and technology services to non-profits.

Image credit: Microsoft

Source: Microsoft Canada

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Developer gets closer to running Windows 11 on Surface Duo

A developer has been working on a project that aims to get Windows 11 running on a Surface Duo. What can only be described as a passion project, Gustave Monce is making incremental advancements in this pursuit and has hit a new milestone.

In a new video Monce recently shared, the developer explains that the performance is now better than they expected. They compare the performance to a Lumia 950 XL, and notes that the difference is an “ocean.” Monce also confirms that the thermals of the Surface Duo are “very good.”

Although it’s far from perfect, Monce can run a form of Windows 11 across the two screens of the Surface Duo. The video shows the File Explorer window being dragged across the left to the right before snapping to the right screen. Monce also briefly demos Microsoft Edge running on the left screen.

Following the initial clip, Monce shows that the Adreno GPU and shaders are all working well. The developer controls the systems and apps using a Bluetooth mouse. They states that there is no touch support currently but say that it’s coming “soon.”

However, there are some glaring issues. For example, there are on-screen glitches during the demo and there’s no LTE support. With Windows 11, the Surface Duo’s camera and gyroscope are also not working.

It’s also worth noting that Monce’s work is on the original Surface Duo. None of these advancements appear to be operational on the Surface Duo 2.

It’s unclear why Monce is putting so much work into getting Windows 11 running on the device, especially since the Surface Duo is already a pretty niche device. That said, seeing Windows 11 work across the Surface Duo’s dual-screen is still still pretty impressive.

Image credit: @gus33000

Source: @gus33000 Via: Windows Central

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Activision Blizzard stockholders approve Microsoft acquisition

Activision Blizzard, developer and publisher of Call of Duty and Overwatch, reveals that its stockholders approve of Microsoft’s acquisition bid. The proposal, which would see Activision Blizzard under the Xbox Game Studios banner, saw more than 98 percent of the shares voting in favour of the proposal.

Earlier this year, Microsoft announced its plans to acquire Activision Blizzard for $95.00 per share. The $68.7 billion USD (roughly $85.96 billion CAD) deal would see tentpole franchises like Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, Diablo, and more owned by Microsoft. The acquisition also folds in a laundry list of studios including Blizzard Entertainment, Beenox, High Moon Studios, Infinity Ward, King, Raven Software, Sledgehammer Games, Toys for Bob, Treyarch and more.

Microsoft expects the deal to close by the end of its fiscal year ending June 30th, 2023. However, one step to securing the deal was gaining approval from Activision Blizzard stockholders. During the Activision Blizzard Special Meeting of Stockholders, the votes were cast in favour of the acquisition.

“Today’s overwhelmingly supportive vote by our stockholders confirms our shared belief that, combined with Microsoft, we will be even better positioned to create great value for our players, even greater opportunities for our employees, and to continue our focus on becoming an inspiring example of a welcoming, respectful, and inclusive workplace,” said Bobby Kotick, CEO, Activision Blizzard.

A report detailing the results from the Special Meeting will come in a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Form 8-K by early next week.

Previous reports claim Microsoft plans to make future Activision titles multiplatform. This includes Call of Duty in some capacity, as Xbox head Phil Spencer confirms. However, some games and content will be exclusive to Xbox consoles and platforms.

Activision Blizzard continues to be investigated over sexual harassment claims. Kotick is also being investigated after reports allege turned a blind eye to the supposed “frat-boy culture” within the company. While Kotick’s future within the company has not been officially confirmed, he is expected to step down.

The next step in the Activision Blizzard acquisition is to receive the approval of the Federal Trade Commission and antitrust enforcers. However, Wall Street is currently betting the deal may fail. If the merger passes, Microsoft will become the third-largest video game company.

Image credit: Microsoft

Source: Activision Blizzard

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Over 10 million people have used Xbox Cloud Gaming: Microsoft

Microsoft says more than 10 million people have used its Xbox Cloud Gaming streaming service.

The company revealed the figure during its Q3 2021 earnings call. It’s a notable statistic since public data into the game streaming landscape has largely been unavailable. Historically, Microsoft has only offered random stats like “20 percent of Cloud Gaming players use touch controls,” and even less is known about user habits for Google Stadia. (Nvidia GeForce Now, meanwhile, offers a free trial that includes in numbers)

That said, Microsoft didn’t provide any further details about Cloud Gaming’s audience, so it’s hard to gauge ongoing success. All we really know is that Game Pass — the $16.99 CAD/month ‘Ultimate’ tier of which is required for Cloud Gaming — hit 25 million subscribers in January. No data on monthly active users of Cloud Gaming has been provided, nor did Microsoft clarify what constitutes a single stream (i.e. ‘x’ number of minutes).

We don’t even know how many of these 10 million-plus people are existing Game Pass members. That’s because Game Pass has had a “$1 for your first month” introductory offer for a while now, meaning it’s unclear how many people may have signed up, tried out streaming and later cancelled.

Still, unlike, say, Google’s beleagured Stadia service, Microsoft has been positioning Cloud Gaming as merely an option, rather than its core gaming platform. On top of Cloud Gaming being available on iOS, Android, Xbox consoles and PC, consumers can still purchase Xbox/PC games physically or digitally as normal. Xbox is also still positioning Cloud Gaming as a beta as it plans to expand the service to other platforms, like TV apps and Roku-esque streaming sticks.

In related news, Microsoft confirmed that Xbox hardware revenue was up 14 percent in Q3, although it warned that future performance could be affected by Chinese production shutdowns.

Via: The Verge