Business Articles

Electronic Arts' planned $55 billion all-cash buyout by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and partners, slated to close in Q1 2027, has triggered a wave of protests from prominent The Sims creators, including LilSimsie, Plumbella and James Turner who have left EA’s Creator Network and revoked creator codes over fears the new ownership could undermine the franchise’s long-standing LGBTQ+ inclusivity.

Wireless charging with Qi is convenient and practical. But I’ve always wondered how much energy loss it actually causes compared to regular cable charging. Turns out, the amount of wasted power could keep a small city running for a whole year.

Nintendo has released early Switch 2 sales figures. With Mario Kart World currently being the console's most popular game, the Switch 2 is currently outselling the Sony PlayStation 5 in the first few months of both consoles being released.

The CA-1 AI cooking robot from Hamburg-based start-up Circus has made its world debut at a Rewe supermarket in Düsseldorf-Heerdt. It independently prepares hot dishes such as penne arrabiata and lentil curry – and even takes care of the cleanup. Prices start at €3.50.

Tesla is recalling around 6,200 Cybertrucks due to a defect in the optional LED light bars, which may detach while driving. According to the NHTSA, the problem stems from the use of an incorrect adhesive during assembly, causing the lights to loosen under vibration.

With a pixel density of over 25,000 PPI, the newly developed Retina E-Paper reaches the resolution limit of human vision. Its color display works without an internal light source, relying instead on electrochromic nanopixels that reflect ambient light.

Despite GTA 6 being a massive undertaking, Rockstar Games has dismissed several dozen employees. A UK trade union believes that the studio fired the workers for attempting to unionize. Previously, employees accused the Take-Two Interactive-owned company of abusing staff.

The failure of FBC: Firebreak to meet expectations despite repeated patches and a new content update titled 'Breakpoint' has heavily eaten into Remedy Entertainment's bottom line for the quarter, even as management remains optimistic about its future prospects.

A dissatisfied owner — or rather, former owner — of a Ford EV has taken to social media to complain about Ford's alleged unprofessional conduct. According to him, the carmaker refused to cover the damage after his car caught fire, blaming the fire on external causes.

SK Hynix has confirmed that all DRAM, NAND, and high-bandwidth memory (HBM) production through 2026 has been sold out, much of it to Nvidia for its AI accelerators. The South Korean chipmaker’s dominance in HBM technology and record profits highlight how the Nvidia-driven AI boom is reshaping global semiconductor competition.

Netflix CTO Elizabeth Stone has announced that the streaming service will become more interactive. In addition to introducing formats that allow viewers to actively participate, Netflix is also planning a major overhaul of its user interface.

High-tech accessible: Intel has announced five new stores around the world where end customers can experience the latest premium laptops from Dell, HP, Lenovo and Co. up close - all with the latest Intel processors, of course. One particular focus is on AI applications. One of the stores is located in Munich, Notebookcheck was present at the inauguration.

Japan’s Patent Office provisionally rejected Nintendo’s patent application for “monster‑capturing” mechanics, finding the claim lacked novelty in light of prior art from older games and mods. This is a ruling that bolsters Palworld developer Pocketpair’s defense in its ongoing lawsuit, in which Nintendo is also a plaintiff.

After the latest Microsoft earnings report, the state of Xbox hardware sales is predictably dire. The Q1 2026 fiscal data reveal another 29% decline in revenue. Game Pass experienced minor growth, but Xbox price increases have led some subscribers to cancel the service.

The CEO of digital security firm Memento Labs admits that the organization developed the "Dante" malware uncovered in a recent Kaspersky report. Worryingly, Memento Labs indicates that the malware was used by an undisclosed "government client," potentially for spying on private citizens.

Sharp has launched two new V series projectors for professional use: the XP-V731U and the XP-V801U. The letter V seemingly stands for value, with the brand describing these models as “cost-efficient”. Features of the WUXGA projectors include a laser light source offering up to 8,000 ISO lumens brightness and compatibility with a wide range of mounts and lenses.

Adobe Max 2025 showcased a wave of AI-powered upgrades across Creative Cloud, streamlining workflows in Photoshop, Premiere, Illustrator, and Firefly. Highlights include generative image blending, real-time video effects, 3D vector rotation, and personalized content generation.

With the SFP Wizard, Ubiquiti allows users to program SFP and QSFP modules. The goal is to make the modules universally compatible. This will probably challenge many switch manufacturers that rely on vendor lock-in. In addition, Ubiquiti is lowering the prices of some of its (Q)SFP transceivers.

Apple recently became the third company in history to cross US$4 trillion in market capitalization, thanks to better-than-anticipated iPhone 17 series sales and forward-thinking supply chain decisions.

The US Department of Energy, together with AMD, HPE, Oracle and ORNL, is investing $1 billion in two new supercomputers. "Lux" is expected to be completed in just six months and will accelerate research into fusion energy, medicine and national security.

PayPal and OpenAI have reached a deal giving OpenAI's "Instant Checkout" feature the power of PayPal payments. Users will now be able to pay for goods and services directly through a ChatGPT session.

A Reuters report says Amazon may cut as many as 30,000 office-based positions beginning next week, a move tied to broader cost-control and efficiency drives at the company.

Artificial intelligence is transforming not only the workplace but also the way fraud is committed. According to the Financial Times, around 14% of all expense receipts reviewed by AppZen are now AI-generated fakes.

An AWS outage left smart homes and even smart beds offline, showing just how dependent everyday devices have become on remote servers. With Amazon confirming the root cause in its US-East-1 region, engineers are calling for smarter local backups to prevent future chaos.

Tesla has issued a recall of 12,963 vehicles across its Model 3 and Model Y lines due to a defect that could lead to a sudden loss of drive power. The recall is officially filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) under number 25V690.

Four new Sharp A series projectors for commercial use have been revealed in the US. The XP-A824U, the XP-A104U, the XP-A155U and the XP-A175U each have a laser light source, with the range-topping model offering up to 17,000 ISO lumens brightness. Plus, these WUXGA projectors offer two HDMI inputs.

Porsche reported a 99% drop in profits in the third quarter of 2025. Operating profit fell to just €40 million. The main reason for this was the expensive strategic shift toward electromobility, which involved billions in special expenses.

ByteDance is working on a new global gaming platform called GameTop — designed to deliver a mix of games, social features, and creative tools for players outside China. The move follows a major shift in the company’s gaming strategy, with a focus on smarter publishing and user-driven content.

Tech companies have more than quadrupled their outstanding interest-bearing debt over the past decade, largely due to the ever-increasing demand for and building of AI infrastructure. Some companies, such as Oracle, have become heavily leveraged in an effort to keep up.

The newer Intel and Nvidia processors offer faster performance, but the design and chassis surrounding the processors remain the same for a familiar feel.

A Bloomberg investigation reports that Microsoft finance chief Amy Hood had imposed a 30% profit-margin "accountability" target on Xbox in late 2023. The goal, which is nearly double the industry average, seems to have directly contributed to waves of subsequent layoffs and studio closures that have plagued its game divisions since

TCL CSOT has started work on a $4.15 billion T8 8.6-generation OLED factory in Guangzhou that will use inkjet printing to produce RGB OLED panels; a move that could shake up mid-size OLED supply (and pricing) for laptops, tablets, and monitors, subject to yields meeting expectations.

Ahead of the international launch of the RedMagic 11 Pro, RedMagic has shared a video across its social media pages, mocking Apple and other smartphone manufacturers for making phones with camera bumps.

Kia has launched a unique ad campaign in Finland: anyone who buys the new EV4 electric model receives a scented air freshener that smells like petrol and engine oil. The campaign aims to ease the transition from traditional cars to electric by offering a familiar scent within a new driving experience.

CopterPack, the company behind the backpack helicopter, has announced and showcased the third iteration of the machine — CopterPack Gen3. While it looks bulkier than the first generation, it uses a carbon fiber material with honeycomb structure to maintain a lightweight status.

Manus has launched Manus-1.5 and Manus-1.5-Lite, AI models that dramatically cut the time to create full-stack webs with embedded AI capabilities. New Collaboration and Library tools enhance teamwork, while Manus-1.5-Lite remains free for all.

Eon Productions, after having an unbridled 60 years of creative control when it came to James Bond, finally handed over the reins to Amazon at the start of 2025 for a paltry $20 million, based on a recent tax filing.

According to Nikkei Asia, Apple has reportedly dramatically ramped down its production orders for the iPhone Air. Citing sources familiar with the matter, Nikkei claims that the iPhone Air has already entered "end of production" levels and will now make up less than 10% of Apple's smartphone orders.

Judging by new U.S retail data, Sony will have no regrets over the recent PS5 price increases. More buyers added the console to their setups in September than in August. Overall spending in the industry grew compared to the previous year, anchored by a busy month for new PS5 games.

Elon Musk appears to be exploring new ways to boost revenue on his messaging platform X – including a potential marketplace for usernames. Some handles could reportedly fetch seven-figure sums.

Reddit users are up in arms as DDR5 RAM prices have skyrocketed over the past few weeks. With increases of up to 50%, the community believes it has already pinpointed the reason behind the surge.

Volkswagen is stopping production at two German electric car factories due to concerns about declining demand. Meanwhile, Chinese rival BYD is celebrating record sales in Europe. This raises the question of whether VW's problem is a result of outdated technology and poor value for money.

The launch supply of the new Asus ROG Xbox Ally X is not great according to a leak by Moore's Law Is Dead. Supply of the handheld console, which is the first Xbox-branded portable gaming console, has been compared to GPUs like the RTX 5080 that were incredible hard to find at launch.

Marc-Alexis Côté, the longtime executive producer of Assassin’s Creed, said in a LinkedIn post that his October departure was involuntary, with Ubisoft asking him to step aside and reassign franchise leadership to fit a new organizational structure, contradicting earlier claims from the organization.

In a Wired Japan interview, Hideo Kojima called artificial intelligence a collaborative “friend” rather than a threat, arguing it should handle time-consuming tasks, including animation, motion capture, and NPC behavior, so human creators can retain creative leadership while highlighting its role in Death Stranding 2.

YouTube star MrBeast seems to have bigger ambitions than just making videos. According to a recent trademark filing, the world’s most-watched creator appears to be preparing to enter the financial world – including the crypto space.

Speculation from a Japanese investment bank claims that Apple plans to significantly ramp down production of the iPhone Air. Citing lackluster sales, especially compared to other iPhone models, the firm claims that Apple plans to reduce iPhone Air production dramatically while ramping up production of iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro units.

The new Pro Max 16 Plus isn't just faster, but nearly all auxiliary features have been updated as well for better longevity and an improved user experience.

Nintendo has reportedly decided to produce more than 20 million Switch 2 consoles by March 2026. The Nintendo Switch 2 is the company's fastes-selling console launch ever. Seeing this, Nintendo has seeminlgy revised its internal Switch 2 sales target upwards.