Kalakshar US

In the world of console video games, Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo stand as titans. For PC gamers, however, Valve reigns supreme. Its distribution platform, Steam, may not be the only place to buy and play games on the PC, but it’s easily among the largest, oldest and most iconic. Today marks Steam’s 20th anniversary.

Valve is celebrating by slashing prices on its self-published games, offering most of its catalog for 90 percent off, except Half-Life: Alyx. The sale’s landing page doubles as a cheery retrospective of Steam’s last two decades. It’s a fun read that offers users the chance to buy the “Top Games” from key years in the platform’s history, punctuating footnotes about the very first Steam Sale with a chance to buy the original Portal for just $0.99.

Again, it’s fun, but the nostalgic look back leaves out a few key details. Folks who were around when Steam first launched might remember its early days as a time of frustration. Valve built the platform as a way to easily deliver updates to its games and combat cheating in online multiplayer — but many saw it as an antagonistic force and an early attempt to impose restrictive DRM on players.

Digital distribution was in its infancy in 2003, and most PC gamers bought their games at the store, installing them manually from a CD or DVD. That didn’t change, but when Valve released Half-Life 2, players were surprised to find that the game required Steam — and an internet connection — to launch the single player experience. It was unheard of at the time, and people hated it.

As history shows, however, we got used to it. Other publishers started selling games on Valve’s platform. Users were drawn in by the convenient distribution model and the allure of the aforementioned Steam Sales. Steam added cloud save backups, a hub for player-created content, social features and more. Soon, Valve started toying with making its own hardware, first with the somewhat lackluster Steam Machines initiative, and later, the much more successful Steam Deck.

Today, Steam is a household name in the gaming community, and with good reason. Go ahead, celebrate. Valve even brought back the platform’s original dark green color to give the anniversary a nice, retro feel.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/steam-is-green-again-on-its-20th-anniversary-000859141.html?src=rss 

Last year Devialet, the French luxury audio company known for mighty speakers with even mightier price tags, launched its first pair of earbuds. Gemini carried many of the usual Devialet features, including good design, excellent sound and noise cancellation. But it also had some quirks around fit, weird audio modes and a bulky charging case that turned off plenty of reviewers. It’s those pain points that the company is addressing with its second-generation edition, the Gemini II.

The first and most welcome change is to the charging case, which was awkward and bulky last time out. Now, it’s a lot smaller, and uses the same pocket-friendly lozenge design you’ll find with pretty much every other pair of good TWS earbuds. Inside, the company has added a new custom driver and designed a new Active Wind Reduction mode to help screen out more unwanted sound. And to resolve the issues around fit, the buds are smaller and have been redesigned to better “fit any ear.”

You’ll also spot plenty of quality-of-life improvements like wireless charging and Bluetooth 5.2. But there has been a few spec-drops compared to the last version, with promised battery life falling from 24 hours on the first model to 22 hours here. The per-charge life has also dropped, with the Gemini II pledging five hours on a single charge, down from the six on the original.

This is Devialet, of course, which means you can pick up the standard version from today in black or white, each model costing $450. But you can also get an Opéra de Paris edition, which adds a 24-carat PVD gold plating onto the white case and earbuds, priced at $650. That way, when you’re strutting down the Boulevard Richard-Lenoir, everyone will know how classy you are.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/devialets-450-gemini-ii-earbuds-offer-improved-fit-and-a-smaller-charging-case-230141910.html?src=rss 

Court filings have revealed new details about the FTC’s investigation into Elon Musk over his handling of privacy and security issues at X. In newly public court documents, the Department of Justice says Musk fostered a “chaotic environment” at Twitter, now known as X, that prevented company officials from complying with their obligations to the FTC.

The FTC investigation stems from a 2022 settlement between the FTC and Twitter over the company’s use of deceptive ad targeting under the leadership of Jack Dorsey. Prior to Musk’s takeover, the company paid a $150 million fine and signed on to an agreement to implement specific privacy and security measures. It was those additional data protection measures that apparently fell by the wayside once Musk took control, triggering new scrutiny from the regulator.

In March, the FTC began investigating the rushed rollout of Twitter Blue, which reportedly launched without the privacy and security review required under the FTC order, as well as Musk’s handling of the so-called “Twitter Files.”

In the latest court documents, the Department of Justice details new information provided by a number of former top Twitter executives. According to the DoJ, Twitter’s former chief privacy officer Damien Kieran said Twitter Blue launched so quickly a “security and privacy review was not conducted in accordance with the company’s process for software development.”

It also details employee concerns over Musk’s attempts to grant an outside journalist unfettered access to the company’s internal systems. (The filing notes that “longtime information security employees intervened” and the reporter was ultimately given access to files and systems via an intermediary.) 

The government also raises concerns over Musk’s rearranging of company servers between data centers. The company’s policy required that servers be wiped prior to being moved, but that didn’t happen, according to former Twitter employees. The government also notes that Musk’s rapid-fire layoffs resulted in deep cuts among the Twitter staff who could have helped the company stay in compliance with the FTC.

X didn’t respond to a request for comment. Musk has previously described the investigation as the “weaponization of a government agency for political purposes.”

Ultimately, the owner of X may end up having to answer to the FTC directly on these issues. The regulator argues that Musk should be deposed, though lawyers for X have sought to prevent the deposition. “Evidence the FTC uncovered during its investigation reveals that Musk has been deeply involved in the ‘fundamental transformation’ of X Corp.,” the government wrote. “Musk exercised granular control of X Corp., at times directing employees in a manner that may have jeopardized data privacy and security.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ftc-says-elon-musk-may-have-jeopardized-data-privacy-and-security-at-twitter-232642914.html?src=rss