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Why Wouldn’t Microsoft Make Bethesda Games Xbox Exclusive? – Forbes

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Microsoft’s $7.5 billion acquisition of Zenimax and Bethesda seems to be getting approved by different regulatory commissions in different regions as we speak, and it seems like nothing will ultimately stand in the way of the deal going through.

And that has led to the return of a common question, what is Microsoft going to do with new Bethesda games once they arrive? Namely, are they going to be Xbox (and PC) exclusive, with Microsoft deliberately keeping them off PlayStation, and potential streaming rivals like Amazon Luna and Google Stadia?

The more I consider the question, the more it simply doesn’t make sense that Microsoft wouldn’t do this, given their current situation and goals. While some ongoing deals have to be left awkwardly in place, like timed exclusive PlayStation access to Arkane’s Deathloop, the future? That’s a different story. And yes, I can imagine entering an era where Doom, Prey, Dishonored, Fallout, Elder Scrolls and Starfield are all Xbox exclusive.

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There are two main points here:

1) Microsoft’s main weakness above anything else is that it lacks the kind of massive, must-play first party exclusives compared to what Sony (and Nintendo) have been putting out for years. It has a few bright spots, Forza, Ori, the occasional Gears sequel. And it has potentially promising projects on the horizon like Halo Infinite and a new Perfect Dark. And yet it has gone effectively a generation and a half badly losing this battle. Suddenly, they have acquired a studio with multiple GOTY-contender IPs in its roster, so I am willing to bet that Microsoft would forgo the software sales on PlayStation in order to secure that Xbox was the only place to play those games. It’s like asking Sony why they don’t sell Uncharted or God of War on Xbox, even though they could move millions of additional copies. You retain something important with that exclusivity.

2) Microsoft’s main goal right now is to encourage adoption of Xbox Game Pass. Game Pass is already essentially a must own if you’re in the Xbox ecosystem, but the goal is to get people outside of that ecosystem to adopt it. And in this case, it’s more of a Netflix situation. Microsoft has taken the drastic step of offering its exclusive as day one included releases on Xbox Game Pass, and that would almost certainly extend to Bethesda titles. Now, it may be enough to offer them for “free” on Game Pass compared to $70 or whatever they’d cost on PS5, and yet again, that’s not usually what we see in models like this. Netflix doesn’t offering the new season of Stranger Things for purchase on Amazon Prime for $29.99 at release. It is only on Netflix, and a draw for people to subscribe because it is literally not anywhere else.

I’m not saying they’ll do this for every single game, and there may be some middleground like offering some titles to other platforms a long (long) amount of time later, but you don’t spend $7.5 billion on one of the world’s top game studios and not do everything possible to ensure that purchase bolsters your gaming arm in every way it can. And that probably means a whole lot of exclusivity. If the situation were reversed, and Sony bought say, CDPR, I don’t think there would be much wondering about whether or not the The Witcher 4 would come to Xbox.

We’ll see what the next steps are now that this deal is getting finalized. But above all else, I predict that if you want to play Bethesda games in the future, at the very least, you’re going to need Game Pass, if not an actual Xbox.

Update: In finalizing the Bethesda deal today, Microsoft said that “some games” would be exclusive to Xbox and PC.

Follow me on TwitterYouTube, Facebook and Instagram. Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series, and The Earthborn Trilogy, which is also on audiobook.

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Apple announces Worldwide Developers Conference dates, in-person event – CityNews Toronto

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Apple has announced their annual developers conference will take place June 10 through June 14.

The big summer event will be live-streamed, but some select developers have been invited to attend in-person events at Apple’s campus in Cupertino, California, on June 10.

The company typically showcases their latest software and product updates — including the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, AppleTV and Vision Pro headset — during a keynote address on the first day.

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Contributing to a drop in Apple’s stock price this year is concern it lags behind Microsoft and Google in the push to develop products powered by artificial intelligence technology. While Apple tends to keep its product development close to the vest, CEO Tim Cook signaled at the company’s annual shareholder meeting in February that it has been making big investments in generative AI and plans to disclose more later this year.

The week-long conference will have opportunities for developers to connect with Apple designers and engineers to gain insight into new tools, frameworks and features, according to the company’s announcement.

The Associated Press

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iPhone 16 Rumors Point to Action Button and New, Vertical Camera Layout – CNET

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The upcoming iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro are still months away from their expected launch this fall, but a new set of images published online may give us a better sense of their potential features. Among the revelations, the iPhone 16 may include an action button, similar to the one on last year’s iPhone 15 Pro, and it may have redesigned cameras in a vertical stack.

AppleInsider published a series of photos it says show dummy 3D prints of the upcoming iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro from an unnamed leaker. Aside from the action button and reworked cameras on the iPhone 16, AppleInsider also said its source found the iPhone 16 Pro to be “slightly larger” than its predecessor. Analysts had earlier said they expect the Pro model screens will grow somewhat.

Read more: iPhone 16: All the Major Rumors on Apple’s Next iPhone

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The new details suggest that a series of expected hardware updates are likely for this year’s new iPhones. Apple typically announces new iPhones around September, and the company tends to offer incremental upgrades to each new phone, introducing, over the period of several years, better cameras, screens and battery life, features that end up seeming like major upgrades when people get around to buying a new phone

Last year, Apple added a new titanium frame, action button and USB-C charging to its iPhone 15 Pro, which starts at $999. For its entry-level iPhone, Apple followed its well-worn strategy of trickling pro features down to the mainstream, adding the iPhone 14 Pro’s well-received Dynamic Island to the $799 iPhone 15, along with USB-C charging.

AppleInsider didn’t indicate whether its leaker had divined a reason for the iPhone 16’s shifted camera placements, but the two lenses will now reportedly be stacked one on top of the other, instead of diagonally. Apple has previously said it uses stacked lenses on the iPhone 15 Pro for spatial video capture, a key new technology the company highlighted as part of its $3,499 Apple Vision Pro headset, released in February.

Though AppleInsider’s leaks appear to confirm many previous rumors, not all renders and 3D prints are accurate, something the rumor blog notes itself in its report. Apple didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment about the veracity of the leaks.

Watch this: What Google Gemini AI on the iPhone Could Look Like

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I Took 600+ Photos With the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Look at My Favorites

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Leaked iPhone 16 dummy units hint at larger sizes and new buttons

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The iPhone 15 Pro Max, with a 6.7-inch screen
(Image credit: Future)

We’re already counting down to the arrival of the iPhone 16 series – most probably sometime in September – and a leak showing dummy units of the upcoming phones has revealed a few of the changes we can expect to see later this year.

These dummy units are usually based on supply chain information, and have various business uses – like helping case manufacturers get their wares ready for new phones before they’re launched, for example. In this case, the images were posted to Chinese social network Weibo, as spotted by MacRumors.

Perhaps the most interesting reveal from these blocks of plastic and metal is that they show the previously rumored increase in size for the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max displays – up to 6.3 inches (from 6.1 inches) and 6.9 inches (from 6.7 inches) respectively.

That’s not a huge jump of course, but it does mean more screen space for apps and media. The bezels are apparently shrinking down to accommodate the larger screens, which means the increase in the physical size of these handsets is only a slight one.

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On the button

iPhone 16 dummy units leak

The next iPhones might look a bit like this, but less blue (Image credit: Weibo)

Further reveals from this leak match up with what we’ve heard before: that all four models are going to get the Action button that replaced the Ring/Silent switch on the 2023 Pro models, as well as a brand-new Capture button for getting more creative with photos.

Also of note is the redesigned rear camera module that we think is coming to the back of the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus. The new vertical, pill-shaped look has been leaked already, but this is more evidence that it’s on the way – taking us back to a design that’s more reminiscent of the iPhone 12, which came out in 2020.

As always with such rumors, be somewhat cautious about reading too much into the look of these dummy units. That said, as more and more similar leaks pile up, it becomes more likely that they’re based on accurate information.

The next big Apple date for your calendar is WWDC 2024 – its Worldwide Developers Conference starts on June 10, at which time we should hear much more about what’s coming this year with iOS 18 and Apple’s other software platforms.

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Freelance Contributor

Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you’ll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.

Leaked iPhone 16 dummy units hint at larger sizes and new buttons

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