A new court filing has revealed that, as part of the ongoing legal battle between Apple and Epic Games, Apple subpoenaed Valve Software in November 2020, demanding it provide huge amounts of commercial data about Steam sales and operations going over multiple years. From a report: Apple subpoenaed Valve under the basic argument that certain Steam information would be crucial to…
Tag: Valve
Valve and Five PC Games Publishers Fined $9.4M for Illegal Geo-Blocking
A four-year antitrust investigation into PC games geo-blocking in the European Union by distribution platform Valve and five games publishers has led to fines totalling $9.4 million after the Commission confirmed today that the bloc’s rules had been breached. From a report: The geo-blocking practices investigated since 2017 concerned around 100 PC video games of different genres, including sports, simulation and…
The realization of a single-quantum-dot heat valve
While many research teams worldwide are trying to develop highly performing quantum computers, some are working on tools to control the flow of heat inside of them. Just like conventional computers, in fact, quantum computers can heat up significantly as they are operating, which can ultimately damage both the devices and their surroundings. …
Slashback: How Eddie Van Halen Hacks a Guitar
In honor of legendary guitarist Eddie Van Halen, who tragically passed away today from throat cancer at the age of 65, we wanted to resurface an article Eddie wrote in 2015 for Popular Mechanics. While many know him as the guitar god, Eddie Van Halen was also an inventor and patent holder who has spent the better part of 35 years…
Dual-Flush Toilets ‘Wasting More Water Than They Save’
An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Guardian: Toilets specially designed to save water are wasting more than they conserve, the UK’s largest water firm has warned. Campaigners have warned for years that dual-flush toilets, introduced as more efficient alternatives that were expected to use less than half the amount of water per flush, are more prone to leaks. The…
How Do Astronauts Escape When a Space Launch Goes Wrong?
On May 27, NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley are expected to become the first humans to ride a Dragon. The two astronauts will catch a ride to the International Space Station in SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule as part of the Demo-2 mission, the final test before NASA officially certifies the vehicle for human spaceflight. It will be the first…
Why You Shouldn’t Wear a COVID-19 Mask That Has a Valve
In some states and major cities, it’s now mandatory to wear a mask in public to prevent the spread of COVID-19. That mask could be anything from a handkerchief to a designer cotton mask to a full-blown N95 respirator, so long as you have something between your mouth and nose and the world around you. But in California’s Bay Area, there’s…
Team Fortress 2 Source Code Leak Raises Security Fears
“The source code for Team Fortress 2 has apparently been leaked, leading to hackers reportedly able to deliver malware through Remote Code Execution to other players,” reports TechRadar. However, Valve assures users that playing on official servers is perfectly safe. From the report: This leak was initially reported by @SteamDB on Twitter, with the source code in question dating back to…
How the Rapid FDA-Approved Coronavirus Testing System Works
Tekla Perry writes: In 2001, a rapid, easy-to-use, PCR-based testing system for biological testing was still in prototype form when letters containing anthrax spores started arriving in the mailboxes of journalists and senators. Its creators at startup Cepheid quickly adapted it to test for anthrax, and now it is used to run that test as part of U.S. mail sorting systems….
HP Teases ‘Next Gen’ VR Headset Made With Microsoft and Valve’s Help
HP is teasing a Reverb G2 VR headset developed in tandem with Microsoft and Valve that should be “more immersive, comfortable and compatible” than previous-generation hardware. Engadget reports: The first Reverb wasn’t a revolution in design, but it did stand out with a sharp 2,160 x 2,160 pixels per eye. It won’t be surprising if HP pursues bragging rights once again,…