Call of Duty: Black Ops (insert number here) might be a Game Pass day-one title
Microsoft is obviously still reeling from that $75 billion acquisition of Activision. Microsoft hasn’t said as much publically, but how else do you account for Xbox shutting down the Bethesda studios responsible for Hi-Fi Rush or the more recent news that it’s considering throwing the next Call of Duty title on GamePass?
Yup. According to a report from The Wall Street Journal (via Engadget), Xbox is eyeing up a day-one release on GamePass for the next Call of Duty game in a desperate bid to… boost GamePass’ subscriber numbers? Sticking one of the most prestigious shooters on the service would no doubt boost customers, all at the expense of losing millions, even billions, in sales.
But, we kinda see the vision. Had Microsoft attempted to pull this off ten years ago, it’d be considered a death wish. Now, in this age of battle passes, gold-plated gun skins and Nicki Minaj operators, Xbox might just be onto something. Call of Duty has become a microtransaction powerhouse in recent years, and it would more than repay for the loss of game sales. Don’t forget that the game will still be sold on PC, PlayStation and… Switch?
There are reports of Xbox considering yet another price hike for Game Pass to accommodate such a sought-after title on day one, but Microsoft has yet to confirm any such hike. We’ll have to wait until 9 June, when Xbox is expected to lay its plans regarding Call of Duty bare during a live-streamed event.
TikTok is encroaching on YouTube’s business model
When YouTube initially ‘stole’ TikTok’s whole 15-second video gimmick, it started a war. As more users joined the platform, demand began growing for even longer videos, with TikTok increasing the cap over and over until it finally began allowing 10-minute uploads. In an interview with TechCrunch, the Chinese company confirmed that it was now testing 60-minute uploads because… why not?
The feature isn’t widely available just yet. TikTok confirmed the experiment was limited to a small number of users in specific markets. It’s not clear exactly which those are, though a test on our devices told us we weren’t part of it.
It’s clear what ByteDance is attempting to do here. YouTube is the undisputed king of long-form content, and TikTok wants a slice of that very lucrative pie. The idea is to draw in those content creators who utilize both TikTok and YouTube and upload those longer videos onto the platform, thus keeping users engaged for a whole lot longer.
It’s not a bad idea and one we could see being the wake-up call YouTube’s monopoly needed to shift back into gear. There’s no word on when the feature’s official rollout yet will be, or even whether TikTok will pursue it in the long run.
Android 14 is coming to Google TV
Google, after a long week involving various AI announcements, has started the new week off strong with the news that Android 14 is headed to Google TV. And of course, it wouldn’t be a Google announcement without including everyone’s favourite words: Gen AI.
In a new blog post, the company said that devices worthy of the update (like Chromecast with Google TV) will see a whole host of new features coming to the platform that’ll improve performance, longevity, accessibility and even multitasking.
The first big change is a generally more responsive UI, reverting from the often clunky feeling that comes with older devices. It’s throwing in a picture-in-picture mode (because you can’t let the voices take over for even a second), new colour correction, text options and “improved navigation for users.”
Where AI comes into it, Google’s keeping it relatively tame. For movies on the featured page missing a description, Gemini AI will do its best to fill in the blanks. That’s it for now, but we doubt it’s the last of the generative AI on Google TV before the year is out.
Rumour: Sony’s working on a new PSP-like handheld
Less than a year after bringing the sub-par PlayStation Portal to market, rumours are all of a flutter that Sony could already be working towards making amends for that by churning out a proper PSP-like handheld device. That’s according to Anton Lognivov (via Game Rant), a Russian journalist, who posted the news to his Telegram channel. Lognivov has been correct in the past, so his words do carry some sway here.
He doesn’t mention any specs, but does liken the device to Valve’s Steam Deck, and notes that the launch line-up involves PS4 games only. That’s… fine with us. A PSP capable of running Bloodborne, The Witcher 3 or God of War at a decent framerate would be an instant buy for many, us included.
While that could work, there are some concerns surrounding the launch of the device. Previous reports from leaker MLiD note that Sony could be planning to release the handheld alongside the next-generation PS6. Releasing a next-gen console next to a piece of hardware designed to emulate a console from two generations before might not go down so well with fans.
It’s worth remembering that these are rumours for now until Sony backs it all up, so take it with a healthy pinch of salt.