Hardware News Recap

Overview

• Valve lawsuit
• Microsoft antitrust issues
• Automatic file uploads by Microsoft
• Nvidia market cap reduction
• New GPU developments (4070 TI super)
• New products and features from various companies

Valve Lawsuit

• Sued for £656 million (~$832 million) in UK
• Accusations: Market rigging, price parity obligations, excessive 30% commission
• Digital rights campaigner Vicky Shopold responsible for filing
• Lawyer firm: Milberg London LLP
• Defense: Steam's pricing restriction for Steam keys, claim that 30% cut is standard in the industry
• Comparisons to other platforms: Epic Games, Microsoft Store, PlayStation Store, etc.

Microsoft Antitrust Issues

• Charged with breaching EU antitrust laws for bundling Teams with Office 365
• Concerns: Stifling competition, distribution advantage
• History: Previous fines in 2004, 2008, 2013

Microsoft OneDrive Concerns

• Automatic file uploads to OneDrive enabled by default
• Privacy concerns raised
• How to install Windows with a local account (Shift+F10 and command prompt method)
• Recommendations: Disable automatic upload feature for security

Nvidia Market Cap Reduction

• Lost $500 billion in market cap over 3 days
• Largest short-time reduction in history
• Market value context
• Note: Still among top companies by market cap

Nvidia 4070 TI Super GPU

• Potentially using AD102 die (same as RTX 490)
• MSI and Colorful leaks
• Explanation: Rescuing defective dies for lower spec products
• Example: 2060 KO performance in workstation applications

New Products and Features

Valve Game Recording (beta)

• Hardware agnostic solution like Shadowplay
• Features: Background recording, lightweight editing, sharing, timeline event markers

Microsoft's Project Keystone

• Game streaming hardware device
• Paused development
• Competitors: Nvidia GeForce Now, Google Stadia

Hy's Steam Controllers

• Resemble Steam Deck controls
• Features: Touch sensors, gyro controls, Bluetooth, USB-C
• Japan-exclusive release

Arctic nvme SSD Cooler

• M2 Pro cooler with small fans
• Compatibility: Fits PS5, dual-sided SSDs
• Claims: Significant temperature reduction

Minisforum UM890 Pro Mini PC

• Features: AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS CPU, multiple ports
• Confusing architecture information on product page

Other News

• Steam's unplayed game expenditure: ~$19 billion on unplayed games