Month: July 2026

Xbox wants to have 1 billion players a day. It’s what 25 Steam would do on their best day

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Another day in the video game industry, this Monday Microsoft announced layoffs at Xbox. 1,600 at once, five studios to make a living and another 1,600 layoffs over the next few months. To carry out the restructuring, what is known as “Xbox reset”Microsoft put Asha Sharma at the head of the company who came from one of the company’s AI divisions and who arrived with a clear mission: to break with the past. After weeks of good words, drastic decisions began and, in a release gigantic, justified the decisions of layoffs and restructuring (the consequences of which we still do not fully know, since we have been learning about layoffs in different Xbox studios for two days). There are interesting data, such as extreme bureaucracy within Xbox that had complicated things in recent years, the enormous investment in Game Pass and the fact that caught my attention the most: the number of daily players that Xbox wants. Because Sharma talks about wanting a billion people to be “entertained” with Xbox every day. And, after wondering what it means to have a billion people every day on your platform, I have only been able to come to one conclusion: I would like to see how they do it. The Xbox of a billion players and the old woman’s account I don’t say this in a defiant sense, but out of genuine curiosity. I would like to see how Xbox, or any company, for that matter, is able to bring together a billion people a day on its platform. Sharma comments that they see themselves capable of achieving that goalbut the point is that there are many more stimuli than ever and, furthermore, setting these goals only has one consequence: when they are not met, there will be more ‘resets’. Let’s go in parts. The changes they are making seek to ensure that “Xbox has a bigger future, not a smaller one.” Furthermore, he notes that “the next decade of games will be bigger, more global and more creative than anything we’ve seen before.” Said like this, you may think that they are going to invest a lot (they themselves say that they are going to invest a lot, but with a better focus and discipline), but there is a problem: are there really that many players willing to be on your platform? What is an Xbox? Answering the first question, players… there are. We are more than 8,000 million people throughout the world and esteem what’s there around 3 billion people who play video games. This in total, not on a daily basis and, furthermore, you must keep in mind that everything is mixed here: the accounts include everything from the most ‘Eat’ of ‘Call of Duty’ to your grandfather who plays ‘Candy Crush’ or a Facebook game. Responding to the second, Sharma says they want a billion people entertained with Xbox. And not only those who have a console count (whose sales are quite poor), but also those who play from PC and Xbox games on Steam and platforms like PS5. That is, everything that has the Xbox seal. That said, let’s tell why one billion people seem to get it “easy” Yes, you have so many franchises and you are present everywhere, but things get complicated if we put the magnifying glass on the few games that can really help the company achieve those figures. They are all estimates, but we would talk about 110 million monthly players in ‘Minecraft’, between 70 and 90 million (counting mobile phones) monthly in ‘Call of Duty’ and between 200 and 300 million players diaries in ‘Candy Crush’. There we see the dimension of mobile games, really, and how they crush those on more traditional platforms. ‘World of Warcraft’ too would enter there, with about 9 million monthly players. These are figures that many companies would like, but they are far from those 1,000 million a day that Sharma points to. To further contextualize, Steam, which is another of the huge video game platforms, had its historical peak of players a few months ago, reaching more than 42 million. In the last 24 hours, almost 39 million people connected and, as we see in graphs like Steamdb, they are very stable… and in growth. Well, Sharma wants the same as they would get 25 Steams every day. As a player, I would love to have so many people because it would allow, perhaps, the industry to be somewhat more sustainable because there would be many more players among which smaller studios could find their place to grow, but the problem I see with these accounts is that, publishing that you want there to be 1,000 million people on your platform, the only result (the most likely, at least) is failure. And when you fail in such a large company when you have set this as an objective, the manager is not the one who pays the bill: it is the employees. It’s something we see constantly and We come from three years of constant layoffs in the industry to be optimistic about the issue. What we have seen these days is that they are changing the strategy in that sense. They are releasing the smaller studios that do not sell to bet on what makes money. An example is King (‘Candy Crush’) and Mojang (‘Minecraft’), which They will report directly to herwith Sharma being the one who will make the decisions to achieve the objective. Another thing is whether people who watch the ‘Fallout’ series, a game series whose license belongs to Xbox, count as “people entertained by Xbox.” We just have to wait and see what happens, but it is evident that Xbox’s turnaround is there, releasing studios that were developing games with soul to bet on what makes money. After all, it is the objective of every company. In Xataka | The best time to buy an electronic device was yesterday. The second best time is today

review with features, price and specifications

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Vivo started an adventure a few weeks ago: that of launching its first global wearable. He Vivo Watch GT 2 It is the first smart watch that the firm, which has experience in this field, launches in our borders. Your proposal? A relatively low price, fair and necessary functions for everyday life, a huge screen and an absurd battery. After two weeks wearing it on my wrist, this has been my experience. ✅ Buy it if… You don’t want to have to worry about charging the watch. You want a screen that looks exceptionally good. You are looking for a watch that offers the basics: health, notifications, calls, etc. ❌ Don’t buy it if… You absolutely need to pay with your mobile. You want to access third-party applications. You want the watch to be part of a larger connected ecosystem. The essentials in 30 seconds The Vivo Watch GT 2 is an affordable smartwatch, well built and with just what is necessary to satisfy the user looking for just that: a simple clock. It works well, the screen is huge, the battery is amazing and, although it is not a watch loaded with functions and options, it does its job. It is the living definition of a 100-something euro watch. In this price range there are many proposals, but few offer a screen this large and of this quality with an autonomy that safely exceeds two weeks. And it has a simple paddle mode that, without being a panacea, is more useful than 99% of the smart watches I have tried in my life. Now, the reality is that it is: it does not offer anywhere near the versatility of a watch with Wear OS or watchOS. It does not have an eSIM, it does not have a voice assistant, it is not integrated into a home automation ecosystem, it does not have mobile payments, it does not have third-party apps or maps… It is, as I said, a watch for the basics. 8.4 Design 8.0 Screen 9.5 Software 7.0 Battery 9.7 Interface 8.0 in favor Despite being large, it is quite comfortable. The screen looks outrageous. It has one of the best batteries I’ve ever tested in a smartwatch. against It lacks a catalog of third-party applications that allows expanding functions. It does not have mobile payments. It does not have a virtual assistant nor is it integrated with an ecosystem of products beyond mobile. Vivo Watch GT2 Smart Watch with 25-day battery, Bluetooth Calls, Paddle and Tennis Pro Modes, NFC Access Cards, more than 100 Sports Modes, 2.07″ Screen, GPS The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Our experience with the Vivo Watch GT 2 Vivo Watch GT 2 | Image: Xataka It’s huge. And to your question, yes, it is identical to the Apple Watch. It is not a small watch and it is certainly not designed for small wrists. It is well finished, it is very comfortable and very light. The screen, at more than two inches, looks great in broad daylight and responds well to gestures. Zero complaints here, it is one of the best screens I have tried on a watch. The strap is proprietary, so it can only be exchanged for other straps that use the same coupling. In other words, you can’t use just any 20 or 22 millimeter strap. The operating system. It’s called Blue OS, but it’s really a custom RTOS. That is, there is no store with which to access third-party apps. Luckily, the system comes armed with everything you need to use it, a good assortment of covers and, something I’ve never seen before, pre-installed games. Bloatware, wow. Luckily, they can be uninstalled. In any case, I haven’t missed any more apps for everyday life except, perhaps, a map app. One thing I can’t help but mention is that the “Do Not Disturb” mode does not stop the screen from turning on when you make the gesture of looking at the time, something that I think is very important when wearing it at night. What is fair and necessary. Everything works well and the expected options are there: you can make and answer calls via Bluetooth (it does not have eSIM), read notifications (and respond to them with default responses), and record heart rate, stress, sleep, SpO2, and cycle. The measurements are correct, but they are sometimes overly optimistic. It is noticeable, for example, in the step log. In terms of compatibility, the watch can be used with iOS and Android, so it’s hardware agnostic in that sense. Vivo Watch GT 2 | Image: Xataka The miracle was almost done. There must be someone in Vivo who has read Xataka’s analysis, because the watch has a paddle mode. And not a padel mode that measures pulses and that’s it, but rather it measures whether the blow is forehand or backhand, quantity and speed throughout the match. It is not as complete as that of Mibro GS 2 Probut it is more useful than the average report of most watches. The downside would have been to have more real-time information on the shots and to better detect volleys, lobs, shots and layups, but hey, it’s a step. It also works for tennis and more than 100 sports. The accuracy of the metrics is acceptable, although there is a certain upward trend in heart rate and calories burned. GPS also records the routes followed with relative precision. And this battery? I’ve been wearing the watch all day for two weeks and it still has 10% left. I think that pretty well defines one of the benefits of this watch. The battery is not a problem nor is charging, which is completed in just over two hours. Vivo Watch GT 2 technical sheet vivo watch gt 2 dimensions and weight 47.54 x 40.19 x 13.38mm 34.9 grams without strap screen 2.07 inch 2.5D color AMOLED 60Hz Maximum brightness: 2,500 nits Panda Glass 1681 Resolution: 432 x 514 … Read more

the unstoppable (and silent) growth of plant-based drinks

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10% of all the “milk” in the country is no longer of animal origin. At least, of all the milk that passes through the supermarket shelves. To the report that has just been published GFI Europe Many buts can be said about Circana’s retail data (among them that GFI is a think tank that promotes alternative proteins), but there is something that no one disputes anymore: things have changed. Today, Spain has the consumption quota for vegetable drinks highest in Europe. What is happening with the milk? In aggregate terms, the change doesn’t seem too big. According to the report data, vegetable drinks were 10.4% of the volume of milk sold in Spanish supermarkets in 2025; Compared to this, in 2023 it was 9.2%. In euros, we talk about 354.9 million. In liters, 288.5 million. The most curious thing, however, is that half of that 10% is oatmeal drink. And why is it curious? Because according to various analyzes it seems that this boom in vegetable drinks is due to price. And they are partly right, of course, today (at a pure price) there are private label soy drinks cheaper than a liter of normal milk. However, what we see within the category is that cheap soybeans are sinking and more expensive varieties (and in barista format) are rising. That is to say, it seems that price parity has put drinks in shopping baskets. But, once inside, follow other rules. In a context in which the liquid cow’s milk loses volume Year after year in Spain, vegetable drinks gain percentage. A change of trend… A decade ago, investments in ‘fake meat’ were the order of the day. The arrival of high-tech food products that emulated meat was received as a trailer for the future. The problem is that the engine of that trend seized and stagnated. Experts talk about ‘artificiality’, ‘price’ and ‘political polarization’. But the example of vegetable drinks is the best to understand that this war of positions is not over. While the meats They have been withdrawing their ‘veggie’ proposals and ‘plant-based’ consumption has been falling, the country’s large dairy plants do they continue to bet on their own drinks oats or soy. It’s a great reminder of how we make trends ourselves. Spain, food laboratory. We recently talked about how Spain has become the great laboratory of non-alcoholic beers and now we discover that it also happens with vegetable drinks. It is not clear what it is about this country, but it seems clear that its food market is one of the most proactive on the continent. And that, as we well know, is an opportunity and a punishment at the same time. Image | Peyman Shojaei In Xataka | It looks, tastes and smells like a hamburger, but you have to call it a “vegetable disc”: the European Parliament decides the (terminological) future of fake meat

anyone can follow their superyachts

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When Elon Musk decided to act against the accounts that tracked the movements of your private jetopened a debate that is still ongoing: to what extent is it reasonable for anyone to follow the movements of a person using public data. While all the millionaires were looking into the air, a similar movement was brewing at sea: thousands of fans follow the routes of the most exclusive superyachts on the planet thanks to the technology that guarantees maritime safety. What was born to avoid collisions and facilitate rescues has also become a tool capable of showing the (supposed) whereabouts of some of the greater fortunes of the world. Locate a superyacht from your mobile. The technology behind this phenomenon is called AIS (for the acronym of Automatic Identification System or Automatic Identification System). According to the IMO (International Maritime Organization), all ships of a certain size must be equipped with this system that constantly transmits data such as the identity of the ship, its position, speed, course and its navigation status. This transponder was conceived to improve maritime traffic safety and facilitate search and rescue operations. However, the expansion of the Internet and terrestrial and satellite reception networks completely changed the scope of that technology. Platforms like MarineTraffic It collects these AIS signals and shows the position of the vessels in almost real time. In a matter of seconds it is possible to know where a certain yacht is, what route it follows or what its recent movement history has been. Of the planespotting to the yachtspotting. As happens with fans of photograph airplanes In the vicinity of airports, the hobby of photographing ships has existed for decades. The so-called ship spotters They usually go to ports, straits or maritime traffic areas to photograph especially striking boats. However, the Internet has transformed that activity. It is no longer necessary to wait for a ship appears on the horizon, just consult an application to know where it is moored or anchored. One of the best examples is SuperYachtFana platform that has evolved into a database specialized in superyacht owners, corporate structures and vessel locations. According to the platform itself, it currently gathers information on more than 1,600 yacht owners. That is to say, in practice, the interest no longer lies solely in the boat, but part of its attractiveness also falls on its occupants. A privacy problem. As some suggested with the real-time monitoring of the private jets of millionairesthe exposure of this positioning data could lead to a problem for the privacy and security of the millionaire owners of these superyachts. In fact, in December 2004, the IMO addressed the issue by stating that “the publication on the global web or elsewhere of AIS data transmitted by ships could be detrimental to the safety and security of ships.” Two decades later, AIS data remains accessible from numerous tracking platforms and allow you to locate private vessels practically anywhere on the planet. The same technology that makes it possible to avoid collisions between ships also makes it easier to know where the owner of a superyacht worth hundreds of millions of dollars spends his vacations. Some millionaires disappear from the map. The logical consequence of this public exposure is that some owners try to reduce their visibility. The easiest way: turn off the transponder. The case of launchpad Mark Zuckerberg generated controversy precisely for this reason: he turned off his beacon to try to hide his true whereabouts. However, international regulations are quite clear in this regard and establish that ships equipped with AIS must keep the system activated at all times, except in exceptional situations contemplated by international agreements or standards related to the protection of navigation information. This does not mean that there is an automatic international sanction for failing to comply with this recommendation, but the application of the regulations depends on the national maritime authorities and the corresponding flag State. According to the history of sanctions, the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda already has imposed sanctions For this reason, for amounts greater than 20,000 euros. In Xataka | If the question is why only the rich can afford to buy a yacht, the answer is more than obvious: the 10% rule Image | Unsplash (Rockwell branding agency)

the Hisense Series 5i smart washer-dryer arrives in Spain with heat pump and AI technology

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Renewing the main appliances in the house always involves a significant outlay, so hunting for a launch accompanied by cutting-edge technology is the perfect long-term move. Hisense has just made official the arrival in Spain of its new Series 5i free-standing washer-dryer (model WD511245BBRH). This model stands out for introducing efficient heat pump technology in an all-in-one format. Hisense 12 kg/1400 rpm Kitchen Fit washer dryer – WD5I1245BBRH Black The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Maximum energy efficiency combined with Artificial Intelligence The great revolution of this Hisense Series 5i lies in its heat pump drying system. Unlike conventional washer-dryers, this model uses a closed circuit that reuses the heat generated. This allows clothes to be dried at much milder temperatures, protecting the most delicate fabrics and achieving impeccable efficiency: it has a Class A label, which allows it to be more efficient than required in washing or in a combined washing and drying cycle. It is designed for demanding homes or large families, as it offers a generous capacity of 12 kg for washing and 8 kg for drying. All this under a design called iFitdesigned to be perfectly integrated flush with the kitchen or laundry room furniture. Furthermore, it comes equipped with AI Super Wash & Dryan ecosystem of 13 smart sensors that automatically measure the weight of the laundry or the dirt in the water to adjust the exact energy and time consumption without you having to configure anything. For everyday use, it has life-saving functions such as Washing and Drying program 49′capable of leaving a kilo of clothing ready in less than an hour, or the ECO Refresh technology, ideal for removing odors and wrinkles from barely worn garments using a minimum amount of water. Additionally, to celebrate its arrival in the Spanish market, Hisense is launching a refund campaign valid from July 1 to November 30, 2026. By purchasing its new flagship (this new washer-dryer) you can get a refund of 150 euros. ⚡ IN SUMMARY: new Hisense Series 5i washer dryer ✅ THE BEST Heat pump technology: a highly sought after feature in all-in-one washer dryers that drastically reduces electrical consumption and wear and tear on clothing. Massive capacity (12kg/8kg): More than enough space for duvets, full family laundry, and a design that doesn’t protrude from the countertop. ❌ THE WORST High-end starting price… As it is a recently launched model and with cutting-edge technology (heat pump and AI sensors), its initial retail cost is higher than that of traditional condensation models. Drying times with heat pump… Although it consumes much less light and is more efficient, heat pump drying processes tend to be slightly longer than traditional systems based on high-temperature resistance. 💡 BUY IT IF… You are looking for maximum savings on your electricity bill in the long term, you tend to use very large washing machines and you value the convenience of having a smart appliance decide the optimal parameters for you. ⛔ DON’T BUY IT IF… You have a very tight budget to start with and prefer a basic washing machine without smart drying functions or AI automation. Other Hisense appliances that may interest you Hisense RF632N4WIE – No Frost Stainless Steel French Door Combi Refrigerator The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Hisense WF1I7022BWJ – 7Kg Washing Machine, Class A The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Some of the links in this article are affiliated and may provide a benefit to Xataka. In case of non-availability, offers may vary. Images | Hisense In Xataka | Connected dishwasher buying guide: what to expect from its intelligent functions, best recommendations and models from 300 euros In Xataka | Is a heat pump or condensing dryer better? Differences and keys to choose

These are all the confirmed guests for the San Diego Comic-Con Málaga 2026

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The countdown to This year’s Comic-Conwhich will be held between October 1 and 4, 2026 in Malaga, has begun. Although there is not yet a complete program, we do have an overwhelming list of fifty confirmed guests, which will grow in the coming months. For now we can open our mouths to a good number of performers and creators who you can see live in Malaga. Here is the complete list of guests so far, which we will expand with successive announcements: Cinema and television Karl Urban Protagonist of ‘The Boys’ and ‘Dredd’, with roles also in ‘The Lord of the Rings’ and ‘Star Trek’. October 1 and 2. Michael Rooker Actor in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’, ‘The Walking Dead’, and legendary Henry Lee Lucas in ‘Henry, Portrait of a Murderer’. October 1 and 2. Sean Gunn Part of the cast of ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’. October 1 and 2. Jason Lee— Actor of ‘My Name is Earl’, voice of Syndrome in ‘The Incredibles’ and regular with Kevin Smith. October 1 and 2. Kevin Smith— Director and screenwriter of ‘Clerks’, ‘Dogma’ and ‘Tusk’. October 1 and 2. Mira Sorvino Oscar-winning actress for ‘Mighty Aphrodite’. October 1 and 2. John DiMaggio Voice actor for Bender in ‘Futurama’ and Jake in ‘Adventure Time’. October 2 and 3. Emily Rudd Protagonist of the adaptation of ‘One Piece’. October 2. Iñaki Godoy — Co-star of the adaptation of ‘One Piece’. October 2. Lukas Robert Ettlin Director and producer of the series ‘One Piece’. October 2. Richard Dean Anderson Protagonist of ‘MacGyver’ and ‘Stargate SG-1’. October 3 and 4. Kristian Nairn ‘Game of Thrones’ actor. October 3 and 4. Sean Astin Interpreter of Sam Gamyi in ‘The Lord of the Rings’. October 3 and 4. Elijah Wood— Interpreter of Frodo Baggins in ‘The Lord of the Rings’. October 3 and 4. Deborah Ann Woll ‘Daredevil’ actress and role-player. Date not specified. Casper Van Dien Actor from the ‘Starship Troopers’ saga. Date not specified. Denise Richards Actress from the ‘Starship Troopers’ saga. Date not specified. Dina Meyer Actress from the ‘Starship Troopers’ saga. Date not specified. Michael Ironside Actor from the ‘Starship Troopers’ saga. Date not specified. Jake Busey Actor from the ‘Starship Troopers’ saga. Date not specified. Natasha Liu Bordizzo ‘Ahsoka’ actress. Date not specified. Dan Fogler Actor of ‘The Walking Dead’ and ‘Fantastic Beasts’. Date not specified. Denise Gough ‘Andor’ actress. Date not specified. Christopher Lambert Actor of ‘Los Inmortales’ and ‘Mortal Kombat’. Date not specified. Kevin Sussman ‘Big Bang Theory’ actor. Date not specified. Ali Plumb Journalist and film critic for BBC Radio 1. Date not specified. Video games, role-playing and board games David Jones Designer of ‘Lemmings’ and producer of ‘Grand Theft Auto’. The four days. Jeremy Crawford— Designer of editions 4 and 5 of ‘Dungeons and Dragons’. October 1 to 4. Reiner Knizia Designer of more than 700 board games. Every day except Sunday. Sleeve Yoichi Takahashi— Mangaka creator of ‘Captain Tsubasa’. The four days. Shin’ichirō Watanabe— Creator of ‘Cowboy Bebop’ and ‘Samurai Champloo’. October 3 and 4. Yoshihiro Ueda— Animation director of ‘Dragon Ball’. October 1 and 2. Akira Yamaoka — Musical composer of ‘Silent Hill’. October 1 and 2. Comic John Romita Jr.— Artist of ‘Spider-Man’ and ‘Kick-Ass’. He will sign the second official poster, not yet revealed. The four days. Dan Mora Artist of ‘Batgirl or Doctor Strange’. Date not specified. Michael Golden Artist of ‘Micronauts’ and ‘Nam’. The four days. Stefano Caselli Artist of ‘Avengers’ and ‘Spider-Man’. Date not specified. Rick Leonardi Artist of ‘X-Men’ and ‘Spider-Man 2099’. Date not specified. Juanjo Guarnido Artist of ‘Blacksad’. Date not specified. Pat Mills— Founder of ‘2000 AD’, creator of ‘Nemesis the Warlock’ or ‘Marshall Law’. Date not specified. Laia Lopez Illustrator of ‘Royalty Witches’ and ‘Mystical’. Date not specified. Philip Kennedy Johnson Screenwriter of ‘The Fellspyre Chronicles’ or ‘The Last God’. Date not specified. Carmen Carnero Artist of ‘Captain America’ and ‘Miles Morales: Spider-Man’. From Friday to Sunday. Chris Condon Artist of ‘Ultimate Wolverine’ and ‘The Last Stand’. The four days. Pepe Larraz Cartoonist for ‘The Dynasty of X’. From Friday to Sunday. Álvaro Martínez Bueno — Artist of ‘Justice League Dark’ and ‘Batman’. The four days. Michael Walsh Artist of ‘Comeback’ and ‘The Silver Coin’. The four days. David Messina ‘Catwoman’ artist. Date not specified. Jorge Jimenez Artist of ‘Supersons’ and ‘Superman Rebirth’, author of the gift poster for attendees and a special print commissioned by SDCC Málaga, revealed at Panel Zero. The four days. Others Helen Chen— Art director and production designer on ‘The K-Pop Warriors’ and ‘Raya and the Last Dragon’; author of the first official poster. The four days. Gutting History (Pascu and Rodri) — Live concert and special panel on the closing day. October 4th. In Xataka | The new director of Comic-Con Málaga does not come from fandom, but he has something better: the key to solve their problems

In the middle of the heatwave, Italy is debating whether it is “idiotic” to pay €95 for an ice cream cone

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would you pay 95 euros for a cone ice cream? It may seem like a far-fetched question, but in Italy a thorny debate is heating up that has among its protagonists: Flavio Briatorethe Piedmontese businessman famous for his connection with the Alpine F-1 team. In recent days, the tycoon has heated up the networks by calling “cretin” (idiot) who spends dozens and dozens (and dozens) of euros on a cone ice cream, a comment that was not liked in a shop in Apulia known precisely for that: selling ice cream with gold for €95. As we said, the debate is served. What has happened? To understand the controversy we have to go back a few days, when a story began to circulate in the Italian press. explosive statement from Briatore that has little to do with his usual business: ice cream. Although the businessman is known above all for his connection with Formula 1, years ago he promoted a chain of exclusive pizzerias call Crazy Pizza. Perhaps that is why the ‘Pomeriggio Cinque’ program contacted him to talk about summer and food. Everything was perfect, until Briatore harshly criticized those who buy cone ice cream for 70 eurosenough to enjoy a good seafood dinner. What exactly did he say? He assured that anyone who spends so much money on a cookie and cream cone is a “cretin”a word that in Spanish could be translated as “idiot.” In recent days this outburst has been repeated again and again on Italian networks and media such as Daily of Puglia, Il Messaggero either Leggoamong many (many) other newspapers, fueling the debate about whether, matters of tone aside, Briatore is right: Is it crazy to spend 70 euros on an ice cream cone, no matter how luxurious and tasty it may be? Before continuing, one detail must be clarified. On Monday the newspaper The Republicone of the most read in Italy, accurate that in reality Briatore’s words are not new and his controversial video dates back to 2024. In any case, it doesn’t matter. His statements have now gone viral, the debate has permeated the country and, above all, it is now that the other interested party has responded: a business in the Puglia region that effectively sells ice cream at seafood prices. Of course, now its star product, the one that Briatore criticized, is no longer sold at 70 euros. That was his launch price. Now it costs a whopping €95an increase supposedly forced by the increase in the price of its ingredients. What business is that? Mokambo Gelateriaan artisanal ice cream shop located in Ruvo di Pugliaa city in Apulia of around 25,500 inhabitants. Although it is not a particularly populous town and is far from moving the hordes of tourists who visit Rome, Florence or Venice every year, Mokambo has managed to become a popular reference in its sector. And one of the reasons is its most exclusive product: Lo Scettro del Re (King’s Scepter), an ice cream launched in 2018 for 70 euros. Since then he has given a lot of talk. @nick_radogna Ho Mangiato il Gelato D’oro is €70 🍦Second is it worth it? #gelato ♬ suono originale – Nick Radogna What have their owners said? Basically they have taken advantage of their renewed media pull to show off their chest. Both since your profile on Instagram, where they accumulate 24,000 followers, as in interviews with Italian media. For example, a few days ago one of the business owners, Vincenzo Paparella, chatted with Corriere della Sera to respond to Flavio Briatore. “I think he simply hasn’t understood who we are. He probably imagined that we are one of those who take a normal cream ice cream, put a gold leaf on top and sell it at an exorbitant price. If that were the case, he would be absolutely right to criticize it. But our project is totally different,” claims. What the famous ‘King’s Scepter’ offers, claims the Italian ice cream maker, is not a simple cone with cream, but “a gastronomic experience” with “a journey, a history, a work of research and experimentation.” But… What is the ice cream like? A gourmet product in every rule. The ‘Scepter’ incorporates a sheet of 24-karat edible gold, Iranian saffron, Bronte pistachio and fresh whipped cream. In theory, its ingredients include freshly milked milk from the Murgia area and free-range eggs. Of all these products, the one that makes it most expensive is Sargol saffron of Mashhad, in theory the reason why right now it is charged 95 euros. The ice cream parlor of course offers cheaper items, such as cones for five euros. And is it sold? Although not everyone can spend 95 euros on a cone that can be enjoyed in a matter of minutes, Paparella claims that the ‘Scepter’ has achieved surprising success. “In this time we have received more than 2,000 people who have come from all over the world just to enjoy this experience,” presume the ice cream man In fact, they have 148 people with reservations to try it between now and September. It is not a negligible figure if we take into account that, beyond the price, Ruvo di Puglia is not exactly a well-known destination. What is the underlying debate? “The numbers speak clearer than any controversy,” ditch Paparella. And he is right. We may consider it expensive or not, but the undeniable thing is that the ‘Cetro’ has a market and there are people willing to travel to a remote town and spend almost 100 euros to taste a cone. At its core, the debate is old and quite simple: does the gourmetization? Is it demand that determines prices? Curiously, as was remembered these days in the Italian press, the controversy has now arisen from the hand of a businessman (Briatore) who is no stranger to the world of luxury. Images | Mokambo Gelateria In Xataka | Spain’s favorite ice creams are from Mercadona and have no “brand”. And there is a … Read more

Microsoft bet 80 billion that you would play hundreds of titles. It failed because you just wanted to play the same old game.

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I have dozens of games in my library. Do you know how many I play? to two: from time to time I play a FIFA (I’ll always continue to call it that, I’m afraid) and if I get around to it I’ll hit the old ‘Battlefield 1’ that still has me conquered. In recent years I have enjoyed ‘Ghost of Tushima’, ‘Star Wars Jedi: Survivor’ or ‘Sifu’, for example, but while I was spending hours on those half a dozen titles, many others that I have in my library are simply collecting dust. Surely many of you play many more games and invest much more time in this, and Microsoft was surely thinking of you when it configured its future strategy. Xbox’s ambition was great until it wasn’t The idea in 2020 was clear, and those responsible for Microsoft said that There were 2.8 billion gamers in the world and they wanted to conquer them all. As? Well, with two great projects: Spend a million in buying video game development studios to constantly grow the catalog, and, of course, Create the ‘Netflix of video games’ with Xbox Game Pass Both ideas seemed to make a lot of sense and many gamers, especially those of us who were from Xbox, felt excited by that ambition. Xbox Game Pass seemed to be really exceptional for gamers and a nightmare for Sony, and although the operation to buy Activision Blizzard and franchises like ‘Call of Duty’ It was exceptionally expensive.the play again seemed like a fantastic bet for players of all types. But lo and behold, it wasn’t. These days we have known that Microsoft has spent close to $80 billion on agreements that would give it access to titles such as the aforementioned ‘Call of Duty’ or ‘Skyrim’, so that these video games could be available from day 1 or almost from the first moment on Xbox Game Pass. They wanted to create a catalog that would allow gamers to play hundreds of titles, including the most recent “triple A” titles, as part of the subscription to that service. They were wrong. And we also thought that the idea made sense. less is more The truth is that the strategy has not worked out well for them. The company has announced that will lay off 3,200 employees in its Xbox division20% of its staff, and will also allow five development studios to leave the company to follow their own path again. Maybe the answer wasn’t having more games. Steam already gave a strong clue at the beginning of 2025 when it pointed out that its platform It had become a video game dump.: Of 19,000 titles in 2024, almost no one played 80% of them. As in many other areas, the long tail theory prevails: interest is concentrated in a handful of contents that, on their own merits (perhaps seasoned with some luck) become absolute successes. The reality for the vast majority of gamers is the same: there are too many games on the market and people simply don’t have time to play all of them. Let’s be handsome or uglyWe insist, there is no time for so many video games. My colleague Jose García wrote in 2021 his particular reflection on how many we have become new digital Diogenes When it comes to video games: we get countless new games (most of them free) on Epic Games, Steam or GOG, but we have them collecting virtual dust in our library because we will never play many of them. My situation was also reflected in another text by Isra Fernández: Being a gamer after having children is complicated. The Netflix of video games was a utopia The picture that this situation paints for us is one that we intuited and made sense, but that we deceived ourselves by rejecting. Creating the Netflix of video games was impossible because video games are radically different to series or movies. While one consumes series or movies once and abandons them probably forever, gamers return to the video games we like again and again. We don’t spend an hour or two on them, but dozens and even hundreds of hours both in solo games and in games against other players on the internet. The way of consuming both content is precisely what destroys the illusion that a Netflix of video games makes sense. Xbox Game Pass offers us hundreds of titles so we can try them (and buy them) if we want, but we rarely do. I myself enjoyed Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for three years, and although I tried around twenty titles during that time, I always ended up returning to my classics. The options were wonderful, but I just didn’t have time for them. because when I wanted to play, I wanted to go back to my FIFA or my ‘Battlefield 1’. Microsoft itself already accused the problem when it gave us the worst news two years ago by raising the price of Xbox Game Pass. That was not enough, because a few months later he uploaded it again. The service was becoming more exclusive than ever, and it was doing so for one simple reason: they weren’t making enough money with it. But there is another problem that It is not just about consuming, but about producing. The “Netflix rhythm” is also unviable: there four scriptwriters start writing and in six months the platform releases a series that people devour in a weekend. In video games things are different, with increasingly longer and obscenely expensive developments. The famous availability of games available on “day 1” does not help either. That AAA video games worth 70 or 80 euros are available for free to subscribers was wonderful for us, but a shot in the foot for the company’s accounts. Building loyalty was important, but that was killing income for developments like these in which a lot of time and money is invested. The conclusion is clear in retrospect: Microsoft’s strategy was fantastic for … Read more

Earning $180,000 a year is no longer enough to live in San Francisco. The AI ​​boom has eaten up the technological middle class

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In San Francisco you can earn $180,000 a year and not make ends meet easily. The AI ​​boom It is making what would be a huge salary anywhere else become mere pocket change, preventing entry into an impossible real estate market and a standard of living unattainable for the majority. Silicon Valley’s dream is to move. In it New York Times They tell the story of Katrine Razniak, a LinkedIn recruiter, and her partner Adam Woodbury, a software engineer. They have been in the city for five years and earn 180,000 and 185,000 dollars respectively, but despite this they are not able to get something as basic as an apartment for two. They spent months looking for a one-bedroom apartment to move in together on a budget of $5,000 a month, but it was impossible. They say they saw one for $5,200 and the waiting list already had 30 interested parties an hour after the open house. Buying a house is not an option either: The median home price is $1.7 million.. Given this situation, the couple is considering moving to another state where their salaries would allow them to live as an upper class. The new elite. While Katrine Razniak and her partner have to continue living in shared apartments, there is a new technological upper class that can afford to live comfortably in the city. They are the new millionaires of the AI ​​boom, employees of companies like OpenAI and Anthropic, with stratospheric valuations and stock options. In October of last year, when OpenAI was worth $500 billionwe already talked about that the city’s real estate market was exploding. Employees began selling stocks and buying homes like there was no tomorrow, causing prices to skyrocket. There is no improvement in sight. Not even a year has passed and Sam Altman’s company worth 852 billion dollars and Anthropic aims for 900 billion. To put it in context, when Uber went public in 2019 it was worth 82 billion, we are talking about ten times that amount. The imminent IPO of the two companies, added to the recent IPO of SpaceX, aims to create new fortunes, until 20 new billionairesaccording to estimates. Working in technology is no longer a guarantee of success in San Francisco, now you have to work in AI (and own stocks). It’s not just the rent. The median salary in San Francisco is also higher than the rest of the country and has been growing over the past six years, going from $153,000 to $196,000 today. However, everything else has also gone up. Aside from housing, life in general isn’t exactly cheap either. According to data from Cost of Living Indexthe cost of living in San Francisco is 65.6% higher than the rest of the United States. Katrine Razniak says her monthly spending has grown by $1,000 without changing her lifestyle, causing her and her friends to replace restaurant outings with home-cooked dinners. The housing problem in San Francisco. Spain is going through a housing crisis unprecedented, but we are not the only country facing this situation; Canada, Germany, Mexico, China o The United States are also suffering from it. In San Francisco specifically, the housing market is absolutely broken. As we said, the average price of a home is 1.7 million dollars, more than triple the national average of $450,000, and the rent is already the most expensive in the entire country, even ahead of New York. The demand is very high and the construction of new buildings is stagnant and the little that there is at a decent price ($5,000 a month is decent) flies in a matter of seconds. Image | photoholgic in Unsplash In Xataka | Sleeping capsules for 800 euros a month: the housing shortage in San Francisco is reaching the extreme

To the question of which Spaniard has the highest quality semen, the answer is clear: it is not the people of Madrid.

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Semen also has geography. And in Spain, Madrid does not fare well. Let’s assume that semen quality has been declining for decades. In Spain it has fallen 28% in just 15 years, a 78% if we value the last two decades. That is to say, a concentration of sperm is produced so low that it is less than half of what it was in the 70s. And it continues in constant regression. With this breeding ground, the question is: and which region is coping best with this decline? Alcohol and coffee have nothing to do with each other. The investigation analyzed 386 men seen in seven Spanish fertility clinics—such as the Bernabeu Institute—between 2024 and 2025. After adjusting variables such as body mass index, exercise, and alcohol, tobacco, or coffee consumption, the authors observed that men from the north recorded the best seminal parameters, even when their habits were similar to those of other regions. This gives us a clue to talk about pollution, environmental inequality and public health. The results have been presented at the 42nd congress of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE). AND In it we can find clear differences in semen quality depending on the area in which the donors live. Those who win this game are the residents of the north, with Asturias and Cantabria far ahead of Madrid and the center of the peninsula. But there is fine print. More agile, faster. The total count of motile sperm is striking, almost double in the north than in the central area. In data: 94.35 million on average compared to 50.11 million in the central area. This index talk about health: “the northern region also presented the highest average sperm concentration (80.96 million/ml) and sperm motility (44.79%), compared to 55.4% in southern Spain and 53.4% ​​in the center.” If diet, exercise or substance use alone do not draw this map of semen quality, what does? The first conjectures point to a population that breathes worse, drinks and involuntarily incorporates into its body part of the atmospheric pollution, a mixture of industrial and agricultural toxins, where endocrine disruptors in plasticspesticides and everyday cosmetics. Out of the pot. Beyond Spain, the pattern repeats itself: studies with fertile men In cities such as Copenhagen, Paris, Edinburgh and Turku, they already showed in the early 2000s that the Finns had the highest sperm concentrations while the Danes recorded the lowest values, with also variations in mobility depending on the city. If we take a look at the retrospective analyzes of French donors found significant differences within the country itself in volume, concentration, and total number of sperm. The north wins again. In general, the men of the nordic west They have worse semen quality than those from the Baltic area, in parallel with a higher incidence of testicular cancer, another marker of male reproductive stress. Does better semen equal more pregnancies? Not necessarily, but almost. Let us keep in mind that, although the relationship with fertility is not linear, below certain thresholds of concentration and mobility, the probability of spontaneous pregnancy decreases considerably. To understand what “better semen” means, it is worth going down a level. According to the World Health Organization, reference values ​​are measured in concentration (millions of sperm per milliliter), ejaculate volume, percentage of motile sperm and proportion of sperm with morphology considered normal. It is necessary to distinguish between progressive sperm (the vanguard that advances efficiently), versus non-progressive and completely immotile ones. In morphology, the shape of the head, middle piece and tail (flagellum) is evaluated, since anatomical alterations can make fertilization difficult. Plastics and fertility. By the way: nitrile and latex gloves release plastic microparticles and contaminate environmental measurements does not invalidate that the presence of endocrine disruptors in human tissue does not affect male fertility. The evidence is solid. For example, a 2023 study that analyzed 6 human testicles and 30 semen samples found microplastics both in tissue and fluid: around 0.23 ± 0.45 particles per milliliter in semen and 11.60 ± 15.52 particles per gram of testicle, with sizes mostly between 20 and 100 microns, finding polystyrene in testicles and polyethylene and PVC in semen. The problem is broader. The taboo of male fertility, treated as a private matter, has obscured problems that can be investigated as a collective indicator. And this deterioration does not respond, or not only, to individual behavior. The greatest weight lies in the place you livenot in the genes you carry. A cardinal clue: of course smoking, drinking or moving more or less matter, but it does not depend so much on personal decisions. A debate that is more political than folkloric (and health and regulatory). A cocktail of bisphenol A, methyl, ethyl, propyl and butylparabens, benzophenones and phthalate metabolites is directly associated with significant reductions in total and progressive sperm motility. Therefore, Asturias beating Madrid is not something to celebrate, but rather to raise the alarm about the qualities of the water – it will not be that good -, what pesticides are used nearby and what mix of chemicals goes through daily life. The tip of an iceberg that does not lie in who comes out better off, but rather in the cost of those who come out worse off. Images | Unsplash (1, 2 and 3) In Xataka | We already know how much we Spaniards masturbate at work (and what is more important: which communities win) In Xataka | If you are worried about the quality of your sperm, science has a clear recipe for you: ejaculate more

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