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“The video game is unaffordable in many cases as we have traditionally conceived it”

June 27, 2026 by usatoday24

Surely this is not the first time you have heard that the video game makes more money than cinema. That’s right, according to the data, although with certain nuances. However, the gaming industry is not having it easy right now, especially due to the situation with layoffs, the closure of studios, the component crisis or its difficulties in reaching a new audience. Opinions. Asha Sharma, the new CEO of Xbox, has opinions on the matter, and assures that traditional gaming has become inaccessible to many. His statements come at a particularly delicate time for his own company. And he is right, since the component crisis and the state of the industry in general is making it increasingly prohibitive to buy hardware or games. But on the other hand, it is worth remembering that Microsoft is precisely a company that also contributes to the very poor state of this industry. We have the last example in the latest increase in the price of its consoles. At the same time, it must also be said that we are at a point where we have more games (and very good ones) than ever, even titles that do not cost us any basic cost. The traditional video game is in danger. In an interview with Entertainment Weeklythe CEO of Xbox said that the video game “is unaffordable in many cases, as we have traditionally conceived it.” It’s not just about the price of hardware, but also, as she noted, “the economics of attention and the competition of subscriptions.” It is a sum of factors important enough to be expelling players from their favorite ecosystems. Although Xbox has many more problems than that. How is the panorama on Xbox. Sharma, who came from the world of AI, came to Xbox just a few months ago with no prior experience in the video game industry. That caused some rejection on social networks, but your first decisionsas recover Xbox name for Microsoft’s gaming division, give details of its next console, lower the price of Game Pass (still much more expensive than a few years ago) or returning (half-way) to console exclusives like Gears of War: E-Day, they have given it some credit. Xbox wanted to believe that this year’s Showcase was going to become a moment of reaffirmation. However, weeks later the other side arrived: with an internal communication that the company itself made public, and that it spoke of a drop in income, the hardware component crisisand how it has been “overextended” in the execution of its strategy. Additionally, rumors are mounting about another wave of mass layoffs and studio closures, although Xbox has not officially confirmed them. The problem crosses borders. That things are this regular is not something exclusive to Xbox. The entire industry suffers from structural tensions. Electronic components are more expensive than ever due to high demand for AI data centersand platforms compete for users’ time and money in an increasingly subscription-saturated environment. In this context, the price of entry to play games, whether it is a console, a mid-range PC or simply keeping up to date with all the services, has skyrocketed. “It is a very difficult formula. It is a very demanding business, but I think it is a very special business” recognize Sharma. Xbox’s bet to open the game. Todd Green, head of King (the company that owns Candy Crush that Microsoft acquired together with Activision Blizzard in 2023) explained in the same interview that his philosophy is to “treat everyone as important, regardless of whether they describe themselves as a gamer or not.” Candy Crush, with hundreds of millions of users, represents exactly that model, as it is an accessible title, free in its most basic form, and with no barrier to entry. What is at stake. If we refer only to billing, and although the comparison is a bit petecanderthe video game far surpasses the cinema. According to the Entertainment Software AssociationAmerican consumers spent $60.7 billion on video games in 2025, compared to nearly $8.87 billion at the box office that same year. But those overall numbers don’t necessarily reflect what the average player experiences. The challenge for Xbox, and the industry in general, is to find a way so that this growth is not concentrated only at the extremes, that is, the casual mobile gamer and the enthusiast with an unlimited budget, leaving everyone in the middle without a reasonable option. What’s coming now? Sharma has made it clear that his vision for Xbox goes beyond consoles, as he wants to turn the division into the largest entertainment company in the world, and that also happens with adaptations of its franchises in film and television, as is already the case with Fallout and Minecraft, and coming soon with Gears of War either Sea of Thieves. But first you will have to resolve many pending issues. Cover image | Xbox In Xataka | 24 years ago Oliver Kahn sued EA and won. Then a new goalkeeper appeared in football games: Jens Mustermann

you need two cable cars, a cable car and to climb to the top of a mountain

June 27, 2026 by usatoday24

When someone wants to buy a Rolex, the most common thing would be to go to a central shopping street in any big city in the world and enter one of the exclusive watch stores that abound in these types of commercial hubs. However, to enter the latest boutique that the Swiss watch brand has opened you will need more than just taking a taxi to the center: you will need to grab a backpack, hiking boots and prepare to climb to a peak in the Swiss Alps. As and how I collected watchprothe Swiss brand has opened the highest boutique in the world: at 3,020 meters above sea level, at the top of the Mount Titlisin the Swiss Alps. Yeah, In Switzerland you can buy a Rolex on one of the highest peaks of the country. Getting to the place in question is not easy: you have to take a train, go up on two cable cars and, as the last stretch, ride the Titlis Rotairthe world’s first rotating gondola, opened in 1992. And then, of course, you can buy your Rolex, although in all likelihood you won’t be able to take it home. Who said that to buy a Rolex you only needed to have money? Buying a high-end watch has never been so literal Mount Titlis rises 3,238 meters above sea level, in central Switzerland, about 40 km south of Lucerne. Access from Engelberg includes several stages by cable car and two cable cars, according to the information itself. Titlis website. The final section takes place on the Rotair, a journey that lasts five minutes and rotates 360 degrees on the more than 5,000-year-old glacier, offering views at more than 3,000 meters above sea level. The Tallest Rolex boutique in the world It opened in June 2026, shortly after the inauguration of the Titlis Tower, a peculiar 76-meter-high skyscraper made of concrete, steel and glass that has defied the laws of logistics and Alpine engineering. Titlis Tower at the top of the Swiss Alps The renovation of this old telecommunications tower is part of a million-dollar project to convert the top of Titlis into a tourist center by 2029, when the new area linked to the ski resort of Titlis-Engelberg. Rolex has been one of the first luxury brands to settle there. The top of Titlis already received almost a million views annually before the opening of the tower, with tourists from India, Germany and the United States as the main international groups. The Rolex store is located inside the Titlis Tower, a building that signed Herzog & de Meuronthe Swiss studio that won the Pritzker Prize in 2001 and that has to its credit the design of the Tate Modern Londonhe Allianz Arena of Munich or the Olympic Stadium in Beijing, also known as “the bird’s nest“because of its shape. You get to the top and you leave with a waiting list Going from a mountain trek to the luxurious interior of a luxury watch boutique is a contrast that accentuates the dystopian experience of buy a rolex on top of a mountain. The store has the usual Rolex language: marble, wood, natural stone and well-placed sofas to enjoy the views while your checking account takes the hit. The store is managed by Bucherer, the watch sales chain that Rolex acquired in 2023 following the decision of its owner Jörg G. Bucherer, without direct heirs, to sell the business. The operation was formalized in 2024, after approval by the competition authorities. Bucherer operates more than 100 stores, but the one at the top of Titlis is by far the most unusual. Views from the Rolex store at 3,200 meters above sea level However, and here is the big final twist of this alpine adventure, after having traveled by train, two cable cars, the rotating gondola and climbed the 3,020 meters of altitude of this mountain, the shopping experience It is the same as in any other Rolex boutique in the world and it is very likely that the model you are looking for is not available. So you will go home without your watch. Rolex does not manage official waiting lists, but rather delegates availability to each dealer. That makes availability uneven depending on the model and design you choose. What is constant is that the most sought after models continue to be hard to getalthough the pressure starts to loosen in some markets from 2025. Although it may seem that opening a tent on a peak in the Alps It is more of a publicity stunt than something profitable, for a company whose image was forged on expeditions to the Himalayas and the conquest of Everesthaving a store above the clouds fits better than it seems. In Xataka | A farmer thought a cow had eaten his Rolex. 50 years later he recovered it, but it needed a good cleaning Image | Rolex, Titlis

El Corte Inglés liquidates all these LG, Samsung, Philips and Sony TVs in its online outlet with very reasonable prices

June 27, 2026 by usatoday24

El Corte Inglés has a large assortment of refurbished televisions in your online outletwith prices that are also quite tight for what they usually cost completely new. That is why in this article we are going to take a moment to explore which are the best deals available. Samsung TQ65QN80FAUXXC by 699 eurosa 65-inch television that incorporates a miniLED panel. Philips Ambilight The One 55PUS8919 by 239 eurosa very economical television that has Ambilight technology. Sony Bravia 7 65XR70 by 699 eurosa mini LED smart TV with a 65-inch screen. LG OLED65G55LW by 1,259 eurosa TV with an OLED panel that is brand new. Philips Ambilight 55OLED819 by 499 eurosa 55-inch OLED TV that comes with Ambilight technology. Philips Ambilight 55OLED819 The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Samsung TQ65QN80FAUXXC El Corte Inglés has 699 euros (before 1,799 euros) Samsung TQ65QN80FAUXXCa TV that stands out mainly because it incorporates a 65-inch Mini LED panel. It reaches refresh rates of up to 144 Hz, is compatible with HDR10+ and with Dolby Atmos and works with both Alexa and Google Assistant. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Philips Ambilight The One 55PUS8919 If you want a much cheaper television, the model Philips Ambilight The One 55PUS8919 stays for 239 euros (before 601 euros). It is a smart TV that has the brand’s particular Ambilight technology. In addition, it incorporates a 55-inch screen and is compatible with both Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. Philips Ambilight The One 55PUS8919 The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Sony Bravia 7 65XR70 For the same price as the Samsung television, we find the model Sony Bravia 7 65XR70. Its price is 699 euros (previously 1,799 euros) and mounts a Mini LED panel with a 65-inch diagonal. It is also compatible with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos and its operating system is Google TV, so a large number of applications can be downloaded. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links LG OLED65G55LW The LG OLED65G55LW It is not the cheapest smart TV on this list, but it is the most interesting. By 1,259 euros (before 3,299 euros), we are talking about a brand new reconditioned TV. In addition, it stands out because it incorporates a 65-inch OLED panel, its refresh rate reaches 165 Hz through VRR and it is compatible with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Philips Ambilight 55OLED819 Finally, El Corte Inglés has at a very good price the Philips Ambilight 55OLED819. Right now it can be found by 499 euros (previously 1,252 euros) and stands out mainly because it incorporates a panel with OLED technology. It also comes with Ambilight, its operating system is Google TV and it is compatible with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. Philips Ambilight 55OLED819 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 | El Corte Inglés, Compradicción and Sony (header), Samsung, Philips, LG In Xataka | Best home theater projectors. Which one to buy and five recommended models from 299 to 18,000 euros In Xataka | Mega-guide to set up a home theater: projector, screen, sound system and more

the map of the 100 trials that explains everything

June 27, 2026 by usatoday24

In order for ChatGPT, Gemini or Meta AI to respond well to the enormous number of questions that their users ask every day, years before the companies behind them made a decision: to obtain data at all costs and from wherever. Books, newspaper articles, song lyrics, illustrations, source code. Its premise was clear: it was Better to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission. So today the courts are full of lawsuits, billions of dollars at stake and the AI business model in the dock. For years, piracy was a matter of individuals downloading movies. Now it is the largest companies in the world that have done something similar, but on a large scale and with technology that structurally violates it. What the judges decide will mark how artificial intelligence is built from now on. Just as you prepare better for an exam if, in addition to taking the class book, you go to the library and read recommended books and expand with other readings associated with the topic you are reviewing, the different research teams behind the great AI models. it occurred to them that with huge datasets and from varied sources the result was better. The problem is that that tremendous volume of data does not fall from the sky: They took it from the web, from digital libraries and from LibGen or Z-Library repositories. The usual defense of companies like OpenAI is fair use and text and data mining exceptions, ensuring that they use unlicensed data legitimately. So the courts go case by case. Whether or not training AI models with protected content is fair use is the most important copyright question the courts have faced. Depending on the result, companies face a dark future: the payment of licenses retroactively, cleaning databases and of course, changing how they collect your data from now on. And they have lawsuits to bore: more than 100 active complaints in June 2026, according to the graph. It is important to note that this chart refers only to United States courts. Furthermore, in Europe it is a different story. The old continent has more restrictive regulations: it requires deleting data after use and allows creators to reserve their rights. The AI Act requires publishing what data was used in training, something that companies have consistently avoided. The graphic in question is the work of David McCandless for Information is Beautiful and has been prepared using data from ChatGPTisEatingTheWorld.com, Wired reports and reference news. And his work is commendable: talking about litigation is not easy, but he has managed to synthesize it in a single graph to know who sues who in the world of AI. In the center are the technological companies in demand and on the outside, those who demand: from writers to media, platforms and artists. Each category is represented with a color and the larger the circle, the larger the company. There is also a disclaimer: to make the graph look better, when a plaintiff has several open lawsuits, only the main defendant’s lawsuit is shown. Come on, there are many more than we see. Who is suing who. Information is beautiful The map of conflicts On one side, the companies that built AI models, such as OpenAI, Google, Meta, Anthropic, NVIDIA and Perplexity, among others. To another, plaintiffs of all kinds who allege that their works were used without permission or compensation to train systems that have now become their competition. The bottom line is that all the major AI companies are receiving requests from almost all creative categories. Some great cases: Bartz vs. Anthropic. The company led by Dario Amodei agreed to pay $1.5 billion after it was shown that it had downloaded hundreds of thousands of books from unofficial repositories. The court validated the training as fair use, but not the way to achieve it. Kadrey vs. Goal. Mark Zuckerberg’s company won in the training part, but is still on trial for having distributed pirated content. New York Times vs. OpenAIstill in progress. The Times alleges that ChatGPT reproduces its articles almost verbatim, replacing the original source. Disney vs. Midjourneystill in progress: The big entertainment studios fight against the generation of images. Concord, BMG and Universal vs. Anthropicstill in progress. The big legendary record labels sue for reproducing protected lyrics. The US Copyright Office public In May 2025, a 108-page report concluded that there is no universal answer: determining whether the use of works to train AI is fair use requires analyzing each case separately. And not all companies are the same nor are all uses. What is clear is that this system of “asking for forgiveness instead of permission” has a price: Anthropic has shown that it can get away with paying $1.5 billion because its valuation is $183 billion. So the short answer is that today, it has been worth it. The underlying question is whether there will continue to be a flood of lawsuits or whether clearer rules will be established on the use of data and there will be someone with a firm hand and knowledge to apply them. In Xataka | Who is really winning the AI race, in a graph that puts Google in trouble In Xataka | AI is going to generate unprecedented wealth. The question everyone is starting to ask is who is going to stay with her?

He was saved by a script that did not admit a single detour

June 27, 2026 by usatoday24

In June 2024, Apple presented one of the most ambitious movements in its recent history: the integration of Apple Intelligence on your devices and, with it, a reinvention of Siri. That keynote promised something that many had been waiting for years: a truly useful assistant, capable of understanding the user contextoffer accurate answers and execute actions taking into account our personal information. Concert tickets, hotel reservations, links shared in Messages or calendar locations: everything would be within reach of the new Siri. The enthusiasm was immediate. Apple presented it as an important transformation and, implicitly, as one of the necessary steps to catch up in the race for artificial intelligence (AI), accelerated after the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022. But the illusion soon evaporated. In March 2025, The company confirmed that the new version of Siri would not be available until 2026and when it did this 2026 we discovered that would not arrive in Europe yet. These two announcements came as a sudden stop. For many, it was not just a disappointment: It was a blow to the credibility that Apple had been cultivating for years. And, despite this, the company did not offer many explanations. The future was simply postponed. We cannot deny that Apple knows how to manage the times. He masters like no one else the art of anticipating what is to come, even when what is apparently presented It’s not quite finished. John Gruber hinted at it.one of the most influential voices in the Apple environment, pointing out that some of the features presented at WWDC 2024 probably did not exist as such. Or, if they did, they were still far from being functional. The secrets behind one of the most epic technology presentations in history And it’s not the first time. In fact, this strategy has a clear precedent, perhaps the most revealing of all: the presentation of the first iPhone in 2007. An event that has become a myth in the history of technological marketing, with Steve Jobs announcing “a revolutionary and magical product.” But what few knew then, and many still ignore today, is that that device barely worked on the day of its debut. Literally. A report from The New York Magazinebased on interviews with former Apple employees, reveals the ins and outs of that historic keynote. Among the testimonies, that of Andy Grignon, senior engineer responsible for the device’s communication modules, stands out. According to him, the iPhone software was plagued with bugs: songs played halfway, videos tended to freeze, and the system could collapse if the tasks were not executed in the precise order. Memory was so limited that just a few simultaneous operations were enough to cause a reboot. Faced with such a scenario, engineers designed an emergency solution: “the golden path.” It was an exact sequence of actions that Jobs had to follow without deviating even a millimeter. Only then could they ensure that the phone did not stop responding during the demo. To cover his back, Jobs would have several identical units on stage. If one was blocked, it would move on to the next without the public noticing. To this technical tension, they explain, was added the aesthetic demand. Jobs did not want a camera pointed at the device to show it on the screen. I wanted one direct projectionclean, without visual interference. To achieve this, engineers incorporated custom boards and video cables that extracted the signal from the iPhone itself and sent it to the projector. It was a fragile and artisanal system, but it did its job: it made everything seem natural, almost magical. The WiFi was another headache. With thousands of people in the room, many with technical knowledge, connectivity could be compromised. To avoid this, Apple modified the AirPort software responsible for connecting the iPhone, adapting it to operate on frequencies reserved for Japan, outside the usual range in the United States. A risky trick, but effective to ensure a stable signal during the presentation. The calls were also carefully prepared. AT&T, then exclusive partner of the iPhone, installed a portable mobile tower to ensure a stable signal. Even so, the demo devices were configured to always display five bars of coverage, regardless of the actual quality of the connection. Against all odds, the presentation was impeccable. Jobs followed the script with surgical precision: he showed music and videos, browsed web pages, sent messages, made a call, explored photos with touch gestures and, in one of the most iconic moments, used Google Maps to locate a Starbucks and order, as a wink, 4,000 coffees. The public surrendered. No one could imagine that that highly advanced iPhone was, at least at that moment, a perfectly rehearsed staging. The level of secrecy was such that, according to The New York Magazine, one of the engineers interviewed stated that some suppliers, such as Marvell Technologies, did not know until the day of the presentation that their WiFi and Bluetooth chips were being used in a mobile phone, and not in an iPod. Apple even designed false schemes to mislead and prevent leaks. We may be, once again, facing one of those stagings that Apple dominates like no one else. The new Siri has already been presentedbut unlike what happened with the iPhone, we keep waiting to be able to use its most ambitious proposal in years. Siri aims to become a transformative tool, but we will have to wait to use it. Images | Apple (1, 2) In Xataka | The new M3 Ultra marks a turning point: Apple will not create an Ultra version for each generation

who controls the most powerful AI in the world

June 27, 2026 by usatoday24

Just two weeks ago we had how the United States government blocked two of the most intelligent AI models in the world: Claude Fable 5 and Mythos 5 while Anthropic promised to be working on it to solve it. Just 15 days later, the situation has taken a first turn: the US Department of Commerce has authorized the reactivation of the Claude Mythos 5 model, but not for everyone: only for a closed list of US organizations considered “trustworthy.” It is an unlock, but with conditions. For now, no Fable 5 newsthe most general and closest model for the average user. what’s happening. As collects exclusively SemaforHoward Lutnick, Secretary of Commerce in the Trump administration, has sent a formal letter to Anthropic with the good news. The partial redistribution of Mythos 5 will reach a set of more than 100 US organizations that operate and defend critical infrastructure approved by the US government. Lutnick reported in its letter that Anthropic “has committed to working with the United States government on protocols, standards, and future releases” of its models. Or what is the same, that Anthropic has gone through the government hoop, which now has a voice to choose how and to whom its most advanced models reach. In return, Mythos 5 is partially back. Why is it important. Because never before has an AI model been subjected to such scrutiny and government approval requirement to be distributed, which establishes a dangerous precedent: converting the most advanced AI models as export technology subject to control, such as semiconductors. And it doesn’t just affect Anthropic. OpenAI has also launched in the last few hours versions of its new GPT-5.6 model with government-controlled restrictions, such as Sam Altman tells Xwhere despite expressing his predilection for a widespread launch, he shows his willingness to collaborate with the US administration in the authorization of future models. Context. The June 12 blockade occurred after a warning from Amazon of possible manipulation of Anthropic models for malicious purposes, although reports also weighed that indicated upon his hidden arrival in China. Before the ban, Mythos 5 was available on a limited basis to a number of organizations, among them the government of Spain. Following the blockage, Anthropic sent a team of professionals to work closely with the Department of Commerce and the Office of the National Cybersecurity Director to find a solution. In detail. Lutnick’s letter specifies that authorized organizations (the list is not public) can use the model in a kind of “white list”: whoever is part of it has access, whether foreigner or not. Curiously, all this is happening without the US having formal regulations to evaluate AI models, unlike the European AI law: The Trump administration blocked first and is building the rules as it goes. This partial unlocking does not solve the problem for those outside the United States: the list of authorized organizations is exclusively American and the exemption mechanism is based on export control, so any foreign entity wanting to use Mythos 5 would require a specific license that does not exist. So other governments, non-US companies, and foreign consumers still don’t know if or when they will recover these models because the United States is acting unilaterally. Yes, but. Obviously the unlocking is good news for Anthropic, but it leaves several fronts open. The first is what happens with Fable 5, the general use model, for which there is no return date. The second is that the list of authorized organizations is not public and it is not known what criteria have been used for the selection. In Europe several voices They have already expressed their frustrationalthough the problem of the old continent is another: technological dependence on third parties and the lack of an ecosystem of alternatives to match. In the background lies another problem that was revealed with the blockade two weeks ago and that the launch of GPT-5.6 has confirmed: the most cutting-edge AI companies and models in the United States have to go through the government filter and we do not know if this will be the modus operandi from now on. If so, this way of proceeding could be a liability in the AI race precisely for the country that currently has the advantage. In Xataka | China has two ideas to win the AI race: invest a fortune and leave NVIDIA with almost no margin In Xataka | Anthropic is at the most important moment in its history and has a warning: we must lift the AI accelerator Cover | Xataka with Gemini

In a new chapter of “you never buy anything digital, you only rent it,” PlayStation Store will remove another batch of content

June 27, 2026 by usatoday24

When we buy something in a digital store, the word “buy” has more tricks than it seems. We pay, we receive a confirmation, we see the content in our library and we get used to thinking that it is already part of ours. The problem is that, in many services, that feeling of ownership It rests on a much less solid structure: an active account, terms of use, servers and licensing agreements that can change over time. This framework has just had a very specific translation in PlayStation Store Spain. On an official page of its legal sectionPlayStation advises that, starting September 1, 2026, users will no longer be able to access previously purchased StudioCanal content and that this content will be removed from its video library. The company attributes the measure to its content licensing agreements, a brief formulation but sufficient to understand the scope of the notice. The notice does not remain a generic note: PlayStation accompanies the communication with an extensive list of affected titles. It doesn’t make much sense to reproduce it in full here, but it is worth emphasizing that recognizable movies and series appearfrom ‘Paddington’ and ‘Paddington 2’ to ‘Moonlight’, ‘Carol’, ‘Source Code’, ‘Train to Busan’, ‘The Imitation Game’ or ‘Terminator 2’. If you want to check case by case what content is included, You can check the complete list on the official website.. The measure does not only affect Spain. PlayStation too has published an equivalent notice for the United Kingdomwhere the date of September 1, 2026 and the withdrawal of previously purchased StudioCanal content are repeated. The context helps to understand why we talk about purchases made in the past. PlayStation Store stopped offering movie rentals and purchases and TV content on August 31, 2021. At that time, the company explained that users could continue to access content they had already purchased for on-demand playback. The current notice changes the plane of the conversation: it is not about a store that stops selling, but about a previous video library that loses part of its content. When buying doesn’t always mean owning The key is in a distinction that the user does not always keep in mind when pressing the buy button. In many digital services, what is acquired is not an autonomous copy, but an access license associated with an account and subject to conditions of use. That doesn’t make every digital purchase useless, nor does it mean that everything will disappear, but it does mark the real limit of ownership. The work can be in our library and still depend on agreements that are negotiated far from us. PlayStation is not a strange exception within the digital market. Amazon Prime Video warns in its conditions that purchased content may no longer be available for download or streaming due to licensing restrictions or other reasons; Apple also considers that a purchase may not be available for redownload or access from your services if you lose rights to that content; and in video games, Steam and Nintendo talk openly licensed, not sold software. The names, devices and stores change, but the pattern repeats itself: we pay for access within an ecosystem that we do not fully control. The comparison with the PC from years ago helps to understand the change. We bought a game like ‘Age of Empires’, we put the disk in, we installed it and we could play without a store having to continue authorizing each step. The Internet connection could be used for patches, online games or later improvements, but the core was in our hands. The border between physical and digital has become more blurred. There are still discs that contain complete games and allow you to install without relying on an initial download, but the format no longer always offers that guarantee. The case of ‘GTA VI’ pushes the debate to the center: Rockstar points out that the physical version announced for launch will carry a download code inside the box, without a disc, and which can be used to preload the game before its release. For those who bought physically looking for distance from the digital store, the message is difficult to ignore. What happens with StudioCanal on the PlayStation Store works as a reminder of a reality that we usually accept without looking at it too much. In digital, paying for a movie, a song or a video game does not always mean keeping a copy under our control. Sometimes we buy access, and that access lives within a system of licenses, accounts and services that can change. Images | PlayStation | StudioCanal In Xataka | Online games have made their preservation complicated. The solution may be what this video game has done

We thought “cotton candy planets” was a metaphor. NASA just found two that take it to the limit

June 27, 2026 by usatoday24

In a very distant planetary system, about 1,113 light years from Earth, intuition asks us for a very reasonable thing: if a planet is almost the size of Jupiter, it should also resemble Jupiter in its mass. NASA’s TESS mission just showed that the universe doesn’t always play by those rules. From your data, scientists have identified two giant worlds around the star TOI-791 that seem made to break that expectation: they take up a lot of space, but concentrate very little matter. The discovery has its own names: TOI-791 by TOI-791 c. They are two “super-puff” planets, a term used to describe giant worlds with extremely low densities, comparable in this case to that of cotton candy. Scientists calculate that they are the most “bloated” planets found so far, a striking label but supported by a very specific comparison: their size is close to that of Jupiter, while their mass represents only a small fraction of that of the largest planet in the Solar System. The key piece of this story is TESSNASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite. We are not talking about a telescope designed to obtain direct images of these worlds, but rather a space observatory prepared to monitor large areas of the sky looking for indirect signalss. According to technical information, its payload is concentrated in a single instrument: a set of four wide-field optical cameras. These cameras work together with their covers, mount, sun shield and data management unit to track stars for long periods. Two giant planets that weigh almost nothing The important thing is that TESS did not see those planets the way we see an image of Jupiter or Saturn. What it detected were repeated small drops in the brightness of TOI-791, the Sun-like star that hosts this system. This pattern appears when, from our perspective, a planet passes in front of its star and blocks a minimal part of its light. From these transits, and how they repeat over time, scientists can reconstruct the presence of worlds that are too far away to be shown as a conventional photograph. There’s an understandable trap here: we see the NASA illustration and our brain fills in the scene as if we were looking at a photo. But that is not what has happened. The agency clarifies that no direct image of TOI-791 by TOI-791 cand that its appearance in the visual pieces is an artistic interpretation. The image serves to bring us closer to the discovery and compare it with known planets, but it is not the observation itself: the observation is in the signals measured by TESS when these worlds pass in front of their star. The TESS spacecraft and its payload, prepared before launch The rarity appears very clearly when the figures come in. TOI-791 b is almost the same size as Jupiter, but contains only 3.0% of its mass. TOI-791 c goes even one step further: it is larger than Jupiter, although it barely reaches 5.9% of its mass. That combination is what makes these worlds so strange. We are not dealing with small planets with little matter, but with giants that take up a lot of space and yet concentrate a surprisingly low amount of mass. There is also a question of patience. TOI-791 b takes 139 days to complete one revolution around its star, and TOI-791 c needs 232 days. For a telescope that searches for planets through transits, that means waiting a long time to see the same signal repeat and confirm that we are not facing a coincidence. The accumulation of data was decisive here: from its high orbit around the Earth, TESS gathered 1,122 days of observations of this system over seven years. The image compares the size of the two “super-puff” planets with some worlds in our Solar System To arrive at their masses, scientists took advantage of a very useful detail: these two planets do not move as if the other did not exist. TOI-791 b and TOI-791 c follow an orbital pattern that causes them to be gravitationally attracted to each other. That push and pull slightly changes the timing of its transits across the star from our perspective. By measuring these small temporal variations, the team was able to estimate how much mass each planet contains and confirm their status as low-density “super-puff” planets. The confusion comes not only from the fact that they are huge worlds with very little mass, but also from the fact that they fit poorly with what was expected to be found. Jon Jenkins of NASA Ames sums it up this way: “They represent a puzzle “We must solve how giant planets like Jupiter and super-puffs form.” George Dransfield, lead author of the study at the University of Oxford, also emphasizes that their extremely low densities make them fascinating targets for studying the evolution of planetary systems. The metaphor, in fact, was the gateway to the problem. What comes next is trying to read those worlds in more detail. NASA notes that scientists want to study the chemical composition of their atmospheres, how their rotation can affect their shape and to what extent the star’s inclination fits with the orbits of the planets. It also remains to be understood how they moved within the system during its development, whether their orbits were shaped by interactions with other planets and, ultimately, how such low-density worlds can form. Cotton candy was the image; The challenge is to explain the recipe. Images | POT In Xataka | Experts warn: NASA launch facilities are too old to travel to the Moon

Microsoft just delayed its end with a silent extension

June 27, 2026 by usatoday24

Windows 10 It had been marked on the calendar for some time as a system with an exit date. Microsoft ended its official support on October 14, 2025 and the message seemed clear: the time had come to turn the page and look ahead. Windows 11. But it is one thing to close a stage on paper and quite another to do it when there are still millions of computers using that system every day. What we are seeing now is precisely that: Microsoft wanted to accelerate the farewell, but Windows 10 refuses to become the past. An extension until 2027. The change is in the Extended Security Updates program, the path that Microsoft offers to Windows 10 users who need to continue receiving security patches during the transition. According to the company’s official websitea, registration for the consumer ESU will be open until October 12, 2027. It should be noted that the program was initially planned until October 12, 2026 and that Microsoft has updated the date. Security, not a second life. It is important to specify what Microsoft is offering, because ESU is not equivalent to maintaining Windows 10 as if nothing had changed. The company defines the program as an option to reduce the risk of malware and cyberattacks on computers with Windows 10, version 22H2, through critical and important security updates. Other types of fixes, product improvements, new features and technical support are excluded. The system that is still too heavy. The explanation is in the scale. Windows 10 still runs on around 26% of PCs, while Windows 11 is around 72%, according to StatCounter. The difference already clearly favors the most recent system, but the percentage that Windows 10 retains is still enormous in such a widespread market. In other words, Microsoft is not extending the ESU for a few stragglers, but for an installed base that still numbers in the hundreds of millions. The migration that got stuck. If Windows 10 retains so much ground, it is because for many users changing has not been as simple as accepting an update: CPU and TPM requirements that left out still valid equipment, more expensive components due to the shortage of memory and storage linked to the rise of AI, and a certain misgiving about the growing prominence of AI in Windows 11. What changes for Spain and Europe. For those reading this from Spain, the important detail is in the conditions of the European Economic Area. Microsoft indicates that the way at no additional cost is to register with a Microsoft account and continue logging into Windows with that same account to receive updates until October 12, 2027. If the user stops doing so, the company warns that the updates will be interrupted after a period of time, which can reach up to 60 days. Local account and payment. Anyone who prefers to continue using a local account is not left out, but has another way. Microsoft says those users can make a one-time purchase of $30, or the local equivalent plus tax, to keep the updates extended through October 12, 2027 without permanently signing in with a Microsoft account. The license, however, is associated with the Microsoft account used to sign up for the program. Once activated, it can be applied to a maximum of 10 compatible devices. Windows 10 is not leaving yet. The business side leaves another clue as to how gradual the withdrawal will be. Companies pay per device and the commercial program will remain available until 2028. Microsoft already experienced a similar situation with Windows XP, whose support had to be extended several times during the 2010s because millions of computers did not make the leap. The story is not identical, but it does leave a clear reading: Windows 10 seemed doomed, and yet Microsoft has just quietly delayed its end. Images | Joachim Pressl In Xataka | Your Passwords Won’t Resist the “Quantum Apocalypse”: How to Protect Your Files with Post-Quantum Encryption Today

an ideal ergonomic chair if you don’t like those that are rigid like the Markus from Ikea

June 27, 2026 by usatoday24

This Prime Day we are seeing very good offers on all types of devices, such as mobile phones either fans and air conditioners. But what if you need a new chair? If you are looking an office chairthen it may suit you Sihoo Doro C300 Pro V2a chair that has only been available for a few weeks and that we have on sale on Amazon until 449.99 euros. If you’d rather save a little more, it’s available in the Sihoo store for 429.99 euros. Now, using the code ‘SihooXa6’, its price remains at 404.19 euros. Keep in mind that the promo will be available only until next July 1. SIHOO Doro C300V2 Ergonomic Office Chair, Mesh Desk Chair with 8D Armrest, Lumbar Support, Computer Chair with 3D Headrest, Tilt for Home Office The price could vary. We earn commission from these links The best price for a chair that ‘follows’ you so you are well supported The RRP of this chair is 519.99 euros, so we have a quite interesting discount on this office chair. What it proposes is different from other very popular chairs, such as the Markus from Ikea. Share with her some points in common, but it’s not as static as this. We say this because this chair (and others of this type), when you move a little, you are no longer supported correctly. Its structure has four coordinated zones that are always in contact with your body. These are: head, back, lumbar and arms. This system, called DynaCore, is maintained even when we recline the back of the chair if we want to adopt a more comfortable position during a moment of rest, for example. It reclines, specifically, up to 135 degrees. Another point that characterizes this chair is that it adjusts to you, but automatically. It has a lever to raise the height or inclination of the backrest, like most chairs. However, the backrest slides to match the shape of the back and adjusts to it. This way, if several people use the same chair at home, you won’t have to configure this aspect all the time. The headrest is quite large and flexible, so it is not difficult for us to have this part of the body well supported. His seat, furthermore, can be adjusted in depthsomething we don’t usually see in office chairs like the Markus from Ikea. That’s key for people with very long or short legs. The Sihoo Doro C300 Pro V2 has very configurable armrests that the brand calls ‘8D armrests’. These move backwards, forwards, up and down. Most armrests already do this, but those of the Sihoo can also be configured a little more depending on the position we are going to take. For example: if we recline and have a book in our hand, we can adjust the armrest to support both the elbow and the forearm. Finally, mention the fabric of the chair. With how hot it is right now, it is important that our chair has a breathable fabric that does not stick to your skin. This Sihoo has breathable mesh, so we will not have any type of problem in that regard. Finally, it is a chair that has breathable mesh as the main fabric. It is not that it is the only chair on the market to use this, but it is what ideal in hot environments and now that it’s starting to get hot everywhere. In addition, we cannot forget that Sihoo offers a 30-day free trial and a three-year warranty. All this, added to the fact that the chair has a 30-day trial and three-year warranty, makes it a very interesting office chair for those looking for something different from other more popular options. And more, now that it has a discount. Other Sihoo chairs that may interest you SIHOO M57 Ergonomic Office Chair with 3D Armrests, Lumbar Support and Adjustable Headrest, Synchronized Tilt Function and High Backrest – Light Gray The price could vary. We earn commission from these links SIHOO Doro S300 Ergonomic Office Chair, Gaming Chair with Dual Dynamic Lumbar Support, 6D Coordinated Armrests, Adjustable Swivel Chair White(Ships in Two Separate Packages) 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 | Sihoo In Xataka | Buying guide on how to make your home workplace ergonomic In Xataka | How to set up your home office: buying guide for stands, monitors and other peripherals, cables, headphones and more

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