Technology - Google News

Sony to buy 'Destiny' videogame developer Bungie in $3.6 bln deal - Reuters
Gmail’s new integrated layout will take over inboxes soon - The Verge
Right now is the worst time to buy a new Android phone because Samsung is about to announce its new Galaxy S22 phones - msnNOW

Sony to buy 'Destiny' videogame developer Bungie in $3.6 bln deal - Reuters

Posted: 31 Jan 2022 05:39 PM PST

Jan 31 (Reuters) - Sony Interactive Entertainment (6758.T) will acquire Bungie Inc, the original creator of the "Halo" videogame and developer of "Destiny", in a deal valued at $3.6 billion, making it the latest in a wave of consolidations sweeping the gaming sector.

Bungie will join Sony's PlayStation family, the U.S. company said in a blog post, as the Japanese conglomerate strengthens its network of in-house gaming studios behind hits such as "Spider-Man" to take on cash-rich rivals.

Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O), whose XBox consoles have long lagged Sony's PlayStation in sales, pitched a whopping $69 billion for "Call of Duty" maker Activision Blizzard (ATVI.O) earlier in January. read more

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"While this is one of Sony's biggest-ever acquisitions, the amount paid by Microsoft puts into context the heavy competition faced in this sector," said Piers Harding-Rolls, gaming analyst at Ampere Analysis.

Bellevue, Washington-based Bungie, which was owned by Microsoft before going private in 2007, had worked on the "Halo" videogame series when it was under the software giant. It has also worked on titles including "Marathon" and "Myth".

Bungie now plans to hire more talent across the studio for "Destiny 2," a videogame previously published by Activision Blizzard.

The logo of Sony Interactive Entertainment is seen in Tokyo, Japan May 23, 2018. REUTERS/Toru Hanai

The video game space is consolidating rapidly to tap a surge in demand created by the pandemic, with new deals blurring the line between PC and mobile gaming companies as these firms hunt for new revenue streams.

The sector is on course for a new record of $150 billion in deals, financing and IPOs this year, according to investment banking firm Drake Star Partners. read more

In yet another mega deal in just the first month of the year, "Grand Theft Auto" maker Take-Two (TTWO.O) bid $11 billion for "FarmVille" maker Zynga . read more

Big-name companies have also been trying to bring talent and intellectual property behind popular titles in-house rather than partnering with studios, giving them more access in a growing, high-value market.

Sony has added a number of developers, including videogame development studio Valkyrie Entertainment and "Returnal" developer Housemarque, under its umbrella.

"This (Bungie deal) is an important step in our strategy to expand the reach of PlayStation to a much wider audience," said Jim Ryan, head of the Sony Corp unit responsible for PlayStation.

Bungie will be an independent unit of Sony Interactive Entertainment, run by its board chaired by CEO Pete Parsons.

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Reporting by Nivedita Balu and Tiyashi Datta in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika Syamnath

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Gmail’s new integrated layout will take over inboxes soon - The Verge

Posted: 31 Jan 2022 05:57 PM PST

Google has announced that Gmail's new layout, which changes how Google Chat, Meet, and Spaces are integrated, will be available to try starting in February; become default by April; and become the only option by the end of Q2 2022. The view makes it so Google's other messaging tools, which are part of (but not necessarily limited to) its business-focused Workspace suite, are no longer just little windows floating alongside your emails, but get their own screens in Gmail that are accessible with large buttons on the left-hand side.

Google calls this the integrated view, and it'll soon be familiar if you (or your employer) are a Workspace customer. Starting February 8th, Google says you'll be able to start testing the layout for yourself. By April, anyone who hasn't opted in (Google shows that there'll be a prompt at some point, encouraging you to do so), will be switched over to the new layout, but will be able to switch back in settings. That option will go away by the end of the second quarter, according to Google, when the new layout becomes the "standard experience for Gmail."

The new view could be polarizing — while managing chats and meetings can be a bit confusing in the current Gmail layout, it all happens on one screen, which is pleasing if you love data density. But for those looking to focus on one thing at a time, the new interface looks like it'll give you easy access to other tools without having them always on the screen, based on what Google's shown off so far.

The company says that there will also be notification bubbles to let you know if other tools need your attention, which could be less distracting than, say, having a list of all your Chats living to the left or right of your emails.

Google has shown that it wants to deeply integrate all its work-related products together, and this layout gives us a taste of what that could look like, with tools like Spaces letting you jump into a spreadsheet without leaving Gmail. While it does seem like you're mostly already able to, as Google puts it when describing the new view, "easily switch between your inbox, important conversations, and join meetings without having to switch between tabs or open a new window," it's probably fair to argue that it all feels a little tacked-on. Google's screenshots of the new layout do make it seem like the new interface will be more put-together.

The services will also be more integrated — Gmail's search, for instance, will also turn up Chat messages in the coming months, according to the company (similar to how Hangouts messages also used to be searchable from within Gmail).

Google says the integrated view will be coming to people with a Google Workspace Business Starter, Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Fundamentals, Education Plus, Frontline, Nonprofit, G Suite Basic, or Business account. At the moment, it won't be available to Workspace Essentials customers. When asked if this layout would be coming to regular, non-paying Gmail customers, a Google spokesperson said it would be "only available" to the account types listed above.

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Right now is the worst time to buy a new Android phone because Samsung is about to announce its new Galaxy S22 phones - msnNOW

Posted: 31 Jan 2022 08:23 AM PST

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