When Valve’s Steam Deck begins shipping to customers later this month, the handheld gaming PC will be running a Linux-based operating system called Steam OS. And that could give gaming on Linux a bit of a boost. While Valve’s game client has been able to run on Linux for years, as of last month just […]
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Lilbits: A DIY Spotify Box, Microsoft’s Surface Adaptive Kit for accessibility, Fairphone 4, and more
This week Microsoft introduced new Surface tablets, a new Surface Duo 2 phone, and a new Surface Laptop Studio that are all scheduled to hit the streets soon. But the company also unveiled a new Surface Adaptive Kit that’s designed to make those devices, and many others, easier to use for people with disabilities. The […]
Lilbits: Steam Deck, game streaming, and Google and Apple antitrust news and analysis
The Valve Steam Deck handheld gaming computer is set to begin shipping to customers in December. But it’s an unusual device for a bunch of reasons. It has a form factor that’s not quite like any other gaming computer, thanks to Valve’s built-in game controllers and trackpads. And it ships with the Linux-based Steam OS […]
Epic v Apple: US Judge rules Apple cannot force developers to use its in-app payments (but Epic still wants more)
Just over a year after Epic Games sued Apple over its App Store policies that forced developers to use Apple’s in-app payment system, among other things, US District Court Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers has issued a ruling in the case While the judge did not find Apple to be a monopoly overall, she did find […]
Lilbits: Epic v Google, Unisoc v the world, and Inking on the web
Epic Games filed lawsuits against Apple and Google last year, claiming their anti-competitive practices prevented companies like Epic from offering their own in-app stores or payment systems, among other things. Now new details are emerging as part of that lawsuit that shines more light on some of Google’s alleged steps to try to crush competition. […]
The Epic Games Store is now an app store too (starting with Spotify)
The Epic Games Store made a splash when it first launched as a Steam competitor in early 2019, at least partly due to Epic’s decision to give away at least one game for free every week. But now it looks like Epic isn’t stopping with games. Epic CEO Tim Sweeney just announced the first non-game […]
13 companies form coalition to protest Apple, Google app store policies
Epic has been engaged in a high-profile battle with Apple and Google over their app store policies. But the game maker isn’t the only company dissatisfied with Apple and Google taking a 30-percent cut of sales, insisting that all revenue generated from apps in their stores is subject to this “app tax,” and holding other […]
Lilbits: A handheld Nintendo Wii, a $200 OnePlus smartphone, and TuneIn drops out (one of its Pro features)
Some folks like to play classic console games by using emulators on smartphones, tablets, or handheld game systems with modern hardware. And then there’s the community of Nintendo Wii hackers who literally cut Nintendo’s 2006 game console down to size and stuff the components inside of custom cases. We’ve seen projects that put a Wii […]
Lilbits: Nintendo Switch 4K coming next year, Samsung Galaxy Z 2 Fold next month
Last year Nintendo released a smaller, cheaper, and slightly less capable version of its popular Switch game console. Now rumor has it that the company will make a move in the other direction next year, by launching a pricier, more powerful version of the Nintendo Switch that adds support for 4K displays. We probably won’t […]