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Daily Briefing: Monday 25th October
🕑 Added 2021-10-25 13:00:09 +0000 UTCXbox's Edge browser is getting GeForce Now support
Nvidia's GeForce Now streaming service will soon be playable on Xbox via the console's built in browser and, to be honest, it'll be nice to finally have a reason to open Edge on purpose rather than by mis-clicking something. The latest GeForce Now client launched back on October 21st and includes beta support for Edge browser, so Xbox players can get to streaming their PC library from the comfort of their living room sofa.
- Nvidia have consistently claimed that the service's smooth playing experience and extremely low latency means it can outperform the Xbox Series X, which is certainly an enticing prospect considering tracking down one of those is like trying to catch smoke with a net. GeForce Now was previously blocked from running on Edge browser, but this recent update means that Xbox are strangely content to accomodate a rival to their own Xbox Cloud Gaming service. Also interesting is the fact that GeForce Now will allow other previously platform-exclusive games like Death Stranding to be played on Xbox, which is neat.
Looks like more bad news for chip shortages
Speaking in a new interview with CNBC, Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger said that, though the ongoing situation surrounding widespread semiconductor shortages has improved somewhat, it could be several years before things are fully sorted out. Gelsinger notes that “we’re in the worst of it now, every quarter next year we’ll get incrementally better, but they’re not going to have supply-demand balance until 2023.” That's bad news for the ongoing production issues and stock shortages of new next-gen consoles. It's not just overwhelming demand that's keeping the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X|S off the shelves, there are a separate suite of supply issues at play.
- Gelsinger's words are a harsh contrast to AMD CEO Lisa Su's recent belief that the second half of 2022 would see a significant supply increase. Xbox boss Phil Spencer recently also said that he believes the shortages are "going to be with us for months and months, definitely through the end of this calendar year and into the next calendar year." Things have been pretty ropey these past 18 months, with console manufacturers struggling to meet demand after the pandemic closed down various international supply chains. Even before the next-gen consoles launched, Nintendo were struggling to meet production demands for the Switch.
CD Projekt have made a purchase
It feels like it isn't very often that we see CD Projekt creak open their wallet but that's exactly what they've just done, confirming the acquisition of The Molasses Flood. The Boston-based studio were founded in 2014 and built their reputation on the backs of well-received survival titles like 2016's The Flame in the Flood and 2020's Drake Hollow. The specific terms of the deal have not been released at time of writing.
- In a statement confirming the acquisition, CD Projekt president and joint CEO Adam Kiciński said that the studio are "always on the lookout for teams who make games with heart [and] The Molasses Flood share our passion for video game development, they're experiences, quality-oriented, and have great technological impact." The Molasses Flood will work closely with CD Projekt in an as-yet-undisclosed capacity, while also continuing to work independently on their own upcoming project. Studio head Forrest Dowling said that, with the CD Projekt acquisition, they " saw an incredible opportunity to reach a much wider audience through a collaboration with a company we love, creating games in worlds we love."
