The move was linked to an Epic memorandum supporting the Fortnite creator’s attempt to maintain access. Epic rejected Apple’s belief that Epic hadn’t provided evidence of significant harm to the Unreal Engine, pointing to both earlier documents and Microsoft’s support as proof. Epic further claimed that Apple was overreaching by threatening to take away multiple developer accounts when there was only an alleged violation for one. The scope of Apple’s response was an “unlawful” effort to “chill any action by others who might dare oppose Apple,” Epic said.

Apple previously accused Epic of trying to create a false crisis by intentionally breaking App Store rules, and characterizing its response as a matter of known policy. Developers who “work to deceive Apple” lose access, the company said.

It’s not certain if Microsoft’s backing will help Epic get a reprieve. While the support does illustrate the possible ripple effect on the game industry, it’s still true that Epic knew the likely consequences of breaking App Store rules — it had a lawsuit and marketing campaign ready to go the day Apple pulled Fortnite. There’s no guarantee a court will sympathize with Epic’s request for a reprieve, no matter how well the lawsuit might fare.

Today we filed a statement in support of Epic’s request to keep access to the Apple SDK for its Unreal Engine. Ensuring that Epic has access to the latest Apple technology is the right thing for gamer developers & gamers https://t.co/72bLdDkvUx

— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) August 23, 2020

Last year Microsoft added a Spotify integration to its Xbox Game Bar on the PC, and now it will be able to offer far more third-party support. That’s because it has introduced a new Game Bar Widget Store, as well as an SDK for outside developers to plug their apps into the gaming experience on Windows.

Love is in the air. Your Xbox and PC are ready to take their relationship to the next level. New Xbox Game Bar integrations put power in your hands #InsideXboxhttps://t.co/XnOQpdjyp3 pic.twitter.com/JONrTpU95A

— Xbox (@Xbox) April 7, 2020

As introduced during its April 2020 Inside Xbox presentation, some of the first ones up include integrations from Razer for its Cortex gaming enhancements and Gold wallet deals. Another new widget adds controls for XSplit’s Gamecaster streaming app, so that creators can flip between settings without having to alt-tab out and stop the action. One other widget that’s on the way but not available yet is for Intel’s Graphics Command Center, with access to display settings, capture features and more.

News of the exposure first came out last November when Facebook and Twitter verified the findings of independent security researchers. At the time, Facebook said OneAudience and another SDK developer called Mobiburn obtained information like people’s names, emails and gender. Facebook went on to notify 9.5 million users that their data had potentially been compromised.

In the aftermath of the disclosure, Facebook says it sent OneAudience a cease-and-desist letter and asked it to take part in an audit. The company claims OneAudience “declined to cooperate.”

“Through these lawsuits, we will continue sending a message to people trying to abuse our services that Facebook is serious about enforcing our policies, including requiring developers to cooperate with us during an investigation, and advance the state of the law when it comes to data misuse and privacy,” the company said. We’ve reached out to the company for additional information on the suit, and we’ll update this article when we hear back.

Facebook has been cracking down on data abuse over the past couple of years. For instance, last year it sued a Hong Kong company for tricking people into clicking on bogus links as a way to hijack their accounts.

Support is initially limited to the A7R IV and A9 II, but should “gradually” include more models. Sony hasn’t indicated everyone who’s interested, although camera robotics and control specalist Telemetrics is eager to put the SDK to work.

To some extent, Sony didn’t have much of a choice but to open its platform. It’s increasingly gunning after pro photographers who would otherwise choose Canon and Nikon gear, and that means supporting real-world workflows instead of insisting on as many Sony tools as possible. No, you probably won’t notice if you’re a hobbyist or street photographer, but this could make all the difference in some fields.

Until today, only developers in the early adopter program could get the SDK, but now it’s freely available to all as open-source code. However, developers will still need to become early adopters if they want to lease a robot to test their code, Boston Dynamics said. That way, they can “create custom methods of controlling the robot, integrate sensor information into data analysis tools and design custom payloads which expand the capabilities of the base robot platform,” according to the company.

By way of example, Boston Dynamics cited a company called HoloBuilder that has used the SDK to add Spot to their existing app. “With what they’ve developed, workers can use a phone to teach Spot to document a path around a construction site and then Spot will autonomously navigate that path and take 360 images that go right into their processing software,” it said. Other uses include security monitoring, laser-scanning and police chores like examining suspicious packages.

Along with the SDK release, Boston Dynamics announced a change in management. Founder a Mark Raibert will become Chairman, ceding his CEO role to former COO and long-time employee Rob Playter. That’s part of a larger plan for Boston Dynamics to commercialize its robots like SpotMini, Atlas and now Handle — and the release of the SDK is a big step towards that goal.

People who want to write apps for the Surface Neo and Windows 10X will have to wait a while longer. Microsoft is planning to offer a pre-release version of the relevant Windows developer kit “in the coming weeks” through its usual Insider previews, with a 10X-ready emulator and programming interfaces appearing on February 11th.

The months of lead time should result in a fair amount of apps for both the Duo and Neo when they’re ready. Just how many is another question. That might depend on how quickly Microsoft releases more polished developer kits, not to mention overall interest — you’ll only see widespread support if app writers think the new Surfaces (and Windows 10X) hold a lot of potential.

How much you’ll benefit from the better connection will vary depending on your own access and where you live. Valve’s data suggests that 43 of gamers will see at least some reduction in lag, while 10 percent will see their ping times drop by 40ms or more. The biggest improvements tend to be in parts of Europe and India, where large chunks of the population will notice the difference.

This isn’t a strictly altruistic gesture on Valve’s part. The more studios rely on its network, the less incentive they’ll have to make their catalog available through rival services like the Epic Game Store. Likewise, players who do have a choice of stores may be more likely to choose Steam if they think they’ll get a better experience. This could still prove beneficial if you thrive on multiplayer games — just know that it’s not all positive.