Samsung Electronics announced exciting new ways for gamers to experience game streaming with the addition of new partners and the introduction of game streaming to select 2021 Samsung TV models and 4K games, further delivering on its promise of bringing the future of gaming to consumers across the globe.

Antstream Arcade is the world's largest cloud gaming service that provides players access to over 1,500 iconic games and weekly new multiplayer challenges and tournaments. Select Samsung TV owners will soon be able to battle their friends and the global community at the best games from the 80s, 90s and 00s, from Pac-Man to Mortal Kombat and Metal Slug.

After more than three years in development, we are extremely excited to launch our brand-new streaming and gaming division, RØDE X. Building on our legacy as the world's leading audio brand for content creators, RØDE X is dedicated to developing high-performance audio solutions specifically for streamers and gamers. RØDE X distils the same passion for innovation, accessibility and Australian-made quality that RØDE is renowned for into a new range of cutting-edge audio solutions that meet the unique needs of streamers and gamers. The new division employs a dedicated streaming and gaming R&D department appointed to developing a brand-new product line, of which the first three products are now available worldwide: UNIFY, a virtual mixing solution custom-designed for streaming and gaming, and two new professional USB microphones - the XDM-100 dynamic USB microphone and XCM-50 condenser USB microphone.

"We are incredibly excited about the launch of RØDE X," said RØDE CEO Damien Wilson. "For more than three decades, RØDE has been the go-to audio brand for the world's creators. We have made it our mission to provide professional audio solutions to musicians, filmmakers, podcasters and broadcasters. Listening to and learning from creators is what we do and has led to the development of groundbreaking products like the VideoMic, RØDECaster Pro and Wireless GO. Now we're doing the same for streamers and gamers."

Game streaming services, such as GeForce Now, Stadia and Amazon's Luna, haven't been the roaring success the companies behind them had hoped for. One of the pitfalls, that NVIDIA quickly found out, was that the game publishers weren't overly keen on gamers being able to play games they already owned on multiple systems, even if it wasn't on more than one system at once. Multiple services have already come and gone over the years and now it's time for Google to bid farewell to its Stadia service. In its blog post, Google didn't state the exact reasoning behind shutting down the service, beyond it not gaining the kind of traction the company had hoped for.

The good news here is that Google will be refunding all of its Stadia customers, regardless if it's someone that has bought hardware through the Google Store, or bought games or even add-on content for games through the Stadia Store. Google will be refunding all of its customers by the 18th of January 2023 and those using Stadia will continue to have access to all of their content until that date. Google expects its Stadia technology to be used for other services, or potentially be made available to third parties. As to the team behind Stadia, many will apparently carry on working for other departments at Google.

Amazon today announced upgrades to its industry-leading Fire TV family, including the next generation Fire TV Cube—Fire TV's most powerful streaming media player yet—and Alexa Voice Remote Pro, a premium remote with an all-new Remote Finder and customizable buttons.

"The all-new Fire TV Cube is a big step forward for Fire TV—it's the fastest, most powerful, and most versatile streaming media player we've ever made," said Daniel Rausch, vice president of Amazon Entertainment Devices and Services. "This Fire TV Cube's powerful processing and Wi-Fi 6E support deliver an incredibly smooth streaming experience, and HDMI input means you can instantly extend the simplicity of Fire TV and hands-free Alexa control to your home entertainment system. With Alexa Voice Remote Pro, we're making it easy to find a misplaced remote and get to the apps and content you love."

AVerMedia Technologies, Inc., a leader in digital video and audio solutions, is thrilled to announce the launch of the Live Gamer EXTREME 3 (GC551G2). As AVerMedia's latest plug-and-play external 4K capture card, it can capture up to 4K 30fps in SDR while passing through gameplay at up to 4K 60fps in HDR. It is also AVerMedia's first capture card that supports variable refresh rate (VRR).

With VRR, the Live Gamer EXTREME 3 brings out the best performance for a competitive streaming session. VRR allows the monitor and gaming device to synchronize each frame to provide smooth tear-free gameplay so gamers can focus solely on the actions without getting distracted by any graphic delay. Additionally, the Live Gamer EXTREME 3's ultra-low latency feature enables zero lag between the gaming device and the monitor, ensuring the capture signal is delivered to the live stream equally fast. These two features allow gamers to enjoy the highest video quality for their gameplays and streams. And thanks to the use of UVC standard, the Live Gamer EXTREME 3 works out of the box without the need to install any drivers.

Razer, the leading global lifestyle brand for gamers, has expanded its range of streaming products with the new Razer Seiren BT microphone, Razer Audio Mixer and Razer Key Light Chroma. These new streaming peripherals bring more creativity and flexibility to content creators and mobile streamers, with professional quality wireless audio, live on-stream audio mixing, and infinitely flexible, adaptive lighting for more engaging, creative stream set-ups.

While the Audio Mixer and Key Light Chroma are aimed at desktop streamers, the wireless Seiren BT microphone is specially designed for smartphone streamers for IRL (In Real Life) mobile streaming. With its small form factor and superior audio pick-up, the Seiren BT elevates mobile streams with rich, clear voice audio, bringing a new dimension of freedom to IRL streaming.

The number of devices connected to WiFi has skyrocketed by 12X since 2018 as Xfinity households connected nearly 1 billion devices in 2021. In fact, reliable WiFi has become so critical that nearly half of the country (45 percent) believe it is more important than reliable transportation*. These findings and more highlight Comcast's 2021 WiFi Trends Report, providing insights into how WiFi enabled Americans to pursue what mattered to them most in 2021 based on network trends and consumer insights.

"The ecosystem of connected devices in the home and the applications running on them has exploded over the last few years, driving a shift in consumers perceptions on what truly is important to their connectivity experience," said Sophie Ahmad, Chief Marketing Officer of Xfinity Consumer Service, Comcast Cable. "Unbeatable Internet that provides the best connection, complete security, faster speeds and the best tech is now integral to how Americans work, exercise, parent, and entertain."

Mackie, a leading producer of high-quality professional audio products, today announces the M•Caster Live Portable Live Streaming Mixer. Not just another repurposed live sound mixer, M•Caster Live was designed from the ground up for content creators and their unique needs. Whether you're a social streamer, gamer, podcaster, or DJ, the M•Caster Live has features that make it easier than ever before to create your content and get it out there for the world to see.

"When talking to creators, we kept seeing the same complaints over and over again. Users want a simple way to connect with their streaming platform. They want to sound great. And they want something that can be easily portable." said Mackie Product Manager Craig Reeves. "M•Caster Live delivers on all of those points and manages to look great while doing it!"

As the internet becomes our primary place to chill, chat and play, Streamplify, a new German-based designer and manufacturer of affordable live streaming products, is making its global debut in stores and online retailers around Europe and the US. Streamplify wants to share the joy of live streaming by making it easier to share your passion in high quality with the world.

"Many established streamers have told us that, when they first started, they wished there had been a brand providing reliable, budget-friendly equipment to help them get off the ground. That's the gap we are trying to fill now with our product line," - Nils Klakow, Business Development Manager at Streamplify. The people behind the brand all hail from the gaming and PC hardware industries, and have been in the business of developing products for gamers - and being devoted gamers themselves - for upwards of 20 years. There is over two years of development, testing, and revision behind the line of products being presented today, with input from streamers, musicians, content creators, technicians, and video and photography professionals.

EK, the leading premium liquid cooling solutions manufacturer, will be virtually and physically present at CES 2022, the world's biggest tech show. The event, held in Las Vegas, will be the perfect platform for EK to showcase some of the latest liquid cooling products and collaborations to tech enthusiasts from around the world.

As an industry-renowned player, EK is committed to broadening their water-cooling portfolio while making solutions more affordable, powerful, and performance-focused. Customers are at the heart of product design, which makes CES such an important opportunity to present their latest solutions directly to end users. At CES, EK will physically present their next-generation products in the following Suite: Venetian Tower - Exhibit Suites, Floor 29, #29-112. Products will be available to be viewed online during our virtual event, EK Expo CES22, which will be held on Jan 5. at 19:00 CET on the official EK YouTube channel.

Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. announces the Snapdragon G3x Gen 1 Gaming Platform, a purpose-built platform that allows gamers the best place to play their favorite games. The platform delivers cutting-edge performance to run all Android games, play content from cloud gaming libraries, stream games from your home console or PC, and enjoy entertainment from your favorite Android apps. Amassing the entire arsenal of Snapdragon Elite Gaming technologies together to create a premium category of dedicated consumer gaming products, the platform is designed to power incredible experiences for gamers on-the-go.

To showcase the platform, Qualcomm Technologies partnered with Razer to build the first Snapdragon G3x Handheld Gaming Developer Kit, which is available exclusively for developers starting today. Razer is a global leader in gaming hardware and has already constructed one of the world's largest gamer-focused ecosystems of hardware, software, and services.

With two new headphones and microphones, beyerdynamic is introducing a new era for creators. The two headphones DT 700 PRO X and DT 900 PRO X promise an unprecedented performance in the class of studio headphones on all playback devices. The M 70 PRO X dynamic microphone and the M 90 PRO X true condenser microphone deliver detailed sound. Whether live streaming or recording, at home or in the studio, the PRO X series can be used flexibly in all situations. The new product series is characterized by authentic sound and a functional, timeless design.

As business professionals continue to navigate new work environments - in an office, at home, or a mix of both - having proper technology and display tools are essential for maintaining team productivity and collaboration. Dedicated to delivering top-quality projection that is also versatile for a range of professional environments, today Epson introduced the new Epson 880X 3LCD 1080p smart portable projector. Compact and equipped with a convenient carrying case, the 880X meets a variety of on-the-go business display needs. Additionally, with Android TV and built-in Chromecast, users can easily switch it into a streaming machine for epic entertainment virtually anywhere.

"As the dynamics of work environments continue to shift, it's important that business professionals have the proper tools to set them up for success in any space," said Kenny Tang, product manager, projectors, Epson America, Inc. "The demand for bigger displays has continued throughout the pandemic for both business and home entertainment. The 880X smart projector is ideal for video conferencing and presentations with the added versatility to transform spaces into entertainment hubs."

Cooler Master, a global leader in PC component manufacturing, is launching the StreamEnjin, their first ever All-In-One live stream broadcasting device.

Streaming. Simplified
Cooler Master is adding a new device to their vast lineup of technology within the portfolio - the StreamEnjin. The StreamEnjin is an all-in-one livestream mixer that allows you to edit and switch your inputs for seamless broadcasting of your content. Easily create and deliver your customized livestream to multiple CDN broadcast destinations, with 8 preset scenes for convenient personalization. Simple button layout makes switching and mixing a breeze, with the versatile iPad app giving you the freedom to edit your overlays to your liking. The StreamEnjin is designed with a portable form factor with a handle-stand to grab and go to stream from any location you desire.

The StreamEnjin gives you the simplicity and versatility to broadcast your content, integrating simple controls with a portable device for any level streamer looking to share their personalized stream or enhance their stream content for a more entertaining and eye-catching livestream.

NZXT, a leading designer of computer hardware, software, and services for the PC gaming community, today announces that they are expanding their lines of streaming and H1 Mini PC's to include a Base, Plus, and Pro version of each system which allows for gamers and content creators to get a gaming PC that suits their budget and processing power needs, quickly shipped within two days.

The Streaming PC series is specifically designed to give streamers the proper hardware for an optimized experience right out of the box. The new Streaming PC Pro comes with a Ryzen 5 5600x and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 which gives streamers enough power to play their favorite games and stream their favorite games for $2999. While the Streaming PC and Streaming PC Plus offer different levels of GPUs for content creators for different needs and budgets.

ASUS today rolled out the TUF Gaming Capture Box CU4K30, a game-streaming capture box for HDMI. The box lets you plug in your HDMI source (PC or console), which plugs out to an HDMI monitor or TV. You can use audio from the HDMI source, or connect stereo 3.5 mm analog. The box connects back to your PC via 5 Gbps USB 3.2 Gen 1, through a type-C port (type-A to type-C adapter included).

The TUF Gaming CU4K30 allows recording or streaming at resolutions of up to 4K at 30 FPS, 1440p at 60 FPS, and 1080p up to 120 FPS; while the passthrough supports 4K up to 60 Hz, 1440p up to 120 Hz, and 1080p up to 240 Hz. The box is OBS Studio certified. It also features an ARGB LED diffuser along the front face, which can be controlled via Aura Sync. The company didn't reveal pricing.

Addressing the demands of the modern data center, Xilinx, Inc. (NASDAQ: XLNX) today announced a range of new data center products and solutions, including a new family of Alveo SmartNICs, smart world AI video analytics applications, an accelerated algorithmic trading reference design for sub-microsecond trading, and the Xilinx App Store.

Today's most demanding and complex applications, from networking and AI analytics to financial trading, require low-latency and real-time performance. Achieving this level of performance has been limited to expensive and lengthy hardware development. With these new products and solutions, Xilinx is eliminating the barriers for software developers to quickly create and deploy software-defined, hardware accelerated applications on Alveo accelerator cards.

NVIDIA has today announced the expansion of its GeForce NOW game streaming service to Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Australia. The company has worked closely with telecommunication providers to ensure that the streaming service is working well and now they can deliver even more gamers a chance to play their favorite games in the cloud. NVIDIA stated that: "It also offers an opportunity for the world's leading telecommunications firms to deliver high-quality, low-latency PC gaming to nearly any device from the cloud. These partners form the GeForce NOW Alliance, a partnership of operators using RTX Servers and NVIDIA cloud-gaming software to expand and improve cloud gaming globally."

As a reminder, the GeForce NOW is a game streaming service that "brings real-time raytracing to today's biggest blockbusters to underpowered PCs, Macs, Chromebooks, Android and iOS devices." You can access a wide range of games from almost any device and play as much as you like.

GeForce NOW is streaming on iOS Safari, in beta, starting today. That means more than 5 million GeForce NOW members can now access the latest experience by launching Safari from iPhone or iPad. GeForce NOW on iOS Safari requires a gamepad — keyboard and mouse-only games aren't available due to hardware limitations. For the best experience, you'll want to use a GeForce NOW Recommended gamepad, like the Razer Kishi.

Alongside the amazing team at Epic Games, we're working to enable a touch-friendly version of Fortnite, which will delay availability of the game. While the GeForce NOW library is best experienced on mobile with a gamepad, touch is how over 100 million Fortnite gamers have built, battled and danced their way to Victory Royale.

Facebook has recently announced that their gaming platform has launched several cloud-streamed games playable in the Android Facebook app and through the web browser on PC. The service has been in a limited beta for some time with over 200,000 people trying it in limited regions. Facebook makes it clear that the new offering is not intended to compete with more enthusiast options and will instead focus on low-power games on mobile and web. Facebook intends to target the 380 million people who play games through Facebook every month with native integration of cloud games alongside HTML5 games.

The service is launching with several latency-tolerant games including Asphalt 9: Legends, Mobile Legends: Adventure, PGA TOUR Golf Shootout, Solitaire: Arthur's Tale, and WWE SuperCard. Facebook won't be launching cloud games on iOS due to the uncertainty around the feature with Apple's current policies and the issues Microsoft has encountered trying to bring xCloud to Apple devices. Facebook Gaming cloud games are now available to try for customers across select US regions on the Facebook app for Android and on the web.

The recent comments from Google Stadia Montreal Creative Director Alex Hutchinson regarding game streaming revenue sharing have generated significant public backlash from consumers and developers alike. The Creative Director suggested that game streamers should have to purchase a commercial license or pay royalties to game developers in return for streaming their games. These comments were quickly associated with Google Stadia by the community which has prompted Google to issue a statement distancing themselves from Alex Hutchinson's comments. Alex Hutchinson's Twitter bio has also been updated to reflect that all opinions are his own.

GoogleThe recent tweets by Alex Hutchinson, creative director at the Montreal Studio of Stadia Games and Entertainment, do not reflect those of Stadia, YouTube or Google.

Tencent is set to win big after it was announced that Chinese game streaming companies Huya and DouYu would be merging, Tencent owns significant stakes in each company and will hold 68% of voting shares after the merger is complete. This merger will significantly reduce marketing costs and see a combined monthly active user base of over 300 million accounting for an over 50% market share making it the largest game streaming venture in the Chinese market. Tencent will also integrate its Penguin e-Sports game streaming platform into the new Huya service to further consolidate its offerings. The merger will help Tencent to gain control over the entire gaming ecosystem in China allowing the firm to generate large eSports revenue and reach a larger audience for game distribution.

Tencent is getting ready to roll out their new live streaming platform across the US as a direct competitor to Amazon's Twitch. The Tencent live streaming platform has been in testing since March, initially called Madcat, and now branded as Trovo Live. Trovo Live's interface closely resembles that of Twitch and has a large emphasis on mobile gaming which makes sense given that Tencent owns Fortnite and PUBG Mobile.

Tencent has recently plans on the Trovo Live website on its 30 million dollar program to entice creators to the site. Tencent dominates the Chinese game streaming market but has had trouble breaking into Western markets. The Trevo Live Partnership program is set to go live in July and aims to attract 500 influential streamers to the platform. Trovo Live has already attracted some streamers from Mizer and Twitch so it will be interesting to see if it succeeds.

Xilinx, Inc., the leader in adaptive and intelligent computing, today introduced two real-time computing video appliances for easy-to-scale, ultra-high-density video transcoding applications. Based on the new Xilinx Real-Time (RT) Server reference architecture, these new appliances will enable service providers delivering applications such as eSports and game streaming platforms, social and video conferencing, live distance learning, telemedicine and live broadcast video to optimize video quality and bitrate at the lowest cost per channel for significant TCO savings over both software-based and fixed-architecture approaches.

Designed for edge and on-premise compute-intensive workloads where video channel density, throughput and latency are critical requirements, the new Xilinx Real-Time Video Appliances feature optimized hardware architectures and software to deliver the industry's highest channel density and lowest latency performance. The appliances are available in two pre-configured options integrating Xilinx Alveo data center accelerator cards - the High Channel Density Video Appliance and the Ultra-Low Bitrate Video Appliance.

This week Google Stadia added the option to stream games on chrome at 2560x1440 resolution so that users with QHD monitors can now stream games at their monitors' native resolution compared to just 1080p or 4k previously. To play in QHD resolution users will need an active Stadia Pro subscription, a network speed of 35 Mbps or greater, and a Windows computer or Chromebook with VP9 hardware decoding and a QHD monitor.

In other news, this week the Stadia Store gained two new games those being Jotun: Valhalla Edition, and Sundered: Eldritch Edition. Stadia Pro subscribers are also set to receive The Elder Scrolls Online for Free on June 16 along with the Morrowind Chapter as free content. Stadia players can enjoy crossplay support with PC, which means you'll be able to play with friends across Stadia and PC.