"Windows games can ship with DirectStorage" starting today, Microsoft has announced. DirectStorage is the tech giant's fast game-loading technology that was introduced with the Xbox Series X and S consoles. In September 2020, Microsoft revealed that it will also make the DirectStorage API available on Windows, allowing games for PCs to take advantage of the technology.

DirectStorage leverages the speed of modern NVMe SSDs, which can deliver multiple gigabytes per second, to load games faster than before. As Microsoft explains, current storage APIs weren't optimized for modern games' data loading methods and create bottlenecks that lengthen loading times even for those who have an NVMe SSD. In addition, most gaming assets need to be decompressed before they're sent to the GPU for rendering. DirectStorage solves those issues by processing multiple I/O requests needed to load assets into batches and by using the best current (and future) decompression technologies.

Microsoft released a developer preview of the technology in mid-2021, but as The Verge reports, there are no available games with DirectStorage support yet. One of the first titles to take advantage of the technology is Square Enix's Forspoken, which will be released for Windows and the PS5 in October. Other developers may have only just started working on incorporating the technology into their games. It may take a while for more titles to come with DirectStorage, especially since not everyone has upgraded to NVMe SSDs yet. It's worth noting, though, that while Windows 11 unlocks the technology's full potential, even gamers on Windows 10 will still see some improvements while playing games that support it. 

The tech giant will present an introduction to DirectStorage at GDC on March 22nd and is expected to give tips and tricks developers can use to get started. Forspoken developer Luminous will also be talking about how it integrated the technology into the game at the same event.

Tesla has raised the prices of its electric vehicles for the second time within the month. After adding $1,000 to some long-range models last week, the automaker has now implemented a much larger price increase across its lineup. As Electrek reports, its prices now start at $46,990 for the base Model 3, $2,000 higher than before. The Model 3 Dual Motor All-Wheel Drive is now $2,500 more expensive at $54,490, and the Performance version now costs $3,000 more at $61,990.

Tesla

Meanwhile, Model Y's prices now start at $62,990, or $2,000 higher than before, for the Long Range version. Tesla has increased the Performance version's pricing by $3,000, as well, which means it'll now set you back $67,990. For both Model S options, Tesla has added $5,000 on top of their previous prices, so you'll have to spend at least $99,990 for one. None of the other EVs got a price increase as big as the Model X, though, which now costs $10,000 more at $114,990.

Although Tesla has quietly raised prices overnight, the move didn't come out of left field. On Twitter, company chief Elon Musk hinted at the possibility of a price hike. He said both Tesla and SpaceX are seeing "significant recent inflation pressure in raw materials [and] logistics." He didn't elaborate, but he linked to an article about commodity prices soaring due to fears over the shortage of raw materials that Russia exports. 

One of the materials affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine is nickel, with its prices soaring and more than doubling since the war started. Russia is a key supplier of the metal, which is a critical component of lithium-ion batteries used by Tesla and other EV manufacturers. In addition, Electrek says Tesla is experiencing a massive surge in new orders due to heightened interest in electric vehicles caused by the rise in gas prices.

Samsung has started sending out invitations to the Galaxy A Event, where it will unveil its latest mid-range smartphones under the product line. The tech giant introduced the Galaxy A52 and Galaxy A72 on the same day last year and then launched the A52s, an upgraded version of the A52 with a newer processor, in select regions a few months later. You'll be able to watch the event on Samsung's website or the company's YouTube channel on March 17th, starting at 10AM Eastern time. 

The event comes just over a month after Samsung launched its flagship Galaxy S22 series in the first Unpacked event of the year. Along with the S22 and the S22+, the company also unveiled the Galaxy S22 Ultra that represents the consolidation of the Galaxy S and the Note lines. The S22 Ultra has the Note's rectangular silhouette and onboard slot for its accompanying S Pen, whereas the other models have the traditional look of the previous S line devices. 

Samsung also recently released the Galaxy S21 Fan Edition with a 6.4-inch screen and a slightly more affordable price than its standard counterparts. If we're talking about phones in the same price range as the Galaxy A line, though, there's the new iPhone SE that Apple unveiled on March 8th. The new budget-friendly SE model supports 5G connectivity and has an updated chip, but it looks almost identical to its predecessor. It will be available starting on March 18th for $429.

Samsung

Samsung has started sending out invitations to the Galaxy A Event, where it will unveil its latest mid-range smartphones under the product line. The tech giant introduced the Galaxy A52 and Galaxy A72 on the same day last year and then launched the A52s, an upgraded version of the A52 with a newer processor, in select regions a few months later. You'll be able to watch the event on Samsung's website or the company's YouTube channel on March 17th, starting at 10AM Eastern time. 

The event comes just over a month after Samsung launched its flagship Galaxy S22 series in the first Unpacked event of the year. Along with the S22 and the S22+, the company also unveiled the Galaxy S22 Ultra that represents the consolidation of the Galaxy S and the Note lines. The S22 Ultra has the Note's rectangular silhouette and onboard slot for its accompanying S Pen, whereas the other models have the traditional look of the previous S line devices. 

Samsung also recently released the Galaxy S21 Fan Edition with a 6.4-inch screen and a slightly more affordable price than its standard counterparts. If we're talking about phones in the same price range as the Galaxy A line, though, there's the new iPhone SE that Apple unveiled on March 8th. The new budget-friendly SE model supports 5G connectivity and has an updated chip, but it looks almost identical to its predecessor. It will be available starting on March 18th for $429.

Samsung

Apple discontinued the 27-inch iMac when it launched the Mac Studio and 5K Studio Display, but reports that came out earlier this year suggested that a replacement was in the works. According to 9to5Mac, though, Apple currently has no plans to release an all-in-one iMac bigger than 24 inches in the near future. 

If true, that means we won't be seeing a 27-inch model powered by an M1 processor — the recently discontinued iMac still uses Intel chips — anytime soon. Apple reportedly has no plans for a larger iMac equipped with an M1 Pro, Max or Ultra, as well. We also likely won't be seeing one with the M2-powered MacBooks that Apple is expected to launch later this year. 9to5Mac says it got the information from the same source that told the publication about the pro-level Mac Studio and the Studio Display before they were unveiled. 

At the moment, the only iMacs you can get straight from the Apple Store website is the 24-inch model with M1 processor released last year. The publication says the tech giant is developing a new 24-inch all-in-one computer slated to be introduced sometime in 2023. However, similar to the MacBook Air and the 13-inch MacBook Pro, it will likely remain one of the company's (relatively) affordable options and won't come with its high-end chips. 

Authorities in Belarus have arrested and detained Mark Bernstein, one of the top editors of Russian Wikipedia, according to local publication Zerkalo. Bernstein was reportedly accused of violating the "fake news" law Russia passed in early March by editing the Wikipedia article about the invasion of Ukraine. Under the new law, anybody found guilty of what the country deems as false information about the Ukraine invasion — remember, the Kremlin calls it a "special military operation" — could be imprisoned for up to 15 years.

It was the Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime and Corruption of Belarus (GUBOPiK) that had arrested Bernstein, The Verge reports. The publication says his social media accounts, Wikipedia handle and workplace were shared on GUBOPiK's public Telegram channel before he was taken in. A video of his arrest was also posted on the channel, along with a photo that accuses him of "distributing fake anti-Russian information." Belarus played a key role in the invasion of Ukraine by hosting Russian troops, which deployed from the country when the attacks began. 

As The Verge notes, it's unclear what exactly Bernstein is being charged with and which of his edits broke Russia's fake news law. Bernstein has over 200,000 Wikipedia edits under what's believed to be his account, which has now been blocked indefinitely. 

Russia has been scrambling to suppress sources of information that goes against its official narrative regarding the war in Ukraine, and its new law had forced local independent media outlets to shut down. Dmitri A. Muratov, the editor-in-chief of Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta, told The New York Times that "[e]verything that's not propaganda is being eliminated."

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has warned operators of cryptocurrency ATMs in the UK to shut down their machines or else face enforcement action. In its announcement, the financial watchdog said that it hasn't granted any of the crypto firms registered with it the permission to operate ATM services. That means all crypto ATMs in the UK are illegal. 

"Crypto ATMs offering cryptoasset exchange services in the UK must be registered with us and comply with UK Money Laundering Regulations," the regulator wrote. As The Telegraph reports, there are around 81 functional crypto ATMs in Britain based on data from the Coin ATM Radar tracker, located mostly inside supermarkets and convenience stores.

These ATMs allow users to deposit cash in exchange for cryptocurrency, which they can then transfer to their digital wallets. The regulator previously raised concerns that the machines could be used for money laundering, because they require minimal background checks, especially for small deposits. 

Gidiplus, a Bitcoin ATM operator, tried to overturn the FCA's refusal to grant it a license. The regulator argued that bad actors could take advantage of its machines' weak identity checks on people depositing less than £250. Money launderers and illegal businesses could potentially use multiple "mules" to do small transactions in order to avoid getting noticed by authorities. The UK's Upper Tribunal ruled against Gidiplus, which has since sold its ATMs to an Eastern European buyer. 

The regulator ended its announcement with a warning that cryptocurrency is high-risk and that people could lost their money if something goes wrong:

"We regularly warn consumers that cryptoassets are unregulated and high-risk which means people are very unlikely to have any protection if things go wrong, so people should be prepared to lose all their money if they choose to invest in them."

The European Commission and UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) have launched an antitrust investigation into the advertising deal between Google and Meta (formerly Facebook) codenamed "Jedi Blue." In particular, the organizations are looking into whether the tech giants colluded to hinder competition "in markets for online display advertising." The US Justice Department, backed by several states, is also investigating the deal between the two companies.

As the commission explains, Google provides an ad technology service that auctions off online display advertising space on websites and apps as part of its Open Bidding program. Meanwhile, Meta's Audience Network participates in those kinds of auctions for ad spaces facilitated by Google and rival services. CMA Chief Executive Andrea Coscelli said the organization is "concerned that Google may have teamed up with Meta to put obstacles in the way of competitors who provide important online display advertising services to publishers."

Margrethe Vestager, the European Commissioner for Competition, told The Financial Times that the commission suspects there may have been an agreement between the companies to "only to use Google services and not competing services." Vestager also told the publication, however, that the commission is investigating the possibility that Meta was unaware of the agreement's repercussions and that Google acted alone. "We have not concluded yet if it's a Google thing alone or if they were in it together. It's not a given that Meta was conscious of the effects of the deal and that's what we have to investigate," the commissioner said.

In addition to opening a probe into the Jedi Blue deal, the CMA is also scrutinizing Google's conduct as a whole in relation to ad bidding. The watchdog is investigating whether the tech giant abused its dominant position to gain an advantage over competitors offering bidding services. 

Google previously denied that it colluded with Meta in a court filing, and a spokesperson echoed that in a statement sent to Engadget:

"The allegations made about this agreement are false. This is a publicly documented, procompetitive agreement that enables Facebook Audience Network (FAN) to participate in our Open Bidding program, along with dozens of other companies. FAN's involvement is not exclusive and they don't receive advantages that help them win auctions. The goal of this program is to work with a range of ad networks and exchanges to increase demand for publishers’ ad space, which helps those publishers earn more revenue. Facebook’s participation helps that. We're happy to answer any questions the Commission or the CMA have."

A Meta spokesperson also told us that the deal with Google is non-exclusive: 

"Meta's non-exclusive bidding agreement with Google and the similar agreements we have with other bidding platforms, have helped to increase competition for ad placements. These business relationships enable Meta to deliver more value to advertisers and publishers, resulting in better outcomes for all. We will cooperate with both inquiries."

If the CMA finds that the companies had violated competition law, they could be slapped with fines equivalent to 10 percent of their global revenues. As The Financial Times notes, though, the process could take years to complete.

Users in Russia won't be able to buy apps and games or pay for subscriptions and in-app purchases at the moment. Google has suspended the Play store billing system as of March 10th due to "payment system disruption," most likely caused by sanctions imposed against the country's banks. The tech giant has announced the suspension in a support page, where it also said that Russian users can still download free apps and games.

Ongoing subscriptions won't be cut off right away, but they can't be renewed after they're done. Google advised developers in Russia to make their apps free and to switch off subscription services for now if they want to continue making them available for download. 

According to Reuters, YouTube is also pausing all paid services for viewers in Russia, including YouTube Premium, Channel Memberships, Super Chat and merchandise sales. Creators in the country can still generate revenue from viewers outside the country, who'll still be able to send them Super Chats and buy their merch. 

In addition, Google is pausing ads for all advertisers based in Russia across all its properties around the world, expanding the other ad-related bans it implemented since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began. YouTube previously barred Russia Today (RT) and other state-owned media channels from being able to generate revenue. It also blocked access to them across Europe following the EU's orders to ban their broadcast. Google blocked Russian state media from being able to monetize their content across its products, as well, and eventually stopped selling ads in Russia.

Twitter is now also adding labels to accounts and tweets sharing links from Belarusian state-affiliated media outlets "after detailed reporting about their role in the war in Ukraine." The website started labeling tweets from Russian state media outlets a few days in late February in an effort to significantly reduce the circulation of their content. Yoel Roth, the company's head of site integrity, said on Twitter that the company made the decision to label tweets from Belarus, as well, after expert voices highlighted the country's involvement in the invasion of Ukraine. 

Roth said Twitter saw a 30 percent drop in impressions on Tweets from Russian state media based on early data, suggesting that the company has been successful in its goal to limit those outlets' reach. Similar to what it did to the Russian state outlets, Twitter will also reduce the visibility of labeled tweets with Belarusian state media content. In addition, users will see a prompt whenever they try to share labeled tweets. 

Twitter blocked ads from state media outlets years ago, but it completely paused ads and recommendations in Ukraine and Russia shortly after the war began to make sure critical public safety is elevated. While Russian authorities had blocked the website since then, Twitter launched a Tor onion service to give the country's residents access to sources about the war other than state media. More recently, Twitter removed posts from Russia's UK embassy over false claims that the bombing of a maternity hospital in the Ukraine city of Mariupol was staged. Twitter said the posts were removed for breaking its rules surrounding the "denial of violent events."