Streamlabs' new livestreaming tool offers streamers a new way to make money — and it won't even be taking a commission. The Logitech-owned company has launched a monthly tipping service called Streamlabs Creator Subscription, which (as you can probably guess from its name) gives streamers a way to set up a subscription service for viewers. Streamlabs says creators will get 100 percent of the tips fans give them after PayPal takes its usual processing fees. 

As The Verge notes, that makes Streamlabs Creator Subscription a more appealing option than Twitch's built-in service, which takes a 50 percent cut from the subscription fees streamers get. Especially since Streamlabs' new tipping tool can be directly integrated into its popular OBS software suite anyway. The OBS software can be used to stream not just on Twitch, but also on YouTube, Facebook and TikTok. 

Streamlabs will let creators decide on what kind of subscription service they want to offer their fans, and they can also set specific price points. If they choose, however, they can allow viewers to choose how much to contribute every month. Fans will get "redeemable alerts" in exchange for their contributions, and they can use those if they want their favorite streamer to thank them on screen. Streamlabs will also be adding leaderboards and badges in the coming weeks to encourage fans to support their favorite creators.

Ashray Urs, Head of Product at Streamlabs, said in a statement: 

"As the live streaming industry has grown, so has the need for a sustainable revenue model. Currently, most major streaming platforms provide viewers with a way to subscribe to a channel; however, they usually split the revenue from the subscription in half between the creators and platform. In addition, platforms require a creator to meet certain qualifications before they can unlock the ability for viewers to subscribe. Streamlabs Creator Subscription is open for anyone with a Streamlabs tip page, regardless of size or how often they stream."

Nintendo's colorful, character-filled island life sim Animal Crossing: New Horizons lends itself to merchandise collabs. On the heels of its Uniqlo and Monopoly crossovers, the game is getting the footwear treatment. Puma is releasing an Animal Crossing collection featuring sneakers and apparel. The company teased the new drop on Twitter with an image featuring both the Puma and Animal Crossing logos. Nintendo subsequently retweeted the teaser with the caption “Something new is on the horizon.” 

It didn't take long for images of the collab to start circulating online. That's the Animal Crossing x PUMA Wild Rider silhouette above via Sneaker Freaker. More sneakers are reportedly on the way. Fan site Animal Crossing World also shared an image of a hoodie from the crossover. The collection is all pastel blues and greens, while the sneakers also add light and dark browns for a nature vibe. 

Puma

It's no wonder Puma is teaming up with the tranquil game for its new range. AnimalCrossing: New Horizons has been a massive hit for Nintendo. It was the third biggest selling game of 2020, according to some estimates, and continues to attract players to this day.

In the past, gaming and fashion tie-ups have been a mixed bag. We'll let you decide whether you'd be seen in Nike's League of Legends range or Adidas and Ninja's sneaker. While Puma has previously dropped a Mario collab and a Sonic clothing line.

The main Bravely Default games are famously known for being Nintendo exclusives, and the latest entry in the franchise launched only for the Switch. Pretty soon, though, you'll be able to play Bravely Default II on a non-Nintendo device: The third main installment in the JRPG series will be available on Steam starting on September 2nd. 

Bravely Default II was slated for release last year until Nintendo of America announced that its launch date was going to be pushed back to February 26th, 2021. The two main entries in the franchise before it, Bravely Default and Bravely Second: End Layer, were both Nintendo 3DS exclusives. It didn't come as a surprise that the game was going to be released only for the Switch, but now you'll also also be able to give the game a try even if you don't have the console.

The game is set in a world separate from its two prequels, on continent named Excillant that's divided into five kingdoms. It features a new story with a new set of characters on a quest to retrieve the stolen crystals of the four elements. The title set you back $60 on Steam, but it's currently available for a 10 percent discount if you pre-order. In case you'd still prefer playing it on Switch, though, Bravely Default II physical copies are on sale for $30 on Amazon right now.

Apple has agreed to change several rules that govern its App Store as part of a settlement with developers who filed a class action lawsuit against the company. The most significant change is that Apple is “clarifying” that developers are permitted to email users “about payment methods outside of their iOS app.” The company has also agreed to publish transparency reports detailing App Store rejection rates and the app review process.

Developing...

For the second time in less than a year, Peloton is cutting the price of its entry-level stationary bike. Starting today, you can buy the machine, without any additional extras like cycling shoes, for $1,495. That’s nearly a 20 percent discount from the $1,895 price the company has sold the bike for since September of last year. Peloton is also dropping prices in Australia, Canada, Germany and the UK. At the same time, it's reducing how much it costs to finance the machine in the US by $10 to $39 per month. 

Notably, what isn’t changing with today’s announcement is the cost of the company’s Pelton Membership, which will still set you back $39 per month. You need that subscription to get the most out of the bike.

The announcement comes on the same day the company announced a Q4 net loss of $313.2 million. Peloton was one of the beneficiaries of the pandemic, struggling at times to keep up with demand from people who couldn’t go to the gym to exercise. And you saw that in the company’s financials, with it posting a net income of $89.1 million a year ago. Clearly, Peloton hopes a price cut can help it recapture some of the growth it experienced previously, and entice new customers to its subscription offerings.

The T-Mobile customer data breach might not have been a sophisticated data breach — in fact, it might have been relatively trivial. The hacker claiming to be responsible for the attack, John Binns, told the The Wall Street Journal in a discussion that T-Mobile's security was "awful." Binns reportedly broke through by using a readily available tool to find an exposed router, and took a week to delve through customer data stored in a data center near East Wenatchee, Washington.

Binns, who provided apparent evidence to back up his claims of involvement, said he breached T-Mobile and stole the data to create "noise" that drew attention to him. He came forward to highlight his claims he had been kidnapped in Germany and placed into a fake mental hospital. There wasn't any evidence to support that allegation.

T-Mobile declined to comment on Binns' claims in response to the Journal. It previously stated that it was "confident" it had closed the security holes used in the breach, which compromised sensitive info for more than 54 million active and former customers.

The incident is the third breach in two years, and suggests that T-Mobile is still struggling to offer security that matches its rapidly growing customer base. It only hired a new security leader earlier in 2021, for instance. If Binns' claims are accurate, though, the ease of the attack is also frightening — it only took a casual hack to put tens of millions of people at risk of fraud and other data crimes. The company may need to scramble if it's going to reassure customers that breaches will be rare going forward.

Reddit is pushing back against calls for the company to do a better job of moderating disinformation. In a thread titled Debate, dissent and protest on Reddit, CEO Steve Huffman said the company would continue to point users to authoritative information from the CDC when dealing with misinformation related to COVID-19. What it won’t do is ban communities that “challenge the consensus views on the pandemic.”

“Dissent is a part of Reddit and the foundation of democracy. Reddit is a place for open and authentic discussion and debate,” Huffman said in a thread that is locked, preventing Reddit users from replying to him directly. “This includes conversations that question or disagree with popular consensus. This includes conversations that criticize those that disagree with the majority opinion. This includes protests that criticize or object to our decisions on which communities to ban from the platform.”

Huffman’s statement doesn’t reference a specific community or incident, but as Vice points out, what likely prompted him to say anything at all was a thread from r/vaxxhappened, a subreddit where people share memes about anti-vaxxers. “We call upon Reddit to take action against the rampant Coronavirus misinformation on their website,” says the title of the post, which accuses Reddit of doing "nothing of substance" to tackle the problem of misinformation on the platform. As of the writing of this article, it has nearly 170,000 upvotes, with various other communities crossposting the thread to their subreddits.

“We could have been better off months ago, but disinformation and lies have been allowed to spread readily through inaction and malice, and have dragged this on at the cost of lives,” the post says. “There can be no room for leniency when people are dying as a result of misinformation on this platform. Reddit as a global platform needs to take responsibility here.”

While Reddit often isn’t mentioned in the same breath as Facebook and Twitter, the platform is a source of misinformation. You can visit various communities on the website that consistently share COVID-19 conspiracy theories. The only roadblock preventing access is a landing page that warns you you’re about to enter a subreddit that has been “quarantined” by the company for sharing misinformation.

Though it makes popular and groundbreaking electric vehicles, Tesla has had a less than stellar track record when it comes to the company's more ambitious future-facing projects. CEO Elon Musk's 2019 promise of unleashing a million autonomous "robotaxis" onto America's streets and highways has failed to materialize while the "full self-driving" technology that promise was premised on has failed drivers with such stunning regularity that the NHTSA has launched a federal investigation into it. So are we to believe that the same man whose company once designed a cut-rate mini-submarine and tried to distribute knock-off ventilators is capable of building a fully-functional robot prototype within the year?

The sexual harassment lawsuit against Activision Blizzard will have more repercussions for game content. Blizzard is changingOverwatch character Jesse McCree's name now that his real-life namesake has left the company. The developer wants a name that "better represents" Overwatch ideals, according to a statement.

The company had planned a story arc for September that would have featured McCree, but is delaying that narrative until later in 2021 to reflect the name change. Players will instead get a new free-for-all map that month. Blizzard also promised that it would no longer name characters after employees, and said it would be more "thoughtful and discerning" about referencing the real world in Overwatch.

The real Jesse McCree left Blizzard earlier in August, just weeks after his name surfaced in a California lawsuit over sexual discrimination and harassment at the gaming giant. McCree was reportedly spotted in photos of BlizzCon's notorious "Cosby Suite" hotel room where Blizzard workers allegedly harassed women.

This isn't the first time Blizzard has altered content following the lawsuit. It pulled World of Warcraft's references to Alex Afrasiabi, directly accused of harassment, soon after the suit emerged. However, this might be more noticeable. McCree is one of the best-known characters in Overwatch — the name change could easily draw attention to the lawsuit and the "frat boy" culture that reportedly persisted for years.

Pokémon fans now have even more ways to enjoy the sprawling franchise's offerings on Nintendo Switch. The Pokémon TV app has, at long last, hit the console. It includes hundreds of episodes of the Pokémon anime series, including some full seasons, as well as animated specials. 

Kids (and adults, if we're being honest) can also kick back and stream Pokémon Trading Card Game and video game competitions. They can pick up some training tips too. There's plenty for the youngest Pokémon fans as well. The Junior category includes sing-along songs, nursery rhymes and more. Content in the free app is refreshed periodically.

Pokémon TV emerged in 2010 on the brand's official website. Android and iOS apps followed in 2013.

Though the Switch eShop has hundreds and hundreds of games, there are precious few media apps. You can fire up YouTube, Hulu and Funimation but Netflix and Prime Video are nowhere to be seen (unless you jailbreak your Switch). Another streaming app from a brand that's so entwined with Nintendo's DNA could keep people hooked on their Switch for even longer. Still, it feels like the Pokémon TV app should have been on the console long before now.