Microsoft sacrifices the Xbox One; Hollywood vs. Pirates; Optical media on the rise again?

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I N   T H I S   I S S U E Microsoft's sacrifice: The Xbox One is now merely the Xbox 720 Hollywood and Silicon Valley face off on movie piracy PS4 release date leaks, a new PS3 revision, and no price cuts in sight Windows 8.1 Start button allows you to shut down, disable hot corners, boot to desktop New optical laser can increase DVD storage up to one petabyte How to charge your smartphone and other USB devices as quickly as possible Ouya and Shield: Android consoles are about potential, not gaming Microsoft's sacrifice: The Xbox One is now merely the Xbox 720 Over the past couple of months, Microsoft has been through hell and back. The company announced its next-gen console to minimal fanfare, thanks to some seemingly draconian policies. Amazingly, Microsoft rolled over on the policies it stood staunchly behind for the past couple of months, and now, as James explains, the Xbox One is more like an Xbox 720. We have so many questions -- most prominently, what could've been. If you're worried about the Xbox One's online features, now that Microsoft pulled a 180, everything will likely remain intact. Hollywood and Silicon Valley face off on movie piracy A year after the SOPA and PIPA melt-down, Hollywood and Silicon Valley are still at odds over how best to address the issue of piracy. David explains how heavyweights from both sides faced off to discuss possible market-based and legal solutions. PS4 release date leaks, a new PS3 revision, and no price cuts in sight When Sony announced the PS4 price at E3 last week, the crowd went wild at the shockingly low $399 price tag. What about the PS4 release date, though? Unfortunately, Sony kept mum on that topic, and just stuck with the vague "Q4 2013" timeframe. Meanwhile, European retailer Media Markt has now supposedly outed the launch date as November 13th. Whoops! Windows 8.1 Start button allows you to shut down, disable hot corners, boot to desktop Ahead of Windows 8.1's public preview release on June 26, we now know exactly how the resurrected Start button and menu will work. While it's still bad news for those of you who were hoping for the return of the Windows 7-style Start menu, there is one pleasant surprise: By right clicking the Windows 8.1 Start button you can shutdown or restart your PC. Don't forget to download the Windows 8.1 preview, which is available now. New optical laser can increase DVD storage up to one petabyte As the technology world has been moving on from optical media these past few years in favor of digital downloads and flash storage, it would seem that DVDs are becoming a thing of the past. Only Blu-rays have really been able to withstand the change, and that's largely thanks to the console gaming industry. However, scientists have created a new type of optical laser that could increase the data capacity of a single DVD to one petabyte. This would certainly bring back optical media in a big way. Scientists have also managed to 700 terabytes into single gram of DNA. How to charge your smartphone and other USB devices as quickly as possible Why does your smartphone charge quickly to start with, but slow down as it fills up? Sebastian answers these questions and more as we investigate the optimum methods of charging your USB devices as quickly as possible. We will also be taking a look at a new device, called the Practical Meter, which finally gives us insight into the arcane world of USB charging. Ouya and Shield: Android consoles are about potential, not gaming The Ouya has hit store shelves, and after a small delay, Nvidia's Shield will release to market as well. As the two pioneers of the Android gaming console market, the Ouya and Shield have taught us all one thing: Android gaming consoles are about the potential of the Android gaming platform, not the quality of the platform as it is now. eNewsletter Information    You are subscribed to ExtremeTech Update with the e-mail address pctipworld@gmail.com.    To unsubscribe from this newsletter, click here.    To change your email address, change your delivery format, or to subscribe to our other FREE email newsletters, click here. Copyright © 2013 Ziff Davis, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Ziff Davis, Inc., 28 East 28th Street, New York, NY 10016