Hasta La Gadget!

Earlier this month, a rumor suggested that Microsoft might be nearly ready to launch a Chromecast-like game streaming stick for its Xbox Cloud Gaming service. The company has now confirmed that such a device (codenamed Keystone) does exist, but it may not be coming any time soon after all, according to a report from Windows Central. 

“As announced last year, we’ve been working on a game-streaming device, codename Keystone, that could be connected to any TV or monitor without the need for a console,” a Microsoft spokesperson told Windows Central. “We have made the decision to pivot away from the current iteration of the Keystone device. We will take our learnings and refocus our efforts on a new approach that will allow us to deliver Xbox Cloud Gaming to more players around the world in the future.”

Last year, Microsoft confirmed that it was making Xbox video game streaming sticks and baking the technology into Smart TVs. “We’re… developing standalone streaming devices that you can plug into a TV or monitor, so if you have a strong internet connection, you can stream your Xbox experience,” the company said at the time. 

Since Stadia didn’t light up the market as much as Google likely hoped, Microsoft may be taking stock of its own project. “As part of any technical journey, we are constantly evaluating our efforts, reviewing our learnings, and ensuring we are bringing value to our customers,” the spokesperson said. 

Xbox Cloud Gaming (née xCloud) has rolled out to PCs, mobile devices and Xbox consoles as part of the $15/month Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription — though it’s still technically in beta almost a year after launching widely. However, Stadia can run on Google’s relatively inexpensive Chromecast devices, plus NVIDIA Shield TV and numerous Smart TVs. Microsoft is obviously being careful about its own streaming device, so it doesn’t look like a launch is in the near future after all. 

The “Late Show” host was baffled by the proposal from GOP Senate candidate Herschel Walker.

“I had no idea who she was. She just was carrying on a conversation like her and I knew each other for years,” one volunteer said.

PayPal has laid off workers in risk management and operations this week, according to Bloomberg. It’s the latest in a series of layoffs within the company — and it also won’t be the last. The publication says the payment processor also recently reduced its employee numbers in Chicago, Omaha, Nebraska and Chandler, Arizona. Further, it previously revealed that it was going to permanently lay off 80 people working in its headquarters in San Jose, California.

While the company approved plans to strategically reduce its workforce in 2020, these recent layoffs come after PayPal’s growth showed signs of slowing down. In the first quarter of the year, spending on the platform increased by 15 percent to $323 billion, which is the smallest growth it has seen in five years. The lack of availability of certain products due to the global supply chain crisis may have contributed to that, as well as the fact that people returned to in-store shopping after pandemic restrictions had eased. 

PayPal spent $100 million in severance pays and other expenses related to the job cuts, and it expects to spend even more. In the long run, though, the restructuring will save the company $260 million a year. The payment processor is just one of the many tech companies that’s reducing headcount or implementing freezing hires due to the economic slowdown. Microsoft, Meta and NVIDIA will limit their hiring due to tumbling stock prices and slowing sales and revenue growth. Uber and Lyft are also cutting back on hiring as part of their cost-cutting measures. More recently, Instacart announced that it’s doing the same thing in order to focus on profitability ahead of its planned IPO.

The governor will hold a press conference in Uvalde, Texas on Friday instead of visiting the gun group’s national conference.