Google/Epic Games Settlement, YouTube (fixes) mistakes, Stop Killing Games UK hearing + more!

Duration: 08:39

Timestamps:

0:00 AI makes me anxious

0:14 Google, Epic Games Play Store settlement

1:37 YouTube behaving badly... then fixing it

2:41 Stop Killing Games UK debate

4:25 QUICK BITS INTRO

4:37 Google space data centers, Gemini in Maps

5:26 Apple making budget Macbook

6:06 Amazon sues Perplexity

7:06 PS5 / PC Cross-buy, PS Portal cloud streaming

7:46 Jeep PHEV recall

NEWS SOURCES:

MAINS

SETTLE DOWN YOU TWO

Google settlement with Epic caps Play Store fees, boosts other Android app stores

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/11/google-settlement-with-epic-caps-play-store-fees-boosts-other-android-app-stores/

Techcrunch article: https://techcrunch.com/2025/11/05/epic-games-ceo-calls-googles-antitrust-settlement-a-win-for-androids-vision-as-an-open-platform/

Google’s Sameer Samat tweet

https://x.com/ssamat/status/1985920218602918343

5% cut section: https://lmg.gg/sCVJl

Tim Sweeney tweet

https://x.com/TimSweeneyEpic/status/1985920786545123613

Japan allows installation of alternative iOS app stores, joining EU https://x.com/TimSweeneyEpic/status/1986114814389727600

THAT MEMBERSHIP HAS SAILED

YouTube seemingly doubles-down on Memberships, starts serving pop-up ads when you click a video

https://www.reddit.com/r/LinusTechTips/comments/1ooir7c/every_time_i_open_an_ltt_video_i_get_a_popup/

Our team observed it https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eUjo5-OXHnCY06FYqQztGwN_5ATrSLQd/view?usp=drive_link

When we contacted them, we were informed it was a bug

Tech YouTuber irate as AI “wrongfully” terminates account with 350K+ subscribers

https://www.dexerto.com/youtube/tech-youtuber-irate-as-ai-wrongfully-terminates-account-with-350k-subscribers-3278848/ Moral of the story: If you want something overturned, complain about it on twitter

Mashable article: https://mashable.com/article/big-youtube-channels-terminated-creators-blame-ai

THE GREAT BRITISH DEBATE

UK finally holds debate over Stop Killing Games petition

https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/stop-killing-games-uk-petition-has-been-debated-in-parliament-the-law-works-but-companies-may-need-to-communicate-better

Hearing transcript https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2025-11-03/debates/C603C07C-1BB5-41EF-A3C1-1AE1FEBBB95D/VideoGamesConsumerLaw

MP Mark Sewards: argument could be made that companies may already be breaking existing law https://www.independent.co.uk/tech/stop-killing-games-ubisoft-the-crew-b2857787.html#

And cites dead game Lawbreakers to make a sick burn

https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/british-mps-are-comparing-one-another-to-cliff-bleszinskis-dead-live-service-fps-lawbreakers-to-score-points-as-videogame-debate-comes-to-uk-parliament/

https://youtu.be/ONX2KUhyFow?t=1958

32:38 - 32:49 RECORD AUDIO: “Another example that Ross gave me was LawBreakers. So, this is a game that I imagine would have been popular with certain members of the previous parliament, but it survived a year before it was shut down in 2018.”

Just write [AUDIO CLIP HERE], then joke that he certainly seemed proud of himself for that - as he should be

Despite Sewards’ absolutely merciless tactical strike, the UK govt’s representative reiterated that there are no plans to amend UK law on this issue.

https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/digital-ownership-must-be-respected-uk-parliament-debates-stop-killing-games-campaign-but-government-doesnt-budge/

Full response https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2025-11-03/debates/C603C07C-1BB5-41EF-A3C1-1AE1FEBBB95D/VideoGamesConsumerLaw#contribution-66A6486C-D722-4EBB-9524-473919FA5862

But there’s hope for the EU arm of the campaign; it, too, will soon get a EU parliamentary debate as the organizers revealed only around 3% of the petition’s signatures are being identified as invalid.

https://www.reddit.com/r/StopKillingGames/comments/1og0kb3/stop_killing_games_announcement/

https://www.reddit.com/r/StopKillingGames/comments/1og0kb3/comment/nllitoq/

Joke about who makes up that 3%. People who think they live in the EU, but don’t?

QUICKBITS

DIRECTIONS TO THE FINAL FRONTIER

Following all our space news on Monday, Google is planning space-based AI data centers

https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/artificial-intelligence/google-exploring-putting-ai-data-centers-in-space-project-suncatcher-wants-to-harness-in-orbit-solar-power-to-scale-ai-compute

Google Blog

https://research.google/blog/exploring-a-space-based-scalable-ai-infrastructure-system-design/

Google Maps bakes in Gemini to improve navigation and hands-free use, it will use landmarks in its directions

https://techcrunch.com/2025/11/05/google-maps-bakes-in-gemini-to-improve-navigation-and-hands-free-use/

BUDGET? IN THIS ECONOMY?

“Apple Prepares to Enter Low-Cost Laptop Market for First Time”

https://lmg.gg/AN0j0 (Bloomberg)

From the same Bloomberg report, M5 Ultra Being Prepared For A Mac Studio Refresh In 2026

https://wccftech.com/m5-ultra-mac-studio-launching-in-2026/

ALEXA, DEFINE HYPOCRISY

Amazon sent a cease-and-desist to Perplexity, demanding it to stop letting Comet make purchases on users' behalf, accusing it of computer fraud

https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/perplexity-receives-legal-threat-amazon-over-agentic-ai-shopping-tool-2025-11-04/

In response, Perplexity AI accuses Amazon of bullying with legal threat over Comet browser

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/11/04/perplexity-ai-amazon-bullying-comet-browser.html

Bullying is Not Innovation

https://www.perplexity.ai/hub/blog/bullying-is-not-innovation

More and more people are going to be buying stuff with AI, which is only slightly (more/less) concerning than the fact that 67 Has Eclipsed 69 in Global Google Search Popularity

https://www.reddit.com/r/dataisbeautiful/comments/1onepzp/67_has_eclipsed_69_in_global_google_search/

Graph

https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=67,69&hl=en

CROSS YOUR HEART AND HOPE TO BUY

PS5 PC cross-buy symbol found by dataminer, with PS Store game launcher

https://www.n0otebookcheck.net/PS5-PC-cross-buy-symbol-found-by-dataminer-with-PS-Store-game-launcher-possibly-replacing-Steam.1155506.0.html

Like their version of Xbox Anywhere https://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/xbox-play-anywhere

Cloud Streaming officially arrives on PlayStation Portal today, with new support for digital PS5 Games in your library

https://blog.playstation.com/2025/11/05/cloud-streaming-officially-arrives-on-playstation-portal-today-with-new-support-for-digital-ps5-games-in-your-library/

THE HOTTEST HYBRID YET

Jeep recalls 320k hybrids because the battery can catch fire