Month: July 2019

Enlarge / Artist's conception of Kickstarter backers about to open up their email, expecting a promised Steam key...

Back at E3, Shenmue III developer Ys Net and publisher Deep Silver revealed that the PC version of the long-awaited sequel would be available exclusively on the Epic Games Store. That upset many of the game's Kickstarter backers, who were promised during the 2015 Kickstarter funding effort that the game would be available via Steam (they were also promised a "December 2017" estimated delivery, but at this point we all know what Kickstarter promises tend to be worth).

After initial reports that Ys Net was denying refund requests following the move, the company announced in a Kickstarter update today that it will indeed offer refunds to affected backers who request one. The developer writes that it was originally still planning to offer a Steam key option to satisfy those backers, but "coordination with the sales policies of the involved companies was untenable, and as a result we are not able to make a day one distribution option for Steam keys available."

"That we are not able to offer Steam keys for Kickstarter rewards at the time of the game’s release is a great [disappointment] and inconvenience for those backers who were expecting to receive them," the update continues. "We deeply apologize for the unrest caused by the announcement."

Enlarge / Mountain View, Calif.—May 21, 2018: Exterior view of a Googleplex building, the corporate headquarters of Google and parent company Alphabet. (credit: Getty Images | zphotos)

A group of the biggest retailers in the country, including Target, Walmart, Best Buy, Apple, and T-Mobile, is asking federal regulators to do something about the outsized power digital competitors Amazon and Google have in the marketplace.

The Retail Industry Leaders Association, a trade group representing dozens of major retail chains, submitted lengthy comments this week (PDF) to the Federal Trade Commission urging an update of antitrust policy for the "information infrastructure" era, in business-to-business interactions as well as equal access to consumers, and for the FTC to "take the next step with investigations and actions against companies impeding free market competition."

The organization wants the FTC to act "not to complain about competition" from companies such as Facebook, Google, or Amazon, "but to ask for more competition," RILA VP of innovation Nicholas Ahrens said in a written statement. "Modern antitrust investigation and enforcement needs to be driven by a greater recognition that control over information can drive anti-competitive effects just as much as market power and price control."

Enlarge (credit: Ars Technica)

Greetings, Arsians! The Dealmaster is back with another round of deals to share. Today's list is headlined by deals for Google's Home smart speakers, Nest smart home devices, and the Chromecast Ultra media streamer. Google says the offers will be available at various retailers until July 17, which not coincidentally means they'll run through Amazon's Prime Day event and the various Echo device deals that's likely to bring.

Some highlights here include the Google Home Mini for $25, the Nest Hub smart display for $79, and the larger Home Max smart speaker for $249, all of which either match or beat those devices' respective prices on Black Friday last year. The usual caveats concerning data collection and privacy with these kind of devices still apply, but if you're not disgusted with smart speakers as a concept, we have praised the Home Mini and Nest Hub before, and the Home Max is a much sharper-sounding (and more bass-heavy) audio upgrade.

The Chromecast Ultra, Google's 4K media streamer dongle, is down to $55, which is $5 more than its Black Friday price. A variety of Nest devices are on sale as well, though we've only listed a handful of those offers below, since some of Google's promoted discounts aren't as good as deals we've seen in the past.

Enlarge / WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 11, 2018: U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar (R) announced a 'blueprint' for lowering the cost of prescription medication with President Donald Trump in the Rose Garden at the White House. (credit: Getty | Chip Somodevilla)

Pharmaceutical companies raised the prices of more than 3,400 drugs in the first half of 2019, surpassing the number of drug hikes they imposed during the same period last year, according to an analysis first reported by NBC News.

"Requests and public shaming haven't worked," Michael Rea, chief executive of RX Savings Solutions, told Reuters last December. His company helps health plans and employers seek lower-cost prescription medicines. It also conducted the new analysis on drug prices.

In December, Rea predicted that the number of 2019 increases would be even greater than in past years. It appears he is correct.