Google’s war against ad blockers has reached a dramatic new high, as allegations have emerged that YouTube is now imposing a five-second delay on opening videos for users who have ad blocking software installed — but only for anyone using a non-Chrome browser, like Firefox or Microsoft Edge. This news broke on Monday, after a Redditor discovered slow loading times on Firefox could be removed by changing the browser’s user agent to Chrome. Once YouTube thinks it’s loading on Chrome, the very noticeable five second delay magically disappears. The source of the delay appears to be a single line of code, "www.youtube.com##+js(nano-stb, resolve(1), *, 0.001)", which does nothing except force a five second wait. It wasn’t long before this news went viral, and forced a response from YouTube. Speaking to Android Authority, YouTube clarified that the delay is due to using ad blocking software. "To support a diverse ecosystem of creators globally and allow billions to access their favorite content on YouTube, we’ve launched an effort to urge viewers with ad blockers enabled to allow ads on YouTube or try YouTube Premium for an ad free experience. Users who have ad blockers installed may experience suboptimal viewing, regardless of the browser they are using." However, this statement does not explain why it is that the delay can be removed by spoofing a Chrome environment on any browser, especially if that browser already contains ad blocking software. Since Chrome is owned by Google, who also owns YouTube, it’s easy to see how this could land Google in hot water with various governments around the world over anti-trust laws. If Google really is treating other browsers differently than its own browser, then there's a clear reason for investigation here. Some have posited this may be lazy coding that stops the page from breaking while waiting for ads, but it doesn’t explain why this doesn’t apply to Google’s own Chrome browser, and why this wasn’t an issue before Google’s war on ad blockers. If you’re affected by any of these issues, then solutions are available, including installing custom filters in Ublock, or using an addon to change your user agent.

The launch of the OLED-equipped Steam Deck variant could have been a disaster, but it seems as if Valve has learned from past mistakes, as it’s still possible to buy a new Steam Deck and have it delivered within a few days. This stands in strong contrast to the launch of the original Steam Deck, which was mired in supply issues from day one. Backorders were stacked up within a few hours of launch, and it took Valve months to clear the backlog. That doesn’t seem to have happened with the new Steam Deck, which is still listed as being available for delivery in three to five business days, as is standard for Valve’s hardware shop. The new Steam Deck isn’t the Steam Deck 2 some have been waiting for. Instead, it’s an upgraded version of the original Steam Deck. It comes with a slightly larger 7.4-inch OLED display, a larger battery, and some small improvements. The OLED model also has boosted options for storage too, with a 512GB option being the cheapest OLED model you can buy, and a 1TB option being offered officially for the first time. The cheapest model, the 256GB variant, still has an LCD display. There are some other ways to look at this holding firm of supply, though. One is that the supply of OLED Steam Decks is still going strong because, well, most people with Steam Decks aren’t seeing the need to update their handheld PCs just because of a minor screen size update and better display tech. While an OLED panel is undoubtedly more beautiful than an LCD, it might not be worth the extra money when most will be happy to wait for a Steam Deck 2. Speaking of a sequel, Valve has made it clear that a new Steam Deck won’t arrive until the APU is able to be significantly better, making a 2024 launch date unlikely. The Steam Deck is now available in 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB variants for $349, $549, and $649 respectively. The 256GB model, as mentioned, is the older LCD model, so make sure to check which one you’re buying. Valve still has stock of the older LCD models in 64GB and 512GB too, which it is offering for a reduced price while stock lasts.

Intel has been really pushing the limits recently, having opened up new arenas for CPU power with the 6 GHz-capable Core i9-13900KS. This was then passed by the Core i9-14900K, and now, it looks like Intel will be releasing a CPU with the capability of reaching an incredible 6.2 GHz. This news comes from a retailer in Israel, which has listed the as-of-now unannounced Intel Core i9-14900KS in a number of pre built systems. From the looks of the listings, this new Intel core will use the same 24-core design with 32 threads, same as the Core i9-14900K. There’s 68MB of cache, split between the L2 (32MB) and L3 (36MB) cache, and there are eight Raptor Cove cores with Hyperthreading, as well as 16 Gracemont cores. The high clock speed is listed as a 6.2 GHz boost clock, taking it 200 MHz higher than the Core i9-14900K. Power draw looks to be similar to the Core i9-14900K, with peaks coming at around 320W, possibly higher. It’s compatible with Intel 700-series motherboards with a LGA1700 socket, though the systems listed have taken advantage of the Raptor Lake Refresh and are using newer 700-series motherboards with stronger power delivery and Wi-Fi 7 support, giving a stronger base for overclocking and longer longevity respectively. These new chips keep native DDR4-3200 and DDR5-5600 support, despite Intels claims that it had improved the Raptor Lake Refresh’s integrated memory controller. Since these leaks came as a result of combined pre built systems, we don’t know a price for separate purchases yet. However, since Intel has been happy to keep prices at the same level with Raptor Lake Refresh, it’s quite likely we’ll be seeing the Core i9-14900KS starting at $699, the same price as the Core i9-13900KS. This matches the same lack of price increases between the Core i9-14900K and Core i9-13900K, which both launched at $599. Release date is similarly unknown, though given the listing of the pre built systems it’s highly likely that an announcement and release date is not far away.

The Epic Games Store, self-proclaimed rival to Steam and that place you keep getting free games, has yet to make a profit. This news comes as part of the first day of the Epic vs. Google trial, which has been brewing for some time now. Despite this pretty damning news being made public, Epic seemingly has no plans to stop paying for free game giveaways and exclusivity deals, as this is all part of the plan. The Epic Game Store burst onto the scene in December 2018, with the aim of taking some marketshare away from Steam. Valve’s marketplace is by far the most dominant force within PC gaming, and squats across the entire space, with barely any room for competitors. Epic thought the success of Fortnite would give it some space to start expanding into that share though, and planned to take Valve on with a mixture of time exclusivity deals, while also tempting gamers over with a glut of free game giveaways, all paid for by Epic itself. To say this has been a failure so far is underestimating it. While many have gleefully accepted the free games, few have made the jump to the Epic Game Store as their primary sales platform. Part of that comes down to how Epic has treated the Game Store. On launch, it didn’t even have a shopping basket and many of the features most consumers would expect, making it a tough sell immediately. However, this is apparently all going according to plan. Epic’s previous court case against Apple made it clear Epic doesn’t expect to see any profit from the Epic Games Store until 2027, so there’s still some time before the experiment is officially deemed a success or failure. Until then, it’s likely Epic will continue throwing cash at its current strategy, so make sure to keep an eye on the Epic Games Store for free games. The case against Google centers around Epic attempting to avoid the 30% cut that Google takes from purchases in the Google Play Store. That applied to games like Fortnite, and Epic is trying to argue that this is unfair. Epic is getting its day in court, so we’ll have to see how it turns out.

Sales of Apple’s desktop and laptop computers have cratered during the fourth quarter of 2023, dropping by 34% when compared with the same quarter of last year. But despite the continued drop in sales of Mac hardware, Apple remains optimistic about its future relevance, thanks largely to an increase in iPhone sales and service spending. A 34% drop in sales year-on-year is a big drop for any company, but especially one as large as Apple. This quarterly drop is also the fourth decline in a row of year-on-year sales, but it’s worth putting those numbers into context. The sales of Macs in Q4 2023 added up to a staggering $7.614 billion, for a total of $29.357 billion across the entire year. That represents a drop of 34% and 27% respectively, but keep in mind that the year before was one of the largest sales years for Macs, and Q4 of 2022, the direct comparison for these latest sales numbers, was the most successful quarter for sales of Macs ever. "In Mac, revenue came in at $7.6 billion, down 34% year-over-year from the prior year's record quarter," said chief executive of Apple, Tim Cook, on the earnings call. "This was due to challenging market conditions, as well as difficult compares against the supply disruptions and subsequent demand recapture we experienced a year ago." Apple’s success and failure likely have the same root: Apple’s M-series processors. Last year saw an enormous expansion in the sales of specifically M1-equipped Macs, and given the life cycles of processors, it was unlikely that many people who bought an M1 Mac last year were likely to be looking to upgrade this year. However, Apple has more routes elsewhere, as noted during the call. While iPad sales are similarly down, iPhone sales and service users are up. While iPhone revenue fell slightly, services benefited from an increase in active devices, with numbers rising to two billion. Of course, while large elements of this report were negative, it’s important to note the highly optimistic tone held by Cook throughout the call. While revenue and sales may have taken a small hit this year, Apple is going nowhere.