April 26 Tech news roundup: The Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion Remastered launched, OpenAI wants to buy Chrome, Windows 11 says bye to BSODs

The Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion Remastered launches for PC, PS5 and Xbox

Bethesda has launched The Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion Remastered. The original game which was released in 2006 went to become one of the best role-playing games of all time. Nineteen years later, the remastered version takes players back to Tamriel, and in style. Oblivion has shiny new graphics, rendered in Unreal Engine 5. It supports ray-tracing, offers enhanced visuals, improved lighting,  has new character models, landscapes, and new animations. Virtuos Studios has also redesigned interface, new menus, and also recorded additional voiced lines for NPCs who previously didn’t have spoken dialogues.

But the thing that pleased fans the most was the price of the game. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered is priced at $50 for the Standard Edition that comes with all the story expansions. The game is available on PC on Steam and Microsoft Store, the Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5.

Some users are running into performance issues in The Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion Remastered, the main complaint seems to be experiencing low fps in the open world, while interior areas like dungeons seem to have better performance. It could be another Unreal Engine 5 game that suffers due to poor optimization.

Windows 11: Bye bye blue screen of death! Hello green screen!

Windows 11 will no longer display a blue screen of death. Instead, it will display a green screen of death if your PC runs into unexpected problems and needs to restart. BSODs, as the blue screens were called, displayed a QR Code, a smiley, a link to a Windows help page, a stop code and the issue that caused the failure. The new error page only displays what failed, and shows the stop code for the issue, the rest of the details have been removed. And of course, the background color is now green.

According to Microsoft, the GSOD was designed as a streamlined user interface for unexpected restart errors that “better aligns with Windows 11 design principles. The company said that the change supports its goal of getting users back into productivity as fast as possible. That doesn’t really make sense if you think about it, how is changing the color, and removing some details going to get the users back into productivity? Anyway, don’t be surprised if you run into a green screen on Windows 11.

Google Pixel 7a extended repair program announced

Google has announced an extended repair program for the Pixel 7a. Many users had reported that the battery on their phones were swelling, and upon investigating the problem, Google acknowledged the issue. The Mountain View company has set up a Pixel 7a extended repair program, to allow users to claim one free battery replacement, even if the device is out of warranty. There are some conditions though, your phone must not exhibit forms of liquid damage, exposure to sharp objects, or excessive force. If it passes the physical examination, your phone’s battery will be replaced for free.

Eligible Pixel 7a users from the United States and India can choose to mail in their phone or take it to a service center. Users from Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, and Singapore will have to take their Pixel 7a to a service center, and these users can avail one of 2 options. They can opt to receive a financial compensation of up to $200, converted to their local currency, or receive a $300 discount code for a Pixel phone purchase on the Google Store.

Apple and Meta fined by EU for violating Digital Markets Act

The European Union has found Apple and Meta guilty of breaching the Digital Markets Act (DMA). Both companies have been levied hefty fines, Apple has been hit by a $500 Million fine, while Meta has to fork over $200 Million.

According to the European Commission, Apple’s iOS platforms restricts users and developers by forcing them to use its own App Store for their needs. The commission has demanded that Apple should allow third-party app stores, and sideloading of apps.  While Apple had created a way to do this, it also charged third-party sources a Core Technology Fee, and regulators disagree with such methods. Apple claims that the fine imposed on it is unfair, and that the demands basically require it to hand over its technology for free.

Meta’s “consent or pay” model has been found to breach DMA rules, by not obtaining proper consent from users to merge data from its apps. Users have limited choice in this matter, they either have to allow data collection, or purchase a subscription for using the services without personalized ads. Meta claims that the EU is stifling the growth of American businesses, and that this could lead to an inferior service.

OpenAI may buy Chrome from Google if the opportunity arises

Google’s Chrome browser could have a new owner in the future, if a court mandates the sale. This may happen as part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s ongoing antitrust trial against the search giant. A judge found Google to have breached antitrust laws in creating and maintaining a monopoly in the search engine market, especially as the company had cut deals with Apple, Samsung, etc., to set Google as the default search engine in their smartphones.

The DOJ had proposed that Google be forced to divest Chrome, and the Android operating system too. Google has argued that selling Chrome could be detrimental for user security, and the services that it provides. But, it appears that its appeals could be ignored. This week, during a court hearing, a OpenAI executive was asked to testify against Google. When he was asked whether OpenAI would be willing to buy Chrome, he responded positively, stating that it could be a big boost for OpenAI, if ChatGPT was integrated into Chrome. He also admitted that other companies would also be interested in acquiring the most-popular browser in the world, if the chance arose. Yahoo is reportedly interested in buying Chrome too.

Many users are concerned about the future of Chrome, several people are worried that ChatGPT could be a privacy nightmare if it was baked into the browser.