Axios

Most of the Xbox games released in the past decade are at less risk of becoming unplayable in the future. That’s thanks to a change Microsoft has quietly made to how its current consoles handle users' rights to their games.

Why it matters: It’s a win for video game preservationists and anyone else who imagined running recent Xbox games in the far future without worrying about the status of any remote servers.

Bitcoin changed Udi Wertheimer's life, and then mocking its copycats turned him into a micro-celebrity. He had every reason to double down on that approach, but the latest crypto boom changed him — now his favorite folks to mock are all the people copying his old playbook.

Why it matters: In an era when it seems like every tribe that could behave tribally is doing so and nothing creates online celebrity faster than attacking tribal heretics, Wertheimer is one of a select group of bitcoin diehards who has done something very surprising: he's changed.

The CEO of Semtech doesn't mind that you have never heard of his chip company, but hopes the low-power wireless technology it is pushing will soon be on everyone's radar.

Why it matters: The technology, known as LoRa, has the potential to connect billions of devices without simultaneously inflicting further harm on the planet, Semtech CEO Mohan Maheswaran told Axios.

Infrastructure startup Skip, built to enable companies built in blockchain ecosystems to bid to move their transactions up in validators' queues, has raised $6.5 million from brand name crypto VCs.

Why it matters: Miner extractable value (MEV) arose as a theme in 2021. It was discovered as a way for traders to take advantage of blockchain transparency and steal others' savvy trades. Since then, it's developed into, at least in part, a way to improve the user experience of some aspects of using cryptocurrencies.

The question of whether states can regulate what social media companies allow on their platforms is on its way to the Supreme Court.

Driving the news: Florida filed a brief Wednesday asking the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse a decision against its controversial social media law after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit struck it down in May, deeming it unconstitutional.

Jesse Powell is stepping down as CEO of prominent U.S.-based crypto exchange, Kraken. As the company's largest shareholder, he will continue to serve as Chairman of the Board, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Why it matters: Founded in 2011, Kraken is one of the longest running exchanges, currently ranked fourth for volume on CoinMarketCap. Bloomberg recently reported it had a $10 billion valuation.

Although only half of Americans know what spatial audio is, the next-generation surround technology is more popular among younger people, a new survey finds.

The big picture: Roughly 80% of Gen Z consumers would be willing to pay more for their next pair of headphones if it supports the technology, according to a survey by Agora, which offers tools to include real-time audio and video within other applications.

As Meta shapes its antitrust defense, it has begun pointing out its plummeting stock price as a sign that competition is alive and well in its market.

Driving the news: Meta’s market value is down by more than 60% since the spring. It has lost ground to its surging rival TikTok, and its revenue has been curtailed by Apple's iOS privacy changes.