Switch on the Go Success
Nintendo Co. shares rose on Friday to their highest in a month after a smooth debut of Switch, a hybrid console that aims to bring together the worlds of mobile and home gaming.Shares rose as much as 4.1 percent, also the biggest gain in a month, as analysts expressed optimism the launch was going well. Switch, which sells for $300 or 30,000 yen, is the Kyoto-based company’s biggest bet in years. The new Zelda game made for Switch scored a 98 out of 100 on review aggregator website Metacritic, making it the fourth-highest rated video game of all time. (Source: Bloomberg)
Gaming/Learning Platform Kahoot!
Kahoot! is a free online learning platform for grades K-12. They have now reached 1 billion players moving through its platform in just four years. The company teaches children through gaming and aims to unlock their highest potential. Kahoot! offers a variety of subjects like math, science, geography, and english. Many research studies point to gamification helping the learning process and Kahoot! seems to be capitalizing on this trend. The Olso-based company’s North American headquarters are in Austin, and they have a significant presence this week at SXSWedu – also in Austin. (Source: TechCrunch)
Uber Paranoia?
According to the The New York Times, Uber systematically messed with government officials who were trying to block Uber in their cities via a complex array of methods, including an internal tool called Greyball. The company states: “This program denies ride requests to users who are violating our terms of service — whether that’s people aiming to harm drivers physically, competitors looking to disrupt our operations or opponents who collude with officials on secret ‘stings’ meant to entrap drivers.” That’s right; Uber was looking through users’ social media profiles to identify if they were in the government and not pro-Uber and deny them rides. Creepy, or Uber just being Uber? (Source: Mashable)
