Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer temporarily takes over for departing Don Mattrick

By Michael Rougeau July 1, 2013

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer will take over the duties of soon-to-depart president of interactive entertainment business Don Mattrick, who leaves on July 8, 2013 to become Zynga’s new CEO.

“Don’s directs will report to me and will continue to drive the day-to-day business as a team, particularly focused on shipping Xbox One this holiday,” Ballmer wrote in an email to Microsoft employees that was posted to the company’s news center following Mattrick’s confirmation as Zynga’s new CEO. “Thank you, Don, for setting us on a path to completely redefine the entertainment industry. The strong leadership team at IEB and their teams are well positioned to deliver the next-generation entertainment console, as well as transformative entertainment experiences, long into the future.”

Ballmer notes that Mattrick led the Xbox team through many successes, including growing the Xbox Live user base from 6 million to 48 million, making the Xbox 360 the top-selling U.S. console for two years running, and selling 24 million Kinects. When the new CEO steps in at Zynga next week, he’ll work in tandem with company founder and former CEO Mark Pincus, who will assume the role of Chairman and Chief Product Officer.

“I joined Zynga because I believe that Mark’s pioneering vision and mission to connect the world through games is just getting started,” Mattrick said in a statement. “Zynga is a great business that has yet to realize its full potential. I’m proud to partner with Mark to deliver high-quality, fun, social games wherever people want to play.”

Topics

Microsoft

Michael Rougeau

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Mike Rougeau is a journalist and writer who lives in Los Angeles with his girlfriend and two dogs. He specializes in video…

Gaming

Nintendo Switch vs. PlayStation Portal: which portable device is best?

playstation portal review remote player vs switch oled

Handheld gaming has come back in a big way this past generation. Nintendo formerly held the crown as the king of the dedicated handheld market with its unfathomably successful DS line, which would eventually combine into a home console with the equally impressive Switch. PlayStation attempted to get into this market with the PSP and PS Vita but appeared to bow out of that competition when the latter failed to achieve much success. However, the new PlayStation Portal device could provide players with an alternative to Nintendo's aging system.

If you're debating between the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation Portal, here's a full breakdown of how the two devices stack up.
Nintendo Switch Vs. PlayStation Portal specs
When it comes to specs, let's start with the easy comparisons.

Web

Best Buy deals: Save on laptops, TVs, appliances, and more

best buy shuts down insignia line smart home products store 2 768x768

One of the best places to shop for almost anything involving electronics says so right in its name: Best Buy. The retail giant has a ton of departments with some of today’s most popular devices, components, and appliances for sale. It also offers a lot of these at a discount, which is certainly what we’re seeing right now. Some of the best TV deals, best tablet deals, best laptop deals, and best phone deals can currently be found at Best Buy, and those are just the tip of the iceberg. We’ve tracked down all of the best deals you can shop at Best Buy right now, so read onward for some gift ideas for yourself or a loved one and for some great ways to save.
Best Buy TV deals

There may be no better place to purchase one of the best TVs than Best Buy. There is almost always some huge savings to find on TVs at Best Buy, and that’s certainly the case right now. You’ll find deals top TV brands like Sony, Samsung, and LG, and more budget-friendly brands like TCL and Hisense are in play, too.

Gaming

Best PS5 SSD deals: Add more storage to your PS5 from $80

A 2TB WD Black

If you've snapped up one of the better PS5 deals around at the moment, it's a smart move to also buy one of the best SSDs for PS5 so you can easily expand your PlayStation 5's storage. While the internal storage will get you started, as you install more games and download more titles from the PSN store, the more you'll find yourself limited for space. That's why we've sought out all the best PS5 SSD deals around right now. Below, we've listed the best PS5 SSDs so you won't have to worry about any compatibility issues or installing a heatsink for yourself. Different sizes and price ranges are available here so you'll easily find the right one for your situation.
Our favorite PS5 SSD deal

It wasn't that long ago that you'd have to pay well over $100 to get a SSD for your PS5 and often, it'd be slower than the pricier alternatives. These days, you can buy a Samsung 980 Pro 1TB SSD with heatsink for just $80 from Best Buy, thereby saving $40 off the regular price of $120. The SSD offers speedy performance while also having its own nickel coated high end controller to help deliver effective thermal control. It means it won't overheat and performance won't be compromised. Being a PCIe Gen 4 SSD, you get twice the data transfer speed of PCIe Gen 3 which is useful. Offering maximum read speeds of 7,000 megabytes per second, it's a good upgrade to go alongside your existing hard drive with 1TB offering plenty of extra space at a shrewd price.