The People's Republic of China has strict censorship laws regarding media in all formats for the sole purpose of protecting national security and maintaining social stability. While it has made some strides in regards to lifting gaming bans, Reuters reports these laws are now targeting a different form of communication: livestreaming.

China has reportedly contacted three major social media and news websites to take down all video and audio streaming services due to politically charged social commentary. China's Twitter-esque social media website Sina Weibo, video-sharing and game streaming platform ACFUN, and news website Ifeng.com are being affected by the ban.

The move is due to the presence of politically charged material that violates China's censorship laws within these websites' livestreaming content. User commentary is also inciting "negative opinions."

Because of its censorship laws, China's government regularly combs through its social media websites for potentially harmful comments and content. This includes, but isn't limited to, politically charged comments, anything that slanders and insults others, promotion of cults or superstitions, mockery of China's culture and traditions, and the showing of drug use and violence. While pictures and written comments that include these things can be deleted, it's harder to regulate livestreams, videos, and audio content.

Foreign social media websites like Facebook and YouTube are banned in China entirely. Videogame streaming platform Twitch is banned; even Google is banned. Although China in 2015 lifted its videogame console manufacturing and ownership ban made in 2000, while its laws regarding content censorship remained in place. To this day, the content of video games is subject to the government's censorship for the same reasons as its internet and media censorship: national security and stability.

Sina Weibo has acknowledged the notice issued by the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SAPPRFT) of the People's Republic of China and is in the process of evaluating who the ban will affect from the staff to its major influencers. But what's most interesting is that the SAPPRFT notice states that Sina Weibo does not have the proper licenses for internet livestreaming services, in addition to its content violations.

Sina Weibo, like other livestreaming social platforms like Momo and YY, is part of a booming livestreaming market in China, which grew 180% in 2016 alone, according to Technode. The same story includes a report from the China Internet Network Information Center, stating that there were over 344 million livestreaming users in China in 2016, which constitutes about 47 percent of all of the internet users in the country. Video game streaming was the largest part of this market to grow, led by gameplay streaming platform Douyu and gaming and social media giant Tencent.

Without question, this ban will have effects on that livestreaming market, and the bans on Sina Weibo, ACFUN, and Ifeng.com could just be the beginning.

It is currently unclear when these livestreaming services will be taken down from the websites under the ban.

Overwatch, Hearthstone, Starcraft, and other Blizzard tournaments will be available on Twitch

Twitch announced today that it has signed a deal with Blizzard Entertainment that gives the popular video game streaming site two-year, third-party live-streaming rights to some of Blizzard’s biggest e-sports events in popular games like Overwatch, Starcraft, Hearthstone, and Heroes of the Storm.

The deal doesn’t seem to include total exclusivity for Twitch, just third-party streaming-platform rights, so Blizzard will still be able to offer a first-party stream through its own site. And Twitch only has some of Blizzard’s events, including the Heroes of the Storm Global Championship, StarCraft II World Championship Series, Hearthstone Championship Tour, World of Warcraft Arena Championship, Overwatch APEX League, and Overwatch Premier Series.

That said, it’s still a pretty significant signing for Twitch given the massive popularity of Blizzard’s games, especially in the competitive and streaming contexts. Additionally, as part of the deal with Blizzard, Twitch will be offering in-game loot for Overwatch, Heroes of the Storm, and Hearthstone for Twitch Prime subscribers, starting with a Golden Loot Box in Overwatch that guarantees a legendary item.

Spotify is now available

Microsoft revealed at Build last month that Spotify would be arriving in the Windows Store, and it's now available today. While Spotify has created mobile apps in the past for Windows Phone, the company has opted to convert its desktop app to a Windows Store one using Microsoft's Centennial Desktop Bridge tool. That means this isn't a Universal Windows App, and won't run on Windows Mobile or the Xbox One console.

The Spotify app in the Windows Store is identical to the desktop app that is available online, and the only major change is that Spotify will now be updated through the Windows Store. Spotify arriving in the Windows Store does mean that Surface Laptop owners still running Windows 10 S will be able to download and install the app. Microsoft's Windows 10 S variant will only support apps from the company's Windows Store.

Samsung’s Galaxy Note 8 will reportedly be announced in August

Samsung is planning to announce the Galaxy Note 8 in August, according to a new report from Reuters, citing a source that claims to be familiar with the matter.

The Reuters report also claims that the Note 8 will feature a dual-camera system and a slightly larger curved display than the Galaxy S8 Plus, which is in line with rumors from earlier this year. An August announcement would make sense, as Samsung has announced previous Note devices, including the Note 5 and the ill-fated Note 7, in a similar time frame.

A late August release date would also mean that Samsung would have a chance to get its newest flagship device on the market before Apple’s own upcoming iPhone 8.

$300 PlayStation VR Available For A Limited Time

Price of entry is one of the main barriers holding some people back from picking up their own VR headset. Sony's PlayStation VR aims to be a lower-priced option compared to its PC counterparts, but it's still an expensive purchase. At the moment, however, its cost is a bit more palatable.

Over on eBay, Newegg is selling the $400 PSVR for only $300. Discounts on the headset have not been commonplace, and this might well be the cheapest that a new version of the headset has been sold for since its launch last October.

Shipping on this deal is free, and Newegg is a reputable seller, but the offer is only available to those in the United States. It's unclear how long this discount will be available for, so you should act quickly if you're interested.

An important thing to note is that this doesn't come with anything but the headset itself--you'll still need a PS4 and a PS4 camera at a bare minimum. PlayStation Move controllers (two of which are included with $500 PSVR bundles) are optional but do often enhance the experience. You can GameSpot's PSVR review for more details.