*By Bridgette Webb*
Turtle Beach is on a roll.
The headset producer unveiled a new line of gaming gear called Atlas that's specifically designed for PC gamers.
"We are doing the same thing in the PC segment that we are doing in the console headset gaming segment for many years," said Turtle Beach CEO Juergen Stark in an interview Thursday on Cheddar. "We've put a lot of effort in making sure the build quality, the audio quality and the mic quality is the best you can get."
The new headset was introduced after the company reported second-quarter results that blew away analysts' expectations. Net revenue, net income, and earnings were higher than any second quarter since the company's 2014 IPO. Turtle Beach reported $60.8 million in revenue for the quarter ー up from $19.1 million the year before.
Stark attributed Turtle Beach's success to cost cutting on one side of its balance sheet and the booming demand for headsets generated by the popularity of battle royale games Fortnite and PUBG.
As promising a year as it's been so far, Stark said international tariffs could hurt sales of the imported Turtle Beach headsets.
"It will effect retail pricing for us, and for everyone in the category if what people are threatening goes through," he said. "I'm hopeful that it doesn't happen, I don't see how increasing the prices for consumers for everything you buy that's electronic is going to help anybody."
When asked how tariffs would affect the price of gaming headsets, Stark offered a matter-of-fact outlook.
"If there is a 10 percent tariff and you are building a product in China, the retail price point is going to go up 10 percent. If it's a 25 percent tariff that's being threatened, the retailer is it going to go up 25 percent."
For more on this story, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/turtle-beach-expands-further-into-pc-gaming).
The CEO of video app Cameo, Steve Galanis, said he created his platform because "selfies are the new autographs." For the right price, users can get a video shout-out from celebrities – actress Bella Thorne and NFL Hall of Famer Terrell Owens, to name a couple.
Facebook said Friday that it won’t partner with the crypto firm Stellar, despite a report that the two companies recently held talks. Just before the report, Facebook vice president of blockchain David Marcus stepped down from the board of Coinbase, citing a conflict of interest.
How Tesla CEO Elon Musk's plan to take the company private unfolds will depend on his financial backer ー or backers ー says Christian Prenzler, vice president of business development at Teslarati."Traditionally, Musk has had no problem selling these things to investors," Prenzler says.
Tesla's board of directors will reportedly hold a meeting next week with investors to discuss the possibility of taking the company private. The board may urge CEO Elon Musk to recuse himself from the talks.
Samsung showed off its new Galaxy Note 9 smartphone at its Samsung Unpacked event in New York Thursday. The Note 9 comes equipped with double the storage of any other smartphone on the market and a camera that automatically tells you if the picture is blurry.
And we're joined by actor Luke Evans, who is lending his voice to a new audio experience from Stella Artois. He talks about how he stays in the moment and cherishes his 'me time.'
Samsung's most powerful smartphone to date, the Galaxy Note 9, has a day-long battery life and a Bluetooth-enabled stylus that works like a remote control. Cheddar's Hope King demos the new phone and discusses its other features.
Crypto-bandits are imitating celebrities and CEOs on social media, trying to steal Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Vinny Lingham, co-founder and CEO of Civic, and Charlie Shrem, a founder of the Bitcoin Foundation, told Cheddar about their experiences with scammers.
These are the headlines you Need2Know for Friday, Aug. 10.
The gamer communications hub, with 150 million users, will sell indie titles curated by its staff in a new online storefront. "We have a lot of people here that love playing games and have really great taste, and so we're gonna pick out stuff we think is worth your time," says CEO Jason Citron.
Tinder’s business is exploding. The dating app is on track to generate $800 million in revenue this year, its parent company Match Group said this week.
Roku is offering online and OTT viewers of its own channel fewer ads than linear TV, says Rob Holmes, the vice president of programming and engagement. The platform will also have "Featured Free" content from partners including ABC, Fox, and the CW.
