YouTube on Friday said it is creating an online arena devoted to video game play, jumping onto a hot "e-sports" trend and challenging Amazon-owned Twitch.

YouTube Gaming will debut in Britain and the United States in the coming months, according to product manager Alan Joyce.

Twitter CEO Dick Costolo, who helped turn the trendy messaging startup into a global town square, is stepping down amid criticism over the company's disappointing financial performance and a recent stock slide.

Co-founder Jack Dorsey, who served as CEO during Twitter's early years, will temporarily take the reins while the San Francisco company looks for a permanent replacement.

Facebook-owned virtual reality firm Oculus aimed squarely at video game lovers on Thursday as it unveiled Rift headsets that it will begin selling early next year.

Oculus showed off Rift along with a dazzling array of games promised to be ready at launch, the exact date of which was not disclosed.

A U.S. appeals court Thursday declined efforts to put a temporary halt on "open Internet" regulations that prevent broadband providers from separating online traffic into slow and fast lanes.

The federal appeals court in Washington dismissed a bid to block implementation of the rules ordered earlier this year by the Federal Communications Commission, set to take effect Friday.

Uber released a free game Thursday that lets iPhone and iPad users test their skills as drivers for the controversial on-demand car ride service.

UberDRIVE launched in the U.S. in Apple's online iTunes shop.

Mobile messaging giant Line on Thursday launched a digital music streaming service in Japan, stepping into a largely untapped market still dominated by sales of compact discs.

The new business -- which comes weeks before Apple is expected to enter the Japanese market with its own streaming service -- offers unlimited access to a collection of more than 1.5 million songs for 1,000 yen (U.S.$8) a month.

Apple said Wednesday that it is cruising streets in specially equipped cars to gather pictures and other data for its free online mapping service.

For years, a Street View team has been ranging the world for Google Maps. Following in its tracks, Apple promised to safeguard privacy while gathering mapping data on the road.

US hedge fund Elliott said Thursday it would file a lawsuit against a proposed stock sale aimed to facilitate the merger of two Samsung Group affiliates.

The fund said it would apply for a court injunction against Samsung C&T's move to sell treasury shares to chemicals maker KCC Corp., one of its friendly shareholders, to bolster its hand in confrontation over its controversial merger with Cheil Industries.

Twitter on Wednesday launched a tool that takes into account what apps are on a smartphone or tablet when targeting pitches for other mini-programs people might want.

"Installed app category targeting" lets advertisers aim marketing messages at people based on what applications they already have, according to the popular one-to-many messaging service based in San Francisco.

Google on Wednesday unveiled a company devoted to making a thriving business out of solving big-city problems such as overpriced housing and traffic-snarled streets.

Sidewalk Labs based in New York City was described as an "urban innovation" firm with a mission to develop technology that makes living and running big cities better.